September 28th – October 29th

Ibiza, Formentera, Valencia, La Manga, UK

After spending the night in a very peaceful anchorage, we set sail for Formentera. We’d heard lots of great things about the island but were completely blown away by how absolutely stunning the beaches were and how clear the water was. I would say it ranked in our top 3 places of the whole trip.

Over the next few days we hooked up with the family we’d met on the NW coast of Ibiza, messed around on the beaches, surfed the paddle board, had some delicious dinner on their boat, the kids enjoyed some minecraft action, enjoyed some amazing cocktails (which almost bankrupt us) at a brilliant bar called Tiberon and then headed back to Ibiza town to meet my brother and sister-in-law, the gorgeous Si and Ames.

We also managed to bump into a very old friend, Jeppe, who happened to be there on business which was a lovely little surprise treat.

Si and Ames are such chilled company and were up for doing anything so we explored Ibiza old town and spent a day soaking up the Ibiza vibes at the Jockey Club before heading back down to Formentera.

We pretty much spent the next few days hanging out on the beach, swimming (avoiding the jellyfish), paddle boarding, drinking (more) cocktails and loving every minute of their company.

On the day Si and Amy had to leave (which came around much too quickly), we had a quick turn around as my sister, Sally and my nephew, Arthur arrived that evening for some more family fun and games!

Understandably Sal was a bit nervous about having Arthur on the boat but he very quickly got into the swing of things, listened to Captain Matt’s boat rules and was soon running the ship like a salty old sea dog.

As I’ve mentioned before, it’s so lovely for us to share this trip with our family and friends and we loved every minute with Sal, Arthur, Si and Amy. It’s always hard to say goodbye and the kids get upset every time but at least it’s not too long before we’ll see them back in Blighty.

When Sal left, we only had another 4 days before we were due to head to Valencia so we made the most of Ibiza and met up with our boat friends again and made some more unforgettable memories.

Even the mummies were feeling brave…

Sunset Ashram was our final night in Ibiza and it didn’t disappoint. What a stunning setting, great company, cool vibe and very tasty cocktails!

We made some great friends during the last part of our trip who I really hope we’ll keep in touch with and who knows, maybe we’ll even end up joining them on another sailing adventure in a few years time.

We set sail very early on Saturday morning and made the last leg of our journey to Valencia marina. This was our final destination in the boat for this trip and I found it pretty emotional. It was our decision to finish here and it was definitely the right one but it still felt sad to think that this was our last sail this year.

We were met by a welcoming party as we approached the marina and saw Dad and Sash on the dock as we reached Valencia on Saturday 14th October. We’d made it! Safe and sound! I felt proud and relieved but also sad that it was coming to an end.

The sailing part was over but our trip continued as we explored Valencia, a city we’d never been to but had a bit of everything for everyone. We hired bikes, visited the BioPark, old town, Aquarium, beach and packed the boat up ready for winter.

We aren’t planning on coming back until April so there was a long list of jobs (mainly for Matt to complete) to make the boat safe and secure over the winter. It’s a popular marina due to how protected it is and we’d found someone to look after it whilst we’re not there so we feel confident that our little home is in safe hands whilst we’re back in the UK.

Mia turned 9 on October 21st and we were lucky enough to have some extra special visitors from Devon to help her celebrate! Some of our besties arrived who we’d missed terribly so we were over the moon to see these gorgeous faces.

Leaving the boat on Tuesday 22nd October was a wet and windy affair. We had a lot to do and the weather was terrible and if we’d had to jump on a plane home that evening, it truly would have been miserable but some of our best friends from Devon were holidaying down the coast in La Manga which we’d decided to gatecrash so we said goodbye to the boat and set off to see some more friendly faces.

What a fantastic week we had hanging out and catching up with friends from home which was the perfect ending to a truly phenomenal trip.

We flew home last night and were met by our lovely Pappy, a home cooked spag Bol and bottle of red, thanks to Mum (the perfect homecoming). I wasn’t sure how we’d feel but actually, we were more excited than anything to be going back to see our family, friends and of course Pepper and George.

I think because we haven’t ruled out a similar trip in the future, I don’t feel like this is the end of our adventures but for now, it’s back to life in Devon and first things first, picking up gorgeous George!!!

2nd September – 27th September

Menorca – Mallorca – Ibiza

We arrived in Menorca knowing very little about the island and after reading our pilot book and learning that it is often called the ‘Windy Isle’, it soon became very obvious why. Holy moley. The wind just kept coming and coming. We’ve learnt that the Mediterranean either has too much or too little wind but this was off the charts.

The kids enjoy being anchored in a bay way more than being in a marina as it means they have the freedom to jump on and off the boat constantly, all day everyday, non-stop (they still haven’t tired of doing so), so they were extremely frustrated at being berthed in Mahon for what ended up being close to 2 weeks.

Matt and I were actually pretty excited about being marina bound for the first week. Having spent a lot of time in Spain over the years, it felt familiar, easy, relaxed and the supermarkets were amazing! (I’m completely obsessed). The variety of restaurants was exciting too. The food in Italy had been delicious but very similar so we quickly booked ourselves into an Asian restaurant called Way and munched our way through some crispy duck, sushi, dim sum, noodles…the kids woofing it all down too.

We spent a day mooching about the shops and finding our way around the town, we jumped in a taxi and went to a beach for a day, me and the kids went to the hairdressers (first time for me in 4months…desperate times) and generally got the boat ready for Mum and Baz arriving on Saturday 7th.

It had been 3 months since we’d seen Mum and Baz and excitement levels were through the roof! The wind was still blowing a hoolie and lightening storms were constantly rolling through so we decided to stay for the Gràcia Festival which was truly a sight to see. It’s thought to be lucky if you can touch the horses chest as they rear up walking through the narrow cobbled streets but to us it seemed utterly bonkers! Putting yourself underneath one of these huge magnificent creatures looked terrifyingly dangerous so we watched from the sidelines (which still gave me the willies).

