Passage to Sardinia July 7-9

Passage to Sardinia      July 7-9

From Filicudi island we started our 250 NM westward passage to Sardinia. Aiming for a somewhat unusual window of moderate south-east winds, we were hoping for a passage of mostly by sail power. The forecast turned out to be right on. Except for the first day of going through the Sardinia north coast, which typically has very little wind, we had good wind on our beam. Sailing with just the genoa and mizzen and moving at a steady 5 knots, we timed the passage for an early morning arrival at Arbatax, Sardinia. On the first night we had light wind and we motored. The night sky was brightly lit, first by a crescent moon and then by the immense cast of stars. It was a treat lying on the foredeck, watching the Milky Way stretching through the sky, and the occasional comets shooting by. On this Thursday night there was a fair amount of ship traffic, keeping us busy checking with the AIS. The next day, wind was steady at 10 knots, and towards the evening the waves began to build. The 2-3 meter waves, coming with the wind on the beam, created an uncomfortable rolling action. By night fall it was gusting at over 20 knots. With the jib furled a few rolls, the boat was cruising steadily at 5 knots, the gusts barely making an impact. And then, as if on cue, by early next morning the wind and the waves started to settle, perfect for our arrival at the Arbatax marina.

The happy crew