Blog Entry 6/23/13


We went to Tunisia to clear out of the EU for one day. That's all it takes to restart what is called the VAT clock, or the 18 months a foreign yacht can stay in the EU without having to pay VAT on the boat, about 21% of the boat's value. We have already paid tax on the boat to the US, so why pay it twice? It was really the only reason to go to Tunisia, but I'm glad we did.

When Neal first suggested it, I was adamant. NO. After visiting Egypt and Jordan just months before Arab spring and feeling quite uncomfortable, I declared NO. We will go to Croatia or Montenegro or back to Gibralta. No more Middle East (so what if I'm tiny minded. I am a chicken and very very white.)

We left Sardinia when we saw a weather window, flat seas, no wind. The option is 6-9 foot seas, 30-35 knot winds. As we often heard, you don't sail in the Med, you motor between storms. If not really storms, then named winds. Le Mistral from France can mess up the entire central Med, even Mallorca, where they call this wind La Tramontana. We were hiding in Sardinia from a Sirocco, a wind from the south (from Africa that brings a lovely fine red dust that everyone loves. We moved off the marina dock to the anchorage just outside in Teulada. Honoring Barry's¬- never leave on a Friday psychosis, we left at 11:59 on Thursday.

We made it to Tunisia after a 30-hour uneventful sail, but with more cargo ships than I've ever seen. I suppose they were transiting from the Canal into the Med. Thank goodness for radar and AIS, and with three crew, we were able to get sleep and stay alert. The moon was nearly full when we left and set late in the morning, so we had light most of the time. The few hours between moonset and sunrise are the darkest, loneliest hours, the ones where you see phantom lights and ghost ships on the radar that come and go, and little Twilight Zone men skulking around on deck.
For my night watch, I like to put radar on the big chart plotter in the companionway, AIS plus radar on a small plotter at the port helm, and nothing but the course on the starboard helm plotter. That makes me walk a triangle every few minutes, then I stop at the end of the cockpit table and dance for one song, keeping one earplug out to listen for alarms, radio, etc. If it is windy enough not to wake the stand-by person asleep in the cockpit, I sing one or two also. Then I make my triangle again.
The moon was full on our second night of delivery and didn't set until after three, when I came on watch. The sun rose at 4:20, meaning it started getting light about 3:50, so it was hardly even dark. The worst thing was the smaller boat fishermen, and I already love them so. They won't use AIS or even use their LEGALLY REQUIRED lights, because they don't want to give up their good fishing hole to their competition. So we were all busy tracking fishing boats all night then dodging them the next morning after 8 am when they started racing home to Tunis or wherever without regard for human life, as is their forte.

We only decided to do this Tunisia trip with the help of an Agent, so after getting her ok, we entered the harbor.

We were welcomed with this sight:




We had a fairly quick and very friendly process with customs, which was all prearranged and coordinated with Yacht Services, a company who makes this easier, if more expensive. Kim, the owner, then took us to lunch, to enjoy a fine meal of couscous at Bouillabaisse restaurant, a definite repeat restaurant.

We slept like Zombies.