A new adventure begins Greece, Italy, Sicily, Aeolian Islands, Sardinia, Corsica, and Mediterranean France  Our temporary base in the Ionian. No, it's not Photoshopped. Alas, news! As winter turned to spring, with heavy hearts yet excitement, we signed Trance’s title over to her wonderful new owner. Like a trance, she now exists only in our memories—her new name is Clione. We look forward to following Clione’s travels. As for us, after much searching, we finally found our new beauty. AmzerZo
is everything we’ve ever wanted. They say no boat is
perfect and every boat is a compromise, but we
struggle to say
that about AmzerZo.
Unlike most boats, there is nothing we don’t like we
can’t change or fix, and almost everything
we
feel is missing can be added. Of course, she is
aluminum, simple and rugged; yet she is also classy and
elegant. Yes
folks, we’ve moved up from a sailing vessel to a yacht.
Built in 1997, she is 48 feet long and has a
circumnavigation under her belt. She was designed and
built in France with no expense spared and every detail
carefully considered, exclusively for a couple planning
a circumnavigation, which they wrote a book about.
AmzerZo
is currently in Greece and we plan to keep her there as
we recover from the voluntary impoverishment we’ve just
entered into. Perhaps sometime this winter, the work
will begin either in
France
or the Netherlands. We'll
try our luck at paint removal again, and
work with a naval architect to design a hard dodger and
arch for her solar panels, which are currently sitting
low over the seven-foot
long
swim platform onto which the dinghy is hauled on board
effortlessly. (Can you tell it’s our favorite feature?)
She’ll get a new underwater barrier coat and paint, and
we’re looking into something synthetic for the decks.
We'll need to drop the rudder, repair or replace
hatches, and make countless other repairs and
improvements.
For
now, De Captain and Da Sailor Cat are comfortably on
board. De Captain already installed a new water heater
for Da Admiral’s sanity, and Da Sailor Cat has found her
favorite napping spots. This
summer we'll be back and forth--De
Captain will make frequent business trips to
Germany and Da
Admiral
has already been splitting
time
between tending to business in
the U.S. and
spending time on AmzerZo.
Needless to say, we’re really looking forward to
our shakedown
cruise in the
Med.
Please
stay tuned for updates on our adventures. And
yes,
we’re keeping the name in honor of her French roots.
(Amzer zo is a popular Breton saying meaning "there is
time" or "no rush.") Plus,
we are likely to be cursed if we change it, given that
over three
owners (we’re the fourth),
she
has always been Amzer Zo AND there was a book written
about her and her circumnavigation. Oh, and when she was
built there was an article about her in a French
yachting magazine. Not going to mess with that!
May 28, 2017
Okay, okay. We figured we'd better post some details
and photos before we have a full-on riot on our
hands.
Rewind to survey days in early April. Da Admiral conveniently came down with a cold, but powered through it. We spent two days glued to our awesome surveyor. (If you ever need a surveyor in Greece, Italy, or other neighboring countries, we'll send you his info.) All went fine and a few days later we found ourselves untying the dock lines and heading for the nearest protected anchorage to get to know our new ship. 
 We had spent hours crawling through the boat. So, as we suspected, AmzerZo passed her ultrasound.  We've joked several times about naming our next boat "Overkill." For us, the stouter the better, and AmzerZo fit that bill. We
also got to know and fell in love with the
Greek people, culture, and way of life. We
relished the freedom. We befriended a local,
Ioannis, who owns one of the nearby tavernas,
and soon we were having registration papers
sent to us in Vliho. We even had a new latex
mattress topper delivered to the dock. The
Greek alphabet has been quite a challenge, but
somehow it's all worked out.
