5/20/2024 Porto di Tropea, Italy
It felt good to sleep in and enjoy the morning with nowhere to
go and nothing scheduled. We caught up on a few chores and enjoyed the warm
day, hot even. With the dinghy propped up on the foredeck we enjoyed the light
breeze on our bow and the shade that the dinghy provided.
We walked the marina and checked out the facilities. This is
probably the nicest marina we have been in since Scarlino. They have stores, a
grocer, yacht club, gym, pool and very nice bath facilities. We found a park
just out side of the marina with great pine trees creating shade and a pine needle
covered ground below. We played Boci Ball, more accurately, Pétanque. With each
of us having won a round we deferred to tomorrow for the playoff.
We were surprised when we returned to the boat that it was
1800 already, I am not sure where the day went. We enjoyed a bottle of Prosecco
and chatting with the neighbors and enjoying their baby’s antics. Dinner was roasted
vegetables on the grill over pasta, lots of fresh parmesan and fresh basil from
Suzette’s plant that we have growing in a pot on the boat. A round of Pinochle
and we were ready for bed. It has definitely warmed up since we first arrived
in Italy, all the ports and hatches are open and all the fans are on.
5/21/2024 Porto di Tropea, Italy
The day started with gray skies and an on and off light
rain, but warm. Undeterred we walked up the 1000 steps to the town high on the
cliff. It was early so there were not many people and the shops were just
starting to open. The views were spectacular in spite of the clouds. The town
was beautiful and well kept compared to so many of the big cities in Italy. We
ran into our boat neighbors in a market where they were provisioning.
These were the Australians on the big Lagoon next to us. The ladies had been here for 5 or 6 weeks taking classes to learn Italian. Their husbands had flown in for their graduation and to get going on their cruise to Barcelona for the Cup Races in September. They own a yacht charter business on the gold coast in Australia, 70’ to 90’ yachts. They had a car and offered to take our groceries back to the boat, an offer we could not refuse. We had bought a small wheel of a delicious sheep cheese, a few pieces of the native Nduja Sausage and a few essentials. They recommended a place for Cappuccinos and we headed to it.
We enjoyed our cappuccinos and some really sumptuous pastries;
this was a good call. Continuing our walk we ascended the stairs at the west
end of the old town and crossed over to another set of steps that led to a
spectacular church that sat alone on the hill top that jutted out into the sea,
Santuario di Santa Maria dell’Isola di Tropea. Inside the small sanctuary you could hear the
monks chanting and there were a number of people seated in the pews taking in
the chapel and the sanctity of the chapel.
The skies were clearing and it was getting warm, time for lunch on the boat and a siesta. After our siesta we returned to the pine tree grove for a tie braking round of Pétanque. I managed a win, I am not sure what I won, but the neighbors suggested that the loser cooks dinner. Hhmm, Suzette most always cooks dinner. We took advantage of the marina showers and the unlimited supply of hot water. We enjoyed more conversations with both boat neighbors and talk of everyone’s cruising itinerary. We warned them of our early morning departure and said our goodbyes.
5/22/2024 Porto di Tropea, Italy
Up early with clear skies and light wind for an easy exit at
0530. As soon as we exited the harbor, we were met with a 1 to 2 meter swell
from the NW. The period was long so it was not terrible, but significant. With
no breeze we set a course for Millazo, Sicily, 35 miles east. The seas settled
as we proceeded to cross. To the south we could see the entrance to the Messina
Strait. To the north were the volcanic islands of the Isole Eolie, most notably
Stromboli.
The Island of Sicily looked beautifully green with rolling hills and jagged mountains. Mount Etna, an active volcano, was visible in the distance. Entering the harbor, we called the marina and a Marinaros arrived to greet us in his rib. He led us down a narrow fairway with beautiful yachts side tied to the quay on one side and little power boats nosed in on the other side. We backed down the fairway and parallel parked, docked, on the key between yachts fore and aft. The wind was light off of the quay so the maneuver was pretty graceful and we were secured in no time. I checked in while Suzette settled the boat and prepared to leave the boat for an overnighter in Palermo.
