The train into Tunis turned out to be quite an experience - and great fun! We spent half of the day wandering around the Souk which is just amazing; it hasn't changed much in a couple of thousand years, although I'm not sure they sold quite so many nylon belly dancing outfits back then! The alleyways are very narrow with a cobbled gutter running down the centre and each side is lined with shop after narrow shop, all overflowing with brightly coloured merchandise. Vendors expect you to haggle and once you have agreed a price, they invariably get a huff on to give the impression that you have done them out of a great deal of money. Believe me, you haven't! If you pay as much as half the original asking price, you have paid too much.
Although Tunis was busy and the souk was teeming with people, we felt really safe in the city and there was a very vibrant, friendly atmosphere. In the train on the way back to Sidi Bou Said, young people stood up to give their seats to the elderly (no, they didn't stand up for us, but thanks for the thought...) and when a young disabled boy got on, other passengers made sure that he was okay and generally looked to his wellbeing.
After a tiring day in the city, we had a quiet evening on board before setting off on our last sea voyage of the season. There was a certain amount of wave noise on the hull during the night and when we got up in the morning, we were still moving a bit but the forecast was good so we set off after breakfast. Conditions in the bay of Tunis were fine - a little bit of residual swell but nothing uncomfortable as we motored towards Cape Bon. Before we reached the north eastern tip of Tunisia, we passed the yacht which had been moored in front of us the previous day and left several hours before us in the morning. We slowed up and they waved as we passed, one of the crew holding up a fish which he had evidently caught en route!
The sea was - as expected - a bit lumpier as we went round the Cape although once passed, we expected it to die down a bit. It didn't! There was more of a swell here but longer than the usual abrupt Mediterranean swell and it took a while to abate. Things finally improved as we got closer to Hammamet but it wasn't good enough for us to anchor off as we had hoped, and instead we went straight into our winter port. We intended to fuel up before berthing, but the fuel station wanted cash (another one!) and we didn't have enough in the kitty so we went straight to the pontoon and spent an age getting Zaffina securely onto her mooring.
Port Yasmin is a good choice for the winter - very sheltered, very secure and very inexpensive! We were relieved to be offered guardianage services as we had been concerned that it might be difficult to find someone to look out for Zaffina whilst we are away, but there are a couple of businesses run by English people at the marina. All the formalities with customs and police were dealt with surprisingly easily and this time with no requests for "gifts".
Once we had dealt with all the relevant paperwork and sorted ourselves out, we turned our attention to the important question of how to celebrate Frank's birthday! In the end, we hired a car and drove about 500 miles down to the Atlas Mountains where we stayed at a fabulous hotel with the most amazing views of a ruined village on the opposite hillside. The highlight of the trip was his birthday dinner. The hotel erected a Berber tent on the terrace overlooking the village and surrounded it with hundreds of candles. When we walked in for dinner, the meal was set up on a low table with 2 cushions on the floor and whilst we ate, we were entertained by a Berber flute player. He was even more entertained when Frank had a go with the flute and couldn't get more than a windy parp out of it! The evening finished with mint tea and a shisha pipe - traditional Tunisian style!
Yesterday we made an 8 hour drive back to Zaffina via the mountains, a salt lake, palm oases and olive groves - exhausting, but fascinating.
Now it is time to start clearing, cleaning, packing and generally preparing for our flight home. The summer has been an amazing experience and our Azimut has once again exceeded all expectations. The time has just flown past and I can honestly say that we've loved just about every moment of it (except maybe the incident with the rock!!)
Thanks for reading my blog - tune in again in the springtime of 2010 for more exciting episodes of Zaffina in the Med!
Wednesday, 20 October 2010
Sunday, 10 October 2010
10/10/10
We were up before the sun on our last morning in Sardinia - a rare occurence on this trip - and out of the harbour before it was fully light. Fortunately, this late in the year that's not quite as early as it may sound! As we gently motored away from Capitana, the sea was calm although there was a slight swell but nothing to bother Zaffina, and a couple of tuna or similar large fish played in our wake. The weather kept almost exactly to the predictions of the forecast - the wind came up a bit, the swell increased a bit, and once we were well away from the land, the going was a bit bumpier. Our first waypoint was over 100 miles out, which meant a four hour stint with no change of direction, and by the time we were close to it, the wind had dropped off quite a bit but the swell had risen still further and for a while, made the motion quite unpleasant. We had to drop our speed briefly, as we'd been doing a steady 25 knots to eat up the distance, but once we turned onto a direct south bearing, things became more comfortable and we pushed the throttle forward again.
As Tunisia appeared as a smudge on the horizon, so the sea flattened out and the nearer we got to the coast, the calmer the water became. The last part of the trip, as we motored into the Bay of Tunis, was absolutely idyllic over a flat calm, clear turquoise sea.
We had tried to get confirmation of a berth in Sidi Bou Said, but it wasn't until we actually got here that they'd actually say whether or not they had room for us. Fortunately they did, and after a couple of hours at anchor in the sunshine just outside the port, we meandered into the marina and were delighted to be tied up in the same place as the Magellano had been when we flew down to Tunisia for her launch ten months ago.
Sidi Bou Said is lovely; the town is perched on the hilltop, a scattering of bright white sugar cube houses, all with bright blue doors and shutters. It is a favourite for Tunisian guide books and tourist brochures and it's easy to see why. The main, cobbled streets is lined with little shops which sell brightly coloured pottery, belly dancing outfits, jewellery, slippers and all those other necessities of life, and the vendors practically drag you in and then expect you to haggle like mad for every purchase. Prices are still low here - petrol is less than 50p per litre and a good meal out, including wine, costs around £20.
The other advantage of being in Tunisia is that we feel as though we've sailed back into summer. The temperature has been mainly in the 30s and remains warm throughout the night - sadly we can't plug the air con in here so it's been pretty hot on board and our one fan is working overtime! Even today, which has been overcast most of the time, has seen the temperature remain in the high 20s and the weather is set to improve again in the next day or two.
The only down side so far has been the desire of some of the authorities for backhanders. Two police and customs officers came on board when we arrived. The police officer did a check through the boat, asked if we had guns, cigarettes, alcohol or drugs and when he was satisfied that we didn't, signed all the relevant forms for us. The customs officer came on board, asked for a beer, belched loudly, asked for a "gift" and then signed all the relevant forms for us. It's a strange way of doing business and one we're not wild on - and nor is the Harbour Master who was embarrassed by their behaviour and the harm it can do to marine tourism.
Tomorrow we hope to take the train into Tunis and explore the Souk and we'll probably have one more day here before we move on to our winter berth in Hammament....weather permitting, as usual!
As Tunisia appeared as a smudge on the horizon, so the sea flattened out and the nearer we got to the coast, the calmer the water became. The last part of the trip, as we motored into the Bay of Tunis, was absolutely idyllic over a flat calm, clear turquoise sea.
We had tried to get confirmation of a berth in Sidi Bou Said, but it wasn't until we actually got here that they'd actually say whether or not they had room for us. Fortunately they did, and after a couple of hours at anchor in the sunshine just outside the port, we meandered into the marina and were delighted to be tied up in the same place as the Magellano had been when we flew down to Tunisia for her launch ten months ago.
Sidi Bou Said is lovely; the town is perched on the hilltop, a scattering of bright white sugar cube houses, all with bright blue doors and shutters. It is a favourite for Tunisian guide books and tourist brochures and it's easy to see why. The main, cobbled streets is lined with little shops which sell brightly coloured pottery, belly dancing outfits, jewellery, slippers and all those other necessities of life, and the vendors practically drag you in and then expect you to haggle like mad for every purchase. Prices are still low here - petrol is less than 50p per litre and a good meal out, including wine, costs around £20.
The other advantage of being in Tunisia is that we feel as though we've sailed back into summer. The temperature has been mainly in the 30s and remains warm throughout the night - sadly we can't plug the air con in here so it's been pretty hot on board and our one fan is working overtime! Even today, which has been overcast most of the time, has seen the temperature remain in the high 20s and the weather is set to improve again in the next day or two.
The only down side so far has been the desire of some of the authorities for backhanders. Two police and customs officers came on board when we arrived. The police officer did a check through the boat, asked if we had guns, cigarettes, alcohol or drugs and when he was satisfied that we didn't, signed all the relevant forms for us. The customs officer came on board, asked for a beer, belched loudly, asked for a "gift" and then signed all the relevant forms for us. It's a strange way of doing business and one we're not wild on - and nor is the Harbour Master who was embarrassed by their behaviour and the harm it can do to marine tourism.
Tomorrow we hope to take the train into Tunis and explore the Souk and we'll probably have one more day here before we move on to our winter berth in Hammament....weather permitting, as usual!
Tuesday, 5 October 2010
Tuesday 5th October 2010
After a couple of hours at anchor on the way back to Olbia, we duly dropped Christian, Adam and Leonie off in readiness for their trip back to the UK, then went and sat on the bow until their flight departed. I choked back a little sob as I watched the plane soar up into the blue sky and head northwards, then five minutes later I choked back another one when I realised I'd been focussing all my attention on the wrong plane first time round! Zaffina seemed very quiet and empty once they'd gone.
We had a few odds and sods that needed doing on board, so the following morning we took the boat over to the Nauseaca yard just across the harbour entrance and then discussed when we would start our trek south; checking the forecast, we realised that we were likely to have to delay the trip for a couple of days but as we were resigning ourselves to another stay in Olbia, we realised that we had several hours of daylight left and a calm sea, so we popped back to the marina to settle up and then set off without further ado.
It was a fairly overcast afternoon, but we enjoyed seeing a new coastline, one which was far less developed and much more rugged than the Costa Smerelda. As the afternoon wore on the sea, which was pretty good to start with, just got flatter and flatter and eventually even the clouds cleared and it turned into a beautiful day. About ten miles short of our destination, there was a commotion on the surface of the water and two or three large tuna suddenly appeared. As we were slowing our Azimut to watch them, we were suddenly surrounded by dolphins! They gave us a wonderful, wonderful performance, dancing through the waves, playing in our wake and diving under the bow. We have hardly seen any dolphins this year, and on the rare occasions that we have had a sighting, they disappeared pretty quickly but this was something else, and in the end we had to drag ourselves away from it - they were quite happy to keep playing!
We stopped for the night at a tiny port, Santa Maria di Navarasse, eating on board the first evening and then, the following morning we decided we'd stay for another night. We went for a walk around the town and along the coast - it wasn't especially pretty, but it was far more of a living town than some of those we've visited which clearly just come alive during the summer months. We earmarked a restaurant for dinner and when we returned in the evening we had what was probably the best meal of this entire trip. The small hotel where we ate was run by 3 sisters, one of whom is a fisherman (fisherwoman? fisherperson? fish?) who brings in a fresh catch daily. My prawn and pumpkin soup was out of this world and the lamb that followed was utterly delicate and delicious.
With another good forecast, we moved on the next day which happened to be our 4th wedding anniversary, and I was delighted when Frank organised a flypast by the Italian Air Force! That was until I saw the expression on his face and realised he hadn't organised it at all! The chart warned of an exclusion zone due to explosives, and as we were making our way out of the area, we were approached by a customs boat which instructed us to move 10 miles to the east. Even as we were complying with the instructions, there was a disturbance overhead and a helicopter appeared, zooming towards us across the wide blue sky!! It hovered overhead, one of the crew holding up a sign with an arrow and "10 miles" written on it - obviously we weren't moving out of the way quickly enough! They called us on the radio and very politely explained that there was firing practice that day so we were best advised to be well out of the way. Although the coastline was beautiful, it was a relief to be well clear of it for once!
We came into the little port of Vilasimius in the late afternoon and moored up then went out for an anniversary meal which turned out to be rubbish! The following day, exploring on foot, we wandered down a remote dirty track towards the beach. A car pulled up, the window slid down and a head poked out..."Frank? Fiona? Is that you?" Roland and Ruth Heaven (from Georgetown Methodist Church in Jersey) were on holiday in the region and by complete coincidence heading down the same dirt track, on the lookout for wild flamingoes! We all went back to Zaffina for a coffee and discovered that they had just moved south after staying for a few days at the same hotel where we'd enjoyed such a splendid meal two nights earlier!
We enjoyed Vilasimius, especially as there were some absolutely gorgeous beaches in the area. The wind was up and it was prudent to leave Zaffina in port, so we hired a car and explored the coastline, enjoying some lovely afternoons on the clean, golden sands and swimming in beautiful, utterly clear water. There were next to no British tourists in the region (apart from the Heavens, of course!)
Frank had to return to Jersey for three days, so we moved Zaffina on to Capitana, a tiny port far more convenient for the airport, and he headed off on Wednesday evening. It was a bit spooky being on my own on board, especially as there was no one else staying in the marina but after a noisy first night, with the wind up and waves slapping against the hull, I got used to the sounds and the port. Although there are no shops in the village apart from a supermarket, there is a quite good hotel with a rather nice spa so I spent a morning being pampered and a couple of afternoons on the hotel beach which helped to pass the time.
