Sunsail delivery

   
This was my longest passage to date, and it involved delivering a Jeanneau 494 yacht from the Sunsail base near Split, Croatia, to the marina in Göcek, Turkey.  The boats name was Alejo and we formed part of a flotilla of 4.
The route was around 900 Nm which took us through the Corinth Canal, and with 2 weeks to do it, it meant we were on a tight schedule.
Within hours of leaving, we had to head back as one of the other boats had a skin fitting snap off, and started to take on water at an alarming rate.  We accompanied them back to the marina and the fitting was replaced overnight. The next day the journey began again, sailing night & day for the first 5 days, and experiencing Force 4-5 seas and 45 Knot gusting winds at times.
I left the boat at Rhodes logging approx 800 Nm.

Cherbourg & back

 
My first foray across the Channel was in a 27ft Sea Ray called Getaway.  Although not my boat, I took responsibility for the passage planning and navigation while underway.
The journey from Southampton went well with calm conditions, although returning the next day, we battled a Force 3-4 for the majority of the time.
The distance logged for the weekend was 163 Nm.

Cruising the coast of Spain

My father in law, a qualified Yachtmaster, had purchased a Steel hulled De Groot 33, called Suanda, and I joined for a weeks sail as we cruised from Almeria to Puerto Banus.
The passages were mainly day sails but I still learned a lot from the insight & instruction given.
We logged 126 Nm on this passage.

Holiday in Greece

 
A week was spent onboard a Sun Odyssey 51 called Foolish Pleasure, sailing from Corfu to Ithaca. As it was predominantly a holiday, my duties during the week were varied and with a total crew of 8, it was not a demanding challenge.
We covered approx. 170 Nm overall with no night passages.

Racing week in Marmaris

 
Joining a crew of 3, I spent a week racing the Sunsail Sun Odyssey 37 boat Papyrus in the bay of Marmaris, Turkey.
One of the races involved a night passage, and I stood my share of watches throughout the week.  It was a great introduction to racing, and I got to understand some of the complexities of the rules.
Total mileage for the week was estimated to be 100 Nm.

Bareboat sailing in the Leeward Islands

Joining a crew of 7 welsh lads, and my father-in-law, on board a Sun Odyssey 51, Coquet, the plan was to sail from St. Maarten to Antigua, taking 2 weeks to do so.  The wife came as galley slave, while I funded the adventure and acted as "competent crew".
Sailing via St. Barts, Saba, Statia, St. Kitts, &  Nevis, we covered around 175 Nm, mainly day sailing, but with a couple of night passages, where I did my turn on watch.