We left our one day paradise and weighed anchor at 0911, gently prising her out of the sand and firmly secured on Arctura we slipped gently out of Cala Di Zeri and into 25 knot winds.

Our destination is Olbia, or more precisely Liscia Delle Saline. Which is a recommended anchorage just outside the entrance to Olbia

The sail was uneventful, but fast, often pulling 8 knots plus. As we approached the Madelena islands of Budeli and Caperra and eventually the coast of Sardinia, we remembered and reminisced when we were first here some two years ago.

Olbia bay is massive and as we tacked towards our marina we saw some pretty little villages either side. We anchored in 4 metres of water in a 25 to 30 knot offshore westerly wind. The anchor, as usual held first time and we settle in for the evening with a glass of wine and a spaghetti carbonara.

This anchorage is rock steady and once inside Arctura you wouldn’t know the difference between this and a well sheltered marina.

We left Porto Vecchio at 1207 in 22 knot winds. The exit was starting forward and we were soon in the marker channel and heading out to open seas. Initially we sailed on the small genoa alone, but soon put out a small amount of main.

We sailed out past the light houses of Punta Di a Chippa and in between the Roches de Chiapinno and the main land.

The wind soon piped up to 35 knots and we were close hauled. It was meant to be westerly, but it was more south westerly and to add to our plight we had to bear away somewhat to avoid the group of island off the east coat of Corsica. Once past these we put in a tack to get closer to land and to give us a better coarse on the next tack for our destination of their island of Cavollo. The tack worked well, but the U.V. Strip on the small Genoa ripped and was being battered by the wind.

After our second tack and back on a good course for Cavallo i went to my cabin to get a new battery for my GoPro, and noticed a whirling noise. At first i thought it may be the sail drive not being put into gear, but when chewcking the lever was firmly in the reverse position. It turned out the noise was the bilge pump motor and when Ed checked the bilges, found then quite full of water. This, we concluded, was due to the forward hatch not being closed correctly, due to the Geneka lioness not being stowed and an abundance of water over the foredeck from crashing waves. To add insult to injury, the bilge pump was not pumping.

We pressed on and finally arrived at our destination of Cavallo. Welcomed by the beautiful calm turqouise waters of Cala Di Zeri. We anchored about 100 metres off the beach in paradise. The contrast of the 35 knot winds and rough sea could not be different, and while the storm blew out some 1/4 of a mile away we were anchored in a tranquil bay with hardly a ripple on the water and no motion at all.

Upon further reading, Cavallo is an island own by a group of investors with houses scattered around belonging to the rich and famous and rumour has it the Princess Caroline of Monaco has an abode her. A very interesting place and a delightful safe anchorage from all winds apart from North or North Easterlies.

Once anchored we spent a good hour investigating the bilge pump and as it transpired, found that the impeller had failed. So with this replaced we were back in action, with only wet bilges to contend with and then concentrate of cooking the Tuna we had caught and watching an episode of the Pink Panther.

The sail to Porto Vechio was uneventful apart from the fact the we caught another Tuna, this time bigger.

We despatched and filleted the Tuna on the go and by the time we had finished we were approaching Punta san Ciprianu and the entrance into the bay at the end of which was Porto Vecchio. The wind by this time had picked up to 25kts and Ed was a little worried that we may not manage to moor up. However, once through the wind had died down to 15kts and we were stern to anyway, so not a issue.

As wash down of Arctura and then lunch on board before we set off to the supermarket for fresh supplies.

The Super market, “L’Leclerc” is less than a mile away and the food available was not only abundant, but of excellent quality.

We decided to pay a visit into the old town, a short walk up the hill and were not disappointed. Full of restaurant and bars in quaint narrow street, lit by wonder street lamps with their own character. Full of people and especially adorable and very pretty French girls and women with their “Je ne sails quoi” characters and appearance. The town was bubbling with life and so we decided to join and contribute to the ambiance and had a wonderful Pizza and wine at a adorable rustic restaurant called “U Caseddu” on Rue Jerome Landri, The tuna will have to wait until tomorrow ?

