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This is the website of the 42 foot yacht Sula Mac and her crew, Alan and Ann McIlravie, who, having taken early retirement from the 'rat race' set off from Ardrossan in the Firth of Clyde on the 12th of July, 2007 for a taste of freedom and adventure ( with a small 'a' ! ). Accompanied by their daughter, Sharon-Ann and three very good friends, they sailed down the Irish Sea to Crosshaven near Cork before tackling the 500NMs to La Coruna in northwest Spain. Following the departure of 'the crew' Alan & Ann began their journey southwards, ambling through the beautiful Rias of northern Spain before entering the Atlantic coast of Portugal with it's wonderfully rich history. At Cabo de San Vicente Sula Mac turned left passing along the popular tourist beaches of the Algarve before they re-entered Spanish waters and for the fifth time, changed their courtesy flag.
A decision to over-winter at the spanish town of Rota on the northern coast of the Bahia de Cadiz proved one of the best they have ever made. They enjoyed the good company of fellow live-aboards and immersed themselves in the life of their adopted home, with occasional forays into the local Andalucian countryside. The bubble burst in early April when their engine seized resulting in an enforced stay at the soul-less marina village at nearby Puerto Sherry whilst they endured the frustrations of waiting for the installation and commissioning of their new engine. Their patience was tested to the limit as they experienced the difficulties of 'getting things done' amidst the spanish love of festivals and public holidays.
On the 28th May, 2008 they were able to cast their lines and head southwards towards the Mediterranean which they 'officially' entered at 0851hrs on Saturday, 31st May, 2008 and a long held ambition was finally achieved. With their cruising plans drastically changed they will spend 2008 cruising the Costas, visiting friends and spending seven weeks on a visit to the UK in July and August. On their return they visited the historic cities of Cartagena and Valencia before arriving at Sant Carles de la Rapita where Sula Mac berthed alongside a pontoon in this, still being built, British/Spanish owned Marina.
At the behest of the many readers of their amusing Blogs, over the winter months, wrote up the first draft of a book about their adventures and planned their 2009 season which they hope will take them to the Balearics and onwards to Greece. Who said retirement was easy ?
In mid-May they slipped away from the comfort of the Marina and sailed overnight to Ibiza, arriving as a new day dawned and the smell of pine drifted down from the mountains. They have enjoyed the beauty of the islands, visiting places that many of their fellow countrymen never get near. After two months in the Baleares Islands they finished their visit with a week at anchor in one of the bays at Mahon in Menorca and set sail for a new country and a change of courtesy flag. Sardegna enchanted them as did Sicily but they were blown away by the experience of drifting off the west coast of the active volcano at Stromboli, during a calm, clear night. Fireworks will never be the same. Another two night passage took them to the beautiful islands of the Ionian Seas in Greece.
In mid-September of 2010 they arrived in Aghios Nikolaos where Sula Mac would be based for the winter. A brief trip home to Scotland for the birth of their second grandchild then they returned to greece for the winter. They had the most fantastic time exploring the ancient areas of Athens and a worthwhile visit to the new Acropolis Museum before catching the 50 minute flight to Heraklion. The over-wintering experience in a busy marina was wonderful. The international community organised a weekly barbecue, walks in the mountains, a music group, christmas lunch, New Year celebrations, a Burns Supper and an Easter party before the community split up and boats headed to their summer cruising grounds.
It's hard to believe that it is ten years since we partied the night away to celebrate the birth of a new millennium, but it is. 2010 is only two years away from the London Olympic Games and the year that Sula Mac was set to explore the Aegean Sea, that piece of water between Greece and Turkey which is speckled with many islands. However, at the last minute they had a discussion and a re-think about their objectives for the forthcoming cruising season and realised that in fact they were content to further explore the island of Crete at a gentler pace than sprinting up to the north of the Aegean and back. So, they based that summer's cruising season from the marina at Aghios Nikolaos. Comparing it to sailing round the exotic islands of the Aegean this may sound somewhat boring but far from it. There was a seemingly endless round of socialising with wonderful people and visits from family and friends and then there was the sketching. Victoria Hislop's "the Island" tells the story of the leper colony at Spinalonga, tactfully weaving history with a warming story of family love and perseverance in the face of adversity. Greek television picked up on the story and spent much of the year filming in the area, changing modern streets and building back to the early - mid 1900s and to Alan this was manner from heaven. He spent many hours sketching and listening to the tales of the old villagers who recounted stories about the island and indeed their part as extras in the filming.
In October of 2010 Alan and Ann returned to a snowy winter in Scotland to spend quality time with family and friends before boarding aircrafts for a round the world trip that saw them catching up with relatives and friends in New Zealand, Australia and Hong Kong as well as some sightseeing in San Francisco and Fiji. Then, it was back to Aghios Nikolaos to pick up where they left off.
It's an exciting life they lead.
UPDATE: To see the path of their journey so far, and their current location, please check out the recently improved "Where Are We Now?" page.
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