The wind had given us a break for a change so that afternoon we left Mahon and sailed round to a lovely little cove called Calles Coves. It was a beautiful little bay surrounded by steep cliffs, hidden caves and the clearest water. After breakfast the following morning, we went exploring along the cliffs, found some hidden caves and built a den. It really was a lovely little spot but as the wind had decided to show it’s face again, we had to leave and head back to the safety of Mahon harbour.

We booked into the marina for the next 4 days as it really wasn’t suitable sailing weather so we visited the Mahon museum which turned out to be brilliant and well worth going to. The kids really enjoyed it and I felt smug using this as an opportunity for a history lesson.

A quick visit to the chandlery resulted in a BBQ purchase so Matt was a happy chappy. Simple pleasures.

The history lessons continued the following day as we visited Fortaleza De Isabel II, the largest fortress in Europe. Built between 1850-1875, it was a stunning building with lots of interesting history situated on the tip of Mahon harbour.

By the following morning we were ready to leave Mahon and start exploring the rest of Menorca so we got the boat ship shape and headed out of the marina. The wind was blowing stronger than had been forecasted but we pushed on, keen to find new places on the island. The waves increased as we approached the mouth of Mahon harbour and I was starting to think this may not have been our best idea. What an understatement. The waves were all over the place, 3m high and coming at us from all directions. It wasn’t dangerous in the slightest but it was really uncomfortable and quite scary for the kids which caused a lot of upset from Mia and some seasickness from Mum…it was definitely time to turn back.

It was starting to feel like Groundhog Day. We returned to the marina to batten down the hatches, hired a car and spent the next few days at the beach and visiting Citudella.

Finally the time came where we were able to leave Mahon and head south so we spent one (very rolly) night in an anchorage on the SW of the island before leaving for Mallorca.

Arriving into Puerto Pollensa was a welcome relief to see how protected and calm the bay was. Being a huge bay with plenty of space, lots of boats were anchored and unoccupied which was unusual but proved how secure the anchorage must be.

We hired a car and did some exploring during Mum and Barry’s last few days. We visited Cuevas del Drach which was stunning and popped into Pollensa town, another picturesque place I would like to return to and then dropped Mum and Baz off at the airport with a teary goodbye. We’d had the best time with them and were going to miss them loads but it’s not too long before we’ll see them again which we know is going to fly by.

We saw a flamenco show in Alcúdia which was pretty amazing. It took place in an old bull fighting ring, felt really authentic and intimate. The musicians and dancers worked so well together, we all loved it.

We left Puerto Pollensa with a little flyby from one of the seaplanes and headed south to Port de Soller, another gem of a place.

I love arriving in a place and not knowing anything about it so finding out that there was a vintage tram running from the port to the main town of Soller was great fun. We ate some delicious tapas for lunch and spent the afternoon on the beach in the port and watched a beautiful sunset that evening.

We headed south the next day and spent one evening in Andratx but didn’t get to explore as there were boat chores to be done before our passage to Ibiza. It looked lovely though and somewhere we’ll definitely come back to next summer.

The crossing to Ibiza took around 8hrs. It was calm, quiet and we were visited by lots of dolphins along the way so ended up being the perfect passage.

We’d been in contact with a family who were sailing a very similar route to us and we finally managed to hook up with them in Portinatx, NW Ibiza. It was great for the kids to have some company, they quickly hit it off and enjoyed hanging out over the afternoon and evening. It was also lovely for us to chat to people doing the same as us and to be reassured that our issues and concerns are completely normal! Needless to say there were a few hangovers the following morning..we are in Ibiza after all.

We knew that some friends were in Ibiza this weekend and we were super keen to meet up with them so we headed south to Cala Jondal and spent the afternoon catching up with them at Blue Marlin Beach Club. Very much the Ibiza club scene, Mia and Seb were the only kids there so rather than cramp their style any longer, we left them early evening to party the night away and headed to a more sheltered anchorage. It was so lovely to see them all, Tara, Sammy, Jackie and Rachel (so sorry to miss you Nichi x), I hope we don’t leave it as long next time. Thanks for the photo bomb Seb!

Being away for 4 months means I’ve missed some very special birthdays which I’m gutted about but I’ll just have to make up for when we get home which is only a month away now. Matt was offered a job working from home which was too good to turn down and as we had already decided that the Atlantic crossing was not for us, it made complete sense to end the season in the Med and head back for Matt’s job starting at the beginning of November.

We’ve decided to keep the boat in Valencia and holiday on it next year which feels like having the best of both worlds but as we don’t have long left of this trip, we’re going to make the most of every minute and treasure every moment.

August 4th – September 2nd

Italy, Corsica, Menorca

It’s been almost a month since I updated our blog which feels like a lifetime on the boat. I don’t know what it is but time goes much slower here. Maybe it’s the pace of life, not rushing around, not having a routine? I don’t know but when we think back to Greece and Montenegro, it doesn’t feel like 3 months ago, it honestly feels like 3yrs (in a good way!)

After hearing so many amazing things about the Amalfi Coast, we were excited to arrive in Amalfi town and see what all the fuss was about.

Our first impression was how pretty it was but also how busy. The anchorage was extremely rolly with all the boat wash but we were hoping this would die down once everyone had returned home in the evening.

We ventured into town for a mooch and some dinner but struggled to make it through the crowds and buses of tourists. We knew it was going to be busy but this was off the charts (but what did we expect coming here in August?)

