Well - we have been so busy there has been no time to blog I am afraid.
However we are now in Cagliari Sardinia.
The following is the diary of Audrey Brown who is travelling with us at present.
NB - we will try to better!!!
Written by Audrey
Thursday August 13th
Chris and I arrived in the afternoon from Mahon airport on Menorca to join Petronella at Cala Corb about 20 mins taxi ride away. We could see Petronella at anchor and very soon Gill and John came across to pick us up in the dinghy. One of the valves is still leaky, and sadly, Chris had not been able to get another before we left the UK, so everywhere the dinghy goes, the pump has to go too, to blow up one side. It was a choppy ride across to the boat and Gill came back with some of the luggage in a second transfer. Chris presented Gill with her prize from the Gleaston Village Draw.
After unpacking and getting settled, we had a swim (with me struggling to get in and out on the ladder!) and then went across to the Siroco Restaurant in Cala Fonts (town is Es Castel) for dinner. Friday August 14th
It was a calm morning so Gill and John were up early to replace the genoa sheets. Then the usual breakfast – cereal, yoghurt, half a nectarine and tea/coffee ad lib – before motoring across to Mahon town marina to fill up with water and get oil and petrol. We had to pay for an hour’s use of the marina, but that was enough to do what was needed and for Chris and I to go for a walk and get an ice cream. Chris also bought a clip to get the red light set up above the compass for night sailing (though it later turned out that it was better just to sellotape the red light directly to the top of the compass housing). We then motored out of the harbour/inlet to the open sea, where I had a chance to practice the man-overboard drill. I blame the person on the boat-hook as the reason why I had to go round three times before we could get ‘Danny Buoy’ back on board. We put the sails up, but there was little wind. Came back into Cala Toulera anchorage, between Isla de Lazareto and La Mola. Sunbathing and swimming occupied the rest of the day for me. The men took out the faulty dinghy valve and tried Araldite on the split part. Had the first of many lovely meals on board in the evening and sat and enjoyed the solitude and starry skies.
Saturday August 15th
Araldite is not the answer to glue leaky valves. Superglue proved somewhat more effective, but changing the valves so that the faulty one was in the floor of the dinghy was a good decision, so the sides now stay inflated. Gill and I were therefore able to go across to Es Castel in comfort in the dinghy on pretty calm water, though it’s a bit exciting crossing the shipping channel when everyone else is either coming in or going out. We took the rubbish with us and put it in a wheely bin which we saw on the quayside, but when we later got back to the dinghy, it was neatly placed back inside, so that obviously wasn’t the right place! We just had to dump it in a small waste paper bin attached to a post, which seemed much less satisfactory. Spent half an hour in an internet café answering e-mails and downloading the Passage weather for the next few days, did some shopping and returned. When we got back, Petronella wasn’t where we’d left her. The men had been advised by the captain of the big yellow tour-boats with the glass bottom (er… the glass bottom was on the boat, you understand, not the captain!) that Petronella was sticking out slightly into the channel, so they re-anchored a few yards further away. I managed to tweak my back slightly which holding the dinghy rope – how feeble is that – and some applications of Ibuprofen gel were needed – magic stuff. Excellent Thai chicken and rice on board for supper – superior I think to any restaurant meal, but it is very hot cooking below decks – though my job of chopping the ingredients up in the cockpit is very pleasant. Another glorious starry evening, but in bed by 11 as we are planning an early start tomorrow.
Sunday August 16th
This is the start of our passage from Menorca to Sardinia. Chris is going to be skipper and he has planned the passage. We are expecting it to take up to 3 days and 2 nights. Up at 6 and away by 7 when the sun is up. There was a nasty swell outside Mahon harbour. Saw a cruise liner and a cargo ship quite close but most other shipping was way out on the horizon. We are doing 1 in 3 hour-long watches, except for me, who’s not competent to be on watch on my own, so I am doing 1 in 3 ½ hours, so that I am on with different people each time. Felt a bit dreary after lunch – combination of too much bumpy sea and too much sun I think – and had quite a long sleep (missing one of my watches). Around tea-time the engine started to lose revs and then stopped completely. After a correct diagnosis (helped by info left by Les, the previous owner of the boat), John changed the filters and all was well again. Checking the filters is now to be a regular part of engine maintenance. Pasta carbonara for supper and into night watch mode.
