It was soon getting too hot to hang around in a marina. We'd enjoyed our introduction to Monastir and are really looking forward to returning later in the year. Before we left we bought four 20 litre plastic cans from a spice shop (?!) and filled everything we could up with diesel at .55 eurocents per litre. Next stop was police and customs who then escorted us back to the boat for a cursory search and to cast off our lines. We had a fun night dodging numerous fishing boats during our 18 hour passage to Lampedusa.
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| Tunisian fishing boat at dawn |
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| Looking for breakfast |
Lampedusa is the largest of the three Pelagie islands which rise from the African continental shelf. It is barren and rocky and a first choice destination for hundreds of African migrants. Pope Francis beat us to the island by a couple of days and held an open air mass near a "boat cemetery" where the hulks of shipwrecked migrant boats lie in the sun. Lampedusa is also well known for its crystal clear waters and is popular with divers.
Lampedusa's turquoise waters
We caught up with our sleep in a lovely anchorage next to Conigli island well known for its stunning beach and turquoise waters. It has even been named as the best beach in the world on Tripadvisor this year. By mid morning you couldn't see the beach for umbrellas and bodies and we too were soon surrounded by boats of all shapes and sizes. After a couple of days we ventured into the main port and had a mooch around town. The pedestrian high street was awash with bars and Italian young things back from a day out toasting on the beach. We found a couple of shops, stocked up, and were soon on our way back to the turquoise waters for a couple more days chilling and snorkelling before heading east to Malta.
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Cala Palma, Lampedusa harbour
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| Cala Palma, Lampedusa harbour |
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| Lampedusa welcomes Pope Francis |
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