Hello Patrick and Chris, Good to hear that you survived your first winter in the Med. Departing Barcelona in early April lasy year to work our way across the Mediterranean, we found the the winter weather had not yet died down and faced much heavier winds than we expected. Things had settled by mid-May, so if I were doing it again, I'd delay my departure until mid-May. As for potential places to winter, you didn't mention Croatia which Judy and I consider the crown jewel of our Mediterranean cruising. Based on the six weeks we spent cruising the coast of Croatia and the warm welcome we received, I'd consider wintering in Dubrovnik if I had it to do again. English is widely spoken by virtually everyone under the age of 50 and, like Turkey, it had the advantage of being outside the EU so the VAT clock stops. Friends who have wintered in Turkey and Malta speak highly of both places, though from what I hear getting a winter berth in Malta can be a challenge. Enjoy your Med cruising! --Milt Baker, Nordhavn 47 Bluewater, Fort Lauderdale Patrick wrote: We spent our first winter in the Med in Cape d'Agde, France. It was a little colder than we thought but we enjoyed it very much...We are just about to start East exploring slowly, rest of France,?Italy, Corsica, Adriatique ?and are wondering where to spend next winter (Nov to April). We are looking at Malt, Tunisia and Turkey. We love to be able to swim as much as possible, learn about history, play golf and do a lot of walking and bicycling...Would love to meet other cruisers...Any advices??