Central Mediterranean Cruising 2025

ScubaTyke
- 12m Olympic Sea 42
- Italy
- Checked in 3 weeks ago

Central Mediterranean Cruising 2025

This advert was updated May 2025 and is currently a work in progress as I figure out exactly what I want to say. Feel free to ask questions..... :-)

Current plans.
2025 Central Med - Tunisia, Malta, Sicily, Sardinia, Elba, Sicily, Malta, Tunisia.

Scuba diving where possible. Leaving Tunisia mid April and ending back in Tunisia sometime in October heading out and back via Malta.

2026 Western Med - Heading West from Tunisia intending to TransAt December 2026 (via Morocco, The Gambia, Cape Verde)

I have reached the point where I would like a long term sailing companion to sail, scuba dive and explore this world with so that is now my main focus ,someone to share this amazing lifestyle with. Clearly I am now in uncharted waters :-)

I am also very happy to have short term crewmates until I find a long term partner. I have 1 crew cabin so I only want 1 crew mate at a time.

Short term to me is a minimum of 4 weeks and I prefer female crew mates because in my experience they tend to contribute to a more relaxed and pleasant atmosphere on board and thanks to the Army I have done my fair share of time living in close proximity to other guys.....

I have multiple references from past crew available and I welcome potential crew chatting with past crew.

I am looking for assistance with sailing, docking, cooking, keeping the boat clean and maintained and to provide backgammon challenges, companionship and a scuba diving buddy. It is nice to have someone to chat with and although I love cooking, cooking only for myself makes me lazy. Some sailing experience would be great but if you have not logged thousands or even hundreds of nautical miles don't worry. Sailing is not hard to pick up. I am definitely not a sailing instructor but I can show you enough to be very helpful with handling the boat. Previous crew have ranged from complete first timers all the way to folks with more experience than me. The boat is safe, clean, well maintained, and well equipped and I sail solo about half the time.

The Anchor light is the drinking light. No alcohol consumption under way at all.

We will focus on comfortable, enjoyable, low risk, low stress sailing. The weather and ocean will give us enough un-planned excitement to deal with and enjoy, so we will not push on into foul weather or any other risky business. This means people should be very flexible with time schedules. I sail to the weather, not a schedule!

Marinas are for fuel resupply and emptying wallets, I prefer to live a simpler life on the hook in beautiful quiet bays. There is almost always a bar or taverna just a dinghy ride away for variety. This is a shared expense opportunity. Boat upgrades and maintenance are my responsibility but everything else will be shared equally (food, fuel, marina fees, cruising taxes etc). I am not looking to hire a sailing companion, I am also not looking to make any money from having a sailing companion, I am looking for someone who enjoys sailing and exploring to share the experience with.

I love to swim, snorkel, scuba dive and paddleboard, I also like to laze in a hammock with a book. I am told that I am a good cook. I love to explore the local scene and get in to the cultures of visited places so I tend to be a wandering type explorer. All day on a random beach to me is also a good use of a day and I think castles are amazing places to visit. I have a rock solid personality, not easily ruffled, calm under pressure, and am generally easy going and laid back. At the same time, I have a loud command voice (thank you Army).

I am not a doctor or anything but I am skilled at first aid and trained in CPR.

Ideal Crew qualities are galley friendly, coffee loving, creative cook, bold, brave, level headed, positive energy and attitude, a bit of a hippie, scuba diver, music lover, excellent communication abilities, some experience with sailing is preferred but not essential, a light packer, excellent problem solving skills. Be happy. Have good vibes. You are living on a sailboat in paradise after all, and if we get along then stay as long as you like.

Thanks for reading, let me know if you are interested in sailing with me. If you have any questions then please ask, I am more than happy to discuss me, my boat and my plans and I will always video chat several times before inviting someone onto my boat.

Position

Crew positionFriendship
Availability 20 Aug 2025 for the foreseeable future
Expenses to/from vesselPaid by crew
Expenses onboardContribution on a shared basis
Team / SoloNot important

Vessel

TypeSailing Yacht
Make/modelOlympic Sea 42
Length12 metres
Berth4
Sailing from Italy , Palermo
Sailing to General (Europe)
Language spoke aboardEnglish
Boat descriptionA 1991 Olympic Sea 42. Furling sails with all lines back to the cockpit for safety and solo sailing, well maintained, a good set of electronics and she sails beautifully. 3 double cabins (but the 3rd cabin is for equipment and storage so only 2 sleeping cabins), new cooker in the galley and a new 45l freezer. 400Ah of batteries and lots of solar. 220 litres of water storage plus a watermaker and 230 litres of diesel. New mast, standing rigging and running rigging in 2016. Last surveyed March 2019. Liferaft, EPIRB, AIS, oversized Rocna for secure nights at anchor. Dinghy with Mercury outboard. Paddleboard. Scuba tanks.

Skipper

NationalityEnglish/Canadian
Age55
GenderMale
Fluent languages English
Basic knowledge of French
German
Qualifications 1st Aid
CPR
RYA Day Skipper Practical
RYA Yachtmaster Theory
Short Range VHF / GMDSS
International Certificate Of Competency (ICC)
PADI - Instructor Development Course (IDC)
Sea Miles 2,500 - 10,000

Feedback

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Excellent first sailing experience !!

