Our crew man James Dick left us in Sciacca in Sicily and Pat and I then
sailed the next day on to our last port in Sicily, Marsala, a sail of 43 miles.
Marsala is of course famous for the fortified wine of that name which was first
manufactured by an Englishman , John Woodhouse. Although our berth in the
harbour was good with excellent facilities it was a long way into the centre of
town. Pat and I started to walk it but the busy roads with no defined pavement
scared us to death. We decided that we were not that keen to see the obviously
dilapidated town and ducked into a small bar where we got coffee and a sweet
Marsala. Using the Wi Fi in the bar we discovered that the wind pattern was
perfect for our trip to Sardinia over the next few days so decided to leave in
the morning and end our Sicilian adventure.
We left at first light from Marsala harbour and set course
for the Egadi islands just west of Sicily. These islands are very high
mountains in contrast to the low lying western end of Sicily and we could see
the furthest island clearly as we left the harbour. However, the sun was
bringing up a mist off the sea and before we had gone 10 miles we were plunged
into thick fog with about 100 yards visibility. Worryingly there were a few
small fishing boats about so we motored slowly with our eyes straining to see
into the fog as it swirled around us. It lasted an hour by which time we were
level with the last of the island group and the sun burned the fog off and
exposed the sheer granite structure of the island in all its beauty.
At last we could set course safely for Sardinia and let our jangled
nerves rest. A light following breeze established itself and setting our
cruising chute gave us a speed of about four knots.
Pods of dolphins joined us on occasions one pod was eight individuals
and they played with us for half an hour. We were able to keep that sail up all
day and into the evening when the breeze became more fickle. We motored through
the night making good speed but in a strange quartering sea the motion was not
ideal for sleeping and the waves seemed larger than the wind strength
warranted. The sunset was perfect as was the sunrise and no repetition of the
early morning fog. Many ships in the night kept us busy checking our safe
clearances using AIS and radar and it was soon morning.
A clear approach to Sardinia helped us negotiate the rocky
islets on the south east corner and make our way into Villasimius marina,
a very well protected harbour. We last visited here five years ago on our way
across the Mediterranean and the marina has improved and developed since
then.
We had logged 175 miles in 29 hours and neither of us had slept much so
after hosing the boat down and tidying away we had a couple of hours kip. A
wonderful shower followed and then we tried the rather splendid looking
restaurant. It lived up to its appearance and we enjoyed huge starters followed
by a main course of lobster and salad, all eaten overlooking the setting sun
over the mountains behind and the sparkling sea in the bay. Boy did we sleep
well that night!
We stayed in the marina for a few days as we had plenty of time
to spare in our plan and it was a useful shopping and washing place. Then we
left the marina and anchored in the bay just outside where we could swim and
relax for free for a couple of days. The bay is wonderfully protected by the
surrounding islands and the warm clear sea as clean as any you see in the
Mediterranean. There are hotels along the shore but tastefully built and with a
wonderful backdrop of verdant high mountains beyond making it a beautiful
setting. The
water is crystal clear and the bottom pure white sand with good anchor
holding.
After two days there we awoke to a light easterly breeze and decided to
sail to Marina di Capitana about 12 miles up the bay towards Cagliari. Setting
our Genoa we sailed at good speed west along the coast then north west
round the corner as the wind strengthened and veered in our favour. It was now
blowing force four and we were having a tremendous sail when in an instant the
wind died. We were now only five miles from Capitana so we motored the rest of
the way and were greeted in a friendly manner by the marina staff who
showed us to a berth. Whilst checking in at the office we noticed that the sea
outside was white with surf and the wind had risen from the south blowing up to
force seven which it continued to do until nightfall when it dropped equally
quickly. The winds here are extremely unpredictable even to the locals and a
couple of local boats coming in had great difficulty berthing up in the
blustery conditions.
After a couple of days in Capitana it was time to make the last
leg to Cagliari itself ready to meet our next crew , Corine, who would then be
with us for the sail to the Balearic Islands. The last leg was short, 12 miles
only and light winds after which we berthed in the Marina San't Elmo. The huge
harbour of Cagliari has water of a deep brown colour which was such a contrast
to the clear blue we had experienced so far. The old city was much praised by D
H Lawrence in his book the Sea and Sardinia and it turned out to be rightly so.
We started our tour at the Elephantine tower, built in 1307 as part of the then
city walls by the Pisans who established a large walled city here.
It has fantastic views all around the city and harbour and looking as
far as the large international airport here now. The portcullis is still in
place as is the small elephant carved on the stone outside the entrance. Many
of the piazzas and grand buildings and churches have been renovated providing
interesting views all around the city with beautiful tree lined boulevards and
open squares to sit.
We happened upon the university library and saw that it was free entry
to visitors so went in. It is an amazing room built in 1780 which houses
550,000 books dating back many centuries and all on display to the visitor.
We very much enjoyed the beauty and friendly ambience of the city even
though it was incredibly hot!
Pat and I had logged another 246 miles since James left us making the
total this year so far 852 and about a third of our total plan.
Chris
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