Bonnie
08/12/2008, Trapani, Sicily

Somewhere off Isola di Sant Antioco, Rick downloaded the grib files with the weather and we realized that our visit to the Golfo di Oristano and Tharros would have to wait for another season. There was a narrow weather window between the 8th and 10th when things looked good for the sail to Sicily, but by Aug 11th the wind would be Force 6-7, ON THE NOSE. We decided that Carloforte, on Isola di San Pietro, would be our turnaround point.

Entering Carloforte harbour was a bit stressful. The approaches are very shallow, and the Imray guide says that "the buoys in the approaches cannot always be relied upon to be in place". The pilot guide suggested that we follow a transit where the white belfry of the cathedral and a black and white checkered beacon line up on 273.5 degrees. I frantically scanned the harbourfront with the binoculars trying to find the cathedral and eventually realized that it has now been painted yellow. Very inconsiderate of them- and I never did find the black and white marker, either. Meanwhile, Rick had been calmly piloting us safely past the shallow spots, so we focused on finding a marina, since anchoring in the harbour is not permitted. Marina Sfredi answered our VHF call on the first attempt, and waved us into a berth near the marina entrance. The price was 67 euros a night (which apparently is what charge band 3-4 now translates to) but since we'd been at anchor for nearly a week we felt it was a justified expenditure. We'd hoped they would have potable water at the dock, but they didn't. Access to good water is becoming an issue and running out is my second biggest fear, right next to being shipwrecked.

There are no major historic monuments in Carloforte, so we were completely free of any pressure to sightsee. The town is lovely-behind the waterfront, the narrow streets of the old town are lined with elegant three-story buildings in varying shades of yellow, pink and light green. Wrought iron balconies edged with flowerpots and strung with lines of washing sit above a warren of little shops of every kind....bakeries, "frutta e verdura"shops, wine shops, shops selling Sardinian delicacies, antique shops...all our favourite things. Unfortunately, with our usual impeccable timing, we had arrived just as siesta was beginning, so we each had a sandwich and an Ichnusa beer at a little bar, by which time we were ready to fully participate in the rite of siesta and went back to the boat and had a nap.

Carloforte is a fishing town and our travel guidebooks firmly advised us not to miss the seafood. At eight o'clock (quite early for eating out in Italy) we went in search of a ristorante and eventually settled ourselves at Vitorio's on the waterfront. We haven't tasted pulpo (octopus) that good since we left Bayona, but the biggest surprise was the pasta- a bowl of spaghetti with sepia ink and a plate of...believe it or not...lasagna. We were sure we hadn't ordered lasagna, but decided not to argue the point. Now, if only I could get my hands on that lasagna recipe. Dean and Christopher would love it! We watched with great envy as the large table of Italians behind us devoured plate after plate of seafood of every variety imaginable, but after the pasta we simply didn't have the fortitude to eat another bite so never did get to the "secondi" choices. Beside us, a young couple was eating deep fried calamari and completely ignoring each other as the man talked animatedly on a cellphone (one hand for the phone, one hand gesturing just as though the person on the other end could see him) and the woman texted non-stop.

Our waiter for the evening was very endearing. He was about 25, a bit on the portly side, and made valiant efforts to speak to us in English. Since his English was about on a level with my Italian, which is to say that he knew the words for water and wine and a few verbs in present tense only, I fully appreciated the amount of effort required. Rick was convinced that the secret of the pulpo flavour was in the type of olive oil they were using, and insisted that I ask our waiter where we could buy it. He very carefully explained that we must go to the grocery store and ask for "olio oliva, extra vergine". As far as brands went, they were all (with a shrug) "uguale". I'm pretty sure he was left with the impression that we had never tasted olive oil before.

