Raffaellesco - Bill and Suzette's Sailing Adventure

 4/10/2024 Bastia, France The howling wind and boat motion woke me about 0500, but I managed to fall back to sleep. Suzette was up reading. The wind finally settled and I was up about 0730 to survey the boat. No harm done and nothing blown away. The wind did manage to pick up one of the bumpers and throw it back through the life lines where I found it wedged. The sun was shining and the day was looking beautiful. Looks like the harbor is settled and safe again. The wind last night was being generated from the La Tramontane wind blowing down the Pyrenees mountains and across the sea, hitting the west side of Corsica with 50 knot winds. We were getting the wind that squeezed over the craggy peaks to the east side of the island. The day is predicted to be sunny and calm, but wind from the SE at 18 knots overnight. This will put it on our stern so even higher winds will be tolerable. We walked to the marine store; I am still in search of a spare relay. They did have the snaps that ...

 4/3/2024 Porto Santo Stefano, Italy Woke to gray skies and calm winds. With a planned departure of 1100 we decided to replace our second butane tank at the chandlery we found close by. The boat was ready to go, all be it lighter by about 400 pounds. We departed as planed with the skies clearing and the wind building from the south. We unfurled the main and jib for a perfect reach to Giglio, an island about 10 miles out. There is a wine maker in Tuscany that grows grapes on this island and makes a unique wine. The winery is not open yet, but maybe on our return trip. We motored into the anchorage about 1400 and looked for a place to drop the hook. The app said there was a great anchorage here below the villa on the hill, but we could not find anything less than 40m. We went further south, but no good places to anchor and the wind was blowing 30 beyond the lee of the island. We went back to the first anchorage and Suzette coaxed us in close and we found 10m of water over sand. S...