13th to 15th of October

We stayed a couple of nights on CarloForte and on the last night found a delightful restaurant, literally just opposite the marina office. As is our now mode operandi when seeking out new restaurants, it was populated with Italians, which is a good rule to observe, to get value for money, great food and ambiance. We had a amazing beef Tonga, followed by tagliatelle vongole, enhanced by a fine bottle of Vermentino.

The morning of the 15th, we slipped lines at 1000 and set sail fo Mal Di Ventre. A fantastic sail, with speeds exceeding 8kts. We had a massive bite on the fishing rod, so big in fact that the reel reached its limit and whatever was on the end was impossible to pull in. By the time we had slowed that boat down, whatever was on the end had escaped.

We reached Isola Mal Di Ventre at 1830 and had 30 minutes of light , before the sun set, to find a sandy patch and drop anchor. There are mooring buoys here, but we prefer to use our own hardware. We have been here once before and remember the slightly sulphurous smell approaching the anchorage.

Due to our dinner escaping and taking our lure with it, we were forced to eat the steaks that we had bought before we left for our journey. Ed prepared them beautifully, with a mayonnaise sauce and accompanied the potatoes wedges and salad.

An undulating and yet comfortable night and even Ed managed to get some sleep.

A wonderful bolt hole and perhaps next time we may land and visit the Roman ruins.