Sardinia
Vasco da Gama
Ian Strathcarron
Wed 27 Aug 2008 10:21
|
Safely arrived Carloforte, Isla San Petro, Sardinia
at 1100 hours Tuesday. All crew are well and very happy to be here
after witnessing a violent electric storm, not too far away, in the
early hours. Fortunately, prompt action by the Captain took us out of
the storm's path . Carloforte is delightful. It was built
in 1736 by King Carlo Emanuele III, King of Sardinia and Savoy, as a
refuge for a community of coral fishermen from Genoa, whose ancestors had
settled in Tunisia, but who were being persecuted by the 18th Century. The
town is made up of elegant streets in a grid pattern, all the houses are painted
pastel colours with wrought iron balconies. It feels good to be in
Italy. Vasco got a warm welcome and was the object of much curiosity and
admiration. Her flamboyant colours and eyes painted on the bows seem to
appeal to the Italians. We now feel that we have arrived somewhere
interesting and foreign as it's completely new territory for us. The
Admiral left this morning, with a long day's journey ahead to Alghero in the
north of the island, from where he will fly to Barcelona and then on to
Palma. He has been a great asset on board. I hope he, and his wife
Peggy, will join us again. We are now on our way to Cagliari which we will
reach in 2 days. Our son Rory is joining us for the passage to
Sicily.
|