2010 Cruisin', Boozin' and Snoozin' ..... May - Oct 2010

27 May 2010 - 08 October 2010


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Mark on guitar with Liam.....sleeping??? 

So another cruising season has come and gone.  The seasons in the Mediterranean are reasonably short, but this year seemed very short indeed.  We started out later than planned from our last winter port in Valletta on the small island of Malta.  We had been busy painting the coach roof and wanted it finished, it was worth staying for and it looks just great.  Then the season ended sooner than we had hoped too, September and October saw the start of unsettled weather coming through, with the odd front bringing cooler days, longer nights and thunder storms. 

We had a choice - join many of our cruising friends and carry on out of the Med, into the Atlantic, visit exotic Morocco, explore the Canary Islands cross the Atlantic Ocean and be in the Caribbean in time to enjoy a rum punch while listening to steel drums sitting under a palm tree with the sand between our toes by Christmas.  Sure sounds appealing, still does - but there is always next year!!

So here we are, in the lovely town of Cartagena on the southeastern corner of Spain.  We will stay here for the European winter which we hope will be reasonably mild.  We will spend our time (in between boat jobs of course) exploring this wonderful country, trialing as many tapas bars as we can find, improving our somewhat appalling command on the Spanish language and taking as many siestas as necessary to blend in with the locals!!

But now a recap of 2010 ....... This is Cruising the Summer of 2010 -

Picnic in Corsica with the "Windies"

Before we left Malta we thought long and hard about the route we would take through the Western Med.  Several yachts that had travelled through Italy the summer of 2009 and said how extremely busy it was, that the anchorages were poor and often rolly, marinas expensive, how affected the weather is by the fierce Mistral wind, how expensive eating out was... the list was long with few positives.  Then when we were back in Auckland over summer we met with friends George and Merima off Moonshadow who had also cruised Italy in 2009, they agreed with most of the above but their advice - "don't miss it".  

So we took their advice and from the moment we arrived on the east coast of Sicily and anchored under Mt Etna and the stunning hilltop town of Taormina we never once regretted it, Italy was absolutely outstanding and we loved every minute (even the wet ones!!).  Nearly every stop was a highlight:  the bubbling live volcano, smelly mudbaths and beach happy hours at Vulcano, the opportunity to visit ancient buried Pompeii from Agropoli, the beautiful Amalfi coast towns clinging by their toenails to the steep to cliff faces surrounded by vivid green and yellow lemon trees, the pastel painted houses of Procida crumbling down but oh so "Italy".  Then we hit the busy part, crazy Ponza on a long holiday weekend with the armada of incoming boats seemingly endless but there was always room for one more.

Most expensive drinks with "Panthera"

We sailed overnight west to Sardinia, still Italian,  but with a definite independent island feel to it.    On long hot summers days we found deserted bays with clear water and sandy beaches, contrasting greatly with the wealth displayed in the compact area around Porto Cervo, where super yachts easily outnumbered little yachts like ours.  We had a day inland, astounded by the Stone Age ruins we visited, intrigued by the overgrown forests of cork trees. Maybe we should have explored more of Sardinia, we just touched the north east corner and it was beautiful, many anchorages in some sheltered waters, an excellent spot.

It was time for a change of culture and language and we hopped across to Corisca and dusted off the French phrase book.  The well preserved ancient walled towns of  Bonifacio, Porto Vecchio and Calvi and the frequent coastal battlements gave us a great sense of their history.  Our inland travel revealing the lush mountainous interior, sandy banked rivers, stone age ruins - this gem of an island had it all.  Combined with some gin clear waters in appealing bays Corisca was yet another highlight.

Time for a mudbath with White Rose and Sundancer II

Back to Italy visiting the Tuscan Island of Elba, some great anchorages, cute villages, sweet scented pine forests, good weather.   Time for the mainland again to our most secure anchorage weather wise of the season at La Grazie. This Cinque Terra area was jam packed full of interesting excursions - the famous Cinque Terra (Five Villages) coastal walk, a day out by train to Pisa, just a short hop over the hill to Porto Venere and a visit from our friends Helen and David.  Unfortunately the weather changed here after a dreadful long night of thunder/lightening storms and torrential rainfall, it was unsettled for a couple of weeks after and never returned to those long settled summer days.