 First order of business: dealing with broken wind instruments, lights, and safety checks. After having to winch De Captain up the last half, Da Admiral put "add mast steps above lower spreaders" on the upgrades list. May's days were full of sailing, testing, tweaking, and jotting down notes on how to improve AmzerZo's sail setup during the refit. Of course, there were many trips to chandleries, and repairs were made at breathtaking anchorages. Although our Cosmote hotspot was blazing fast, work also necessitated a few trips home.  The view from our anchorage off Meganisi  We spent an incredible weekend anchored off Ithaka. We snapped a few photos of AmzerZo while searching for Odysseus' bow on shore.   Meet Rubber Duck. She's no Origami but she gets us safely to shore so she'll do for now.   At Ithaka's main town, Vathi, we caught up with Sea Cloud from the Caribbean and checked out some 3,000 year-old money and other artifacts at the free museum. We
also learned some new skills. With the
height of the summer chartering season
underway, we can't always hog the harbor by
anchoring. (48' definitely requires more
room than the 38' we're used to.) Often
times, we must Med moor, which involves
dropping the anchor, backing up, and taking
a line to shore. Our only experience with
Med mooring was when we left Trance in
Martinique, and that time the marina staff
assisted. Sometimes the shore is rocky and
there can be a lot of tension on the line,
so handling the line is a better job for De
Captain while Da Admiral steers. It can be
tricky in a crosswind, but she's getting the
hang of it and is really starting to love
the tiller, which at first she wasn't so
sure about. The tiller provides a faster and
more precise response than does a wheel.
We're also loving the in-boom furling. We've
gotten the hang of unfurling (raising) and
furling (lowering) the mainsail into the
wind, now we have to practice the downwind
procedure.
 Med-moored
off Cephalonia. The ginormous swim
platform makes it easier.
One
skill we're definitely refining is
taking catabatic wind into consideration
when plotting a course. We first learned
this in the Caribbean, but given the
huge number of tall mountains all around
us, the Ionian takes it to a new level.
The gusts can get into the Beaufort 7 or
even 8 range near certain peaks and
valleys, and from completely unexpected
directions. No wonder the word catabatic
is of Greek origin.
Of course, one new luxury we're enjoying is AmzerZo's enormous cockpit and interior comfort. The photos say it all-- 
 Cockpit and aft deck big enough for a dance party.  Spacious saloon. The table seats six when opened. The door to the forepeak is shut to hide the move-in clutter we've stashed up there. Slowly but surely. 
 Elevated nav station to starboard and galley to port. Tons of light and De Captain can see out the windows perfectly. Da Admiral has to get on her toe tips or sit on the companionway steps. We suspect the couple who had AmzerZo built were tall people. 
 View from the top companionway step. There's even a seat you can install on the top step for foul weather watch-keeping on passage. 
The head and indoor shower lead aft into the master stateroom. You can also access the stateroom on starboard through the workshop, which is currently cluttered with boat projects so we'll post photos of it later.   The interior's piece de resistance: behold the master stateroom. A bed you can walk around and hanging lockers and drawers on each side. Drawers! June 24, 2017 In
June we
welcomed our first visitors aboard
AmzerZo--De Captain's parents.
After a fun-filled week in the
Ionian, they flew out of Preveza
and we began our journey through
majestic Greece. First up was
Oxeia, near the highest point in
the Echinades. The anchorage was
deep and gusty - katabatic again -
and we had a hard time lining up
the stern to tie a line to shore.
But it was worth it--the island
was raw, beautiful and utterly
secluded. Then a cruiser came in
at 8:30 in the evening and cranked
up a generator on deck.
The next morning we headed for the isolated island group of Nisidhes Strofadhes. AmzerZo flew at 7-8 knots, hitting 9 at one point, and we were anchored on the south side of Nisis Arpia by 18:10. We got our anchor stuck on a boulder while anchoring, so played it safe and anchored a bit further out on the second try. It was only us and a few fishing boats. Mysteriously, we saw dinghies landing at the monastery across from the bay. No idea where they came from. The air was moist--like on night passages--and the decks were wet with dew in the morning. The water was amazingly clear. It almost surpassed the 20-meters of visibility we experienced in Anguilla. The next morning, we visited the monastery. No one was home.  Island monastery The next day we headed for Methoni, in the Peloponnese. It was hot and there was no wind. We reached Methoni in the early afternoon and anchored just behind the sea wall. We're loving the extra speed courtesy of the long water line (even when motoring). Faster day sails make for more time to enjoy destinations. The anchorage was breezy and the backdrop gorgeous--a tower, a Venetian castle, and stunning cliffs. The town was cute, too. 