Once Frank returned on Saturday evening, we started checking the forecast again in readiness for our long crossing to Tunisa. We had hoped to leave today but the port we want to head for, Sidi Bou Said is full tonight, so weather permitting we'll be off at crack of dawn tomorrow, finally leaving Sardinia after a glorious, memorable, special summer, and my next post should (hopefully) be from the African continent!
We had a few odds and sods that needed doing on board, so the following morning we took the boat over to the Nauseaca yard just across the harbour entrance and then discussed when we would start our trek south; checking the forecast, we realised that we were likely to have to delay the trip for a couple of days but as we were resigning ourselves to another stay in Olbia, we realised that we had several hours of daylight left and a calm sea, so we popped back to the marina to settle up and then set off without further ado.
It was a fairly overcast afternoon, but we enjoyed seeing a new coastline, one which was far less developed and much more rugged than the Costa Smerelda. As the afternoon wore on the sea, which was pretty good to start with, just got flatter and flatter and eventually even the clouds cleared and it turned into a beautiful day. About ten miles short of our destination, there was a commotion on the surface of the water and two or three large tuna suddenly appeared. As we were slowing our Azimut to watch them, we were suddenly surrounded by dolphins! They gave us a wonderful, wonderful performance, dancing through the waves, playing in our wake and diving under the bow. We have hardly seen any dolphins this year, and on the rare occasions that we have had a sighting, they disappeared pretty quickly but this was something else, and in the end we had to drag ourselves away from it - they were quite happy to keep playing!
We stopped for the night at a tiny port, Santa Maria di Navarasse, eating on board the first evening and then, the following morning we decided we'd stay for another night. We went for a walk around the town and along the coast - it wasn't especially pretty, but it was far more of a living town than some of those we've visited which clearly just come alive during the summer months. We earmarked a restaurant for dinner and when we returned in the evening we had what was probably the best meal of this entire trip. The small hotel where we ate was run by 3 sisters, one of whom is a fisherman (fisherwoman? fisherperson? fish?) who brings in a fresh catch daily. My prawn and pumpkin soup was out of this world and the lamb that followed was utterly delicate and delicious.
With another good forecast, we moved on the next day which happened to be our 4th wedding anniversary, and I was delighted when Frank organised a flypast by the Italian Air Force! That was until I saw the expression on his face and realised he hadn't organised it at all! The chart warned of an exclusion zone due to explosives, and as we were making our way out of the area, we were approached by a customs boat which instructed us to move 10 miles to the east. Even as we were complying with the instructions, there was a disturbance overhead and a helicopter appeared, zooming towards us across the wide blue sky!! It hovered overhead, one of the crew holding up a sign with an arrow and "10 miles" written on it - obviously we weren't moving out of the way quickly enough! They called us on the radio and very politely explained that there was firing practice that day so we were best advised to be well out of the way. Although the coastline was beautiful, it was a relief to be well clear of it for once!
We came into the little port of Vilasimius in the late afternoon and moored up then went out for an anniversary meal which turned out to be rubbish! The following day, exploring on foot, we wandered down a remote dirty track towards the beach. A car pulled up, the window slid down and a head poked out..."Frank? Fiona? Is that you?" Roland and Ruth Heaven (from Georgetown Methodist Church in Jersey) were on holiday in the region and by complete coincidence heading down the same dirt track, on the lookout for wild flamingoes! We all went back to Zaffina for a coffee and discovered that they had just moved south after staying for a few days at the same hotel where we'd enjoyed such a splendid meal two nights earlier!
We enjoyed Vilasimius, especially as there were some absolutely gorgeous beaches in the area. The wind was up and it was prudent to leave Zaffina in port, so we hired a car and explored the coastline, enjoying some lovely afternoons on the clean, golden sands and swimming in beautiful, utterly clear water. There were next to no British tourists in the region (apart from the Heavens, of course!)
Frank had to return to Jersey for three days, so we moved Zaffina on to Capitana, a tiny port far more convenient for the airport, and he headed off on Wednesday evening. It was a bit spooky being on my own on board, especially as there was no one else staying in the marina but after a noisy first night, with the wind up and waves slapping against the hull, I got used to the sounds and the port. Although there are no shops in the village apart from a supermarket, there is a quite good hotel with a rather nice spa so I spent a morning being pampered and a couple of afternoons on the hotel beach which helped to pass the time.
Once Frank returned on Saturday evening, we started checking the forecast again in readiness for our long crossing to Tunisa. We had hoped to leave today but the port we want to head for, Sidi Bou Said is full tonight, so weather permitting we'll be off at crack of dawn tomorrow, finally leaving Sardinia after a glorious, memorable, special summer, and my next post should (hopefully) be from the African continent!
Monday, 20 September 2010
Monday 20th September
We were in still Cannigione (finally, I think that is the correct spelling!) when the boys and Leonie arrived on Christian’s birthday, 10th September, hiring a car to pick them up from the airport and then spending the first evening celebrating at a favourite local restaurant. The walk home was through the evening market, set up along the seafront, where the birthday boy bought himself a toy gun and pretended to be James Bond for the rest of the evening! Well, he's only 27 now! The following morning we made the short hop across to Cala Bitte for a day lazing around, enjoying the calm sea and hot sunshine of the tiny bay. By evening, what little wind there was hand swung around and so we moved across to La Saline almost opposite, for a delightful night at anchor.
Our aim was to get up to Corsica for a few days whilst Christian, Leonie and Adam were with us, and on Sunday the weather was pretty perfect for the crossing. We made for Rondinara which was a lot less crowded than on previous visits, but as perfect as ever, and we dropped the hook in the clear turquoise water just a stone’s throw from the beach. Lunch was in the shade of trees at the little café on the shore, where the fresh fish and rose wine went down a treat. After sleeping off our lunch on Zaffina, we continued northwards to Solenzara, where we continued feasting with a barbeque on board once the sun had slipped below the horizon.
We wanted to take our guests to one of the most stunning places we have visited on this trip – a riverside beauty spot up in the mountains, but we were worried that the water level may have dropped since we were last there. Fortunately our worries proved groundless, and it was as perfect and as amazing as before and they were as blown away by the beauty of the place as we were. This time round, there were hardly any other people there, and we had the river to ourselves as we jumped from the rocks into the clear, glass green depths of fresh mountain water.
With more wind in the forecast, we decided not to spend a second night at Solenzara, and instead headed back southwards to the protection of a port. Porto Vecchio had a space for us and we signed in for a couple of nights. The town was still relatively busy and with plenty of sales on, it was a good time to have a look around. The first evening we ate at another favourite restaurant, Antigu, up in the old town; from their outside terrace, we watched frequent flashes of lightning scar the sky but it wasn’t until we came to leave that the heavens opened and the rain poured down. Not wanting to make the 10 minute trek back to Zaffina in a downpour, we popped into the nearest bar and endured half an hour of extremely loud Corsican folk songs and some very expensive drinks until the cloud cleared! The wind was still with us the following morning, which necessitated another lazy day in port, trying to find a sheltered sunbathing spot to enjoy the warmth of the sunshine without getting blown around too much.
There was another Azimut 62 in port, so we invited the owners, Andrew and Rosemary on board Zaffina for a drink and to compare notes. They keep their boat in Sardinia and spend the summer on her, and have made a few interesting modifications including the addition of extra cleats on the stern – something we’d asked for and been told was impossible.
Our trip back down to Sardinia was pretty good, taking us round the outside of the Maddalena Islands, and we finally made it back to Spulmatore (otherwise known as white pants man bay!) We had tried to get back there several times over the past couple of months, but each time the wind has been in the wrong direction, so we were delighted to finally nose into one of our favourite anchorages and find conditions were okay for an afternoon at anchor. It was still a little bit breezy but the sun was hot, the water clear and dozens of fish crowded around as we threw bread into the water for them. As the sun headed for the horizon, we headed back to the mainland and into Polto Quatto, a port we had previously only visited by car and wanted to take Zaffina into. It is a long, narrow inlet, the entrance almost hidden until you are up close and it promised shelter from the next blow, which was forecast to be with us shortly. Sure enough, by morning the wind was gusting again and we were glad of the protection of our berth. Sadly, the little town was almost empty as now the season is definitely over and it seems as if the whole of the Cost Smerelda has closed down. We went into Porto Cervo and even that was like a ghost town, although we did manage to get a good meal at one of the few restaurants still open.
Talking of food…it was time for a return visit to Cala Di Volpe, and on Friday, conditions were just perfect. We anchored quite close in and took the dinghy over the hotel where we enjoyed another amazing lunch in a stunning setting. By the time we returned to Zaffina, we were fit to bust and in desperate need of a swim. Sadly, there were loads and loads of jellyfish around and we weren’t prepared to risk going into the water, so had to content ourselves with watching a group of naked German men on a nearby yacht diving over the side, and wondering which bits were most likely to get stung!
We moved into Porto Rotondo for the evening, wandering up for cocktails in the square, and then later a midnight pizza when the effects of lunch had worn off! In the morning Leonie and I went shopping, but again most places had closed for the evening and there was no buzz to the little port that had been so lively on our last visit.
We left Rotondo on a flat calm sea, which got progressively lumpier the further south we went! We eventually found a calm anchorage at San Teodoro, not far from the island of Tavolara where we stopped for just a couple of hours before moving on to Puntadia to get shelter from yet another blow.
The restaurant we had intended to visit for our guests’ last night - the one where we saw Gianfranco Zola - has already closed for the season, so we went to one of the few places still open for dinner last night, and had a surprisingly good meal. The local food was fantastic, as was the wine, and the whole evening rang to the sound of our laughter, which continued back on board Zaffina – especially once we had the fairy lights up and working, much to Frank’s horror!
And now we’re preparing for our brief trip back to Olbia, from where Christian, Leonie and Adam will fly home, before we set our sights southwards and start the long trek to Tunisia.
Our aim was to get up to Corsica for a few days whilst Christian, Leonie and Adam were with us, and on Sunday the weather was pretty perfect for the crossing. We made for Rondinara which was a lot less crowded than on previous visits, but as perfect as ever, and we dropped the hook in the clear turquoise water just a stone’s throw from the beach. Lunch was in the shade of trees at the little café on the shore, where the fresh fish and rose wine went down a treat. After sleeping off our lunch on Zaffina, we continued northwards to Solenzara, where we continued feasting with a barbeque on board once the sun had slipped below the horizon.
We wanted to take our guests to one of the most stunning places we have visited on this trip – a riverside beauty spot up in the mountains, but we were worried that the water level may have dropped since we were last there. Fortunately our worries proved groundless, and it was as perfect and as amazing as before and they were as blown away by the beauty of the place as we were. This time round, there were hardly any other people there, and we had the river to ourselves as we jumped from the rocks into the clear, glass green depths of fresh mountain water.
With more wind in the forecast, we decided not to spend a second night at Solenzara, and instead headed back southwards to the protection of a port. Porto Vecchio had a space for us and we signed in for a couple of nights. The town was still relatively busy and with plenty of sales on, it was a good time to have a look around. The first evening we ate at another favourite restaurant, Antigu, up in the old town; from their outside terrace, we watched frequent flashes of lightning scar the sky but it wasn’t until we came to leave that the heavens opened and the rain poured down. Not wanting to make the 10 minute trek back to Zaffina in a downpour, we popped into the nearest bar and endured half an hour of extremely loud Corsican folk songs and some very expensive drinks until the cloud cleared! The wind was still with us the following morning, which necessitated another lazy day in port, trying to find a sheltered sunbathing spot to enjoy the warmth of the sunshine without getting blown around too much.
There was another Azimut 62 in port, so we invited the owners, Andrew and Rosemary on board Zaffina for a drink and to compare notes. They keep their boat in Sardinia and spend the summer on her, and have made a few interesting modifications including the addition of extra cleats on the stern – something we’d asked for and been told was impossible.
Our trip back down to Sardinia was pretty good, taking us round the outside of the Maddalena Islands, and we finally made it back to Spulmatore (otherwise known as white pants man bay!) We had tried to get back there several times over the past couple of months, but each time the wind has been in the wrong direction, so we were delighted to finally nose into one of our favourite anchorages and find conditions were okay for an afternoon at anchor. It was still a little bit breezy but the sun was hot, the water clear and dozens of fish crowded around as we threw bread into the water for them. As the sun headed for the horizon, we headed back to the mainland and into Polto Quatto, a port we had previously only visited by car and wanted to take Zaffina into. It is a long, narrow inlet, the entrance almost hidden until you are up close and it promised shelter from the next blow, which was forecast to be with us shortly. Sure enough, by morning the wind was gusting again and we were glad of the protection of our berth. Sadly, the little town was almost empty as now the season is definitely over and it seems as if the whole of the Cost Smerelda has closed down. We went into Porto Cervo and even that was like a ghost town, although we did manage to get a good meal at one of the few restaurants still open.
Talking of food…it was time for a return visit to Cala Di Volpe, and on Friday, conditions were just perfect. We anchored quite close in and took the dinghy over the hotel where we enjoyed another amazing lunch in a stunning setting. By the time we returned to Zaffina, we were fit to bust and in desperate need of a swim. Sadly, there were loads and loads of jellyfish around and we weren’t prepared to risk going into the water, so had to content ourselves with watching a group of naked German men on a nearby yacht diving over the side, and wondering which bits were most likely to get stung!