As we made our way along the waterfront, a concert was beginning just a few hundred metres from the marina. That scenario is not always a good thing- we have had a few sleepless nights listening to lackluster performances in various locations. This time, the band was excellent and the all-girl Sardinian choir that joined them for the last hour was the highlight of the evening. As they stood on the stage with their hair blowing in the wind, singing songs in Sardo that I suspect were the Sardinian equivalent of Cape Breton's "We are an Island a Rock in the Stream", it was sad to think that we would be leaving Sardinia soon.

The next day I sneaked in a quick visit to the morning market, while Rick paced the deck worrying that the wind would come up before we got away from the dock. Because we med-moor bow-first, the docking is relatively easy, but undocking in reverse through the spider web of anchor lines tends to create some anxious moments. We got away smoothly at around 1130, and sailed back to enjoy one last night in Nora, where unfortunately the swell was back with a vengeance. The next day we made our way to Villasimius for one last night in another beautiful anchorage as we prepared for the passage to Sicily.

We've seen some beautiful places on our journey, but it is difficult to imagine that anything will top Sardinia as a cruising ground. Warm turquoise water, a seemingly endless selection of incredible anchorages, a fascinating history and culture ....how long would it take to grow tired of it? I'm already scheming to schedule a return visit.

And now, for something completely different...Sicily! We arrived in Trapani on Saturday night, after the bumpiest passage ever. We're glad to be here!

Corsica and Sardinia

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Bonnie
08/06/2008

We had intended to stay only two or three nights in Nora before continuing westward, but the magic of the anchorage and a few unexpected events kept us there for five nights. It isn't every day that we find ourselves anchored beside ancient ruins dating back to the 8th century B.C.! There's also a 16th century Spanish-era tower on the point, but towers are a dime-a-dozen in this part of the world and no one seems to pay much attention to them, except us.

The archeological site of Nora occupies most of the headland at Capo di Pula. The town is believed to have been founded by Phoenicians, colonized by Carthaginians and eventually taken over by the Romans. (The Cathaginians, by the way, were Phoenicians who established the colony of Carthage in Tunisia. The Romans used the supposedly derogatory term "Punic" to describe the Carthaginians.) The Nora ruins date mainly from the Roman period (2nd-3rd century A.D.) but some evidence of the Carthaginian settlement is also in evidence, including a temple believed to have been dedicated to the goddess Tanit. As we wandered along the pathways exploring the remains of the old town, it didn't take a lot of imagination to picture the settlement as it might have appeared nearly two thousand years ago. We were able to distinguish the ruins of the town forum, a large theatre, a villa with four columns and some mosaic floors still intact, an extensive bath house (which offered cold, tepid or warm water in the separate thermal rooms) a public lavatory, a temple dedicated to the Roman god of medicine and health, a large residential neighbourhood and a marketplace area. By the time we finished our tour we were as hot and sweaty as it's possible to be, so we jumped in for a swim. With the water temperature now at 30 celsius, getting "ducked" isn't a problem!

The next morning, we anchored our dinghy at the public beach and ran into Pula, about 2.5 km away. The village is a busy little spot, with a small grocery store, a few fruit and vegetable shops, the usual collection of clothing, jewelry and souvenir shops and several cafes clustered around the main square. We took a walking break to visit the tourist office and to buy some foccacia at the panetteria, then ran back and cooled off with some snorkeling. Watching the fish swimming around the underwater ruins was cool indeed! Later in the week, Rick even found some ancient-looking pottery shards near shore, but we left them where he found them, since the penalties for removing antiquities are very severe.

The following day, we walked back into Pula and made a noteworthy purchase- a small modem and SIM card that gives us....big drum roll.....internet on board! We had to pay an upfront cost of 139 euros for the modem, but 100 hours of internet time cost only 25 euros, with no ongoing contract required. We will be able to use this system throughout Italy. It seemed too good to be true- and sure enough, when we got back to the boat, we couldn't get the network to accept our SIM card activation request. So the next morning we were again on the road to Pula, this time with Rick carrying his computer in a knapsack on his back. The agent gave us a new SIM card and we're finally in business- and getting decent speeds, too! I've even been able to load some photos in the blog gallery.