  June 27, 2017
We started the engine
around 9:30. The
destination was
Kalamata--work was
calling. But AmzerZo had
other plans for us. The
engine died. Luckily we
were still anchored--we
like to run the engine for
a while for this very
reason. It ended up being
a clogged fuel filter.
Perhaps some dirty fuel
from Vathi. Should have
run our fancy fuel
polishing system. We
changed the filter and
were off by 11:00.
It was freaking hot in Kalamata. We decommissioned the boat and headed to Germany on business. Kalamata Marina would be AmzerZo's home for the next month. It was a year of record rain and flooding in Germany, so we almost missed the dry heat of Kalamata. When we returned to Kalamata, we ordered and waited for some new hatches. During the few spring downpours in the Ionian, we had experienced the leaking the previous owners warned us about. We expected to take a lot of green water over the decks once we reached the windy Aegean, so leaky hatches just would not do. While we waited for the hatches, we rented cars and visited some of the amazing sites of the Peloponnese. First up was ancient Messene and Olympia. Then, we toured ancient Mystras, overlooking Sparta. We had to pinch ourselves to confirm we were really there. 
 
 
In Kalamata, we finally obtained a Depka--a Greek cruising permit. It's required by law but every time we tried to get one in the Ionian, the officials said they didn't have the forms and not to worry about it. We love Greece. Also in Kalamata, Da Sailor Cat had an unwelcome visit from a Tom Cat in the middle of the night. We awoke to the sound of screaming cats flying through the boat. Each night we closed all the Oceanair screens to prevent Da Sailor Cat from escaping, so he must have been casing the joint for some time, figuring out how to open them. When Da Admiral, screaming bloody murder, rushed out of the bedroom to apprehend the intruder, he escaped through the hatch over the shelf in the head. He knew exactly what he was doing because he pushed the Oceanair screen in just the right spot and it popped open, ensuring his escape. Unfortunately, he left a urine trail on the shelf and also on an old suitcase in the forepeak, where he entered. We spent the next several hours scrubbing up the pee, throwing away the suitcase, and consoling the poor Sailor Cat, who was quite upset by the ordeal. The next day while rinsing the decks, De Captain saw the offender. Still angry, he sprayed the poor cat, who didn't dare come near the boat again. July
27, 2017
When we finally left Kalamata, we spent some time wandering around the Gulf of Messina. We enjoyed beautiful anchorages and delicious Laconian food. The ghostly beauty of the Mani peninsula with its tower houses that blend into the landscape was breathtaking. One of the highlights was our visit to the spectacular Diros caves.  The anchorage wasn't bad either. 
AZ was styling it at the Diros caves. After Diros we checked out Mezapos and its cool caves. 
No, we did not make those cairn wanna-be's. Then we backtracked to Limeni and Koroni depending on what the wind was doing. We saw a lot of the same boats but never made friends. August
8, 2017
Done
with the Messinian
Gulf for a while, we
rounded Cape Tainaron,
the southernmost point
in Greece and the
second southernmost
point in continental
Europe, second only to
Gibraltar. After
rounding the point, we
entered the
spectacular Laconian
Gulf. Words cannot
describe the stunning
scenery that met us as
we neared the entrance
Porto Kagio, and
photos do not do it
justice. Our camera
could not capture the
entirety of the view
of the rocks and
cliffs, so photos of
the view from the
anchorage will have to
do.
 
The
anchorage was
rolly and deep,
but it was worth
it.
Work calling, we didn't have time to check out the Laconian Gulf and instead headed straight for the island of Elafonisos to position ourselves to round Cape Malea and enter the Aegean. The anchorage was beautiful and we did some hiking. We were excited about getting some beach bar action, but the Greek concept of a beach bar is a bit different than ours. The bar was not on the beach but quite a walk away in a parking lot. The area being a type of nature reserve, we understood. There were some lounging chairs for those who prefer not to sit at the bar. However, after watching for over 20 minutes we saw one waiter for what must have been 100 patrons. We had to remind ourselves that we were no longer in the Caribbean and to do as the Romans. August
10, 2017
After weeks of anticipation, it was finally time to round the mighty Cape Malea. Fortunately (or unfortunately) for us, it was a purring kitten that day and there was very little wind. We resigned ourselves to a motor sail. But it was cool to do a little coast hugging and snap a million photos of the isolated monastery at the tip.  We waved hello at monestary in case the monks could see us. Just
as we thought the
day couldn't get
any more
breathtaking, we
approached
Monemvasia.