The Italian Riviera was next, sophisticated Santa Margherita made an excellent base for a few days, nearby famous Portofino as quaint as all the postcards.  Our Italian sojourn was nearing its end, a few days in San Remo just 20 miles from the French boarder was an excellent way to end.  The covered market one of the best I have ever seen in any country.  Sadly it was arrivederci to Italy, we couldn't stay forever.  We enjoyed everywhere we visited, the locals were always welcoming, the food in general every good and pizzas and pasta dishes very affordable, drinks ranged in price from average to outrageous but they normally gave free nibbles with them to soften the blow!  Italy oozes history and  culture, it is a wonderful unrivaled country.  The people have a style and spirit that matches it perfectly.

Celeb spotting in Monte Carlo

I must add that we were extremely lucky for the most part with settled weather.  The west coast of Italy is all a lee shore and any westerly winds leave you with few places to run.  Any strong winds further out in the med will affect the swell so you need to look at a large weather picture on a daily basis.  That said, there are places to tuck in from most conditions but you need to always have a plan B, and often a plan C too. 

I can't move on further before I mention one of the most important factors of why all the above was also so enjoyable.  We cruised in company the entire time, not always with the same boats as we all go different speeds and have different agendas but there was a group of us going roughly the same way and boy did we have fun.  I hope I don't miss anyone but to the following - you made an excellent season even better.    Sundancer II, White Rose, Blue Banana, Eye Candy, Gone with the Wind, Threshold  and Panthera.  Once we left Italy we were on our own except for a couple of rendezvouses with Baracca.  Thankyou all for making our season extra special.

Next it was on to Monaco, what Italy oozes in history and culture, Monaco oozes in wealth.  Our 3 nights in the marina were a highlight of a different kind, never did we think we would be able to afford to marina Balvenie  in Monaco and spend time in this pocket sized Principality.  The wealth displayed just in the cars parked in Casino Square was enough to knock our socks off, then there were the dozens of enormous super yachts parked in a row in the marina, and one look in the estate agents window  indicated 8million Euro as a  'cheap' one bedroom apartment - this is definitely not somewhere the likes of us retire!!!!  But it was fun, not ostentatious or stuffy - just for rich people who like to enjoy showing their wealth.

Porto Cervo with Eye Candy and GWTW

It is was time to cruise the French Riviera and the Cote d'Azur, famous names that just roll off the tongue.  We started in Villefranche a popular anchorage near to Nice, a small scenic town ashore.  Relatives Neil and Barbara stayed a couple of nights and we had a chance to explore inland, visiting tiny rural villages located so close to the busy coast but a million miles away in reality. From Nice westwards the coastline was extremely busy much more built up than I had envisaged, huge apartment complexes lined the foreshore, marinas every few miles, very few nooks and crannies to anchor in, and often a swell from one direction or the other would sneak in.  Then there was more unsettled weather, it was only the beginnng of September but we never experienced those famous unbearably hot calm days on the French Riviera.

I fell in love with France over 20 years ago when I first backpacked there, and have returned several times since.  I had been looking forward all season to cruising its coastline, soaking up the culture, practicing my French and sampling the French cuisine.  Now I felt a traitor to France, this coastline didn't reflect the France I loved and we both missed Italy.  The cost of living was high, fruit and vegetables seemed especially so, eating out cheaply was almost impossible, happy hour drinks and coffees were almost affordable dependant on where you were!!  The weather wasn't kind to us, Mistrals kept howling.  We could see no value in heading along the coast further westwards and into the eye of Mistral territory so we took the opportunity of a short lull in the winds and headed south overnight to Spain's Balearic Islands.  We had spent only 12 nights on the French coast.

Can Mark get beer out of Threshold's steering system???

