Europe

Having spent most of my holidays in the Caribbean over the past two decades of holidays, the Adriatic was a distant destination ‘to do someday’. I knew basically nothing about the Adriatic and what it had to offer but the lure was apparent. We – Mango Yacht Charters – decided a to expand our business and add the Mediterranean to our repertoire of destinations.

It started with an Internet search on malts and ended with an invitation that was too good to be true for any decent Galley Guy not to accept: fly to Scotland, drive peacefully through the Scottish countryside and come to rest at the end of a single-lane road on the Isle of Skye (along side the Cuillin mountain range in the Village of Carbost beside Loch Harport) only to witness a flotilla of eighty yachts which we were joining. This, and we were right in front of the Talisker Distillery which we would tour the following day.

Every sailor knows it's bad luck to begin a voyage on a Friday. Why? We've never really been able to satisfactorily pin that down. Like most superstitions the origin is a bit murky. Some say it has religious roots relating to Jesus' death on the cross on Good Friday. Others say it relates to Friday the 13th and that historically bad things often happen on a Friday. Regardless of the reason, it's a superstition that the brotherhood of sailors, whether racing or cruising, pays heed to.

The term “turquoise seas” is an expression I equate with idyllic cruising so when my mate, Paul, proposed a cruise along the Turquoise Coast I just knew it was going to be a great experience. The Turquoise Coast is located on the southern shore of Turkey (Turquia in Spanish, Türkiye in Turkish) that embraces the Mediterranean Sea for nearly 1600 km or 994 miles.

It had been a fast 2-day passage south from the Portuguese island of Madeira to the sun-baked Canary Islands of Spain, our jumping-off point for a transatlantic passage to the Caribbean. We'd had great sailing with wind all the way – and from the right direction – until the last few hours of our approach to Gran Canaria on December 13th when the wind headed us. But our new Southerly 42 sailboat, Distant Shores, charged effortlessly into the building seas under power of our small self-tacking jib and reefed mainsail.

Two-footitis – the need to move up to a boat 2-feet longer than the one you have – is an ailment that hits most sailors at one time or another as their passion for the sport grows, new challenges are sought, the crew expands or, let's be really honest here, the desire for bigger and better toys hits hard.