For Mum's fall visit I had planned a 830km 3-day round-trip to Provence, mainly to see some Roman sights: Arenes d'Arles, Amphitheatre of Nimes, Maison Carree, Pont du Gard og Theatre antique d'Orange. How often do you see two +2.000year old arenas on the same day? Never, but you can in Arles and Nimes since they are only 32km apart. On the way back we did a spectacular drive over Mt Ventoux and through Gorge du Verdon to Castellane
28.09.2024
Today the weather was nice, but the sea too rough for sailing, so of course we went hiking. We took the scooter up to Cappella di Santa Brigida and did a 9.6km round-trip mostly in the forest. Towards the end we came back on familiar tracks and got some spectacular views of the landscape and the Mediterranean in the background
28.09.2024
The main boating season, which runs from May to August, is over. We keep the boat in the water all year round, so when weather permits we can still go out, although suitable days with little wind and calm sea are fewer that you would hope. I haven't kept a detail log, but we added 26 engine hours this year, which with an average trip being 30min out/back, means we've been out on the boat around 25 days. I have recorded fuel consumption, and the boat uses a respectable 21liter/hour
16.09.2024
The weekend saw the annual gathering of historic sail ships in Imperia, called Vele d'Epoca. This year we had the opportunity go to out and see the ships under sail, and it was an impressive sight. Not least the three-masted Atlantic, build in 2010 at a cost of $25m, and measuring an impressive 227ft (69m). Unfortunately for us - but not for the sail ships - the wind picked up, so we went back to the marina just after lunch
16.09.2024
Solar panels makes total sense in Italy, but to make economic sense you need expensive batteries. ENEL now offers turn-key systems with 5year interest free financing, and we bought a 6kWp solar system with a 14,5kWh battery system. Time will tell how far that gets us, but we can always add to the system later. Installation is due before the end of the year
03.09.2024
Saturday was a rare day at sea, as the Med was almost completely calm. In Imperia there is a new super-yacht, with a massive eagle at the bow, so I had to go see that. When at anchor the boat seemed to be magically suspended over the rocks; it really is a very special sensation. The visibility under water was obviously amazing, and the were thousands of cute little fish all around the boat
26.08.2024
The two shortest weeks of the year - my summer holiday - has gone. On Saturday we went 10nm east to Cervo, where there is a wonderful view of the city. Sunday we went local to a set of small caves, where the snorkelling is good. Bibi spotted two strange winged fish, that we later identified as Flying Gurnards - common, but rarely seen, and I found a perfect green sea urchin shell at 4meter of water! We have also seen an octopus this year, but I didn't get a good picture
21.08.2024
The heat wave ended in a half-day thunderstorm; very unusual for Liguria in August, normally we don't see rain from mid July till mid September. Now the weather is better: less humid but still warm. We alternate between days on the boat and days in the garden, where there is always something to do, it's still so dry that we spend 2h every other day just watering everything
21.08.2024
Earlier this year, I took out the 30year fridge from the boat and tried to repair it, with no success. So I bought a portable cool box to replace it, freeing up some space in the cockpit. I will later make some storage units where the old fridge was. I also replaced the original freshwater pump, and the broken tap, so we now have a functioning sink and transom shower. Our mechanical log (speedometer) didn't work, so I replaced it with a GPS version
14.08.2024
My summer holiday just started, and we have passed the first heatwave with temperatures in the 35-38 range. We have no plans to travel, because why go anywhere when you live in Liguria? We enjoy being on the boat, and have taken out the paddle board I bought last year. We haven't quite mastered it yet, as you can see from the pictures, but the sea is 28, so it doesn't really matter
05.08.2024
It's now so warm that I had to cover my home-made solar panel, as the pool got too hot (34C), and at our house that means only one thing: Boating Season! Mechnically the boat runs perfect now. We've used it quite a lot already this year, and the pictures are from three separate dates/locations. Just yesterday we were out with Maria and Hans Peter snorkelling at Aregai marina, where there was a surprising variety of fish
29.07.2024
After a disappointing June, the summer really arrived in July, just in time for our visit from Sofie, Nicolaj, Aksel, Anker & Lasse. They came to us after a week in Provence, and really had a great time. They were at the beach, in the pool and at the playground in Cipressa. We even took the boat out twice, so we could swim in the Med, which the boys seemed to enjoy as well. Frida - a Rainbow Lorikeet that flies free in Costarainera - came to visit on a couple of occasions, and everyone loved her.
30.06.2024
Weather wise it's been by far the worst June in the 9 years we have been in Italy. There has been a few nice days, but mostly it's been grey, windy and rainy (red rain, full of Sahara sand). We have only used the pool and/or taken the boat out, a handful of times. Luckily, It was very nice for Midsummers Eve, and we sat outside all night and had a bonfire. Now we're enjoying the apricots and hoping for proper Italian summer to arrive soon
08.05.2024
Our boat was in the yard in Imperia for almost seven weeks for a major engine-out mechanical refurbishment that included engines, outdrives and trim/tilt. We collected her with Birgit last Monday, and she has never run better. Birgit and Mikkel crossed paths at Nice Airport, and during the last weekend of Mikkel's visit we spent most of Saturday on the boat. Mikkel is due to be stationed in Greenland for seven months, so this was the last we'll see of him for a while
01.05.2024
For Mum's visit, this time we sought out some local mountain views. We drove up to Ceriana and Bajardo in the neighbouring valley one day, and to Cervo the next. Even more local is Pompeiana, where Bibi and I somehow missed the ancient tower on a previous visit. We had dinner in four new-to-us restaurants, and visited our favourite ice cream store every day! We also collected the boat from the yard, so Mum got a short trip on the sea