3rd October 2022
Woke up late obviously needed the rest we decided we would visit the Leaning Tower of Pizza today. After a slow start to the day we final got ourselves on the move around 1pm, Google had told us that you buy bus tickets from a Tobacconist around the corner from the bus stop.
We found the bus stop, checked out times and then I went in search of tickets. Most shops close at 1.30pm till 5.30 so off I trotted leaving Garry at bus stop. Got there 1.25pm to find the lovely lady locking the door behind herself. Never mind a good friend always says just hop on public transport and use the we did not realise card.
Bus arrived on time so we got on still hoping maybe we could pay on the bus, but Italy’s public transport had only just dropped the wearing masks and the driver was still shut away from all customers so we rode for free.
30 minute bus ride then a 30 minute walk we found the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Free for all to walk around and ogle at a building with a lean.
In true Ems style we walked back to area where we got off bus and it was beer o’clock somewhere in world so we enjoyed a couple whilst working out how to get back to boat. Everything is always clearer after a drink lol but we found the bus station and bought tickets then headed back to marina.
With the winds still up in wrong direction we were forced to stay in yet another marina on the 4th October just another 20 nm further along to the coast called Cala De Medici . Not that I am complaining, because by now I had enough of this shuffling along everyday to a shit anchorage where I would have a shits night sleep, worrying about the boat dragging anchor and ending up in the shit on a pile of rocks.
Everyone thinks we are living the dream but in reality its boring and very tiring spending 24/7 on a boat motoring or trying to sail everyday to the next destination. I was missing my freedom of just being able to walk outside my back door into my garden or walk around the charity shops every Friday afternoon by myself. Chatting with the Olds every 5 days or so and eating Chris’s lovely cakes.
The home sickness and pending over night sail with only Garry to talk to made me feel scared and lonely. Friends at home carry on with the rat race, being too busy to talk. I just wanted to go home but knowing my once loved home was no longer my home.
With the 90 day clock tick tick ticking we again left the marina to move our new home to Baratti a little beach in front of marina it was calm of everything, no wind but cloudy water. We dropped anchor, waited for 2 hours and then went ashore in the hunt of beers to help sleep.
Our beach landing turned out to be a complete fail as it was a wall not a beach so ending up heading towards a private motor boat area. A lovely fisherman pointed at a dock so we left the tender there and headed to the pub.
In the morning we were leaving main land Italy to jump across to Elba, so after another rolly night we started to lift the chain. We were in 4 meters with 20 meters of chain out, today the water was clear and i could see the anchor laying on top of sand ….. whoops.
15 nm to Porto Ferraio on Elba it took 5 hours to motor across we had picked an anchorage with good protection the other side of a ferry dock. On approach many ferries were passing us, they are massive compared to us with cartoons painted on the sides.
When it came to passing the ferry dock to get to our anchorage it just had to be at the time one was leaving and one was arriving. We were playing piggy in the middle of these two giant ferries as they pivoted perfectly around in front of us.
The anchorage bottom was mud and water very calm it felt like the boat had been cemented in and was not moving amazingly as we were right next to the giant ferry moving in and out all day.
We jumped into the tender to go a shore to find the co-op to buy beers to celebrate our crossing, Navily had mentioned a place to leave the tender. When we turned up it was a very small part of a dock which had been fenced off because of a derelict factory, 3 other dinghies already there, so no room for us.
We tried another spot but could not find a way through the derelict factory so we jumped back into the tender and as Garry did he dropped his new reading glasses into the water which was 6 metres deep and muddy as hell. As most things are winding me up due to homesickness and the dreaded overnight sail, I had a moan as its just another shit thing Garry was inflicting on us. No beers no glasses we went back to boat.
In the morning of 7th October we managed to park our dingy by the coop, there was a market on too so we had a walk around, bought a frying pan and water sterilising tablets. Getting ready for arriving in Tunisia, my thoughts of the worst that could happen on the over night sail repeatedly played on my mind.
Over the next few days we start to plan which side of the Corsica to go down east or west and now knowing wind direction plays a big part of an anchorage getting this right was crucial. Our anchorages were ok as we managed to get beers in both, winner winner and the only highlight was at watching a sea gull stealing crisps someone had left at a table in the restaurant.
The day came to crossing over to Corsica 9th October we crossed at 10am, we had big waves and lots of wind. We picked the quickest route in the direction for wind assistance, setting sail aiming for one of the marina at the top of Corsica. But as we got further from of the lea of land we found waves breaking on port side, pushing the boat over so had to change heading for a better more comfortable sail. Knowing we needed to be in marina that night, it looked like the marina was going to a lot further down than what we planned.
After a long day Port Bastia was our nights destination and they were not answering our VHF calls, so we slowly entered the marina and parked our self nearly on the end of the dock. This is when we found our plank of wood to be a little short so had to use the tender as a crutch.
Later that night in the dark and pouring raining another boat also had the same problem with contacting the port on entry. So they too just motored in but with only one space on the end left they were struggling to get both bow mooring lines in place so we threw on our wet weather gear and got them to throw their lines to us so we could pull their boat towards us enabling them to get the mooring line on the port side tied on. Later they knock on our boat and give us a bottle of wine for helping them out, cheers.
The next 15 days was a bit of a blur for me the weather was horrible, we ran out of water on the boat. We had some highlights but mainly lows as we picked the wrong side of the Islands to travel down to the bottom of Sardinia.
We did get the AIS sorted in Sardinia, we found Blue Jellyfish in an horrendous anchorage we picked in front of a beach and enjoyed my last supper pizza before the dreaded crossing.
I would love to thank everyone who supported me through this part of our journey as I was a nervous wreck about this crossing. I had built up this picture of us sailing into a tanker in the middle of the sea and sinking the yacht. I only nearly book a flight home twice in this period of time, not bad going. I also want to thank Garry for being a very supportive, understanding partner as I was a nightmare.