Sardinia

For our 3-day passage to Sardinia Island, we departed Syracuse (Sicily Island) on September 8th, then dropped down and around the SE tip of Sicily then westward along the south coast before heading to open sea. The prediction was for some good sailing winds but they didn't show up so it was mostly lonely sailing or motor-sailing without seeing much traffic, just a couple of fishing boats.

Most of the summer sailors have gone back home now. We were visited by a couple of dolphins though which is always a welcomed sight no matter how many times we have them.

We arrived at the SE tip of Sardinia and dropped the hook among a few others at Capo Carbonara, a large bay open to the south. It was a splendid setting where the emerald waters met sandy beaches backed by rolling hills painted a fresh green by the vegetation that was thirsty from the summer heat. It reminded us of some parts of southern California at certain times of the year.

There is also the nice large Marina di Villasimius with associated facilities, but the town of Villasimius is a couple of kilometres inland.

Until now we had developed a serious doubt about the Med having any real sandy beaches, but surprise surprise, there were a couple of pristine stretches that were obviously a cherished destination for sun worshipers.

We swam around Sea Turtle where we had a mischievous watcher sitting on the prop of the outboard engine affixed to the stern...

Chanty's perch

While at anchor, we had a ring side seat for the GC32 Racing Tour of 2018 where 9.75 m (32 ft) racing catamarans streaked across the water at about 40+ knots (74 km/hr; 46 mph), speeds enabled by foils that lifted them completely out of the water.

Lifted up high

After a couple of days of getting used to relaxation, we were caught a little off guard when a fresh wind from the south put us on a lee shore with some short steep waves bucking us up and down. So we quickly upped anchor, and after pounding head on into the waves for half an hour, we made it around the point to Porto Giunco and joined a few prudent other boats at the protected cove.

The next day the winds and seas abated so we returned to the marina for fuel before our escape and passage to Menorca Island of Spain. But before leaving, we had one last purchase. Prosciutto is a dry-cured ham of Italy, and even though we are vegetarians, we had to buy a small amount of this delicious treat while in Italy. Yum!!

Passage from Syracuse to Sardinia Sep 08 to 11
N39°07.700' E009°30.024' Sep 11 Capo Carbonara (Sardinia, Italy)
N39°07.110' E009°31.533' Sep 13 Porto Giunco
N39°07.475' E009°30.301' Sep 14 Return to Capo Carbonara