120 replies to this topic

[MR.CLEAN]

Note: Moved from SA forum.



You may have heard the rumors (though hopefully Interpol hasn't), and I can now confirm them. Mer and I are headed to Europe a week from tomorrow on something of an epic, month-long journey into the underbelly of sportboat racing in Europe.

The Route

Our trip starts in the UK, where we'll be visiting an old friend (to borrow his pickup truck). The ensuing week will see us scurrying to Southampton to pick up the new trailer, to the Dover-Calais Ferry enroute to Belgium to get GBR 592 off her lovely Sevenstar Yacht Transport ride. A day of trailer/boat fitting, and then to Civitavecchia, Italy to get on another ferry to Sardinia.

Melges Pre-Worlds and Worlds should be a total blast, especially at a top spot like the YC Costa Smeralda, and we'll be doing a full program of live coverage for you - our first European OTW Anarchy ever - and with Worlds run entirely on weekdays, it ensures a wonderful procrastination tool for all of you at the office that week.

Once the event is over and we're back on the mainland, we've got another long ride ahead of us - it's a straight shot from southern Italy to the Northern coast of Germany, where a ferry will take us and the boat across to Rodby, Denmark, then another push nearly to the arctic circle to finally arrive in Oslo, Norway - where we deliver the boat to her proud new owners.

Trailerless, we can mosey down the coast a bit on our way to drop off the truck back in the UK, stopping wherever strikes our fancy.

The Thread

When our honeymoon (and SA "Road Trip") took us to New Zealand and Australia, I started a thread asking for some advice about flights, etc. As always happens here, Anarchists contributed some amazing information that opened the door for us to see much more than we thought we could while doing it more cheaply than we thought possible. It was great to have it all in one place so we could access it any time we were near a computer, and we've been told a few times since by anarchists that the info that y'all contributed in that thread helped out later travelers to Oz and NZ. We thought this one - seeing as it is touches so much of Europe, would be a great opportunity to get some good information assembled from you guys about a road trip/boat trip that'll take us through 11 or 12 countries, and across a whole mess of water. It'll also make our lives much, much easier, and hopefully introduce us to a bunch of new SAers across Europe.

OTW Anarchy will go live closer to the event, but we'll be posting our itinerary soon on this thread, and we are looking forward to seeing the great recommendations that you come up with about the exciting places we'll be visiting.

Specs

It will help some contributors to know a few more things about us and our toys for this one. This is Mer's first time to Europe proper, though I've spent a significant portion of my life there - over 6 years if you add it all up. She speaks Spanish and English, while I speak French and Spanish fluently and Italian passably.

Our trusty steed for the ride is a Nissan Navara pack-up donated by HISC sailor James Hill. Until Oslo, we'll be hauling a Melges 24 around - total length of trailer is around 9 meters. We're both US citizens, and pretty bulletproof when it comes to traveling off the beaten path.


What Do We Want to Know?

Frankly, anything you got. You know a great place to stay somewhere near our route? Spill it. Is there a cool regatta somewhere in the same date range? Share it. Otherwise, we'll be asking plenty of questions, and we're sure y'all will chime in often, and we thank you very, very much in advance.

If there are things that you want to know, ask 'em and we'll try to find out the answer. We'll be sharing everything we can think might be of value, from shipping a sportboat across the Atlantic to finding the red light districts in the most interesting of cities.



Until the event begins and we put on our OTW Anarchy hats, we're the shore contingent for Team "Sevenstar SLAM," a/k/a Team Yoga, a/k/a Team I Won Yoga, a/k/a Team Gill, a/k/a Team GBR 592. The owner of the boat is Anarchist SimonS, and it's one that too many anarchists have crewed aboard to name them all. Simon's crew for Worlds includes Hill, Strauss's brother and Melges 24 owner Quentin Strauss, with San Diego's own Billy Hardesty, current World Champion tactician, calling the shots. This World Championship is bigger than anything possible in the US for the class with 117 boats registered already, and the calibre of the fleet is ridiculous. Simon's best finish at a Worlds was in the low teens, while Quentin finished in the top ten at least once. We clearly were much more valuable as roving reporters than as sailors, and while we're bummed that we won't be sailing, we're extremely stoked to get this opportunity to be there in the thick of the action, sharing it with all of you.

Here's a pic of our lonely steed as she was lifted off the trailer on her way to Zeebrugge, Belgium. She's still aboard ship as we speak, and we hope she's not seasick.

Thanks in advance - enjoy the ride. I know we will.

Edit: Thanks to Ullman Sails for taking over as Title Sponsor of this whole mess. Dave runs one of the most respected operations around, and he shows his appreciation of the SA community by supporting this fun report.

Also thanks to Joe Fly Racing Team, our Technology Partner, for helping us figure out some of the electronics that we need to do a good job of this from the NE coast of Sardinia.

More on both later.

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[MR.CLEAN]

Sevenstar Yacht Transport is the team's Title Sponsor - they have been a joy to work with - partially because CEO Richard Klabbers is an obsessive sailor. We met Richard while we were in Key West this year, after he'd just sailed the Lauderdale-KW race with Jesse Rowse aboard his mini, Reality Sailing. Sevenstar also sponsors Jesse, and we love him for it - not only because Jesse is cool as hell and a real Anarchist, but because a tiny shoestring US Mini needs all the help it can get.

You might remember Jesse and team rolling Reality over on the front page of SA a few months ago (with gratuitous breast shot) - here's what he had to say about it on his page: "Reality is in far better shape than ever before with a refined carbon mast that should present no future problems (knock on wood) and a bottom that is so perfectly fair and smooth I can't wait to get it wet and go for a sail. If anybody didn't get a chance to see the photo series on Sailing Anarchy showing us roll the boat over to fair the bottom definitely check it out, the last photo wasn't my idea but it sure got some peoples attention as I got 48,000 hits on my website the day that the photo series was posted."

SLAM is also one of the team sponsors, as is Velocitek - more on their roles later.

[miahmouse]

its official... I hate you...

[MR.CLEAN]

its official... I hate you...

If it makes it any easier on you, we will be working our bloody asses off while we're in Costa Smeralda, writing and editing photos long into the night while everyone else is partying and relaxing in one of the more idyllic spots in the Med.

But we're not too broken up about it...

Speaking of which, anyone that wants to help sponsor OTW-Anarchy for the Worlds can send me a PM, or an email at alan@blocksail.com. Should be some pretty sweet exposure for the right company, details on request.

