Sardinia-Rome-Home
We left Bizert in Tunisia for the overnight passage to Cagliari, Sardinia, pretty much 24 hours after we arrived. There were other people checking out of the marina as well, including the Australians we’d met (sailing on a gorgeous 50ft Amel), SV Caramel. One of the perks boaties love when visiting Tunisia is taking advantage of filling up their tanks with cheap fuel. We have a diesel generator that needs filling from time to time and in Tunisia you pay 75 cents (euro) per litre compared to 2 euro a litre in Europe.
After mugshots and fingerprints, (behind a a very strange shower curtain facade), stamping of forms and passports, our drone was returned to us. Then, a police officer donned covers for his shoes, boarded Waiata and conducted a rather brief inspection of her hulls, this, standard procedure to ensure no stowaways have come on.
As we headed out (post getting fuel) we were treated to a beautiful sou’east breeze of 10 knots, perfect to launch the Code 0 sail. We honked along for the next two hours, going fast in a flat sea, believing this was amongst the best sailing days we’d had this season. Then, sure enough, the wind gradually died and we had to motor for several hours. We could see Caramel in the distance which was both fun and comforting, for me anyway. During the middle of the night (2am) Gavin tried to launch the Code 0 again and ended up breaking a stanchion on the starboard side, much grunting and cursing followed.
The wind kicked in at dawn (on the nose) and we started sailing again, beating to windward for the last few hours. We were able to get a marina berth in Marina di Cagliari and could enter at 10am. This was fortunate for a couple of reasons, for one, we needed to check back into Italy and Danielle, skipper of Caramel, had done it before and knew where to go. As team Caramel were also staying in the marina, we all checked in together. Another perk of staying in the marina, I could get some sheets laundered and provision the boat - the supermarket delivers to you, very handy. The kind marina staff came out in their tender to help us in and it was interesting to see Prada Luna Rossa team’s former head base on starboard as we entered.
We checked in to Italy seamlessly, (but it still took a good hour) and learned it would be easier to obtain the necessary Costituto in Arrivo (the document needed to sail around Italy) later in Carloforte. While we were in the marina we explored the old town of Cagliari, walking up to the castle and cathedral.
Our plan for cruising in Sardinia was to begin by slowly sailing up the western coast of the island, with the aim of arriving at the top and spending some time in the La Maddalena Archipelago. So it was with great pleasure that the first part of our journey involved a fun rendezvous with some of the ITA Catamaran team, the people behind our boat, in Malfatano. While these people live in mainland Italy, mostly in Verona, Sardinia is their favourite place and where they holiday every summer. Along with their wives, they ride their motorbikes around Sardinia and know all the best restaurants and places to visit. How lucky for us! We enjoyed a delicious dinner out with them (Emilio and Sandra, Francesco and Manu) in Malfatano, and formed a plan to go sailing the next day.
Meeting up in Teluda, we sailed to Cala Zafferano (also known as Porto Zafferano, an absolutely stunning beach with white sand and the clearest azure water ever. The beach is in a military area, (apparently no overnight anchoring allowed), but the day we visited there were many boats and people enjoying it. Had we not been with our ITA mates, we would have likely missed this gem of a place so we were super grateful. On board I made eggplant parmigiana and salad for lunch and we all swam. Of course the boys all found jobs to do on the boat, particularly Francesco, a master rigger, he tweaked a lot of ropes for us!
We figured it was high time we became legal cruisers in Italy and obtain a new Costituto in Arrivo. We’d been advised by other cruisers that Carloforte was a much easier place to get this document sorted so we headed north to the island of Solo de S. Pietro. This island’s main city is Carloforte and we decided to take a berth in Marina Sifredi.
Waiata was placed on a finger quay within the marina where all the charter catamarans tie up on. As we’d gotten there early, (thank heavens as it was quite windy and tight in terms of the number of vessels arriving) we could watch all these boats come in with their guests. For the most part the guests were young and beautiful Italians (Romans!) who all showered on the dock before heading out for the evening. First the girls with their tiny bikinis and gorgeous figures, then the boys. There seemed to be no issue with water rations, each individual took a good 15 minutes to have their time with the hose! The scrubbing down was thorough and intimate. We were transfixed and then applauded loudly when they came back off their boats to head into town for the night, looking so fine!
As it happened, we met a skipper of one of the charter Cats, Stefano at the marina and he ended up eating with us on Waiata. He generously gave us all sorts of tips on where to go and we would meet up with him and his friends in Alghero later.
We set sail the next day north towards Masua and Porto Flavia. It started out sweet, with a 15-knot nor-easter and we were flying along - going around 10 knots. As usual we were complimenting our boat, (to each other) her feather lightness at the helm, her speed and ease to sail. Then the wind picked up to 25 knots very quickly. I wanted to put reefs in right away, but we hesitated as it could still be called ‘variable’ with moments where it dropped to 15-18 knots. By the time we absolutely NEEDED to reef, we had only two nautical miles to go to the destination, so we held off. A few 28 knot gusts saw Waiata accelerating to 15 knots speed, and me shrieking (first time, but there’d be more before the season finished) and we ultimately ended up pulling all the sails down. Anchoring in high wind and powerful gusts is never pleasant, but with our new chain and Ultra 45 anchor we successfully nailed it. The water colour was stunning becoming more and more apparent as the wind eased.
