Summer 2026 aboard KORA has officially begun… and if the first 48 hours are any indication, this season is going to be one for the books!
What started as a simple splash back into the Adriatic quickly turned into:
boat yard chaos, mystery engine issues, backwards gaskets, a stubborn propeller blade, diesel leaks, an unexpected second haul out… and somehow… Karen nearly buying an abandoned hotel in Croatia. Yup! That sums it up well!!!
So yes. We’re back. 😂 And what a pretty sight it was to see KORA again sitting up high and mighty in her winter resting spot!
This will be our THIRD summer sailing the Mediterranean aboard KORA, and this year’s adventure will take us south through Croatia and Montenegro, along Albania’s coastline, across Greece, and eventually into Türkiye.
And the best part? The people joining us along the way.
Buzz & Kate are returning for their THIRD consecutive summer aboard KORA – officially earning “repeat offender” status – and this year Buzz’s son Mack joins the adventure too.
Then comes my brother Steve and his family plus our daughter Kaitlyn, a SECOND sailing aboard KORA, proving yet again that the best vacations involve sunshine, salt air, and questionable docking commentary from the sidelines. Kaitlyn is especially excited to share part of the adventure with her cousins Oscar and Chelsea – and she’s already stocked KORA with new games that, based on family competitiveness levels, may become the most dangerous event of the summer!
And then… a HUGE shoutout to Evan & Amanda from SailTime Houston, where this whole journey truly began for us. They’ll be joining us again this summer for their SECOND trip aboard KORA. If you’ve ever dreamed of learning to sail, building confidence on the water, or just finding an incredible sailing community, they are hands down one of the best places to do it!!! Maybe a few other SailTime friends (aka Lindsey, Michael, Mandy & Rick) will even make a showing this summer … one can only hope!!!).
One visit I’m especially excited for … my best friend Gracie – who I met in grad school at UT Austin and who stood beside me as my matron of honor – will be joining us with her daughters Dakota and Sierra. They’ve sailed with us in Houston before, but getting to share the beauty of the Mediterranean with them feels extra special.
The Tulane Beach Volleyball family keeps growing aboard KORA too. This summer we’ll welcome Kelley, Dale, and Lori, bringing our grand total to EIGHT Tulane beach friends onboard over the years. Ironically… Emily still hasn’t stepped foot aboard KORA yet – and we definitely miss her out here. Hoping a few of our Hawaiʻi beach volleyball friends will join us in future years (wink, wink!!!).
To round out the summer, Doug’s brother Chuck and his wife Asrah will join us toward the end of August… which means there is still plenty of adventure ahead. We can’t wait!
But first… we had to get KORA back in the water.
KORA splashed back into the water in Bakar, Croatia, looking absolutely incredible – sparkling clean, stainless shining, smelling like a brand new boat after 8.5 months on the hard. The launch itself went perfectly … despite the tight squeeze moving her through the ship yard … until it didn’t ...
… A stubborn propeller blade and a backwards fuel separator gasket quickly sent us into full boat yard mode – complete with diesel leaks, engine troubleshooting, and an unexpected haul out. But thankfully, everything was quickly fixed, and honestly, after last summer, we’ve learned an important rule of sailing: “No foul, no bad.”
We may technically be “one day behind schedule,” except for one tiny detail: we still haven’t fully decided what the 2026 itinerary actually is yet. New for me, yes!!! But, are we late … or just creatively flexible?
In the meantime, we’ve been soaking up the incredible hospitality of Bakar, sharing drinks and stories with locals, and seriously questioning whether we should abandon normal life entirely and renovate an old hotel here instead. Honestly … don’t tempt us!
Well, this is only the beginning. Ahead – Greek island sunsets, Turkish coastlines, returning friends, first-time Med sailors, weather windows, new anchorages … and whatever chaos inevitably finds us next.
Trust me … you’re going to want to follow along this summer!