We packed a bag of clothes and some munchies for the road
and walked to the car rental place on the ferry quay. We got a Fiat Panda and
off we went heading across the island to Palermo. We took the toll road which
was much faster and followed the coast, but a third of the time we were in
tunnels. Much of the road was single lane due to repairs being made to the
other lane. Several of the tunnels lacked lights or sufficient lighting.
However, the scenery was spectacular, green mountains, craggy cliffs and
fertile farm fields full of delicious vegetables I am sure.
We exited well outside Palermo in hopes of finding a spot on
the beach for a picnic, but all we found were industrial areas along the coast
and a congested road into town. Driving here was a whole new low, very scary,
no rules, no lines, its every man for himself. Maybe I should have bought the
insurance! We tossed in the towel on our beach picnic and headed into the city
to find the flat I rented for the night and a parking spot. We got lucky on the parking, within two
blocks of the flat that was located in the pedestrian only zone. As we walked
the first block, we saw a steady stream of people that were dressed to the
nines. It appears they were coming from a church where they attended a wedding.
We found our flat and waited for our host to see us in. As
we waited outside the sky grew dark and we heard thunder. A woman let us into
the lobby as the rain came. Just a brief shower, but enough to get everything
wet, but not clean. Our host arrived and directed us to the third floor and
there was an elevator! The Flat was beautifully modern and clean, lots of white
so we felt right at home. It was an interesting contrast to walk into this
modern flat inside an ancient building. We dropped our gear, changed clothes
and headed out for Sicilian wine and pizza at a place that Suzette found,
Funnaco Pizza Lab. We took the long way so we could enjoy the sights in the old
part of town. Not unlike Genoa the city was a bit seedy with trash and graffiti
blighting our view. There were several beautiful examples of the ancient
buildings, but mostly apartment type old buildings.
We found our restaurant and managed a table in spite of not having a reservation, they were very busy. We talked with the sommelier and ordered a couple of different glasses of wine from the local wine region. We each ordered a pizza pie with the traditional Sicilian crust, different from Napoli in that they use a different flour and allow it to get crispy when in the oven. More glasses of wine to sample more grapes, my favorite was called Virgo, A merlot style grape. Replete we did take a few left over pieces to go. On the way out the owner offered limoncellos as a night cap, who are we to say no, it was delicious. It had been a long day so we wandered our way through town and back to the flat and crashed immediately.
5/23/2024 Millazo, Sicily, Italy (Polermo)
The city noises had me up early and I lingered in the hot,
roomy, unlimited water shower for a long time while the Admiral slept. I love
my coffee in the morning, but sadly the coffee maker was not working properly
so I had to settle for tea. We packed up and got on our way. I was relieved to
find my car where I left it, I find it hard to tell where you can and can not
park, people seem to park on the sidewalk in some places.
We navigated quickly out of town and found a little fishing
village not to far away where we could enjoy a view of the harbor, a cappuccino
and a pastry. From here we went in search of a winery to taste and buy some
wine. This is not an easy task as we have found on previous excursions. We
found ourselves on a deeply rutted dirt road scraping the bottom of the car as
we tried to stay out of the ruts. You do not want to buy a car that I have
rented, I am sure that between rough roads and poor shifting I ruin a rental
car. The road finally became a real road, how does Google know about this dirt
road through the grape vines? We found the winery, but it was closed. We made
several more stops, but no luck. We did find a place to pull off of the road
and have a picnic before making our way back to the boat.
As we got close to our marina and stopped at the grocery store for a couple fresh essentials and also stopped at a marine store that turned out not to be there. Enough driving, we dropped our gear and groceries at the boat and dropped the car at the rental place. We walked back into the old town in search of a restaurant that served Pasta Norma, a Sicilian eggplant pasta dish. We headed away from the tourist area and into the neighborhood where we found a restaurant called Sapori di Pasta. It was not very populated, but the food turned out to be fabulous, traditional Pasta alla Norma and a rustic version of Pasta alla Norma. A bottle of Sicilian wine, Nero d’Avola, and we were quite content. We had the lemon Sherbet that was more like a lemon granita, really refreshing as a desert.