[mainsheetgirl]

pretty sweet exposure

[MR.CLEAN]

If we could afford to bring you, you'd be our first choice of executive assistant.

[mainsheetgirl]

If we could afford to bring you, you'd be our first choice of executive assistant.

Thanks Clean. Travel safe and don't forget the Goslings. Any plans to visit Jesse? He did his first race but their web site is down so I don't know the results.

[MR.CLEAN]

Thanks Clean. Travel safe and don't forget the Goslings. Any plans to visit Jesse? He did his first race but their web site is down so I don't know the results.

No, but keep me posted on him - we may be taking a short detour to Normandy on our way back to visit some old friends in the 13th century farmhouse I spent some of my childhood in, and I don't think he's that far from where we're going.

[mainsheetgirl]

If you have time in England, visit Avebury and the Cerne Abbas Giant. Avebury is a much nicer stone circle than Stonehenge (which doesn't let you close to it) and the Cerne Abbas Giant because he has the largest penis in the world.

[MR.CLEAN]

Some new questions:

1) Anyone know the best way to get the use of a 3G aircard for the month? Any Europeans have one lying around in either PC Express or USB versions that we can borrow/rent?
2) What kind of prices are you seeing on diesel in UK/France/Germany/Italy lately?

[Pelle]

European fuel prices from April 16...and it has gone up a bit since then...

http://www.motormann...el_i_Europa.pdf

[Registered Lurker]

GPS navigation could come in handy when bumbling off the beaten path. Don't know if you have Garmin, tomtom, or others -- if tt, I might have some maps for you.

[MR.CLEAN]

GPS navigation could come in handy when bumbling off the beaten path. Don't know if you have Garmin, tomtom, or others -- if tt, I might have some maps for you.

It's a Garmin, uses mapsource maps that I transfer using a program, saves them on a CF card and attaches to the laptop with a USB cable.

[BWR]

If your still in northern Europe mid July, 14 Worlds in Warnemuende Germany July 10-19. Unforutnately, I most likely won't be there, but lots of other anarchists. I'm sure I can set you up for a sail w/ someone. Enjoy!
BWR

[SR CHIEF (RET)]

If you have time while you in Costa Smerelda, takse a short ride (30km), up to Palau, board the Tris ferry and head over to Isola La Madalenna. Short ferry ride (30mins), take the ride up tp Trinita (15mins), and check out the view of the Straits Of Bonafacio. I lived in Trinita and yhe island is awesome! PM me, Ill also hook you up with a list of shit to do and see. I fucking loved it there!

[SR CHIEF (RET)]

If you have time while you in Costa Smerelda, takse a short ride (30km), up to Palau, board the Tris ferry and head over to Isola La Madalenna. Short ferry ride (30mins), take the ride up tp Trinita (15mins), and check out the view of the Straits Of Bonafacio. I lived in Trinita and yhe island is awesome! PM me, Ill also hook you up with a list of shit to do and see. I fucking loved it there!

Tried to edit my post a few rums... PM me though, awesome place!

[MR.CLEAN]

Little boat on big ship is just North of the Azores...faster, damnit!

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[Al.]

Dunno about in Europe (though usually "cheaper" is a good guess) but for the UK, this site is the daddy for fuel prices

[skotawm]

How did you do that tracking??

" Little boat on big ship is just North of the Azores...faster, damnit!"

[MR.CLEAN]

Dunno about in Europe (though usually "cheaper" is a good guess) but for the UK, this site is the daddy for fuel prices

1.25 per litre...

1.25 x 3.7 = 4.65 GBP/gallon

4.65 x 1.97 = NINE DOLLARS AND SIXTEEN CENTS PER GALLON OF DIESEL.


Jesus H. Christ. Thank god I'm not buying.

How did you do that tracking??

" Little boat on big ship is just North of the Azores...faster, damnit!"

Very cool ship tracker here.

[13over]

Fuel prices
http://www.oeamtc.at...e_in_europa.pdf

[bye bye]

Some new questions:

1) Anyone know the best way to get the use of a 3G aircard for the month? Any Europeans have one lying around in either PC Express or USB versions that we can borrow/rent?
2) What kind of prices are you seeing on diesel in UK/France/Germany/Italy lately?

I'm making some enquiries at the moment but I think you'll be best off sourcing 1/ in Italy, if that's where you'll have the highest data usage, or you'll get skinned on roaming charges. Should be less of an issue for voice as there was EU wide legislation brought in last summer to cap prices, and most networks have priced at that.

+

Get a proper colour kite and a junior school atlas (Oslo nearly the arctic circle?!)

[Al.]

1.25 per litre...

1.25 x 3.7 = 4.65 GBP/gallon

4.65 x 1.97 = NINE DOLLARS AND SIXTEEN CENTS PER GALLON OF DIESEL.
Jesus H. Christ. Thank god I'm not buying.

Look at the link 13over posted- Norway's more expensive...

[Derek Grebe]

do what the Continental lorry drivers do.

leave the UK running on vapours.


A lot of continental hauliers have illegal extra fuel tanks to let them get from mainland Europe to Jockshire and back without refuelling in the UK.

fuelling a Nissan heap with a Melges behind is going to hurt in the UK!!

[Jem]

From Southampton to Dover, if you're going down the A27 rather than the motorways, then you'll be going past my house, you;re welcome to drop by a beautiful location for tea and scones. We have our own ancient monument 200 yards up the road in the downs too

The Long Man of Wilmington

On the way back it depends what you want to do. Are you coming back to dover again? The south downs are nice to hang out, with good hand gliding and paragliding. If you want to go further Avebury is a good suggestion, The peak district is a little further up the country [around the middle of England, and has lots of nice walking and scenery, as does the lake district.

Don't go to Wales or Scotland, those places are crap.

Tell us what you fancy and we'll be more specific.

J

[Derek Grebe]

Don't go to Wales or Scotland, those places are crap.

...unless you want to drink something stronger than iced shandy

[mad]

From Southampton to Dover, if you're going down the A27 rather than the motorways, then you'll be going past my house, you;re welcome to drop by a beautiful location for tea and scones. We have our own ancient monument 200 yards up the road in the downs too

The Long Man of Wilmington

On the way back it depends what you want to do. Are you coming back to dover again? The south downs are nice to hang out, with good hand gliding and paragliding. If you want to go further Avebury is a good suggestion, The peak district is a little further up the country [around the middle of England, and has lots of nice walking and scenery, as does the lake district.

Don't go to Wales or Scotland, those places are crap.