Our stay in the Balearics was slightly longer, just 3 weeks.  We spent time in Menorca and Mallorca and explored them both.  We enjoyed sleepy Mahon and found Palma a classic, interesting, very European city - with a central market to rival San Remo.  We only stayed one night on Ibiza, it is more of a beach/party island, and although still warm enough when in the sun and out of the wind, summer was on the wain.  There are many anchorages in the Balearics, most of them small calas (coves), often deserted ashore or maybe with a tourist development.  It is more of a summer destination than a touring one so we didn't experience them at their best.  More adverse weather, this time an extensive system lasting days was heading our way.  We considered marinaing in Ibizia for a few days to sit out the weather but heard rumours of yachts our size still being quoted 300Euro a night, and this was now October!  So here we are, back to the top where we started, Caribbean or Cartagena. 

Looking lopsided in Portofino

We have been in Cartagena on the south eastern corner of Spain over a week now and were feeling quite settled, until this morning.  I managed to tune into the "rum runners net", a HF Radio net our friends have started up and are checking into as they move westwards, Gone with the Wind and Moonshadow were about to arrive in Morocco, Beyond, Stardust and several others about to join Cristata in the Canaries.  Today we are feeling somewhat left behind, but we have Spain to explore and much more - that rum punch will just taste all the sweeter next year!!!

Countries and Principalities visited -  5   Malta, Italy, France, Monaco and Spain
Island Groups visited -  7   Sicily, Aeolean Islands, Bay of Napoli Islands, Sardinia, Corsica, Tuscan Islands, Balearic Islands
Nautical Miles travelled -   1742  (Distance had we gone in a straight line was 767!!)
Nautical Miles motored -   929   Only about 20miles was due to adverse headwinds, balance due to no wind
Nights at sea -   3   Ponza-Olbia,   French mainland-Mahon,   Ibiza-Cartagena
Nights tied up for free on a buoy -   4   Porto Pollo, Pollenca, Porto Petro
Nights tied up for free at a dock -  14   Scario, Agropoli, Olbia, Final Ligure, San Remo
Nights tied up in Marinas -  7   Amalfi, Monaco, Pollenca
Different Anchorages visisted -   60
Strongest winds -  46 knots at anchor in France, 28 knots at sea downwind across the top of Corsica
Fastest speed -   8.6 knots flying across the top of Corsica
Sleepless nights -  less than five (more than one is too many!!)
Rainy days -   Lost count really, but not that many that rained ALL day and this is Europe!!
How much did it cost? -  Done all the numbers and it averaged out at 385Euro per week (this season was 19 weeks).  That includes stocking up the food and drink supplies in Malta before we left there, and starting/finishing with full diesel tanks.  Our biggest expense was eating/drinking onboard 1888E closely followed by eating/drinking out 1545E, diesel ranked next as we did alot of motoring 1300E,  next came sightseeing/local transport 580E, Marinas 372E, small repairs/maintenance/spares 340E, phone/internet 240E, the rest is made up of odds and ends - souvenirs, clothing, laundry etc  

AND THAT WAS THE SUMMER OF 2010

Chocolate Croissants on the French Riviera..... Sept 2010

Cute French village of Mons

02 - 05 September 2010


Another day, another country. As we pulled out of the marina in Monaco we lowered our well worn Indonesian Courtesy flag that had now served as our Monaco Flag (I'm sure Prince Albert would be very proud of sharing the same flag as Indonesia albeit a tad more square than the rectangular Indonesian version but once up the yard arm and flapping away, who would spot the difference !!) and hoisted the French tricolour. It was only 9 miles to our first anchorage on the French Riviera, we pulled into the deep bay of Villefranche before lunch, set our anchor in the weedy seabed and set about ensuring Balvenie was shipshape.

We were expecting my cousin Neil and his wife Barbara to join us for a couple of nights, they were our first med visitors way back in Turkey and were coming back, this time with the latest addition to their family, Sparkie their 2 year old Shetland sheepdog, our first dog onboard. They had been hiking up in the Italian Dolomites and were in desparate need of some warmth and sunshine, we were hoping the French Riviera would provide just that. After successfully finding somewhere safe and free to park their Landcruiser full of all their camping equipment, it was everyone in the dinghy and onboard, Sparkie wasn't to sure about it at first but adapted to being a boat dog in no time at all. We had done several improvements to Balvenie since their last stay and it was great to have such positive comments from them on all our new canvas work and cabin top paint job, both had been long and hard winter projects

High in the hills behind Nice

We had a great couple of nights with them onboard, we spent a whole day out touring, first heading north along the coast next along the promenade in Nice, just a few miles north of Villefranche. Then we headed inland and up into the hills, passing through some lovely little typically French villages, stopping along the way at one for our first French cafe au lait.