The town itself was beautiful with the main square and Arab-Norman Sant’Andrea Cathedral at the heart of it. It was obvious why it was so popular but we quickly made our way up the main street and found a hidden quiet restaurant down one of the tiny little alleyways away from the crowds. The waiter kept the kids entertained with juggling and skipping, Matt and I enjoyed some delicious local wine, a great meal and walked away with a much lighter wallet than when we arrived.

We got back to the boat after trying some tasty Amalfi gelato but were disappointed that the swell hadn’t calmed down, making for a rotten nights sleep.

The following day we wanted to explore the countryside behind the town so we dug out our trainers and hiked up the 1000 steps towards Valle Delle Ferrier waterfalls. We walked through old ruins to find natural waterfalls, frogs, lizards which were beautiful (the water was absolutely freezing) but what better way to cool off and refuel before heading back towards crazy busy Amalfi. It reminded us of home actually, Plymbridge woods for those of you who know it!

Due to the swell and how uncomfortable the anchorage was, we decided to move on and check out the rest of the Amalfi Coast. We sailed past Positano and Capri (all were very pretty with super yachts galore) but due to the constant swell created from the north westerlies, we were reluctant to anchor anywhere and decided that this area would be best exploring from land and out of season.

We made our way to the islands located west of Naples and spent a few days chilling out and swimming on Procida but also cleaning, doing laundry, chores etc before leaving for Sardinia on 11th Aug.

The overnight sail was quiet and very calm and we were lucky enough to see some dolphins as the sun was setting, the perfect overnighter! As always though we were happy to see land and arrived safely in Sardinia relieved to see a flat protected anchorage and beautiful sunset.

Despite being boatbound for 2 days due to strong Mistrals, the boat held fast, the sea wasn’t rolly, there wasn’t the swell we experienced in Amalfi so we breathed a sigh of relief and were excited to explore Sardinia.

What a stunning place. We didn’t realise how clear and turquoise the water would be, with white sand and secluded beaches, something we hadn’t experienced during our trip so far. We were spoilt for choice of where to go and fell in love with the place immediately.

We’d been eating on the boat a lot so decided to treat ourselves to a fancy meal in Porto San Paolo which was delicious. This town even had a decent supermarket (I actually gasped as I walked in! So sad, I know)

Sardinia doesn’t have much to do on land so the last few weeks have been mainly spent swimming, snorkelling and having a wonderful time with our gorgeous friends the Embletons. Having spent 6 weeks without any visitors (just the four of us…for 6 weeks….no other company……it’s a miracle we’re all still alive!) we couldn’t wait to see them, the excitement levels were through the roof!

The following evening we went to a restaurant on Isola Tavolara in the most beautiful setting but with a rather eye watering bill (Eur16 per bread basket, they brought two, plus Eur3 cover charge per person. That’s Eur56 before we’ve even started!) However, all was forgotten when we skinny dipped off the back of the boat into the most magical phosphorescence. Unbelievable.

We made our way to La Maddalena islands which are part of a Nature Reserve just north of Sardinia where the water was the warmest yet and full of sea life. There happened to be a beach bar here and it would have been rude not to visit so we popped in for a cocktail (or 2) where we shared the beach with some wild boars. Brilliant.

We like to give our visitors a true representation of boat life so Pips was lucky enough to be part of our rubbish struggle. When you’re anchored, nobody’s keen to take away your rubbish so one morning we loaded ourselves up and set off in search of bins. Oh the glamour! This was followed by a trek to the supermarket for more beer, I mean provisions.

The final day was overcast with a thunderstorm looming so it was spent at a water park, much to the kids delight! We’re going to miss these guys so much but as always, there are more Edgebleton adventures in the pipeline.

It sounds terrible but we had started to take this trip for granted so having our friends on board made us remember how utterly awesome this whole experience is and how lucky we are to be here. Sardinia has been a firm favourite for all of us and somewhere we’ll certainly return to.

We had been watching the weather and knew that it was turning bad so whilst it was calm, we made our way to Bonifacio, Corsica which is only 10miles north. What a place to sail into. As you approach you can see the medieval cliff top citadel, huge stone walls and L’Escalier du Roi d’Aragon, 187steps carved into the cliff face. Stunning.

Anchoring here wasn’t fun (not in the slightest) but we made it without any disasters and with the help from some lovely Australians. The kids came over shortly after we arrived wanting to play with Mia and Seb which they loved and we were then invited onto their 54ft catamaran. It was a gorgeous boat but I would have found it way too daunting for us to sail as a family (Matt breathed a huge sigh of relief!)

My Mum and Barry are flying into Menorca on Saturday 7th so the big question was when were we going to head across to the Balearics. With bad weather on the cards, we made the snap decision on Saturday morning to go for it due to a small weather window over the next few days. As this was going to be our last overnight sail for this trip, we were more nervous than usual as we’d come so far and didn’t want anything to go wrong at the last hurdle. Despite seeing some flashes of lightening in the distance throughout the night, it was a quiet crossing but our longest so far which was obvious by the kids behaviour. They were super bored by the end of it which was totally understandable but we made it without any dramas and are now sitting comfortably in a marina in Mahon, looking forward to enjoying some time on land (and of course some decent supermarkets!) for the next week before Mum and Baz arrive on Saturday. So excited to see them!!

July 18th – August 4th Italy

Night sailing isn’t stressful but it is exhausting so we were all happy and excited to be arriving in another new country, Italy, on the morning of July 18th. I can’t deny that I wasn’t feeling slightly nervous about getting to grips with how the Italian system works so when our first contact with the marina in Otranto was pretty disastrous, we were left feeling a bit deflated.

Croatia was super organised, everyone spoke English making it very easy for us but now we were in Italy, things weren’t so straight forward. We called the marina to see whether they had space for us to spend a few days and straight away we were facing a language barrier and let’s call it a more laid back approach. We were told (we think) to call back in 10mins when someone who spoke English could help us. An hour later and we were starting to get a bit peed off!

