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!