Category: Ports of Call (Page 19 of 41)

Spinnakers are light weather sails that are very expensive and don’t get used all that often. Ours has paid for itself multiple times over this season and the run from Sardinia to Sicily was no different. Five boats had left Villasimius more or less at the same time, and four of us were flying spinnakers at one point or another. It was a beautiful sight to see!

The overnight sail turned out to be one of the best of the season with flat seas and good solid steady wind from the right direction. There was only a sliver of a moon, which meant we had a star-studded night. There was lots of chatter on the radio – one funny voice we had heard a few times now calling out in a whisper: “Mario, I cannot see you but I can smell you!” It was definitely worth a giggle when he came on. A more serious radio experience was that of the authorities asking for boat name and numbers on board. We later learned that it was the Coast Guard near Lampedusa Island, the closest point of landing from Africa, and migrants were attempting to come in. We only heard part of the broadcast, but a fellow cruiser later said that people had already jumped out of the boat and into the water trying to make it to land. It’s a sobering reminder of the desperation that others are facing today.

The east coast of Sardinia continued to deny us a comfortable anchorage. The swell had reduced greatly, so we decided to anchor at Cala Foxxi Manna, and were pleased to see one other boat already anchored there when we arrived (a possible indication that it wasn’t too rolly). Another boat joined us soon after, and unfortunately all three of us bucked and rolled all night long. Our boat is heavy and normally this would not be a problem, but I think I’ve gotten spoiled this season with calm anchorages, so neither of us got a good night sleep and both were ready to move a early the next day. The spinnaker run we were able to do at least made up for the bad night’s rest. It was finally beautiful sailing again!

We dropped anchor around the southeast corner of Sardinia, in the huge Golfo di Carbonara. A lovely big bay with lots of room for boats in crystal clear water. This was our last stop in Sardinia, and it was time to rest for a couple of days before heading off to Sicily. The Italian Coast Guard came by while we were organizing ourselves, and Trip went below to get our boat paperwork while I started taking lines so they could tie off to us, Suddenly the skipper indicated there was no reason to tie off, I handed back the line, and they were gone just like that. I joked to Trip that it might have been that they checked by radio and confirmed that our paperwork was in order, or they might have gotten scared of the fact that I wasn’t wearing a bra, only a tank top that showed off my sagging ‘assets’ to all…..

We got a lot done while we were there. We provisioned and did a couple of loads of laundry (with the best smelling laundry detergent to date!). For a change of scene we went to a beach and hung out with the locals, which was great for people watching. The walk back from that beach included a boardwalk out over a brackish pond where flamingoes live (much too far to get a photo, so you have to take my word for it that we saw them).

We also did everything imaginable to stay cool. Europe is once again in the midst of a massive heat wave (named Cerberus after the three-headed mythical dog) and we were in the hot zone – literally. Cagliari, just west of us, would hit a record of 115 F (45.9 C)! Swimming was a must, with nearly everyone around us in the water multiple times a day. Unfortunately it was during one of those swims that Trip was checking the anchor and found that our chain had dropped in between two rocks and wrapped around others, He got out of the scuba tank and went down to work on the situation. We then upped anchor and reset so that when we finally needed to leave we wouldn’t have an emergency.

Our final night we walked into the beach town of Villasimius. While having cocktails I managed to stain my white linen pants. I asked the waiter for some water, and in perfect Italian fashion he instead brought a special stain remover spray and sponge – I would expect nothing less! We did dinner at a local street food place with great kebabs and upside down salads (meat on the bottom, arugula and Parmesan on top). We had time for a final round of provisioning (one last bottle of mirto – they won’t have this in Sicily!), and splurged on a cab ride home to the bay.

My dreams of exploring the Gulf of Orosei were dashed by the weather – the combination of an easterly wind, an easterly swell, and no land protection would make this anchorage untenable, so we had to push on. Several miles south, I had Arbatax listed on the chart as having good protection from both swell and wind from the east/south, so we decided to rest there for the night. Unfortunately the winds shifted to the northeast and we were forced to drop anchor in the messiest chop (along with 12 other boats that read the weather wrong). Fortunately the weather lay down within a couple of hours and we got a decent rest that night. The reviews of Arbatax are not kind, but we decided to head ashore for the morning anyway.

We found the Coast Guard station right away and had them stamp our constituto. These papers, which are only required for non EU-flagged vessels, always seem to confound the authorities. We are supposed to get them stamped whenever we are in a harbor where there is a Coast Guard presence. However, we hadn’t had ours stamped in weeks. The islands didn’t have a Coast Guard, and towns that did usually had no office open. Luckily these officials didn’t think it strange that we hadn’t gotten a stamp recently and happily stamped it for us. Then they argued amongst themselves about whether or not the next port even had a Coast Guard. It was all done in a good natured way, so we weren’t too worried.

We walked along the red rocks that line the edges of the harbor, stopped at a supermarket stand to stock up on provisions, and treated ourselves to lunch at a local butcher/chop house. I savored a local Sardinian red wine along with a local Sardinian steak (that only cost $20!) and the creamiest roast potatoes. The reviews of Arbatax might not be generous, but we were thrilled with the small town and would definitely come back.

The famous island of Tavolera was not in the cards for us or even the mega yachts with the wind and swell plowing in from the south east. However, we were lucky enough to drop anchor with a spectacular view of the island (along with all those mega yachts). Cala Girgolu, as it turns out, is rather like the Baths in the British Virgin Islands. The coast is littered with stunning rock formations that are only accessible by boat, swimming, or a long, hot, sweaty hike. (Trip rowed, I paddle boarded).

