Brindabella

We upped anchor at 9.45am to make a slow journey to Port Cala Gavetta and arrived at 10.30am in calm conditions. A friendly guy from the office met us in a RIB in the marina entrance and gave Daisy a pat. He said cheekily "There's no charge for the dog!". He helped us to moor up, trying to encourage Daisy into his dinghy for a fuss. Simon washed the boat down, then had to quickly fill out the papers and check in, as the marina office closed at 12 noon and didn't reopen that day.

We saw the forecast for strong winds reaching Force 7, so we were glad to be in the excellent shelter that this marina offered. Several charter boats and catamarans joined us as the day went on, until by evening, all the visitor berths were full.

La Maddelena is a busy local ferry port, which takes cars, lorries and passengers from the mainland to the island. The harbour is central to the small town. There are several cafes, bars, restaurants and a good chandlery in the town. It has a relaxed holiday feeling. On the quay is a wonderful panetteria, a two minute walk from the boat. It sold croissants, pizzas, focaccia, calzones and pastries.



The church contained some beautiful pictures made with tiny shiny tiles, depicting several different religious themes. Displayed on the church wall were photos of the last two popes.

We saw groups of men and women naval officers out in the town and realised that there was a training centre on the island.

We had heavy rain for the last few days, so we used this opportunity to do the washing. The themed laundrette was named The Jungle Wash! The ceiling was made from bamboo and the signs depicted several jungle animals.

In the rain, we took Daisy for a walk to a stone quarry on the west of the island. We saw an old steam engine that was used to carry cut stone to the dock, for loading onto boats. The granite was shipped to several different countries for making fishing docks and roads.



We had a good seafood meal at a small restaurant, where we drank local white wine, which was served in an earthen-ware jug and goblets! While there, we were seated next to two French guys, who reminded me of The Hairy Bikers, except that they were delivery skippers. Once we realised that they were French and sailors, we started up a conversation with them, they had a great sense of humour.

They were also staying in the marina and were delivering a new 50ft catamaran to Split in Croatia. The charter boat had 5 double cabins, each with ensuite shower rooms. We waved them off and shouted "Bon Voyage!" as they left the marina to start their 5-day sailing trip.

The following day, Simon helped a French couple to tie up and we chatted to them. They were heading to Greece to keep their boat there permanently. Simon bought a daurade from the fishing quay and we had that for tea. We swapped over from rain hood to bimini and enjoyed our evening meal outside in the dry.

Time: 1:15 hours Miles: 4nm Total Time: 62:15 hours Total Miles: 369nm