Great Anchorages In Europe - Pt 2

By way of background, I originally did a post on some of our favorite anchorages in New Zealand as part of the Monkey's Fist. Then, I figured that I should give Scott a chance to share some of his favorite anchorages in Europe - which you can read about here. He has quite a few of them, so this is the second installment.

But before we get into the photos and descriptions, I thought I would give you a little insight into what goes into writing up these posts.

It all starts with a typical conversation on our boat. I ask, "How was your day today?" The inevitable response from Scott is, "Fine."

After being married to Scott for over 20 years, I've learned that "fine" has many meanings. It can mean, "It was the best day ever! I got to go racing and we were first on the line! I had some beers with the guys and it was just great!!" 

Or it can mean, "We had a terrible start off the line. Bob fell in the water, but he's okay now. It was pouring down rain and I forgot my waterproofs so I got soaked. At the worst part of all is that when Bob fell in the water he was holding the beer and dropped them over the side."

Trying to find out what "fine" means is a little game I play with Scott. Sadly, he always wins.

I try things like, "Oh really? Tell me more." I usually get another response along the lines of "fine", something like, "It was okay."

Not wanting to be defeated, I try again, "What was fine about it?" I've done research. Using open ended questions is supposed to cause the floodgates of communication to come crashing open. And it works to an extent. I got a slightly longer response, "Oh, it could have been better, it could have been worse."

So you can imagine that when I asked him to tell me all about his favorite anchorages in Europe, it took some effort to get the details out of him. I might have possibly added a few things that he might not have said. See if you can figure out which parts.


1. Ustica, Italy 

One of the things Scott liked about Ustica was that is was off of the tourist track and it had that feel of what he imagines old Italy must have been like. Scott wanted to stay longer there, but the ferry wash made the anchorage too uncomfortable so he and the guys headed off for Sardinia.

2. Korcula, Croatia

Scott said he liked Korcula because it is a great medieval hilltop town located on an island. It also sticks out in his mind because he bought a great t-shirt there which says "Korcula" on it. It is the type of t-shirt that he loves so much that it is starting to get holes everywhere. But still totally fine to wear to a fancy restaurant or a wedding, because it says "Korcula" on it and everyone loves "Korcula". Why would you wear a perfectly nice t-shirt without holes all over it, when you can wear a "Korcula" t-shirt. Personally, I just think he wears that t-shirt to rub in the fact that he has been there and I haven't. Hopefully, the t-shirt doesn't accidentally fall overboard or get turned into rags.

3. Funchal, Madeira

Scott likes Funchal because he and a pal hired scooters and rode all over the island. Madeira is known for its amazing scenery and gorgeous flowers everywhere so getting around on scooter meant Scott got to check it all out. I think the part he liked the best was zipping around the windy roads, probably way too quickly. I've always wanted to go to Madeira so I'm incredibly jealous Scott has been there and I haven't. Thankfully, there is no souvenir t-shirt.

4. Gravellach Islands, Scotland

Scott's reason for having the Gravellach Islands as one of his favorites is because he went there with his dad. How sweet! The islands are known for their beehive huts and an early monastery. St Columba's mother is even reputed to be buried there. The islands are rarely visited so he was glad his dad got to experience a side of Scotland that most people don't get to see. He had a great time on this five day sail with his dad, where they also visited Iona and Tobermory, saw a whale, lots  basking sharks and a porpoise. Sounds like a great trip and great memories of time spent with his pop.