A trip to the Western Mediterranean is the best way to visit some of the most well known destinations in Europe. There are thousands of itineraries and plenty of cruise ships that provide their services and trips to the western Mediterranean. However, there is no better way to travel than on your own chartered luxury yacht where you have no itineraries to follow and you can travel when you like, how you like and wherever you like it.

The Western Mediterranean
The best thing about the western Mediterranean is that it offers an all year good climate for cruising and sailing. A trip to this area could cover Italy, France and Spain. Some of the most well known and busiest ports in western Mediterranean are Tangier, Tunis, Gibraltar, Monte Carlo, Ibiza, Palma, Malaga, Nice, Livorno, Naples, Rome, Genoa and Barcelona. All of these ports are beautiful in their own way and are very rich in history, culture and architecture.

If you are travelling by a luxury yacht you can decide where you want to spend your time exploring the island and which beaches you would like to include in your travel. Western Mediterranean offer the world’s best scenery, beaches, trendy night life, cuisine and of course, shopping opportunities. A trip to the western Mediterranean can be fun as well as sophisticated.

The Mirabella V
If you are planning to travel to the western Mediterranean you can consider chartering a fine yacht like the Mirabella V which has been made especially for the Mediterranean waters. The yacht had been built in the year 2004 and therefore it is relatively new. It has a length of 75.22 meters and a cruising speed of 12. It is reliable, sturdy and perfectly stable on the waters and therefore quite a lot of people to use it for their Mediterranean cruises.

Accommodation
One of the best things about travelling by a luxury yacht is that it offers luxury in the true sense even when you are travelling. When it comes to the Mirabella V, accommodation is truly sophisticated, chic and very luxurious. The interiors of the yacht had been designed by Luciana Vittoria and R. Hollan who have managed to combine the best materials to create a beautiful and stylish interior.

Mirabella V can accommodate up to 12 guests and a crew of 12. It has five double cabins and two single cabins. All of the cabins have sumptuous decorations, luxurious bathrooms and of course, ample space for you to be comfortable.

Guests aboard Mirabella V can relax on the deck. The Jacuzzi has always been the favorite part of the yacht for all guests since they can enjoy soaking in the tub while enjoying the beautiful views of the ocean and enjoying the warm sun. You can entertain your guests indoors at the formal dining table or even outdoors under the clear skies if you want.

With so much to offer, there is no doubt that travelling by a luxury yacht is the best way to explore the western Mediterranean.

You may know what a radar is, but how do you actually go about using one? Remember that radars are devices that measure the time and bearing of surrounded objects. Once these factors are analyzed, the targets or echoes are calculated and then painted on your screen. This gives you a bird’s eye view of a local map. However, you are not just limited to large objects, but also landmasses, weather systems, and numerous other very subtle movements. A simple way of remembering this is that the boat radar shows you what is around you. The rest is left up to you.

So how do you navigate with a boat radar? When you set course for a certain area, very often, you have to struggle against the wind and the current. These factors can shift you off of your course, and if you have no boat radar or GPS system, then you could wind up lost before you know it. In order to determine your position you could use a Variable Range Marker and mark a range and bearing to certain targets. The VRM is a little mark that can be placed over any object on the radar. Once you mark it, the radar will let you know how many nautical miles are in between the object and your craft. You can also take advantage of an echo trail feature, which shows where a target used to be by way of an afterglow. The trail time setting is also adjustable. A boat radar can be used to determine range. Targets within the area reflect the radar pulse and can be traced from the craft to exact nautical miles.

Most boat radars will show a “lollipop” display, which includes vital information like the range of the display, land mass, selected waypoint, boat position, heading of boating, the boat’s bath, fixed range rings and waypoint bearing. It will take time memorizing what various blips on the screen represent. It helps to use your boat radar on clear days so you can teach yourself what an ordinary day looks like compared to a typical boating adventure.

You must plot and track targets manually even if you do have a boat radar. When doing this, you basically take a visual bearing on a certain vessel and then check it a few minutes later to see if its position has changed. Now you are able to plot the target’s position. As far as boat radar positioning goes, the bottom line is that you are taking a defensive, avoidance stance. Try to imagine that any blip on the screen, unless clearly identified, is a threat to you. Keep track of its position until you are sure that it is out of your way.

A radar is a very important tool to take along with you, as it provides more detailed information regarding weather patterns and objects in the water.

One of the big allures of sailing is laying back in warm sunshine and enjoying a leisurely broad reach to a favorite anchor spot, or conversing in the cockpit with friends decked out in only swim suits and flip flops. But many people miss out on an exciting time of year to sail, winter time. Obviously your lake or water body in which you sail can’t be slammed with a layer of ice but for those of us lucky enough to enjoy fairly mild winters, the cold months can be just as rewarding with canvas up as the warmer months.

Sailing in cold weather months is different than the warmer months for obvious reasons but a little chill in the air shouldn’t deter you from stretching your sea legs. Cold weather sailing usually has no lack of wind which is in contrast to those dog days of summer when you’d give your kingdom for just the hint of a breeze. Boating traffic is considerably less as well in winter months and many times on the large lake I sail in northern Texas, I’m the only boat out on a cloudless chilly day. I get to see wildlife I don’t see in the summer like certain species of ducks and waterfowl and of course the majestic Bald Eagle. It’s just a different experience. Beating against a cold northeast wind with rain pelting your foul weather gear is a rush that few sailors appreciate or enjoy. I do. Not that I’d like to sail in those conditions year round but it’s a nice contrast and challenges you to learn different skills and techniques.

The obvious preparations apply – warm foul weather gear, a thermos of soup and or coffee, insulated gloves and caps and a good dodger on the boat makes things a little more comfortable. With a little preparation and some appreciation for a different style of sailing, you too can take advantage of sailing times that few people choose to go out in.

Steve has been sailing for over 20 years and writing articles on the subject for nearly 4 years. In addition to an avid sailing interest, Steve’s marketing interest brings quality vendors of low priced breast pumps for new moms to his website cheap breast pumps which features all types of breast pumps like medela breast pumps as well as all breast feeding products.