Capo Mannu
Beowulf
Tom Fenton and Faith Ressmeyer
Mon 26 May 2014 14:34
Having planned to anchor and go ashore on arrival at Capo Mannu, we left Bosa towing the dinghy. Unusually, we got away from the pontoon before Klaus and Christine. We waited outside the breakwater for Rondo to join us. After 45 minutes we were about to return to see what the problem was when they appeared. Faith hoisted the main. (NB This was her first time, and perfectly executed.) It was far better wind than we expected, and despite the tow we sailed at 5 knots for the next four hours with full sail, hardly heeling at all, on a beam reach. Glorious. We set our course directly for the cape. Rondo took a more scenic route, but when she realised her mistake she came storming up behind us, and we just managed to round C. Mannu first. I have explained to Klaus that it is not a race. He looks serious and nods agreement. Neither of us believes it. We anchored off a white beach in 4m, but could have got a lot further in. Apart from Beowulf and Rondo, there were only six or seven fishing boats at moorings. The wind freshened to about F4, too much to row our light inflatable dinghy the 200 metres/yards or more to the beach. We rested during the remainder of the day. Up early in the morning, and I rowed Faith and Klaus ashore to take a walk. There were flamingos, still mostly in white plumage, black winged stilts and shell duck on the lagoon, and greenfinches and goldfinches in the hedgerows. The path was bordered with blue cornflowers, pink scabious, and blazing convolvulus. It seemed too far to Stagno di Sale Porcus, which must surely mean the stagnant water of the filthy pig. It would have been good to get to that lagoon, because it is reputed to be one of the few remaining places to see the European Crane. Faith bought ice at a beach restaurant while I rowed Klaus back to Rondo. When we reached Beowulf Rondo was already getting under way. We must stop racing each other like this. Yesterday, leaving Bosa, Klaus was so impatient having seen us leave first he set off without unhitching his shore power line, and broke his connector. A salutary lesson to us both. T