When in Rome…. Saturday, 18th JuneOne forgets. We have been on islands and remote places, with space and clean air and clear water for some time now. Made our way to Rome, via 2 other Tuscan islands - Giglio and Giannutri (weird little isle) - and a stop just 25nm north of Rome called Santa Marinella. Now in a little ramshackle Darsena yacht club in the Fiumicino Canal, a stone's throw from Rome's Fiumicino airport. And being in Rome, it suddenly hits you - t...

"Able I was ere I saw Elba" - Saturday 11th June Or some such palindrome - "unable we were to see Elba when we got here a week ago". It's the largest of the 7 islands that make up the Tuscan Archipelago Nature Reserve and obviously famous for looking after Napoleon for a while. We had a good crossing from Corsica, about 32nm, but as we approached the west of the island we heard coastguard reports of boats in difficulty and of thunderstorms off the N of Corsica....

Caprera, the Maddalenas Thurs, 19th MayWell, plans are made to be changed. We sat out a mistral on Sunday. This is a northwesterly wind that whistles down the mountains, across the Golfe du Lyon from Provence in France to Italy. We saw 38 knots in the marina alone. So went sightseeing instead, taking the ferry from La Madd to the Sardinian "mainland" at Palau. Not that much there, but the ferry was fun and the wind across the strait was gusting 50 knots. Glad ...

Saturday 14th May La Maddalena NE SardiniaHappy birthday to Richard and we couldn't be better placed. We finally got away and sailed further up the coast, stopping at a little idyllic cala for lunch (Costa Smeralda, turquoise, clear water, rugged cliffs, large caves and grottos) and on to meet up with our friends on Free Spirit anchored in the Golfo de Arzachena. We joined them for nibbles and drinks and got our precious battery charger - now installed and actu...

Sunday 8th May Stuck in ArbataxWe left Cagliari Thursday afternoon - a strange feeling to finally be sailing - and went a short distance to anchor off Villasimius nr Cabo Carbonara, which is at the SE corner of Sardinia. From there we have been slowly working our way up the East coast in sunshine and light winds. The coastline is getting progressively craggier, the mountains higher and the rocks redder. Stopped at a little port with a fairly new Porto Turistico ...