After numerous hang-ups and ignored calls, we finally managed to get into the marina and could relax.

Otranto didn’t look like much from the outskirts but once we entered the old town, it was beautiful. There was a 15th century castle, 11th century cathedral, a Torre Matte lookout tower overlooking the harbour, cobbled streets, a lovely promenade and fabulous shops!

As we’d been travelling non-stop in Croatia and had heard from some lovely friends that they were close by, we decided to stay in Otranto for several days which was very much needed. We’re loving all the places we’re seeing but the travel is pretty exhausting so a few days chilling was great…not forgetting the chores that needed doing!

Meeting up with the Dutta’s gave us a real boost which I don’t think we realised we needed. We took the boat to a little beach nearby for a swim, snorkel and lots of chinwagging (of course!) It was fab. Mia and Seb were over the moon to see Mimi and Rocky and before dinner, the girls got themselves glammed up whilst the boys played on the PS4… nothing changes!

We said goodbye to the Dutta’s and left the following day to make our way to Sicily. We made a couple of stops along the way, one was called Roccella Ionica. It was a slightly odd place, it felt like we were at the end of the earth and the people were just a bit weird. We hired some bikes, explored the area and left the following evening for Sicily.

We made it to Taormina on the east coast of Sicily on the 25th July after a very calm night sail. I saw 7 shooting stars, a dolphin came super close to the boat scaring the life out of me and numerous fishing boats along the way. The distances in Italy are a lot longer than anywhere else we’ve been to so unfortunately we’ve had to night sail several times over the last few weeks but at least they’ve all been uneventful.

The bay of Naxos where we anchored was really beautiful but so rolly! There wasn’t any bad weather, the sea was calm but the boat didn’t stop rolling from side to side the entire time we were there. Jars, cups, plates..anything you put down would go flying! Sleeping wasn’t great as you’re constantly tensing your muscles trying to stop yourself rolling from side to side. As for sitting on the loo….

We hired a car and drove the short distance to Mount Etna which made it all worth while. We took the cable car up, then a 4×4 even hire and then a guide gave us a tour around the craters which was awesome. It felt like we were on a movie set of a sci-fi film. The kids weren’t as impressed as us but hopefully a fact or two will have lodged in their memories somewhere!

Apparently the following day there was a huge ash eruption which disrupted flights and I imagine stopped any further tours from happening. This photo was taken by a tourist who happened to be there when it happened…I’m rather pleased it didn’t happen during our trip!

We left Taormina and headed for the Aeolian Islands which are just north of Sicily. The weather was getting worse and strong winds had been forecast for the following few days. We decided that a marina would be a good option both for comfort and safety so made our way to Vulcano Island Marina. Due to the fact the winds had been easterly all day, the floating pontoons in the marina were going mental and the kids refused to get off the boat that first evening. It was like running the gauntlet and I didn’t blame them one bit! Thankfully the swell calmed down over night and things were a lot calmer the following morning.

We climbed the volcano on the island which took about an hour and which the kids only did with the promise of an ice-cream at the end of it. However, when we reached the top, we were all overwhelmed with how stunning the view was, how there were smoking craters at our feet, how strong the smell of sulphur was and just how incredible it was to be so close to it all. The kids found it much more interesting than Mount Etna and I can understand why.

The island had a cool, relaxed feel to it and that afternoon we decided to see what all the fuss what about with the sulphuric mud baths. I wish we hadn’t. The kids weren’t allowed in (lucky them!) so Matt and I shuffled into the hot, thick muddy water, trying to avoid the actual boiling spots. As we covered ourselves in mud, I totally regretted not listening to Matt when he had tried to argue against the idea. It stank. It felt disgusting. I burnt my foot…I didn’t feel big or clever. We did, however, see a random mini tornado rip through the baths, literally before our eyes. It was so odd, the winds had started to pick up and I can only describe it as a spinning gust of wind whipping it’s way through the water and out the other side. Crazy! We left pretty sharpish after that, went for a swim and had a lovely meal in a fish restaurant that evening.

The next island we visited was called Lipari. We needed to find a doctor and one thing about the relaxed haphazardness of the Italians, is that it was easy to walk into a hospital, meet a doctor within 5mins and walk out with a prescription without paying anything or showing any ID. The doctor didn’t speak a word of English but as it was a skin condition and easy to see, we got by one way or another (as seems to be the format for us here in Italy!)

We left Lipari and went to the next island along, Panarea. Now this is where the jet setters hang out. Lots of super yachts, rich Italian kids burning around in speedboats to die for. Very glam in an Ibiza kind of way. It was fun to people watch, we had a delicious meal and ice-creams delivered by the Italian version of an ice-cream van.

The following evening we headed to Stromboli which is a volcano that has been super active over recent months. We had seen craters, smoke, volcanic rock but we were after the piece di resistance. The best time to view the eruptions was at dusk so we motored the short distance (whilst I cooked tinned chilli con carne…nice) and we weren’t disappointed. It was absolutely incredible. Actual Liquid Hot Magma (said in Dr Evil’s voice). Unbelievable. The kids were amazed, as were we!

We sailed overnight to reach mainland Italy and made our way to Marina Di Camerota. It was a nice little marina with friendly staff, the town was a bit rundown but everyone was friendly, having a good time and enjoying themselves. We really liked it. We had our most delicious meal yet in a fish restaurant called Ammore ‘e Mare Taverna Marinara. One of the good things about being away is how the kids are now eating so much more fish (although meals out are now a lot more expensive!) We had tuna, swordfish, prawns, squid, mussels, clams and octopus (with a plate of chips on the side of course!) The kids tried it all and ate most of it which is brilliant.

I had some work to do and the kids had some PS4 action to crack on with and we enjoyed some pedallo fun at the beach too.

