Nicola Ann Art
Aug 13
by Nicola in Nature, Sailing, Travel 0 comments tags: Adriatic Alternatives, Albania, Montenegro, Nicola Ann Art, Nicola Beykirch, Published article, Sailing Today, Sailing Today Magazine

‘Adriatic alternatives’ ARTICLE PUBLISHED BY SAILING TODAY MAGAZINE

ADRIACTIC ALTERNATIVES Nicola Beykirch works her way north from the Ionian Islands to explore Albania and Montenegro – two Balkan nations of contrasting allure Words & Photography By NICOLA BEYKIRCH Published  By SAILING TODAY September 2020 Edition Regular readers of “Sailing Today” may recall from the April edition that Captain Barry and I had spent a couple of weeks exploring Greece’s Ionian Islands on “Bella Rose“, our Oyster 545. After that we decided to challenge ourselves by sailing up the Adriatic to Albania before concluding our latest voyage in Montenegro. Albania conjured up thoughts of isolation and mystery and appeared a bold place to visit, let alone sail. We relished the challenge, and so one August dawn we found ourselves setting sail from Erikoussa Island, northwest of Corfu, to commence our adventure. A sloppy sea and erratic winds over 50 miles transported us to Vlorë Habour, the only harbour in Albania that permitted foreign boats to check-in. We arranged a clearing agent who assisted us in tying up. He then grabbed our documents, hopped on his bicycle and sorted out the paperwork at the harbour office.  We then sailed 6.5 miles to Marina Orikum, the only marina in Albania, where […]
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Aug 11
by Nicola in Adventure, Nature, Sailing, Sunset 0 comments tags: Nicola Ann Art, Nicola Ann Beykirch, Nicola Beykirch, Oyster 545

Sailing from venice to croatia on Bella Rose, our oyster 545 yacht

Once Bella Rose, our Oyster 545 yacht, was fit for sail, after spending a week in Venice that included an exploration of the Dolomites and Lake Garda, we were finally free to hit the open sea.  WELCOME BACK, SEA LEGS Upon completing the final checks, packing everything away and checking out of the marina office, we left Certosa Marina just before 11am on Monday morning.  MAYDAY-MAYDAY! At the risk of repeating myself, if you value your boat, do not leave it for any length of time at Certosa Marina. We were not the only yacht owners that experienced heart-ship. Another avid reader of Sailing Today contacted me via my website after reading about our troubles in an article published by the magazine to empathise with our very long, agonising story. Please do contact me directly if you are considering berthing at the marina, and I will provide additional details about our ordeal. COULD I WANT FOR ANYTHING MORE? The moment we left Venice in our wake and only the sea greeted us from every direction, I felt an invigorating peace wash over me from head to toe. With the wind through my hair, sun warming my skin and water lapping at […]
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Aug 10
by Nicola in Adventure, Cities, Nature, Travel 0 comments tags: MARINA CERTOSA, Nicola Ann Art, Nicola Beykirch, Social Distancing, The Dolomites, The Great Dolomites Road, Venice

LOST IN ITALY… VENICE, DOLOMITES & Lake Garda

Sadly, with the world in crisis, this year’s adventures didn’t go according to plan. After months of lockdown, and still feeling the sleepiness of the pandemic, we felt humbled being able to return to Venice, to sail Bella Rose to bluer waters. TO THE RESCUE, HERE I AM We’d left Bella Rose, our Oyster 545, at Marina Certosa in Venice for the winter. After experiencing endless issues and lack of action during her berth, we were desperate to return to the yacht, sort out as much as possible and leave soonest.  Approaching the jetty at Certosa, a new restaurant loomed ahead. The owner had a Michelin Star restaurant on the mainland. It reminded me of a mini Ibiza, seating on the deck alongside the sea, bean bags and club music reverberated the moment we set foot onto the jetty. At night it turned into a sophisticated diner, music turned down and served simply delicious food, without any pretentious fuss.  The best pizza had to be from Verde Pistacchio Pizzeria Sicilian, the tiny-mini-van at the far end of Certosa island. He did the perfect vegetarian without cheese, for us vegans and then we took our own ‘cheese’ the next few days, laughing at […]
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