Sunday 20th May 2012 And we're off! Another season has just started, I can't believe this is our fourth summer on board Zaffina, but if it's anything like as good as the last three, then it should be wonderful. We've had an interesting couple of weeks since we left Jersey. Frank had decided that we would drive down, and hey, what's sixteen hundred miles on the road? In fact, it was brilliant if exhausting. We had a stopover for a day in Salzburg which was beautiful, especially as Frank had booked us into a castle on a lake for two nights and the weather was just gorgeous. I even managed, somehow, to get a hat for Christian and Leonie's wedding to exactly match my outfit in the first shop we walked into! We drove to Berchtesgarten but couldn't go up to the Eagle's Nest (Hitler's retreat, perched high on a mountainside above the town) as it wasn't open until later in the month, but we did visit Konigsee, a stunning lake far below. Austria was in full bloom, with all the meadows covered by a carpet of spring flowers and their scent in the air was a delight as we drove along with the roof down. The weather got better as we got further south until, two days later, we were haring along the Croatian motorways at 90 or so mph, roof down, music playing and a warm wind blowing around us. When we got to Dubrovnik there were a few problems with the boat, the main one being with the thrusters - the things that enable a boat to move sideways, which are essential when trying to negotiate in port when there's any wind - and until everything was sorted, we couldn't move on. Instead, we hopped back in the car and went to Bosnia! Not everyone's first choice for a holiday admittedly, but the old town in Mostar was beautiful although hugely damaged during the war and a lot of the buildings were either just burnt out shells or showing evidence of gunfire. Nearby was the largest natural water source in Europe (ok, so they're not technically in Europe...) and on the way back to Croatia we visited some amazing waterfalls which we had almost to ourselves. So, that was all a little adventure in itself. We finally left Dubrovnik yesterday morning in glorious sunshine (the really good weather broke last weekend and it's been mixed since then) but quite chilly once we were underway, so well wrapped in jeans and sweaters rather than the T-shirt and bikini cruising of last summer. Hopefully that is still to come! When we set off, we hadn't decided where to spend the night - Sipan was a favourite from last year, but only an hour from Dubronik so too close; Mljet was another obvious choice as was Korcula, but eventually we completed about 3/4 of our journey to Split and opted to stay overnight in the beautiful marina at Palmezana, a stone's throw from Hvar. And here we are now! The marina is almost empty this early in the season, with just a handful of yachts keeping us company, the sunlight is sparkling on the water and birds are singing their hearts out in the pine trees nearby. Life is good. Today we intend to complete our trip to Split, then Frank will fly home for a few days whilst I stay on board and explore the town. Our first guests arrive next weekend, and hopefully the rain which is forecast to arrive this afternoon will have passed through by then, and the summer will be on its way.