This morning we were woken up at 6am with the loudest bang I’ve ever heard. Seb thought the mast had fallen down, I thought our engine had exploded but after a few minutes, a series of the loudest bangers you’ve ever heard went off right above our boat. Lasted about 10mins. What the hell was going on. After realising they were actually fireworks (well bangers only) I googled and found that it was the start of a festival commemorating a battle that had taken place hundreds of years ago. Almost gave us a heart attack!

We left there earlier today and are making our way up to Amalfi. We stopped at a beautiful spot which was empty when we arrived. We had a lovely swim and paddle board to the beach and are now anchored slightly further up the coast for the night. As it’s a Sunday, the Italians are all rafted up together, music blaring, having the best time and it’s wonderful to see.

July 1st -18th Croatia – Italy

We left Trogir and headed north to Krka National Park, just north of Sibenik on the mainland. The approach was stunning, almost fjord-like, and we even managed to buy some fresh mussels for our dinner that evening…they don’t get fresher than that!

We’d read that the waterfalls were one of Croatia’s most beautiful sights so as soon as we reached the marina in Skradin, we jumped on a ferry and headed along Krka River.

The waterfalls really were magnificent, they were huge and powerful and it was amazing being able to swim so close to the waterfall itself. I can’t believe how busy it was though. So many people in one place! We timed it badly and should have arrived first thing in the morning but hey ho, we jumped back on the ferry and spent a lovely evening in Skradin which was a really cute little town with a chilled out vibe.

We would have stayed here longer, hired bikes and explored the park more but the temperature was so bloody hot (36 degrees) that we left early the next day and headed to the Kornati Islands to feel the sea breeze again.

There are 140 islands here, 89 of which belong in the Kornati National Park and we made our way to Levrnaka Island where we’d booked to moor on the quay outside Levrnaka Restaurant as a treat to celebrate our 15yr wedding anniversary. (I’m not sure how that happened as surely I’m still only 20?!)

Mooring the boat was interesting..I’d read that the guy who helps with the lines was really shouty, even putting experienced skippers in their place so I was intrigued to see whether he lived up to his reputation. Yup. Started yelling at Matt, telling him what to do but Matt being Mr Calm, just popped the boat in its place whilst realising that we only had 30cm under our keel! Shit a brick. Mr Shouty said we’d be absolutely fine, not to worry and they had a boat which could push us off if we did get grounded. Hmm…would prefer not to go down that route but after some reassurance from another guy saying the tide rises from now on, we felt more comfortable, grabbed our snorkelling gear and walked across to the beach. Being a national park, the wildlife and sea life are protected so the kids had an exciting time snorkelling as they saw their first octopus! Amazing. They’re like little fish themselves these days with all the swimming they’re doing.

After a delicious meal that evening, we left the following day and made our way to Zadar, a large town on the mainland. It felt good to be in a larger town with a buzzy atmosphere, lots going on. We hired a car and left at 6am the next day and drove to Plitvice Lakes National Park (they love a national park don’t they?) and arrived at 8am hoping to avoid the crowds.

This place was just incredible. Number 1 spot for us in Croatia and one of the most beautiful places we’ve ever seen. There were huge lakes, connected with waterfalls, hundreds of ponds and streams flowing underneath boardwalks, mossy trees, pine forests, dragonflies and butterflies everywhere…it was a magical watery world which we all absolutely loved.

That evening we walked into the old town for dinner, had a mooch along the waterfront but by this stage, having walked 24,000 steps that day, we were all fading so headed back to the boat whilst watching several lightening storms in the distance. Getting into bed was going to feel good….hold that thought. The wind had picked up and before we knew what was happening, the storm of all storms had decided to hit Zadar. Jeez Louise. We were totally unprepared. I went outside to help Matt bring down our awning which in 60mph winds and rain feeling like needles, was really miserable. The kids went into meltdown so I stayed below deck, made sure we were watertight, put everything away that could fall down as we were rocking all over the place. Poor Matt was outside in his boxers and a t-shirt securing the boat, tying down the dinghy, generally making sure we were safe and after 20mins or so, it felt like the worst of it was over. Looking like a drowned rat, Matt finally came inside happy that the boat was safe and we all fell into our rolling beds absolutely shattered.

On Wednesday 10th, we were back in Trogir awaiting the arrival of Dad and Saschja. (I was thanking our lucky stars that they hadn’t arrived a few days earlier to witness the storm!)

We couldn’t wait to explore some new places with them and after speaking to a couple of people in the marina who’d recommended the same place, Sveti Klement, just off the coast of Hvar, we ditched our original plan and headed there. Great choice. The restaurant setting was really romantic, great food, our waiter was rather easy on the eye but the funniest part was getting picked up from our boat which was anchored in the next bay by the owner in his insanely fast rib, who absolutely floored it! We almost took off! So funny. Coming back the same way in the pitch black was hilarious.

From there we went to the island of Vis which we all agreed was one of our favourites of the week. Being one of the furthest islands, it was less busy, relaxed, had a nice little beach, lovely vibe. Tying up to the mooring buoy in the bay was interesting. Mooring buoys are provided and maintained by the owner of the rights to that particular bay and in this case it was the port authority. It’s an easy process, I drive the boat as close to the buoy as possible, Matt ties us on. Voila. I went downstairs to make lunch and Matt launched the dinghy, fixed on the engine, etc. Suddenly a German guy arrives on his dinghy to see if we’re aware our boat had floated halfway across the bay…..what?! The mooring buoy could have only been attached by a thread and had come loose. Oops! Luckily it hadn’t happened in the middle of the night. More lessons learnt.

We anchored the following night in a secluded bay on the island of Scedro. We went for a little wander, did a beach clean, had a swim and played some card games. Sebby’s tooth came out and thankfully the tooth fairy managed to find him so he was a very happy boy.