We moved into Porto Rotondo for the evening, wandering up for cocktails in the square, and then later a midnight pizza when the effects of lunch had worn off! In the morning Leonie and I went shopping, but again most places had closed for the evening and there was no buzz to the little port that had been so lively on our last visit.
We left Rotondo on a flat calm sea, which got progressively lumpier the further south we went! We eventually found a calm anchorage at San Teodoro, not far from the island of Tavolara where we stopped for just a couple of hours before moving on to Puntadia to get shelter from yet another blow.
The restaurant we had intended to visit for our guests’ last night - the one where we saw Gianfranco Zola - has already closed for the season, so we went to one of the few places still open for dinner last night, and had a surprisingly good meal. The local food was fantastic, as was the wine, and the whole evening rang to the sound of our laughter, which continued back on board Zaffina – especially once we had the fairy lights up and working, much to Frank’s horror!
And now we’re preparing for our brief trip back to Olbia, from where Christian, Leonie and Adam will fly home, before we set our sights southwards and start the long trek to Tunisia.
Tuesday, 7 September 2010
Tuesday 7th September 2010
Canigionne once again provided the protection we needed from the wind. It is a lovely little town with a couple of good restaurants, some nice shops selling typical Sardinian produce and a lovely bakery. The staff at the marina are getting to know us pretty well now, and when we call up we just say "it's Zaffina" and they find a space for us! After a couple of nights in the port, we meandered back southwards to Portisco where we spent one night and then the next day splashed out with a fabulous lunch at Cala di Volpe, where we mingled with the mega-rich and admired - or otherwise - some interesting plastic surgery! We had hoped to spend the night at anchor near the hotel, but at about 6pm, along with all the other boats at anchor, we were told to leave. We're not sure why, because last time we had dinner there, we stayed in the bay for the entire night, so we wondered if some VIP was rocking up for the evening and didn't want the riff raff mixing with them! Roberto Cavalli's boat was moored a bit further out but we couldn't see who was on board...
We moved across the bay and dropped the anchor just outside Porto Rotondo where we had a lazy evening watching the moon rise over the nearby hillside and then the following day, wended our way back to Olbia in time to drop the girls off for their flight. It wasn't until we finished a journey which had taken us up to 23 knots that we discovered an open port hole and one extremely damp cabin!
Once again the forecast was warning of rising winds, so the obvious thing to do was to sit it out in Olbia. We hired a car for a couple of days to explore some of the surrounding countryside, driving around 100km to see a festival that we had read about in the guide books - and failing to find any sign of it!! Still, it was a good opportunity to see a bit of the inland terrain and we enjoyed our non-productive day out! We also drove to Porto Rotondo which is a lovely marina and one which we have promised ourselves we will return to with Zaffina at a later date.
With a few days in hand, we decided to go back up to Corsica as all of our explorations there so far have been on the eastern coast - this time we wanted to see the western side of the island. Before we left, we had a night in the town of Maddalena on the island of Maddalena in the Maddalena group! Although it is quite touristy, with ferries taking visitors to and fro throughout the day, it has a real charm and we thoroughly enjoyed our brief stopover.
The weather was good for crossing the Bonifacio Straits and we bypassed the port of the same name, and crossed the southwestern tip of the island with the breeze behind us - gorgeous! Conditions remained good until we were about half an hour out of Ajaccio, when the wind turned from a southeasterly to a northwesterly and gave us a breezy finish to the trip - until we reached port, when things suddenly calmed down altogether and we basked for a while in hot sunshine with no wind at all.
The marina staff tried to put us onto a finger pontoon which was obviously too small for Zaffina, so eventually agreed to move us against the wall. We had to drop the hook in the harbour and reverse into place, and although it was a procedure we'd only encountered once before (in St Tropez almost a year ago), all went well.
Again the wind came up but we were happy to stay in port for a couple of nights, exploring the town and spending an afternoon on the nearby beach. We had a memorable night out in a very rustic restaurant where you had to draw your own water from the well, there was no choice of wine other than "take it or leave it" and the meal finished with a lethal glass of grappa which immediately prompted your eyeballs to work independently of one another! The food was quite good too!!
Having thoroughly enjoyed Ajaccio, we were happy to move back down the coast when the wind dropped off again, and found a sheltered spot just a few miles south of the town to spend the day at anchor. Early evening saw us moving down to Propriano for another overnight in a marina, as we hadn't found the sheltered coves on the west side of Corsica that we'd enjoyed so much on the east.
There was a treat in store for us the next day - we were looking for a place to drop anchor for the day and read in the pilot book about a small anchorage behind some easily distinguished rocks. At that moment we spotted the rocks and eased gently into the pool behind them, which turned out to be one of the loveliest spots we've enjoyed on this trip. We took to the dinghy to explore the nearby gullies and channels and marvel at the boulders which looked like elaborate sculptures of modern art! However much we liked the anchorage, we realised that it wasn't a place to stay for the night, so headed on down to Bonifacio and the shelter of the marina at the top of its winding inlet. Despite the shelter, there was quite a breeze blowing through and we were relieved to be safely tied up for the night.
Yesterday we did the crossing back from Corsica to Sardinia in good conditions and spent yet another lovely, lazy afternoon in the bay of Saline before returning to the spot where we spent our first ever night at anchor in Sardinian waters - Cala Bitta. The evening was mellow and gentle and we sat in the cockpit eating our dinner by candlelight and being attacked by small bugs!
Again, the wind rose in the night and with the forecast for more of a blast to come, we slipped back into Canigionne before breakfastthis morning. So here we are again, waiting for another strong wind to come and go, and looking forward to the arrival of Christian, Leonie and Adam at the end of the week.
We moved across the bay and dropped the anchor just outside Porto Rotondo where we had a lazy evening watching the moon rise over the nearby hillside and then the following day, wended our way back to Olbia in time to drop the girls off for their flight. It wasn't until we finished a journey which had taken us up to 23 knots that we discovered an open port hole and one extremely damp cabin!
Once again the forecast was warning of rising winds, so the obvious thing to do was to sit it out in Olbia. We hired a car for a couple of days to explore some of the surrounding countryside, driving around 100km to see a festival that we had read about in the guide books - and failing to find any sign of it!! Still, it was a good opportunity to see a bit of the inland terrain and we enjoyed our non-productive day out! We also drove to Porto Rotondo which is a lovely marina and one which we have promised ourselves we will return to with Zaffina at a later date.
With a few days in hand, we decided to go back up to Corsica as all of our explorations there so far have been on the eastern coast - this time we wanted to see the western side of the island. Before we left, we had a night in the town of Maddalena on the island of Maddalena in the Maddalena group! Although it is quite touristy, with ferries taking visitors to and fro throughout the day, it has a real charm and we thoroughly enjoyed our brief stopover.
The weather was good for crossing the Bonifacio Straits and we bypassed the port of the same name, and crossed the southwestern tip of the island with the breeze behind us - gorgeous! Conditions remained good until we were about half an hour out of Ajaccio, when the wind turned from a southeasterly to a northwesterly and gave us a breezy finish to the trip - until we reached port, when things suddenly calmed down altogether and we basked for a while in hot sunshine with no wind at all.
The marina staff tried to put us onto a finger pontoon which was obviously too small for Zaffina, so eventually agreed to move us against the wall. We had to drop the hook in the harbour and reverse into place, and although it was a procedure we'd only encountered once before (in St Tropez almost a year ago), all went well.
Again the wind came up but we were happy to stay in port for a couple of nights, exploring the town and spending an afternoon on the nearby beach. We had a memorable night out in a very rustic restaurant where you had to draw your own water from the well, there was no choice of wine other than "take it or leave it" and the meal finished with a lethal glass of grappa which immediately prompted your eyeballs to work independently of one another! The food was quite good too!!
Having thoroughly enjoyed Ajaccio, we were happy to move back down the coast when the wind dropped off again, and found a sheltered spot just a few miles south of the town to spend the day at anchor. Early evening saw us moving down to Propriano for another overnight in a marina, as we hadn't found the sheltered coves on the west side of Corsica that we'd enjoyed so much on the east.
There was a treat in store for us the next day - we were looking for a place to drop anchor for the day and read in the pilot book about a small anchorage behind some easily distinguished rocks. At that moment we spotted the rocks and eased gently into the pool behind them, which turned out to be one of the loveliest spots we've enjoyed on this trip. We took to the dinghy to explore the nearby gullies and channels and marvel at the boulders which looked like elaborate sculptures of modern art! However much we liked the anchorage, we realised that it wasn't a place to stay for the night, so headed on down to Bonifacio and the shelter of the marina at the top of its winding inlet. Despite the shelter, there was quite a breeze blowing through and we were relieved to be safely tied up for the night.
Yesterday we did the crossing back from Corsica to Sardinia in good conditions and spent yet another lovely, lazy afternoon in the bay of Saline before returning to the spot where we spent our first ever night at anchor in Sardinian waters - Cala Bitta. The evening was mellow and gentle and we sat in the cockpit eating our dinner by candlelight and being attacked by small bugs!
Again, the wind rose in the night and with the forecast for more of a blast to come, we slipped back into Canigionne before breakfastthis morning. So here we are again, waiting for another strong wind to come and go, and looking forward to the arrival of Christian, Leonie and Adam at the end of the week.
Tuesday, 24 August 2010
Tuesday 24 August 2010
We got back down to Zaffina a week ago and were delighted to discover that the sun was still shining in Sardinia! We picked our Azimut up from the boatyard where she had had her bottom beautifully scrubbed and made the short hop across to Olbia marina for the first night, then set out a deux to enjoy a couple of days of wandering.
Taverna is a very short trip from Olbia but it is a different world. The bay is surrounded by gentle slopes dotted with elegant villas and near the entrance there are amazing rocks which more like modern sculptures than anything created by nature. After a relaxing afternoon, we decided to nose close in once the day boats had gone and enjoyed dinner in the cockpit as dusk fell.
As it was such a beautiful evening, we couldn't bear the thought of going down to our cabin and instead gathered a load of bedding and set it out on the flybridge cushions, then settled to a night under the stars. There were a lot of them!
At 2am we were wakened by a repeated shuddering, enough to rouse Frank from our nest and a few minutes later he called me down to join him. During the night, Zaffina had swung around into shallower water and the ladder was tapping ominously against a rock just below the surface! We debated whether we could pull her forward on the anchor out of harms way but in the end decided that our only option was to up anchor and find a new position - not the easiest thing to do in the small hours when many of the yachts surrounding us hadn't bothered to put on a mast light. Still, we negotiated them all successfully and returned to our bed under the stars feeling relieved that we'd left the bathing ladder down for the night!
The following day passed in a blur of eating, drinking, swimming and sunbathing (as all the best days do) and finished with another night under the stars, this time without incident although we did wake up with a bit of a dew on us!
We had decided to treat ourselves to a meal at Pitrizza, reputed to be the most expensive hotel in Sardinia (where we'd already paid the princely sum of 26 euros for 2 glasses of orange juice) so we made the journey up to Liscia di Vacca under a rather gloomy sky - still warm, but loads of dark cloud around.
As we came into the bay, two motor boats were following behind us, but on seeing that there was only really one decent space available, one of them put on a spurt of speed and rudely pushed past us to take it. We were both livid and made some internationally recognisable signs in their direction.
Last time we were here, we found it to be a delightful anchorage but this time the afternoon was somewhat bumpy with loads of wake being washed into the bay and it was with relief that we finally took ourselves over to the hotel for an excellent dinner. After our meal we wandered into the jewellers (strategically placed to attract guests feeling mellow and impressionable after a good dinner) where I tried on an elegant pair of earrings with a price tag of 140,000 euros. Frank wasn't feeling that mellow or that impressionable, so I didn't bother too much with the 1.2 million euro yellow diamond ring!
After the discomfort of the previous afternoon, we were quite surprised to awake to a beautifully calm sea which prompted an immediate swim before we set off down to Olbia, where Em and her friend Rosie joined us in the afternoon. Once they were on board, we set off again, back up to Cannigione where we spent the night on a bouy just outside the marina.
In the morning, we crossed the Bonifacio Straits again and motored up the coast of Corsica as far as San Ciprianu where we had a peaceful afternoon at anchor, disturbed only by the multitude of jetskiers who consider boats at anchor to provide the perfect obstacle course for them to negotiate. By evening we had moved to Porto Vecchio, where we again moored outside the marina and took ourselves into the harbour by dinghy and after the arduous climb up to the hilltop town, we enjoyed an excellent belated birthday meal for Em. The trip back to Zaffina at 1am was over the most beautifully flat calm sea, illuminated by an almost full moon.
Yesterday we moved from Porto Vecchio down to Rondinara, one of our favourite places, and managed to get a great spot right in the middle of the bay, from where we could watch other boats and yachts getting in a tangle with anchor chains and narrowly avoiding the one rock which sits in the middle of the bay. It was quite blowy again and when Frank checked the forecast, he decided that we couldn't, after all, stay in Corsica for another couple of days as we had planned, and had to head back to Sardinia. The wind was due to come up still further and for the next few days the Bonifacio Straits were likely to be too lumpy to cross, so we couldn't wait too long. We battened down the hatches, expecting a rought trip, and turned Zaffina's nose south again, but actually, it wasn't bad at all, and in just over an hour we were back in Cannigione and the barbeque was warming up nicely!