We kept going higher and higher, clinging to tiny roads that their Landcruiser hardly fitted on, winding down through gorges and ravines and up the other sides. Breathtaking scenery surrounded us in all directions. Eventually we stopped at the small village of Mons, we sat and watched the local men play boules in the village square while we enjoyed our picnic lunch. The vista back down towards the coast was spectacular, the village was very cute with narrow lanes, little arty shops, stone houses, flowering bourgainvillea - all very French and very beautiful.


Fattening us up in France

Back down to sealevel and Villefranche, successfully securing another free parking spot for the night. It was time for dinner out ashore, we wandered through the lanes behind the waterfront and found a great Italian (shame on us!!) restaurant and had a lovely meal under the stars. Next morning it was fresh croissants, pastries and baguette for breakfast. This was one of the bonuses of having a dog on board, it is necessary to have an early morning walk ashore that just happens to pass by the boulangarie for all those delectable goodies!! Sadly Neil and Barbara needed to start heading back to London so only stayed 2 nights but it was great to see them again, and we appreciated our touring inland with them.

It was Saturday afternoon and Marks new sunglasses were ready in San Remo so we had quite an excursion to collect them. Dinghy ashore, walk to train station, train to Monaco, change onto train to Ventimilgia, find bus to San Remo, collect glasses and then reverse all the above. Except for a 45 minute wait in Ventimilgia (long enough in Ventimilgia) on the return it all went very smoothly. Mark is now the proud owner of a new pair of presciption, polarised sunglasses at great expense, his 4th pair in 6 years of cruising - I am trying to work out how to attach them permanently to his head!!!

Mons, in the hills behind Nice

Back in Villefranche we had had Kiwi yacht Baracca arrive and anchor next to us. We last saw Maurice and Heather from Christchurch in Croatia last year so we stopped by and had a catch up with them, great to see them again. Unfortunately a swell was now creeping into the anchorage and we were lying beam on to it, it was rather an uncomfortable night and we were pleased our visitors had been lucky with flat seas.

It was time to move on again so we lifted anchor and sailed under headsail in rolly seas the 16 miles west along the coast to the headland where Antibes is situated. We had hoped to anchor on the east side of this peninsular in one of the two bays just a short walk from Antibes, but a strong seabreeze had set in from the east and they were totally unsuitable. We decided to try the marina, there was a front due to pass over in a couple of nights so we thought maybe being tied up might be a good option. I called the Antibes Marina, it has 1700 berths plus 170 visitors berths, they turned us away saying they were full.

Balvenie on the French Riviera

We carried on around the headland to the western side and anchored at Abri de L'Olivette, on Cap d'Antibes, well tucked inside the mussel farms, out of the chop from the seabreeze and with just a little. Although we didn't go ashore it looked a lovely area, with very large houses set in well wooded large sections, not a highrise block to be seen.

Next morning the weather was forecast to go around to the south for 24 hours so we motored the short distance across to Ile Ste Marguerite, and anchored on its north side. It sits just a couple of miles south of Cannes and is a peaceful heavily wooded island that is a National Park. We enjoyed a late afternoon walk ashore, all the day tripper boats had returned to Cannes and just a handful of people were left ashore. We visited the large Fort Royal, an impressive site from the anchorage, especially at night, and equaly impressive ashore. It is here that the Man in the Iron Mask was imprisioned in the late 1600's. We walked along several paths through the forest, the scent of pine in the air. We had not been for such a lovely walk in forest since staying with Neil and Barbara in Surrey back in March. This was a great anchorage and shore excursion.

