Gales, gales and yet more gales....

Gulf of Arzachena

Gulf of Arzachena

Once we'd crossed the Bonifacio Straits into Sardinian waters we needed to find a safe haven for a few days as strong north easterly winds were expected. We decided on the very sheltered Porto Palma on the south of the island of Caprera in the Maddalena archipelago. This bay, needless to say, was firmly in the national park where you are charged not only to pick up a buoy but also to drop your own anchor in their pristine waters. It was the end of the season and with the weather deteriorating we decided to risk it. 


We found a great spot in the north eastern corner of this lovely bay and had fun watching the dinghies from the two sailing schools zip by. There were noticeably more yachts here than in Corsica and the anchorage was filling up fast. Unfortunately our time in this lovely spot was cut short the following morning with the arrival of the park warden. We paid our dues and were allowed to stay for one more night as long as we were gone before they arrived at 10 the next morning. 

Cala Gavetta marina, La Maddalena

Moored up in Cala Gavetta marina

La Maddalena promenade

The predicted wind speeds were forecast to increase. To avoid paying to sit out the storm at anchor we sailed south a couple of miles to the Sardinian mainland to a bay in the north eastern corner of the Gulf of Arzachena which looked like it might afford a good lee from the north easterly winds. It proved to be a great little spot with good shelter and a supermarket just up the road where we could replenish our dwindling supplies. With the wind and rain fast approaching we raced ashore to Baia Sardinia, a rather bizarre purpose built high end tourist resort on the edge of the Costa Smeralda. It served its purpose and we were soon back on the boat before the heavens opened. The storm was now due to pass overhead with an overnight shift of gale force winds. We had already sat out two days of bad weather but with the forecast winds increasing to 50+ knots with non stop torrential rain we decided we'd had enough. We donned our waterproof clothing and braved the elements for the hour long journey back up to La Maddalena island and the safety of Cala Gavetta marina.

La Maddalena harbour

La Maddalena

We stayed put for a few days and enjoyed re-exploring La Maddalena. We'd stopped here briefly ten years ago so it was nice to refresh our memories. It also coincided with the Rugby World cup and an important Welsh game. We dressed up head to toe in our waterproof gear and made a dash for a port side bar that was showing the game. A good result but the weather had deteriorated further during the match. We stood in the doorway watching the road turning into a river. There was no sign

The roads turn to rivers

of a respite so we just had to go for it and wade back. At least the boat got a good clean! Thankfully by morning the sun was shining again and finally the winds were starting to drop.

Cala di Volpe

Waiting for favourable winds, Olbia town quay

Unfortunately the weather was very unsettled and there were yet more gales forecast to come our way. We decided to move before the next one arrived and had a lovely sail down past Porto Cervo to Cala di Volpe, a wonderfully protected shallow inlet. In the summer it is full of the jet set in their super yachts and noisy toys but in October there were only a couple of other yachts for company. We enjoyed a day of calm and were able to dive under the boat to do a final bottom clean before it started howling again. We ended up staying put for a week and sitting out two more gales. We were beginning to wonder if we were ever going to be able to make the 200 miles across the Tyrrhenian Sea to our winter destination of Gaeta lying between Rome and Naples on the Italian mainland. With easterly winds forecast and our food stores again depleting we dropped down to Olbia town quay to wait for favourable winds. It was a convenient spot right in town but sadly there have been a lot of thefts from boats in broad daylight so one of us always stayed on board.

Yet another gale heading our way

Approaching Gaeta by sea

Yet another gale blew through and with a small window we set sail as the westerly winds were abating. It was a bumpy but extremely fast crossing and we dropped anchor in Gaeta harbour with an hour to spare before the start of the Wales v Australia game! We had hoped to stop in the Pontine islands before tying ourselves up for the winter but they will have to wait for some calm seas in the Spring. Yet more rain and wind was on its way so we decided to call it a day and head into Gaeta marina.

Gaeta harbour

On the move again...

Leaving La Grande Motte, France

Back in Monastir

Time seems to have flown by and it was soon time to cast off the lines and set sail again. We thoroughly enjoyed the warm climate Monastir had to offer as well as the social camaraderie of the few English speaking cruisers that came and went during our stay. We had a change of scenery in February when we flew to the south of France to help some friends bring their new catamaran back from La Grande Motte to Tunisia. Not a great time of year to be sailing in the notorious Gulf of Lyon and we duly set off in strong northerly winds which were forecast to drop. Instead they increased rapidly to gale force. Five days later with everything intact we arrived in Monastir. It was nice to be back in the sunshine. The girls continued to meet for morning walks and we swapped a couple of days for pilates in an effort to trim up for the season. Otherwise it was on with the numerous boat jobs. We had a dinghy cover made as well as a new sun awning, cockpit cushions and wheel and outboard covers. Ride of a Lifetime was beginning to look quite smart! Having stocked up with the delicious Harissa chilli paste and diesel at 0.50 euro cents per litre we just needed to give the boat a final wash to remove all the red Saharan sand that seemed to have got into everything and we were finally ready for off.

