Cruising in Sardinia

Another perfect anchorage

With 5,700NM now logged on Sabbaticus we are finding this season sailing more relaxing and enjoyable as we are now familiar with the systems on board and how to operate them - including reefing (reducing our sails when the wind gets up) earlier which makes it easier on the crew (no more seasickness so far) and Sabbaticus without reducing our speed. The last few weeks have been spent cruising up the east coast of Sardinia.This has meant day sails of about 4-6hrs as we move between the various anchorages.  

Ready and waiting ...

With our routine maintenance regime now in place the only breakages so far have been two broken springs in the cupboard doors. We are hoping this trend continues as we make our long trek back to Ipswich, UK this summer. While the daily routines continue to evolve the best mate is gaining skills as a barber to ensure the skipper retains his sharp look. Since being on Sabbaticus the most frequently used item in the medical kit are the plasters - we have used more on a boat than ever living on land. The most recent case was the Skipper cooking dinner and slicing his finger with the newly sharpened knife. The result was no cooking or washing dishes for the next few days for him - an accident or a cunning ploy? The next time he enters the galley will be under close supervision.

Cruise Ships in Olbia

On the trip up the coast there are numerous islands, low reefs and rocks extending to half a mile offshore. Sailing past a shipwreck is always sobering and a  reminder to keep a good lookout.  When coming into the port town of Olbia we were amazed to see miles and miles of ‘bouy farms’ - we can only surmise these will be removed in summer and placed around the numerous coastal bays. While it was enjoyable to spend a night on the town quay at Olbia and visit the local markets we were both keen to keep moving up the coast to reach a safe anchorage before the next blow came through. 

First swim for summer

After several picturesque anchorages and seeing the beautiful water colours of the Med it was finally warm enough for a swim. This weather was too good to last as the next three days at anchor were gusts of 35kts - a good test for the anchor which held firmly in the sand. Hopefully in the next week we will reach Bonificao in Corsica and then cruise back to Sardinia to position ourselves for the crossing to the Balearic Islands in Spain.

Shipwreck on the Island of Rosso

Bouy Farms in Olbia Channel

Olbia Town Quay

Sicily to Sardinia

Ragusa to Trapani

Is this the future?

After a leisurely start, doing the rounds of farewells to friends the engine was started, lines slipped and we left Ragusa with fond memories of our time there. For once the weather forecast was accurate and we had great down wind sailing conditions for the 24hrs sail to Trapani. So much for an easy trip to get our sea legs, most of the time it was F5/6 then increased to F7 (28-33kts) for the last few hours. Despite starting out in shorts and tee-shirts by sunset we were in full wet weather gear with rain from 0400hrs - so much for summer sailing! 

Sunday stroll ...

We arrived at Trapani and after being squeezed into a marina berth enjoyed a leisurely day to stroll around the town before departing for Sardinia. Of note (again) when completing the marina check in our flag was mistakenly identified as Australian, but when Leanne advised it was the NZ flag the friendly Maurizio quickly did the haka actions with a big smile and then proceeded to show her YouTube footage of the haka! 

Arrival in Sardinia

It was an early departure from Trapani, but the bonus was seeing the beautiful sunrise as we headed towards Sardinia, a passage of 155NM.  Again it was mixed weather from calm to near gale conditions and long-johns/full wet weather gear again. 30hrs later we arrived tired and pleased to be in Villasimius, Sardinia and away from the lumpy confused seas.

Best mate on her birthday

After a night to recover the wind was favourable so we departed up the east coast for a 6hr sail to Porto Corallo - a  local fishing harbour with only a few cruising yachts and not much else. With the best mate's birthday looming the Skipper decided to take her sailing for the day - up the coast to Santa Maria Navarrese.  It was then out for dinner in the #1 restaurant (only 15 listed on Trip Advisor).  The menu was certainly different and included 'ewe, donkey, horse, goat and pork'. We had enough adventure this far and opted for the safe choice of pizza and half litre of local wine - which was perfect way to end a good day.