Taverna is a very short trip from Olbia but it is a different world. The bay is surrounded by gentle slopes dotted with elegant villas and near the entrance there are amazing rocks which more like modern sculptures than anything created by nature. After a relaxing afternoon, we decided to nose close in once the day boats had gone and enjoyed dinner in the cockpit as dusk fell.
As it was such a beautiful evening, we couldn't bear the thought of going down to our cabin and instead gathered a load of bedding and set it out on the flybridge cushions, then settled to a night under the stars. There were a lot of them!
At 2am we were wakened by a repeated shuddering, enough to rouse Frank from our nest and a few minutes later he called me down to join him. During the night, Zaffina had swung around into shallower water and the ladder was tapping ominously against a rock just below the surface! We debated whether we could pull her forward on the anchor out of harms way but in the end decided that our only option was to up anchor and find a new position - not the easiest thing to do in the small hours when many of the yachts surrounding us hadn't bothered to put on a mast light. Still, we negotiated them all successfully and returned to our bed under the stars feeling relieved that we'd left the bathing ladder down for the night!
The following day passed in a blur of eating, drinking, swimming and sunbathing (as all the best days do) and finished with another night under the stars, this time without incident although we did wake up with a bit of a dew on us!
We had decided to treat ourselves to a meal at Pitrizza, reputed to be the most expensive hotel in Sardinia (where we'd already paid the princely sum of 26 euros for 2 glasses of orange juice) so we made the journey up to Liscia di Vacca under a rather gloomy sky - still warm, but loads of dark cloud around.
As we came into the bay, two motor boats were following behind us, but on seeing that there was only really one decent space available, one of them put on a spurt of speed and rudely pushed past us to take it. We were both livid and made some internationally recognisable signs in their direction.
Last time we were here, we found it to be a delightful anchorage but this time the afternoon was somewhat bumpy with loads of wake being washed into the bay and it was with relief that we finally took ourselves over to the hotel for an excellent dinner. After our meal we wandered into the jewellers (strategically placed to attract guests feeling mellow and impressionable after a good dinner) where I tried on an elegant pair of earrings with a price tag of 140,000 euros. Frank wasn't feeling that mellow or that impressionable, so I didn't bother too much with the 1.2 million euro yellow diamond ring!
After the discomfort of the previous afternoon, we were quite surprised to awake to a beautifully calm sea which prompted an immediate swim before we set off down to Olbia, where Em and her friend Rosie joined us in the afternoon. Once they were on board, we set off again, back up to Cannigione where we spent the night on a bouy just outside the marina.
In the morning, we crossed the Bonifacio Straits again and motored up the coast of Corsica as far as San Ciprianu where we had a peaceful afternoon at anchor, disturbed only by the multitude of jetskiers who consider boats at anchor to provide the perfect obstacle course for them to negotiate. By evening we had moved to Porto Vecchio, where we again moored outside the marina and took ourselves into the harbour by dinghy and after the arduous climb up to the hilltop town, we enjoyed an excellent belated birthday meal for Em. The trip back to Zaffina at 1am was over the most beautifully flat calm sea, illuminated by an almost full moon.
Yesterday we moved from Porto Vecchio down to Rondinara, one of our favourite places, and managed to get a great spot right in the middle of the bay, from where we could watch other boats and yachts getting in a tangle with anchor chains and narrowly avoiding the one rock which sits in the middle of the bay. It was quite blowy again and when Frank checked the forecast, he decided that we couldn't, after all, stay in Corsica for another couple of days as we had planned, and had to head back to Sardinia. The wind was due to come up still further and for the next few days the Bonifacio Straits were likely to be too lumpy to cross, so we couldn't wait too long. We battened down the hatches, expecting a rought trip, and turned Zaffina's nose south again, but actually, it wasn't bad at all, and in just over an hour we were back in Cannigione and the barbeque was warming up nicely!
Sunday, 1 August 2010
Sunday 1st August 2010
We're getting to know this little stretch of Sardinia quite well now, and it is amusing to see how close the mega yachts all stay to Porto Cervo; as soon as you venture a short distance away, they are all left behind, congregating around the most expensive hotels and crowding just a short bite of the Costa Smerelda!
Our search for a peaceful anchorage took us back northwards and we spent the day anchored off Taverna but our frequent checks of the forecast told us that we'd need somewhere more sheltered for the night if we wanted peace, and so we ended up back in a familiar spot, Cannigione - a small town and marina set deep into a winding inlet north of Porto Cervo. Although we'd anchored near the marina in the past, this time we opted to pick up a buoy, much to the disgust of a small and noisy seabird which had made it his perch and shrieked at us to go away! He eventually conceded that we were bigger and flew off in disgust as the marineros helped us to tie up and warned us that we were in for a blow over the next couple of days. We had hoped to go out to the Madalenas the next day but sure enough, the wind was rising and instead we just moved into the nearby port where we had managed to book a berth for two nights. With no hope of going out to sea, instead we hired a car and saw a bit of Sardinia from the road, driving back to the north coast one day and down to Porto Cervo - home of the really big boats - the next. And boy were they big! Dilbar is even more impressive up close than she was when we passed her on the water, and there were several other super super yachts alongside her.
When eventually we managed to find beaches - they seem to be accessed from roads and tracks without signposts! - it invariably clouded over five minutes after our arrival and we even had a downpour of rain on Friday afternoon, our first proper rainfall for six weeks! Fortunately it passed quickly and by the time the skies cleared, the wind had also blown itself out and things were set fair for a final full day on the water with Bob and Janet.
Again, we hoped to get over to Madalena and again the wind prevented us from doing so, but the anchorage we found, south of Olbia, more than made up for any disappointment. We were tucked into a sheltered bay divided into several coves, very close to Puntadias, and had a glorious, lazy, sunny afternoon. In the evening we all hopped on the dinghy and went over to the port for a very good dinner (Gianfranco Zola was at the next table), followed by a moonlit trip back to Zaffina over an oily calm sea.
It was still calm at ghastly o'clock this morning when we had to get up as we wanted to get back to Olbia in good time for Bob and Janet to get the ferry back to Italy, and we were one of the few boats out and about at that time. As we approached the town, a solitary dolphin slowly turned through the water but, alone at the helm, I was the only one to see it.
We dropped out guests off after a fabulous, laughter filled week together, and headed back to Tavolara (the island which looks like Gibraltar) but after an hour or so there, we were so fed up with the amount of wake being generated by day trip boats and small craft that we moved back to the anchorage we were in last night and were relieved to find it almost empty.
We've had another brilliant day but now there's a bit of wind come up from the southeast which is coming straight in here so we're off again, and when we find somewhere suitably sheltered we'll drop anchor for our last night at sea for a while; tomorrow is cleaning, washing and packing day and then on Tuesday we're heading home for a couple of weeks.
Our search for a peaceful anchorage took us back northwards and we spent the day anchored off Taverna but our frequent checks of the forecast told us that we'd need somewhere more sheltered for the night if we wanted peace, and so we ended up back in a familiar spot, Cannigione - a small town and marina set deep into a winding inlet north of Porto Cervo. Although we'd anchored near the marina in the past, this time we opted to pick up a buoy, much to the disgust of a small and noisy seabird which had made it his perch and shrieked at us to go away! He eventually conceded that we were bigger and flew off in disgust as the marineros helped us to tie up and warned us that we were in for a blow over the next couple of days. We had hoped to go out to the Madalenas the next day but sure enough, the wind was rising and instead we just moved into the nearby port where we had managed to book a berth for two nights. With no hope of going out to sea, instead we hired a car and saw a bit of Sardinia from the road, driving back to the north coast one day and down to Porto Cervo - home of the really big boats - the next. And boy were they big! Dilbar is even more impressive up close than she was when we passed her on the water, and there were several other super super yachts alongside her.
When eventually we managed to find beaches - they seem to be accessed from roads and tracks without signposts! - it invariably clouded over five minutes after our arrival and we even had a downpour of rain on Friday afternoon, our first proper rainfall for six weeks! Fortunately it passed quickly and by the time the skies cleared, the wind had also blown itself out and things were set fair for a final full day on the water with Bob and Janet.
Again, we hoped to get over to Madalena and again the wind prevented us from doing so, but the anchorage we found, south of Olbia, more than made up for any disappointment. We were tucked into a sheltered bay divided into several coves, very close to Puntadias, and had a glorious, lazy, sunny afternoon. In the evening we all hopped on the dinghy and went over to the port for a very good dinner (Gianfranco Zola was at the next table), followed by a moonlit trip back to Zaffina over an oily calm sea.
It was still calm at ghastly o'clock this morning when we had to get up as we wanted to get back to Olbia in good time for Bob and Janet to get the ferry back to Italy, and we were one of the few boats out and about at that time. As we approached the town, a solitary dolphin slowly turned through the water but, alone at the helm, I was the only one to see it.
We dropped out guests off after a fabulous, laughter filled week together, and headed back to Tavolara (the island which looks like Gibraltar) but after an hour or so there, we were so fed up with the amount of wake being generated by day trip boats and small craft that we moved back to the anchorage we were in last night and were relieved to find it almost empty.
We've had another brilliant day but now there's a bit of wind come up from the southeast which is coming straight in here so we're off again, and when we find somewhere suitably sheltered we'll drop anchor for our last night at sea for a while; tomorrow is cleaning, washing and packing day and then on Tuesday we're heading home for a couple of weeks.
Wednesday, 28 July 2010
28th July 2010
Where has the time gone?
We had another fantastic week with Adrian and Michael. Our first trip only got us as far as northern Sardinia as there was quite a swell coming in from the east and we decided that it would be too much to try to attempt the Bonifacio Straits, so instead opted for a lovely, quiet anchorage which would be a good point for moving on the following morning. It was, and by the time we pulled the anchor up, the sea was flat calm and continued that way for the entire crossing; even the swell, which we assumed would still be noticeable, had all but disappeared. We went back to a favourite spot, Rondinara, and were relieved to find the perfect place to drop the hook. We had expected the bay to be more crowded, but it really wasn't too bad and we had a lovely day of lazing and swimming, followed by dinner at the lovely beachside restaurant (which is, sadly, also very popular with mosquitoes!)
After spending most of the following day at anchor, we eventually drifted up to Porte Vecchio, although they were unable to offer us a place in the marina and, after fuelling up, we found an anchorage very close to the port. It was a short dinghy trip to the harbour and a long hike up the hill to the town but worth it for a lovely evening and a great meal at a restaurant recommended by one of the marineros. The town was absolutely humming - it's tiny but very vibrant with loads of outside bars and restaurants.
With the forecast suggesting that the wind would rise sometime soon, we decided to head back south to Sardinia, and then to a sheltered bay more westerly than any we had visited before. By the time we got there, there was quite a breeze blowing but not enough to detract from our enjoyment of the place. We anticipated a bumpy ride back to the east coast, but it was surprisingly smooth and we returned to the bay in which we'd spent our first night in Sardinia several weeks ago, Cannignone. This time we anchored just outside the marina (another full one) in a beautifully still spot, and ate on board. Adrian and Michael went ashore for a drink and told us the following morning that there had been a fair on the quay and folk dancing - shame we missed it!
That was our last night at anchor with our guests - we had a fabulous day in a fabulous anchorage south of Olbia but the forecast had warned of high winds coming up in the evening and we knew that we had to be in port. Olbia was able to take us, so it was back into our familiar berth - and thank goodness we were there. The wind came up suddenly in the early evening and gusted like billy-o for 24 hours.
Adrian and Michael left us on Sunday for a long train ride down to Cagliari and during the 24 hours between guests, we had Zaffina cleaned inside and out (heaven...leaving it all to someone else!)
Monday lunchtime saw the arrival of Bob and Janet, and once the engine man had finished changing the oil, we were able to ease out of port and point southwards to new territory. A short hop later, we arrived in Port Ottiolu, a tiny, new port and village with a white stretch of sand right alongside the marina. And that's where we are now...although not for long! The skipper is busy making his checks and once we've bought some fresh bread to feed the masses, we'll be back to sea and looking for another peaceful anchorage for tonight.
We had another fantastic week with Adrian and Michael. Our first trip only got us as far as northern Sardinia as there was quite a swell coming in from the east and we decided that it would be too much to try to attempt the Bonifacio Straits, so instead opted for a lovely, quiet anchorage which would be a good point for moving on the following morning. It was, and by the time we pulled the anchor up, the sea was flat calm and continued that way for the entire crossing; even the swell, which we assumed would still be noticeable, had all but disappeared. We went back to a favourite spot, Rondinara, and were relieved to find the perfect place to drop the hook. We had expected the bay to be more crowded, but it really wasn't too bad and we had a lovely day of lazing and swimming, followed by dinner at the lovely beachside restaurant (which is, sadly, also very popular with mosquitoes!)
