Brindabella

Position update: At anchor in Le Grazie

Time: 5:00 hours Miles: 31nm Total Time: 67:30 hours Total Miles: 698nm

It was a short trip from Marina Cala de Medici to Porto di Pisa. There were light winds, so we motored all of the way.

We had been informed that there was a dredger working at the entrance of the port and that we may need to wait until it went to sea to dump its sand. Luckily, as we approached it did just that! We called the port and they confirmed that it was safe to enter.

The photo above is of the fishing nets in the entrance to the river Arno, just opposite the marina.

There is a good Conad supermarket near the port, so we stocked up with meat for the freezer. We would be at anchor for the next few nights, and we knew that the small supermarket at Le Grazie did not sell much meat.

It is normally always sunny when we are staying at this marina, but today there was rain!

Time: 3:15 hours Miles: 20nm Total Time: 62:30 hours Total Miles: 667nm

We left Porto Azzuro on the island of Elba and were returning to the mainland and Marina Cala de Medici. We got the sails up in the bay and motored out to sea. The sails were reefed as we were expecting some wind.

Once at sea there was a lot of wind! The base wind was around 22 knots, but gusting considerably more. It was a very exhilarating sail with big seas, wind gusting to 29 knots and we were travelling at 7 to 8 knots. I think the best speed we saw was 8.3 knots.

Although the wind did lower as we got closer to Marina Cala de Medici, we were still able to have a great sail for the 7 hours, right up to the marina entrance.

Marina Cala de Medici is a very large marina. It is modern, large and safe. We took Daisy for a walk along the coast and had a pizza in a restaurant along the way.

Time: 7:30 hours Miles: 41nm Total Time: 59:15 hours Total Miles: 647nm

We were up early reviewing the various weather forecasts, as there was some difference between them. This is not unusual in the med. Some forecasts said it would be fine, but one of the forecasts on Predict Wind indicated strong winds in the wrong direction. After an update at 9am, that model pulled in line with the others and confirmed that it would be fine to sail. The stronger winds would be coming later that night. We prepared the boat for departure and left the marina. Due to low winds, we motorsailed the whole journey.

The island of Elba is a delightful island and Porto Azzurro is particularly appealing. We had been here before a few years ago and anchored in the harbour. Due to the stronger winds coming overnight, this time we went into the marina.

The harbour is surrounded by delightful cafes and restaurants.





On Friday we walked to a 'dog beach' which was specifically allocated for dogs! Daisy went for a swim. We also walked in the other direction to have a look at the next bay.

On Saturday, we went to the supermarket to stock up with food. Later that evening we went out for a meal. Sunday was spent at the laundrette in the morning and once we had the washing pegged out around the boat, I went to the fish shop and bought a large fish for the evening meal. In the afternoon we caught the bus to Portoferraio. This is the main town in Elba and where the ferries land on the island.



The photo below is of Portoferraio.



Time: 6:15 hours Miles: 37nm Total Time: 51:45 hours Total Miles: 606nm

We had to leave Giannutri early the next morning as the wind direction changed and we would have been pushed onto the rocks. The weather was due to change. There was a Gale Force 7 with gusts forecast on the VHF radio, from the French Riviera and down across Corsica. It sounded like the Mistral. In the early morning, the wind was low and we sailed across to Santo Stefano on the mainland. We arrived in the small, town marina early afternoon and prepared the boat for the forthcoming wind.

The town of Santo Stefano is very pretty with fir trees and smart houses as a backdrop with a working fishing quay complete with a fleet of trawlers. There are good fish stalls here and we bought some sole to cook for dinner. There is a paved walkway along the coast and at night the trunks of the palm trees were lit up with tiny white lights. To the opposite end of the quay is a port with ferries going to the nearby islands of Giglio and Giannutri. A small supermarket and laundrette are close by.

We spoke with a couple from the yacht Tancho, and they came on board for a drink. They were heading to Sicily, so we exchanged information with them on good ports and anchorages.



