Europe

A Long-Awaited Croatian Flotilla

by Wendy McGregor, Posted February 13, 2013

Energy and excitement crackled in the rigging around us as we prepared to set sail on the shimmering Adriatic Sea. We, a group of 31 adventurous Canadian sailors, were setting out in a charter flotilla to explore the beautiful islands of Croatia.

Sailing Dalmatia

by Sail Staff, Posted April 17, 2009

In the book by Chris Santella, Fifty Places To Sail Before You Die, he and Jon Wilson describe Croatia as a “hidden gem.” Their description was so appealing that we decided to go and see for ourselves. We were joined by our regular racing crew, Dave Usechak and Steve Gaudette.The four of us arrived at Marina Kremik, just north of Split, Croatia in late April.

Spain Calling

by Amy Ullrich, Posted August 7, 2008

The upcoming America’s Cup events in Valencia (semifinals June 1–11, finals June 23–July 4) have drawn attention to Spain, with its long coastline, maritime history, and many attractions, as a charter venue. If you are among the many sailors worldwide thinking about combining a charter with a trip to the Cup matches—or just thinking about sailing in Spain this summer—you’d best pick up the

Italian Lessons

by Amy Ullrich, Posted August 7, 2008

A charter in italy means seven days of feasts, for the eyes and the palate.C’ un parcheggio qui vicino?Is there a parking lot nearby?The hazards of being a tourist in the Naples area and along the Amalfi Coast are well known and mostly have to do with the narrow roads, testosterone-saturated drivers, too few places to park, and too many people. We

A Series of Fortunate Events

by Kimball Livingston, Posted August 7, 2008

Riding a mild breeze along Turkey’s rugged Mediterranean coast, a charter sailor doesn’t have to be a poet to wander freely as a cloudFortunately, the people in the French charterboat had so much trouble anchoring that they gave up and went away. Unfortunate for them, I suppose, but we set our hook, swam a line to shore, and settled into what I regarded as the kingpin spot

Split Decision

by Sail Staff, Posted August 8, 2008

A thousand islands, a balmy climate, friendly people: Croatia’s Dalmatian Coast knocks the socks of most other cruising groundsWith my wife, Roz, and my old Scottish mate, Patrick, I’d bought tickets on a low-price airline from London to Split. Two and a half hours later we were losing altitude over a fairytale fortress on a tiny island. We’ll sail there for sure, I

It's All Greece To Me

by Amy Ullrich, Posted August 13, 2008

A charter in the Ionian sea yields a sampling of the "real" GreeceWe sailors are lucky. Thanks to the availability of boats that can be chartered in many of the world's wonderful places—and to my mind, many of these wonderful places are islands—we can travel around at will, complete with housing, a kitchen, and a clothes closet. Within certain parameters, of

Turkish Delights

by Tom Dove, Posted April 15, 2010

We had already concluded, after only a few days in Istanbul, that we’d never figure out the Turkish language. Then we saw our Sunsail charter boat. The stern carried a French flag and the boat’s name: UAGIZ. My wife, Kathy, and I have dealt with a lot of foreign languages, but this one truly had us scratching our heads. And asking a dockhand didn’t help much. I heard “Oo-gosh,” and

Paradise Found

by Cheetah Haysom, Posted January 25, 2011

In an age of instant knowledge, it’s rare to hear of places that are still “undiscovered.” This past summer, however, I had the opportunity to explore a cruising ground that, at least to the Western world, is still undiscovered: Montenegro’s Gulf of Kotor.For years, Montenegro was considered out of bounds for Western sailors. With a population of 650,000—roughly the size of Baltimore—the

River Cruising

by Amy Ullrich, Posted March 7, 2011

A pamphlet I picked up in a tourism office in Cahors, the big city” of the Lot Valley, refers to the area as la France profonde (“deep France”). The phrase is in fact the title of a book by a French academic, Michel Dion, and refers to the culture and traditions of village life in rural France—the “real” France as it was. The pamphlet doesn’t elaborate further, but this