To describe the geography of this place, and well, Sardinia in general, leaves me tongue tied. It’s the most original and rock-filled landscape we’ve ever seen, where the minerals within the rocks are completely visible to all, even to us amateurs.
Porto Flavia was built in the early 1920’s and served as the mineral production hub of the Masua region. It boggles the mind to consider how they extracted these metals and minerals, (lead, coal, sulphur, barium, zinc, silver and others) and transported them through the rock onto waiting ships.
Shortly after we anchored, our mates on Caramel showed up and we hung out here for a couple of days and did dinghy trips together to marvel at the caves, rock formation and Grotto Azzura.
On we went northwards and fortuitously we made another rendezvous with the ITA Catamaran team in Torres Grande. Once more we enjoyed a night out with them at one of their favourite restaurants (we can understand why!) and were able to anchor just outside it. Guided by them, we tried local specialities like Bottarga, considered the ‘golden caviar’ of Sardinia, a salted fish egg delicacy that is as ancient a food source (think 3000 years ago when the Phoenician fishermen cultivated it) as it is utterly delicious. Gavin and I had grilled local fresh fish for our main, and for dessert, tried the Sardinian speciality, Seadas. This is a deep-fried semolina dumpling filled with soured Pecorino cheese, and lemon zest, covered in honey. The sour and salt, mixed with the sweet taste and gooey cheese is unique and delicious. The after dinner digestive imbibed here is commonly a Mirto, a liqueur made from fresh myrtle berries that went down well with the Seadas.
On our way out of Torres Grande we anchored outside the impressive archaeological site and ruins of Tharros, founded by the Phoenicians around 8th century BC and abandoned around the 11 century AD. The site is in good shape with excellent maps and overseen by guides who speak English and direct you to the best bits, cisterns, amphitheatre, baths, temples.
The light sea breezes and blue skies were wonderful, but around the 26th of August that was all to change with a 40-50 knot Mistral wind forecast. Knowing this well ahead of time, (thank you Predict Wind) and expecting Kiwi friends to arrive just as the storm hit, we booked ourselves into the Marina di Alghero for an estimated stay of four nights. Just our luck, Waiata’s place within the tight marina saw us positioned under a statue of the Virgin Mary, which we took as a good omen.
Friends Loo and Tim boarded the boat on the 28th of August and were philosophical about not being able to head out to sea as originally planned, and really, who would want to go out in those conditions? It was so windy that at times you were nearly blown off your feet with a sea that looked so angry and wild.
We decided to rent a car and explore the region around the Parco Naturale de Porto Conte and Porto Torres - and then circle around to Bosa (with a visit to the castle) on the way back. On this excursion there was a fun encounter with a man called Francesco who spotted us and immediately took us for the tourists we were. He was selling large blocks of the delicious Sardinian Pecorino cheese out of his van and cut me a slab. Before I knew it I was handing over 40 euros, and wondering how on earth we’d eat it all. But in the end we did.
A reunion with Stefano (the skipper we met in Carloforte) and his friends from Roma, (all keen sailors) Spartacus, Salvatore and xx took place while in the marina. We dined out together in Alghero on pizza on one night, and the next day they came on board Waitata to inspect her, bringing the most delicious Sardinian pastry treats and gifting us a very special bottle of port.
Alghero is a really fun town full of wonderful restaurants and shops. We dined out a couple of nights and Loo and I did a bit of retail therapy. The evening passeggiata (Passeggiata is an Italian term for a leisurely stroll after dinner) took place in earnest around where Waiata was berthed and the people watching and super talented buskers contributed to some fun nights out.
It was finally time to head out, the wind was dying to around 25 knots and we wanted to get out there and experience some sailing with our mates before they had to head off. We sailed north with the first night in Porto Conti, then further on to the Maddalena Archipelago and Santa Teresa Gallura. Thankfully Loo and Tim got to see some of the special landscape and water of Sardinia, however, the storm caused the sea temperature to drop from its usual 27 degrees to 20 which was a bit of a shock!
And here’s where I fell down reader, I gave up the ghost on writing at the end of last season for some reason, and now I’m trying to finish this final blog for 2023 in June of 2024! So this last bit will be a bit shotgun and rely on photos and memory.
After farewelling Loo and Tim we went back to Porto Pozzo and took a mooring, 35 euros a night which is good value. This was to rendezvous with an old friend from Auckland, Italian by birth, Cristini Magni and her family (husband Luca and daughter Sofia) who were holidaying there from their home in Spain. We had lunch on the boat, had swims, and then went into Palau town, (where the ferry operates to La Maddelana) and had ice creams. Absolute fun to reunite again!