The following day we went to Korcula Old Town to show Dad and Sash how pretty it is. We had a lovely meal and then left the following day and headed to Mljet. We took them to see the lazy river between the lakes and were enjoying a nice cold beer on deck when a charter boat decided to smack into the side of us as he was mooring on the restaurant quay. It sounded a lot worse than it was but was highly irritating to say the least! We said we wanted to give Dad and Sash the full experience whilst they were away and they definitely got it!

We arrived back in Dubrovnik on the 16th and had our final farewell meal at a gorgeous restaurant in the Old Town called Gradska Kavana Arsenal. (Being a Spurs fan, Dad was not happy about this much to our amusement!) We’re really going to miss these guys but hopefully they’ll come and visit us again along the way.

We all said goodbye to Croatia on the 17th and I’m writing this looking at the East coast of Italy at 6am on July 18th. We’ll arrive in a few hours in Otranto where we’ll begin our Italian extravaganza!

June 20-30 Croatia

After a morning of messing about in Cavtat, we were slightly concerned about how busy Dubrovnik was going to be (now that Game of Thrones has made it a must see location for its millions of fans) and we weren’t sure whether to go but as we desperately needed to do some laundry and refill our gas bottles (oh the glamour!) we decided to risk it…and we weren’t disappointed!

We arrived into ACI Dubrovnik Marina and started some boat chores whilst the kids mooched about and temporarily adopted a cat which they nicknamed Marina.

We got the bus into the Old Town for dinner and a wander and had a lovely time meandering around the cobbled streets, eating ice cream, popped into a Dali exhibition (yes, we did feel like smug parents educating our darling children until we realised that all they cared about were how many bums and willies they could count….who can blame them!)

We left Dubrovnik and made our way to the beautiful island of Mljet to a bay called Polace, where we met up with some friends we made in Montenegro. The kids spent the whole afternoon mucking around on paddle boards, fishing and playing Lego and then we had a delicious dinner altogether in the bay whose specialty was slow roasted goat. Clearly we didn’t tell the kids what the meat was and told them it was pork which they all devoured. It was absolutely delicious. A lovely evening was had by all.

The following day we all made our way to a different part of the island and moored on one of the restaurant quays. The dinner was pretty good, great company, the kids were running around until late and once again, we all had a lovely evening. The following day we took the bus up to see the gorgeous saltwater lakes Malo Jezero (Little Lake) and Veliko Jezero (Big Lake). The lakes are connected by a channel, which acts like a lazy river between the two, when the larger of the lakes empties into the sea making the lakes subject to tidal flows. It was great fun drifting between them and having a splash around…not so much the walk back down to town where once again the kids whinged the entire way.

Grandma Sue (Matt’s Mum) was arriving that evening so we made our way back to Polace which was close to Luka Sobra where her ferry was arriving (having flown in to Dubrovnik). There weren’t any taxis from Polace so a local grandad (reluctantly) took Matt to meet Sue and they made it back onto the boat around 9pm. It was a tiring day for Sue but she’d made it safe and sound (along with the million items we’d asked her to bring with her!)

We then had a chilled few days on the boat before making another clanger of a mistake!

We decided to head to the island of Korcula, specifically Korcula Old Town and made our way there on Tuesday….along with the entire “Croatia Yacht Week” flotilla. God help us. We arrived and it was pretty busy but as the afternoon wore on, more and more boats arrived in the bay just outside the old town. It was insane. Surely no more boats could squeeze into this bay….oh yes they could! Anyway, it was too late to move anywhere and we put all our fenders out just in case so we took the kids for a play on the inflatable water park. Great fun until Matt trod on a sea urchin. Ouch. A few hours later and a rather manky looking foot and we jumped into a water taxi and wandered into the old town where we had our favourite dinner yet at Aterina and rubbed shoulders with Bon Jovi.

Unfortunately the wind decided to pick up during the night (not so bad for us lot who went to bed at 11) but not great news for Croatia Yacht Week who had been partying until 3am. At 5.30am when people started appearing on deck to check anchors were holding, there were a few bleary eyed blokes scratching their heads and wishing they hadn’t had the “one for the road”! We witnessed a catamaran drag and subsequently crash into a power boat and shortly after that the bay started to empty out. We were left in peace.

We made our way round to a bay called Loviste where supposedly a turtle hangs out and as we approached, we saw the “circle of doom”.

This isn’t my photo obviously but it’s basically what we met in Loviste. To be fair, they looked like they were having a ball and back in the day I would have gladly joined them but the thought of a thumping base line until the early hours isnt too appealing when you have kids so we thought we might need a plan B. Luckily they all packed up and left around 3pm and we were left in peace once again. It was a beautiful bay, there were a fair number of nudists (much to the kids amusement!) and we enjoyed a quiet night playing games (but no turtle unfortunately).

We left Loviste the following day and sailed to the island of Hvar. We decided we needed some electricity and water so moored up on the town quay in Stari Grad which was a really chilled little town. The vibe was super relaxed, hippyish and we had some tasty Mexican food at a place called Fig (nice to have something a bit different) but had a terrible nights sleep due to more howling winds picking up in the early hours!

The following day we went to the island of Brac and found a beautiful little bay with crystal clear water. We had it mostly to ourselves and were excited about having a quiet nights sleep..but then the swell started. We’d done all the research into whether it would be protected from certain wind directions, the weather was pretty calm so why on earth had a swell built up!! Didn’t sleep a wink. At 5am Matt and I decided to bring up the anchor and get the hell out of there and we arrived in Trogir (close to Split airport) at about 10am.

Sue flew home this morning and we’re all going to miss her loads. She was brilliant fun and a great help on the boat, wasn’t afraid to get stuck in (she did get a fish hook stuck in her leg at one point!) and we’d love her to come back again soon. Love you Sue!

