TravelStream™ news feed for member benny on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/benny en-us Copyright ©2010 TravelPod.com Sat, 31 Jan 2004 05:04:31 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/benny/europe2003-04/1075542240/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/benny/europe2003-04/1075542240/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/benny/europe2003-04/1075542240/tpod.html Sat, 31 Jan 2004 05:04:31 -0500 Europe 2004 - Going Commando

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Berlin, Germany

I arrived at Berlins famous Zoo Station early in the morning not quite knowing what to expect. After negotiating the S-Bahn (train) and the U-bahn (subway) I get to my Hostel, The Circus, in Reisenthal Platz. It is in the old east Berlin, very central to the old city in anarea that is now known as the Greenwich Village of Berlin - a very artistic, yet fashionable part of town.
The first thing I do after laying down my bags is sign up for one of the famous Insider Walks of Berlin. Nick, an Archeologist leads the tour with a deep and precise knowledge of Berlins History and specific landmarks, From Hitlers Bunker to Checkpoint Charlie and what remains of old Buildings. For a city that is less than 1000 years old, it has built and rebuilt and reinvented itself 10 times. It is remarkable how many palaces and buildings have been destroyed with each successive regime, its almost like Berliners in the past had an obsession with wiping the slate clean and starting over, although there are the expected monuments scattered throughout the city to remind you of each event. This pervades the Berlin consciousness, they cant run away from the past, but seek desperately for the city to join the league of the great cities of Europe. This is what makes the place so interesting and a different place to experiene with each visit.
Outside it is very cold, about -4 on the day we did the walk which makes sighteeing uncomfortable. However, I was always rewarded for my efforts as The city surprised me at every corner; another historical monument juxtaposed against a modern art piece, funky bars and clubs, lively music and arts scene, ugly soviet government buildings, fantastic modern architecture next to classic 18th century buildings. I barely got to even sample any of the many museams of galleries on offer.
I was dissapointed to leave after two days for the next destination feeling I had barely scratched the surface of what Berlin has to offer.

Next stop - Amsterdam
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/benny/europe2003-04/1075306080/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/benny/europe2003-04/1075306080/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/benny/europe2003-04/1075306080/tpod.html Wed, 28 Jan 2004 11:37:51 -0500 Europe 2004 - Going Commando

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Vienna, Austria

After stupidly missing my night train for Vienna in Venice (yes it was
a 24 hour clock thing), and instantly adapting my itenary to take in Munchen
instead, I managed to get back on track and make my way to Vienna
overnight. Ofcourse this meant spending around 4 and 1/2 hours on
several very cold train platforms across italy, before finally finding
an abandoned 2nd class compartment where I could stretch out and sleep
unbothered. When I say unbothered, I mean apart from the dozens of other passengers who checked the cabin only to find me sprawled out on all six chairs. At 9 am I mysteriously woke up in Vienna and the previous nights debarcle is but a distant memory, and Im back on track, but very tired. It is minus 4 here now, I am wearing half my
luggage and still cant get warm enough, I hope this changes for me soon. I have NEVER been in anything this cold.
My spirits rise when I check into a hostel (called Wombats funnily enough) and get my own room for 15 euro, and find a great place where i can strap on some ice skates and
burn off some nervous energy for a few hours, heating myself up at the same time. I have my first Austrian Meal at Cafe Mozart´s, a strange appealingly large plate of Sausage dumplings and sauercraut and let me just say that it waslucky I had the roomto myself that night. Ahem.
I get up early the next day to catch the train to Berlin, but a day on the train wouldnt be the same if it wasnt a complete debarcle. I eased into my first class seat and stretch out, Put on some Kruder and Dorfmeister sounds and the train rolls away. Moments later the Gendarmerie storms through the train asking for passports asking where my visa is for Czech. What visa?, what Czech? I say, I am going to Berlin! Of course the fastest route to Berlin is through Prague, its just that nobody bothered to tell me this. I get off at the first stop, in remote Austria someplace called Hohenauer or something, and have to wait another hour or so for the train back to Vienna. The next train doesnt leave until 9.30 pm, although I am kind of happy because I can see more of the old city, Go to the Roy Lichtenstein exhibition, and squeeze in another dose of Sausage dumplings and sauerkraut for dinner.
Next up Berlin!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/benny/europe2003-04/1074791880/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/benny/europe2003-04/1074791880/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/benny/europe2003-04/1074791880/tpod.html Tue, 27 Jan 2004 12:47:41 -0500 Europe 2004 - Going Commando

