So after my big tantrum about the wind in the previous post, we set off from Nettuno early thinking we'd see what bearing we could make and, based on that, decide between going direct to Ponza (preferred) or going via San Felice di Circeo on the mainland. We left the marina and hoisted the sails, only to discover that we could just about make the 150° bearing to Ponza! Naively we both started celebrating - our luck had surely turned! About 10 minutes later we heard sirens and a Guardia Costiera boat pulled alongside us… apparently a nearby firing range had decided to choose our moment of glory to practice their long-range gear and we were told to change course to 200° for 6nm - heartbreaking! By the time we were outside the danger zone, we couldn't make the bearing to Ponza anymore so begrudgingly we set off towards San Felice di Circeo. Mid-afternoon the wind dropped anyway and we decided to put the engine on to increase our chances of arriving before dark - the marina entrance is flanked by sandbanks so a bit of light was not going to go amiss. Unfortunately we then discovered that for some reason the engine was overcharging our batteries which carries the potential risk of blowing all the electrics (and is therefore to be avoided). The only solution at that moment in time was to go slower… and slower and slower. It was like some kind of Zeno's paradox: we were gradually getting closer but with every inch we gained, we were having to reduce our speed and it was difficult to believe we'd ever actually arrive. We did eventually of course and Gerard managed to figure out a temporary solution for the engine (he does have his uses) so hopefully we won't have to go through that again.

As with most things, the silver lining of the frustrating days is that they help you to fully appreciate the good days. We had the most amazing sail down to Ponza in glorious sunshine with a flat sea and perfect wind; ideal conditions to whip up some pancakes for lunch which perked us up no end (and allowed me to show off my pancake flipping skills - I may be a Pieters now but I've retained some key Harding traits). We dropped the anchor in a stunning bay on the NW side of the island and had a whole afternoon to relax and explore. We got the dinghy in the water (crystal clear) so we could have a peek in the caves around the bay, Gerard did some snorkelling, and then we walked up the hill and over to the other side of the island (which sounds much more impressive than it is; it's only about 500m across). We were so enamoured with Ponza in fact that we decided to stay another day - in itself not a bad idea but foolishly we moved to a new anchorage outside the main town on the east side. It was very picturesque and meant we could pick up some groceries but we hadn't counted on the swell which rolled in behind a storm that was passing over at about 1am. Our boat was seriously rocking (not in a good way) for a good 5 hours before we gave up on the possibility of sleep and managed our earliest departure to date - 7am!

It was a quiet journey to our next stop, Ventotene, with all our energy taken up by the effort required to keep our eyes open. We arrived and walked up into the village thinking we'd grab something to eat quickly then head back for a powernap. We don't like to do things by halves so instead we found the most amazing restaurant where we had the tastiest lunch of the trip so far (we were introduced to fish cheek as "the best bit" which raised some high expectations but was totally justified), came back and passed out for 3 full hours. Ooops! By the time we woke up it was dark so sadly we didn't get to see more of Ventotene, although from the map we established that we'd already covered about 25% with the walk from the marina to the village - it's not a big place. Incidentally, the reason we didn't set an alarm for our nap is because Gerard has developed an ability to wake up of his own accord in the past few months. Since this seems to be based on the appearance of light though, we should probably have known it would be less effective in the afternoon… Experience has taught me to make sure I still set an alarm for the mornings, not for fear of over-sleeping but so that Gerard knows when it's acceptable to wake me up.

Aside from that, the rare occasion of a free afternoon in Ponza (pre-swell) meant I had the chance to try and harness some of the artistic talent that I was convinced I'd been secretly harbouring since leaving secondary school (art lessons had shown this talent to be under-developed up to that point). Not unexpectedly, it turns out that my desire to be creative is not supported by any kind of actual skill so if anyone's in the market for an almost-new set of oil pastels, you know where to find us!