A wonderful sunny morning, under anchor again. A leisurely start and we plan to move Arctura to Olbia itself later today as Elaine ( Ed’s wife ) is arriving, to join us for a week.

Our initial intention was to go to Marina Porto Turstico, but at €82 they must have thought we were completely insane to accept these out of season prices. For a marina out of town and a few hundred yards from the main airport runway, with accompanying noise and pollution it rediculous and not an option. So instead we pressed on to the Yacht Club “Circolo Nautico Olbia”, a fantastic yacht club with such a warm welcome and only €35 per night, for a 13.7 metre yacht. Showers, water, electricity and a great club house and all in the centre of town, away from the perfidiousness of Porto Turistico.

Before Elaine arrived, Ed and I befriended a couple who happened to be from Town Quay marina in Southampton, where Ed and I used to moor our yachts Yaga and Karisma. We had a good chat and they recommended a restaurant some 1 mile away called Malp.

As it happens we all agreed to try this place we out, and after a walk through the town and across railway line we eventually came across this restaurant.

As soon as we arrived we were made to feel welcome and between our limited Italian and the owners limited English, managed to strike up a conversation and order some wonderful foods of the area, predominantly muscles. The service was second to none and the food even better. The mussels, a local speciality, with spaghetti and bottarga, is what I choose, and they were the best mussels that I’ve ever tasted. Top this all with a complimentary grappa and the bill was the most reasonable ever seen. A must place to visit and indulge in good cooking and ambiance.

Olbia, or at least the part we traversed, is a beautiful city, with well kept, clean street, with quaint restaurants and shops at every turn. The marina is well worth the money, but there is also a harbour wall, where moorings are free, and when we were there we saw many yachts moored there.