Season 2 - Montenegro to Tunisia

Today being August 28th, we are well into our second season of voyaging on VikingBlod. Since leaving our winter berth in Tivat, Montenegro on May 1st, our travels have taken us to six countries (Croatia, back to Montenegro, then on to Albania, Greece, Sicily and now Malta) covering just over 1700 km in 114 days so far. We have welcomed many guests aboard, including my parents in Montenegro in April along with Benjamin, my sister-in-law Suzanne in Croatia in May, friends Roger and Tama in Croatia in June, Benjamin at the end of June and staying with us for 6 weeks from Montenegro to Malta, and Julia for 3 weeks in July and August from Greece to Sicily. We are looking forward to also welcoming friends Al and Pierina in September when they arrive in Malta. 

Family time in Vathy on the island of Ithaki in Greece (July 2025)

On a very hot hike in Kioni on the island of Ithaki, Greece

It has been a busy season and a wonderful opportunity to share our new lifestyle. Neil and I both really enjoyed having our family back together when Benjamin and Julia were here with us, especially since we recognize that not all 20-somethings want to spend holiday time with their 60-something parents! Since I have not written much about our journey, I have a lot of catching up to do!

With Mom, Dad and Ben in Kotor, Montenegro (April 2025)

With Suzanne at Krka Falls in Croatia (May 2025)

With Roger and Tama in old town Dubrovnik, Croatia (June 2025)

Welcome Ben! Excited for a 6 week sailing adventure together (June 2025)

Last year I had complained to Neil that his promise of us meeting many new people while sailing was not coming true. Since we had made our way from France to Turkey and then on to Montenegro in 6 months, we were never really making lasting connections with people as we always seemed to be heading in different directions. Wintering in Montenegro gave us the opportunity to meet fellow sailors in the liveaboard community and form some lasting friendships with people from many different countries, including England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, United States, Canada, Australia, Turkey, Germany, Russia, Peru, Italy, and Switzerland. During our travels this year, we have been fortunate to meet up with some of our new sailing friends whenever our routes crossed. It is always fun to head into an anchorage and see a boat we know and take the opportunity to socialize over drinks or a meal in a local restaurant. Of course, whenever we see a Canadian flag on a boat we head over in the dinghy to say hello. We now have an extensive network on What'sApp on which we can rely to find weather info, good anchorages, activities, must-see places and restaurants, not to mention valuable information on finding boat parts/supplies and rules for checking into and out of various countries. With some people we have only communicated online and have not yet met in person. We look forward to making connections in person when we arrive in Monastir, Tunisia sometime in October where we will become part of the liveaboard community during our 6 month winter stay. 

Until then, we will stay in Malta and I can get moving on updating you all on our adventures this season.


Fun on board Awildian with Vandy & Eric (June 2025)

Wine tasting in Lumbarda, Croatia with Roger & Tama and sailing 
friends Alison & Randall (June 2025)

Looking forward to G & T's at the beach bar - Przine Beach on the island of Ilovik in Croatia with Kiley, Jeff, Elise and locals (May 2025)

On board Julie & Tim's boat, Morello
L to R - Helen, Julie, Tim, Suzanne, Mandy, Mick, Me, Mark, Neil


Cocktails on board Morello in Krka, Croatia with Mark & Mandy (May 2025)









Comments

  1. Lisa HAugust 28, 2025 at 8:14 AM

    I love seeing the whole family together! It must have been so nice to have Ben & Julia both there for a long visit!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nora RAugust 28, 2025 at 11:11 AM

    Hi guys! So glad to have an update of your adventures. So glad you had a chance for some long visits with Ben and Julia, as well as so many other friends! Glad you are figuring things out and making life long friends.
    Here in the US, we were thankful that we dodged the huge hurricane Erin that veered away from our coast. I was having some ptsd when it grew to the size of Katrina very quickly, as we approached the 20th anniversary of Katrina hitting the MS coast. The politics and daily events in the US continue to stress us out. We try to limit how much news we watch and time spent on social media. At the same time, so proud of how strong and unified Canada has become.
    Otherwise, all is well. A new semester has begun for Morgan, and I am back to a routine of hospital visits with Daisy. All is well. Sadly, current politics mean that absolutely no Canadian friends are planning to come visit the US. Keep the updates coming! So glad to know you are well and enjoying your liveaboard lifestyle.

    ReplyDelete

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