Monday August 17th
Fighting the Tuna!
Another uneventful night. There’s a wonderful last sliver of moon that rises in the early hours and then the sky starts to lighten by around 5am with sunrise about 7. By breakfast time we were in sight of land – the islands to the south of Sardinia and then the land itself. There’d been a competition for who would see the light on the Isola del Toro first (‘bull’ island) but it was light and nobody did! Sailed between the ‘bull’ island on one side and ‘cow’ and ‘calf’ islands on the other. Then motored round the south of Sardinia with almost flat seas – it was very hot with no wind at all – past the Isola del Rosso and then, about lunchtime, arrived at the anchorage at Tuelada. Had cheese sandwiches, as a change from the usual lunch salads, and because they were easy to eat quickly – and then a lovely swim. If anything, the water is even warmer here than in Menorca. Tried to radio to the marina to see if they had a berth for us, but the radio was mis-behaving and Gill never really managed to get the message through. So we just motored in anyway. The mariniero, typical Italian, expert at his job, in a very fast rib which he could manoeuvre perfectly, but quite aware of how good he was (!) came with instructions for us, wanted us in one berth but then decided on another. With his help, pushing us with his boat and grabbing our lines, we arrived safely in our berth. Getting on and off this boat at the stern is impossible and it requires some aerobatics at the bow, still the aluminium step ladder is on the jetty, and then it is only moderately difficult! Italian boats either side and across the jetty with friendly people – offering a hand to help me on the stepladder and later others offering for us to board across their boat. After we had registered at the marina, and paid our dues, to the man in the office, we returned to the boat, to meet an Italian who was delighted to find a Joshua (the type of boat that Petronella is) and asked if he could take some pictures. After photographing her from this side and that, he came on board for a look around. The inside was not at its tidiest after our long passage, but he went away very happy. He has apparently been all the way to La Rochelle, to see another Joshua, but it had gone to sea before he arrived. I think we made his day! Spent some time tidying up, washing, cleaning the boat, etc. Chris even cleaned the windows. Proper showers were lovely, even if Gill and I did nearly end up in the gents area. We’d been advised that there was a supermarket and pizzeria ‘past the green tower’, so eventually we set off for a meal. I wasn’t properly shod for a long walk on a sandy path – and we weren’t even sure we were going the right way. It transpired that there was a huge campsite with hundreds of motor-homes amongst the trees – quite amazing. People with camp fires and awnings and dining areas, etc. etc. When found, the pizzeria turned out to be very good – smoked fish starters were particularly memorable and then pizzas after that. Getting back to the boat was quite an adventure. We tried to go through the campsite instead of around the outside, and found the beach, but there was no way through to the marina area. A campsite guard took pity on us, or decided that we were trespassing and should be somewhere else, and guided us out to the campsite entrance gates nearest to the harbour. We’d have been wandering around half the night without him! We were all very tired when we got back and slept like logs till Gill’s phone ringing woke us at about 0830.
