March 3rd 2020
We left our winter berth early in the season to make the most of what we hoped would be a slow cruise to Venice taking in as many of the destinations as we could on the way.
We hoped to do a lap of most of the Balearic Islands as well as Corsica, Sardinia, Malta and Sicily before rounding Italy and travelling the whole coast of Croatia to reach Venice at the Northern most end of the Adriatic Sea.
Our first stop was the Mar Menor, literally meaning 'small sea'. The picture is us rounding Cabo de Palos, just before going through the lifting bridge into the Mar Menor for a few days to explore.
A few days turns into almost three months!
The Mar Menor is one of the few sheltered anchorages on this coast. This early in the season you have to be quite careful in the Med. as there can be some violent storms around. We had a small storm coming through so stayed in the shelter of the inland sea for a week before planning to sail away from mainland Spain and over to Ibiza.
The whole of the Mar Menor is around 5 meters deep, so you can basically anchor anywhere. Holding is not always good, but if you're careful there are plenty of places to go and there are small islands to shelter behind as well.
This is just as well because just before our planned departure the Covid 19 lockdown happened in Spain.
Our 'few days' turned into three months at anchor without being able to leave as the lifting bridge was not operating, and only being able to go ashore one at a time for vital supplies.
Lockdown Begins
We got help from locals like Andy and Pauline who run a pub called 'Manny's Bar' near the entrance to the Mar Menor. They very generously gave us gas for cooking and other supplies we couldn't get with everything but the Spar food shop closed.
There were some challenges. Three months without the means to properly re-provision, and without a water maker, meant we had to get ashore on occasions, but we felt better off than most. It was possible for us to dinghy to a small uninhabited island to walk and although the water wasn't that inviting for swimming we could paddle board and row.
We made several films showing how we coped with lockdown; here's one of them...
As lockdown conditions eased we did get to explore some of the parts around the Mar Menor we originally came to see. There are flamingoes in the Northern marshes and some lovely walks. It was good to have some more freedom. Finally the bridge opened and we escaped back to the sea.
A Late Start
It was June before we finally got to the Balearics. Part of the reason for wanting to get here in April was to travel through the heavily touristed regions of the Med before the summer season got going. We needn't have worried on this count though as Covid had thinned out the anchorages which can get really packed in these regions.
No charter cruisers and very few tourists on land meant it was just us cruisers and the locals which was very nice!
They called it the 'New Normal'. In some places this must have been very different from the usual but actually for us there weren't many down sides. Normally packed beaches were almost empty, there was no problem getting a seat in a restaurant, and we could anchor where we liked.
Mallorca
The Eastern coast of Mallorca has some fantastic coves to anchor in. This is Calla Mondrago, one of the nicest anchorages we've found so far.
The caves at Calla Mondrago
Port de Soller
This is the only really safe anchorage on the North West coast of Mallorca. It's a beautiful place to be and has some fantastic walks. Usually, mid season, it would be a place to avoid as it gets completely packed. We were very lucky to see it without the crowds.
Menorca
With summer slipping away we knew we had to get a move on now if we were going to get to Venice for winter.
This was a shame because neither of us had been to Menorca before and it's a real gem.
More low key and less touristed than Mallorca, it has some great restaurants, walks, and a fascinating history. Mahon was an important British naval port for centuries.
Lack of time meant we couldn't explore Sardinia as planned so we had to be content with a very quick visit to the far South of the Island.
It was here that we came across the clearest waters we have seen so far on our travels. It was also strange to be out of Spanish waters and into Italy. Different language, different food, different customs. It's one of the beauties of the Med, I think, that there is such diversity in a relatively small space.
We took advantage of the clear water to test out our new anchor and film it under water...
We sailed the North coast of Sicily and out to the volcanic Islands which enabled us to visit the capital Palermo as well as experience floating pumice stone in the water and active sulphur springs on the Island of Vulcano.
The anchorages were getting more busy at this stage of the season and deep water and rocks in the bays made anchoring more difficult but we really enjoyed sailing this region.
It was an eventful two day sail from Italy to Croatia!
Once we had got safely into Croatia we headed North to Split to pick up youngest daughter Millie who was staying there with two friends as a holiday to celebrate graduating university.
It was lovely to see her as Covid had stopped us seeing the girls all summer. Millie joined us onboard for the trip North through Croatia to Venice. It was quite a whistle-stop tour and there is so much to see. Croatia, with its lines of islands off shore, provides an incredible sailing area. You can get strong winds here, like the Bora which blows from the North, but there is plenty of shelter in all directions with the multitude of bays and islands.
Winter in Venice
We made it to Venice in time for some events that we wanted to film while we still had the last of the good summer weather.
I have no idea why more cruisers don't sail into the lagoon. I would say it's one of the must see sailing destinations in the world.
From where we are in Certosa marina we can hop on a vaporetto (water bus) and be in St. Mark's Square in 15 minutes. Venice island is truly a one off and there are limitless canals and alleyways to explore.
It's not only Venice Island thats the attraction though. There are many outlying islands. This is us anchored off Burano with its colourful houses.
And this is our favourite anchorage in the Eastern edge of the lagoon. A very peaceful place and our new 'best ever' anchorage!
Xmas in Venice this year, like most places in the world, was slightly muted. But we are really enjoying being here and are looking forward to more exploration in the New Year and to the Covid restrictions lifting so we can see more of this fabulous place.
Thanks to all our viewers for your support this year, we hope you all have a fantastic new year and if you haven't seen our videos before then there is a full list on the button below. Do have a look and join us on our slow trip around the world.