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Click on the blue balls.
Sailing Plan, 2011
Our first leg, achieved in May, was to exit the Vilaine and make some distance south, finishing in Santander. During this cruise, Robin was skipper for the duration, with Vaughan as #1. Clive and Tony sailed the first week to La Rochelle, and then flew home, being replaced by John K, Jenny and Terry. This team of 5 then sailed to Bilbao, where Terry and Vaughan got off, and Dick got on for the short trip onwards to Santander.
In June, Robin and John flew back out to Santander and sailed onwards along the north coast of Spain, encountering some difficulties with the weather and scarcity of ports, but making it to La Coruna by the end of the month.
You can read the first proper 2011 postcard "Getting to Galicia" by clicking this link
In July, Voltair lazed around in the very splendid Royal Yacht Club marina in the centre of La Coruna, doing very little except bake in the sun. JK paid a short visit to check out the diving in the vicinity, finding it somewhat disappointing in rather adverse weather conditions. Perhaps it would have been better in the sunshine and with less swell and wave.
At the end of July, Robin again skippered a trip, this time exploring the Rias of Spain's western coast, and finishing at Povoa de Vazim in Northern Portugal, where there is a big marina with excellent shore facilities, at which we shall overwinter. You can read his postcard about this trip "The Coast of Death" by clicking this link. It sounds a fearsome title, but I think the death was more that of the shellfish consumed by the crew rather than the seafarers themselves.
What happened, 2010
Well, the plan we laid, which you can still download here, didn't quite work out. Click here for the plan. If the system asks for your username and password, click "cancel" and then you should be able to view, the spreadsheet. It was pretty much right until mid summer, but then we discovered we couldn't berth for the winter south of Brittany, partly due to the storms of March 2010 which had wiped out a lot of marinas on the west coast of France around La Rochelle. We ended up with Voltair secure in the Vilaine river, at a lovely spot called Foleux.
From Holland towards Spain, 2010
April/May: Going Dutch - through the canals from Harlingen to Vlissingen (Flushing, as was), then out into the briny to Eastbourne.
May: To the Granite, Rose! (Chichester Harbour to L'Aber Wrac'h)
June: Furthest west for the season (L'Aber Wrac'h to Lorient)
Sailing towards Holland, by the scenic route through the Baltic, 2009
May: Deja Vue in Kvitsoy (Haugesund to Goteborg, leg 1)
May: Go East, old girl! (Haugesund to Kristiansand)
May: Bunads, Botany and Borders (Kristiansand to Gothenburg)
June: Waya and Means (Up river from Gothenburg)
June: We Wanna Canal (Travelling the Gota Canal)
June: The Season Starts Now (Swedens Blue Coast)
June: Midsummer around Stockholm
June: The Starting Gun (In the Swedish Archipelago)
June: In the Finish Archipelago
July: Back to Marienhamn in Åland, with a bump
July: Night watch
July: Wafting back towards Stockholm
July/August: The East coast down to Oskarshamn
August: Sweden Southeast - Oskarshamn to Ystad
August: Across the Ostsee - Ystad to Lubeck
August: Return to the North Sea - Lubeck to Harlingen
Sailing in Norway, 2008
May to September: Cruise and crews
May: From Haugesund to Bodø - first leg
May/June: From Haugesund to Bodø - second leg.
June: From Bodø to North Cape - first leg
June: From Bodø to North Cape - second leg - the Vesterålen
June: From Bodø to North Cape - final leg - the Cape
June/July: About Alta
July: "Sørøya Circular Saga" - A circular tour from Alta
July: Starting back - Alta to Tromsø
July: Tromso southwards - Sailing Senja
August: Back to Bodo
August: Bodo to Namsos - Girls just want to have fun
September: Namsos to Alesund
Sailing in Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Germany: 2007
May & June: From Haugesund to Oslo - first leg
June: From Haugesund to Oslo - second leg
June: From Oslo to Copenhagen - First postcard
June: From Oslo to Copenhagen - Second postcard
June: From Oslo to Copenhagen - Third postcard
July: From Copenhagen to Lübeck - part one
July: From Copenhagen to Lübeck - part two
July: From Lübeck to Aalborg - part one - Sailing in the shallow end
July: From Lübeck to Aalborg - part two - All belted up
August: From Lübeck to Aalborg - part three - Shore leave and desert islands
August: From Lübeck to Aalborg - part four - Limfjord at last
August: The return journey - from Aalborg to ....guess where? ..... Larvik (Stavern)
August: From Stavern to Lindesnes
Sailing in Norway: 2006
June: Robin, John, Vaughan and Clive make it to the Arctic circle
July: John's crew sails around the Lofotens
July: John, Simon, John G and Trevor, fellow Worcester Divers, set off for Narvik
Diving in Narvik
Diving in the Lofotens and back near Bodø
August: Sailing southwards from Bodø with John, John R and Eric
Sailing in Norway: 2005
August: John, with divers Charles, Frank and John G's and helmsman Bob sail and dive around Haugesund and north towards Bergen
Rudders, Races and Ragtime - all near Haugesund.
Espavaer - diving and exploring Rovaer, then back towards base
North to Hiskjo, southwest to Rovaer, then back towards base
September: John, Jim, Peter and Tony cruise towards Stavanger, making it to Kvitsoy
To Stavanger and the Oil Museum
An excellent trip to Lysefjord and a ramble to Prekestolen.
Sailing to Norway: May-June 2005
1. Oban to Skye
2. Skye to Stornoway
3. Stornoway around Cape Wrath, via Kyle of Tongue to Stromness
4. Time travelling in Orkney
5. Stromness to Kirkwall, Sanday and points east
6. Landfall in Utsire - Norway at last!
7. Flying Frank, fjerries, fjshing and fjords
8. The Priest and Lyse's Bottom
9. TGI Friday