Cagliari, Sardinia

Setting up the storm jib

After a midday departure from Palma, Mallorca we had hoped to sail to Sicily. Initially we had good winds (requiring several reefs) in the main and geona but as the wind continued to increase our pointing angle become less favourable resulting in a reduction in our Velocity Made Good (VMG) to our destination.  In an attempt to improve our pointing (sailing) angle, we decided to furl our genoa and raise the storm sail (jib) which made for a more comfortable boat motion and improved our pointing angle, ie better VMG. This was also a good opportunity to test our procedures for using this bit of safety kit. Surprisingly, Sabbaticus still achieved a maximum speed of 8.2kts in this configuration. 

Porto Teulada anchorage

The wind then lightened considerably, the seas flattened and we ended up motoring for 38hrs - which was very frustrating. With no more wind forecast we motored direct for Sardinia. The entire passage was 311NM which equated to three nights at sea. On arrival in Sardinia we anchored on the south coast in a lovely bay outside Porto Teulada. We felt quite at home with a Chinook flying over several times and hearing the firing from a military rifle range in  the distance. 

Cagliari waterfront

After a peaceful night at anchor we then moved around the coast into Cagliari passing many beautiful white sandy bays on the way to Marina di Sant'Elmo. We thought we would be able to sail this short leg in light winds. However, after motoring East for an hour into wind and then turning the corner to head Nth we thought we would be on a beam reach for the 20 miles to our destination but, you guessed it, round the corner and a 90 deg wind shift - the wind was on the nose again!!!!  Not to worry, we motored into Cagliari on a beautiful day with perfectly calm seas arriving at the Marina in the late afternoon - in daylight (a unique experience for us). 
  

The Castello - ancient fortifications

Sardinia is the second largest island in the Mediterranean Sea (after Sicily) and is a region of Italy. Cagliari is the capital of Sardinia and is the largest city (approx 455,000) on the island. As an ancient city, occupied for 5,000 years, it has a long history that includes the Greeks, Etrusans Romans, Normans, Spanish and French rulers - quite different to our short NZ history. We spent several days ambling through the cobblestone historic quarters, visiting the local markets, viewing the many church's, taking time out for coffee/pastries and enjoying the ambiance of the medieval city.

So many choices ...

As we are learning the simple boat tasks can take a surprisingly amount of time in a foreign country. For example a customs clearance was a three hour process for Leanne. This included the walk to the customs office and a 1 1/2hr visit explaining the NZ bilateral visa agreement with Italy and the need for a passport stamp. After lots of discussions between the Customs Officers' and numerous telephone calls thankfully the Officer finally acquiesced and our passports were stamped - phew! Finding a suitable data plan for the cell phone proved harder for John, requiring three visits to the shop (which was inexplicably closed for no apparent reason) over three days to finally secure a data plan.

We used the time at the marina to complete a treatment on the teak deck against the inevitable mould and algae that occur. We started this job late in the day to ensure the teak stayed damp after the boat wash and between each application of the boracol product. Hopefully in ten days we will see the results and only have to repeat the treatment bi-annually now to maintain the teak. On another afternoon while  Leanne was busy cleaning the topsides, John swam around Sabbaticus's waterline removing the algae that builds up. 

Some photo's below from our Cagliari wanderings.

 

View from Marina di Sant'Elmo