Report from two sailors who always seem to alter their plans ......

Hello everybody! And happy new year, since our latest message was dated back in des, 03, when we stayed in

Mgarr harbour in Gozo. Things have really changed ... Instead of sending this mail from somwhere in Greece

as planned, we are now in Mallorca, waiting to lift Ballerina out of the water. For family reasons we hac¡ve decided to go back to Norway for the summer - it does not work out well for us to sail around in the Med, when we are needed.

But living in Norway is expensive - and we have no jobs to return to - what on earth should we do ? We love our way of living, and do not want to give it up, so when our "old" sailing school i Norway offered us work as sailing instructors, we were happy. To be sure we are qualified - and to have the papers - we decided to sail to Mallorca to do the Yachtmaster Offshore exam.

Sailing in the med. in wintertime can be rather challenging. After having said goodbye to out friends in Malta and having spent an illegal night in Mgarr on Gozo, we set sail for Sicily early february. A "moving" start. All the books came out of the shelves, Ballerina and her crew were tossed around in the nasty waves. But after some hours the sea setteled, and we anchored in Licata on Sicily late at night.

The rest of our 14 days to Menorca was a really nice sail - meeting old friends and making new ones. But the last day crossing Sardinian sea was exiting, though, with a force 8 coming from behind. Surfing into Mahon with enormous waves rolling into the cockpit just before total darkness was "exhilirating" (and only one of the green lights in the entrance was lit) Mooring at a safe floating pontoon that night was just wonderful.

Then we had to wait 1 1/2 week to do the last leg of about 50 miles to Mallorca.

Our Yachtmaster exam is now finished, and we have started making Ballerina ready for her stay on the hard. And it will be hard - to leave her.

And today we have - finally - succeeded in ordering sterling tickets via internet. So our flight date is now 1. may.

Our plan is to return in sept/oct - and hopefully spend some months in Sicily together with Ninas parents.

We wish you all a nice summer.

Nina and Bjørn