 
 In
Monemvasia we
made friends
with Americans
on a beautiful
Mystic 60 who
had decided to
"tune out" and
spend most of
their time in
the Med and
Malta.
August 13, 2017 Ourselves
yet unable to
"tune out," we
headed for
Nafplion to
rent a car and
get Da Admiral
to the airport
for a business
trip to
Switzerland.
De Captain got
some boat jobs
done at anchor
in nearby
Tolo, and a
week later Da
Admiral was
back. Time to
tour Nafplion.
We scaled the
mountain up to
the fort in
record time to
catch the
sunset. Talk
about a
workout with a
reward.
 August 23, 2017 The
awful tourist
rush of August
being nearly
over, we
decided it was
a good time to
start heading
into the
Aegean,
well known for
the fierce
meltemi winds
this time of
year. After
almost six
months of
getting to
know our girl,
we felt
comfortable
that AmzerZo
was up to the
task of
dancing with
the meltemi.
And a
beautiful
dance she did,
sashaying and
facing closer
into the
meltemi only
when it would
let her. As
usual, De
Captain
thought it
exhilarating.
And for Da
Admiral it was
reaffirmed
that AmzerZo
is the
boat. Although
the upwind
sails were
challenging,
the meltemi
brought us the
highest winds
and waves we
had
encountered in
the Med. Yet,
Da Admiral
felt
comfortable,
safe and
relaxed, not
needing to
suggest to De
Captain
fourteen times
that it was
time to reef.
 The photos never fully capture how windy it is. We
started in
Spetsai
(Spetses),
where we had a
great meal.
Then, we
checkout out
Dolos and,
after a tough
upwind sail,
Poros. Green
water splashed
all over the
decks. Thank
goodness for
the new
hatches. In
Poros, Da
Sailor Cat
came on deck
while it was
still wet and
salty. Quickly
deciding that
it was too
windy for her
usual rounds
and to check
the anchor,
she jumped
down below
with wet,
salty paws,
much to Da
Admiral's
dismay. From
then on, she
would be
called Salty
Paws.
August
28, 2017
From
Poros, we set
out for the
Cyclades. We
had a sporty
sail to the
northwest
coast of
Kithnos and
were greeted
by a dolphin
welcoming
committee--good
sign. The
anchorage was
beautiful.
Actually, two
anchorages
separated by a
narrow strip
of sand. We
went for a
hike to look
for the hot
spring, but it
appears to
have dried up.
 From there we made for Siros, where we sat out a meltemi for three days. Beautiful Rineia was up next. We dropped the hook in the south anchorage to position ourselves to visit Delos the next day. The water was crystal clear and we could see enormous Mr. Rocna (our anchor) from deck.  Delos.
What can we
say?
Just one of
those magical,
almost
spiritual
places and
travel
moments. We
can see why it
was considered
the most
sacred of
islands by the
ancient
civilizations
of the
Mediterranean.
We awoke early
to get a spot
in the small
anchorage, and
luckily caught
the worm. We
dinghied in
and bought
entrance
tickets from
the friendly
and helpful
park officer.
Once in, we
were welcomed
to the site by
a cute cat who
also ran over
as we were
leaving to bid
us farewell.
 Beauty at the back of the pack Definitely the center of the universe  It
was a quick
motorsail to
Mykonos, where
we anchored on
the south
side near
Ornos and took
a bus into
Mykonos town
to cross that
off the list.
 Been there, done that We
would have
loved to check
out Ikaria,
known for its
spot on the
"Blue Zone"
list, but the
wind wasn't
having it and
we read that
the anchoring
situation
would be
challenging.
Instead, we
headed for
Amorgos. We
took the bus
up to the
Chora and then
the monastery,
but hiked back
to the bus
station so we
could enjoy
the sunset
view. We could
have stayed
for weeks. The
photos tell it
all.
