The wrong Gallipoli

The night in Otranto wasn't as calm as I hoped, there was a lot of wind in the night and the shrouds were whistling and fenders squeaking and we woke up several times. I still think going into the marina was our best option, there was no place calm enough for the night anywhere near, we made a good use of abundance of fresh water and washed the boat and two loads of laundry (washing machine withstand the test run very well), saw the town, and as a bonus we got to meet two crews of neighbouring boats, all nice people and they are headed for Caribbean this winter as well. Hope we'll keep in touch.

We didn't get up as early as planned (again), and we sailed off at about 9. There were big roller waves at the entrance into the Otranto harbour, but luckily they weren't breaking, so we got out fine.  There were quite some waves outside as well, but we had them from behind and also lots of wind for good speed. The waves were only 2m high, and the land in sight, but movement of the boat and the fact that there were no other boats in sight made it feel almost like Atlantic on a good day. We even got one wave crashing over the back rail and filled the cockpit with water and made everything salty. I was thinking of those 3m waves we saw near Tremiti islands and I almost convinced myself, that they couldn't have been that high. But I still remember that they looked like they are going to crash onto our solar panels, so they must have been.

Most of the time we were flying the small solent jib alone, when wind slowed down a bit we added a bit of genoa and went sail on sail.

We could even see the Albanian mountain in the haze on the other side.

At the end of the Otranto strait behind this lighthouse...

... we turned right because I wanted to see Gallipoli. The ride was not very pleasant, we were beating into the waves and wind for four hours, sometimes with some sail in hope to stabilise us. We were both happy when it was over. We anchored in the SE corner in front of the town at about 8 in the evening, and didn't have the energy for anything else but a light supper and tucking in.

O, and I made some photos of lovely view.

Next morning (well, morning our time, so about 11), after a great calm night with good sleep (best in a long time), we did put the dinghy into the water and rowed into town. We left dinghy in old harbour.

We strolled around the pretty old town....

... and came to town beach. It would make a great anchorage in wind from N, E or S.

There are cars in these narrow streets.

And instead of trees there are plants that need less water.

This is the old fortress...

... and this is how it looks from the harbour.

Quite long ago I've seen a movie about a battle at Gallipoli and it made a huge impression on me, especially it's anti-war message. Obviously I didn't pay enough attention to the details though. After seeing the fortress I was wondering where are those huge fields where the battles took place. Maybe outside the town? When we got back to the boat I researched in internet a bit and realised my ignorance - we're in wrong Gallipoli! The one the movie was about is a peninsula near Dardanelles in Turkey and there the battles took place - allies (Brits, Australians and Newzealanders) against Turks in the WW I. Gallipoli actually comes from Greek (kalli polis) and is translated as cozy town. So, now I know. Despite it being the wrong Gallipoli it is really pretty and just for the good and peaceful night it was worth beating into wind and waves for four hours!

We planned to sail off that evening and my plan for afternoon was to swim a bit, sleep a bit and maybe have a gin&tonic in between. And to feed us in the evening before the night sailing. Well, there was none of that. Instead, Captain started to repair our new cooker, that had the oven door mounted too low and it jammed when we wanted to open it and also didn't lock. We took the cooker out of gimbals and then the fun started. First we needed to take of the burners, the top cover and then the sides to get to the oven door hinges.

While it was stripped off like this, we discovered, that hinges, on which it hangs, weren't tightened, as well as many other screws, so we repaired that too. And the contact for the electric ignition was poorly insulated, so we repaired that too.

Then we adjusted the hinges of the oven door and then put everything back together. The door was now too high (you can't see that before you screw everything back again), so we took it apart once more and luckily then it was ok. The locking mechanism was also in the right place and we can securely lock the door now. It took us three hours.

In one of my previous posts I compared my new cooker with Italian cars, and afterwards felt a bit bad for criticising. Well, I was way too polite and could have used much stronger words. I just hope it will work well for at least couple of years.

By the time we were done, it was getting dark and clouds brought some rain. So we quickly lift the anchor and sail off. One more photo of lovely Gallipoli...

We ate on the way and I took the first shift. It was really boring, with no wind we were motoring across the Gulf of Taranto, there were only few fishing boats in the distance. At half past two I woke Captain up and he took over. I heard that he tried to sail for an hour, but then he was motoring again.

In the morning we were sailing by Capo Rizzutto and we made a stop for swimming.

Then on over Gulf of Squillace, that was true to his name and reputation - we had plenty of wind that changed direction frequently. But we also saw three dolphins, big tunas jumping out of the water, and the biggest surprise - a large turtle only 20m from our boat. Already in the dark we anchored in front of marina Roccela Ionica among four other boats and were hoping for a good and not too rolly night. But just in case it wasn't, we each had a double whiskey for good sleep.