We kept ourselves and the kids entertained this morning exploring the island of Ciovo on quad bikes. Was pretty hard work actually, hot and dusty but we loved it. We’re going to be spending the next 10 days exploring the more remote islands of Kornati and the Krka National Park before Pops and Sash arrive on the 10th! Can’t wait to see them!

June 14-18 2019 Montenegro & Croatia (and 5 minutes in Bosnia)

Montenegro. What a beauty. The countryside is absolutely stunning, reminding us of a cross between the Swiss Alps with Yosemite national park. Steep mountains lined with fir trees, huge beautiful blue/green lakes, waterfalls and rapids with caves scattered along the coastline.

Last Friday we hired a car and drove 3hrs inland, along a beautiful scenic windy road to Tara River. One side of the river was in Montenegro and the other in Bosnia. We used the time to practice some times tables with the kids (which made the long boring journey even more enjoyable for them) and then Mia was stung on the wrist by something…this journey had better be worth it! It totally was. It’s one of the best day trips we’ve done as a family. The company were brilliant, taking a very laid back attitude to everything. We obviously had all the safety equipment but apart from that, the instructions were “when I say go, you paddle. When I say stop, you stop”.

The first 20mins were on the edge of being too much (even Matt thought we may have bitten off more than we could chew) but for the following 2hrs, it was awesome. As we drifted lazily down the river, we’d come across fast rapids followed by waterfalls as we took in the stunning scenery. We stopped on the Bosnia side for a quick dunk in a waterfall and it was all finished off with a deliciously cooked lunch back at camp.

The following day we met up with a family we’d been in contact with through a Facebook group called Kids4sail. It’s a way of meeting families cruising in similar areas so the kids have some social interaction (and the adults!) so we were all keen to meet them. I would say it took all of 3mins for the kids to get over their shyness before they locked themselves away in one of the cabins and started giggling away together. Brilliant. This new friendship also resulted in my first major hangover of the trip so I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot more of them when we all get to Croatia.

We left Porto Montenegro and sailed a few hours to a place called Kotor and anchored in the bay. After the sweltering heat of Porto Montenegro, it was so lovely to be able to jump straight off the boat and cool off (and it was free!)

The medieval old town of Kotor had pretty cobbled streets, lots of windy back lanes, restaurants, several churches and was set below an old fortress which could be reached by climbing 1000 steps, which we clearly had to climb. We got up early the next morning before the sun had a chance to heat everything up and started the climb. I don’t think a positive word came out of Mia’s mouth for the entire experience! The views were incredible though and it was definitely worth listening to Little Miss Whinge Bag for several hours.

We left Montenegro on Tuesday afternoon for Croatia and arrived into Cavtat around 7pm the same evening. It wasn’t far and we felt better prepared this time (remembering flags, paperwork etc) but still made the mistake of not berthing in the correct place and Matt getting a telling off by the police. We’ll get it all right one day…hopefully!

We’re now going to explore the islands off the coast of Dubrovnik whilst we wait for Matt’s Mum (Grandma Sue) to arrive on Sunday. We can’t wait to see her and explore this beautiful country together.

June 8-13 2019 Greece – Montenegro

Since we made the decision to go on this trip, we’ve been open minded about where we want to travel to. Some people Matt met during his week training in Greece said that trying to fit in the Med and Caribbean in one year would be too rushed so we thought we’d get here and see how we felt. Having only been away for 10days, it feels like a lot longer so (at the moment!) we’re going to crack on and try and make the crossing in early December.

This meant we’d need to leave Greece and head on up to Montenegro so we left our beautiful secluded bay on Sunday morning (after a beach bonfire and more skinny dipping….or chunky dunking as we like to call it) and started our sail to Erikoussa, most northern island in Greece.

Unfortunately the weather wasn’t entirely in our favour and decided to throw some gale force winds at us, testing us and the kids but as it was only for a few hours, it wasn’t too bad at all. The kids weren’t particularly happy and felt a bit sick at times but overall coped well and just got on with it.

The following day we thought the kids needed a pick me up and as the weather had completely changed we headed to the beach for the day. The water was the clearest we’d seen yet, warm, calm, the beach was quiet and everything was perfect…….until Matt and I realised we’d made a rookie mistake and forgotten to buy a Montenegro curtesy flag or whether we needed to check out of Greece! Doh! Couldn’t believe we’d totally overlooked it so there were panic stations whilst we tried to figure out what to do, where to go and get one etc (this was a tiny island with not much going on). Some countries will send you back to the last place you’d been to if you hadn’t checked out properly so we didn’t want to make the 2 day journey and have to turn around! Matt spoke to the port authority in Erikoussa who was as helpful as a chocolate teapot (apparently they make it up as they go along) so I called ahead to Porto Montenegro who were the complete opposite. Thank goodness! They made a note of our situation and were totally cool with it so we could relax and enjoy the rest of our time in Greece.

That evening we had our last meal on the island and had an early night in preparation for leaving at the crack of dawn on Tuesday.

The passage to Montenegro was very uneventful which is exactly how we wanted it to be. There was little wind so we had to motor a lot of the way but we did manage to get the sails up a few times and enjoy the peace and quiet. We saw a pod of dolphins hunting tuna which was really exciting and Matt saw some swimming off the bow when he was on night watch. Who doesn’t love seeing dolphins!! Just magical.

Matt and I took turns keeping watch at night. Matt kept going until 2.45am and I took over until dawn. I was at a really juice bit in my trashy detective novel and was looking forward to getting stuck into it but suddenly there were 8 boats on the horizon. Damn it. No peace for the wicked. Once I was sure they weren’t heading in our direction, I settled into my book whilst keeping an eye out every 10mins.

