We had a great flight from Melbourne to Rome in the A380 we had 9 hours sleep in the first leg, plus a massage at Dubai airport.
The Black Pearl is now in the Marina at Porto Ercole it is great to see her and the crew. There are two new member Esther (chef) and Lachy (first mate). Niels has unfortunately broken his arm and cannot join the ship until Athens.
We have our first night back with the crew for dinner where we talk about our various adventures, they tell us about their pirate weekend in Porto Ercole 'la motte Di Pirate'. We unfortunately missed this when we were in Melbourne. Sally and Pod Wilson also really enjoyed the pirate weekend judging from the photos on their blog.
The next morning MB took the crew for a swim as it is a sunny day, however the water remains chilly for most except MB. We spent the day packing up the apartment and moving our gear to the boat. We took the girls into Porto Santo Stefano for a taste of our favorite calamari soup ( zuppa Di Seppia).
On Friday we have to return the rental car to Grossetto. We intended to go to Yoga but arrived late. Therefore, we show captain Paul around the old town which we have enjoyed visiting previously. He is also impressed. We then set off to buy two new push bikes for the boat. We get a bit lost following the in detailed google map, but we quickly find a shop with just the right product. It will take them 1 and a half hours to set them up so we take the car back to the railway station and organize a return taxi to Porto Ercole. We first collect the bikes then head back.
Back on the boat, we are keen to go fishing. Paul has been given some marks by Fabrizio in town so JB Paul and MB head off in the tender to bottom fish, hoping for a tuna. Unfortunately the wind came up and we can't hold the bottom and get many snags. We then head for a quieter spot to drift for tuna. Fabrizio caught a large tuna in this spot last week. However despite fish on the finder we have no luck.
We all go to dinner at the luxury resort 'Il Pellicano' which is a very swish and expensive degustation dinner, but really enjoyed by all.
We have loved Porto Ercole and have come to know it well. We now realize how good it is to have a base like a second home to come to. We head off early the next morning our first
Black Pearl Med. Adventure.