At the monastery, the friendly monks invite all guests to sample a glass of the local liquor. It was so delicious that we bought a bottle at a stand just below the monastery. We were also lucky enough to see one of the leaders of the Church of Greece. We recognized him from a photo on the wall and looked him up. Last, but not least, we sailed to Thera (Santorini). Most cruisers take a ferry due to the lack of good anchorages, but we trust Mr. Rocna and don't mind rolly anchorages when it's worth it. We ran wing and wing at an average speed of 8 knots and, after checking out the east coast, decided to anchor in the south, near Akrotiri.  We took a bus into town and rented a car. We spent two days visiting Thera, Oia, an archeological site, and a beautiful winery. We decided that Santorini is one of those breathtaking places that everyone should see once. Watching the sun set over the crater is an unforgettable experience. Of course, we had forgotten a tip from a photographer we enjoyed beers with during a layover at the Athens airport. He told us that in Santorini, around every corner there is a ledge from which you can watch the sunset with a bottle of wine from home. No need to pay the tourist prices. As for the nightmare stories about the crowds, for some reason it wasn't that bad, perhaps because it was no longer the height of summer. 
 
 
   September 6, 2017
It
was time
for our first
overnight
passage on
AmzerZo. Da
Admiral would
soon need to
return to
Switzerland
and we had
decided that
AmzerZo would
be refitted in
France that
winter. With
over 1,000
nautical miles
to go before
winter, we set
off for
Gerolimenas
from the
southern tip
of Santorini.
Again, we were
flying. Two
rogue waves
smashed into
us, but
AmzerZo
handled it
fine. The
passing
islands were
enveloped in
clouds,
revealing only
their
mountaintops.
By 1:15 am we
were in ship
infested
waters 13.5
nautical miles
from Cape
Malea, which
was again a
purring
kitten. The
wind died and
we had to
motorsail
around to
Elafonisos,
where we
stopped for
diesel before
continuing on
to
Gerolimenas.
Mountains of the Greek gods From Gerolimenas we hopped to Methoni and from Methoni to Kapirissia. During the sail to Kapirissia, we flew our spinnaker for the first time. It was our favorite sail on our previous boat and we were again hooked. 
Not too shabby considering it hadn't been flown in at least ten years. In Lakka, De Captain helped a nice gentleman single-handing a catamaran anchor, then we went into the small town and got some provisions. The power had gone out so everything was done the old fashioned way. We stopped into an olive oil shop where the proprietor described how she wakes at the crack of dawn to clean and be the first to use the communal olive oil press. Otherwise, her very special olive oil gets contaminated. We tasted several varieties and it was so amazing that we couldn't pick and had to buy two bottles. September
14, 2017
Corfu was a highlight. First, we anchored in the south near Petriti. One of the local restaurants offers free laundry with dinner, so we couldn't pass that up. It turns out they also have the best baklava we ever tasted--and we had been baklava-ing our way through Greece. We stayed two days before moving up to beautiful Corfu town. We spent an entire day getting lost in its streets, then moved north to Guivia to a more protected anchorage where De Captain could get some boat jobs done and Da Admiral could catch a cab to the airport for a flight back to Switzerland. The anchorage had a breathtaking view of the Albanian mountains. 
 
Nope,
that's not
going to work.
Luckily this
nice gentleman
realized it as
soon as he
came back on
deck.
