Alghero, Sardinia

Leaving Mahon at dawn

28^th May We set off at dawn yesterday morning for the two day sail across to Sardinia. We were expecting a nice gentle force 3 wind on the beam, what we got was force 5 on the nose! No problem, we decided to go for ‘Plan B’ and head towards Corsica instead.

 

The wind gradually increased and by lunchtime we had three reefs in the sail, but we were still shooting along at 8 knots. This should have been exciting sailing, but with a lumpy sea and 2 metre swell I was feeling quite nauseous. After 12 hours or so the wind veered and sea state began to ease so we were able to change course for Sardinia. During the night the wind dropped and it poured with rain – not great for our night watches! By the next morning the sea was flat and the wind had disappeared, so we motored in the sunshine until we arrived at Alghero in the afternoon.

As we entered Alghero harbour we were met by a flotilla of ribs from different marinas, touting for our business. We negotiated a deal at Marina St Elmo and have a good mooring here. The staff are very friendly and helpful.  I stepped onto the pontoon just now with a rubbish bag in my hand and one of the of the staff appeared from nowhere and whisked it away!

Alghero old town

  

29^th May We are so pleased to have made it to Italy and our first impressions of Alghero are good. It has a fascinating history as for 400 years it was ruled by the Spanish, and Catalan is still spoken here today. The marina is right by the old town with its ochre stone walls and terracotta roofs. After exploring the town we’ve stocked up with some of our favourite Italian foods: fresh pasta, focaccia bread, pecorino cheese and wine from the local vineyard, Sella and Mosca.

30^th May Cliff broke his glasses while we were in Mahon, the arm literally snapped off and despite his best efforts with superglue and tape, it has proved irreparable. So today we went the opticians to order a new pair. In the UK it takes around 2 weeks to get new vari-focal glasses , so Cliff was delighted when he was told he could have them in 5 days.


Sandpiper on the Town Quay

 1^st June Today we moved out of the marina to the Town Quay, as we had read that you could stay there free for up to four nights.  But after just half an hour a port official appeared and told us that only two  boats could stay on the quay at any time, and since there were four of us, two would have to move! Cliff and Bart, a Dutchman from the next boat, argued our case and eventually the official relented and said we could stay if we moved to a different part of the quay. So we are now sitting under the old town walls, watching the sunset over the bay.

2nd June We appear to have become public property since we moved the Town Quay. Visitors of all nationalities come and stare at the boat and think nothing of interrupting our lunch with questions. So far today we have been asked where we are from, where we are going, what type of boat it is, which flag we are flying and how tall the mast is!

We’ve also been befriended by Christopher, a 33 year old local man who suffers from a growth disorder and so looks more like a young boy. He’s very bright and speaks excellent English, but can’t find employment, so instead makes it his mission to ensure sailors know about the free mooring on the town quay. He’s keen to practise his English and shows Cliff where we can fill up with water, helping him carry the water cans to and from a fountain. Once the water’s topped up, he joins us for a cup of English tea.

Fishing nets drying by the harbour

3^rd June. We cycled round the bay today, past the fishing harbour and along by the  pinewoods that lead down to Alghero’s famous sand dunes and white beaches. At the end of the bay is the little town of Fertilia which also has a marina and had been an alternative destination for us. Fertilia was built in the 1930s as part of Mussolini’s rural regeneration project  – its name literally meaning ‘fertile’. We are glad we didn’t come into the marina here. The town is built almost entirely of square concrete buildings and it feels more like a barracks than a resort. 

4^th June.  Cliff went into town to collect his glasses today, only to be told they weren’t ready.  We plan to leave tomorrow as the winds are good for sailing north – so Cliff will have to travel  back to Alghero to collect them later in the week.

We now have an extra crew member! My Canadian friend Liz arrived today. It’s been three years since we last saw Liz so there’s a lot to catch up on. This evening Cliff cooked us a lovely dinner of barbecued sea bream and we all sat up on deck talking until the stars came out.