Dodging the Maestrale

It might seem boring to dwell on the weather all the time, but in unfamiliar waters as the Mediterranean is for us, it is better to be safe than sorry.

Clouds!

According to Predictwind, our favourite weather web site, there was a good window of opportunity to cross over from Minorca. Those 200NM between the two islands are completely open to the Golfe du Lion from where the much feared Maestrale (Mistral) wind can blow really hard even in the height of summer. And indeed, after only three days the wind was predicted to pick up from the NW to gale force.

Navtex gale warnings

We left as soon as the predictions from the web were corroborated by the NAVTEX messages from Metéo France, Maddalena Radio, Mondolfo Radio and VHF. Indeed we had a very uneventful crossing, without even enough wind to sail. However we arrived safely one day ahead of the storm which ended up being F 9-10 accompanied by violent gusts all over the central Mediterranean sea and lasted 3 days.

Capo Caccia

Capo Caccia which is a prominent headland on the approach to the bay of Alghero was very exciting to see. Even from afar, you could make out the sheer cliffs extending north (if they had been white, you could have mistaken them with the Seven Sisters on the south coast of England). 

We had made arrangements with Aquatica Marina, which is closest marina to the old walled town. They promised a very competitive overwintering rate. Easy Rider will stay here ashore until Easter next year. You always feel anxious about that. But the marina manager, who is also the Cruising Association honorary local representative seems very efficient and knowledgeable.

Unfortunately, while we were under way, the rattling noise of our engine (at low revs.) became so bad that we had it looked at by a Volvo representative in Sardinia. One of our engine mounts, the one that has just been replaced during the winter had become dislodged and has lost one bolt and the other had become totally loose! We don’t know the cause of the rattling yet as we are still waiting for the mechanic to diagnose the issue..

Porto di Alghero, Sardinia

pink for celebrating 100 yrs of Giro d'Italia

Getting Easy Rider ready for the winter is always the hardest and at times depressing bit of the sailing season. This time we noticed how badly boats suffer under this climate: however much you try and wash the dust and salt off the boat surface, sheets, sails and covers, what remains is more salt and dust that become compacted everywhere and leave a thin sticky (beige) coating. The sails, which we took off this morning, definitely have to be washed because of all the salt that has become crystallised on them (fortunately the marina provide this service). We also need a boat cover for the hard… another piece of kit to clutter our space. We just hope that birds will not get underneath and nest there over the winter!

If everything goes according to plan (IF) Easy Rider will be lifted out tomorrow.

Overlooked bySaint Michael,  the Patron Saint of Alghero

This will be the last posting for 2017. We hope that you have enjoyed reading it and got a feel for our whereabouts and ‘adventures’!