We had seen ice cream boats in other anchorages, but now we discovered the Bar Boat! A wave of the hand was enough to get their attention, and soon enough Trip was enjoying ice cream while I had a lemonade & Mirto slushee (of course with Mirto made by one of the boat owners).

I had a flash of realization while in this anchorage…..in all the cruising we had been doing in the islands, we had seen no private docks (marinas excluded). The waterfront is considered a protected public space. If there is a beach, motorized boats of any sort aren’t allowed at all unless there is a ‘dinghy lane’. Even anchoring must be done 300 feet from the beach, allowing swimmers and others a safe place to enjoy themselves. A refreshing change from the US, where there seems to be a constant battle between public and private access to the waterfront.

We opted to take the train to Olbia, since we were happy with the Aranci anchorage. We were late getting ashore and even later walking in the heat to the train station, so we were pleasantly surprised to find a conductor who helped us make sure we got the right tickets from the automated machine just minutes before the train left.

We had really wanted to go to the archeological museum, but of course it was Monday and it was closed. We settled for culurgiones for lunch at a local restaurant.

It was brutally hot (the beginning of the Cerberus heat wave in Europe, because all weather phenomenon are now being named). I wasn’t in the mood to walk much, but we did make it to the Basilica of San Simplico. Unlike the ornate churches and cathedrals that we had seen in Europe to date, this church (built in the 11th century) is incredibly simple in its construction, but beautiful in its own right. Unfortunately the necropolis below was closed (Monday), so we made do with the church before heading back.

We sailed past the Costa Smerelda (the Emerald Coast), where all the celebrities and wealthy keep their fabulous McMansions and mega yachts.

We tucked around the corner into the Golfo Aranci (Gulf of Oranges). It boasted an underwater modern art museum that was a bit underwhelming, but fun to visit by dinghy and snorkel for an afternoon.

One of the best parts of this anchorage were the dolphins that came to visit around sunset. So many people were ashore having dinner, and dolphins were casually swimming around all our boats. I don’t care how common dolphins are, I will never be tired of them.

As we were coming ashore one day, I managed to catch a photo of a mermaid statue in the harbor. When we came back to the dinghy at the end of the day, the statue was gone! After some careful googling, we learned that it rises from the sea twice a day to show herself, and we were lucky to be there at one of those times. A wonderful and unique greeting to locals, fishermen, and tourists.

I love the islands, but we needed to to laundry and we needed some provisions! It was off to Canningione on the mainland of Sardinia for both (I know – Sardinia is an island too, but I was referring to the numerous little islands off the Sardinian coast – it is eye opening to find how many of these little islands there are). I set out to do the laundry while Trip went to try to register us with the local Costeria Guardia (who are never in the office). I got three big loads done, Trip found a great chandlery, and the grocery store was close to the dinghy dock – score! We treated ourselves to a charcuterie plate and some wine at a local enoteca. Italy laws may drive you crazy (registering the boat everywhere we go, trying to dispose of trash, etc), but the food really does make up for it.

We were in town for a couple of days waiting for the winds to change so we could start our trip south. Saturday afternoon we were lucky enough to get front row seats to a Sardinian wedding when we had lunch at a cafe in the main square across from the local church. Sigh…..the fashion….men with no socks and beautiful leather shoes…..women in colors we never wear in the US. It was so fun to ogle.

The trick to anchorages and moorings is to plan your arrival for late morning, as everyone is vacating for the next cove. We lucked out on Caprera Island and got a mooring (I have mastered laying down on deck, hanging out of the lifelines, to get a line through the ring as no pennants are provided).

The harbor is home to a sailing school, and we would watch 50 dinghies go out every morning and afternoon to practice. Boats further out in the anchorage found themselves as marks sometimes, with dinghies tacking to get around them.

We took the dinghy ashore and stretched our legs with a walk to a local restaurant for lunch in the woods. Along the way we foraged for wild figs and black raspberries, and saw lots of evidence of wild boars (they are incredibly destructive and dig up everything in their way).

That evening, we had new neighbors Tim and Sharon aboard for drinks (they were kind enough to bring Pimms cups in honor of Wimbledon). A British couple, they knew New Jersey well, as they lived in Morristown for a couple of years. It’s always funny how small this world really is!

We wanted a change of scenery and still needed protection from the strong westerlies, so we headed up to the northern side of La Maddelena Island. What we didn’t anticipate about the anchorage was that it was a low lying side of the island with almost no land to protect us from wind. However, there was no swell whatsoever, and we were the only ones in that part of the anchorage. We watched local kids out in dinghies (dinghies can do incredible speed in 20 knots!) and enjoyed a beautiful sunset all to ourselves.

The posts for this part now start with a sunset and end with day shots, since the pattern in the Maddalena Islands is to arrive and anchor at the end of the day after the day tour boats have left (and you have the anchorage to yourself). Have a wonderful night of a cove to yourself, get up, and over breakfast, around 9:30, the onslaught of another day’s worth of daytrippers arrive.

We left Asinara Island with 50 miles to do to get to the Maddalenas – the other marine sanctuary in Sardinia. We were waiting for the winds to calm (toward the Maddalenas they were still blowing in the 30’s) and the seas to calm down (we already had two choppy sails and we didn’t need another).

The wind now was almost too light, so we motored for a bit here and there, but the seas were calm and it was a nice sail. It got a bit sporty as expected when we got to the islands (the wind & seas build as they get squeezed between Sardinia to the south and Corsica to the north) and it was blowing mid-20’s, but we were prepared. The anchorage I had picked was empty (a boat seemed to be chasing people out), and we quickly realized that it was unsuitable with the winds and swell. Luckily I had a backup picked just a mile around the corner. We dropped anchor among four other boats and relaxed.