We left early so that we would arrive around lunchtime in the 'Golfo di Oristano' located almost halfway down the West coast. The area is a marine reserve but has a commercial port, a marina and various designated spots to anchor.

Despite the forecast we ended up motoring the 28 miles having exhausted all attempts in trying to capture what little wind there was around. We followed the rugged coastline that had sporadic clusters of red-roofed houses until it became low lying. Golden beaches appeared packed with many multi-coloured umbrellas with cars parked behind.

The VHF radio crackled into life so we listened to an automated voice providing us with the latest weather forecast and 12 hour outlook first given in Italian, followed by an English translation. With mirror like conditions we wondered where all the dolphins are - it's been a while since we've seen any and we miss seeing these beautiful creatures.

Just off the small village of San Giovanni di Sinis lies 'Tharros', an ancient city and archaeological site where several mooring buoys have been laid and are free of charge for visitors. If all the buoys are taken then anchoring is permitted in a predefined area.

Our lunchtime arrival meant that potentially we would have to anchor and wait for someone to leave. As we arrived there were two mooring buoys available. A yacht was heading towards the one so we ended up taking the other furthest away from the shore.

A lazy afternoon was spent sat in the cockpit just enjoying the peace and quiet. It's certainly a tranquil place. As evening approached I happened to notice that all the other yachts had turned but we hadn't. After a general look around, the shore seemed quite distant too! Bruce switched on the GPS only to find that we'd drifted over half a mile from the mooring field complete with the buoy attached! We cast the buoy adrift and motored back to the shore to attach ourselves onto one of the buoys that had been vacated right in the middle of the field. After this experience we'll be sleeping with the anchor alarm on tonight!

Total distance this season: 1142.88 miles