Sailing Interlude
The Adventures of Kurt & Katie Braun while sailing the world aboard the yacht Interlude
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Palacial Palma
On Friday we had a nice sail between the islands to Mallorca and anchored in Porto Colom (15 ft, 39d25.3N, 3d15.9E) with dozens of other yachts. The fish farms have been removed and there is now lots of room. We are seeing more and more American yachts now and many are ahead of us…
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Inebriated Brits in Ibiza
On Wednesday we motored five hours to another Balearic island, Ibiza (pronounced eebeetha) and anchored in Cala Portinatx (x pronounced sh?) (27 ft, 39d06.62’N, 1d30.91’E). The islands here have many such Calas (small coves) indenting rocky cliff lined shores. Caves are a common feature along with beaches at the head of the cove. Cala Portinatx…
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The eight mile wide Strait of Gibraltar separates Europe from Africa and connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean. Due to evaporation, the Med has a constant influx of water. Tides in the Atlantic and wind direction and strength will dictate the strength and direction of the surface and subsurface currents. With over…
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Guardia & Gib
After a fun time on the party island of Ibiza it was time to start heading for Gibraltar. On our second night we almost got run over by the cruise ship ‘Disney Magic’. Kurt called them to tell them that we were under sail (wing and wing) with limited maneuverability and they made the…
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Cadiz to Canaries
The anchorage outside Puerto Sherry Marina near the town of Santa Maria across the bay from Cadiz was pleasant but with some chop and swell occasionally coming in from the SW. We put out a stern anchor to keep us lined up at night when the wind died. There were a few local yachts…
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Frightfully Fun Francesca
We had another fun beach party on Playa Francesca (Isla Graciosa, Canary Islands). The Halloween costume party started with the cruiser kids trick or treating in dinghies thru the anchorage and everyone heading for the beach at 1500 hrs. We set up our Carvin PA again, this time with a three hour Halloween playlist…
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Languishing on Lanzarote
We left ‘The Beach’ on Graciosa and are back in the grubby fishing port of Naos on the neighboring island of Lanzarote. There is a cruise/ferry ship terminal has facilitated a nice walking path to the main town there, Arrecife, and the shopping is good. We are anchored just out of the channel and just…
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Thanksgiving Interlude
We are indeed thankful to be alive and well here in the Canary Islands. After almost seven weeks of life at anchor here on the island of Lanzarote, meeting dozens of new friends on yachts passing thru the anchorage and enjoying many afternoons on the beach with them, we are now making final preparations…
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Atlantic Crossing Day 1
After over two months in the Canary Island(s) we are finally underway. Our time spent with old friends and new all gathering here to cross the Atlantic was special. Playa Francesca allowed us to meet many of the hundreds of yachts making the crossing this year. Most made this their first stop in the…
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Atlantic Crossing Day 2
We have been having a smooth mostly motorboat ride under fair skies with little wind. We did try to sail yesterday for a few hours using our Code Zero headsail and full main but could only manage windspeed on a beam reach. So when the wind dropped below 5 knots we fired up the…