5/24/2024 Millazo, Sicily, Italy
Up and out by 0745 under a cloudy sky with light wind and
calm seas. We were excited to be heading to the Messina Straits. This can be a dicey
prospect when the weather is wrong; high winds, strong currents and eddies. The
strait is only 1.5 miles wide at the north end creating a very tight passage
for a lot of water to pass through as the tides change. The opening is flanked
by high hills funneling the wind at high speed. We timed our passage well; calm
wind and sea and a favorable current.
As we approached we could see a standing wave as the Tyrrhenian
Sea was working hard to push its way south to the Ionian Sea. We radioed
Messina Traffic Control for permission to transit the strait. They asked a few
questions and granted us permission to pass. This is a busy place and they
monitor the traffic carefully. We were motoring at about 7 knots, but as soon
as we passed the standing waive we were doing almost 11 knots SOG. We could
feel the eddies playing the rudder, but not bad. Our speed stayed at about 10
knots until we reached the Round About. Just like a round about for cars this
was designated for boats to cross in all directions and where the ferries
crossed. We dodged a few ferries as we crossed to the east side. We had a ferry
bearing down on us and he was relentless. He was going south in the north bound
lane and I was crossing with right of way. We finally cleared him, and made it
to the Inshore Lane on the east side of the strait, clear sailing from here.
The current was dyeing as the strait opened wide at the south end and the 20
knot tailwind went to nothing as we rounded the point and entered the Ionian
Sea.
We had planned to stop in Porto Delle Grazie for the night, but we had made such good time we decided to press on and go to an anchorage. Our plans were changing rapidly as we began reviewing our options for getting the boat out of the EU and resetting our VAT clock. Having discovered that my reentry into the EU is considered to March 8 of ’23 rather than April 14 of ’23 my schedule for exiting the EU moved up to September 8. That is a pretty tight schedule since we will return to the boat September 4 and need a couple days to ready the ship for departure.
It was decided that we would exit the EU next week and go to
Albania, check in and check out to reset the clock. This schedule is also
impacted by our 90 day clock for our Schegan Visa. We must leave the EU by June
4 and we cannot return until September 2. Since we want to enjoy our last BWCC
event at Catalina Island on Labor Day weekend we prefer not to leave for Europe
until September 4. Add to that the fact that I have plane tickets to go home on
June 3. Are you getting my dilemma?!
We anchor off a beach in 4m of clear water, La Piscine
Anchorage, Comune di Ferruzzano, where there was a small town on shore. It was
hot and the water was 22.7 C, so we went for our first swim of this trip. The
water was fabulous, but not much to see on the bottom. I inspected all of the
zincs and the looked good. The earthing plates look sound as well. The bottom
was looking pretty clean considering the boat went in the water September 1,
’23 with a fresh coat of paint. As the sun set, we could see that there were no
lights in town, I guess it is too early in the season. In spite of there being
no real protection the sea was quiet and the breeze was light making for a very
comfortable night.
5/25/2024 La Piscine Anchorage, Comune di Ferruzzano, Italy
An 0600 start had us moving east under a cloudy sky and a
bit of drizzle. As the wind built, we unfurled the main with 20 knots of wind
from the SW we motor sailed NE at 8.5 to 9 knots. We had a long run and wanted
to make time as best we could. The wind died off for a bit, but of course piped
up to 20 as we were heading into our next anchorage. This spot was a little
more protected and the wind and seas settled, but the anchorage did remain a
bit rolly. We anchored in 4m of water over sand at about 1730 off of Cabo
Piccolo. This is the east end of the sole of the boot. Suzette made a fabulous
Paella using the Sicilian Nduja sausage. Great dinner and good left overs for
the next day.
