This is a mini opening blog and introduction to the 2022 sailing season. We have had additional solar installed, work done on the centerboard and the standing rigging replaced in preparation to start making (predominantly) westing, hopefully for several seasons. We are flying to Greece on Tuesday with the plan to put the boat in the water on the 16 April 2022. Following a final rigging tune up and general shakedown in the Ionian and barring any major boat problems, the plan is to look for a weather window for Malta, shooting for an arrival in Valetta on or around 5 May 2022. We have several people joining the boat along the way and if the weather gods cooperate, after Malta, we will hop along the southern coast of Sicily to the Aegadian Islands, do the overnight crossing to southern Sardinia then head for either Mallorca or Ibiza, a 2 night at sea passage. From there the plan is to head for mainland Spain and hop down the Costa Bravo, Costa Càlida and Costa Almeria. From the Ionian it is approximately 1500Nm to Almerimar where we intend to leave the boat for a few months. As a result of the 90 days in any rolling 180 day post Brexit Schengen rule we have to return to the UK for a while mid-June. Hopefully, weather windows will open and we will get to fulfil the plan while also getting time to spend in some of the lovely places along the way. With a bit of luck this will all make for a good story. I have added a few maps of the outline plan to the gallery and the blog header picture shows a near ideal weather window that is happening right now for the Malta crossing, fingers crossed that the same happens when we are ready to go. Watch this space.