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Venice, Italy

On my first night in Venice I slept with four young korean guys.
Actually I didn´t sleep much, one of them kept me up all night with his snoring. But thats the problem with shared rooms in hostels, and I dont know the etiquette for dealing with strangers who snore. Perhaps either holding their nose or a sharp jab or rolling them on the side, or a combiantion of the three. Maybe next time.
Comapred to Geneve, Venice is very cold. I was going to have to rethink my wardrobe fast or lose a limb to frostbight. My only previous knowledge of the city comes from Asterix and the brilliant Paul Schrader film ´The company of strangers´in which the city is used as a metaphor for labyrinthian psychological mind games played out by Christopher Walken on a holidaying english couple. My first impression is alot of old buildings, shitloads of tourists even in the extreme cold, lots of shops and everything brutally expensive. It had a alot to live up to and I wasnt impressed.

The korean guys left at about 6.30 the first morning and I snuck in a few hours sleep to wake and see the snow falling. My first snow! And in Venice of all places...now I am beginning to soften my resolve. I met Nerella at the train station at 11. She is a very good friend of Sophias mother and kindly made the trip into the city to meet me and be my guide for the day. After dismissing my clothing..´There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing´ we go to one of her favourite italian restaurants down a side street and enjoy a classic italian meal, and with champagne to start, followed by a bottle of wine (white), finishing with limoncello and a fluffy sweet drink made from champagne and sorbet, the conversation flowed and we spilled out onto the street feeling somewhat warmer and light footed three hours later. We negotiated the labyrinth without a map (you can always find yourself says Nerella) and I was astounded to discover that much of Venice is built on reclaimed land and get this....wooden pilings. I am stunned to comprehend all these huge, heavy stone buildings built on wood in water and lasting almost 1000 years. I mean, you only have to look at the pilings at Thames Street wharf in Balmain to know these things dont last forever, and they have built their entire city on it! Furthermore, it is susceptible to flooding. St Marks has been flooding on average 250 times a year lately, sometimes nearly 60cm of water floods the square. Venice has to be the most unstable place in the world, but simultaneously one the most unique, beautiful and historically and culturally rich.
The next day I wandered the streets alone, losing my way, retracing my steps and finding myself over again. I checked out at 10 am and my train was not scheduled to leave for Vienna until 20.30. Unfortunately I read this to mean 10.30pm, so I missed my comforatble night train and had to wait another two hours to catch another train to a remote italian station somewhere, then wait another 2 hours on the platform in the cold (0°C) for a connection to vienna. Not a happy chappy but I got ther in the end, even managing some sleep in an empty 2nd class compartment.

Next up Vienna!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/benny/europe2003-04/1074691320/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/benny/europe2003-04/1074691320/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/benny/europe2003-04/1074691320/tpod.html Wed, 21 Jan 2004 08:28:22 -0500 Europe 2004 - Going Commando

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Geneva, Switzerland

I had so much fun in Barcelona I decided to stay an extra night, and altered my itenary to spend a day in Geneve on the way to Venice.
I checked into a new hostel in Barcelona which was luxurious, and I was the only guest. The owners gave me the key and left me to my own devices. That night I headed to a few of the bars I liked so much with Miguel, We then ckecked out some Jazz at Jamboree night club and then hip hop next door. I stumbled in at 6am only to get up again at 7 just in to pack and go. The train to Geneva was peaceful and scenic, I had an entire TGV carriage to myself - first class all the way. I am now in Geneve kiling time, it is cold, expensive but beautiful and will give me a chance to recharge before hitting Italy.
Later, benny
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/benny/europe2003-04/1071741540/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/benny/europe2003-04/1071741540/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/benny/europe2003-04/1071741540/tpod.html Tue, 20 Jan 2004 01:26:24 -0500 Europe 2004 - Going Commando