After spending most of the following day at anchor, we eventually drifted up to Porte Vecchio, although they were unable to offer us a place in the marina and, after fuelling up, we found an anchorage very close to the port. It was a short dinghy trip to the harbour and a long hike up the hill to the town but worth it for a lovely evening and a great meal at a restaurant recommended by one of the marineros. The town was absolutely humming - it's tiny but very vibrant with loads of outside bars and restaurants.
With the forecast suggesting that the wind would rise sometime soon, we decided to head back south to Sardinia, and then to a sheltered bay more westerly than any we had visited before. By the time we got there, there was quite a breeze blowing but not enough to detract from our enjoyment of the place. We anticipated a bumpy ride back to the east coast, but it was surprisingly smooth and we returned to the bay in which we'd spent our first night in Sardinia several weeks ago, Cannignone. This time we anchored just outside the marina (another full one) in a beautifully still spot, and ate on board. Adrian and Michael went ashore for a drink and told us the following morning that there had been a fair on the quay and folk dancing - shame we missed it!
That was our last night at anchor with our guests - we had a fabulous day in a fabulous anchorage south of Olbia but the forecast had warned of high winds coming up in the evening and we knew that we had to be in port. Olbia was able to take us, so it was back into our familiar berth - and thank goodness we were there. The wind came up suddenly in the early evening and gusted like billy-o for 24 hours.
Adrian and Michael left us on Sunday for a long train ride down to Cagliari and during the 24 hours between guests, we had Zaffina cleaned inside and out (heaven...leaving it all to someone else!)
Monday lunchtime saw the arrival of Bob and Janet, and once the engine man had finished changing the oil, we were able to ease out of port and point southwards to new territory. A short hop later, we arrived in Port Ottiolu, a tiny, new port and village with a white stretch of sand right alongside the marina. And that's where we are now...although not for long! The skipper is busy making his checks and once we've bought some fresh bread to feed the masses, we'll be back to sea and looking for another peaceful anchorage for tonight.
Monday, 19 July 2010
19th July 2010
Phew, what a week it's been!
Tim and Annabelle joined us after an interesting detour through the red light district of Olbia, which Tim insists was a mistake! We stayed in port for a couple of nights whilst some work was being done on Zaffina (thrusters mainly and a service for the generator which had been working overtime) then set a northwards course back to Corsica. T&A were as blown away with Rondinara as we were and we had a couple of days at anchor, watching the world go by and then recovering from all that effort with a swim, a sleep, a meal, a glass of rose or a combination fo the above! The sea there is the clearest turquoise, and this time the one rock in the centre of the bay was marked by a plastic bottle attached to a piece of string! We ate on board one night and the other we went ashore to a rather nice beach cafe, from where we watched a load of kids celebrating a birthday party on the sands as the sun went down.
Next stop was Solenzara and a return visit to the beautiful river site we found when we were there previously. It was much much busier this time round, but we still managed to find a perch on the rocks for our picnic and spent half the afternoon swimming in the gloriously refreshing waters of the river. We debated whether to return to the restaurant we had enjoyed so much with the garden terrace and the myrtle liqueur but decided instead to opt for one right on the beach and had another memorable evening there. There was some debate about whether to stay longer in Solenzara as the marina staff tried to persuade us to stay for their Quartorze Juilliet celebrations - they were having a ball on 13th July and fireworks (yeah!) but we managed to secure a berth in Bonifacio, a bigger town and therefore we assumed a bigger celebration.
Between ports, we had one more night at anchor, this time to the west of Bonifacio in an anchorage we hadn't been in before. After an afternoon moored off a beautiful stretch of beach, we moved across the bay for shelter as the wind had got up a bit and by the morning we were rockin' and rollin'. We called up Bonifacio to see if we could go straight into port but had to wait until the berth was ready in the early afternoon. The trip back to port was over the messiest sea we've encountered for a while and whilst it wasn't uncomfortable, we were taking a bit of spray over the bridge (quite nice and cooling in these temperatures!~) We were pushed around a lot whilst we were waiting to be shown to our berth in the harbour, as the wind was being funnelled straight down the channel of the marina, and were quite worried that it would be awkward to moor up but our fears were unfounded and all went smoothly once an errant yacht had been told that he couldn't go into our berth, which he was trying desperately to do!
We went out for dinner on the quayside, keenly awaiting the 14th July celebrations...and waited...and waited...and waited. Nothing happened! Nothing at all - what a disappointment. If only we'd bought those fireworks in the supermarket at Ciprianu!
The following morning we took Le Petit Train (oh yes we did) up to the hillside town which is just amazing. The houses are so close to the edge of the cliff that it's only a question of time before they start toppling into the sea. The views were fabulous and the town fascinating, but sadly we didn't have too long to explore. As ever when shopping beckons, Frank decided it was time to move on...
Back at sea, we left Corsica behind again and after a quick nose around the island of Lavazze where it was a bit too windy to anchor, we set a course for Madelana, one of a group of islands close to Sardinia. We found the most perfect bay and even coughed up the 180e required just to hook up to a mooring bouy for the night! The ancorage was just delightful and due to the cost, there was only one other boat there for the night.
We continued back to the mainland in the morning, in search of shelter from the wind which was by now blowing straight towards us, and opted for Lascia di Vacca. The pilot book informed us that this is where you find the most expensive hotel in Sardinia and possibly the most expensive in Italy, the Pattrizi, and sure enough, when Frank and I managed to blag our way in and ordered a couple of glasses of fresh squeezed orange juice, the bill came to an eye watering 26e for the two! I kept my eye out for celebs and movie stars but they must have all been in the spa whilst we were there! We decided to eat on board.
By Saturday we knew we had to be heading back towards Olbia and we made a return visit to another favourite beach, Spulmatore. As we dropped the anchor in the bay, two dolphins popped by, paying their respects on a tour of the island! Sadly, we didn't see them again, but I have never seen dolphins so close into shore and will keep a sharp look out in the future. We lunched at another beach restaurant: overcrowded, questionable service but great fun! And then with the forecast for a six from the west, we reluctantly moved back into Port for the night in readiness for Tim and Annabelle to leave us yesterday afternoon.
Now we're waiting for our next visitors, Adrian and Michael, who're driving up from Cagliari as I write. The weather is hot and getting hotter, and we'll probably be back in Corsica by tonight. Arrivederci!
Tim and Annabelle joined us after an interesting detour through the red light district of Olbia, which Tim insists was a mistake! We stayed in port for a couple of nights whilst some work was being done on Zaffina (thrusters mainly and a service for the generator which had been working overtime) then set a northwards course back to Corsica. T&A were as blown away with Rondinara as we were and we had a couple of days at anchor, watching the world go by and then recovering from all that effort with a swim, a sleep, a meal, a glass of rose or a combination fo the above! The sea there is the clearest turquoise, and this time the one rock in the centre of the bay was marked by a plastic bottle attached to a piece of string! We ate on board one night and the other we went ashore to a rather nice beach cafe, from where we watched a load of kids celebrating a birthday party on the sands as the sun went down.
Next stop was Solenzara and a return visit to the beautiful river site we found when we were there previously. It was much much busier this time round, but we still managed to find a perch on the rocks for our picnic and spent half the afternoon swimming in the gloriously refreshing waters of the river. We debated whether to return to the restaurant we had enjoyed so much with the garden terrace and the myrtle liqueur but decided instead to opt for one right on the beach and had another memorable evening there. There was some debate about whether to stay longer in Solenzara as the marina staff tried to persuade us to stay for their Quartorze Juilliet celebrations - they were having a ball on 13th July and fireworks (yeah!) but we managed to secure a berth in Bonifacio, a bigger town and therefore we assumed a bigger celebration.
Between ports, we had one more night at anchor, this time to the west of Bonifacio in an anchorage we hadn't been in before. After an afternoon moored off a beautiful stretch of beach, we moved across the bay for shelter as the wind had got up a bit and by the morning we were rockin' and rollin'. We called up Bonifacio to see if we could go straight into port but had to wait until the berth was ready in the early afternoon. The trip back to port was over the messiest sea we've encountered for a while and whilst it wasn't uncomfortable, we were taking a bit of spray over the bridge (quite nice and cooling in these temperatures!~) We were pushed around a lot whilst we were waiting to be shown to our berth in the harbour, as the wind was being funnelled straight down the channel of the marina, and were quite worried that it would be awkward to moor up but our fears were unfounded and all went smoothly once an errant yacht had been told that he couldn't go into our berth, which he was trying desperately to do!
We went out for dinner on the quayside, keenly awaiting the 14th July celebrations...and waited...and waited...and waited. Nothing happened! Nothing at all - what a disappointment. If only we'd bought those fireworks in the supermarket at Ciprianu!
The following morning we took Le Petit Train (oh yes we did) up to the hillside town which is just amazing. The houses are so close to the edge of the cliff that it's only a question of time before they start toppling into the sea. The views were fabulous and the town fascinating, but sadly we didn't have too long to explore. As ever when shopping beckons, Frank decided it was time to move on...
Back at sea, we left Corsica behind again and after a quick nose around the island of Lavazze where it was a bit too windy to anchor, we set a course for Madelana, one of a group of islands close to Sardinia. We found the most perfect bay and even coughed up the 180e required just to hook up to a mooring bouy for the night! The ancorage was just delightful and due to the cost, there was only one other boat there for the night.
We continued back to the mainland in the morning, in search of shelter from the wind which was by now blowing straight towards us, and opted for Lascia di Vacca. The pilot book informed us that this is where you find the most expensive hotel in Sardinia and possibly the most expensive in Italy, the Pattrizi, and sure enough, when Frank and I managed to blag our way in and ordered a couple of glasses of fresh squeezed orange juice, the bill came to an eye watering 26e for the two! I kept my eye out for celebs and movie stars but they must have all been in the spa whilst we were there! We decided to eat on board.
By Saturday we knew we had to be heading back towards Olbia and we made a return visit to another favourite beach, Spulmatore. As we dropped the anchor in the bay, two dolphins popped by, paying their respects on a tour of the island! Sadly, we didn't see them again, but I have never seen dolphins so close into shore and will keep a sharp look out in the future. We lunched at another beach restaurant: overcrowded, questionable service but great fun! And then with the forecast for a six from the west, we reluctantly moved back into Port for the night in readiness for Tim and Annabelle to leave us yesterday afternoon.
Now we're waiting for our next visitors, Adrian and Michael, who're driving up from Cagliari as I write. The weather is hot and getting hotter, and we'll probably be back in Corsica by tonight. Arrivederci!
Wednesday, 7 July 2010
3rd - 7th July 2010
By morning the wind was up and our quiet anchorage wasn't so quiet any more! Most of the other boats had moved by the time we were up and about, including the yacht we had recognised. We too upped anchor and nipped across to the far side of the very wide bay we were in, and discovered that this was where most of those who had previously been alongside us had gone. So we did invite Steve and Karyn from Threshold (named after the Moody Blues "Threshold of a Dream", in case you're wondering) on board, along with Wendy and Valario from another yacht.
Although our new position was far quieter and more comfortable, it was in line with a marina to and from which boats sped past us at ridiculous speeds. The amount of wake they generated had to be seen to be believed - whilst we were all sitting in the cockpit drinking coffee, one motorboat came a tad too close and the wave it threw out caused everything to shake and rattle on Zaffina, including the vinegar bottle which shook itself onto the floor where it exploded, covering the galley with its contents. Our guests spent half their time with us picking up pieces of glass and clearing pools of vinegar - I'm sure they won't forget their visit for a while!
We stayed where we were for the afternoon and in the early evening, went on board Threshold for drinks with our American friends. They put us to shame with the amount of exploring they have done through northern Europe and now they're intent on discovering the south as well, so no doubt our paths will cross again.
We were happy to move on the following morning, especially as the wind finally dropped overnight and the conditions were perfect. We ambled along the coast at a leisurely speed, passing the celebrated Porto Cervo and eventually ending up in Cala di Volpe. As we nosed in, the marineros suggested that we should tie up to a buoy - it would only cost us 380 euros for the night! Instead, we opted to drop the anchor, which was free of charge, and watch the comings and goings from the mega yachts moored nearby.
Another lazy afternoon was followed by dinner at the Cala di Volpe hotel (presidential suite a mere 31,000 euros a night) which provided good food and wonderful service!
Yesterday we moved on again, another gentle potter down the coast until we found the most fantastic anchorage - a long stretch of sandy beach backed by a towering rock the size of Gibraltar - where we spent the afternoon.
Coming into Olbia was an interesting experience; the thrusters still aren't working and the wind was blowing us sideways. It took two attempts to get in, but we're now safely tied up in a rather nice, very quiet port and we've just discovered that one of the best restaurants in Italy is just a stone's throw (or maybe a taxi ride) away! And I've cleaned Zaffina from bow to stern in readiness for Tim and Annabelle, who're even now on their way from Jersey!
Although our new position was far quieter and more comfortable, it was in line with a marina to and from which boats sped past us at ridiculous speeds. The amount of wake they generated had to be seen to be believed - whilst we were all sitting in the cockpit drinking coffee, one motorboat came a tad too close and the wave it threw out caused everything to shake and rattle on Zaffina, including the vinegar bottle which shook itself onto the floor where it exploded, covering the galley with its contents. Our guests spent half their time with us picking up pieces of glass and clearing pools of vinegar - I'm sure they won't forget their visit for a while!
