After last year’s epic cruise from Italy to Montenegro via the magical coastline and islands of Croatia, we are struggling to get fired up about this season’s plan to continue our trip eastwards to Albania, Greece and beyond. Are we still suffering from a post-Covid hangover or was last season so special that we’re worried this season won’t live up to it?
Despite these mixed feelings, we are finally on our way to Tivat, Montenegro, where our Marlow 72 Explorer, Azura, spent the winter. We are excited to see how far the Navar shipyard has got with the pre-season preparation of our boat. As always, we relied on our German technicians to service the engines and generators but there were plenty of other repair tasks we’d asked the shipyard to do.
Luckily, the yard is very close to Tivat Airport, with plenty of direct flights in and out from all over Europe. If the wind is in the right direction, you fly in so low over the Bay of Kotor on the final approach that you could almost jump out onto our boat before the plane touches down. However, today there is a light westerly wind, so we land from the mountain side.
When we get off the plane, we are hit by a wall of heat – mind you, we are starting our cruise a little later than usual, so it’s already 6 June.
Denne historien er fra July 2023-utgaven av Motor Boat & Yachting UK.
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Denne historien er fra July 2023-utgaven av Motor Boat & Yachting UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Lofoten or Bust- Part 4- Grandezza owner Per Harrtoft heads back to Sweden after an epic 3500nm adventure deep into the Arctic Circle to visit the mythical Lofoten islands
After ten memorable days in the Lofoten Islands in the far north of Norway, we are on our way back south towards Sweden. We have already made it as far as Trondheim, a charming place even if it was raining so hard we had to cycle round the city centre clutching umbrellas. But now we are back on board Deamare, our Grandezza 40 Fly, eating up the miles at a steady 31 knots.
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT YACHT TRANSPORT
As the name suggests it's a means of having your boat moved professionally from one location to another. It might be as simple as hiring someone to tow your RIB a few miles down the road or as complex as shipping a superyacht halfway around the world.
HANDLE A SINGLE SHAFTDRIVE BOAT PART 1
Single shaftdrive boats are relatively rare these days but the reduced costs of buying, servicing and fuelling such a simple but reliable drivetrain does mean they are making a bit of a comeback.
COCKWELLS MOTOR LAUNCH
There can be very few boats that have appeared three times at the Southampton Boat Show and been sold off the stand each time.
INSTALLING AN AUTOPILOT
Rick Channon makes solo boating simple with a Raymarine Evolution Autopilot
GOOD AS NEW
Why fit a brand new engine when Volvo Penta's remanufacturing service can rebuild you an old one to the same standard for a fraction of the price?
BENETEAU SWIFT TRAWLER 54
Alex Smith heads to France's Beneteau HQ for a UK exclusive on what might just be the best Swift Trawler yet
ΧΟ EXPLR 44
Can XO's all-new aluminium flagship really make it big in the Med?
BUYING OUR FIRST CLASSIC
Instead of whiling away their retirement playing bowls, Rob and Shona Adams decided to invest their time and money in a classic Silver gentleman's yacht. Would the gamble pay off?
PRINCESS S65
Torn between the V and F Class flagships? The new S65 might be the boat you've been waiting for...