Adventures of Berkeley East

05 June 2022
30 January 2022 | Ft. Lauderdale, FL
16 November 2021
21 October 2021
05 October 2021 | Genoa, Italy
15 September 2021
26 July 2021 | Caprera, Italy
22 July 2021 | Balearic Islands, Spain
01 July 2021
09 August 2020
30 March 2020 | Lake Norman, NC
31 October 2019 | Barcelona, Spain
30 September 2019 | Mallorca, Spain
15 September 2019 | Sardinia, Italy
08 September 2019 | Pantelleria, Italy
31 August 2019 | Favignana, Italy
22 August 2019 | Vulcano, Italy
17 August 2019 | Charlotte, NC and Gaeta, Italy

Off to the Mediterranean

01 May 2010
While we missed the warmth of the Caribbean this winter, we enjoyed our time at home, visiting family, and hanging out with friends. We also accomplished a couple notable things during our time on land :

1. We blended our own wines:




"Beast Cabernet Sauvignon" (short for Berkeley East)



"Mary's 100 Point Wine" - (named for the score it received from the winemaker)

If you join us in the Med this summer, you might get to taste some of these excellent blends.


2. Larry passed his US Coast Guard Captains and Master License exams.
He is now licensed to do what we have been doing for years and can also captain much larger vessels. He may have found his next career - driving a passenger ferry in Sydney.

As always, time flew by and we found ourselves scrambling to squeeze in a few water ski runs as the lake warmed up before we had to start preparing Berkeley East for the passages and a few years in Europe.

While most people think we just sit around, snorkeling in pristine waters, drinking rum and watching beautiful sunsets, there is a lot of work that goes into preparing for the life you think we live. So the last month has been very hectic getting everything ready.

In addition to determining if we have enough sunscreen and rum onboard (to live that life that everyone thinks we live), we had to review every system on the boat. Crossing the Atlantic Ocean requires us to be very self sufficient, which means having back up systems, spare parts, good communication systems and lots of safety equipment. While we have most of this already, it needs to be reviewed and updated considering that we are over a 1,000 miles from any assistance.

So as the task list gets longer and the number of days before departure gets smaller, we are prioritizing only the most important tasks and look like we will be ready to go on May 1st.

Our plan is to leave Hampton, VA on May 1st for Bermuda (4 -5 days), and spend two weeks doing more boat projects and enjoying the island. While in Bermuda we will meet up with 25 other boats who are part of the ARC Europe Rally. We all depart for the Azores on May 19th (weather permitting). This passage should take 13 - 17 days and we will be the furthest offshore we have ever been. If all goes to plan, we will spend a couple of weeks sailing the island of the Azores before departing for Lagos Portugal (6 - 7 days). Once in Portugal we will take short hops along the coast, through the straights of Gibraltar, along the eastern coast of Spain, to the Balearic Islands, ending up in Barcelona for the winter.

While traveling with a group of other boats sounds comforting, the reality is that we will probably never see any of them after the first day. The upside is meeting new people and enjoying the events on each end of the passage.

Check back around May 19th and we will have details on how to track our progress across the Atlantic.
Comments
Vessel Name: Berkeley East
Vessel Make/Model: Hylas 54
Hailing Port: San Diego, CA
Crew: Larry & Mary Ivins
About: We quit our jobs in July of 2007 and began our adventure, sailing the US east coast in the summers and then spending our winters in the Caribbean. In 2010 we sailed across the Atlantic and will be cruising the Med for the next few years.
Extra:
FAQ Q: Did you go to UC Berkeley?

A: No. The name Berkeley East came from a ferry boat, "the Berkeley", that we met on over 30 years ago in San Diego. The East came as a result of seeing the boat being built in Taiwan. There was 30-foot Chinese symbol on the wall behind her during [...]
Berkeley East's Photos - Caribbean 1500 2008 (Main)
Street art from our 2019 stay in Barcelona
25 Photos
Created 7 November 2019
Photos for blog post
15 Photos
Created 2 August 2016
18 Photos
Created 17 May 2013
Extra pictures for Croatia
12 Photos
Created 5 September 2012
Venice June 2012
20 Photos
Created 12 July 2012
Tuscany trip summer 2011
30 Photos
Created 18 July 2011
Pictures from June 2011 - The Ligurian Coast of Italy
29 Photos
Created 29 June 2011
Wardrick Wells - Exuma Land and Sea Park May 2009
11 Photos
Created 4 May 2009
6 Photos
Created 22 April 2009
20 Photos
Created 21 April 2009
24 Photos
Created 19 April 2009
Pictures from our trip to Los Testigos, Venezuela - March 2009
5 Photos
Created 11 April 2009
4 Photos
Created 28 March 2009
Pics form the 2008 Caribbean 1500
No Photos
Created 26 November 2008
Octopuses Garden � Highborne, Exuma Cay, Bahamas
15 Photos
Created 22 May 2008
4 Photos
Created 22 April 2008
13 Photos
Created 28 January 2008
Chistmas 2007 in St Maarten with other crusiers and Mike and Linda (frends & meighbors from CA)
6 Photos
Created 28 January 2008
5 Photos
Created 23 December 2007
5 Photos
Created 21 November 2007
3 Photos
Created 5 September 2007
4 Photos
Created 28 August 2007
7 Photos
Created 28 August 2007
6 Photos
Created 22 July 2007
10 Photos
Created 22 July 2007
In early July 2006 we made a quick from Sydney, Australia to Kaohsiung, Taiwan to check on the construction of our Hylas 54. She was a little behind schedule, but the build quality was excellent.
4 Photos
Created 22 July 2007
4 Photos
Created 17 July 2007
After 28 days aboard Sigrun Bolten from Taiwan, Berkeley East arrived in Port Everglades Florida. Mary and I helped unload her and motored up the river to be hauled and rigged. We where joined by our friends and next door neighbors (from CA), who were in Florida cruising from California to the Caribbean.
5 Photos
Created 17 July 2007

Profile & FAQs

Who: Larry & Mary Ivins
Port: San Diego, CA

Our travels

Itinerary:

July 2019- Return to Gaeta, Italy

August 2019 - Gaeta to Sicily, Tunisia and Sardinia

September 2019 - The Spanish Balearic Islands

October 2019 -Barcelona Spain

November 2019 - Charlotte, NC