| Nautical miles sailed | visited islands | broken WINE GLASSES |
|---|---|---|
| 15000 | 60 | 21 |
Leaving Croatia as the Pandemic Began
Our sailboat, Teatime, set out from Croatia at the end of June 2020. As soon as Italy and Spain opened their borders (during the Pandemic), we continued our journey to reach the Strait of Gibraltar before the end of August, seeing as the next leg of the journey, Gibraltar to the Canary Islands, is relatively easy to navigate in August-September. Come October, November, the weather turns unfriendly and sailing conditions can be rough.
In the Mediterranean, we stopped on the southern shore of Italy, at the Lipari Islands, at the foot of Stromboli Volcano, in Sicily and Sardinia. Then followed a more challenging part; in fairly bad weather conditions and massive waves we reached Menorca. After a short stop we then continued on to Mallorca and Ibiza, discovering the beauty of these islands while sailing along the southern part of the Iberian Peninsula all the way to the Strait of Gibraltar.
Crossing the Atlantic Ocean
In Gibraltar we started to prepare the boat for the Atlantic crossing. After a month of work, we sailed for five days to reach the Island of La Graciosa in the Canary Islands, where we spent a fantastic week. The next phase of preparation and boat work took place in Las Palmas and lasted till the middle of November. By then both we and the boat had been prepared for the Atlantic crossing.
We left the Canary Islands on the 15th of November. After eight days of amazing sailing we reached Cape Verde, Mindelo on the Island of Sao Vincente. In the following five days we replenished our food supplies, ventured into the surrounding areas and visited the exhibit dedicated to the famous local singer, Cesaria Évora.
Next stop was the island of Martinique which we reached after 16 days of sailing (read more about our crossing here). On the day of our arrival the COVID curfew restrictions were lifted and after about a week or two, things went back to normal except you still had to wear the mask in certain places.
Caribbean Island Cruising
In January 2021 we sailed to the island of Saint Martin via Guadaloupe and St. Barth and spent the following three months there. In the meantime we asked for a permit to enter French Polynesia. We were ready to leave as soon as we got the green light. After six weeks the response arrived: permit denied.
The question of ‘which way do we go next’ came up. South? North? Panama? Where shall we stay during hurricane season? In the end we headed to the Bahamas and visited incredible places. Even though we felt that we could only see just a tiny bit, it still remained an amazing experience: the white sandy beaches, uninhabited islands, the transparent, clear water, and coconut palm trees.
Not without difficulties we were finally able to enter the USA. In Miami our hosts at the marina overwhelmed us with kind attention and hospitality. Some time later we got vaccinated against the coronavirus. At the last minute we set sail towards Panama struggling with the Gulf Stream and zig-zagging between bolts of lightning at the beginning of the hurricane season.
Recently we requested another entry permit to French Polynesia and finally received it in October. Currently we are in Panama and getting ready to sail to the Galapagos and then on across the Pacific to French Polynesia.
Right now we are here: Where are we now?
This is what our upcoming itinerary looks like:
