Last year when we entered Addaia the entrance buoys had not been laid and we had to creep in carefully to avoid the mudflats on both sides. This year was easier as the buoys were there, although we did have some nervousness as we had a following swell and some unmarked rocks to avoid before we made the entrance ‘gate’.   

Normally we anchor here and the holding is very good in glutinous mud but, on this occasion, we decided to treat ourselves to a berth in the marina, as we were looking for a very early start for our trip to Sardinia and didn’t fancy cleaning the mud off the deck in the breaking dawn. The nightly charge including water and electricity was 28€, with good showers and access to a washing machine and dryer (5€ each) but also to washing lines, a first for us in a marina.

Anchorage at Addaia

Marina at Addaia

We made contact with Daphne and Paul Bauchop, fellow FCS members , who we had met briefly at the Goodwood House trip organised by Di Hudson in March. We were pleased to welcome them on board about 5 minutes later and over a drink they gave us the benefit of their experiences in Sardinia and very kindly provided us with a chart detailing the marinas and anchorages, with contact numbers.

Wednesday 28th May.  The forecast winds for the passage to Sardinia didn’t appear too bad but the swell was due to increase over the next few days due to much higher winds in the Gulf of Lyon. Very kindly, as we had mentioned that we hadn’t refuelled since leaving mainland Spain, Daphne & Paul brought a 20 litre jerry can of diesel down to Red Skies as there are no refuelling opportunities here other than to go down to Mahon. This was duly decanted into our tanks and, whilst by no means full, we have calculated that we should have sufficient to get us to Alghero, even if we have to motor the whole way.

As one of the local restaurants has a special ‘fish and chip supper’ on Wednesdays, we agreed to meet up again that evening. Paul collected us from the marina for pre- dinner drinks and snacks at their home, to which they had invited 3 other couples, and then drove us to the restaurant. The said fish and chips were excellent but the portion size defeated most of us. An excellent evening was had by all.

Thursday 29th May.  The swell forecast is still problematic and looks likely to remain so for the next 3-4 days, so we have booked ourselves in here for a few more days. We revisited some of the local spots discovered on previous trips but a generally lazy day, especially in the morning when the weather was indifferent after overnight thunderstorms.

Although now retired, an early version of marina boat-mover

A warning to pick the correct brand of anti foul.