Yesterday we embarked on our first ever sailing trip on our very own boat. It was AWESOME! The wind was decent, the sun was shining, the sea was flat… the ultimate vindication of a self-confessed fair-weather sailor! The Solent is pretty but it is not comfortable! We didn't go far, only around 5nm to the east and then back again, just to test everything and make sure there's nothing we need to do before setting off for real. There is obviously but at least no...

After a very hectic couple of days post-wedding getting packed and ready (and shaving Gerard's head), we arrived in Cagliari on Wednesday 18 September! In true Italian fashion, the repairs we'd requested in June commenced upon our arrival but they were finished very quickly and we were ready to have Starfire moved from its spot on the hard into the water. Due to our very limited grasp of Italian, this was communicated with two words: marina staff (while pointin...