Cruising info for Villefranche, Abri de L'Olivette and Ile Ste Marguerite, French Riviera:-
Anchorages -
Villefranche -  43 42.103N   07 19.103E   11.5m  weed, got rolly on last night
Abri de L'Olivette @ Cap d'Antibes -   43 33.168N   07 07.011E   8m  sand/weed, very undulating
Ile Ste Marguerite - 43 31.590N   07 02.444E   7.5m   sand/weed
Communications - Mobile phones  both GYMSIM and Vodafone Malta worked on SFR or Orange Signal.  Then there is the internet, another country to deal with!!!  Firstly connecting by dongle - a French one is an expensive option.  Need to buy a new dongle (didn't check price), apparantly not compatible with any other country, then Simcard was 69E then think it was 15E for 3 hours connection, all to hard and too expensive.  What we did was top up our NZ Vodafone dongle and used it on roaming just to download the weather and emails, it wasn't cheap either, but NZD60 (about 35E) lasted us our time in France.  However the good news is that there are unlocked sites around in France, so with our external aerial we managed to pickup (with rather alot of effort) signals in both Villefranche and Abri de L'Olivette, not great signals but enough to get weather info down.
Ashore -
Villefranche - is a cute little place (cruiseships do come in, we had two one day so it can get busy!), main shops are all up the hill inland a couple of blocks.  The train station is easy to see from the anchorage.  We tied our dinghy on the concrete wall, plenty of options.
Abri de L'Olivette - Easy walk over to Antibes, probably took around 25 minutes just kept heading in the direction we thought it should be!!  Small minimarket and excellent bakery on the road into Antibes.  Found much shorter way back headed straight along main road which brought us back to very upmarket village by the big marina just north of the anchorage.  Mainly cafes/bars and a casino in village, ATM machine but didn't see a minimarket.see next update as we returned here
Ile Ste Marguerite - A couple of small restaurants ashore maybe open daytime only.  Fort did have charge but we arrived about 5.30pm it was open with no one on door so had a look around, it is quite impressive.  Loads of lovely walking on well marked paths.  Water tap on dock, some smalls boats were filling up jerry jugs.
Formalities - didn't do any in France
Sightseeing - Many cruisers "do" Monaco from here.  Easy train trip, 5.50E return each, half hourly except on Sundays

Monaco, the Multi Millionaires playground ….. August 2010

MonteCarlo Casino and Hotel de Paris by night

30 August – 02 September 2010

We motored upon glassy seas the 17 miles from San Remo in Italy, past the French boarder and along to the tiny principality of Monaco. Friends had been into the marina a couple of weeks previously and said there was plenty of room so we hadn’t booked. However that was then, all the boats must have returned from their summer jaunts and the large marina was now jam packed full, after talking on the VHF Radio and then by telephoning we managed to secure the last space in the smaller marina (where Prince Albert keeps his yacht), tucked under the cliff with the palace perched high above, wow what a setting. Here we were, on our own yacht, having sailed all the way from New Zealand, sitting in a marina in Monaco – sometimes we just have to pinch ourselves.

After visiting the marina office and stretching our stay from the original two nights we had requested to three, we put on our walking shoes and hit the streets. Well actually we hit the Grand Prix circuit, taking in the straits and pit lanes behind the harbour, up the hill, around casino square, down the other side, through the s bend – not nearly as tight by foot - through the tunnel, a quick shimmy right and left round the swimming pool and down to the famous hairpin at Rascasse Corner.

Mark taking the bend at Rascasse Corner

Phew !! it was definitely time for a pit stop and refuel!!! What a great stop too, big beers and wines just 3Euro each from 5pm to 11pm, here we were in Monte Carlo having the cheapest drinks we had had in months. We sat back and watched some of the cars going by, Porsche, Mercedes and BMW commonplace – not too many Toyota’s or Ford’s round these parts. Mini Coopers were the acceptable small car of choice, preferably convertibles of course.

We walked down to the yacht club, all very grand inside as we expected. I was worried that we may not be allowed inside but skipper said just look as though we own the place and we'll be fine.. yeah right. We counted over 30 mega motor yachts in the harbour, all tied up in a row, competing for showings of glamour and wealth. We just took it all in, absolutely no austerity measures happening here!! Tired out we headed home to our own super yacht, not quite in the same league but we love her just the same.