We stayed where we were for the afternoon and in the early evening, went on board Threshold for drinks with our American friends. They put us to shame with the amount of exploring they have done through northern Europe and now they're intent on discovering the south as well, so no doubt our paths will cross again.
We were happy to move on the following morning, especially as the wind finally dropped overnight and the conditions were perfect. We ambled along the coast at a leisurely speed, passing the celebrated Porto Cervo and eventually ending up in Cala di Volpe. As we nosed in, the marineros suggested that we should tie up to a buoy - it would only cost us 380 euros for the night! Instead, we opted to drop the anchor, which was free of charge, and watch the comings and goings from the mega yachts moored nearby.
Another lazy afternoon was followed by dinner at the Cala di Volpe hotel (presidential suite a mere 31,000 euros a night) which provided good food and wonderful service!
Yesterday we moved on again, another gentle potter down the coast until we found the most fantastic anchorage - a long stretch of sandy beach backed by a towering rock the size of Gibraltar - where we spent the afternoon.
Coming into Olbia was an interesting experience; the thrusters still aren't working and the wind was blowing us sideways. It took two attempts to get in, but we're now safely tied up in a rather nice, very quiet port and we've just discovered that one of the best restaurants in Italy is just a stone's throw (or maybe a taxi ride) away! And I've cleaned Zaffina from bow to stern in readiness for Tim and Annabelle, who're even now on their way from Jersey!
Saturday, 3 July 2010
30th June - 3rd July 2010
In the end, we didn't move on very far. Exploring the coast from Porte Vecchio southwards was a delight, each inlet offering beautiful views and a choice of bays. We nosed into Porto Novo and fell in love with it! Apart from the other boats and a few people on the beach, there was not a sign of man's mark on the world to be seen from our anchorage - not a house, not a road, not even a telegraph pole (and certainly no wind farms!) Once we'd dropped the anchor, we really didn't want to move and stayed there for two nights in beautiful calm conditions, just watching the sun moving across the sky and diving deep into the clear blue water which is getting warmer by the day.
On our second evening, we took the tender and went exploring further along the coast. We had read about Rondinara in the pilot book and wanted to see if it was as nice as it sounded...it was much, much better! More accessible by road than Porto Novo, it was much busier but absolutely gorgeous with several small bays interspersed by rocky outlets. The water was perfectly clear and throughout the inlet you could see straight down to the bottom. We immediately decided that this was our next destination, so the following morning, we set a course back to Rondinara in Zaffina.
Sadly, we had a problem with the thrusters en route, so decided just to spend the day in this lovely anchorage but move into port for the evening, and as we had a reservation in Bonifacio, it was the obvious place to go.
Bonifacio is stunning, the old town is perched on a clifftop which looks as though it may crumble into the sea at any moment! The port is up a narrow channel and one of the most dramatic entrances we've been through. We radioed ahead to warn that we needed help berthing, as if there was any wind at all, having no thrusters was likely to be a big problem. Frank brought her alongside - into the narrowest gap between two motorboats - with utter precision and no fuss and you wouldn't have known there was anything to worry about! We celebrated with a good dinner at one of the numerous restaurants lining the quayside.
Back at the boat, a couple of crew from a vessel moored just along from us introduced themselves; they'd seen the articles in Motor Boat & Yachting, and having made a similar trip to ours last year, (even to the extent of wintering in Varazze!) they were keen to meet us. They, along with the owner of their boat and his wife, came on board for drinks and we compared notes about our relative trips from the UK to the Med last year.
Having intended to stay in Bonifacio for two nights, we had a change of plan this morning when we saw the forecast and realised that later in the day, the wind was due to rise in the channel separating Corsica from Sardinia. We set out in great conditions and had a brilliant crossing, slowing when we reached Sardinia to enjoy the views as we passed by the Madelanas Islands and then pottered along the coast.
Again, we're at anchor tonight, with wavelets lapping gently against the hull. It's nearly half past ten and still incredibly hot. There are only a few other boats moored out here, although one nearby we have recognised as belonging to an American couple we met at a restaurant in Porte Vecchio a few days ago, so we may invite them to breakfast tomorrow!
On our second evening, we took the tender and went exploring further along the coast. We had read about Rondinara in the pilot book and wanted to see if it was as nice as it sounded...it was much, much better! More accessible by road than Porto Novo, it was much busier but absolutely gorgeous with several small bays interspersed by rocky outlets. The water was perfectly clear and throughout the inlet you could see straight down to the bottom. We immediately decided that this was our next destination, so the following morning, we set a course back to Rondinara in Zaffina.
Sadly, we had a problem with the thrusters en route, so decided just to spend the day in this lovely anchorage but move into port for the evening, and as we had a reservation in Bonifacio, it was the obvious place to go.
Bonifacio is stunning, the old town is perched on a clifftop which looks as though it may crumble into the sea at any moment! The port is up a narrow channel and one of the most dramatic entrances we've been through. We radioed ahead to warn that we needed help berthing, as if there was any wind at all, having no thrusters was likely to be a big problem. Frank brought her alongside - into the narrowest gap between two motorboats - with utter precision and no fuss and you wouldn't have known there was anything to worry about! We celebrated with a good dinner at one of the numerous restaurants lining the quayside.
Back at the boat, a couple of crew from a vessel moored just along from us introduced themselves; they'd seen the articles in Motor Boat & Yachting, and having made a similar trip to ours last year, (even to the extent of wintering in Varazze!) they were keen to meet us. They, along with the owner of their boat and his wife, came on board for drinks and we compared notes about our relative trips from the UK to the Med last year.
Having intended to stay in Bonifacio for two nights, we had a change of plan this morning when we saw the forecast and realised that later in the day, the wind was due to rise in the channel separating Corsica from Sardinia. We set out in great conditions and had a brilliant crossing, slowing when we reached Sardinia to enjoy the views as we passed by the Madelanas Islands and then pottered along the coast.
Again, we're at anchor tonight, with wavelets lapping gently against the hull. It's nearly half past ten and still incredibly hot. There are only a few other boats moored out here, although one nearby we have recognised as belonging to an American couple we met at a restaurant in Porte Vecchio a few days ago, so we may invite them to breakfast tomorrow!
Wednesday, 30 June 2010
30th June 2010
Well, the weather decided for us and it was east! We were quite relieved to be back on our way again and set a course down to Bastia - not too far and it looked like quite an interesting town. We had to go into Port Toga, just outside Bastia as the old port was full (and we're not entirely sure that we would have fitted in there anyhow). Toga had a very narrow entrance which was a bit hairy and we were put on quite an awkward berth, so mooring up wasn't the easiest and we ended up with 3 mooring lines instead of the usual one or two. After a day lazing around and not venturing further than the port itself, we took ourselves into town, heading first of all for a huge and rather empty square where we enjoyed a fresh orange juice in the shade of the palm trees. We then climbed up into the old town of Bastia which was a strange mix of the elegant and the totally run down until we got to the walled town which was in better repair! Had lunch at a fabulous restaurant high over the marina with a view along the coast, and watched huge ferries swinging in and out of port as we ate.
The next day we continued our trek south, and after a day in a totally delightful anchorage near an almost empty beach, we eased into Solenzaro, a small port which looked lovely from the pilot books and more than fully lived up to expectations. We spent a day on a gorgeous beach just a stone's throw from the port (perfectly clear, warm water, soft sand, comfortable sun beds and a convenient restaurant!) In the evening, we went to a great restaurant we'd passed, where we sat at a terrace in the garden and ate food straight off the feu du bois. The owners took a shine to us, and we ended up drinking myrtle liqueurs with a group of their friends late into the evening, before Monsieur insisted on running us back to the port!
In the morning we decided to explore inland, and in our little hire car, we ventured up into the mountains. What a treat it turned out to be! We stopped at a small cafe alongside the river and after a cool drink, decided to venture down to the water's edge. It was so beautiful that instead of continuing our drive, we spent almost the entire day lying on our towels by the river, sunbathing and dipping into a deep pool in the rocks, clear glass-green mountain water. Late afternoon we continued our drive up through the mountain passes where the air was much cooler (a mere 20c in places,) passing hikers and climbers and at one point, a family of wild pigs! The scenery was breathtaking and so totally unexpected and different to the coastal views we've become accustomed to lately.
We moved on from Solenzaro a day later, and about an hour down the coast we drew into a deep curve of bay where we dropped anchor...and stayed for three nights! Ciprianu was a perfect anchorage, the weather was still, the sea turquoise, the beach white and we had no desire to move on. On Sunday morning, before there was any sign of life on any of the other boats in the anchorage, we took the tender and went ashore to a tiny islet with just a small strip of sand where we enjoyed a picnic breakfast accompanied by a couple of glasses of Bucks Fizz! It was one of those moments that we'll always remember.
That evening we had dinner at a restaurant on the beach but when we came to pay, they informed us that they didn't accept credit cards. No worries, they said, come back tomorrow with the money. Easier said than done, as the nearest village (we soon discovered) had neither bank nor ATM. We took the dinghy down the coast to the next town, had a snack at a cafe and asked the waitress where we could get some cash. You see that village, at the top of that very steep hill, she said, well, there's a cash machine there. The steep hill made the climb up to Dinan look like a slight incline and hiking up at the hottest part of the day was no laughing matter. Especially when we asked for further directions at the top and were told that the nearest ATM was in a town at the bottom...on the other side! Fortunately, our informant was mistaken and we found what we needed before making the vertical descent. Thank goodness.
Eventually we upped anchor and yesterday afternoon we moved just a breath along the coast back to Porto Vecchio and last night we climbed that hill again and had dinner overlooking the harbour and watching Zaffina fade into the twilight.
Now it's time to move on again, either to another anchorage or to Bonifaccio. Frank is on his way back from the chandlers, having managed to drop the brush and long handle into the marina whilst cleaning the boat! Other than that, all is well in our world.
The next day we continued our trek south, and after a day in a totally delightful anchorage near an almost empty beach, we eased into Solenzaro, a small port which looked lovely from the pilot books and more than fully lived up to expectations. We spent a day on a gorgeous beach just a stone's throw from the port (perfectly clear, warm water, soft sand, comfortable sun beds and a convenient restaurant!) In the evening, we went to a great restaurant we'd passed, where we sat at a terrace in the garden and ate food straight off the feu du bois. The owners took a shine to us, and we ended up drinking myrtle liqueurs with a group of their friends late into the evening, before Monsieur insisted on running us back to the port!
In the morning we decided to explore inland, and in our little hire car, we ventured up into the mountains. What a treat it turned out to be! We stopped at a small cafe alongside the river and after a cool drink, decided to venture down to the water's edge. It was so beautiful that instead of continuing our drive, we spent almost the entire day lying on our towels by the river, sunbathing and dipping into a deep pool in the rocks, clear glass-green mountain water. Late afternoon we continued our drive up through the mountain passes where the air was much cooler (a mere 20c in places,) passing hikers and climbers and at one point, a family of wild pigs! The scenery was breathtaking and so totally unexpected and different to the coastal views we've become accustomed to lately.
We moved on from Solenzaro a day later, and about an hour down the coast we drew into a deep curve of bay where we dropped anchor...and stayed for three nights! Ciprianu was a perfect anchorage, the weather was still, the sea turquoise, the beach white and we had no desire to move on. On Sunday morning, before there was any sign of life on any of the other boats in the anchorage, we took the tender and went ashore to a tiny islet with just a small strip of sand where we enjoyed a picnic breakfast accompanied by a couple of glasses of Bucks Fizz! It was one of those moments that we'll always remember.
That evening we had dinner at a restaurant on the beach but when we came to pay, they informed us that they didn't accept credit cards. No worries, they said, come back tomorrow with the money. Easier said than done, as the nearest village (we soon discovered) had neither bank nor ATM. We took the dinghy down the coast to the next town, had a snack at a cafe and asked the waitress where we could get some cash. You see that village, at the top of that very steep hill, she said, well, there's a cash machine there. The steep hill made the climb up to Dinan look like a slight incline and hiking up at the hottest part of the day was no laughing matter. Especially when we asked for further directions at the top and were told that the nearest ATM was in a town at the bottom...on the other side! Fortunately, our informant was mistaken and we found what we needed before making the vertical descent. Thank goodness.
Eventually we upped anchor and yesterday afternoon we moved just a breath along the coast back to Porto Vecchio and last night we climbed that hill again and had dinner overlooking the harbour and watching Zaffina fade into the twilight.
Now it's time to move on again, either to another anchorage or to Bonifaccio. Frank is on his way back from the chandlers, having managed to drop the brush and long handle into the marina whilst cleaning the boat! Other than that, all is well in our world.
Sunday, 20 June 2010
17th - 20th June 2010
I wrote this all up yesterday and when I tried to post it, immediately fell off line and all was lost! So, here goes again…
As planned, Amanda and Ian left on the ferry on Thursday evening, heading for Florence (€42 for a one and a half hour boat trip followed by a 3 hour train journey – for 2!!) so we rushed to the nearby supermarket and stocked up in readiness for our departure on Friday morning. We sat in the cockpit eating seafood and watching the world go by on our last evening in Porto Ferraio then the next morning I did a quick bakery run before we put out to sea again.