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Algeciras, Spain

Dear friends,
Welcome to my second travel journal and the update to the famous 'Get on Board' journal of 2002. This time around I am in between jobs, or university study (too early to call that one). The gorgeous Sophia was my travelling companion for the first two stages of the trip but unforunately the journal was too steamy to publish - sorry guys!. First up was ten days in Thailand, our first OS holiday together, full of laughter and tears (pics to come) as we ate our way through Bangkok, Chaing Mai, Phuket and Phi Phi. We have just completed two weeks in Morocco visiting Sophia's family in Rabat including a roadtrip of the south by car, pushing her Mum's diesel corolla to the limits over 2500km of crazy right hand driving roads. I can now proudly say I have ridden a camel, surfed a sand dune and drank a noos noos all in the one day. All up it was a fantastic experience which I hope to repeat soon and can´t wait to tell you about on my return.

This morning I got up at 5.30, kissed Sophia goodbye (sniff), and left Rabat by train for Tangier. I then crossed the straits of Gibraltar to Algerciras, Spain and tonight will board another train for Madrid to commence a solo month long tour of Europe. This is the serious part of the trip for me, where I will make up for the lost opportunity caused when I was robbed of all my money in France this time last year and forced to abandon any plans of European travel.

I originally decided to call this part of the trip 'Get on Board II: Double or Nothing', but my underwear mysteriously went missing in Rabat yesterday so I have changed the name to 'Going Commando'. This title has a nice, if slightly liberating ring to it, don't you think?. As fo Europe, If it doesn't work out this time I may have to forget about the nothern hemisphere for a while!
This is just a short trip so I will attempt to update the journal as often as possible, but please excuse any delays as I may be having too much fun to stop and write an entry.
cheers, Benny
bennycaine@yahoo.com
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/benny/europe2003-04/1074444720/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/benny/europe2003-04/1074444720/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/benny/europe2003-04/1074444720/tpod.html Mon, 19 Jan 2004 06:34:57 -0500 Europe 2004 - Going Commando

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Barcelona, Spain

I arrived in Barcelona weary on Thursday morning and headed straight for a famous youth hostel just off the Ramblas. The Kabul is right on the Placa Reial and is famous for its bar with self sevice vending machines, relaxed atmosphere and no curfew, which makes it the ideal place to base yourself and explore the possibilities of the Barcelona nightlife. There is also ready access to drugs, alcohol and prostitutes just outside the door if that is what you want. As great as it sounds, it also means that the hostel full of pissed Aussies coming and going at all hours, so I should either get used to not getting any sleep or start going out until 7am to collapse in bed comatose all day.

The main problem with being a solo traveller is not a lack of meeting people, it is that you can get easily limited to meeting only other English travellers and not really getting a genuine experience of the city. It is hard when you lob in someplace for just a few days, and locals are bored with backpackers, so for me I had to find a different approach.

At the hostel bar I now intentionally avoid extended conversations with compatriots. On Friday night I get talking to Mickael from Switzerland, an MBA who trades shares for 30mins a day to finance ongoing travel, Christian the french student, Federico from Argentina, and a girl each from Germany, Greece and Belgium all studying in Barcelona. Conversation is a mix of languages Spanish, French, English, and we head out for some Jazz music in The Gothic centre until 4am. Mickael calls the group the Melting Pot and he couldnt be more right.

Barcelona is an attractive and exciting city. It is grungier and more hip than the capital Madrid, Barcelona oozes character from the sidewalks and as you cruise around the old town you can sometimes get a whiff of green smoke or hear some street music coming from down one of the narrow lane ways. The further away from the Ramblas you go, to the North past Catalunya or the east towards the park, the atmosphere becomes more refined and cosmopolitan. You could easily imagine yourself in Paris, but why bother thinking of Paris when you are in Barcelona? I adapt my hours to suit the local eating and opening hours. After a light breakfast of coffee and pastry, I can find a restaurant for late lunch with a 'menu del dia' (sic) for around 8 euro It might be Bread, a generous salad or seafood paella followed by Veal or Fish then dessert of Creme Caramel or Pudding. I can sit a table with a glass of wine and plan the afternoon and then go back to the hostel for Siesta, emerging at five or six when the city wakes up again to continue sight seeing.