Wednesday August 19th
The morning got off to a slow start. However, after a provisioning trip to the campsite shop – more easily found in daylight – we set off to sea soon after midday. My task today is to fill in the log every hour. This may result in the log being more neatly written but may not result in it being more accurately written. John has a magic navigation system (Yeoman plotter) which shows you exactly where you are on the chart – as long as the chart is not turned sideways, when it seems to refuse to perform correctly. We started to progress north-west up the coast of Sardinia, seeing some lovely beaches and possible anchorages on the way, and aiming for Capo di Carbonara, and originally planning to sail overnight to make progress towards Olbia to be there by Saturday. However, there was so little wind that sailing was only possible for a short time and even then we made little headway. So, after several discussions, we agreed that to get to Olbia could mean motoring nearly all the way, which is not really what we’re here for. So, a plan evolved which would drop Chris and I at Cagliari, so that we could get transport (train seems most likely) up to Olbia. Our friendly Italian yesterday said it was a slow train taking 5 hours – and, of course, we need to check that the trains run on Sundays, ready for our flight early on Monday. The incoming crew, Rob and Gordon, who are flying in to Olbia on Sunday morning, will need to do the train trip in reverse (though a hire car is a possible alternative mode of transport). Just in case the winds were about to change, we got a PassageWeather.com report from Juliet, but, apart from a few hours tomorrow afternoon, the prediction for the next few days is nothing above about 5 knots, and not in the right direction anyway. So we turned into Golfo di Cagliari, the very big bay with Cagliari towards the northern end, and found a delightful anchorage at Capo di Pula. We looked to anchor just south of where we finally chose, close to the ruined Roman city of Nora (what a great name for a city!). We could see some columns on land and apparently lots of the town in now under the water due to sea-level rise. Hope we might find time to visit it. However, it didn’t look so good for anchoring and so we came round into Pula. This is a lovely wide sweep of a bay, with lots of sandy beaches, well covered with sunbathers and umbrellas. There seems to be a reef just offshore and a coned-off area marks a break in the reef where power boats, etc. can land. There are a few low-rise hotels, bars, etc. but, like the other parts of south-east Sardinia that we have seen, the development is not obtrusive. It all looks very pleasant and could be a good coastline to explore in future. The bottom here is sandy and John had to have a couple of attempts before he was sure that the anchor was safely holding. Then we all had the usual swim and awaited Chris’ chicken curry for supper. Excellent. There was quite a swell coming in, so Petronella was rocking a fair bit overnight, but less than some of the other three boats anchored nearby, and not enough to disturb out sleep too much.
Thursday August 20th
The decision today was that John and Chris should spend a few hours ashore, getting to Cagliari by bus if possible, to check trains, get money, etc. Gill and I would stay on board Petronella. Gill took them across in the dinghy and had hoped to beach it and go with them to the bus stop, so that we had some idea of timings. However, landing on this beach is not easy – the waves are quite fierce – and there is nowhere easy to moor, so she just dropped them off and came back to the boat. We lazed around, swam and read, and by soon after lunch started to look for them to return. The wind blew up a bit as predicted in the afternoon, and then died down again, and still we waited to hear. Eventually at nearly 6pm, Chris rang to say that they were on the bus from Cagliari to Pula and should be back at the beach between 6.30 and 7. However, the bus did not stop at Pula beach and they got taken several miles along the coast. After hitching a lift back to Pula and then walking from the town to the beach, they eventually returned. By that time, Gill and I had ratatouille ready to eat and she went across to fetch them in the dinghy. It had proved difficult to find out the information they wanted, but they were eventually successful. Chris booked us into a hotel in Olbia for Sunday night before our flight on Monday and found that there were several trains a day, even on Sunday, running from Cagliari to Olbia. John got money but didn’t find a chandler to get the engine filters. We watched the stars and distant shipping lights, and did spot a pair of flashing orange lights. These could have indicated two hovercrafts, or two nuclear submarines – or possibly the council dustbin lorry running along the causeway. There was quite a swell by the end of the evening and after Chris and I were fast asleep, Gill and John set up a special arrangement of the anchor to keep the boat at a better angle – so that we all had a peaceful night.
