Photo: A rare view of the Spargi anchorage before the deluge of boaters arrived.

When the weather settled down we sailed as a threesome around the Maddelena Islands, a beautiful Nature Preserve with gorgeous coves, sandy beaches and clear water. To our surprise there was a US naval base on one of the islands, Santo Stefano, right in the middle of the Nature Preserve!

Mario wisely suggested we get an early start so we left at daybreak (6 am) for the short trip to the island of Spargi. We arrived in a gorgeous little bay all to ourselves. In the cool of the morning Burger and I went ashore and scrambled up rocks and boulders for a spectacular view of our boats at anchor below.

Uh oh, in the distance we could see the white streaks of motorboat wakes, all headed our way. We quickly retraced our steps and swam back to the boat before the deluge arrived. The Maddelenas are the summer playground of yacht charterers and large daytripper boats from nearby towns. We'd been forewarned yet were unprepared for the onslaught of at least 50 boats that surrounded us by mid afternoon, jostling us with their wake enough to almost make us seasick. (To see photos of the mayhem, click below.)

We sat in the cockpit all afternoon, watching the antics of the bikini/Speedo crowd, shooing anyone who tried to anchor too close. Thankfully most of them left by late afternoon so we were able to enjoy a quiet evening at anchor.

Together with our friends we visited a few different islands, swimming and beach walking in the morning, napping in the afternoon and taking turns hosting cockpit parties each evening. As is usual among cruisers, the men talked shop (engine repair, rigging issues, etc.) while we ladies caught up on news of mutual friends and exchanged information about places we'd been and were about to go to.

At one island we took our three dinghies for a snorkel expedition. After swimming we found a little cove all to ourselves, and while the men cracked open spiny sea urchins for appetizers, we ladies sat at the water's edge and exfoliated ourselves with sand.

It was a fun, very special few days. From here our paths diverged, with Maltese Falcon sailing northeast to Corsica, Plankton south down the coast of Sardinia, while we headed west to the Balearic Islands of Spain.

SEE AMAZING PHOTOS!