Port Vecchio is definitely worth a visit, 5 stars.

A peaceful night at anchor we had a wonderful omelette in the peaceful and tranquil anchorage. This is ,in my opinion, what sailing is all about. A beautiful spot, far from the madding crowd, watching the sky and clouds whilst listening to the soft sound of the waves as they touch the shore after their long journey from distant shores. It’s amazing that waters touches all places of our planet at the same time. The surface was quite still and as I peered down, I could now see the sanding bottom with the suns rays making patterns a few metres below the surface and all that accompanied by birdsong in the distance upon the land.

I could have stayed here days, but the weather is changing and high winds are predicted, and we have to seek the shelter of the harbour. That and we have to be in Olbia by the 21st of May to pick up Elaine, Ed’s wife, whose’s joining us for a few days.

So we weighed anchor and set a course for Solenzara, 30 odd miles south.

The wind was light and so we motored for the fist couple of hours, heading out to sea to avoid a military firing range. Once past this the wind picked up and we set our sails, turned the engine off and sailed for the remaining passage to the entrance of Solenzara.

About 7 miles from our destination we had a bite, with the fishing rod exploding into life with its rapid clicking of a strike. We furled away the Genoa, to reduce speed, and reeled in a magnificent Tuna. A lovely dinner or two to look forward to. The Tuna was some 35cms long. We should have weighed it, but that was an afterthought, perhaps next time?

Just before the entrance I made a call to the harbour master on channel 09 and had a very kindly response that some one would greet us and take us to our berth. Not only that, but take our lines, which is unheard of in France.

Solenzara, from what it seems is a purpose built town around the marina. There is everything you want within walking distance, Launderette, Supermarket, resutrants, Bolangeries and off course for Ed patisseries.

After a brief walk, and a visit to the local patisserie, we returned to Arctura, at which point it started to pour with rain. So we stayed on board and prepared our Tuna and had our dinner sent from God.

We decided to leave Bastia, as nice as it was, and head south.Our intended destination was the Port of Taverna, some 22 nms south. Before we left we picked up a replacement gas container and resupply on some fresh food.

We eventually slipped lines at 1120 and motored out of the marina and immediately raised our sails. There was not much wind, but as we only had 20 nms to run, were not in any particular hurry and it was also a beautiful sunny day.

As we approach Porto Taverna, I called the marina and asked if there was a berth and informed, the lady who answered, our intention. Giving her the draft of Arctura, 2.2 metres, she was concerned, but said there should be enough depth at the entrance to get in. Also, almanac reports mentioned it was dredged to 3 metres and Cruising Association reports varied from touching at 2.2 metres, to getting in with yachts of 2.4 metres draft. So armed with this information, we gingerly engined towards the entrance, closely watching the depth gauge. Only 5 metres from the entrance and scrunch,we touched bottom and immediately reversed and back to open water. We touched when the depth gauge read 2.0 metres, so that was out by 20cms, which is good for a safety margin.

So now for plan B. It was now 1700, so we could either head for Solenzara, some 30 nms and 5 to 6 hours away under engine or find a nearby anchorage. The problem with Anchorage’s on the east coast of Corsica, is that they are all exposed to swell and only suitable in calm conditions. We had calm conditions, so we gave it a go and headed for Phare d’Alistro, the location of an old lighthouse.

We anchored in 3.3 metres, sand bottom, and settled for the night. Although rolly it was bearable and a better option than going under engine for 6 hours and arriving at night.

Ed cooked a wonderful steak, with roast potatoes and green beans. We ate on deck with the sun setting and the almost full moon rising. Wonderfully flat seas, bit of a roll, but wonderfully tranquil.

We slipped lines from PortoFerraio at 0700 and motored out into the bay and towards the north east corner of Elba to catch some wind and set a course for the mouth of the river Arno, some 10 miles west of Pisa.