5/26/24 Capo Piccolo Anchorage, Italy
Up with rain falling at 0400 so we enjoyed our coffee
waiting out the rain and sunrise. The rain continued so we set off at about
0530 to cross the Golfe di Taranto, some 78 miles. The wind picked up to 20 so
we unfurled the main and motor sailed doing 8 to 8.6 knots SOG. The sea was
coming on our beam making for a very sloppy ride. The skies did clear by around
noon and the wind died off about 1400. Along the way I had to change the
Navionics chip from the western Med to the Eastern Med, progress. We arrived at
Santa Maria di Leuca Harbor by about 1700 and found the calm of the harbor. The
Marina had already told us that they did not have space for us. According the
cruising guide there was a public quay that you could tie up to for free. There
were a number of fishing trawlers and private sailboats side tied to the
somewhat dilapidated quay. There was on open spot at the furthest corner of the
quay, just enough room between a commercial power boat and the turn in the
quay. There was a gentleman on the dock so we asked if we needed permission and
he said he had not asked permission and he had been here for one night already.
We asked if the water looked deep enough and he said yes, so we gingerly eased
up to the concrete dock with all bumpers deployed. With the bow sprit nearly
overlapping the turn in the quay and my hand on the bow of the power boat we
tied up. Talk about parallel parking!
With boat settled we walked to the Costa Guardia office to inquire about getting stamped out of the EU. It was a bit confusing, but it was determined that we should return in the morning, Monday morning, at 0900 and they would call for the police, Policia International. To come a stamp our documents. That would be to easy, but we will see tomorrow. We returned to the boat to have some dinner, left over paella, salad and the last of the bread.
After dinner we walked into to town to hit the ATM. I have
been in touch with an agent in Albania to handle our papers and need cash to
pay him. The town is quite pretty with beautiful old homes lining the shore,
some in better condition than others, but all very grand in their day. Above
the harbor is a very stately set of stairs and a monument built by Mussolini as
the grand entry to Italy from the south. There were street vendors along the
harbor walk and we bought some nuts and crunchy corn. We found an ATM for cash
and returned to the boat for a quiet night’s rest.
5/27/24 Santa Maria di Lueca, Italy
Slept in a bit since we did not need to meet the Costeria
until 0900. We walked to the Costeria’s office and had several conversations
with about 6 different officers. They concluded that we do not need to get our
passports or other papers signed in order to go to Albania. They made several
phone calls and said that we could see the Polizia International in Ornato and
they could stamp our passports, but it was not necessary. Convinced that they
did not understand what we were trying to accomplish we walked up the hill to
the Fienza office, but they said no English and ushered us out of the building
pointing to the Costeria office. So we threw caution to the wind and left.
To extricate the boat from the concrete quay we changed the
bow line around and worked our way off. We went across the harbor to the fuel
dock. With wind onto the fuel dock, it was a pretty easy landing, we just had
to avoid the shallow rocks at the end of the pier. With full tanks again we
headed to Oronato, our jumping off point for Albania.
It was light breeze and no swell with clear skies as we
motored the short 27 miles to Oronato. As we approached the harbor it occurred
to us that we are officially in the Adriatic Sea! The harbor and anchorage were
beautiful and well protected. Surrounded by beaches and a beautiful old town we
picked a spot and dropped the hook in 4m over sand with 7 other boats around
us. This is paradise, clear water and beautiful scenery.
With the boat settled we launched the dinghy and found a
place at the docks to tie up. We headed over to the Costeria office to make
more inquires. They did not speak any English, but said come back tomorrow at
0900. Same response with the Polizia. That's it, we are leaving in the morning
for Albania. Time for a walk and a gelato. The town was amazingly well
preserved, clean and beautiful. We walked the castle, the church and the narrow
streets full of tiny shops and restaurants. We found our selves on the rampart
over looking the harbor, Raffaellesco bobbing with the rest of the boats in the
anchorage. The delicious gelato was refreshing on this warm sunny day. Plenty
of people wondering about, but not crowded.
On the way back to the boat we circled a Canadian flagged boat to say hello, but they were napping in the cockpit. Back on the boat we put the dinghy away and enjoyed a sundowner in this beautiful place. I roasted a huge red pepper, purple onions and slices of zucchini on the grill. Suzette boiled some pasts and made a sauce with the last of her homemade pesto from her home grown plant, it lives on the cockpit table. A warm night as the sunset over the town we enjoyed dinner alfresco. A very quiet night at anchor.