He mumbled something about dragging and immediately picked up his anchor. September
29, 2017
We set off at 07:00 for Rocella Ionica, Italy. It was squally and drizzly and there was hardly enough wind for sailing. We spent the day transitioning between motorsailing and sailing when there was enough wind. In the evening we noticed lightning behind us and motored until almost 01:00, when the wind picked up, to avoid getting caught in the nastiness that was brewing back there. Luckily, it stayed well behind us all night. It was a beautiful, albeit nerve-wrecking show. There were lots of ships near the Italian coast, so it was a busy night. We tied up at Rocella Ionica at 11:30. First order of business was a local SIM card. Early October in Sicily was bliss, given there were almost no crowds. We had decided it would be the perfect time to visit Taormina. The town is high above the anchorage/mooring field so we weren't sure how it would work, but the first order of business was figuring out where to anchor or pick up a mooring ball. It soon became clear that the rolls would make the bay untenable. As we mulled our options, the lovely mooring field attendant dinghied over. Although he could have sold us a mooring ball, being a fellow sailor he showed us where to anchor on the other side of the bay in exchange for a promise to pick up one of his moorings when we returned during a better sea state. Although too far from Taormina to visit the town, we were thankful for the relatively roll-free evening. The attendant chatted it up with the various boats in the anchorage, and when he stopped by AmzerZo we shared a beer with him. He shared some great tips about the Med and even recommended a budget-friendly place in France for AmzerZo's refit. As soon as he left we went on line and Googled Port Napoleon. If he only knew what he had started... The sea state wasn't forecast to improve in the next few days, so we decided to check out Siracusa and catch Taormina on our way back. We were hooked. The town quay is steps from everything and, best of all, it's free! You do have to pay a $10 daily trash fee (regardless of whether you have a full bag of trash) to what appeared to be an independent ring of young gentlemen, but only if you are home when they stop by. We ended up staying an entire week and made a point to be home three times and to be extra friendly and grateful for the trash disposal service. Unfortunately for our friend at the Taormina moorings, it being the off season we found an inexpensive car rental and decided to use Siracusa as our base for trips to Ragusa, Noto, Etna, and Taormina. We fell in love with Sicily and its food. Every day ended in a food coma. 
 Beautiful Noto. Every building in town is made from the same sandstone. 
Old Ragusa. We literally held our breath as we the rounded the hill and came across this view. 
Every day ended in a food coma. We fell in love with Siracusa and its mix of influences.  The
church of
Santa Lucia,
built on what
was formerly a
Greek temple
to Athena, is
spectacular.
The way the
architects
incorporated
the Greek
columns gives
it an ancient
and sacred
feel.
 We
had no idea
Taormina would
be so
beautiful. We
made a
reservation at
a restaurant
above Taormina
that was
declared to be
amongst the
restaurants
with the
world's best
views. It did
not
disapppoint.
Da Admiral
nervously
gripped the
inside of the
car door the
entire way up
the steep,
winding road.
The camera didn't even begin to capture the expansive view. A photo of the town above the town above Taormina. To the left was the Mediterannean Sea. We can't imagine how hair-raising that drive must be.  Below the restaurant but above Taormina, this church was literally built into the rock.  Taormina and its ampitheater from above. October
8, 2017
It
was finally
time to leave
Sicily and
make for the
Aeolian
Islands of
Italy. We set
sail for our
jumping off
point, Reggio
Calabria,
early in the
morning. Etna
was smoking
clearly in the
morning calm.
In Reggio
Calabria we
made friends
with South
Africans who
know the first
owner of our
previous boat,
Trance. Trance
was built in
South Africa
and the first
owner sailed
it to Brazil
and then the
U.S., where we
bought her
from the
second owner.
Small world.
 We were lucky enough to see a Smoking Etna - a rare sight due to the usual presence of clouds around her peak. 
 Flying through the Strait of Messina. The crazy eddies - no, not the band. Once we were off Scilla, we called the VPS for permission to cross the Strait. Scilla looked charming and we regretted we couldn't make it there the previous day. Once we crossed, we raised the sails but had to motor the last eight miles to Vulcano with the wind on the nose. We smelled the sulphur as soon as we entered the anchorage at Vulcano. Smoke literally came out the side of the hill. Da Admiral, on the tiller, noticed strange currents while anchoring. We hurried to climb the volcano in time for sunset. The views from the top were spectacular, and from our vantage point we saw bubbling water a few boat lengths from AmzerZo's bow. Crazy currents during anchoring explained.  Now, that's a smokey mountain. 
 
 We also explored beautiful Lepari, had the best gelato ever, and bought local capers. In Panarea we enjoyed the beautiful, calm anchorage and prepped for the two night passage to Sardinia.  Aeolian sunset October
13, 2017
With
no wind
forecast, we
expected to
motorsail most
of the way.