The sail was a combination of sailing and motoring and motor sailing, around half the trip under sail. We weaved our way through anchored cargo ships off the port of Livorno and after this I served up a couple of portion of spaghetti carbonara.

Then a fine sail all the way to the entrance of the river where we put the engine on and dropped sails and started our way towards the entrance and the bar.

Just before the beginning on the fishing nets the depth dropped to 2.6 metres. We were advised by Paulo, the owner of marinanova, that we should keep 20 to 30 metres south of the nets. Once past the first set of nets, the depth rose and stayed at 5.5 metres all the way to the marina, located on the south side of the river.

The marina is standard stern to morning onto a wooden pontoon. However, be careful of the river current flowing downstream as this can reach 3 knots and as us you can be caught out. Once ashore we were warmly greeted by Paulo and give access cards and WiFi codes. Needless to say the WiFi was either very slow and only useable in the marina office/area, or non existent where we were berthed. Also the 3G signal was pretty poor and no 4G at all.

We stayed on board the first night and had a fantastic chicken dish presented by Ed. Waking up the next morning to a quite river mooring was blissful, with swallows flying low across the water and boat picking off insects in full flight.

We made our way to the bus stop which was left out of the marina and on the opposite side of the reload and caught the 0914 bus into Pisa, for a single fare of €3.50. It take approximately 30 minutes to get into the centre of Pisa, and then a 10 minute walk to the tower, through quaint street.

Upon arriving in Pisa, we had our customary coffee and light snack, before making a 10 minute walk toward the tower. When it first came into sight it was quite an incredible structure and the white marble of the tower complimented the lush, green grass around it. We bought our tickets €18 each and were allocated a slot of 1130, which gave us plenty of time to view the cathedral. The walk up the tower gives you an unusual feeling as the stairs first lean this way and then the opposite way. Once at the top, its an unusual queezy feeling and quite disconcerting and I was quite glad to be down on terra ferma.

We then, quite by chance, found an amazing Tuscan restaurant called Galileo on Via San Martino 6/8. Fantastic food, spaghetti vongole, followed by the most amazing steak with green peppercorns sauce. Quite the best steak. All of this and wine at a very reasonable cost. The restaurant was full of local Italians with their friends and families. A GREAT FIND and a must visit.

Then back by bus, to the marina and an early, restful night before our departure the next morning.

Well, last time I was here two years ago, I didn’t think that I would visit again, let alone so soon. Not only that but in the same Marina, “Marina PortoFerraio”.

After we settle Arctura into her berth we made our way to the office to say hello and pay our dues of €55 per night, the staff are extremely friendly and welcoming. The marina is typical Mediterranean stern to moorings with electricity and water. The WiFi codes provided worked, but were pretty slow and kept disconnecting so we just used our 4g network.

Although we have been here before, we asked the marina staff for some culinary recommendations ( i.e. Where the locals eat ? ). We were recommended a couple of restaurants that we hadn’t frequented last time. One of these was a pizza place called “Pizzeria la Cisterna, via dell Conserve” One of the best pizzas I’ve had and very reasonably priced.

Elba is the largest of the Tuscan islands and was the exiled home of Napoleon Bonaparte. It is steeped with history and the city of Portofarraio has everything a visiting yacht and could need, from hundreds of resturants, supermarkets, fishing shops,chanderlries

After a very restful night on Arctura in the marina we ventured out for an afternoon lunch in a restaurant that we had requested a year ago. It’s run by an English lady call Fiona. She settled here over 18 years ago and married a local Meddician. The food was excellent and although no Vongole on the menu, we were talked into having Sconciglio Linguini, a small sea snail, as picture in one of the photos below. The restraint is called Teatro, located in Via del Carmine.

After lunch we ventured into town for a few bits and pieces for boat repairs, primarily screws for the on board toilet, which got blocked due to a piece of plastic coming loose from the toilet seta and getting suck into the blades of the pump. A quick trip to our local fishing supply shop and also a haircut for Ed at one of the few barbers on Elba, where appointments are not necessary.

