Brindabella

We left the anchorage off Castello Borelli and continued along the coast to Varazze. We were keen to see the marina at Varazze as we have booked a berth for the winter here and not seen the marina or town before. There is always some trepidation in arriving at your selected winter berth. All you have available to make the selection is the internet and whatever reviews you can find. However, we were pleasantly surprised.

Although our contract does not start until next month, we were given what will be our berth for the 2 nights we intend to stay now. Shortly after arriving, Angelica from the Capitaneria came down to greet us and hand over a bag of presents.

The marina is very pleasant with a range of restaurants and service companies around the port. The town is a real gem. There is a long beach and one block in, there is a great road that stretches the length of the town that is full of small shops. No B&Q here, just an independent hardware store that sells everything. We saw 3 small fish shops with a small range of good quality local fish and a number of small fruit and veg shops. There were also a few fresh pasta shops that we will explore on our return next month.



I had a long chat with the Italian man in the boat behind us about getting maintenance done locally. This was very helpful and he also gave us some tips on ports to visit in the area.

While chatting, he handed us a new courtesy flag. This is a flag you fly representing the country you are currently visiting. Apparently, I had the national flag flying and it should be the marine flag. The difference being a shield divided into four squares which represents the four maritime republics of Venice, Genoa, Amalfi and Pisa. So, we now have the correct flag flying!

Time: 4:00 hours Miles: 22nm Total Time: 35:00 hours Total Miles: 195nm