Flash Cars and MonteCarlo Casino

Next morning we were awoken to rather loud birdsong, there is a bird park just above the marina and the residents were happy to let everyone know a new sunny day had dawned in Monaco, better than awakening to traffic noise. We had a busy day of sightseeing planned so headed up to the old town and Palace. There were 3 cruise ships in port so it was somewhat busy. We nudged in for places to view the changing of the guards at the Palais du Prince at 11.55am, all done very well with the band playing, but not quite as much novelty appeal as the guards with the entertaining walk in Athens; or the colourful Beefeaters in London; the Monaco guards are dressed only in white and it all seemed just a little plain.

We stopped for coffee (eek, 3.50E each), then moved on to the Aquarium/Oceanographique Museum. Aquariums are not somewhere we normally visit, we have seen so many wonderful sights underwater in their natural environment in some very remote parts of the world, but we had heard this was one of the better ones in the world so decided to visit. Commissioned in 1910 by the Royal family, it has been restored and added to over the decades and houses an excellent collection of tropical and cold water fish and was a worthwhile excursion. Walking back through the small old town we stopped for filled baguettes, eating them overlooking Balvenie far below in the marina. It was time for a siesta, we had a big night planned.

mmm, now which one was ours again???

After an early dinner onboard we put our glad rags on (I had purchased a new pair of shoes in San Remo especially!!) and headed up to Casino Square. We rounded the final bend into the square and just stopped in absolute amazement. Parked before us, outside the Hotel du Paris and Monte Carlo Casino were a Bugatti, a McLaren Mercedes, several convertible Bentley turbos, 2 Rolls Royces, 2 Ferrari's, a Lamborghini, a Maseratti, and as Mark tried to photograph some he nearly got run over by an incoming Aston Martin. There were plenty of Jaguars, Mercedes and Range Rovers passing by, but quite frankly they just didn't cut it in this kind of company!


We got a front table at the Cafe Casino Square and just sat back and watched all the activity. Once darkness descends all the luxury car owners tour around Casino Square, waiting for their slot to glide to a halt outside the casino, tossing the car keys to the valet parking staff and wafting up the steps to try their luck once again.

Fountain, Casino Square and Casino

We tried celebrity spotting but didn't see anyone we recognized, quite possibly because we are so out of touch these days! We sat for ages, soaking it all in, the whole scene is just like nowhere else, the buildings are absolutely glorious with the night lights glistening, the square just oozes wealth. We made our 2 small bottles of Monaco beer and 1 glass of Kir (23.50E) last a very long time, then did a final lap of the square and had a leisurely walk home - back to normality.

Still more sightseeing to be done. We went back up to the Palais and old town for morning cafe au lait, then visited the Cathedral where both Prince Rainier and Princess Grace are buried. Next it was on to the small museum housing Prince Alberts' private car collection. Well it was advertised as small but there probably would have been close on 100 cars in there, dating from the very early 1900's through to a latest model McLaren Mercedes, some Formula One cars, old Fire Engines and even an old Fiat 600 with wicker seats. It was excellent and we spent a couple of hours there.

We had seen all of what there is to see, well it is only little, so spent the afternoon walking west a little way along the coast and into France, then back into Monaco. We looked in the window of a couple of Estate Agents, you can pick up a 37sq metre Studio apartment for just 1.7million Euro, guess we won't be retiring here!!!

Overlooking Hercules Marina, Monte Carlo

There was an enormous Carrefour Hypermarket right by our marina so I took the opportunity to top up on French goodies and just wheeled the trolley right back to the boat - my sort of provisioning. For our last night it was back to Rascasse Corner for Happy Hour, next up to Casino Square just to check there were no cars we had missed, then we had a lovely meal out in an Italian Restaurant. Our 3 night Monaco stopover had been fabulous, we enjoyed every minute.