Local fishermen - Porto Corallo

We had several days at Santa Maria waiting for suitable wind and enjoyed the coastal walks along the spectacular, rugged cliffs.  It was then a hard 10 hour sail up the coast to La Caletta in 30-35kts and challenging conditions with katabatic gusts rolling off the cliffs and mountains along the coast. This was the first trip where the autopilot "Tommy" was off watch for the entire passage - due to the gusty and highly changeable conditions.  We will now spend several weeks cruising around the top of Sardinia. 



Below are some photos from this trip and a short video clip from last year sailing in Greece in perfect conditions - which we finally got around to editing now! Please note it was the skipper's choice of music to accompany the video - next time the best mate is choosing!!

Santa Maria, Navarrese

Local harbour - Trapani

Access was via the 'neighbour' at Trapani

Marina di Ragusa, Sicily

Current Forecast

After a month on board the task list is completed, Sabbaticus is gleaming, baking completed, cupboards and freezer stocked and water tanks filled (890 ltrs) we are now ready to depart for either Malta or Sardinia and now just waiting for the right weather window. We have enjoyed our time in Marina di Ragusa (MdR), a sleepy off-season coastal town with a beautiful promenade with the local town piazza and shops within easy walking distance of the marina. Apparently the town and beaches area packed in summer with 60,000 tourists  - just as well we are leaving soon!  MdR is a large marina with 800 berths, with an active live-aboard community of about 150 boats from all over the world.  It has been absolutely fascinating meeting a diverse range of sailors and being inspired by their adventures and zest for life.  The daily cruising net radio schedules keeps everyone informed on local activities and is a good source of information and expertise.

MdR Beach

Sicily, with a population of 5 million, is the largest island in the Mediterranean. MdR is located on the Sth coast and is home to the 'baroque triangle' an area of UNESCO listed hilltop towns famous for their lavish baroque architecture. With so much history close by we hired a car and spent several enjoyable days driving the country roads between beautifully crafted stone fences, stunning landscape coasts, around hectares of glasshouses - avoiding the many crazy drivers who seem to overtake only when approaching a bend in the road and groups of cyclists (always men) decked out in colourful lycra suits. What was surprising to see was the amount of roadside rubbish everywhere.

 

Piazza Del Duomo

Our first stop was Syracuse, founded in 734BC, which was the dominant Greek city in the Med and is known as the most beautiful and largest city of the ancient world. Syracuse's main sights are the historic centre of Ortygia and the ancient ruins. Ortygia is on an island joined to the mainland and is jumbled maze of medieval lanes, palazzi, cafes and markets surrounded by the coast - perfect for meandering around. A devastating earthquake in 1693 destroyed most of the buildings in Syracuse with the replacements built in the Sicilian baroque style. With siesta time approaching and everything shutting down it was time to hop into the Fiesta and drive south to Noto.

Noto is regarded as being home to Sicily's most beautiful street - Vittoria Emanuele and is known as the baroque capital with the pedestrianised boulevard flanked by stunning baroque palazzi and churches. This was a visual feast and even better when viewed outside of the tourist season. Although the town of Noto has existed for centuries, the Noto of today was almost entirely rebuilt after the 1693 earthquake that destroyed most of eastern Sicily. A climb to the top of San Carlo Church was rewarded with picturesque views over the town and a perfect way to end the day.

Temple of Concord

The next day we headed west along the coast to Agrigento to visit the Valley of the Temples dating back to 581BC. The complex of temples and city walls were built on a ridge line spread over 2km, with temples dedicated to Olympian Zeus, Hercules, Concord and Hera. The sheer size of the temples and columns was spectacular and was hard to comprehend how such massive temples could be built in ancient times without all our modern equipment. No doubt slave labour and no human rights assisted with the physical labour. 

While we are keen to depart the marina and start sailing again we will miss the ease of living in the marina including the social activities with the live-aboard community,  local vegetable markets where we can buy huge eggplants, red peppers and 1 kg of tomatoes for NZ$1.50, olives, fresh cheeses and in the cafes cheap coffee, custard filled croissants and gelato! 

Marina di Ragusa

MdR - long walk down the pier to our berth

Noto - Cathedral San Nicolo

Temple of Hera