Our next visitors were Matt and Mish from Melbourne who we collected in Santa Teresa Gallura. Gavin and I had taken a berth there for two nights to replenish the boat and rest. With the Pearce’s we explored more around in the Archipelago La Maddalena National Park, including a sail to Carla Lunga where we visited the famous Pink Beach. In Stagno Torso we saw the most beautiful, architecturally designed houses dotting the rocky landscape. Highlights included a visit to the playground of the rich and famous, Porto Cervo, where for two hours we could tie up free of charge to a finger pier, otherwise you pay 450 euro per night in a berth! Days were spent with pleasant sailing, paddle boarding, yoga, reading and swimming. We tried to anchor once in a beautiful bay, Carla Brigantino, but were driven away by hundreds of wasps! We had sumptuous meals on board and dined out like royalty in Palau at Ristorante di Robertino. Funny coincidence, our waiter was from Melbourne, how weird is that? Other memorable on shore meals were had at Cannigione, the destination where we dropped Matt and Mish off. They were rendezvousing for another holiday with their gorgeous and. super fun daughters, Ali and Eliza, and it was a treat to have them on board for an aperitivo before dinner.
At times sailing around this area of La Maddalena we found it frustrating to find an anchor spot, mostly due to the narrow bays and large volume of boats. We’d read about a bay called Stagnali just across from the town of Maddalena and decided to have a go there. It was quite funny to discover not one, but two Kiwi yachts (catamarans) at anchor here as we entered the bay - with plenty of room for us too. We met and had drinks with the two lovely Kiwi couples on SV Big Bay, Dave and Linda, and on SV Soul, Sarah and Mike. I love these little coincidences that pop up in boating life, and this one came at just at the right time as I was feeling sort of grumpy about missing anchors due to crowds or wind gusts. The six of us took at trip into Maddelena town and did some shopping (found a cute sailor frock, felt I deserved it!) and sight seeing. There’s also an incredible museum in Stagnali Bay that we visited, dedicated to the geology of the area.
It was time to sail around to the eastern side of Sardinia, our aim was to be in Olbia within days to collect our mate from Geneva, Dave, to sail the boat back to Rome with us. On a cloudy day with a slight breeze, Gavin and I sat together at the starboard helm, sailing along around 6 knots, pondering anchor spots for the night. Very far out to sea we could see a sailing regatta taking place, but other than that, there were no other visible signs of boats around. Suddenly a drone appeared above us, it seemed to be watching us, felt a bit spooky if I’m honest. We couldn’t see where it was launched from although very far off in the distance we saw a rib, maybe it was this person spying on us? The drone came down close then suddenly flew off. The next day we had a text from our friend Dede, from OneSails, accompanied by a picture of our boat asking if this was us? Dede and OneSails did all the sails on Waiata and he is also the race director of the F-69 class of sailing boats and was in the chase boat when he spotted us. Turns out it was the world champs of the F-69 sailing class and we were treated to a day at the races aboard his boat and a trip to the prize giving on shore after.
We sailed off to Olbia and secured a place at Marina Di Olbia, a great spot with some excellent historical sites to visit, the Museo Archeologico di Olbia being one of the finest. There’s also great restaurants and a shopping centre within walking distance. It costs around 200 euro a night and the marina staff are friendly.
We collected Dave who has sailed with us every season and is pretty much an integral member of the Waiata crew. Why? He’s fun, he’s interesting, a good sailor and loves music and dancing. We wouldn’t miss a season without him! We always seem to have some adventure, drama, ‘omg moment’ or two with him as well, and this time would be no exception.
It was slow going in our attempt to exit the marina, delays in getting one or two of their staff members to guide us out. The wind was picking up and the skipper was impatient. So Gav decided to just head out. We let go of the lines and started our exit when the boat motors just stopped; we’d grabbed ropes around the prop. What a downer moment that was and the wind was now gusting. It was hard getting back into our berth without motors but somehow we did, Dave jumped off if I recall correctly. I was sure we were there for another night, but Gav being Gav (and a McGyver clone), donned his scuba gear and dove on it, in the most fetid, disgusting water ever and fixed the problem, all to the amusement of the marina staff who finally showed up. We headed out, our heads a bit low but stoked in any case.
We had a couple of days playing around Sardinia enjoying the divine ocean and great sailing conditions.
The day we left, (October 2) we had a lovely breeze of 12 knots and were sailing 6 knots in flat sea on what is an overnight passage to Rome, marvelling at our good fortune. Gav decided to fly the drone seeing as the conditions were so perfect. After some 20 minutes he tried to bring the drone home, but it wasn’t having it. Long story short, after around 25 minutes of nearly pulling it in, it died, or committed suicide, just metres from the boat, we lost it to the sea. Sprits slumped but nothing that a good song or two and a beer couldn’t fix.
We arrived at Blue Dolphin Marina in the morning of October 3 and stooged around a bit before they helped us tie on to a dock on the side of the river. It would be another day before we got hauled out to the hard. Dave left back to Geneva and we headed to Rome for a couple final days before flying home to NZ.
My apologies for the length of this and how I lost my writer’s mojo, but at least when I’m in ‘the home’ one day I can look back and recall these stories that I hope have provided some amusement to you too!
