Journeying Through the Mediterranean: Torrevieja, Santa Pola & Beyond

As we sailed our way to Alicante, we made brief but memorable stops in Torrevieja, with its salt lakes (spotted from the water) and vibrant nightlife, and Santa Pola, known for its quaint charm and bustling fishing industry. Each place offered a unique slice of Mediterranean life, whetting our appetite for more. Circling Tabaraca Island on our way to Alicante was like stepping into a postcard, its clear waters and rugged landscape a picturesque pause on our journey – also a favorite day spot for local boaters!

The highlight of our recent days was spotting some pilot whales out in the distance—an awe-inspiring sight that, in our excitement, we completely forgot to capture on camera. Hopefully, we’ll have another chance for a photo op soon! Less exciting but certainly abundant were the fried egg jellyfish. These peculiar creatures, found in the Mediterranean, have a distinctive yellow dome surrounded by a white, egg-like ring—some of the ugliest jellyfish we have ever seen. Apparently they have little to no sting, but still, we found them a bit unnerving given the density of them in the water. 

In other news, we’ve finally booked our tickets back to the USA, but with a twist to our normal routine—our return journey begins and ends in France. It’s a strange feeling to have our home base shifted to our beloved Kora. We return August 21, in time to attend Kaitlyn’s white coat ceremony at WVU marking the beginning of her Ph.D. in biomedical engineering. (She will return to her last 2 yrs of medical school afterward).

Tomorrow marks one month since Buzz departed, leaving us to sail on our own. Despite initial nerves, we’ve managed well, even mastering various docking techniques having experienced T-docks, finger docks, and stern-to Mediterranean docking. Now, we eagerly await the arrival of Sophie and Steve Gammarino, who will join us in Alicante in just three days. We are sooooo excited to have them join us!!! Tomorrow will be a spa day for Kora as we prepare for our guests – much needed because the “slime lines” used in Mediterranean docking truly live up to their name – a deck scrub needed 🙂

Adding to our excitement, the paddle boards we ordered were delivered to Alicante today! We can’t wait to inflate them and start paddling as we head towards the Balearic Islands in a week. Adventures await!