It is only a forty mile trip between Elba and Corsica but we had been warned that the weather can be very localised in this area, and when conditions are good in one island they can be quite the opposite in another. Things just got better and better during our two hour journey, the sea was calm with just the slightest short swell and the sun shone on us, until we were about 3 miles from shore. As we approached our destination, Macinaggio, a wind sprang up and muddled the water, at the same time as the sun disappeared behind a dark cloud, spoiling the conditions we had been so enjoying. We decided not to go straight into port, but in an optimistic mood look for a sheltered anchorage and hope the cloud would pass. For once we were right! We found a lovely spot about 20 minutes along the coast with just one yacht at anchor in the bay, so we dropped the hook. Strangely, the wind here was in completely the opposite direction to that which we had just encountered and we anticipated a slightly bumpy afternoon but no – the wind dropped, the yacht left and we sunbathed, ate, swam and slept under a clear blue sky.
When eventually we moved back to port, the wind was still blowing, and as we came into the marina it started to make things difficult for mooring up. Zaffina was being pushed fast into her berth and Frank had to work hard to hold her off from either bashing against other boats or the pier so it was a relief when eventually we were safely tied up. The yacht that came alongside us wasn’t so well handled and managed to give us a small ding in the side as it turned almost side on in its space before finally getting moored up.
Macinaggio is very small and not as pretty as the ports we left in Elba, but it is nice to be back somewhere where we can understand the language and decipher the menu! And of course, there’s French bread here!
The forecast promised strong winds and it certainly delivered. Throughout the day yesterday, the wind rose and blasted. The lifeboat went speeding out to sea twice, the second time returning with a yacht in tow. We checked, rechecked and changed our ropes as noisy gusts tried to throw us around. When we returned from dinner in the port, our neighbouring dive boat had retrieved one of our sun cushions, which had tried to break fee during our absence. The wind, which had been up to an 8 during the day, hit a force 9 during the night, whistling through the marina and slapping noisy waves against the hull. We slept in the saloon so we would hear if there were any problems on shore, and were relieved when finally the wind started to drop in the early hours and we could return to our cabin.
It is much calmer this morning, although there is still a breeze and we’ll probably stay here until Tuesday. We can’t wait to see a bit more of Corsica; like Elba, it is very mountainous, green and fertile, but it has a quite different feel to it, perhaps due to its French antecedents and of course it is much bigger.
As ever, the weather will determine our course – east or west side depending on the wind, and as ever, our fingers are crossed for things to finally settle down for the summer!
As planned, Amanda and Ian left on the ferry on Thursday evening, heading for Florence (€42 for a one and a half hour boat trip followed by a 3 hour train journey – for 2!!) so we rushed to the nearby supermarket and stocked up in readiness for our departure on Friday morning. We sat in the cockpit eating seafood and watching the world go by on our last evening in Porto Ferraio then the next morning I did a quick bakery run before we put out to sea again.
It is only a forty mile trip between Elba and Corsica but we had been warned that the weather can be very localised in this area, and when conditions are good in one island they can be quite the opposite in another. Things just got better and better during our two hour journey, the sea was calm with just the slightest short swell and the sun shone on us, until we were about 3 miles from shore. As we approached our destination, Macinaggio, a wind sprang up and muddled the water, at the same time as the sun disappeared behind a dark cloud, spoiling the conditions we had been so enjoying. We decided not to go straight into port, but in an optimistic mood look for a sheltered anchorage and hope the cloud would pass. For once we were right! We found a lovely spot about 20 minutes along the coast with just one yacht at anchor in the bay, so we dropped the hook. Strangely, the wind here was in completely the opposite direction to that which we had just encountered and we anticipated a slightly bumpy afternoon but no – the wind dropped, the yacht left and we sunbathed, ate, swam and slept under a clear blue sky.
When eventually we moved back to port, the wind was still blowing, and as we came into the marina it started to make things difficult for mooring up. Zaffina was being pushed fast into her berth and Frank had to work hard to hold her off from either bashing against other boats or the pier so it was a relief when eventually we were safely tied up. The yacht that came alongside us wasn’t so well handled and managed to give us a small ding in the side as it turned almost side on in its space before finally getting moored up.
Macinaggio is very small and not as pretty as the ports we left in Elba, but it is nice to be back somewhere where we can understand the language and decipher the menu! And of course, there’s French bread here!
The forecast promised strong winds and it certainly delivered. Throughout the day yesterday, the wind rose and blasted. The lifeboat went speeding out to sea twice, the second time returning with a yacht in tow. We checked, rechecked and changed our ropes as noisy gusts tried to throw us around. When we returned from dinner in the port, our neighbouring dive boat had retrieved one of our sun cushions, which had tried to break fee during our absence. The wind, which had been up to an 8 during the day, hit a force 9 during the night, whistling through the marina and slapping noisy waves against the hull. We slept in the saloon so we would hear if there were any problems on shore, and were relieved when finally the wind started to drop in the early hours and we could return to our cabin.
It is much calmer this morning, although there is still a breeze and we’ll probably stay here until Tuesday. We can’t wait to see a bit more of Corsica; like Elba, it is very mountainous, green and fertile, but it has a quite different feel to it, perhaps due to its French antecedents and of course it is much bigger.
As ever, the weather will determine our course – east or west side depending on the wind, and as ever, our fingers are crossed for things to finally settle down for the summer!
Wednesday, 16 June 2010
16 June 2010
Oops, it's been a while since I posted the last blog, and in that time we made the journey from Porto Lotti to Viareggio in mixed conditions. We thought we would spend the day anchored off somewhere in the bay of La Spezia, but wherever we tried to find shelter, the wind found us and rocked us around too much for comfort. Eventually we put the anchor down near a small port, but even that had quite a lot of movement and once we'd eaten we realised the anchor was dragging, so decided to head off down the coast. By this time it was quite overcast so sunbathing was out and we were happy to be moving into port. En route to Viareggio, the sky got darker and darker and it was clear we were heading not just for a shower but for a downpour and sure enough, the heavens opened and deposited the equivalent of Queen's Valley onto us - fortunately we'd had the sense to move below shortly before this happened! As we came into port, so the downpour ceased and by the time we were moored up, the sun had come out again and everything was sparkly and bright! Funny old weather.
With a trip home on the cards, we spent the next 24 hours tidying up and getting ready to leave Zaffina. Frank went up to the office to make the appropriate arrangements and immediately got whacked with a 172 euro fine. Apparently, we should have registered on our arrival in Italian waters and had failed to do so. We went home terrified that the Italian authorities would find some other infringement and decide to impound our lovely boat, and spent the next few days back in Jersey with this worry on our minds. We still managed to enjoy our time at home, catching up with as many people as possible and celebrating baby Lily's Christening.
On Wednesday evening, we met up with Amanda and Ian at Gatwick and flew back down to Italy together. It was lovely to be back in the heat and we were delighted to find Zaffina in good order, where we had left here! Moored a few places away from us was an old friend - the Magellano, Azimut's new model which we sea trialled in Tunisia at the end of last year. Two boats from us was another Azimut 62, this one belonging to the trainer of the Italian football team, but he wasn't on board; apparently he has some pressing business in South Africa at the moment!
Not only was there no problem with moving on with Zaffina, but the powers that be had decided that we hadn't, after all, broken any rules and we didn't have to pay the fine. Better still, they provided us with plenty of paperwork to say that we have conformed to all their regulations, so if we run into trouble again we have proof that we are legit in these waters!
The weather meant that we weren't able to leave Viareggio until Friday so we hired a car and went to check that the Leaning Tower of Pisa was still leaning (it is) and had a quick visit to Luca. On Friday, we made the break and set sail, in reasonable conditions, for Elba. Amanda wasn't wild on the sea (ie it wasn't flat calm) but managed to survive the crossing and we slipped into Porto Ferraio in the afternoon. It is a beautifully sheltered port, a horse-shoe of pastal coloured buildings ringing the harbour, with the town rising behind to an imposing fort.
The weather has been changeable since we've been in Elba, brilliant sunshine followed by thick cloud or a thunderstorm, and our plans to spend a couple of days here before moving on to Corsica have been scuppered. We have been all the way around the island though, stopping for a night in the very pretty Porto Azurro on the opposite shore and spending a perfect afternoon in a gorgeous anchorage before returning to Porto Ferraio two days ago. Then the wind came up again, and we've been here ever since, with storms and torrential rain last night followed by brilliant sunshine, but still with that wind around, today.
Fingers crossed we'll be moving on to Corsica on Friday, by which time Amanda and Ian will be in Florence before they return home to the UK on Saturday evening. I think our fingers may remain crossed for the whole summer, judging by the forecasts!
With a trip home on the cards, we spent the next 24 hours tidying up and getting ready to leave Zaffina. Frank went up to the office to make the appropriate arrangements and immediately got whacked with a 172 euro fine. Apparently, we should have registered on our arrival in Italian waters and had failed to do so. We went home terrified that the Italian authorities would find some other infringement and decide to impound our lovely boat, and spent the next few days back in Jersey with this worry on our minds. We still managed to enjoy our time at home, catching up with as many people as possible and celebrating baby Lily's Christening.
On Wednesday evening, we met up with Amanda and Ian at Gatwick and flew back down to Italy together. It was lovely to be back in the heat and we were delighted to find Zaffina in good order, where we had left here! Moored a few places away from us was an old friend - the Magellano, Azimut's new model which we sea trialled in Tunisia at the end of last year. Two boats from us was another Azimut 62, this one belonging to the trainer of the Italian football team, but he wasn't on board; apparently he has some pressing business in South Africa at the moment!
Not only was there no problem with moving on with Zaffina, but the powers that be had decided that we hadn't, after all, broken any rules and we didn't have to pay the fine. Better still, they provided us with plenty of paperwork to say that we have conformed to all their regulations, so if we run into trouble again we have proof that we are legit in these waters!
The weather meant that we weren't able to leave Viareggio until Friday so we hired a car and went to check that the Leaning Tower of Pisa was still leaning (it is) and had a quick visit to Luca. On Friday, we made the break and set sail, in reasonable conditions, for Elba. Amanda wasn't wild on the sea (ie it wasn't flat calm) but managed to survive the crossing and we slipped into Porto Ferraio in the afternoon. It is a beautifully sheltered port, a horse-shoe of pastal coloured buildings ringing the harbour, with the town rising behind to an imposing fort.
The weather has been changeable since we've been in Elba, brilliant sunshine followed by thick cloud or a thunderstorm, and our plans to spend a couple of days here before moving on to Corsica have been scuppered. We have been all the way around the island though, stopping for a night in the very pretty Porto Azurro on the opposite shore and spending a perfect afternoon in a gorgeous anchorage before returning to Porto Ferraio two days ago. Then the wind came up again, and we've been here ever since, with storms and torrential rain last night followed by brilliant sunshine, but still with that wind around, today.
Fingers crossed we'll be moving on to Corsica on Friday, by which time Amanda and Ian will be in Florence before they return home to the UK on Saturday evening. I think our fingers may remain crossed for the whole summer, judging by the forecasts!
Wednesday, 2 June 2010
25 May - 2 June 2010
We did move on, but not very far - just a quick skip across the bay to Lavagna which wasn't a pretty port in the least but at least it was sheltered. What a relief to be still at last! The reason we chose Lavagna was because there was still some outstanding work to be done on Zaffina, and the firm doing it had their headquarters there. It was quite a walk into the town from our berth, and not a particularly picturesque one when we got there, but it had a good supermarket and an amazing cemetery! We wandered up to the church and then on into the cemetery behind it, and it was like walking through a slightly macabre museum; loads of massive statues of angels, of religious figures and of the dead, huge mausoleums and walls of interred remains with photographs of the residents in better days - oh, and loads of plastic flowers!
We ended up staying in Lavagna for three nights before a lovely trip along the coast, past the Cinque Terra, to Portovenere, which was just gorgeous. It only has room for half a dozen boats of our size so we were lucky to be in the port, and it was a great place to sit and watch the world go by. The town is crowned by an enormous castle and has an elegant church on the promontory by the entrance channel. The roads are just the narrowest lanes and there are so many steps that not even the ever-present vespas can negotiate to the higher points. Dinner was at a great restaurant on the waterside, watching the fishing boats coming in and out of the narrow channel, followed by a wake of seagulls in hot pursuit.
The only thing to mar the delights of Portovenere was the fact that an alarm was buzzing on Zaffina for no apparent reason, and the battery warning lights were on. Rather than continue our journey, the following morning we turned around and went back to Portovenere, but by the time we got there all the problems had ironed themselves out. The electricians could find nothing to fully explain the problems,(although they thought perhaps they were due to some interference from the naval installations in the area) and after everything was checked, we turned back to the Bay of La Spezia (where Portovenere is located) and enjoyed an early evening return trip over a velvet sea. We couldn't go back to our previous port so instead we went further into the bay and checked in to Porto Lotti. It didn't look too great on approach, but once in, we found it to be a lovely marina, welcoming and with very good facilities.
