Our sailing voyages have taken us to the different seas around Europe. We started our adventure in the Baltic Sea by sailing in the archipelago and on lakes of Finland. After five unforgettable summers in the Baltic Sea and visitng in all its surrounding countries Suwena passed the Kiel Canal and finally took a dip into the cold North Sea.
The tide that grew up to 11 metres in Normnady and Brittany with tidal currents up to several knots or more around the capes were very new experience to us. We quickly learned that sailing against the tidal current is desperate when trying to reach a safehaven before the dusk. Next we sailed up the east coast of the UK to Orkney and Shetland islands. Our aim was to sail until Faroe Islands but Eve got sick and we had to turn back south from Lerwick.
West Scotland was stunning. However, one must mind that even in postcard beautiful sunny summer days the sea water temperature could be 12 degrees only so swimming was out of the question unless you have polar bears as relatives 🙂
Sailing south from Scotland we visited Ireland, the southern UK, the Channel Islands and Brittany. Here we must pause and give praise to south Brittany and surrounding areas. In our opinion this is the second best sailing area where we have been in addition to the Baltic Sea. Many sailors on circumnavigation or on a way to the Mediterranean pass this area by crossing the Bay of Biscay. It is the shortcut to the south but the area from Camaret-sur-Mer until La Rochelle is really more than worthful for sailing.
For the next two summers, we enjoyed sailing in Northwest Spain in the Galician estuaries, which have captivated many boats with their beauty, leading them to stay here for years. The area is not called the RĂas of lost sailors for nothing.
Three years passed in Portugal, where we sailed from its northernmost corner to the easternmost town along the Guadiana River. Suwena spent two winters in Lisbon, allowing us to immerse ourselves in Portuguese culture from north to south.
Our next base was at Alcaidesa marina, next to Gibraltar, from where we took many trips along the Costa del Sol and also sailed to North Africa to Morocco, as well as the Spanish Ceuta in northern Africa.
Now, in 2024, Suwena is in Valencia, and we are adventuring in the western Mediterranean.
Countries visited