Tell us what you fancy and we'll be more specific.

J

Agree with Wales (toll is wrong on the bridges, should make the fuckers pay to leave) but Scotlands a bit harsh, whats wrong with the JIF'S

[Jem]

Agree with Wales (toll is wrong on the bridges, should make the fuckers pay to leave) but Scotlands a bit harsh, whats wrong with the JIF'S

sorry Clean,

My mistake. Actually Scotland is big and very very beautiful, if you can spend the time driving up, or if you fly, Edinburgh and Inverness are lovely and above the Great Glen [where Loch Ness cuts SE-NW across the coutry] the place is wild. You'll get the beginning of the summer salmon and the trout fishing is fabulous this time of year.

Just don't go out approaching sunset as you'l be bitten alive by millions of bastard little midges, deliberately put there by the Jocks to drive away wanker tourists like me.

It is truly one of the UKs most beautiful spots, and one of the few places where you can let rip with a sports car here and enjoy it. It's magnificent.

Just don't look any Glaswegians directly in the eye or they'll chivvy you. Simply and gently jog away, as they'll have a heart attack from the lifetime feasting on deep-fried marsbars.



J

[MR.CLEAN]

sorry Clean,

My mistake. Actually Scotland is big and very very beautiful, if you can spend the time driving up, or if you fly, Edinburgh and Inverness are lovely and above the Great Glen [where Loch Ness cuts SE-NW across the coutry] the place is wild. You'll get the beginning of the summer salmon and the trout fishing is fabulous this time of year.

Just don't go out approaching sunset as you'l be bitten alive by millions of bastard little midges, deliberately put there by the Jocks to drive away wanker tourists like me.

It is truly one of the UKs most beautiful spots, and one of the few places where you can let rip with a sports car here and enjoy it. It's magnificent.

Just don't look any Glaswegians directly in the eye or they'll chivvy you. Simply and gently jog away, as they'll have a heart attack from the lifetime feasting on deep-fried marsbars.



J

Fucking hilarious Jem. FWIW, I lived aboard a 38' sloop at the FCYC in Granton for nearly three months back when I was delivering boats - it took a long time, but I even learned to speak Glaswegian - well, at least in bed.

[Madge]

Any chance of doing some OTW reports from Heavy Women's Women's Regatta in Hamble?

M.

[BlueBennie]

So who is going to report on the conditions of the frescos in the NY Supreme Court while you are gone?
Seriously, enjoy... there are a lot of working folk who will follow your adventures with a hint of jealously...

[MR.CLEAN]

Any chance of doing some OTW reports from Heavy Women's Women's Regatta in Hamble?

M.

Dates?

[MR.CLEAN]

So who is going to report on the conditions of the frescos in the NY Supreme Court while you are gone?
Seriously, enjoy... there are a lot of working folk who will follow your adventures with a hint of jealously...

I was just talking to the Ed about that last night. As much as I'm interested in the fireworks on 5 June, I'm glad to be staying as far from a courtroom as I can...

Anyone who wants to do some reporting from the NY court, shoot me an email.

[cms]

Remember too that for fuel in most Euro countries, find the biggest supermarkets and buy there. MUCH cheaper.

The Solent Anarchists would of course be more than happy to buy you a glass of something if you have time. Equally, any local logistic issues can be sorted I am sure.

If you happen to be on northern France when any JOG or RORC races pitch up, there will always be a party.

Keep us updated on your schedule and you will have serious fun!

[cms]

WOKC June 7&8. Anarchists everywhere!

[cms]

What are your dates?

[MR.CLEAN]

June 8 we'll just be leaving Italy. We do intend to head to the Normandy and possible Brittany coast on our way back to the UK, maybe around 13 June. I want to show Mer the little farmhouse that I lived in as a kid, an hour or so from Caen and a five-minute walk to the beach. If we have a chance to trek over and see some crazy Frenchmen racers, we'll probably do it. You'll all be well-informed, I can guarantee that.

[Wacka Elvis]

Clean - great to hear you're doing the M24's - will be there on GBR 527, Comfortably Numb. Should be a ball!

[sailor5755]

Hang on the extra month, there's the Round Ireland and Cork Week.

[MR.CLEAN]

Hang on the extra month, there's the Round Ireland and Cork Week.

Would if I could mate. We'll be back, that's for sure.

[mylespe]

on the way back - get a ferry from the continent to Hull and visit Yorkshire dales, lake district all that stuff. Don't spend ANY time in Hull but then you can drive down the length of England stopping off at the good sites.

my house in Leeds, 45mins/hour from Hull, will have a spare room or two by that point if you make it that far

EDIT: Round the Island race on 28th June. May need a couple crew if you want a ride

[HenrikB]

So when will you be in Sweden?
July is the vacation period over here, so most of the Races are scheduled before or after july.
The Round Gotland race starts last sunday in june (Stockholm).
Begining of july is Swedish Match Cup in Marstrand (west coast near Norway).
Begining of August is the European Championship ORCi, in Marstrand

In sweden we have stopped looking at the fuel prices, you need to fill up anyway...

/Henrik

[Albatros]

seems to be expected today in Zeebrugge

if the missus is only running in the way while you're prepping the trailer for the roadtrip, send her off to Brugge, just 10 kilometers behind Zeebrugge, there are bus services or there is the coastal tram to Oostende stopping right next to the train station. Brugge is a bit of a tourist trap, but for anybody wanting to see an old medieval city it's as good as it can get. mind you, if she's into lace, hijack her credit cards pronto.

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[Albatros]

bingo, right on schedule

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[MarkJames]

Some new questions:

1) Anyone know the best way to get the use of a 3G aircard for the month? Any Europeans have one lying around in either PC Express or USB versions that we can borrow/rent?
2) What kind of prices are you seeing on diesel in UK/France/Germany/Italy lately?

wherever you go you'll get caned on wireless internet, and you'll get doubly caned as you move from country to country. it may make sense to get a card inm Italy if you exepct to do a fair bit or reporting. but one thing to watch is turn your browser into a no photo option.. and steer clear of visting sites unless you have to (or someone else is paying). if you've got to visit heavy photo sites or send images back home then got to an internet cafe.....

so I think you are going to have to be a leetle bit creative to keep the costs down.

many marinas have wireless... you could always try internet cafes, some places fo have public wireless access points.. whether there are any at the event there who knows.

you could try and get some form of press accreditation, or sound out the locals to see if they have a home connection they'll let you use..... don't laugh another approach is to walk around a bit where there are shops or houses.. there are large numbers of unsecured wirelsss networks

on Vodafone the data rate isn't too bad if you don't plan on using it for internet use.. we pay about 5..10p per Kb of data..... running email weather forecasts that costs around 50p..£1 per day on saildocs to retrieve email grib files

fuel

you've got little choice to be honest.. steer clear of motorway/freeway s/stns they are nearly always bandits, stay cleqar of the hick stations. in the UK the cheapest fuel is nearly always in the supermarkets.