Identified as a western yellow wagtail by my twitcher sister

Coda Cavallo, Sardinia

We set sail in early May after waiting some time for suitable winds. We decided to make the most of the force 5 southerlies when they arrived and go for north east Sardinia in one hop. We managed to sail for most of the three day passage but the weather soon deteriorated and we saw more rain and cloud than we had throughout our winter in Monastir and we were back in our winter fleeces! We picked up a few exhausted migrant passengers of the feathery variety as night fell on the third night. By day break we were now a short distance from land and once recovered the wagtails and swift happily continued on their way. We finally anchored in Coda Cavallo, a beautiful bay just south of Olbia for a couple of nights. Thankfully the sun came out, we watched dolphins play in the bay and we had our first swim of the season. Unfortunately during the passage we sprang a fresh water leak which we didn't notice until the saloon was awash. At least the floors got a good clean. The faulty accumulator tank was fixed by removing it and bunging the open pipe with a wooden plug. A couple of hours later the bung flew out which resulted in more clean floors but this time the bilge pump decided to fail. With strong winds forecast and our precious freshwater reserves now very low we decided to sail into Olbia and moor alongside the free harbour wall. We spent the day fixing the problems and shopping for all things Italian. By evening all yachts were turfed off the wall to make way for the early morning arrival of a 1934 Italian navy sail training vessel. We anchored in the harbour and were up at 8am to watch the Palinuro being towed to her alongside berth.

The sail training ship Palinuro alongside Olbia town quay

The following day we treated ourselves to a night in Marina di Olbia. We caught up with old friends, did a huge supermarket shop, cleaned the decks of yet more Saharan sand and topped up with freshwater. We left the next morning and with yet more strong winds forecast we spent the next few days anchored in Cala di Volpe waiting for the Mistral to abate. As soon as the winds dropped we continued north past Porto Cervo admiring the superyachts as we went and spent our last night on Sardinia at anchor in Golfo delle Saline. We planned to make a very early start the following morning to cross the notorious Bonifacio Straits over to Corsica.

Summer at last

We had business back in the UK to sort out so instead of setting sail as planned at the beginning of May we extended our marina contract by a month so we could guarantee good post and email communications. The weather hadn't been too bad in April but it was a wet and windy May. In between gales we managed a quick break in a nearby anchorage and dived under the boat into the icy water, scrapers in hand, to remove some of the winter growth. Instead of the mussel farm we expected we found a thick shag pile carpet interspersed with barnacles. It is quite pricey to have the boat hauled out in Italy so we have opted to have this done in Tunisia. We still need to be able to get there at more than 2 knots an hour so it was important to remove as much of the growth as possible! We finally left the marina for good at the beginning of June after a couple of drinks dos with friends and a farewell pizza at Roxy's.

Ride of a Lifetime enjoying the turquoise waters

The wind had abated and the sun was shining. Summer at last. We set off for pastures new north of Olbia and chilled in Cala di Volpe for a few days. The pilot book promised turquoise waters and exquisite surroundings. We definitely got the turquoise waters up the sheltered creek. Bliss for a few days in June but no doubt very crowded in July and August. The superyachts were beginning to appear and ribs of all sizes flitted past night and day. With a decent weather window forecast it was time to leave the glitzy Costa Smeralda behind and head south down the east coast of Sardinia and over to Sicily. We returned to Olbia to pick up diesel and water and made our way to one of the numerous Tavolara bays before beginning our journey south.

Cala di Volpe and the superyachts

Winter in Sardinia - Olbia

Marina di Olbia opened in 2009 and although the pontoons are all in place it is still lacking infrastructure. The shops, bars and restaurants lining the marina have still to be built. It is a ten minute walk to a large shopping centre which includes a large grocery store for all your daily needs. A further five minutes and you will find Roxy’s, a local bar and good value pizza joint. For a wider selection of restaurants and ships chandlers you will need to take the marina courtesy bus into Olbia town a few minutes’ drive away. A half an hour walk will get you to the Costa Smeralda airport offering flights throughout the winter months. There are stunning anchorages closeby in the Tavolara national park. Lots of sandy bays and beautiful turquoise waters. Surprisingly, with all the area has to offer, there are only a few other cruisers here which has made for a very different winter experience. We plan to make use of the planes and ferries on our doorstep and to visit Milan, Venice and Rome. Car hire is relatively cheap and we are looking forward to discovering many of the delights Sardinia has to offer.

Marina di Olbia

A Ride of a Lifetime 2012

 

 

Methoni

Kioni

We set sail again early May in company with our friends and retraced our steps west along the north coast of Crete. With a good weather window we finally departed Crete from Rethymnon and did an overnight passage back up to Elafonisos where we planned to spend a few days enjoying this lovely deserted sandy anchorage. With the need for water and food at the back of our minds it was soon time to continue our journey west round the Peloponnese. We managed to stock up with food in Methoni but had to continue to Pylos before filling the water tanks. Our next stop was Katakolo harbour. From here we took the train to ancient Olympia but unfortunately were just a few days too late to witness the lighting of the Olympic flame and the start of its journey to London. We were soon back in the Ionian and stopped at Poros on Kefalonia and Kioni on Ithaca before finally tying ourselves ashore in a bay on Meganissi for a well deserved reading and swimming rest. We spent the next couple of months chilling in the Ionian and partying with old friends and new.
 

Chilling on Meganissi

It was soon time to tear ourselves away from familiar waters and set sail for Rocella Ionica,Italy, in August. The free marina was no longer free but you could still order pizzas by the metre. We retraced our wake from 2005 up through the straits of Messina and on up the coast of Italy until we reached Ponza. From here we set sail for Sardinia and after an overnight passage dropped anchor in the lovely turquoise waters of one of the many bays in the Tavolara national park. We explored the numerous stunning anchorages in this area before heading up the Gulf of Olbia and into Marina di Olbia for winter.
 

Gulf of Olbia looking East