summertime goes south

12th July-La Maddalena to Olbia on the Sardinian east coast.
We left La Maddalena early in the morning to get to Olbia before the winds picked up. The route through the islands took careful planning and we had a lovely sail. As we approached the entrance channel to Olbia the wind suddenly increased and we moored in the marina with some 18 knots. At present we are glad to be sitting on the boat enjoying gusts up to 30 knots from the west.
Olbia is a substantial town and working port with little of interest for the visitor. We were accosted by a restaurant owner and decided to visit his pizza place, it was odd to see the use of the bench on the opposite side of the road as a waiting place for a table to be free, at least they were served drinks while they waited. The marina is on the outskirts and newly developed, so rather soulless with nowhere to buy groceries or eat out. We stocked up at a local hypermarket and from that experience I can say there is little difference to a British one except it is noisier.
We plan to leave on Saturday when the winds are forecast to die down and the weather to remain settled for a few days at least.
We chose to go down the east coast of Sardinia rather than the west, after our experience on Corsica. Although there are long distances between harbours, it is sheltered from the westerly winds and the resulting swells that can last for days after the wind has died. The current powerful westerlies will mean the west coast will be very uncomfortable for days whilst the sea should die down once the wind subsides on this coast.