[MarkJames]

bingo, right on schedule

I always find those AIS sites fascinating and scary.. having sailed down the channel a few times it can be as scary as it looks, especially if you need to cross the channel

[magnum]

21-28/6/2008
http://www.kieler-woche.de/

They have also the X-35 European Champs + Farr 40 Circuit

Maybe volunteer to take a dutch/belgium team's X35 and bring it to Kiel. It's a nice trip too

[MR.CLEAN]

seems to be expected today in Zeebrugge

if the missus is only running in the way while you're prepping the trailer for the roadtrip, send her off to Brugge, just 10 kilometers behind Zeebrugge, there are bus services or there is the coastal tram to Oostende stopping right next to the train station. Brugge is a bit of a tourist trap, but for anybody wanting to see an old medieval city it's as good as it can get. mind you, if she's into lace, hijack her credit cards pronto.

Thanks for the tip. I likely have 4 or 5 hours of work to get the boat onto the trailer - Besides customs and importation, I have to hoist her in the air, unbolt the fiberglass bunks and pull them from the cradle, put them on the new trailer, and rebolt, same thing with the keel bed, then I can put the new boat on the trailer. Plenty of time to send Mer to medievil Candy Land, and I may have helpful Belgium SAer "Whomper" helping me with the heavy lifting.

If my wife was into lace, I would have ditched her after the second date. She's into Gore-Tex.

[MR.CLEAN]

wherever you go you'll get caned on wireless internet, and you'll get doubly caned as you move from country to country. it may make sense to get a card inm Italy if you exepct to do a fair bit or reporting. but one thing to watch is turn your browser into a no photo option.. and steer clear of visting sites unless you have to (or someone else is paying). if you've got to visit heavy photo sites or send images back home then got to an internet cafe.....

so I think you are going to have to be a leetle bit creative to keep the costs down.

many marinas have wireless... you could always try internet cafes, some places fo have public wireless access points.. whether there are any at the event there who knows.

you could try and get some form of press accreditation, or sound out the locals to see if they have a home connection they'll let you use..... don't laugh another approach is to walk around a bit where there are shops or houses.. there are large numbers of unsecured wirelsss networks

on Vodafone the data rate isn't too bad if you don't plan on using it for internet use.. we pay about 5..10p per Kb of data..... running email weather forecasts that costs around 50p..£1 per day on saildocs to retrieve email grib files

fuel

you've got little choice to be honest.. steer clear of motorway/freeway s/stns they are nearly always bandits, stay cleqar of the hick stations. in the UK the cheapest fuel is nearly always in the supermarkets.

We think we're very close to securing a partnership with an Italian company that will provide us what we need. Funny story about the dangers of data: When we went up to Toronto for Canada's Cup, sponsor Jerry Miller from IonEarth told us that he'd sort out the data issues in order to get us up there. So we spent whatever it was - 4 days - on the water, transmitting dozens of vids and hundreds of pics and just having a grand old time using Jerry's aircard and his smartphone tethered to another laptop. I think everyone was extremely happy with the coverage - for what is essentially a Great Lakes match race, we had massive numbers of readers, and got emails from right around the globe - and that may be why Jerry didn't tell us for months about the bill he got from Canadian AT&T for $8,000.00.

[Mambo Kings]

If it makes it any easier on you, we will be working our bloody asses off while we're in Costa Smeralda,

Nope.

I would rather be working my ass off in Costa Smeralda that sitting on a beach back here.

[MR.CLEAN]

Since this thread is going to pretty much document our entire trip, I'll take the liberty of adding the front page pieces here as they come up, since I can never figure out where Scot puts the permalinks to the stories.

Road Trip
European Vacation

Once again, the time has come for the Cleans to hit the road - and hit it hard. This Saturday, we start a month-long trip to the wilds of the Old Country for the 2008 Volvo Melges 24 World Championship. We've got quite the production planned for you - a little travel, a LOT of sailing, and from May 28th to June 6th, you'll see the most exciting On-The-Water Anarchy report that we've ever done.

We're not just there for the racing - our duties include picking up GBR 592 from Belgium (she's on a ship now) and taking her down to Sardinia for the owner - SA'er SimonS. Simon's "Team Sevenstar SLAM" has current World Champ snacktician Billy Hardesty calling tactics, and we'll be hanging with the crew for the entire regatta. Afterwards, we'll haul the boat nearly to the Arctic Circle to deliver her to her new owners in Oslo, Norway before heading back to the UK via Sweden, Denmark, Holland, Belgium and France. We've got plenty of time to stop in some great places along the way , so be sure to check in on the thread and let us know if you have a fun sailing event or anything else you think Anarchists should check out anywhere along our route. We're bringing the whole lot of you along for the ride.

For the first time in a long time, defending World Champion Dave Ullman couldn't be at the M-24 Worlds - so he did the next best thing - and we're incredibly stoked to announce that today, Ullman Sails stepped up to become the exclusive sponsor for SA's comprehensive Melges 24 coverage from Europe. Dave and the rest of our friends at Ullman will be an integral part of OTW Anarchy from Sardinia, so make sure to stay tuned for news, technical information, and great offers from Ullman - starting with an in-depth Innerview with Dave that you'll find on SA this Monday.

Please show your gratitude to Ullman for bringing OTW Anarchy to Europe for the first time - at a minimum, check out their very slick new website and have a peek around. And enjoy the ride.

05/16/2008

[MR.CLEAN]

Nope.

I would rather be working my ass off in Costa Smeralda that sitting on a beach back here.

I hear the violins playing...poor thing.

The whole point of our documentation of these road trips has been to share 'em with as many folks as possible. Maybe you'll never get a chance to attend a big event in Porto Cervo or tow a Melges 3000 miles across Europe (and maybe you'll never want to), but at least you can get some of the experience, riding internet shotgun with us.

[Starboard]

On your way to Rome (presumably that is where you will get the ferry) you could instead turn right after Parma and head to Cinque Terra. That is the nicest bit of coast in Italy and worth a one night stop over. It wouldn't be too much of a diversion, and it sure beats travelling down the center of Italy.

