The name “Dodecanese”, meaning “The Twelve Islands”, denotes today an island group in the southeastern Aegean Sea, comprising fifteen major islands. When Greece was established as an independent sovereign state in 1830, after the war of independence from the Ottomans, the Dodecanese islands were left outside the Kingdom of Greece. The Italians had control over […]
Dodecanese, Greece. Read More »
We had to round Akra Maleas (Cape Maleas) to proceed further East. The seas around the cape can be treacherous and difficult to navigate, most famously described in the Odyssey. Homer describes how, after the sacking of Troy, Odysseus on his return home to Ithaca rounds Cape Maleas only to be blown off course, resulting
Aug 25, 11.00 am we set sail for the 310 nautical miles to the Peloponnisos in Greece and dropped anchor on Aug 27 @ 02.30 pm in the bay East of Methoni, averaging a little over 6 kts. The trip went fine on a port tack with the wind at 60 degrees. However there were
Peloponnisos, Greece. Read More »
In Menorca we waited for stable weather for the 230 miles sail to Malfatano in the South of Sardinia. The Tramontana wind blows from the South of France in South Easterly direction along the coast of Sardinia and on to Sicily. Too much wind and the swell gets uncomfortable. Too less and the sailing is
Skimming past Italy. Read More »
Our aim was to get to Turkey via Tunesia. However the three months hold-up in Morocco due to COVID meant we now had to deal with the July and August winds in the Southern Med and they are predominantly from the East, the so called “Levante”. After observing the weather pattern for two weeks when
How to get further Eastwards? Read More »
Spain lifted travel restrictions on Jun 21, exactly three months after the lockdown in Morocco began on Mar 20. Yes, ………..now we had a place to go to but, …………. We had to ask the Moroccan authorities for permission to leave since the country is still under lock-down until Jul 14. After signing a document
locked down March 20 – June 26, 2020 Especially during the first month, the COVID restrictions were strictly enforced. Only one person per boat was allowed to leave the marina for shopping to the nearest grocery store or pharmacy, which for us happened to be both in the Ibn Battuta Mall (the red dot at
Tangier, Morocco – 4 Read More »
Although the Medina and the Kasbah are the tourist source of income, Tangier has more up its sleeve. The modern business district can rival with many European cities and Tangier is surrounded by 4 major industrial parks home to a diversified industry. The glitzy towers and 4 lane roads miss the atmosphere of the older
Tangier, Morocco – 3 Read More »
In 1419 the Portuguese were the first in Europe to start methodical expeditions along West Africa’s coast under the sponsorship of prince Henry the Navigator, marking the beginnings of Europe’s “Age of Discoveries” (See; https://www.twobatsea.com/belem-portugal/). Tangier became Portugese territory in 1471 but in 1661 was passed on to the British as part of Portuguese princess Catherine
Tangier, Morocco – 2 Read More »
After fuelling up at CEPSA in Gibraltar, (0.75 EU per liter but more expensive than Philippines!) we left for Tangier on Sunday Mar 8, 2020. Navigating our way out of Gibraltar bay between the anchored freighters and tankers is the easy part. What you really have to look out for are the high speed ferries.
Tangier, Morocco – 1 Read More »