So how do you keep kids entertained during a 2 day sail? Travel games, card games, kindles, tablets, Lego, audio books, drawing and snoozing. They did really well actually, choosing to sleep in the cockpit under the stars which was very sweet.

Clearing immigration took a while when we arrived in Montenegro and by then the kids had obviously reached their limit with spending time together!

Porto Montenegro is seriously swanky, being voted Superyacht Marina of the year for several years running. I’m loving the people watching and window shopping. It’s the complete reverse of Greece, so much development going on and money being spent. It’s good to see a country thriving although I can only speak for Tivat. We’re hiring a car and heading off to the mountains tomorrow morning for a day of white water rafting. Can’t wait!

June 4-8 Corfu Greece

We’re here! Once again, I can’t quite believe that we’ve started our adventure and are now aboard our boat in Corfu.

The first moment we saw our boat, we knew it was the right one for us and that Matt had picked a winner (sigh of relief!) It’s a Beneteau Oceanis 473 2003. The previous owner, Paul, has looked after it like it was his “other woman” and to say it’s immaculate, is an understatement. The woodwork has been polished to within an inch of it’s life, everything has been labelled, stored correctly, beds made…he really has set us up with everything we could possibly need. I’m really not exaggerating here. I find myself thinking that I could do with something and of course, there it is in the first spot I would go looking for it. I know he found it hard to let go of his baby (we’ve been told there were tears at the end) but after 16yrs of owning the boat, he decided he needed to move on and has passed her onto us. Now it’s our home for the time being and are going to have to treat it with care if we want it to carry on looking as good as it does (thank god Matt’s a perfectionist so this comes naturally to him…not so much me and the kids!)

The boat had been kept in Gouvia Marina which was huge and berthed around 1000 boats. It was a nice easy start for us, with everything on hand to ease us into boating life. There was even a swimming pool where the kids made friends immediately. They would quite happily mooch about, popping to the play park carrying a walkie talkie, informing me when they were hungry and coming back to the boat for snacks.

On Thursday we decided that we’d done enough boaty things and found some stables called “Trailriders” on TripAdvisor that had amazing reviews which it totally lived up to. Sally, Kerry and Mark could not have been lovelier, picking us up from the Marina and taking us out on a beautiful hack in the countryside. It really was special and the kids were super chuffed when Sally handed them a horse shoe to take away for luck on our journey. Kerry and Mark used to work for a boat charter company so were full of advice on where to go in the area. I came away with a horsefly bite which is really bloody itchy (and looks pretty minging) but thankfully we have antihistamine.

On Friday we left Gouvia which was exciting but nerve wracking not having sailed the boat before. Matt spent ages checking and rechecking everything and making sure we were covered in case we forgot anything. The weather was calm though and there wasn’t much wind but we got the sails up for a short time and made our way to Agios Stefanos, on the NE coast of Corfu. It was your typical Greek bay, beautiful, with a few tavernas on the shore, a couple of shops and was super quiet until a flotilla came in for their last night and partied until the early hours. It didn’t disturb us that much, I was kind of wishing I could join in (always up for a party!)

The kids experienced their first proper snorkel and were amazed by the fish, feeding them was fun too…Seb obviously got bitten trying to feed them with bread between his toes (twit).

We were planning to head up to Nisos Erikoussa today which is slightly north east of Corfu and about a 4hr sail but saw a small secluded bay just outside of Stefanos and decided to nip into there for the day/night. Settling into the chilled pace of life has come very easy, I have to say. I think it’ll be bananas and chocolate baked on a beach fire tonight with a few beers thrown in for good measure.

Monday 3rd June 2019

So the day has finally come when we leave the UK to join our boat, Aurora Sunrise, in Gouvia Marina, Corfu. Can’t quite believe it’s here!!!!

It was only 2months ago that Matt quit his finance career in London and we made the decision to buy a boat, rent our house out and take the kids sailing for a year, possibly less, possibly more, who knows. People might think we’re nuts but Matt and I crewed on a 75ft sailing boat 17yrs ago and sailed from the Caribbean, through the Panama Canal, down to the Galapagos, across to the Marquesas and ended our year long trip in Fiji. Seeing lots of families out there having a ball, we said to ourselves how amazing it would be to do something similar with kids one day….and now here we are!

Doesn’t feel real lying in bed at the moment…this time tomorrow we’ll be on our boat getting settled, stocking the boat and planning our route up to Croatia. I know it’s going to be amazing but that doesn’t stop the nerves from hitting me like a tonne of bricks every once in a while. Not as much as I thought they would, to be honest, but sleeping has been a real issue recently with a billion things to think and worry about.

Talking of emotions, they’re running very high in the Edge household at the moment to say the least. We’ve had a very emotional weekend with a brilliant send off with our gorgeous family and friends. I know everyone says this but our friends really are the best and so thoughtful and we’re really hoping some will come and visit us along the way…please??? It goes without saying that we’re so lucky to have the family that we do. I’m hoping we have trouble keeping them away.

All the goodbyes over the weekend have had an effect on the kids and yesterday was an emotional one as realisation hit home. Mia and Sebby are 8 and 7 respectively and have some really close friends and cousins who they’re going to miss terribly so there were tears not only from me but from Mia and Sebby too. I won’t go into Pepper, my cat, who went off on her 12month holiday yesterday as I’m not ready for tears yet this morning (they’ll be some later I’m sure!)

Open mindedness is what we’ve been telling ourselves to have from the start and to keep throughout this adventure. I know it’ll help when things don’t quite go to plan which is what regularly happens when you’re living aboard a boat. We don’t know our exact route, how long we’ll be away for or where we’ll end up but this is all part of the adventure, right?!

Will let you know how we get on in Corfu when me and the kids see the boat for the first time (let’s hope Matt picked a goodun or we might be on the first flight back home)!!