Malua was shipped from Sydney, Australia, on the deck of a Seven Sea freighter. We were sailing in the Pacific in February and in the Mediterranean in March. From April until November 2007 we sailed eastwards, enjoying the culture, people, islands and coastlines of the Mediterranean.
Before joining Malua, I visited relatives in the UK and spent a few days in London. What followed was the beginning of six years of Mediterranean cruising aboard Malua.
Read the voyage in order
CHAPTER 02
Visiting the UK
We arrived in London on our way to the Med. It was exiting to do all the sights especially to visit Greenwich where I stood with one foot either side of the…
CHAPTER 03
Visiting the WS Cousins
Before joining Malua in the Mediterranean in 2007, I visited relatives in the UK and spent a few days in London. It was the final part of the journey from Australia to…
CHAPTER 04
Balearic Islands
The Balearic Islands were the beginning of Malua’s Mediterranean cruise in 2007. After Malua arrived in Palma aboard Erasmusgracht , we prepared her for cruising and then set out along the coast…
CHAPTER 05
Corsica & Sardinia
The passage east from Menorca was Denny’s first long passage standing watches alone with only the two of us aboard. We had deliberately chosen a full moon. When it rose during her…
CHAPTER 06
Rome
We moored Malua at Fiumicino in the mouth of the Tiber and spent fourteen days travelling into Rome. The river itself was not an attractive berth, but it gave us a base…
CHAPTER 07
Italy
Leaving Rome we sailed south to Ponza, with its harbour beneath high cliffs, and then east towards the Bay of Naples. At Ischia two young men came alongside in a small RIB…
CHAPTER 08
Sicily
We left Tropea for Stromboli. As we approached, the wind came onto the nose and we motored into the lee of the smoking volcano. The island rises steeply from deep water and…
CHAPTER 09
Greece – Peloponnese
We sailed from Syracuse to Pilos on a two-day passage, running between the main eastbound and westbound shipping routes. Pilos was a good place to arrive in Greece, with a free harbour…
CHAPTER 10
Greek Islands
After the Peloponnese we sailed into the Greek islands just as the Meltemi had settled in. We knew about the wind, but experiencing it from a cruising yacht was another matter. It…
CHAPTER 11
Turkey
After the Greek islands we were ready for another country. We cleared customs, changed flags and sailed into Turkish waters. Our first major stop was Marmaris, where we wanted to arrange a…
Photographs and route