Barcelona is a large port so I figure that on a Saturday there must be a yacht race on somewhere. I forced myself out of bed at nine when the hostel is still asleep, put on a sailing jacket and ambled down to the port. The guard at the security gate of Club Reial Nautique de Barcelona waived me through the secure gate after I greet him with a Hola (Hello). I then smiled at the office receptionist and got through the clubhouse unchecked to the dock. The first boat I see is a beautiful 1970 classic 57 foot S&S sailing yacht called Charisma. Miguel, a guy my age was preparing the boat (I assumed for a race) so I ask if he is racing today and if I can come along. He says sure, but I should wait to the owner to arrive and ask him just to be sure. The owner comes soon after. Alex is a smooth spaniard dressed in sailing whites with a cuban cigar clutched permantly in his right hand. He owns a Bank, but chooses to race this 30 year old yacht because it is not so serious (although this yacht´s credits include Sydney to Hobarts, Fastnet and Admirals cup races - all serious stuff). I introduced myself and he welcomes me aboard in spanish. I´m in, and on possible the nicest yacht racing today. The remaining fifteen or so crew arrive and I meet each in turn. They all make an effort to greet me in English and translate sailing terms as we prepare the boat. Pierro, an older bearded dude explains to me the qualifications of each crewman in turn; The Spanish King's personal skipper is at the helm, The crew boss sailed with Alinghi in their successful Americas Cup campaign this year, the trimmer is a world championship winning dinghy sailor and there are maybe another 6 or so current and past Olympic and world champion sailors aboard representing Barcelona's sailing elite. Clearly my role on the boat was to show them a few of the tricks I learnt down under. Actually I was shitting myself, and decided the best approach for not fucking up in front of such greatness is to volunteer for the most brain dead monkey work there is, lugging heavy sails up down the forward hatch on demand, but to do it with passion and grace! The race gets underway in about 15 knots and the sun is shining. Charisma is clearly the yacht to beat, despite her age, winning soon becomes just a formality. Although the crew is serious about what they do, there is plenty of laughs aboard. Beer flows before the race even starts and all but me has a Malboro hanging from their lip. I am down below busily stuffing a wet spinnaker away after a downwind run, and the owner comes down and passes me & Pierro a freshly made Gin and Tonic in a glass highball. The message is clear and Pierro says to me ´Benjamin, slow down, relax; plenty of time. Enjoy your G and T!´ After we get back to the club and put the yacht to bed I thanked for Alex for the great day and compliment the yacht. He makes an eating gesture and says ´We Paella´. Expecting some basic yacht grub, we are led into a private room of the yacht club where a long table is set up amidst club trophies and awards. Waistcoated waiters scurry around filling up glasses with red wine and champagne, and bring large plates of Paella with crayfish and seafood. After there is dessert, more wine, brandy, rum and coffee. For a backpacker staying in a shitty hostel I cant believe my luck. I talk with them men about sailing in Fremantle, Sydney and the Whitsundays as many of them have sailed all three at one time or another. Miguel and I dicover we know someone in common back from when I was working on Basic Logic and we agree that night we should go out and celebrate his 25th birthday, which we do until 6am the next morning after visiting great bars and clubs off the beaten tourist track. I know truly feel I have tasted what Barcelona has to offer and resolve to stay here an extra day or two.

Today I will go to Montserrat outide of the city, then take the overnight train to Milano.

Cheers, Ben
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/benny/europe2003-04/1074181860/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/benny/europe2003-04/1074181860/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/benny/europe2003-04/1074181860/tpod.html Mon, 19 Jan 2004 06:27:42 -0500 Europe 2004 - Going Commando

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Madrid, Spain

Amidst all the confusion and chaos of Tangier port, I was approached by an agitated sunshine coast man in cargo pants with three huge roller suitcases, a wife and an eleven year old son in tow. He asked me if I had any idea where the ferry left from (I didn´t) and was stressed that he would have to wait a while without any local currency left. When I said I was en route to Madrid, he flew into a monologue about the horrors of Atocha train station, how they were the victims of attempted pickpockets 6 times, thats right, 6 times; twice successfully, then he begun challenging me to pull something out of his wifes cargo pants pocket. When the ferry finally arrived I sat at the other end of the boat hoping that his Bad Karma didn´t rub off on me. Nearly twenty hours later at 9am I rolled into Madrid fully guarded for the onslaught of well dressed spanish teenagers attempting to pick pocket me. I almost wanted it to happen so I could catch them in the act. HAH! GOTCHA!!! But no such luck unfortunately. At the information desk I meet Russell, a shaggy haired 18 year old scotsman, and we team up to share a hostel room and do some sight seeing. Two heads are better than one we decide, and two sets of eyes can make short work, but long discussions out of the Musee Prado and the Reina Sofia.