Cruising Info for Monaco:-
Fontvielle Marina -  Our berth was at 43 43.885N   07 25.266E  in 3.5m   It cost 198Euro for the 3 nights.  We phoned Hercules Marina who were full, they connected us through to Fontvielle Marina ph +377 97 77 30 00.  We called on VHF 16 and moved to VHF 9 but could not understand them on VHF, but had no problem by phone.  Power and water included.  Top spot under the Palace.
Communications - Both Gymsim and Malta Vodafone on Roaming picked up signals ok.  No WIFI in marina but several people were sitting across road outside Sushi/Noodle Bar (at end of shopping centre where Carrefour is) picking up signal.  Discreet during day, very busy at night!
Ashore - Large shopping centre across main road at back of marina (head for bird park noises!) It has green canopies on it - as does McDonalds further to the right.  Huge Carrefour (bring trolley to marina), ATM's, English newspapers - all there.  Go up the stairs behind it to upper road level, turn right, cross road just before tunnel and keep going right.  Go up hill to Palace/Old town, downhill to Montecarlo.
Sightseeing -  The Aquarium was 13Euro each.  Car Museum 6Euro each.  Dinner out 2 excellent pasta meals, 1/2 litre wine and service 40Euro.

San Remo - sadly the end of Italy ..... August 2010

Lovely houses in Triora

23 - 30 August 2010

After snorkelling the underwater Statue of Christ at San Fruituoso we let the mooring line go, motored out of the bay then set sail across the Gulf of Genoa to Final Ligure. We had a good sail, all the time mindful that if we had much of a wind shift our chosen anchorage outside the marina in Final Ligure would not be great. There are very few protected anchorages along this stretch of coastline but the winds were forecast to die away so we hoped for the best. We anchored just beside the marina breakwater in shallow water by 6.30pm, had dinner then by 8.30pm the wind had moved to the south leaving us no protection, and although only 10knots it had quite a chop and we don’t like being on a leeshore. So just on dark we lifted anchor and made our way slowly into the marina, aware that it was quite shallow.

Our first choice of stern tying to a free spot didn’t work, we ran aground backing in. 2nd choice was side tying to a vacant spot next to some fishing boats, again we ran out of water. 3rd choice (running out of choices here) was to turn the boat and try and tie to the vacant fuel dock for the night hoping it would be deep enough. Skipper performed about a 20 point turn and got us round and somehow manoeuvred us side ways close enough for me to jump off and attach us, we were tied up, still floating - just and although not a perfect spot we felt much safer. After a quick walk around the marina to stretch our legs we managed a reasonable sleep. By 7.15am we let the lines go and motored out, running aground only once more before we were freed from Final Ligure’s clutches. It’s a good thing the bottom was soft gooey mud! We raised sails but only managed a couple of hours sailing before the wind died away, we motored the remainder of the 37 miles to our next stop at San Remo arriving at 2.30pm.

At San Remo's free dock

San Remo has a large harbour behind an enormous breakwater, there is an expensive marina at one end, some small docks for the local boats in the middle, then on the inside of the breakwater is a very long quay, full in parts with fishing boats, but there is one area designated for visiting boats and it’s free. We had heard of some boats getting one night free, others got 3 nights, well we had 6 very enjoyable nights tied up and no one came looking for payment.

It was a great town, again mainly only Italian speakers, even though were we now only 15 miles from the French boarder it didn’t seem to attach many foreign tourists. It was well set out, a 2 lane cycle path ran along the waterfront, the main shopping area was a pedestrian mall, there were a couple of other cute shopping lanes then running up the hill was the old town. The old town was mainly residential and had several town walls and gates, each added as the town had expanded, there were dark tunnel ways linking the high buildings and squares. We visited early evening, with fading light it all seemed a little dank, dark and seedy, I’m sure in brilliant sunshine it would have looked and felt quite different. The architecture and layout was interesting and again different to others we have seen, it was certainly worth the visit.

Who's laughing at who here?

On another day, in company with our German neighbours Kati and Gerd we caught the bus up the Silver Valley inland, passing countless hilltop villages to our destination of Triora, 33km north of San Remo. This medieval hilltop village was the spot in the 16th century for trials and executions of all the local witches and even has a Witchcraft museum displaying the history and countless witches’ hats for sale. It has a stunning vista over the surrounding heavily wooded countryside and neighbouring villages, plenty of little lanes and alleyways to explore, and despite the worst coffee we have possibly ever had was a great days excursion.