5/28/24 Oronato Anchorage, Italy
Up and out by 0515 to cross the Adriatic to Albania. The
purpose of the trip was simply to get the boat out of the EU and restart the 18
month clock for VAT. I checked with the Admiral to see if she still thought
this was a good idea and I received an unequivocal “Yes”. The sun was just
coming up as we cleared the harbor and we could see Albania 40 miles away. The
wind and sea were calm. About half way across we had a visit from several
dolphin who actually diverted to play at our bow, always a good sign.
We arrived in Vlore, a beautiful modern Mediterranean city,
as nice as any we have seen. We contacted our agent on the VHF and he waived us into a quay behind a ship
that was being unloaded. With all the horror stories we have heard about this
port we were concerned, but so far it was looking good. The agent helped us
secure the boat. We grabbed our papers and he ushered us to what looked like a
relatively new port building. Inside we stopped at the Port Captains office and
the police department. Our agent, Orian, had already filled out the necessary
forms and presented them to each officer. Information was logged into a
computer and we were on our way with official entry paperwork complete and
stamped.
We left the quay and went to the adjacent anchorage where there were several other boats; New Zealand, Sweden and France were represented. We launched the dinghy and made the rounds to say hello. The New Zealanders were about 1 year into their cruise with their 2 kids, ages 8 and 10. We talked cruising and places for a long time, lots of good information as they had come from Greece. The Swedes were less conversant so we said hi and wished them well. The French had gone to shore.
We headed into shore and tied up at the quay along the public promenade. This was a wide pedestrian way with beautiful landscaping and colorful buildings. We walked inland along the main boulevard where there were many shops and restaurants. In the squares there were monuments to the past. We found the small old town area, just a few streets, but colorful and vibrant. It was hot so we stopped in a shady café and enjoyed some refreshment. Suzette had something called a cold chocolate, a creamy hot chocolate over ice. When we went to pay, they said cash only! Fortunately, I had euros that they accepted, though the bill was in Albanian Lek. Move the decimal point 2 places to the left and you had a fair equivalent for US dollars. Refreshed we headed back to the water stopping at a Conad for some fresh fruit. It felt good to get back on the boat with a cool breeze and a sun setting behind us.
The water front was coming alive with music, lights, carnival rides and people. The sun was a beautiful red ball as it passed over the horizon. Dinner was a burrito; Nduja sausage, scrambled eggs, potatoes, rice, sundried tomatoes, avocado and Salsa. The Nduja is very spicy, not unlike a chorizo.
It was a very quiet night at anchor, though the big ferry did get underway at about 0200 and stirring the waters a bit.
5/29/24 Vlore, Albania
A lazy morning as we start thinking about putting the boat
away and our final check in when we reach Brindisi. We met Orian at the quay at
0930 and he gave us out paperwork, we were checked out of Albania! This should
reset our VAT clock and give us 18 months of EU access VAT free!
We quickly got underway as the sky looked like rain and we
had 70 miles to cross to Brindisi, Italy, our marina for the summer. The wind
and the water were calm as we passed between an Island and the mainland of
Albania. We spotted a military boat speeding across our path and hoped he would
keep going and not decided to check on us, he moved on.
The sea and wind were eerily calm for the entire trip. Maximum breeze was a favorable 5 knots. We spotted a number of dolphins, but they did not want to play with us. As we neared the harbor we reached out to the Brindisi Marina, but we received no response. I had contacted them through Navily and direct email, but no response. There was a well protected anchorage near the marina, so we headed there with our Q flag out. Rounding the point into the anchorage there was a fabulous castle that we later discovered was a museum.
Anchor down by about 1900, cocktails and a beautiful sunset. We have a reservation at Brindisi Marina starting June 1, but we are trying to get in a couple days early.