During the
first
afternoon, we
came across
what we
thought was an
injured turtle
floating on
the surface. A
bit later we
saw another
one. We saw a
total of eight
turtles,
almost in a
line, that
appeared to be
basking in the
sun. Were they
dead? We
couldn't be
sure, but it
was highly
disturbing.At 3:05, Da Admiral was on night watch and a cruise ship came within 1.5 miles of us on a collision course. Da Admiral had to radio them, after which they made a sudden course adjustment to port and passed behind our stern. It was not a Concordia.. At 10:30 the next morning, we finally got some wind and raised the mainsail, which was reefed to avoid too much flaking. At 14:30, the wind piped up and we changed course 5 degrees to avoid pinching and sail faster. Two sailboats on our port side raised their sails and also changed course to port after not being able to catch up to AmzerZo. They turned out to be Lagoon catamarans motorsailing, as they couldn't point as high as we could. (Go AmzerZo!) We sailed under full main, full yankee, and staysail until 22:00, when we had to turn to starboard and motorsail as the wind shifted. That night, the moon rose in the same spot and the little dipper was once again in the correct spot, astern and parallel to the boom. Another cruise ship passed 1.5 miles off our bow around 3:00. At 3:45 we passed over the Baronie Mountains, which were supposed to be 180 meters below us. The depth meter indeed read 180, but then 25 meters for over a minute, then back to 180. A submarine or a whale? October
16, 2017
That morning, we motored along the beautiful Costa Smeralda. The barometer had held steady at 1027 over the past 24 hours, and the weather was glorious. We anchored and went ashore to buy the famous Sardinian wine and enjoy our last Italian meal. We soaked in the beautiful weather and chatted excitedly about being back in "our" beloved France. After all, our child, Da Sailor Cat, did have a French passport. (While in Martinique with our previous boat the vet gave her one.) 
 Sardinian natural sculptures It was a short hop across the Strait of Bonifacio to Corsica. Entering the harbor of Bonifacio is one of those experiences you'll never forget. Bonificians believe Homer was referring to the harbor when he wrote in the Odyssey: “We
put into that
port, so well
known amongst
sailors: where
sheer double
cliffs, with
no gaps,
encircle the
harbour and
two headlands
squeeze the
narrow
entrance in
their grasp.”
Indeed, we were in awe as we sailed in, the white cliffs at each side towering over us. It being low season, we found a free spot to med moor and luckily had it all to ourselves. There was a bit of a crosswind and it took us several tries to line it up right. Exhausted, we headed to shore for a meal.  
 Historic Bonifacio The next day we headed to Ajaccio to buy a French SIM card. A typical island capital, we didn't linger and quickly headed for the beautiful anchorage near Girolata. We had it all to ourselves (minus the two hikers on shore we spotted in disbelief). We soaked in the sunset as it bathed the red rocks and calm waters in a magical glow, and enjoyed what we knew would be our last secluded anchorage for a long time to come. October
20, 2017
The next morning the anchorage became very rolly, and we realized how lucky we had been. At 14:00 we set off for mainland France ahead of the predicted Mistral. Since it had already started blowing further west, the seas were very lumpy but there was no wind--the worst! A few hours later we started motorsailing at 280 degrees with the yankee, in order to sail. We heard a call about a man overboard three degrees east of us. We kept a sharp lookout and were concerned when they were still calling at 18:25, the sun about to set. It was the second time we heard such a call in the Med. We reached Le Lavandou the following morning and sat out our first Mistral, experiencing gale force gusts for two days. The town was cute and the municipal marina wonderful and inexpensive. Over Belgian beers we noted how we had at that point sat out both a Meltemi and a Mistral. We love the way they name their winds and how in many ports compasses in the squares depict the various winds by name.  Mainland landfall. Bonjour! October
24, 2017
Having reached the mainland, it was time to settle on a shipyard for the big refit. We interviewed a large shipyard near Toulon with lots of employees, infrastructure, and designated project managers. We were grateful for the free dockage and enjoyed touring the facility and seeing the big super yachts undergoing work. The manager was wonderful and even brought us fresh croissants in the morning. October
26, 2017
We also interviewed a small, family owned shipyard in Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhone that specializes in metal boats. Although communication was a bit more difficult, we were impressed by their ingenuity when discussing the items on our wish list and the time they spent looking over AmzerZo. They spent time to cover all the items on our wish list in their quote, and we felt more at ease with their family machine shop, given that we both have welders and machiners in our families. We selected Chantier Naval Metal Marine, flew home for November and December, and prepared for what we knew would be long months and a lot of work, as we also had many interior projects and equipment installations planned.  The holiday is over - time to get to work.  The "before" photo
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