Madrid is much warmer than I expected, about 11 degrees, and I am almost physically relieved to be back in a city where the streets are clean, you aren´t hassled by taxi drivers, and you can actually figure out the public transport system. The next challenge was to master some of the local language. MY version is an eclectic blend of french, italian, arabic, spanish, thai and english. This basically limits you to eating spanish omelette with coffee every meal, but aleast you know what you are getting! No seriously I speaka a little espagnola if you getta my drift. Si Si, Muey Grazia signora!

Our first night out we hit a sangria piano bar with others from the bar, including Charlie, a Lebanese guy from Sydney who is frantically acting as road manager for his 50 year old Mother and younger sister. I cant imagine travelling through, European Hostels with my chain smoking Lebanese mother trailing behind, but he makes light work of it and even mangaes to wrangle a further group of 8 more people for a dinner out on our last night in Madrid. This morning I awoke from my Couchette compartment in BArcelona. The sun is shining, its 15 degrees outside and I have a clear schedule for the excuslive purposes of Antoni Gaudi, with maybe a perfomance of Cosi Fan Tutte atthe OPera House Tonight.
Adios Amigos!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/benny/the_med_2002/1036303380/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/benny/the_med_2002/1036303380/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/benny/the_med_2002/1036303380/tpod.html Sun, 03 Nov 2002 01:44:47 -0500 Get on board, Benny! Adventure bound on the Mediterranean.

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Sydney, Australia

Benny got back. Back to Australia, that is.

After that great scandal on the french riviera and the mystery of the missing moula, my travels have taken on an unexpected twist. My first instinct was to give up and go home straight away, but a french friend reminded me of my original intentions: "dont give up Ben.You must fight..Fight! Go to Spain, don't forget about the spanish girls! Roaaaaarrrr!!!!"

I thought, Okay francois, I will fight. Rooooaaaarrr!

The next day I went back out and scored a couple of weeks work on a 38 metre motor yact that was getting ready for an Atlantic crossing. I had some cash in the short term, so things were looking up except for the looming deadline of a rapidly expiring return ticket to Australia. If I couldn't get something permanent I would be forced to go home. Winter had begun to set in and the rain swept across Le Cap D'Antibes as I rode into town each morning. I bet its sunny in Sydney, I thought. Some full time work never materialised so I booked an easyjet flight to Paris on a friday, and flew out early on Sunday morning after one last night out in Nice with my buddy Dino.

I spoke to my friend Linda in Paris and she arranged for me to stay with a friend of hers, Virginie, who had a sweet pad in a northern precinct. The weather was warm and it felt good to be back in Paris where it all began just six months earlier. I strapped on my headphones and spent all day Sunday in the Louvre taking in the paintings, then strolled down the Champs Elysee to catch a version original of Roman Polanski's Cannes winning film, The Pianist, before having dinner in La Bastille with Linda. It was a perfect way to end my trip, and I had almost completely forgotten about the 4000 euros.

So here I am back in Sydney. Eddy and Demi met me at the airport as they had seen me off and we had a beer in the London, me in my San Remo leather jacket and 24 hours of travel stink. I have moved back into the townhouse in Birchgrove and taken a job at a busy Darling Harbour bar to see me through the summer, as I await a work contract to arrive from my friends in Sweden. It's good to back in Sydney, but I haven't slept the same since I got off the yacht

Stay tuned as I will post many more photos and stories soon.

benny







]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/benny/the_med_2002/1034147580/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/benny/the_med_2002/1034147580/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/benny/the_med_2002/1034147580/tpod.html Wed, 09 Oct 2002 03:37:32 -0400 Get on board, Benny! Adventure bound on the Mediterranean.

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Antibes, France

Its funny how life often repeats itself. Maybe there just arent enough new situations in the world for everyone so occasionally you have to live through an old experience again, just for fun.

