Fiskhardo to Reggio di Calabria - hurrah!

Mira's Web Diary
Gordon and Catherine
Thu 26 Sep 2013 09:43

Saturday 21st – up bright and early, refreshed from a peaceful night at anchor.   Today we’re firing on all cylinders so the anchor’s up just after 0830.  We come out to a fresh breeze and bright sea so it’s full sail on a close reach towards Italy.  Today the boat management is much better, no biscuits crushed underfoot in the cockpit and things rolling around in lockers banging from side to side – we’re learning!  We maintain our 5 knots passage planning target easily and by nightfall are ahead of ourselves.  We’ve even had time to change the lyrics of Rod Stewart’s ‘Sailing’.  The correct version is now ‘We are sailing, we are sailing, to Italy cross the sea.  We are sailing peaceful waters, for tagliatelle and parmesan.’

We shorten sail as the wind strengthens and nightfall approaches.  That’s definitely the right decision as through the night it’s like riding a rollercoaster, complete with obligatory drenches of spray – all very exhilarating and scary at the same time. We’ve decided on two hour watches and that seems about right – I’m lucky as Heather comes to keep me company on mine.