We've been in Porto Lotti for 4 nights, as wind was forecast but never materialised, and explored the surrounding area including Lerici and San Terenzo (places I visited several decades ago with my parents.) Yesterday we hired a car and drove along twisting roads clinging to the hillside, to explore some of the delightful towns of Cinque Terra, and today we expect to move on again, as we're booked into Viareggio tomorrow, from where we'll fly home to Jersey for a few days. We're not ready to leave Italy, even for a few days - it is simply gorgeous around here and we couldn't have had a better area to start this year's cruise.
We ended up staying in Lavagna for three nights before a lovely trip along the coast, past the Cinque Terra, to Portovenere, which was just gorgeous. It only has room for half a dozen boats of our size so we were lucky to be in the port, and it was a great place to sit and watch the world go by. The town is crowned by an enormous castle and has an elegant church on the promontory by the entrance channel. The roads are just the narrowest lanes and there are so many steps that not even the ever-present vespas can negotiate to the higher points. Dinner was at a great restaurant on the waterside, watching the fishing boats coming in and out of the narrow channel, followed by a wake of seagulls in hot pursuit.
The only thing to mar the delights of Portovenere was the fact that an alarm was buzzing on Zaffina for no apparent reason, and the battery warning lights were on. Rather than continue our journey, the following morning we turned around and went back to Portovenere, but by the time we got there all the problems had ironed themselves out. The electricians could find nothing to fully explain the problems,(although they thought perhaps they were due to some interference from the naval installations in the area) and after everything was checked, we turned back to the Bay of La Spezia (where Portovenere is located) and enjoyed an early evening return trip over a velvet sea. We couldn't go back to our previous port so instead we went further into the bay and checked in to Porto Lotti. It didn't look too great on approach, but once in, we found it to be a lovely marina, welcoming and with very good facilities.
We've been in Porto Lotti for 4 nights, as wind was forecast but never materialised, and explored the surrounding area including Lerici and San Terenzo (places I visited several decades ago with my parents.) Yesterday we hired a car and drove along twisting roads clinging to the hillside, to explore some of the delightful towns of Cinque Terra, and today we expect to move on again, as we're booked into Viareggio tomorrow, from where we'll fly home to Jersey for a few days. We're not ready to leave Italy, even for a few days - it is simply gorgeous around here and we couldn't have had a better area to start this year's cruise.
Tuesday, 25 May 2010
Tuesday 25th May 2010
They didn't let us use the pool! Only for yacht club members, so instead we spent a tiring afternoon lying on the bow cushions, soaking up the sun. So cruel.
We woke on Monday to glorious blue skies and after the usual early morning chores, dropped the ropes and sailed out of port onto an equally glorious blue - and utterly calm - sea. We had seen a little cove on our way in, so made our way there with the intention of anchoring off, but discovered that it was all restricted to smaller craft and our only option would have been to drop anchor in the entrance channel - which wouldn't have made us popular. Instead we found a place nearer to Portofino where we spent the day, again making good use of the bow cushions. Frank had his first swim in the Med of the year and came out looking slightly blue (although he reckoned it was positively warm compared to Lake Garda)so I kept my toes firmly away from the ladder!
Early evening we came into Portofino which is quite charming. In fact, it doesn't look quite real, it is so pretty! It could easily be a film set for some 1950s musical although the prices are definitely 2010. There was a bit of a kefuffle mooring up as the lazy lines were tangled on the seabed and eventually required a diver to go below and release them. The whole process took a lot of shouting and gesticulating, in typical Italian style!
The day finished with an excellent meal at the Splendido Mare, accompanied by an excellent bottle of wine! And that would have been that, had the wind not come up during the night which meant a lot of noise and movement for Zaffina and a few sleepless hours for us. And then the binmen decided to empty the massive glass bins at 8 o clock this morning...tons and tons of glass crashing down, bottle against bottle, into the lorry! An effective if unwelcome alarm call. So we reckon we may move on today!
We woke on Monday to glorious blue skies and after the usual early morning chores, dropped the ropes and sailed out of port onto an equally glorious blue - and utterly calm - sea. We had seen a little cove on our way in, so made our way there with the intention of anchoring off, but discovered that it was all restricted to smaller craft and our only option would have been to drop anchor in the entrance channel - which wouldn't have made us popular. Instead we found a place nearer to Portofino where we spent the day, again making good use of the bow cushions. Frank had his first swim in the Med of the year and came out looking slightly blue (although he reckoned it was positively warm compared to Lake Garda)so I kept my toes firmly away from the ladder!
Early evening we came into Portofino which is quite charming. In fact, it doesn't look quite real, it is so pretty! It could easily be a film set for some 1950s musical although the prices are definitely 2010. There was a bit of a kefuffle mooring up as the lazy lines were tangled on the seabed and eventually required a diver to go below and release them. The whole process took a lot of shouting and gesticulating, in typical Italian style!
The day finished with an excellent meal at the Splendido Mare, accompanied by an excellent bottle of wine! And that would have been that, had the wind not come up during the night which meant a lot of noise and movement for Zaffina and a few sleepless hours for us. And then the binmen decided to empty the massive glass bins at 8 o clock this morning...tons and tons of glass crashing down, bottle against bottle, into the lorry! An effective if unwelcome alarm call. So we reckon we may move on today!
Sunday 23rd May 2010
We’ve finally done it – our first voyage of the year and what a glorious trip it was. Well, apart from a shower of rain that is! As usual, those last minute jobs took longer than expected, and having hoped to leave Varazze before 3pm, we were still preparing to set off as the afternoon was slipping away. Our final concern was the fact that one of the generator filters was blocked with sea debris, something which should have been picked up during the engine service.
Once we were sure that everything was ship shape, we finally slipped the ropes and nosed out of our winter port, almost two weeks behind schedule. Whatever the delays, the sea was worth waiting for; icy calm under a blue sky, and Zaffina did what she does best – she flew down the coast, apparently enjoying being back at sea as much as we were. Our enjoyment of the journey lasted longer than the blue skies; although the sea remained utterly still, we could see we were heading towards rain and despite hoping to be south of the shower which was clearly falling on the land, we got a bit of a dousing and had to move to the lower helm position. Fortunately it didn’t last long and as we turned past Portofino and towards our destination, we moved back up top and savoured our arrival in port…to a serenade of church bells!
Rapallo is lovely, a typically Italian seaside town with traditional, grand but rather faded, villas and apartment buildings around a small sandy beach. It is surrounded by wooded hills, with little villages and churches high on the slopes overlooking the Med.
Our Italian neighbours, on a Sunseeker of equal size to Zaffina, are very snooty and obviously thought we were the crew when we came in! We’ve probably reinforced the image by doing all our own cooking and cleaning on board as they sit in their cockpit with eyebrows raised, sipping cocktails, and just managing to squeeze out pained smiles if we dare to wish them a good day! I am tempted to spit cherry stones at them when they’re not looking!
Anyhow, the sun is shining so we’re off to explore and suss out the nearby swimming pool. All is good…
Once we were sure that everything was ship shape, we finally slipped the ropes and nosed out of our winter port, almost two weeks behind schedule. Whatever the delays, the sea was worth waiting for; icy calm under a blue sky, and Zaffina did what she does best – she flew down the coast, apparently enjoying being back at sea as much as we were. Our enjoyment of the journey lasted longer than the blue skies; although the sea remained utterly still, we could see we were heading towards rain and despite hoping to be south of the shower which was clearly falling on the land, we got a bit of a dousing and had to move to the lower helm position. Fortunately it didn’t last long and as we turned past Portofino and towards our destination, we moved back up top and savoured our arrival in port…to a serenade of church bells!
Rapallo is lovely, a typically Italian seaside town with traditional, grand but rather faded, villas and apartment buildings around a small sandy beach. It is surrounded by wooded hills, with little villages and churches high on the slopes overlooking the Med.
Our Italian neighbours, on a Sunseeker of equal size to Zaffina, are very snooty and obviously thought we were the crew when we came in! We’ve probably reinforced the image by doing all our own cooking and cleaning on board as they sit in their cockpit with eyebrows raised, sipping cocktails, and just managing to squeeze out pained smiles if we dare to wish them a good day! I am tempted to spit cherry stones at them when they’re not looking!
Anyhow, the sun is shining so we’re off to explore and suss out the nearby swimming pool. All is good…
Saturday, 22 May 2010
Saturday 22nd May, Varazze
At last, we’re back on board Zaffina!
We arrived in Italy ten days ago to discover that the winter work was far from complete. Unsurprisingly, we were somewhat irritated, having given several months notice of our intended departure date, but there was little we could do except rant and rage a bit. Then we hired a car and went to Tuscany, which was simply breathtakingly beautiful, for a few days and on to Lake Garda for a few more. Weather was rubbish in Tuscany, rather better on Garda but we had an absolute ball and enjoyed every moment of our unexpected trip.
We got back here on Thursday fully intending to book into a hotel for another night. I had earmarked a place in town, which looked elegant but faded, but when we went to investigate a little closer it actually looked really cruddy, (which elicited a knowing “I told you so” from Frank!) A reception area in shades of dark brown with fake wood panelling is never a good look and we decided that the Italian star rating (this was a 4) is obviously somewhat different to the rest of the world! We then popped down to see how work was going on Zaffina and have a meeting with various people involved, and discovered that it was almost finished so the natural thing to do was to move on board. It's lovely to be back on her, although we'd forgotten how hard the mattress is in our cabin and we'll have to get used to the equivalent of sleeping on a board again!
Today is just perfect, no wind, no cloud, guess the temperature is somewhere in the mid twenties. All being well (provided the last jobs are done and there are a few to be finished and no sign of any workmen yet) we'll set off this afternoon. We had a sea trial on Thursday and while I was driving her and Frank was below, I spotted the first dolphin of the season - a good omen, I hope! We are starting to address those important chores like buying food - the fridge had champagne, ketchup and a small cheddar cheese in it during our first night. Even masterchef contestants would have a problem with coming up with something appetising from those ingredients! (Although they could add in some marmite rice cakes and custard from the store cupboard...yummy!)
We feel we’ve got to know this part of the Ligurian coast really well and we love it now; there are any number of quaint coastal towns and hilltop villages, beautiful countryside and a backdrop of mountains. It’s been great to see Varazze in the summer when it really comes alive, but we’ve been here long enough and the rest of Italy beckons. We’re already worried about the problems we may encounter with finding berths through the height of the summer, as we’ve heard that it gets even more crowded here than in Mallorca or the South of France, but we hope to spend nights at anchor whenever possible. We’ve already called 2 ports for places but just got a vague “try later” which isn’t overly encouraging but we’re keeping fingers crossed and hope to be somewhere near Portofino by tonight or tomorrow at the latest.
We arrived in Italy ten days ago to discover that the winter work was far from complete. Unsurprisingly, we were somewhat irritated, having given several months notice of our intended departure date, but there was little we could do except rant and rage a bit. Then we hired a car and went to Tuscany, which was simply breathtakingly beautiful, for a few days and on to Lake Garda for a few more. Weather was rubbish in Tuscany, rather better on Garda but we had an absolute ball and enjoyed every moment of our unexpected trip.
We got back here on Thursday fully intending to book into a hotel for another night. I had earmarked a place in town, which looked elegant but faded, but when we went to investigate a little closer it actually looked really cruddy, (which elicited a knowing “I told you so” from Frank!) A reception area in shades of dark brown with fake wood panelling is never a good look and we decided that the Italian star rating (this was a 4) is obviously somewhat different to the rest of the world! We then popped down to see how work was going on Zaffina and have a meeting with various people involved, and discovered that it was almost finished so the natural thing to do was to move on board. It's lovely to be back on her, although we'd forgotten how hard the mattress is in our cabin and we'll have to get used to the equivalent of sleeping on a board again!
Today is just perfect, no wind, no cloud, guess the temperature is somewhere in the mid twenties. All being well (provided the last jobs are done and there are a few to be finished and no sign of any workmen yet) we'll set off this afternoon. We had a sea trial on Thursday and while I was driving her and Frank was below, I spotted the first dolphin of the season - a good omen, I hope! We are starting to address those important chores like buying food - the fridge had champagne, ketchup and a small cheddar cheese in it during our first night. Even masterchef contestants would have a problem with coming up with something appetising from those ingredients! (Although they could add in some marmite rice cakes and custard from the store cupboard...yummy!)
We feel we’ve got to know this part of the Ligurian coast really well and we love it now; there are any number of quaint coastal towns and hilltop villages, beautiful countryside and a backdrop of mountains. It’s been great to see Varazze in the summer when it really comes alive, but we’ve been here long enough and the rest of Italy beckons. We’re already worried about the problems we may encounter with finding berths through the height of the summer, as we’ve heard that it gets even more crowded here than in Mallorca or the South of France, but we hope to spend nights at anchor whenever possible. We’ve already called 2 ports for places but just got a vague “try later” which isn’t overly encouraging but we’re keeping fingers crossed and hope to be somewhere near Portofino by tonight or tomorrow at the latest.
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