We couldn't believe our eyes when we got back to the anchorage and saw a Canadian-flagged boat anchored beside us. Howard and Kelly had sailed their Endurance 35, "Rapture", westward from Vancouver. Their original intention had been only to explore the islands of the south Pacific, but having done this they decided to continue following the wind. With their circumnavigation almost complete, they have decided it is time to return home- but expect to take about three more years to complete their journey.

Two US boats had also arrived in the anchorage, so a small North American party was organized onboard Shana and Doug's boat "Hobnob" that evening. Shana and Doug had sailed from the west coast of the US via the Panama canal and had been living aboard since 2000, while Vince and Barbie had sailed their Whitby 42 from the US Virgin Islands and are cruising part-time for two months a year. We were disappointed when Howard and Kelly decided to follow the wind to the Balearics instead of continuing up the west coast of Sardinia as they had originally intended. As they pulled away, Kelly called "Hope to see you again somewhere!" but Howard, obviously a bit more pragmatic, called "Have a nice life!"

After our final run into Pula, we took time to visit the tiny church of Sant. Efisio on the shore near the public beach. Tradition has it that this church marks the spot where Ephisius, an early Roman Christian, was martyred (or, according to our tourist brochure, "martyrized") in 303. Once a year, between the 1st and the 3rd of May, a procession from Cagliari makes its way here to honour the Saint. The 800 year old church was being decorated for a wedding when we visited it, and it was a lovely site to see this musty old building transformed with linen swags and greenery.

The nights in Nora were as lovely as the days- we spent hours sitting in the cockpit looking at the brilliant stars, thinking about how the ancient Carthaginians and Romans would have looked up at the stars from this very spot. The only drawbacks were the intense heat and an occasional swell that rolled in- which Rick's stern anchor couldn't completely resolve.

On Monday, we eventually pulled up the anchor and moved down the coast to the anchorage at Porto Malfatano- another very pretty spot, overlooked by another old tower. There was a lot of weed on the bottom, with a few sandy spots. We anchored in 35' and the anchor to bit very well in one of the sandy spots. The water was so clear that we could see the anchor in 35' of water without a mask, but Rick was far more interested in the tiny beach hut on shore, where pasta lunches were being served. We had a wonderful spaghetti with "bottarga" (a dry Sardinian caviar made from mullet roe) and sat for a while enjoying a local "birra" (Ichnusa), staring at the view and watching two small Italian boys play with our dinghy. "Vroom vroom" is part of the universal language!

The next day we continued westward to Carloforte on Isola di San.Pietro- but we'll continue with that story in the next posting.

Corsica and Sardinia

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Bonnie, with notes from Rick
07/31/2008, Nora

Sailing down the east coast of Sardinia was not part of our original itinerary. Since all of our reading and preparation had been based on exploring the western part of the island, it was a complete surprise to discover that the anchorage in Arbatax had a view worthy of a charter-company brochure. The turquoise water was warm and amazingly clear-perfect for swimming or just for sitting and staring. With one empty water tank, we toyed with the idea of moving in to the marina for the second night, but decided against it when we were told that the water on the docks was non-potable. Ashore, there was little to see other than the "rocce rosse", an unusual formation of large red rocks located on the beach near the port. Shopping opportunities are available almost everywhere though-the nautical sports store had a selection of underwater prescription lenses and Rick managed to have a pair fitted into a snorkeling mask before we left Arbatax on Friday morning. He's so thrilled with it that he's been jumping into the water to check the anchor at every opportunity! We sailed away from Arbatax without realizing that one of Sardinia's major nuraghe sites (more about that later) was only a short drive away.

There were lovely mountain views and sandy beaches off the starboard side as we made our way to Porto Corallo, about 30 miles south of Arbatax. Here, we were surprised to find that the marina (39 euros/night, with potable water available) was more than half empty. The Italian family beside us, accustomed to fighting the crowds in Sicily and the Aeolian Islands, were amazed by the sight of empty berths in such a pretty place. There was a large campground across the road, with camp sites and tiny cabins nestled under tall trees. The only business establishments were a pizzeria, a small caf� where some elderly men were drinking coffee and a tiny market in the campground. For once, we were as far from the crowds as we are when we cruise in Nova Scotia.