5/30/2024 Brindisi Marina Anchorage, Italy
I was up early as usual. A fisherman came up to our boat and
was apparently in need of help. I went on deck and could see he had cut his
finger and had a bloody rag wrapping it. He stopped and asked for a bandage in
Italian, but I understood what he needed. I pulled out the first aid kit and
fixed him up. He was very grateful. To bad he was going fishing and not
returning from fishing, I might have earned a fresh fish!
A lazy morning as the Marina did not open until 0900. We
went to the self-serve fuel dock at 0800 to top up the fuel tanks. Turns out it
was not self-serve, but they were open and we filled. The attendants were from
the Marina and we inquired about a berth. They checked their list and smiled
when they saw we were scheduled to be there for the next 3 months. They pointed
out our berth and we easily landed with a light breeze on our nose.
The docks were floating and the attachment of lines was
through rings not cleats. To top it off there was only one bow line and not
much protection from the harbor traffic. The sand line was covered in mussels
and the thickest growth I had seen anywhere. The marineros were helpful and
guide us in between to boats like he previously worked at an airport guiding
aircraft, lots hand signals. We settled the boat as the wind was picking up on
our nose.
We checked in at the office, but the young man at the
counter was not sure what to do with us: monthly contracts, a few extra days,
special rates and how to pay. He suggested we return when someone else was
available after 1030. We asked about checking in with customers and immigration
and directed us to an office in the marina complex where would find the Polizia
Bordier, or something like that. So we headed off to find that office, we only
found an empty office. We stopped at the Café for cappuccinos where would
become regulars.
Back in the marina office the young man had figured out that
we had a quote from the marina on Navily, but he would need to write 3
contracts for the 3 months, so we would return later to get the paperwork.
Further conversation about the Polizia we realized it is an agent’s office that
we could hire for the formalities. We found the agents, Greta and Marco, and
they were very helpful. They explained how we could check in ourselves: get the
number 5 bus at the gate to the Polizia, fill out the papers at the station and
present our documents. Or, pay Greta and Marco 102 euros and they do the
paperwork and have the Polizia come to their office to stamp our documents. He
had me at “catch the number 5 bus”. We handed over our documents and Marco
completed the forms. This was the first time I had to show anyone my
International Certificate of Competence, glad I had it. Within 30 minutes the
officers arrived and stamped our passports and other arrival documents. We have
now officially restarted the VAT clock to 18 months!
Greta and Marco were a wealth of information about the
Puglia region of Italy that we were now in. Their enthusiasm and stories had us
convinced that we would stay on the Italian coast of Puglia for a bit when we
return. They encouraged a visit to the city of Brindisi and that the G7 would
be meeting there this month.
Now the hard work to get the boat thoroughly cleaned and put
away for the summer. I worked on rigging and the dinghy while Suzette cleaned
and polished the top sides and stainless. The wind was up to 20 plus on our
nose making it a bit uncomfortable, but at least we could see how the boat
behaved in its new home, mainly the single bow line and proximity of the stern
to the dock. We were in a great neighborhood with lots of beautiful boats and
lots of activity on the docks.
Pizza and the last bottle of wine for dinner. We were out of wine and coffee!!
5/31/2024 Brindisi Marina, Italy
Up early to continue our work, but the wind, and now rain,
were relentless. The wind was blowing 25 and the rain was on and off, but
raining hard when it did. We made the best of it and worked below as I slowly
worked through my check list. We had a 1030 appointment with a yacht services
group that sold Jeanneau Yachts so we could arrange for some cosmetic work and
general maintenance of Raffaellesco while we were away. They were very
professional and joined us on the boat to review our needs. They would present
a quote to us by email.
I needed oil and managed to find the Yanmar oil at the
shipyard next door. This was a good
indoor activity and it would have gone more quickly, but I discovered that the
starboard hinge on the huge engine door that is the companionway stairs was
pulling loose, but now it is fixed.
Big cabbage salad for dinner as we work through the fresh food; two colors of cabbage, carrots, roasted almonds and corn crunchies with a vinegar oil dressing.
