2019. Where shall we go?

[davedindubai]

I love sailing, exploring, adventuring etc but planning, looking at charts, maps and reading about other peoples experiences comes a close second.

So I find myself planning a whole 12 months of adventures for next year. I know where I want to start and I 'think' have a plan for winter 19/20 but there's about 8 months (March to October) where a lot of fun needs to be had!

I've attached a pic of a very loose Easterly route with some places that I want to stop off at but no specifics. Balearics, Southern Sardinia, Sicily / Malta, Ionion, Aegean, Turkey.

I recently asked you guys for a list of the best marinas to winter in and you came up trumps so I trust you with our cruising itinerary 2019! There's one stipulation, in each of the destinations listed I will need a safe harbour so I can leave the boat and the family while I go off to work for a month but while I'm onboard then as many beautiful anchorages as possible please.

Thanks. Dave, Hayley and Ayla.

[davedindubai]

I forgot to add the pic...

[davedindubai]

I'll try again...

[Palarran]

Dave,
I did about the same trip last year east to west and also similar in 2012 west to east. We went from Athens to the Ionians to Siracusa, to Malta, back to Sicily, to Southern Sardinia, Balearic's, then out to the Canaries. My favorite stops were the Balearic's, Corsica, Sardinia, Ionians, Sporades including Evia, and of course all the islands of the Aegean. I could absolutely skip Sicily. More time for sure could have been spent in Corsica and Sardinia. The French Riviera is difficult to anchor safely in.

You have a lot of time if your going to do 12 months straight. We averaged 3 months per year for 6 years and were able to visit many places. The only thing I can say is that anywhere in Greece was better than everywhere else so if I ever go back, that will again be my central focus.

[iliohale]

Do not miss Croatia, great cruising area.

[sailaway68]

Originally Posted by davedindubai

I love sailing, exploring, adventuring etc but planning, looking at charts, maps and reading about other peoples experiences comes a close second.

So I find myself planning a whole 12 months of adventures for next year. I know where I want to start and I 'think' have a plan for winter 19/20 but there's about 8 months (March to October) where a lot of fun needs to be had!

I've attached a pic of a very loose Easterly route with some places that I want to stop off at but no specifics. Balearics, Southern Sardinia, Sicily / Malta, Ionion, Aegean, Turkey.

I recently asked you guys for a list of the best marinas to winter in and you came up trumps so I trust you with our cruising itinerary 2019! There's one stipulation, in each of the destinations listed I will need a safe harbour so I can leave the boat and the family while I go off to work for a month but while I'm onboard then as many beautiful anchorages as possible please.

Thanks. Dave, Hayley and Ayla.

Finike, in Turkey or Preveza in Greece is quite cheap and good for wintering. Anyway don´t miss Croatia i.e. Rogoznica Marina Frapa. Cadiz in Spain or Gibraltar is another option.

[ShellBack89]

Originally Posted by iliohale

Do not miss Croatia, great cruising area.

For sure! Beautiful water & cities.

[Dolphin460]

I have been cruising in the Med for 12 years and skipping Sicily would be a mistake. Marina di Ragusa on the south side of Sicily is probably the best cruiser marina in all of the Med for pricing, airports, history, beautiful towns to visit, MdR is a great water front town and the people are friendly and helpful. I have used MdR for the last 8 years as a winter base. We average over 150 cruiser each winter. From there I cruise the Med from April to October, returning to MdR for the winter.

[Chalifour]

We’ve been sailing eastern Med for over 8 years, 6 months/ year. From Sardinia, the coasts of Calabria and Amalfi are quite impressive and well worth the trip. The Aeolian islands north of Sicily including the Stromboli are stunning. A safe marina in Calabria is Stella del Sud in Vibo Valencia. Operated by Italian Canadians it’s safe and convenient for travelling. In the Adriatic, Croatia for sure, check on the ACI marina network of over 20 venues. In Montenegro, check canadian owned work class Montenegro Marina in Tivat, golf of Kotor. Stop in the Ionians, Korfu in perticular. Experience the Corinth canal and the Greek islands of Aegina, Poros and Hydra (if you can get in port). The Cyclades, Dodecanese and Sporades are also fantastic well worth spending a year sailing by themselves. Beware of the weather paterns in those areas with daily weather updates. Finally the Turkish coast from Channakale to Antalya is full of wild mooring bays, smalll villages and remote restaurants. Many marinas, including D marinas, Yachtmarina (cheap and well equipped) in Narmaris, ECE marina in Fethiye, Finike down south east. Good luck and fully enjoy this wellworthed part of the world where Democrary all started!!! A very humbling experience for American Trumpiss!

[boom23]

This is a great thread with great timing for me!

Next May, my wife and I will be taking delivery of our new Amel 50 in La Rochelle, France, and we'll cruise the Med for few seasons. We love Europe but we've never sailed there. After sailing the S. Pacific, it will be a nice change of pace. Not to mention that we'll be switching from a catamaran, Lagoon 450, to a monohull...

[boom23]

Here is the itinerary of a Yacht Rally around Peloponnese, Greece.

INTERNATIONAL YACHT RALLY AROUND PELOPONNESE

[Palarran]

I totally agree with the desire of going to Croatia but if you only have an actual sailing season of 7 months and your going from Spain to Turkey, I believe it's too much to do justice to.

In regards to Ragusa, it's definitely a case of beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The southern coast of Sicily from Siracusa to the Egadi Islands were really the least attractive place I went in the Med. What I saw was ton's of rubbish in the harbors, decrepit buildings, and nondescript landscapes. But we didn't go inland so maybe that's where the attraction is.

[Jack Lahr]

By all. Means include Menorca in your passage options from France to Italy

[davedindubai]

Thanks so much for all the info so far (keep it coming). I'm taking note and dropping pins all over the place. A friend is giving us all his old pilot guides for Christmas so then I can start folding page corners too.

Last year in the 3 months after we first launched, we did the Ibiza, Mallorca, northern Sardinia and then across to mainland Italy and north up to Monaco before heading south for the Canaries stopping off at Ibiza and Gib. It was a whirlwind of a summer tour, we saw what we could but we had the ARC deadline looming over us so it was all very rushed. Next year we want to take it a whole new pace and really visit and enjoy our destinations.

This means we won't even try to do Croatia, we just don't have the time. We are meant to be joining friends in Panama the following March but maybe we'll need to delay and spend 2020 sailing West - East and cruising Croatia then.

Boom, we have lots to discuss one day... Maybe you have to answer to why I still dream of owning an Oyster? We have friends with the Amel 55 and she's stunning! Congrats.

[boom23]

Originally Posted by davedindubai

Boom, we have lots to discuss one day... Maybe you have to answer to why I still dream of owning an Oyster? We have friends with the Amel 55 and she's stunning! Congrats.

Thank you! We are pretty excited and apprehensive at the same time... It's a long discussion for me and I do not want to side-rail this thread. Maybe we meet in the Med next year and talk over good food and drinks. "Whiskey and Weather" meeting, as we said in the S. Pacific. I really miss cruising...