From Vieste to Brindisi

Evening in Vieste was lovely, wind slowed down, sun came out again, we had a great supper and even went for a swim. And then went to bed early, since the last night was so short. Well, we didn't know that this one was going to be short again. In the night wind died completely, but some of the waves remained, and at four in the morning Heron was rolling so bad, we couldn't sleep any more. Captain decided to lift the anchor and sail off, but luckily spotted a nice protected bay some 7 miles South and anchored again. And we slept some more. We woke to this beautiful sight.

Ok, soon the beach was full of tourists, but they were far enough. More annoying were the big open boats, carrying couple of dozens of tourists, that came to see this little island and a small cave behind it.

These big boats were annoying, coming quite close to our boat and making waves. In the afternoon Captain and myself swam to the cave to see what the big attraction was - it was mere hole in the cliff, the most interesting thing were the swifts that were nesting on the ceiling.

The holding was quite poor in this bay, obviously there was just a thin layer of sand over the rock bottom and our boat started to drift slightly with the stronger wind in the afternoon. Captain got restless and although I hoped to stay for the night, we sailed on towards South.

It was almost dark when we reached town of Trani and decided to try to anchor for the night. Best holding was in a bay in front of the cathedral. Luckily the bells weren't to loud.

Night was a bit rolly, but ok. In the morning we set sail again. Wind was very light and sailing very smooth. Captain set up his home office...

...in the calm sea.

We were flying all out sails again, making a good speed.

Our destination for the day was Mola di Bari, a small town 10 miles South of Bari. We prefer the small towns, usually they have more soul than big ones. One of the reasons we wanted to stop there was that it is possible to anchor behind the breaker in front of the port. We got there in the evening and found a lot of local boats anchored there, people were swimming and enjoying Saturday evening. There was still plenty of space for us and we were happy to have found such a nice place. Already the first evening we dinghied to the town, which was not particularly pretty but quite pleasant. Lots of people were on the streets, as we learned later, not only because during the day it was way too for anything else but swimming, but also because it was the weekend of town's biggest festivity - it has something to do with Virgin Mary and fishermen. Already at that evening we heard some loud bangs, like from some heavy guns.

On our first night on land in a week we of course ate great pizza, panzarotti (fried pizza) and gelatto. All recommended by locals. And we decided to stay another day and night, because we liked the place so much.

Next morning at around 6 we heard a loud bang. And then another one. Captain ran out on the deck only to discover that the "big guns" were fired again at the time for the first mass in the church, but from the very breaker at which we were anchored. Luckily was the wind blowing away from us, so most of the pieces were blown to the other side. I was so very much hoping we would have a nice peaceful night.

The festivities lasted all morning, highlight being when the fishing boats sailed out of the bay, one carrying the statue of Mary, and tens and tens smaller boats following.

What was worrying me was the fact that there were still men on the breaker walking up and down, and arranging something that looked like an ammunition collection for a bigger battle on it. But after the fishing boats returned, many of the smaller boats anchored around us and children jumped into the water, adults sat and ate and drunk, so I think that nothing more is going to happen. Wrong. In the afternoon the cannonade started again, only this time wind blew all the little charred pieces onto our boat and those around us. Other than us nobody seemed to mind.

In the evening we had pizza and panzarotti and gelatto again, and returned to the boat at about 10. I was a bit unhappy to see all those men still parading up and down the breaker. And after we had a swim a boat came to us with a port official, telling us that at midnight the big fireworks will start from the breaker and that we can't stay in anchorage. First he wanted us to tie Heron to one of the fishing boats in the port, then figured out our draught was to deep, then he tried to find us another place to anchor deeper in the port, but the shallow water was again an issue, and then the police ordered him to tell us to leave the port and come back no sooner than 15 minutes after midnight. We were a bit unhappy, but left and anchored a good distance to the North. And it was some firework! The biggest I've seen live for sure. And even from where we were we could see all the pieces, some still burning, falling into the water just where Heron was an hour ago. It was a good thing they moved us or we might not have a boat any more.

After it was over we sailed back and anchored the boat and went to sleep, in hope of a good and long night. But we were up again at four, Wind turned again and big waves were rolling into the anchorage. We got up and saw that deeper in the port we might find a calm spot. So we moved the boat, trying not to be in the way of all the fishing fleet, and went back to sleep.

We didn't need to get up early, because that day we didn't have far to sail, only 11 miles to Monopoli. Yes, it is truly a town, and a very beautiful too. We managed to tie to the town pier (for free) early in the afternoon.

It was unbearably hot, but we went for a short walk around the town. It has a lot of pretty buildings, narrow streets, fortresses, churches, all showing that it had to be a big and important town back in the past.

The photos don't do it justice, in reality it is much prettier. This is the old harbour.

Through the window of this building next to the cathedral we saw mummies of cardinals displayed in glass boxes. Maybe that's why there are skeletons on the door.

This is how Monopoli looks from the sea.

