The first week ever of having SAT classes on Ipharra was a success. Five students and two teachers from Le Rosey just spent one week cruising along the coast of Corsica, from Ajaccio to Bonifacio and the Lavazzi Islands, then back to Ajaccio again.

The mornings were studious, from 9 a.m to 1 p.m, the students divided into two groups studied maths, vocabulary and verbal skills with their motivated teachers in order to get the best scores possible on the test they will be taking later on. Classes were held in the cockpit, in the classroom and on the flybridge, often finishing on the couch in the cockpit when it was time for individual work.

B r e a k f a s t

A classic - Eggs Benedict with Canadian Ham, Avocado & warm cherry tomatoes

Savoury - Beach Lovers Creamy Poached Eggs & Spicy Sausages

Sweet - Hotcake Towers with Bacon, Baked Bananas & Warm Rum Maple Syrup

Something different - Spanish Potato Omelette with Savoury Salsa

It has been decided!

Ipharra will sail around Corsica for the SAT preparation courses. The 102 feet catamaran will leave the port of Ajaccio on May 30th 2013 for an unforgettable SAT preparation cruise for a selected group of students.  The SAT preparation course will be held daily for Four hours either in the morning or afternoon depending on weather conditions. The Catamaran is equipped with all the amenities expected in a modern classroom, plus one that is not common - a view on the Corsican picturesque shores!

SAT students during their study break will be busy enjoying the numerous activities available on Ipharra such as water sports, snorkeling & kayaking.

The Catamaran will sail with its SAT students near Porto, Calvi, Île-Rousse as well as other unforgettable places (surprise!) and the crew also planned shore visits to add a little culture to this mind and body intensive cruise.

The Catamaran is scheduled to end it is cruise in the port of Ajaccio on July 7th.

In preparation for its summer cruises in Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, Malta, Turkish coast, Montenegro, the Croatian coast, and the Peloponnese. The big Catamaran is scheduled to stay in the Barcelona dry dock from May 15th   2013 to mid of June for its periodic maintenance. We hope to have time to sail in the black sea to visit the Crimea and its famous port cities like Yalta, Balaklava, Foros or Sebastopol before sailing to the Caribbean’s for the winter season.

From June 30th to July 7th 2013 Ipharra welcomes eight students for their SAT preparations. They will enjoy sun and water activities aboard the catamaran in between lessons. This combination of mind and physical sports is optimum to score high on their SAT, good luck (and a lot of hard work)! The catamaran crew has not decided if it will cruise around Corsica or up and down the Croatian coast.

The Turkish coast between Bodrum and Antalya is one of the most beautiful destinations for a Mediterranean cruise. A fusional mineral and marine landscape, coves, shelters and small harbours in profusion, a warm and transparent sea, a permanent sun… Discoveries ashore, small cafes, Greco-Roman ruins on one side, dives, snorkelling around rocks covered in sponges and corals, swimming and farniente in delicious waters, this “blue cruise” as the Turkish have it is a permanent enchantment.

Les côtes turques, entre Bodrum et Anatalya, sont parmi les plus belles destinations de croisières méditerranéennes. Un paysage minéral et marin fusionnel, des criques, abris et petits ports à profusion, une mer chaude et transparente, un soleil permanent... Découvertes à terre, petits bistrots, ruines gréco-romaines d'un côté, plongées, snorkeling autour des rochers couverts d'éponges et de coraux, natation et farniente dans des eaux délicieuses, cette "croisière bleue" comme l'appellent les Turcs, est un enchantement permanent.

Ipharra chef Duncan TAYLOR will prepare the dishes from cuisines from different countries of the world, will pair it up with the finest vine from Ipharra onboard exlusive wine collection and serve it with a panache.

Monday

Main
Selection of sushi and sashimi

Dessert
Fresh berry Pavalova with orange confit

Dinner

Starter
Trio of Sweetcorn with almond and saffron

Main
Bacon wrapped chicken with a potato rostie and baby vegetables

Dessert
Lemon tart with crème fraiche and raspberries
       

We are leaving this morning Ipharra, what a pity! We enjoy a last breakfast and then go for our last swim before getting ready for our trip back to Europe as we leave the boat at 10:30 am. A small place takes us from Beef Island to St-Marteen, where we board for our flight to Paris. Goodbye the BVIs and its dreamy islands, and goodbye Ipharra, we’ll see you on the next cruise!

We are headed for the Baths again for our last full day aboard Ipharra. When we arrive in the morning we do a fantastic dive, The Blinders (0.2nm S of Virgin Gorda). The swell and current are quite important so it makes it a sportive dive, but it’s definitely worth it! We see large boulders with arches and small caves, filled with bright yellow and light pink coral reef.

Many, many tropical fish are swimming around us, angelfish, reef fish, from every shade of all of the colors of the rainbow. We even see a nurse shark quietly sleeping in its cave!