[mylespe]

I'm not sure i like this whole Melges Worlds thing Clean - my best crew just bailed to go do tactics on a bloody German boat of all things.

If you carry on talking about it will just rub it in more!

Please make sure you find the English traitor on the German team and spill his drinks

[magnum]

forgot to mention the Bol d´or must see event http://www.boldormir...FR-CH/index.cfm

if you still need travel tips or help I live 15min from Zeebrugge

[MR.CLEAN]

I'm not sure i like this whole Melges Worlds thing Clean - my best crew just bailed to go do tactics on a bloody German boat of all things.

If you carry on talking about it will just rub it in more!

Please make sure you find the English traitor on the German team and spill his drinks

Give me the details and it is done.

[MR.CLEAN]

forgot to mention the Bol d´or must see event http://www.boldormir...FR-CH/index.cfm

if you still need travel tips or help I live 15min from Zeebrugge

Cheers Magnum. Bol D'Or doesn't work with our schedule - but I'm rethinking that schedule given how cool it would be to see such an insane event.

[magnum]

tips & savings

1# you can use eurostar train daytrip instead of ferry dover - calais. Use a 2 daytrips instead of a round trip with several days/weeks is cheaper + more flexible and could save € 100-150. Unless you want to enjoy the view.
2# stay away from French Formule 1 & Ibis hotels if you don't want to smell who was in there before you. Only + for IBIS is the protected parking at most locations (if they allow you with the trailer)
3# max speed with trailer in Belgium is 100km/h
max. speed with trailer in France is 130km/h !!!! if total weight is less than 3.500kg
max. speed with trailer in Switzerland + Italy is 80km/h
max. speed with trailer in Germany is 80km/h or 100km/h if tyres are <6y old + 100km sign on the back of the trailer

4# buy the road vignet for Switzerland (or buy it second hand if can find it on time on ebay) in advance (need one for the trailer too) that is +/- €56,-- for the two but attacht it carefully with tranparant tape for the trip and resell it afterwards. Austria has a 10-day vignet for only € 10,60 check route planning at www.viamichelin.com for the best alternative + toll costs
5# check if Genua or Livigno are still available as port of departure instead or to Sardinie. Saves a lot of money + driving www.mobi.it for instance is o.k.
6# make sure you to refuel in Luxembourg and take some cans to store on the trailer
etc
etc

[US32Wet]

You may have heard the rumors (though hopefully Interpol hasn't), and I can now confirm them. Mer and I are headed to Europe a week from tomorrow on something of an epic, month-long journey into the underbelly of sportboat racing in Europe.

The Route

Our trip starts in the UK, where we'll be visiting an old friend (to borrow his pickup truck). The ensuing week will see us scurrying to Southampton to pick up the new trailer, to the Dover-Calais Ferry enroute to Belgium to get GBR 592 off her lovely Sevenstar Yacht Transport ride. A day of trailer/boat fitting, and then to Civitavecchia, Italy to get on another ferry to Sardinia.

Melges Pre-Worlds and Worlds should be a total blast, especially at a top spot like the YC Costa Smeralda, and we'll be doing a full program of live coverage for you - our first European OTW Anarchy ever - and with Worlds run entirely on weekdays, it ensures a wonderful procrastination tool for all of you at the office that week.

Once the event is over and we're back on the mainland, we've got another long ride ahead of us - it's a straight shot from southern Italy to the Northern coast of Germany, where a ferry will take us and the boat across to Rodby, Denmark, then another push nearly to the arctic circle to finally arrive in Oslo, Norway - where we deliver the boat to her proud new owners.

Trailerless, we can mosey down the coast a bit on our way to drop off the truck back in the UK, stopping wherever strikes our fancy.

The Thread

When our honeymoon (and SA "Road Trip") took us to New Zealand and Australia, I started a thread asking for some advice about flights, etc. As always happens here, Anarchists contributed some amazing information that opened the door for us to see much more than we thought we could while doing it more cheaply than we thought possible. It was great to have it all in one place so we could access it any time we were near a computer, and we've been told a few times since by anarchists that the info that y'all contributed in that thread helped out later travelers to Oz and NZ. We thought this one - seeing as it is touches so much of Europe, would be a great opportunity to get some good information assembled from you guys about a road trip/boat trip that'll take us through 11 or 12 countries, and across a whole mess of water. It'll also make our lives much, much easier, and hopefully introduce us to a bunch of new SAers across Europe.

OTW Anarchy will go live closer to the event, but we'll be posting our itinerary soon on this thread, and we are looking forward to seeing the great recommendations that you come up with about the exciting places we'll be visiting.

Specs

It will help some contributors to know a few more things about us and our toys for this one. This is Mer's first time to Europe proper, though I've spent a significant portion of my life there - over 6 years if you add it all up. She speaks Spanish and English, while I speak French and Spanish fluently and Italian passably.

Our trusty steed for the ride is a Nissan Navara pack-up donated by HISC sailor James Hill. Until Oslo, we'll be hauling a Melges 24 around - total length of trailer is around 9 meters. We're both US citizens, and pretty bulletproof when it comes to traveling off the beaten path.
What Do We Want to Know?

Frankly, anything you got. You know a great place to stay somewhere near our route? Spill it. Is there a cool regatta somewhere in the same date range? Share it. Otherwise, we'll be asking plenty of questions, and we're sure y'all will chime in often, and we thank you very, very much in advance.

If there are things that you want to know, ask 'em and we'll try to find out the answer. We'll be sharing everything we can think might be of value, from shipping a sportboat across the Atlantic to finding the red light districts in the most interesting of cities.
Until the event begins and we put on our OTW Anarchy hats, we're the shore contingent for Team "Sevenstar SLAM," a/k/a Team Yoga, a/k/a Team I Won Yoga, a/k/a Team Gill, a/k/a Team GBR 592. The owner of the boat is Anarchist SimonS, and it's one that too many anarchists have crewed aboard to name them all. Simon's crew for Worlds includes Hill, Strauss's brother and Melges 24 owner Quentin Strauss, with San Diego's own Billy Hardesty, current World Champion tactician, calling the shots. This World Championship is bigger than anything possible in the US for the class with 117 boats registered already, and the calibre of the fleet is ridiculous. Simon's best finish at a Worlds was in the low teens, while Quentin finished in the top ten at least once. We clearly were much more valuable as roving reporters than as sailors, and while we're bummed that we won't be sailing, we're extremely stoked to get this opportunity to be there in the thick of the action, sharing it with all of you.

