10^th May  CARLOFORTE – SARDEGNA

39 08.7 N  08 18.9 E

We had an easy day in Menorca on 7^th, did some supermarket shopping (it’s a long schlep from town centre supermarket to Marian de Menorca). I am not a caterer. As far as I’m concerned the bare necessities are water and high energy snacks. Once you start getting into varieties of this that and the other the whole shopping process becomes a hassle, half the food never gets eaten, cooking it in a heavy swell is a pain, and not really necessary if you are going to be able to eat ashore in 12 hours. I have cooked meals for 9 in the mid Atlantic, I have made bread at sea etc, when it’s necessary, fine. When it isn’t, then I am happier to do without.

We set off for Carloforte in Sardegna at 20.30, seeing Mahon in the evening light. The forecast was good, 10-15 kts of SW, sea slight. So it proved. We had the sails up at 21.55, once away from headlands, and we sailed for 24 hours. I had made some soup in a flask for 2am. We were on watch together all night, then 4 hours on and off each until the next night.

It was a beautiful sail, with a spectacular moonrise, like a sunset in reverse almost. Saw no ships at night, 2 or 3 through the next day. It was cold at night though.

The following evening (8^th, pm) the wind dropped (it had been falling through the day, and backed somewhat, so we motor sailed from about 21:00. Again, another moonrise, the sea even calmer. As dawn broke on the 9^th the coast of Sardinia appeared, and as the light grew stronger we could see ranges of hills with fading grey blue tones with a hem of mist along the sea’s edge, it was stunning. Everything I like about sailing is that sense of new, unknown territory, views that the Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans had all known, all signs of modern life erased (apart from the lighthouse light), the ancient structure of the land revealed in the haze, growing more and more distinct as you approach it….and then gradually, a fishing boat, buildings, lights, cars and you’re back in May 2012.

Carloforte is on an island. The sea was so calm we could see the bottom clearly in 6 or 7m depth. We called up Marine Sifredi – who gave us a berth on the town quay, really close to the office and showers. We berthed at 11.10 am on the 9^th, 38.5 hrs for the crossing.

We were knackered, had showers and a pasta lunch, then crashed out for the afternoon. In the evening, taking advice from a local waiter where we were having a beer, we headed to a restaurant called La Galaia, which I had previously scorned as we passed by looking for somewhere. It was a revelation – it was large inside, with blue shuttered windows and tiling, and the food was excellent, the local tuna dish, Tonne Carlofortina, definitely worth trying. The local wine, Nepente, deserves to be better known…

It may seem that I am “living the dream”. But it is quite relentless. There is always something to do. I have been wanting to wash the boat for days. Yesterday(9^th) I hear that a cheque for £50k has gone missing. I have to cancel every cheque in my chequebook as I don’t have the number as I don’t have chequebook with me. Then the queries about airports and flight times start. Internet is infrequent, intermittent. There is very very rarely any time that I can truly call my own, relax and just chill out without something or other popping up that needs doing!

But it is now a beautiful day, the laundry has been done, the bank hassle sorted, the blog brought up to date, it’s just gone 4pm local time, I may yet have time to get the boat washed and a load of mineral water aboard, then off for a good meal. Tomorrow, fill with fuel, and off, and, depending on forecasts, maybe an earlier than expected departure for Sicily.

The trip from Mahon to Carloforte covered 200 NM