We left Monopoli rather early, we both got awake when there was a guy rowing the skiff in the port at around 6 and his trainer was running up and down the pier, where our boat was, and shouting instructions to him. So instead going back to sleep we sailed off. Our next stop was actually Brindisi. The weather forecast promised a lot of wind from all directions, and we thought it is better to sit this out in a protected place. But we were near Brindisi already shortly after noon, so we figured - why not sail on to Otranto. It was already getting dark when we sailed into the port and the town looked charming. But the best part was the anchorage in front of the town wall. Three boats were already anchored there, but there was still plenty of space for us. We went for a swim and then sat outside on perfectly calm water with a drink and were pretty happy with the day. Before we got to bed I noticed small waves entering the anchorage, but was hoping it will stay at that.

So, at 4 in the morning we were up, in the night a strong North wind made big waves that were rolling directly into the anchorage. We tried to sleep, but whenever a couple of bigger waves came, they woke us up. It went like this until 7, then we were up, discussing our options. I was annoyed and wanted to leave, but there are very few protected places in a day's reach and we didn't want to go back to Brindisi. A bit later we saw another anchored boat leave the anchorage and sailed into the marina. And we decided in an instant that we would follow and also try to get the space there ourselves. And luckily there was more space, so we quickly prepare the fenders and lines, picked a mooring and tied the boat to the pier.

Of course we went for a walk into the the old town, unfortunately the day was grey and so the photos are grey as well.

With this exception.

So here we are, in marina in Otranto, hoping for a long and calm night. A storm with lots of wind, lightnings and some rain already passed, hope the weather will calm a little bit. And tomorrow morning we'll study all the weather forecasts again and try to make a smart choice where to sail next.

Heron is finally sailing

So we made it! Last Sunday, already in the afternoon, Heron finally sailed off from Nautec Mare marina in Monfalcone. Not everything was finished and after four days under way we are already making list of things we forgot to bring along (and also the list of what we should have left at home and mistakenly took with us). But anyway, at some point one must decide that it's enough or one never leaves. 

We tried to take care of everything at our house, say goodbye to all our friends and families, which was again very hard and emotional, and tie all the loose ends. We would like to have more time for everything, to meet more people, but we ran out of time. On one of the rare occasions when I had couple of minutes to take care of plants in my garden, I met this beauty. It is Broad-bodied chaser or Modri plščec (Libellula depressa).

One of the last things we were waiting for was the cooker. Here it is:

It is of Italian make, and it's a bit like Italian cars - looks sleek and fast (has powerful burners), but not of a too high quality - in our case the oven door doesn't open all the way because it is mounted too low and so we have another project that we didn't want. It is also less deep than the old one was, which means that I can cook on two burners in medium size pans and pots just fine, but bigger pots will be a challenge. I haven't tested the oven yet, hope that it will make me very happy.

Sunday evening we made it to Portorož, and after a good night sleep we sailed off. Wind from the South only allowed us to sail almost right towards West, so we figured we would drop the anchor somewhere at the estuary of river Po and continue towards Ancona the next morning. After whole day of very light wind and flat sea wind got stronger in the evening and it brought along some very annoying waves. We were not able to find a good calm spot for the night, so we just sailed on. It was my fist night-sailing after a long time, but strangely enough I didn't have any problems taking the shift from 2.30 in the morning til 6, when we anchored near Rimini. After couple of hours sleep we sailed on.

We have some new sails and we tested them all in all combinations - here we are flying the genoa and solent sail at the same time. Later we tried it with the main also and it worked very well in light winds we were having.

At about 10 in the evening we anchored in bay Portonovo couple of miles South of Ancona. It was already too dark for photos, but I managed to make one of sunset a bit earlier.

 Next morning the wind picked up and captain was eager to sail off. Our destination were the islands of Tremiti some 130 miles away. That would of course mean another night at sea, but the weather looked calm and we thought it wasn't going to be a problem.

Day was calm, we were flying all the sails - genoa, solent ands main and were making good speed over a very calm sea. The sunset was again very pretty.

This time I had the first watch and everything was calm until I noticed the lightnings in the big cloud that was coming towards us from the mainland. At first the lightnings remained in the cloud, but later it started bolting into the sea. I got a bit nervous, especially when the whole thing came closer and closer. At midnight Captain got up and came to see how I was doing and I was relieved that he took over the next shift. I tried to get some sleep, but it was hard since the wind got stronger and the waves bigger. Captain let me sleep till 7 in the morning and I just got up to see the last couple of 3 meter waves. I don't think I ever seen waves this high in Adriatic before. Captain told me that he had winds up to 30 knots and even some rain in the night.This is the first view of Tremiti islands we glimpsed. You can see how choppy the sea was even between the islands.

We found a bit calmer bay with sand bottom for anchoring and had breakfast and went for a swim. Then the big tourist boats started coming and we decided to sail on towards mainland.

I still made some photos of the fortress on the hill at the island of San Nicola.

Mainland greeted us with the rain, clouds and lightnings again, but it was moving towards South fast. The town of Vieste looks very white against the dark sky.