Time: 3:00 hours Miles: 14nm Total Time: 48:30 hours Total Miles: 569nm

We have now reached the island of Giannutri which is one of the Tuscan islands. It is wild and exposed. The island forms a natural crescent shape, shallow enough to anchor close to the shore, otherwise it is too deep. There is a little harbour where the ferry lands. We anchored quite close to some rocks, but the wind was off the land. There were a few other yachts and two men diving.

We had a barbecue for the 2 nights that we stayed and we also had the first swim of the year. The water temperature was bracing!



Here's a photo of Simon taking Daisy in the dinghy for her walk.





Simon took this photo of the sunset over Isola di Giglio.



Time: 5:15 hours Miles: 33nm Total Time: 45:30 hours Total Miles: 555nm

We motored round from Rome and the sea still had remnants of swell. Three and a half hours later, we reached the marina at Traiano. This is a large modern well protected marina with cafes, restaurants and chandleries.

We were used to being one of the few visitor boats in a marina, but there was a lot of activity here. A large number of yachts from Europe were making ready for a long-distance race. There was a great atmosphere of excitement. The course would take them south round to the island of Stromboli and back to Traiano, a distance of some 500nm.

In the evening, we ate at a fish restaurant in the port.



Time: 5:00 hours Miles: 30nm Total Time: 40:15 hours Total Miles: 522nm

At 8.30am, we slipped our lines at Nettuno and headed towards the port of Rome. It was warm, but the air was muggy with little wind. On the VHF radio, we heard a Force 7 to 8 gale warning for Corsica, broadcast in Italian, French and English. Simon had already seen on the forecast an increase in swell and wind for the next 24 hours for our next destination in Rome. We arrived at the marina at 1.30pm and put extra lines out to secure the boat. We ate on board that night and took Daisy for her final walk.

The wind started at 10pm and continued for the next day. Waves were rolling in the marina entrance. We had been here last year in similar conditions! We managed to get off the boat passerelle to take Daisy for her morning walk and take the rubbish and washing ashore. Once back on board, we caught up with admin tasks, then mid-afternoon we went for a walk along the beachfront and to the supermarket. The wind and swell had completely gone by the following day.

Time: 5:30 hours Miles: 28nm Total Time: 35:15 hours Total Miles: 492nm

It was a calm day with a light wind, so we motorsailed from Ponza to the marina at Nettuno. We had been here last year and had to watch the depth at the marina entrance. In one patch the depth sounder recorded 2.7m, we draw 2.1m. On the approach to the marina, we prepared to tie up, alongside rather than med moor. Sure enough we had exactly the same hammerhead berth as before!

We walked round the town looking for a restaurant and came across the old town. In the cobbled square, we spotted a little fish restaurant, with no English translation on the menu. The fish was excellent and for dessert, we each had a moretto, which is a very rich chocolate cake!

Time: 6:30 hours Miles: 40nm Total Time: 29:45 hours Total Miles: 464nm

After a brief walk around Ventotene, we had breakfast in a café and bought a few food items in a little grocery shop. It was calm at sea, and we saw an army helicopter overhead, that did a fly by and circled the boat twice.



On the approach to Ponza, we were careful to anchor in the designated area, to the north of the bay. The ferries turn in the centre of the port to anchor at their bow and med moor at the quay. We had a barbecue in the early evening and watched the late-night ferry come in, just after dark. The following day we went ashore and looked round the delightful island.



On the Saturday, the Carabinieri (police) came alongside in their large tender. The officer started to fiddle around with a large fishing net. At first, I was amused, as I thought that he liked to fish in his spare time. However, instead of tying up and coming on board, he held the fishing net out. We had to place our passports and boat papers in the net, which he then took on board his boat, for the second officer to check. Happy with what he saw, he returned our documents and wished us a Buona giornata! We were pleased that he did not ask us to re- anchor, confirming that we had anchored in the correct area of the bay.

We spent 3 nights anchored here.





Time: 3:30 hours Miles: 23nm Total Time: 23:15 hours Total Miles: 424nm