Brindabella

After a very peaceful evening at anchor we were joined in the early morning by a larger ship, a cruise liner which had anchored just outside the bay. It was disembarking hundreds of passengers ashore by tender service to Santa Margherita.

After taking Daisy ashore for a swim, we got the anchor up we motored out to sea not only for our last sail this holiday but the last sail on Brindabella. As we said much earlier, we are putting Brindabella up for sale and are currently having a new boat built.

We came out of Santa Margherita and popped into Portofino for a look. This is another beautiful port. The photo above is of a delightful house perched on the cliff overlooking the sea. The haze is not mist but bonfire smoke! There was also a small fishing boat below the house laying a net.



While at Varazze we will be cleaning and removing our belongings, so much work to be done!


Time: 5:00 hours Miles: 31nm Total Time: 78:00 hours Total Miles: 763nm

We were getting ready to leave the anchorage at Le Grazie and our dinghy was already stowed on deck. We then saw a small fishing boat with an outboard running, slowly in reverse, past us with no one on it. It was being pursued by two men rowing a dinghy, but not fast enough! There was little we could do but watch. Luckily, another fishing boat caught it just as it was going out into the main channel.

We were heading from the anchorage at Le Grazie around to an anchorage at Santa Margherita Ligure. We went out of the Golfo di La Spezia through the narrow channel at Portovenere. This coast is all part of the Italian Riviera. It is stunningly beautiful and a mixture of mountains in the background, ornate buildings in the foreground and many trees. We passed the Cinque Terre which is 5 villages perched on cliff tops overlooking the sea.

We got to Santa Margherita Ligure and anchored in the harbour. Here you have the best view of the whole town. While ashore, we saw a local trawler landing its catch of local prawns.



We had a BBQ on board that night of pork and prune kebabs and a bottle of prosecco to celebrate our last night at anchor.

The following morning, I went ashore to take Daisy for a walk and give her a swim from the beach.



Time: 5:30 hours Miles: 34nm Total Time: 73:00 hours Total Miles: 732nm

When we entered Marina di Pisa there had been a dredger in the entrance and we could only enter the port when it was at sea dumping its sand. We though we may have similar problems when leaving the port today. Luckily, it had finished its work and left for good!

There was little wind, so we motored around to Le Grazie which is in Golfo di La Spezia.

We have been at this anchorage many times and planned to be here a few days. In fact, we were here for 5 nights.

During this time we visited Varignano Roman Villa. This is a Roman villa dating back to second century B.C. It was used for pressing and storage of olive oil. Being at the head of a small harbour, it also had a quay where boats would be loaded with the oil.



While here we also took the washing ashore in the dinghy and used the laundrette in town.

We had a BBQ on the boat 2 nights and visited the Pizza restaurant another evening.

Le Grazie is a well-protected anchorage where no swell from the sea can enter and a great selection of small shops around the harbour.

The photo below is of 'Chiesa di Nostra Signora delle 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