I spend 5 weeks on Mark's sailing vessel Elnath, and I really started to love boat life. Since it was my first sailing experience I enjoyed very much, getting to know a lot about sailing. Mark is a good teacher, great skipper and knows what he is doing! And he also has some amazing books around sailing! As a young woman I felt really comfortable with him and his boat very quickly. He is an honest, kind person, who hasn't forgotten about his inner child! :) I apprecciate our late night talks a lot, you can literally talk about everything with him! I would definitely recommend going on a sailing trip with Mark! Especially our 3-night crossing from Sicily to Kefalonia/Greece was an unforgettable experience, that I loved so much!!

5th Jul 2024

Sophiesmile

Safe space in the middle of the Med

I had the chance to crew for Mark in August and had the adventure of a lifetime! His yacht is a very reliable sailing vessel, making you feel at home right away and keeping you safe while on the journey. Mark has an amazing attitude, is very open minded and a lot of fun! He has a great sense of humour and countless of great stories to tell. His calm and unflappable attitude makes it easy to work through unexpected events together. He'd always explain situations and reassure his approach in difficult situations, keeping the crew in mind. We met as strangers and left as friends - I'll definitely be back as soon as I have the chance! Thank you for this journey, Mark!

30th Aug 2023

Cora.

My first experience as crew

I have been on Elnath from the end of March until the end of June 2023. I felt at home and was happy to find a welcoming and caring Skipper, with a great sense of humor. Mark is knowledgable, explains his reasoning, communicates his decisions clearly, values your input and has a plan for almost everything ready, buuut all plans are written in pencil.

4th Jul 2023

KathiHa

Great skipper and boat!

Safe skipper, cool guy, great boat. After 3 chilled weeks onboard I definitely recommend ?⛵?✅✅✅.

23rd Sep 2022

Anna W

Thank you Mark and Elnath

I crewed for Mark onboard Elnath mid-April until the end of June 2022. I joined them in Tunisia as a complete beginner sailor – no experience at all. We spent that first week in the marina getting to know each other and getting ready for our sail over to Licata Italy as soon as the weather granted. So, my first sail ever was cross continent, with a man I met on the internet! No lie, it takes a special kind of human for a young solo girl to choose to make this venture with. Luckily for me, Mark, from the get-go was an excellent captain and very patient. He made me feel straight at home onboard Elnath and during all our time sailing he took extremely good care of me and my good friend Cords when she later joined us. He always let me have more sleep on the crossings which was so great since I really needed it with some of my sea sickness in the beginning! He is Fair, honest, kind, direct and a great teacher! We sailed around the southeast coast of Italy up to Syracuse, from here over to Pylos Bay then we cruised the Ionian Sea for the lush majority. During this time, Mark taught me how to sail, anchor, do engine checks, navigate, steer, feel the wind and its direction, live on a boat! A fine art and practice that involves a lot of pumping the toilet flusher 17 odd times, washing dishes with saltwater and making friends with cockroaches (or more so screaming for Mark to kill them). Bless their little souls. We did have great fun though, visited so many beautiful places, met really lovely people and swam in such clear blue waters it was utter paradise. We even fitted a water maker! Credit where credits due, I was merely a nodder to his plans and a holder of tools his tools, whilst Mark carefully and cleverly constructed the system together. Another thing mark was always careful about planning was our voyages/destinations. By using the weather and various other apps, we were always sailing in safe weather and had solid anchorages. Plus, this way we were able to find some of the most magnificent spots! The trip was filled with laughter, storytelling, good food and rum cocktails! Cord and I even managed to drag Mark out for one night of wild fun in Zakynthos. Even here he was such an angel – waiting until the early hours of the morning after he’d gone back to the boat to come collect us both on his dingy. Mark will bend over backwards for his crew. I know he takes pride in that just as he takes pride in his crew. I feel very blessed to have had such a wonderful experience on a safe, sturdy vessel with a Captain equally as safe, and chilled. Though I am still very novice at the skills I learnt onboard; there’s one that way that can never be untaught, and that’s boat life. It’s safe to say Mark made a sailor of me and to this lifestyle I am hooked. Thank you mark. Thank you, Elnath. Thank you, fair winds, and sometimes following seas.

7th Sep 2022

Emily O'Rourke

Badass Skipper and Teacher

I hopped onto Elnath with Mark in Greece knowing nothing about boats or sailing. To say Mark was a patient, amazing teacher and friend is an understatement. I put all my trust in him in regards for my safety and I never once regretted it. Though we hit a few bumps along the road as all voyages do, Mark took them in a calm and calculated stride to protect his boat, crew and himself. Very grateful for the couple months I got to spend with him and learn on Elnath. Fair winds and following seas, Mark!

16th Feb 2022

FlourChild

Maiden Voyage

From Athens to Limassol, the maiden voyage had everything you could want. From calm serenity to some boystrous & challenging conditions, both Mark and his new home handled them within their stride. I felt comfortable and at ease with the capabilities of boat and skipper working together as one. We shared some good laughs, interesting debates and a democratic view on how we faced decisions, problems and i enjoyed the positive rhythmn that was created. I have skippered my own boat, delivered boats and sailed for fun on others boats, this is one boat i would return to without hesitation. Have an amazing summer, fair winds and fun new experiences.

6th Jun 2019