Tilly Mint's travels

During our last charter Tilly Mint passed the 40,000 nm mark on her log. We have sailed over 25,000 of those with her, and we still love sailing her as much as we did when we first came on board. Many miles were added to the log during the past few weeks, as we went all the way from the Virgin Islands to Grenada, then back up to the Virgin Islands in about 6 weeks. After our holiday charters in the BVIs we took some time to rest in St Martin in January, then sailed to Antigua to pick up our next guests. That charter was a new itinerary for us, and it was great to stop in all the islands that we usually just sail past. Falmouth Harbour, Antigua. Tilly Mint is there, all the way to the right! Our first stop was Deshaies, on the North West corner of Guadeloupe, a lovely little fishing town in a protected bay. Our sistership More Magic pulled in just after us and anchored nearby. More Magic in Deshaies Before the squall After the squall We then sailed further South ...

A very happy New Year to everyone who made 2013 great for Tilly Mint and her crew, may 2014 be as full of new adventures! Tilly Mint is currently recovering from her holiday charters in the Virgin Islands, before sailing to Antigua for another trip with a new itinerary, from Antigua to St Lucia in one week. We are looking forward to discovering new islands with our guests and doing some serious sailing! Brand new headsails, all out on the crossing! Christmas in the North Sound, Virgin Gorda (find Tilly Mint in the picture!)

Tilly Mint got lucky for the end of the season as our last charter involved chasing a classic race around Corsica - I can think of worse ways to spend our time! The Corsica Classic started in Calvi and lasted for 6 days, with only the first day of racing cancelled due to heavy wind and high seas. About 25 classic boats took part in it, and our mission was to follow the fleet every day and act as a luxury sleeping pad for the crew of one of the boats. The race took us from Calvi to the isolated bay of Girolata (one of the only villages in Corsica not accessible by road!), then to Ajaccio, Porto Pollo, Bonifacio, the Lavezzi, Porto Vecchio, with the finish in Bonifacio. Overall it was a lovely week, with good racing conditions and a beautiful show to enjoy every day with the classics sailing all around us. Oh and I almost forgot - the yacht we were chasing won the race! Early start in Calvi Skylark Upwind leg Crossing Alone on the race course On course for the f...

Tilly Mint has done some miles since we have arrived in Sardinia in June, from the Costa Smeralda to the West coast of Corsica, from the Maddalena archipelago to the Lavezzi islands, from jet-set Porto Cervo to stunning Bonifacio... Here are a few pictures of our summer in the Med! Anchored at the Sanguinaires islands, near Ajaccio Typical Corsican landscape Kneeboarding with the guests The entrance to Bonifacio Beautiful Bonifacio Bonifacio by night Bonifacio up on the cliffs Thendara sailing past Lavezzi Islands

After over 5,000 nm, we finally made it to our home base for the Summer: Olbia, on the North East coast of Sardinia. We did a little bit of exploring by land upon arrival, then took guests aboard Tilly Mint to discover the East Coast of Sardinia and the lovely islands of the Maddalena Archipelago. We are now on the move again, currently in Corsica, picking up charter guests tomorrow for a week-long trip. We will be sailing down the Western coast of Corsica,  visiting Bonifacio, exploring the Lavezzi islands and then crossing the Strait to spend some time in Sardinia, finally taking Tilly Mint back to her home port. Pictures of all those beautiful places coming after the charter! Sailing into Olbia at dawn The infamous Costa Smeralda, with Tavolara Island in the background Porto Cervo - home of the mega-rich Colored houses in Porto Cervo Sunset in Porto Pollo

Tilly Mint is now one step closer to Sardinia, where she will be based for the season. 5 days was all it took to sail from Gibraltar to Malta, with a rather steady wind blowing directly from behind us and an incredible amount of traffic at every hour of the day and night. Overall an easy trip with the poled out genoa, and many dodging maneuvers - always keep in mind that the tanker coming straight at you doing 18 knots is about 12 times bigger than you, which mostly cancels any priority rule there could be... Better safe than sorry! Leaving Gibraltar at sunrise Dodging tankers - a national sports in Gibraltar! So Tilly Mint and her crew are now happily docked in Manoel Island Marina, just across the harbor from the capital Valletta. Why happily? Because after 6 weeks of wearing foul weather gear, boots and beanie hats, we have finally found the Summer again! Yes, we might very well be spoiled, but you have to understand since we have started working in the yachting industry, ...

After 1.5 years and many miles, we have sailed Tilly Mint back to where we had come on board for the first time. During the crossing we passed over 30,000 miles on the log, but Tilly Mint is showing no sign of exhaustion! In fact, she behaved beautifully in all weather conditions and took us from Antigua to Bermuda in 5 days, and then from Bermuda to Gibraltar in only 16 days. In the midst of some heavy weather and a few days of dead calm, we were lucky enough to have some absolutely perfect sailing weather. With 15 to 20 knots on the beam, Tilly Mint was perfectly happy and never went under 9 knots for 3 days. After 2 full weeks at sea, the yacht and her crew are now resting for a few days in Gibraltar, where the weather has so far been surprisingly nice (this, after all, is England). By the end of the week we should be ready for the next leg, that will take us to Malta, before sailing on to Sardinia, where we will be based for the summer season. As much as we love the Caribbean, ...