6/1/2024 Brindisi Marina, Italy
A slow start as we were still feeling the high winds from
the south and spotty rain. I hate putting the boat away with such humid
conditions. We enjoyed our morning cappuccinos at the marina café under a
canopy. At 1300 we loaded up the sheets and towels and headed to our Airbnb to
check in. It turned out to be a great apartment just 10 minutes from the boat.
We got the first load of laundry going and returned to the boat dodging rain
drops. Only a fairly productive day as we bounced back and forth doing laundry.
There was no dryer so we tried the marina dryers, but all they did was beat the
linens to death. Hanging the laundry at the apartment was not great, but our only
option with a fan blowing on it.
The marina was busing with activity as they were hosting the
Vela Cup, part of a series of sailing races in Italy. There were 40 boats in
the race and lots of excitement as the wind was blowing nicely, just wet. In
the evening there was a ceremony in the little amphitheater at the marina.
Pasta primavera for dinner using the last of the fresh vegetables, parmesan regiono and Suzettes basil plant, unfortunately no wine. There was no grocery store nearby so no wine.
6/2/2024 Brindisi Marina, Italy
The day started with a little rain, but finally cleared to a
hot and sunny day. This allowed us to finally get everything dried out and put
away. Everything except for the jib. There was simply to much wind for the two
of us to get it down and folded. We were wrapping up by about 1900 so we hit
the showers and had some dinner at the Flat. Back at the boat for one last
trip, so I thought, we got talking to our boat neighbor, Rozolio. He had been
living with his wife on their boat in Israel, but with the war they relocated
to Brindisi. On the way they were struck by lightning and it destroyed the
engine, electronics and electrical system. It blew up his mast and other metal
work on the boat. He was here rebuilding the boat, still waiting on a mast. The
boat was a 60’ Najad, he had his work cut out for him, but it would be worth it.
In the marina he was the resident boat care taker, we had seen him working on
some of the nicest boats. He offered his services to watch after our boat, what
could be better than having your next door neighbor taking care of your boat.
He explained that the local boat yard was the Mafia and over charged for
everything, but he could arrange workers at a much better price. Need a car, he
can get that cheaper as well. We exchanged information and signed up. Hope my
mast is still on my boat when we return!
Later in the evening we were relaxing as we were packed and
ready to go. Uh oh, I did not empty the safe on the boat, Suzette’s jewelry and
some papers, but more importantly, our passports! One more trip to the boat,
glad it is close.
6/3/2024 Brindisi, Italy
Up at 0415 to catch our 0445 taxi to the airport. The
airport is literally across the road from our flat, but a mile or so to the
terminal on the other side. The terminal was not big, but beautiful and modern.
We were quickly checked in and cleared Italian TSA. The plane boarded early and
we departed ahead of schedule in a brand new A330neo. An hour ten minutes and
we were in Rome. The flight took us all along the coast that we had just
sailed. It was fun to recognize the island and coast line from our first hand
experience.
Rome airport was very busy and we waited a long time to get through passport control. Once in we had time to enjoy cappuccinos and a sandwich. The plane to Atlanta loaded quickly and left on time. We were unable to get business class, I waited to long, but we had Delta’s Comfort+ so I had room for my long legs and Suzette had a foot rest for her short legs. We settled for the 9-hour journey and we both asleep before the plane took off. Lunch, movies, nap….landing in Atlanta.
Checked into customs, love my Global Entry and skipping the
line. We had to take our luggage and recheck it for the flight home, very convenient.
We were starting to feel the effects of the long day and looked forward to
boarding and sleeping. We boarded on time and found our seats. We slept most of
the way home, just one movie and a little food. Dazed and confused we landed 24
hours after getting up in the morning on the same day. Happy to see our luggage
come sliding off the conveyor we met our friend Inez at the curb and she drove
us home. The house was in good order and it felt good to be home.
91 days, 1700 miles by boat and 6000? Miles each way by plane and we had come full circle once again. Lots of great adventures and misadventures, friends visiting, new friends made and a wealth of experience like no other. We are already scheduling ourselves for home events and more sailing on Rascal. Next leg will be Puglia Italy, Montenegro and Croatia starting in September. See you in September.
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