We stayed only a single night in Porto Corallo, then sailed to Cagliari. We had intended to anchor off Poetta beach, but changed our minds when we saw the roll in the anchorage. We continued into the harbour at Cagliari and took a berth at the Marina Del Sole (35 euros/night), where we were happy to hear that potable water and laundry facilities were available. The next day was Sunday, when most businesses are closed, so we decided to catch up on a few jobs around the boat and dedicate Monday to touring. We should have checked the guidebook first! All the museums and historic sights are closed on Mondays- but that gave us a chance to do the laundry, buy some provisions and do a little shopping. Unfortunately, the walk into town was long, hot and a bit dispiriting, along dusty garbage-strewn streets. The amount of litter in some of the more populated areas of Sardinia is a strange contrast to the incredible natural beauty of the island. On the bright side, there is a gelato (ice cream) shop at about every 20 paces here. Also, the cappuccino is the first thing we've tasted that's as good as the Spanish caf� con leche. Oddly, they serve it lukewarm, but perhaps that's just as well when the thermometer is pushing into the mid-thirties by 10 a.m.

Tuesday showed us a more interesting side of Cagliari (pronounced CAL-yar-ee, not Cag-li-AR-I as we had originally thought). We had cappuccino in a sidewalk caf� as we waited for the tour bus that would give us an overview of the sights- salt ponds full of pink flamingos, the ruins of a Roman amphitheatre, a medieval "castello" and many, many churches. We spent much of the afternoon in the archeological museum within the castello, where we saw artifacts so old that the dates made my head spin. This island is believed to have been inhabited by primitive men more than 350,000 years ago. The exhibits had artifacts from the Neolithic, Bronze and Iron ages, as well as from the Phoenician and Roman eras. The most interesting exhibits relate to the "nuraghes" (stone towers dating to the pre-Phoenician era, 1800-500BC) that are scattered across Sardinia. I hope we will see at least one nuraghe site, and perhaps the ancient graves known as "giants' tombs", before we leave the island. In the Vice-Regal Palace, we walked through an exhibit of the work of Costatino Nivola, a famous 20th century Sardinian artist and sculptor who was a friend and contemporary of Jackson Pollack. Then we wandered slowly downhill toward the Via Roma and the marina, stopping to buy Katie Waller's birthday gift in a little shop along the way.

Before leaving Cagliari, we had to make a decision on our next steps. In the interest of truth-telling, I must say that the past two weeks have been difficult, and both of us have been out of sorts and wishing that the road to home was not so long and fraught with complications. The reports on Rick's mother's progress continue to be very positive, though, and Rick's brothers and sisters and our own children have been very supportive, so we have decided to keep sailing, at least for a while. We'll explore a bit of the west coast of Sardinia before crossing to Sicily where our friends Roy and Joanne will join us in mid August. Janet Cooper will also join us for a few days later in the month, and then we'll cross to Tunisia and try to get back to Halifax in early September.

Yesterday, we arrived in Pula (Nora)- a beautiful anchorage beside the ruins of an ancient Phoenician/Roman town. The water is crystal clear and 28.9C. There are anchorages on both sides of the peninsula. We checked the west side first- there was a great view of the ruins, but nine boats were rolling and pitching and the holding looked poor with lots of rocks and remains of the Roman buildings underwater. It was also only 8-12' deep in the parts we scoped out, so we decided to head to the east side, where we found great holding in 24' of hard packed sand. It's a bit rolly here too, but it's very beautiful- there's a view of the ruins off the starboard side, a long sandy beach off the port and stern, and a backdrop of mountains in the distance. Not a bad place to spend a little time!

Corsica and Sardinia

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