Here's a pic of our lonely steed as she was lifted off the trailer on her way to Zeebrugge, Belgium. She's still aboard ship as we speak, and we hope she's not seasick.

Thanks in advance - enjoy the ride. I know we will.

I can't believe you left the hiking lines on!

[MR.CLEAN]

I can't believe you left the hiking lines on!

Why? It's just sitting on deck - well, now it's sitting in a parking yard.

[US32Wet]

Why? It's just sitting on deck - well, now it's sitting in a parking yard.

Just that they would have been flapping around all the way over and wearing out the spectra lines where they go through the stauntions

[MR.CLEAN]

Just that they would have been flapping around all the way over and wearing out the spectra lines where they go through the stauntions

Yeah, good point - but as you know, I'm not particularly bright.

Good thing I have an extra roll of spectra...

[contender_neil]

I am at the European Contender Champs in Punta Ala the week of May 31- June 7th. Should have around 120 boats, and a sweet location.

Let me know if you want to drop by.

http://www.contender.it/euro2008/

Neil

[Jem]

If you want to do round the island [of wight] on Saturday June 28th pm me. About 1600 - 2000 boats including J-class, good fun, highly tactical and a good laugh. Be in hamble, centre of UK yotting friday evening to start drinking.

We'll do well or die under our handicap, and are doing it under an SAYC flag.

Jem

[Legsover]

Sailing in Sweden Rocks. Did the round Gottland race there is 2000.
Great people, good times! if you get anywhere near, check it out....

[BigFoot]

I think someone already said it, but headed back from Norway, stop in Marstrand Sweden, probably one of the coolest sailing spots in the world. Natural rock amphitheatre where the swedes are packed in watching sailing like it was football.

From Norway back down thru Sweden, you will drive right by it.

Here is a link to a pic showing how close the crowd is to the action.....

http://www.matchcups...s070707-150.jpg

[MR.CLEAN]

I think someone already said it, but headed back from Norway, stop in Marstrand Sweden, probably one of the coolest sailing spots in the world. Natural rock amphitheatre where the swedes are packed in watching sailing like it was football.

From Norway back down thru Sweden, you will drive right by it.

Here is a link to a pic showing how close the crowd is to the action.....

http://www.matchcups...s070707-150.jpg

That's sick. That one's on the list now - thanks BF.

While in Sweden, we're also gonna stop by Selden Mast's main shop up in Goteburg and have a tour, see if we can't learn anything new and cool about the rig business.

[MR.CLEAN]

Wow - that was a sleep to remember. I feel like someone's drugged me...wait a second, I drugged me! An ambien on the ride over does wonders and pretty much erases 7 hours from the history book - thank god for modern chemistry.

Upon arrival, we dropped our shit at Hayling Island sailor James Hill's place, where he'd left keys to his truck for us. Somehow, our best friend over here is the only Pom for hundreds of miles with a bigger SUV than we have. His diesel Nissan is so big and torquey that I didn't even notice the Fiat that I was scraping with the front bumper as we pulled into HISC. It buffed out, though.

For those who don't know, Hayling Island is pretty much Mecca for high performance dinghy sailors, and here are some pics. Our host pulled off three bullets in his class for HISC's pennant racing, which included I-14, Flying 15, and a pile of different RS boats, including the Elite, which James and Toby Strauss won.

Plenty more to come, but we've got to get this show on the road to catch a ferry to France in just two and a half hours, and the terminal is three hours away. Oops!

If anyone wants any of these pics without the copyright stamps, or any of the future ones, feel free to send us an email. We've been seeing Mer's photos from the forums pop up on commercial sites, so we've taken those annoying copyright steps to prevent it - that's not for 99% of you.

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[MR.CLEAN]

BTW - That dude with the scarf is James Grant, former skipper of Basilica Racing and the current iShares Cup champion. That scarf commemorates Portsmouth's victory in the FA Cup two days ago, which I thought meant the "fuck all" cup - but they didn't agree with me.

[moondawg]

Holland is worth a stop. Sailing seems a little more democratized here than in the States. Sometimes its hard to locate the action. Every lake here has one or two small clubs and along the coast every few miles is a beach sailing club full of cats. If you know when you will be in Holland I can check some of the regatta calendars for you.
Let me know if your schedule allows for some F-18 sailing.

[MR.CLEAN]

Holland is worth a stop. Sailing seems a little more democratized here than in the States. Sometimes its hard to locate the action. Every lake here has one or two small clubs and along the coast every few miles is a beach sailing club full of cats. If you know when you will be in Holland I can check some of the regatta calendars for you.
Let me know if your schedule allows for some F-18 sailing.

Thanks moondawg. We may actually get up to the Netherlands tomorrow night for a little R&R. Right now we're in a little hotel near Zeebrugge, where it's freezing fucking cold with a nasty NE'ly wind. Some crazy bastards were kiteboarding on the beach at 9PM...

[moondawg]

Yeah. That wind is cold. Weather should improve a little during the week. Keep in mind we are at a latitude more or less equivalent to the north end of Vancouver Island on the west Coast. We had our "summer" in early may with some really nice warm weather and easy breezes. You still need a wet suit though.

The crazy bit is the offshore season here is in the winter. We live in Scheveningen (part of The Hague) and they run a series in the North Sea every other week all winter. Lots of wind but we only had ice on the deck once. Here is the link: http://www.ijspegel.com/ . The offshore season ends in this part of the Netherlands with the North Sea Regatta http://nsr.nl/ .

My wife and I sail a Hobie Tiger while our kids train in Optis on the Braassemermeer http://www.braassemermeer.nl/ The other day, she was on the wire and pointed out that we were power reaching from one windmill to the next across the lake. Holland is a pretty cool place to sail!

Enjoy your R&R and the drive south.

[lucas]

Don't forget the SPA regatta kicks off today in Holland. Possibly the last event where sailors can qualify for the Olympics this summer.

over 550 sailors competing, top 20 of every class almost complete.

[mad]

Clean, if you get to Medemblik, go for a drink in a bar on the waterfront called Brakaboar (spelling)

[GER308]

Clean, if you get to Medemblik, go for a drink in a bar on the waterfront called Brakaboar (spelling)

Nice place, I was there last week during the Finn masters.

[mad]

Nice place, I was there last week during the Finn masters.

Is the place still run by a guy called Jack?