So here I am back in Antibes where it all started 6 months ago. Walking the docks at sparrows fart, flat broke, looking for any morsel of daywork, or better yet, a permanent position on a yacht travelling to the Caribbean for the winter season. Only this time its nearly winter, its raining today and only the totally insane persist with this folly. It wasnt supposed to be like this. I hanged up my chamois when I left Basic Logic last week with the intention of doing some European travel. I should be in Barcelona, dancing the tango with a young spanish seductress, whilst sipping sangria and casually grazing on tapas. But no.

After the wild and crazy parties of Porto Cervo, David and I delivered the yacht back to its home port of Sanremo. We visited the old haunts and set the town alight like only we no how, then I was paid up, in cash, and sent on my way, hungover, with a freshly acquired italian leather jacket and crocodile skin belt. In less than two days, before i had the chance to bank my earnings, the house where I am staying in the Cap d'Antibes was broken into and I was robbed of all my cash. Everything. 4000€.

4000€.

4000€.

F**K.

I felt sick. What can I do.

f**k.

So here I am. I have two weeks to find a job and hopefully earn back some of the lost cash before my return ticket to Australia expires. If I got on another yacht I could be on my way to Palma, Gran Canaria, St Lucia or the British Virgin Islands. Or if not I will return to Sydney with nothing but great memories, a lingering bitter aftertaste of the french riviera, a newly acquired italian leather jacket (perfect for an Aussie summer!) and of a course, one crocodile skin belt.






]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/benny/the_med_2002/1031496600/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/benny/the_med_2002/1031496600/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/benny/the_med_2002/1031496600/tpod.html Sun, 08 Sep 2002 11:17:21 -0400 Get on board, Benny! Adventure bound on the Mediterranean.

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Porto Cervo, Sardignia, Italy

My time on Basic Logic is quickly drawing to a close and I am certainly going out with a bang. We had the big boss on board in Corsica for 12 days of fun and white wine sitting on the quay in Ajaccio because of a complete lack of wind. Dave had handed in his notice as captain so Toby from UK has been brought in as a replacement and now with Annie gone thats three lads and one big boat to explore the dark depths of Ajaccio: The boss was off on the Friday morning at 8.30 so we opened the first bottle of Rose at around 9 and hit the town for three days of R and R. How much trouble could we get into? Alot apparantly, judging by the 4 pairs of womens shoes on the dock opposite the boat on Saturday morning. I cnat go into any more detail right now.

Anyway, On Tuesday night we zoomed down to Porto Cervo to prepare for the next charter at the Swan Worlds. We here a week early for the event and dropped the pick in a nearby bay in an effort to avoid the massive mooring fees at the Marina (around $500 us/night): Our spot was nicely positioned near the bottom mark for the Rolex Maxi worlds regatta which was being held and whilst polishing and wiping down we had a prime view of the worlds most expensive private racing yachts dropping their kites and sprinting uphill to the finish line. The winds have been blowing a solid 20 - 25 knots for the last week so there has been some spectacular racing: After lunch on thursday we heard a mayday call on the vhf. "Mayday mayday...we have hit a rock....lost our keel.....taking on water...." in a very pannicked english accent. Continued calls by the rescue team for position and vessel info over the radio were greeted by silence so we held our breaths for the crew of this sinking craft. At the bar the next dazy we get more detail. The yacht concerned was a 77 foot Wally, a very expensive and desirable thoroughbread Maxi yacht, doing 15 knots on a spinnaker run alongside another similar Wally. They had the misfortune of finding an uncharted rock which in turn claimed the keel of this light weight speed machine and they took on some serious water as they continued under kite to land the boat near a beach. All crew were saved but the boat is a right off, which is apparantly good fortune for the owner who is having a new 90 foot Wally built - at a cost of at least 4 million euros.

Meanwhile we are now stern to on the A quay in Porto Cervo at the Charterers expense, we have just three days of corporate sailing and the rest of the time the yacht is on show for Swan. Our nights are free so we expect to spend our fortunes at Porto Cervos many bars which are happy to empty your wallet to the tune of 10 to 20 euros a drink. In the company of fellow sailors here for the events, I now know why the term 'yachty' is synonomous with 'alcoholic'. Thank god Í am only here for one more week.

Ciao




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