We stayed in San Remo longer than we had planned, there were strong winds blowing some distance offshore bringing a heavy swell onto the coast. Each morning we would climb the stairs to the top of the breakwater, look at the surf rolling in and wait another day, tucked away safely behind the huge breakwater seemed the best place to be! As this was to be our last stop in Italy we were in no hurry to leave. Late one afternoon while helping a new joiner tie to the dock, Mark removed his sunglasses so they wouldn’t fall overboard but forgot to pick them up again. Of course they had gone when he realised so it was off to the Optician for a new set of prescription, polarized sunglasses, they would take a week to arrive so we would be returning to Italy by train to collect them. Our stay tied up to the free dock was not so cheap after all.

Hill top villages in the Silver valley

I loved this place, it had such a nice feel to it, a normal working town but well planned and set out, clean, tidy and orderly and a vibrant feel to it, and a reat spot on the riviera.

Eventually the seas calmed down and we left Italy on August 30, three months after we had arrived. We had had a wonderful time and were sad to be leaving, but Monaco was to be our next stop, and that was very exciting!

Cruising info for Final Ligure and San Remo, Italy:-
Anchorages –
Final Ligure 44 10.591N 08 22.349E 3.9m sand/mud. Would be fine with no wind or west round to north east. The fuel dock where we ended up was just inside the entrance on the right hand side, we tried stern tying on the left (opp fuel dock) as indicted in Italian Waters Pilot but nudged bottom still about 6m off dock. We draw 2.4m. We didn't pay anything - arrived after dark and left at dawn.
San Remo 43 48.886N 07 46.975E 4.7m Head towards the yellow fuel dock sign on the breakwater (there are two fuel docks, other one over by town) You can see a little port-a-cabin building also, these are excellent showers and toilets, closed overnight but open all day, new and cleaned daily. There were only enough mooring lines for 4 boats to stern tie, we were the closest to the fuel dock, had 2 boats side tied between us and fuel dock. One boat attached his own mooring line to the chain to stern tie, other boats side tied inbetween and some rafted to them. Max number of boats we had in was 9 (could have fitted more), no one was turned away. Could drop anchor and stern tie but may faul it on the mooring chains.
Communications - All phone signals ok and dongle working well. A couple of WIND shops ashore that spoke excellent English to get sorted if this is your first stop in Italy.
Ashore - There is absolutely everything within easy walking distance - walk around the breakwater to the fort and the junction with the road running along waterfront. Turn right to Casino supermarket, when water runs out it is right in front of you sort of attached to a restaurant. Or turn left at fort, then 1st right, 1st left at Chinese Restaurant and there is a Dico supermarket just along on right - set slightly back behind wire netting fence. Excellent covered market, (says Pesca Mercado or something on outside of huge building). Keep going up past Chinese restaurant up street, road vears to right a little and inclines and on left is big market. Think it was open daily, it is exceptional. ATM's everywhere. Waterfront dining 2 pizza or pasta, 1/2 litre wine, complimentary Lemoncello 30Euro. Happy hour drinks in one of the lovely squares with live music 2x500ml beers & 1 wine 14Euro yummy free nibbles. Fuel just along from where tied up Diesel was 1.25Euro per litre. This pump mainly for the fishing boats but happy to sell to us. Cost was more over the other side of marina at the other pump. Boats that had come from France filled up here before returning so guess it must be cheaper here.
Sightseeing - The bus trip up to Triora was a great day out into the hills, but perhaps an hour to long. Caught 9.15am up and 3.05pm back (no others). Buy tickets in station first (it's cheaper than on bus) 2.35Euro each, one way. It's about 1 1/4hours each way. You can catch the bus to Ventimiglia 2.00Euro each, one way (Ventimiglia is not worth an excursion unless enroute to Monte Carlo) and then the train to Monte Carlo 2.50Euro each, one way (we did this to collect Marks glasses) The San Remo bus station is about a block inland from the Casino Supermarket.
Radio - English speaking Radio station, from here to St Tropez, Riviera Radio 106.5FM