[GER308]

Is the place still run by a guy called Jack?

Can´t remember, the coffee shop in Hoorn might be to blame.

[US32Wet]

Where's Clean, has he been arrested already!

[M24Sailor]

Just that they would have been flapping around all the way over and wearing out the spectra lines where they go through the stauntions

Simon's lifelines never break...

[M24Sailor]

Where's Clean, has he been arrested already!

Could very well be...given we're not there to keep him out of jail (again!).

[MR.CLEAN]

The lifelines actually look quite cherry, the boat is completely packed up and ready for the road, and in 14 minutes I expect to learn whether Fortis Bank has the money they need so that the officious little bastard Customs agent can bring the IMA-501 document to the officious little Customs Officer so that I can have my official bastard of a release document in hand when I pull into the shipyard to get my damned boat!

[MR.CLEAN]

Certainly plenty of good stories in my pocket already...but here's a quick question for you European road trippers:

Zeebrugge (Flanders) to Civitavecchia (near Rome) has a lot of routing options. Last night, a bar owner suggested one I hadn't seen before: He said to avoid the mountains and stay on the fastest route without much twistiness, go toward Lyon, then cross the Alps down south where they are a narrower range. Most of the books say go through Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland. On the map, the all-france route is longer, but may be faster. Anyone done this kind of drive make a recommendation on route?


Thanks much!

[Albatros]

Certainly plenty of good stories in my pocket already...but here's a quick question for you European road trippers:

Zeebrugge (Flanders) to Civitavecchia (near Rome) has a lot of routing options. Last night, a bar owner suggested one I hadn't seen before: He said to avoid the mountains and stay on the fastest route without much twistiness, go toward Lyon, then cross the Alps down south where they are a narrower range. Most of the books say go through Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland. On the map, the all-france route is longer, but may be faster. Anyone done this kind of drive make a recommendation on route?
Thanks much!

the option is very valid, that's what many truckers do too, certainly with a trailer behind you.
Zeebrugge > Brussels > Namur > Luxembourg > Dijon > Lyon ... either go from Lyon to the mountains or you might even go right down to the Med and follow the coast, but that might be overcooking the matter a bit.
Brussels ring can be a bitch depending on time, same for Lyon where it's better to take the outer ring

[MR.CLEAN]

the option is very valid, that's what many truckers do too, certainly with a trailer behind you.
Zeebrugge > Brussels > Namur > Luxembourg > Dijon > Lyon ... either go from Lyon to the mountains or you might even go right down to the Med and follow the coast, but that might be overcooking the matter a bit.
Brussels ring can be a bitch depending on time, same for Lyon where it's better to take the outer ring

Merci, Albatros. I reckon if we have time to kill, the Cote D'Azur route would be a lovely one to take. If not, it's straight through the tunnels from Lyon to Torino. We stayed in a great, cheap, beachfront hotel in Heist last night - once we realized we were not going to be accelerating the Customs process, it was easy to relax a bit.

[Der_Dude]

One reason for a trucker to take the longer route via Cote d'Azur would probably be the German highway toll for large trucks (> 12 metric tons), that can make the French highway toll seem reasonable.

With Your rig the German/Austrian or German/Swiss route will probably be cheaper because you'll be saving the French toll and gas (due to roughly 250 km less). Unless of course You want to take the routes nationales and gipsy through France...

In any case crossing the Alps today is somewhat more convenient than during Hannibal's days. Either way the biggest problem should be traffic.

[MR.CLEAN]

One reason for a trucker to take the longer route via Cote d'Azur would probably be the German highway toll for large trucks (> 12 metric tons), that can make the French highway toll seem reasonable.

With Your rig the German/Austrian or German/Swiss route will probably be cheaper because you'll be saving the French toll and gas (due to roughly 250 km less). Unless of course You want to take the routes nationales and gipsy through France...

In any case crossing the Alps today is somewhat more convenient than during Hannibal's days. Either way the biggest problem should be traffic.

DD - assuming we will generally be traveling near the speed limit and that we will be slightly bogged down on the steep roads, what do you estimate the driving times are for each route?

[Albatros]

DD - assuming we will generally be traveling near the speed limit and that we will be slightly bogged down on the steep roads, what do you estimate the driving times are for each route?

the note on the trucks through Germany is probably correct, didn't think of that one because that toll is fairly recent, and since I never drive trucks...

did a quick routeplanner search, it's in dutch but should be easy to understand (hey, if you can handle the Coastal Flanders slang you can handle anything !)
choice is yours, the short route will be cheaper but even if it's easier now than in Hannibal's days it's still a lot of up/down, tunnels etc... depends a bit on how much oomph the car has but definitely possible (and scenic !) , the longer route is more relaxed, more flat but more expensive too

p.s. these images and the prices you see are based on a big car, didn't find the way to configure it for car+trailer, which probably in France will cost even more.
you can try this too at www.mappy.co.uk or at the viamichelin website

p.p.s. : the France route shown on this pic leads you over Paris, that IS indeed the shortest route but usually we take the Luxemburg route because of the Paris Peripherique

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[bomvu]

I did a trip last year from UK to Lake Garda in northern Italy. We ended up going France, Netherlands, Germany, Austria Italy as it would have been about £100 more to do the direct line through France. This due to toll roads. Apparently there are a hell of a lot of them. It wasn't scientifically worked out but I did consult with two friends who live in France and travel around quite a bit by car.

The mountains through Austria are quite steep but aren't too long - shouldn't be too bad with a decent tow vehicle and it is probably worth it for the views.

Are you going to be able to get over to Cannigione for the j/24 worlds at all? If so PM me and I'll buy you guys a beer or two.

[MR.CLEAN]

I did a trip last year from UK to Lake Garda in northern Italy. We ended up going France, Netherlands, Germany, Austria Italy as it would have been about £100 more to do the direct line through France. This due to toll roads. Apparently there are a hell of a lot of them. It wasn't scientifically worked out but I did consult with two friends who live in France and travel around quite a bit by car.

The mountains through Austria are quite steep but aren't too long - shouldn't be too bad with a decent tow vehicle and it is probably worth it for the views.

Are you going to be able to get over to Cannigione for the j/24 worlds at all? If so PM me and I'll buy you guys a beer or two.

Having just looked at the Worlds site, we should be able to get over there without a problem. We'll figure out the best party night and come have a few (dozen) drinks with ya. Thanks for the suggestion - it's a great one.

