Once upon a time ...

Lets start with the begin. On pages Back in time, 1991-2000 I am trying to document how I got into boating, my early experiences and how I finally became a boat owner and we did our first trip in the Med. No, the Olden Days were not happy ones from the start, but eventually more favourable winds would pick up and continue.

Earlier cruises on chartered boats

Jane and I chartered a motor yacht (bareboat) in Croatia for the first time in 2000 and then year after year from 2001 to 2010. These cruises, today almost historic, are documented on the respective pages about cruises on chartered boats in Croatia.

In 2008 and 2009 we chartered a motor yacht in Turkey, too.

These cruises were lovely and we hold on to fond memories of them. They also fuelled our desire to do similar trips on a boat of our own one day.
Trying out a range of different motor boats over the years further provided us valuable experience to get it right when the time came to buy our vessel for the Med.

Cruising on Motor Yacht 'Tarilian', Trader 535

From 2010, having released the time constraints of full-time employment, my partner Jane and I started getting serious with our own motor boat, first season in Falmouth.

In 2011, cruising on our own steam from Falmouth to the Med along the Atlantic coast, via Gibraltar and towards the Balearic islands;
in 2012, across the Mediterranean sea, taking in the islands of Sardinia and Sicily, and round the Italian heel to the Adriatic sea and Croatia.
The story of our voyage from Cornwall to the Adriatic sea unfolds on page 2010-2012 Falmouth to the Med

From 2013 Tarilian has been based in Croatia as our 'cruising home'. The numerous Dalmatian islands have provided practically inexhaustible cruising grounds.
Read about our boating in Dalmatia and beyond on pages Croatia I: 2013-2016 and overview, continued on Croatia II: 2017-2020. 

Coverage of our post-Covid years is found on pages Croatia III: 2022-2025 where we extend our experience towards Istria, the Kvarner islands and Venice.

In early 2026 we finally have to retire from cruising in the Med for personal and health reasons. The memories of the "Tarilian years", 2011 - 2025, form the main content of this site.

For those into traditional boats, full details about the yacht, a Trader 535 Signature, our experience, customization and maintenance are on page Tarilian - Trader 535. It's the story of my ownership over 17 years from purchase to completion of sale.

About me

I am Austrian; I lived in Vienna my native town until I moved to the UK in 1994. I live with my partner, Jane, in West London.
I am a supporter of the Royal Yachting Association (RYA), whose skipper training I did, and of the RLNI.

I enjoy coastal and inland cruising in the UK and, preferably, in warmer climes - as long as it's a boat which I can helm myself with a single crew.
"Messing in (motor) boats" intrigues me; taken seriously, boat ownership is a complex and engaging hobby and a varied pastime.
I have experienced that misfortune can strike or defects can arise, which cause disruption, hassle and possibly financial losses. Managing this risk is part of boat ownership I am afraid.

Having said the above, it is obvious that cost reduced ownership schemes, like Yacht Sharing or fractional ownership, are unsuitable to me.

Getting afloat means to me making my individual desires happen, getting into nature and escaping from daily grind. I am happy to take a couple of good friends on board for a trip, but using a boat mainly as a platform for drinking parties of ten or so is alien to me. As a cruising boater, I like the freedom to choose and roam as and where I like; Jane and I mostly sail as a couple.

From my academic education I am an engineer of electronics and I worked for years in telecoms. Nautical interest did not come early into my life; living in Vienna I took a first inland sailing course at the age of 32; the sailing training experience was frustrating and first practical trips at the Adriatic sea left me feeling unfit for the sport and its challenges. It was a few years later, living in the UK and inspired by friends, when I rekindled my interest. I started it all again with RYA training; taking out a boat was becoming a pleasure and confidence was acquired. Living by the river Thames we bought our first own small motor cruiser in 1998, and so the voyage started.

Once you have caught the bug of boating you can easily be hooked. I owned planning boats on the English South coast and a day cruiser on the river Thames at the same time. Then Tarilian followed, the Trader 535 was in the Med and a smaller boat still on the river; from 2020 I had 'only' Tarilian. Something was missing; in 2025 I bought us a nice used Merry Fisher 805, 'This Summer', to get us afloat near home again.

It's been a long learning experience, one which never ends and can always surprise.

Anyhow, I always liked taking photos and capturing memories on journeys. My cruise logs are illustrated travel journals for myself and friends. It's personal and subjective stuff. I am not a social media person but pleased to share this part of my hobbies with others who might be on a similar wavelength.

Thank you for your interest,

Wilhelm

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