Tag Archive for: Charlie Johnson

Naples, Italy to Dubrovnik, Croatia

Charlie, Ken’s nephew joined Ken & Kristine for his 10 week summer job as the Grateful Red Mediterranean crew. He arrived late to Naples, took the Italian train to the boats harbor. The sail from Naples followed the route of the Odyssey. past the island of the Sirens, where Odysseus was tied to the mast to hear the Sirens and his crew let the counter winds out of the bag. The Grateful Red visited volcanic islands where the six-headed monster Scylla lived and the volcano still spews lava into the sea. Through the Straits of Messina, home of the whirlpool that sucked in Odysseus’s ship, followed by the long, boring sail along the bottom of the Italian boot with only interruptions being a few visits by the Italian coast guard (war in Libya was on going with NATO bombers flying overhead and the coast guard looking for boats full of Libyans fleeing to Italy). After a couple of high wind storms and hours of no wind motoring, the crew of three arrived in Dubrovnik.

Palma-Barcelona to San Tropez

Most of the Copa del Rey crew along with Niki, Mark and Bridgette sailed the overnight to Barcelona, Spain and spent a couple of nights partying, and being victim of a camera heist by a flower vendor. Kristine, Ken, Mark and Bridgette sailed on, along the Spanish coast, across the Golfe de Lion, spent a great night on the hook in the Porquerolles and then back to St-Tropez.

Copa del Rey Regatta

First a two-night sail from Corsica to Menorca, Spain and on to Majorca for the Kings Regatta. Crew of Matt, Matt, Nora, Scott and Charlie – the Lady GaGa crowd stayed slept on the boat – with Susan, Jack, Cissy, Kristine and Ken in the on-shore apartment. After four days of racing tied with J122 – Noisy Oyster – only to lose the challenged bottle of Champagne on the last race.