Friends

We first met Jan & Max when they arrived in Almerimar in November 2004, the very same day and time that we arrived. Since then we have had many good times together and we are grateful to them for their help and advice on many aspects of living aboard. Jan & Max crossed the Atlantic a year ahead of us but have now had to curtail their travels due to ill health. Mambo is now in Florida and is up for sail at a very reasonable price, she is fully equipped for long distance cruising. Anyone interested please leave us a message or contact Jan & Max direct.

Almerimar winter 2004 was the place that we also first met Fan & Roj. We cruised in company with Fan & Roj for some time, from Mahon (Minorca) to Sardinia and then again from Sardinia to Rome and several places down the Italian coast as far as Capri. Here we parted company as we headed off to Sicily and Fan & Roj stayed around the Naples area.

Talk about fate!!!! This picture of John & Jane on Tara III is an amazing picture simply because it so easily may not have been taken. Let me explain. John Kerr (in the picture) and I worked together for several years in Australia and New Zealand, from early 1990. Click on the picture to find out more.

Another couple we first met in Almerimar and have spent some time sailing in company. We also wintered in Malta and Turkey with Liz & Bob. We crossed the Ionian Sea twice with Bob & Liz and also joined them on a three day car adventure to the rocks and monasteries of Meteora in Greece. Liz & Bob are both very artistic people, both are great designers and musicians and Bob is also a very talented cartoonist. We have wintered in the same locations since leaving Almerimar though they have been much more ambitious than us and have covered many more nautical miles (they took the Northern route around the Aegean to Turkey whereas we headed across the middle).

We first met Norm and Maria in Portugal and accepted their invitation to sail with them up the Guadiana river to a little place called Laranjeiras and then onto the main town of Alcutim. Lovely couple and we really enjoyed their company, Maria speaks fluent Portuguese so she and Norm are old friends with many people in the villages and towns of the Guadiana.

Good friends from Tollesbury our East Coast of England home port. Tom & Louise set off only at the beginning of 2006 from the UK. Having wintered on the Algarve they then headed directly for Turkey, we agreed to meet along the way and ended up spending some time in company in the Ionian Islands. A sad parting as they went East and we headed out West but we will meet up again in the not too distant future.

Another couple from Almerimar, we met up again with Anna & Leo in Malta in 2007 they were making their way East and we were returning West. We did a land tour of Malta together and then ended up spending a week in company in the Blue Lagoon. As you can see from the right hand picture, the lagoon is extremely clean clear water. Leo and Alan actually played a little water polo then Leo & Anna did their Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers routine on the bow of Batavia to the sound of disco music from a cruise ship in the Blue Lagoon.

Yet more friends we met in Almerimar, Marja & Frank have travelled far and wide since 2004, covering as far as Turkey and the Black Sea, then Tunisia on the way back out of the Med. Heard from Marja & Frank, they are both well and in the Canaries having decided not to cross at the end of last year. Great to hear from you two and very much looking forward to meeting you in Portugal and/or the Canaries this year.

We first met up with Mianda in Barbate when we were waiting to head round into Gibraltar. After that time we have met Caroline, Richard, Christopher and Henry on a number of occasions and had some very pleasant times with them. Particularly anchored in a large bay at the top of Paros (Aegean Island), where we had a beach party followed by drinks and entertainment on Mianda till the late hours (the picture on the right is one taken from Mianda of Kiah and another yacht anchored in the bay). Lovely family and great company. Hope we can get to see you in France soon guys, the time rushes away and we are not clear of everything yet.

John & Leslie were the first people we really met and spent some time with, when we were both berthed in Albufeira. It turned out that they were looking for somewhere to spend their first winter too. We hired a car and drove all the way down to Barbate to have a look. In the end we all decided that Almerimar was a better option, so we wintered in Almerimar with John & Leslie too.

We met Tanya, Julian and their young daughter Grace on the Ionian Island of Megannisi, in the beautiful harbour of Spartahori. Grace is just amazing managing to find her way around Ouma with very little trouble, Doreen & I were amazed at how well she did. Then she shocked us again by swimming with mum & dad (and us) off the harbour wall in some quite high waves.

It's amazing the people you meet whilst cruising. This picture shows Peter & Carol who are friends from Tollesbury, our home port on the East Coast of England. They had travelled down through the canals and we met up with them in Puerto Pollensa (Mallorca) and travelled in company with them to Mahon (Menorca) before they headed back to the mainland Spain and we went on to Sardinia. The second photograph shows Fulmarus under full sail on our trip down the West coast of Menorca, a lovely peaceful sail from one bay to the next.

We anchored in Andraitx and just inside us were Rich & Lena. We met up with them again in Sant Antoni in Ibiza and then stayed in company all the way back to Almerimar, calling in at Calpe, Torrevieja, Cartegena (great festival see Special Visits) and Garrucha. Rich & Lean kindly asked us to stay for a few days in their beautiful home in the mountains near Colleta, we had a great time.

We met up for the first time in Gozo and found we intended spending the winter 2005 together in Malta's Msida Marina. Doreen & I are ex Royal Navy and so are Leslie & Chris, so there was an immediate common interest. A great winter in Malta, also with Bob & Liz and Nigel & Alison. The picture below is taken at the Malta Festival in Valletta (see Special Visits) and, you may notice, everyone is wearing good coats, the weather was quite cold. Chris and Leslie lets have a few more pics please.

Another nice couple we met first in Barbate but wintered with in Almerimar, Raymond & Shirley were good sports and good company. I have to pick out more photographs of this couple (particularly of Burns night where lots of whiskey was consumed and a lot of fun had by all). Have not seen Shirley & Ray since we spent one night at anchor in the same harbour as them (Torrevieja), they were heading up the Spanish coast to go round France to Italy I think.

Another great Almerimar couple on a lovely Swan. We wintered with Sue & Ian in Malta in 2005 and met them later in the Peloponnes (see Special Visits section Monemvassia). We have had a few good 'sun downers' and even delightful meals with Ian & Sue. It is great to know that whereas Ian was not too struck on Malta when he first visited, he and Sue are now considering purchasing a property there. Well done guys Alan thinks it is the place to be. As you can see below they had a great time (again) in Malta during the winter of 2007/8.