Friday August 21st
Another warm and gloriously sunny day – we’re going to miss these back in the UK! After breakfast, we piled into the dinghy – discovering that the faulty valve that we’d put in the floor had now failed completely, so we removed the blow-up floor and managed just on the black base. We went across the bay to the far side towards the ruined Roman city of Nora. Managed to get the dinghy out onto the beach right at the end of where all the sunbathers were under their multicoloured umbrellas. Then we walked up to the entrance, paid our dues, agreed that none of us was wearing our ‘swim-swit’ and went in. The tour in English had left about 15 minutes earlier, but we were directed to where the guide would be and soon found her. She had a group of about 10 people, none of whom actually appeared to be English, but the commentary was, though delivered very slowly and haltingly. However, it was very good and we learned about the bath houses, market areas and the theatre, with 12 of the 13 tiers of seats still visible. After the tour, we retired to the café for drinks – my lemonade was made with real lemon – and then back to the dinghy. We were helped into the water by a friendly local – useful since we had forgotten the oars - and were soon back on board Petronella for a ploughman’s lunch. By the time we had finished lunch, the wind was getting up, so we set off for a sail, just out of the bay and then back again. I had a go at the helm, but don’t have an instinctive feel for the sails and found it quite hard to watch them and the compass at the same time. I was all for bringing back Wilfred (the auto-helm) who was so useful on our long passage, or Wanda (the ‘Aries’ self-steering gear) who allows us to wander only slightly off course. However, for those who are the sailors, it was a perfect sail. And, for the first time, we tacked. Seems to me that tacking is what sailing boats are all about, but this one is not perfectly suited to such manoeuvres apparently. As a barely competent crew, I was given the onerous task of looking after the tacking stick (aka winch handle). Anyway, we put in about 4 tacks and eventually found ourselves heading happily back to our anchorage. I sat on the pulpit for quite some time, with John to start with, and later on my own. It was exhilarating – a bit too exhilarating eventually when I was getting very wet and my feet were sometimes hitting the water surface. Took some video clips of the sailing, as well as photographs, till there was too much spray for the camera. Chose an anchoring spot nearer to the Nora side of the bay for tonight, where we thought there might be less swell but in fact the wind died down and the sea was pretty much flat. Another English boat, the Kittiwake, anchored near to us and we swam over to say hello to them. The John did an excellent Spaghetti puttanesca, with a bottle of red wine, followed by Gill’s trifle. With music floating across the bay, we retired to bed.
Saturday August 22nd
Today we needed to get to Cagliari across the bay, so, after breakfast and a final swim, we set off motoring basically NNE, in virtually no wind. (The English boat next to us that set of about an hour later than us, was able to sail the whole way – such is life on the water.) We had to do a big sweep out to the east to avoid the oil terminal area. I steered till lunchtime, by standing up and looking around, while adjusting the wheel with my foot and taking an occasional glance at the compass. I still find it much easier to steer to a landmark than to steer to the compass, though with haziness along the distant coast and very few landmarks, that was not entirely straightforward. Gill took over from lunchtime onwards, to bring us into Marina del Sole in Cagliari. It was an easy arrival, once John had indicated to the marina chaps that their originally suggested berth was not big enough. The marina is very laid back and relaxed. We sat for quite a time waiting to book in at the ‘office’ at one end of the café, but there was no-one attending to either. So we returned to the boat and Gill went to do it on her own later. John and Chris set up the wind generator and got the blades spinning well on the front deck of the boat, and charging the battery. Not needed here, since there is electricity on the jetty, but it should be really useful if they are in an anchorage for a day or two later in the voyage. It does not look like the most modern wind generator in the world but seems to work, and matches the vintage of the boat. All round the marina here there are fish which leap a few cm out of the water and then back in. John thinks they are mullet. You can see them in shoals below the surface and they’re certainly an edible side – 20 to 30 cm long. The staff in the office gave us a map with some possible restaurants to try for a meal this evening, so we set off about 7.30 to walk into town. It’s quite a way – about 25 mins walk. The first part was all along the shore with other marinas, and where there were no boats, there were lots of people sitting on the quayside fishing, presumably for the mullet, though we didn’t see any actually being caught (or having been caught). After a long discussion between Gill and a helpful Sard (note the people here are not Sardines, or even Sardinians) in a little general shop, we located the restaurant, but it didn’t open for about 10 mins. As we waited lots and lots of people arrived to eat there, some standing back, others pushing, as it looked, towards the front of the ‘queue’. However, when the doors finally opening, it turned out to be so popular that it was ‘reservations only’ and so we had to move on. Down a little narrow street we found a restaurant with a table for four outside and sat down. The table had a distinct list to port, but at least it didn’t list to starboard 2 minutes later, just as you were about to pick up your drink! The menu was 20 euros each, which included 3 courses and all the drinks we wanted. We thought that was probably water and wine but it turned out to be beer as well. So we had starters of baby octopus, mussels in a sort of omelette, and brushetta for me; next course of spaghetti with black squid ink, or prawns and zucchini, or gnocchi. We all had fish for the main – with grilled aubergine and mushrooms. Excellent food and a lovely evening. We walked back to the boat, Chris calling off for a beer in the marina café.
Sunday August 23rd
Sadly, today we have to leave Petronella, but not for good we hope.