We choose our second recommenced restaurant for an evening meal, “Tratoria L Barca delle Matte”, Piazza Della Republican. A great find, limited menu ,but the food was absolutely excellent, especially the sworedfish with capers.

Another restful nigh and early morning start and we slipped lines dead on 0700 for a 60nm journey to MarinaNova in the river Arno, with a view to visiting Pisa.

As we approached Bastia, we decided to take the tender off its Davies and put in on the foredeck. Once done, we set up Arctura for our energy to Vieux Port Bastia. The marina entrance is pretty narrow and even once in space is of a premium. Calling the harbour master, who spoke no English, was simply told to moor up on the right. As usual, no one to assist, but evenly someone came out to help as they saw that we were struggling in the cross wind.

Both tired after our night sail, we decided to host the sack for a few hours of well deserved sleep.

The harbour is small but full of restaurants and coffee shops. We were recommended a restaurant called Cote Marine, which was cheap and cheerful. A three course meal for €19.95. An early night and to newer pastures tomorrow. NOT SURE WHAT YET.

We planned to get up at 0800 as we had several jobs to do before we left, and that is what we did. We started out by putting a new anchor roller on,which took no time at all. With the anchor back in place we continued with putting up the gennaker and then Ed washed down Arctura, whilst I made a spag bols for our evening meal. All that was left to do was get new flares, fill the water tanks and put up the spray hood. We were finished by 1200 and decided to delay our planned departure of 1300 by an hour and go for lunch. We headed for the swimming club “Rari Nantes”, which has a fine restaurant. At €10 a head we had a tuna pasta starter, grilled skewered sausage with potatoes and salad, bread and water. Additional wine was €5, the hole meal a bargain and extremely tasty.

Back to Arctura, and we finally slipped lines at 1405 and made our way out of Marina St. Elmo. Within 5 minutes we were sailing. Out of the harbour for a mile and then tacked toward Vilasinius about 20 miles toward the east. Pulling over 7 knots we made great headway close hauled, but very comfortable in a 15 knot wind.

We then turned to port and with the wind evermore behind us, made our way through the island of Cavoli and Sardinia and set a course for Elba. Changing our sail pattern often from goose winging to head sail alone, we finally deployed the genaker alone in the light wind from the south and almost directly behind us. We also had fun experimenting with the boom brake, that came with Arctura, but was never deployed. A very useful piece of kit, getting rid of the need for complicated gybe preventers.

The boom brake proved totally efficient in the tests we put it through and certainly did the job. An invaluable piece of safety kit.

We had our spag bols at 2000 and at 2100 settled into our 3 hour watch system.

Thee moon is a 13% waxing crescent, but even this lights up the sea sufficiently, but it’ll set just before midnight. Stars are everywhere and wonderful phosphorescence from algae and jellyfish sparkle in our wake.

7th May 2019 – 0300

Up for my next 3 hour shift. Ed had nothing major to report. We can now clearly see the light from the Arbatax light house some 20 miles away. It has a range of 26 miles, 2 white flashes every 10 seconds. Sky is still clear and the stars look more beautiful than ever and at this hour joined by Jupiter and Saturn. Venus should rise at 0514, so will keep an eye open for her. The wind has picked up again and we are sailing in a southerly and Arctura is pulling 4 kts as we make our way northwards parallel to the coast and about 2 miles from shore.

0415

Wind has backed by about 20 degrees and the gennaker was collapsing. Ed came up from his slumber and we rolled away the gennaker and deployed the small Genoa, but this time on the port side to accommodate for the shift in wind. It has also piped up to 15kts and is forecast to increase further, so we’ll keep this one flying.

0430

Ed gone back to his bunk and we’re now pulling over 4 kts with our small Genoa. Waiting for the sun to rise in a couple of hours.

0545

Half an hour before sunrise and it’s already bright with the red sky in the distance we await the sun and it’s warmth.

Nearly sunrise, but not quite

And finally sunrise 0615

0630

I’m off to my bunk now for a quick kip before breakfast