[pipsqueak]

if you are looking for cheap lodging for the nights in france, you can stay in a gite: http://www.gites-de-...fr/gites_ruraux
there is a list at the hotel de ville in each town; ask at the desk.
i think you are too old to get into the youth hostels, but the gites are very variable from a room in a families house or farm; you've probably seen the signs.
lots of fun and very inexpensive.

[magnum]

quickest & most expenisive +/- EU 280-300 Toll + road tax total = +/- EU 100,-- and if you are not afraid of a long tunnels

Zeebruge - Brussels - Luxembourg (cheap petrol) - Metz - Strassbourg - Colmar - Mulhouse - Bern - Lugano - Milan - Parma - La Spezia - Rome


Two things things you really want to avoid planning the trip are rush hour towards brussels & especially Milan

Cheaper (around EU 225) but slightly longer (100-150km plus) but no long waiting hours at the long Swiss tunnels is driving the german A61


Zeebruge - Brussels - Aachen - Karlsruhe - Munchen - Innsbruck - bolzano - Modena - Firenze etc.

Via kortrijk - lille - reims - dyon - lyon - grenoble - torino is expensive EU 379 according to michelin

All prices are for car + caravan if according to there webiste "Train with overall height under 2 metres and GVW of towing vehicle not exceeding 3.5 tonnes you qualify as a car & have the cheap toll http://www.autoroute...sification.html


toll prices in france http://www.autoroutes.fr/

[Der_Dude]

DD - assuming we will generally be traveling near the speed limit and that we will be slightly bogged down on the steep roads, what do you estimate the driving times are for each route?

I haven't driven the route recently and I wonder if I ever have. Route planners says it's roughly 1600 kms on the direct route mentioned above (including French highway tolls and the Swiss vignette) and 1770 via Munich (including the Austrian vignette). So realistically - being the madass driver You probably are (I'll warn my friends around Munich to stay off the highways as You pass) - at an average of maybe 80 km/hs = roughly 20 hours on the short and 22 hours on the long route.

I would calculate no more than 80 km/hs average, traffic jams not considered, because during the working week (Mon thru Fri) there are many trucks on German roads and with a trailer You will be stuck behind them for long stretches. The even crazier German car drivers tend to dash by at 140 km/h and more in tight columns leaving You few chances to pass the trucks without being rear-ended. Seriously, watch out for those mo' fuckers on the German Autobahn. Many have three times the horsepower of their IQ.

Weekends only few trucks are allowed on German roads so You should be moving a little faster.

The ascent and descent over the Alps shouldn't slow you down too much if you have a decent size towing vehicle.

If you take the Munich route, avoid the weekend traffic to the mountains (Fri afternoons nights).

[MR.CLEAN]

That was a hell of a night. Made it to Pisa, the only place we could find where we could actually park the rig - a fucking Holiday Inn!

Lots of stories, writing them up now, actually. Thanks for all the advice so far - y'all have been especially helpful navigating what has been a surprisingly difficult ride.

Tomorrow to Sardinia!

[Sister Clean]

That was a hell of a night. Made it to Pisa, the only place we could find where we could actually park the rig - a fucking Holiday Inn!

Lots of stories, writing them up now, actually. Thanks for all the advice so far - y'all have been especially helpful navigating what has been a surprisingly difficult ride.

Tomorrow to Sardinia!

A holiday inn in Pisa....ha ha ha ha....i love irony. what's next? Starbucks on Sardinia? p.w.g.d 6200 Sunday please.

[Ka Nalu Nui sailing team]

That was a hell of a night. Made it to Pisa, the only place we could find where we could actually park the rig - a fucking Holiday Inn!

Lots of stories, writing them up now, actually. Thanks for all the advice so far - y'all have been especially helpful navigating what has been a surprisingly difficult ride.

Tomorrow to Sardinia!

Hi Clean,
don't forget: boarding to ferries 2 hours prior departure!!
See you soon on the most magnificant island in the Meds.
My offer for a stop over near lake constance on your way back is still valid, trailer could be parked in my club (safe and for free).
Don't get sea-sick on the ferry
GT

[Ka Nalu Nui sailing team]

Hi Mr. Clean,
just wanted to add one more famous (?) European event - but you will miss it as it's on the last weekend of the Worlds - maybe some anarchists like this information on recycled ACC yachts:

Run Um Bodensee (Lake of Cosntance)
06. June
approx. 90 km (yes we measure in km not nm!)
500 boats
sailing during the night

Highlights should be 2 older ACC (GER 72 & GBR 52) yachts with special keel-design due to water depth in marinas there.

Attached a link to the thread on sailinganarchy.de - even if you can't translate into your mother-language scroll down page 1 and look at the pictures with the funny keel designs.

http://sailinganarch...topic.php?t=340

There are already bets if these two boats will make the full trip or if they break in 2 pieces on their way.
GT

[correctorweight]

Uh Clean,

Just a heads-up, Vincenzo Onorato (Mascalzone Latino) owns Moby Lines

[MarkJames]

if you are hittign problems with the GPS, make sure the settings it uses for route planning and the like are as close as possible to your actaul config.At 50' long sounds to me like you need to try and tell the Sat nav you are driving a truck rather than a car. it should then factor in those dimensions into the suggested routes. I think the Garmin Nuvi's allow you todo that, so it shoudl work OK as they use a common nav platform

[MR.CLEAN]

Uh Clean,

Just a heads-up, Vincenzo Onorato (Mascalzone Latino) owns Moby Lines

Well, that explains it then! There are two Mescalzone Farr 40s here in the shipyard right in Marina Porto Cervo - the old one and the new one, I guess. The top teams here are incredibly well-organized and intense. They've got almost any trick part that they can get away with under the rules, and from what I hear, they push each other so hard that their level is just super high compared to other nations' teams.

[plchacker]

Clean,

You should love Sardegna. The sailing is tops. The H2O is by far the clearest I have ever dived in. Keep an ear out for a guy named Fickes (sp) I believe his first name is James. I rented a sail board from him quite often during my stint there. If anyone is still around from my time there he is. He has a villa on the North end of the main island close to Palau. La Madelena has lots of fond memories for me. The only sailing lessons I ever took were there. That is where I learned how to ride a sailboard and it was a great lab for a marine biology class. The night life is good in a Itialian sort of way. The wine is great, the food is better.

If you dive, don't miss this chance. Amazing rock formations, with pink coarl if you know where to look. Lots of history too. Have lots of fun, the Italians will help you any way they can as long as you atempt to speak their language, and show some respect. Great place, great people.

Ciao