Splash! Arbatax

We are now back in the water (splashed yesterday Friday 28 September 1000H) and provisioned almost ready to depart Arbatax for our final cruise south and East taking in Tunisia and Malta on the way back to Marina di Ragusa.  The weather window does not look great today so we will probably put off our departure and spend the day on last minute jobs before we depart.  There are a couple of meals to make up and we have to do our passage plan etc etc.  Also, we are feeling a bit like having a relaxing day today.

Our launch on Friday morning went very well.  We both agree this was our best launch experience ever....

We hear the crane fire up at 10 am sharp and see the great blue monster coming our way.  

The straps Matelot is to hang in are wrapped carefully in plastic and masking tape (that's a first!) by Francesco then carefully manouvered into place. 

Matelot is gently lifted off her supports.  Willing hands from Francesco, Nando and Luciano with Klaus standing by just in case, rush around assisting in the clean up of the bare patches under the supports and underneath the keel.  The roller, dripping with antifoul paint is taken from Pippy's hands (no Senora!) and expertly all of the bare patches are soon painted over.  

Matelot drying off in the slings

Before we know it SY Matelot is on her way across the short strip of land and being manouvered into place above the water.  But wait!  The crane driver climbs down and tells us we have 'mezzo ore' (half an hour) for the paint to dry a little in the sun.  

So off we go for a coffee at the cafe just close by where we can sit and keep an eye out for the crane driver to return. 

Just by chance, a Guardia Costiera guy walks into the cafe. Pippy recognises the insignia on his shirt and initiates a conversation.  "We have heard that we can check out of Italy here ... is it true?"  Yes he tells us, but the office is closing at 1200 sharp, so you have to come now.  It is already after 1100H and we are being told to go back to the boat now - she is being launched.  We are back on board and the noise of the crane blocks out everything... down we go and suddenly we are floating again and the Guardia Costiera is still calling out to Richard from the land... hurry up he says!!   We glide smoothly out of the dock and its a frantic rush to get fenders over the side ready to reverse into our marina slot. 

Within minutes we are in, tied up and engine still running, Richard grabs all our ships papers, passports etc and heads off leaving Pippy to sort the boat and follow on.  Its a short walk across the railway lines to the GC Office where we proceed to work through all the official requirements. We get the impression they have not checked out a small private boat like ours here before, but they are charming and patient with us. More than an hour later, everyone well ready to stop for lunch, we are stamped and officially leaving Italy on Sunday.  We have paid E31 to the post office across the Piazza and brought the receipt back to the Guardia Costiera.  Done and dusted.

After this marathon session we must go back to say thanks to the guys in the boat yard. They are awesome.  Suddenly we are invited to lunch with them.  We join them in their container shed lunch room for pasta and a huge pot full of pasta sauce made with massive cray fish floating in it whole!!  It is delicious washed down with locally made (by Luciano) red wine and lots of toasts and laughter!   Then just to finish off we snack on a selection of prawn, baby octopus and small fish.  

Finally, when we think we are walking back to our boat by now abandoned on the marina pontoon, we find ourselves being driven off to the local cafe in their cars for a coffee, gelato and grappa.  

WHEW!!  What hospitality and what fun!  The busy day ends with the sun going down and the same bunch of guys on our boat having...yes you guessed it, more grappa!!

Considering most of them do not speak much English and we only have a small amount of Italian, we have managed to communicate very well.  

Matelot bobs gently on her mooring lines.  She is covered in dust on top, but the waterline is 'sharp man!'

Hauled out in Arbatax

Matelot in the middle taken from the Marina Restaurant

Friday 6 September 2012

The level of vibration from the rudder noticeable when sitting in various parts of the boat, is very obvious once we leave Bonifaco and although we are enjoying a relaxed and lovely sail, it is sufficient for Richard to make the decision to haul out at the first reasonable opportunity and have the bearings checked.  We do not believe it would be wise to continue with our planned passage to Tunisia at this stage.  

Richard cooling off - rocky coast Sardinia

The cruisers network is put to work and phone calls are made by our friend Jayne in Gaeta.  She has tracked down a yard in Arbatax who have a good reputation and will let us work on our own boat.  (Very rare in Italy) 

The figs taste sooo good!

The pilot book has lots of info on Arbatax as well and it looks good so we head south in a relaxed manner with stopovers at Cala de Volpe on the Costa Smeralda (far nicer than Porto Cervo), then Brindinghi south of Olbia and Santa Maria Navaresse - Baunei for the weekend, just across the bay from Arbatax where we head for on Monday morning. 

Guiseppe, Richard and Pippy in Navaresse

Our interlude at Santa Maria Navaresse is a pleasant one where we take a Sunday walk along the rugged cliffs, climb down and swim in the rock pools, steal figs over a fence, and spend a very pleasant evening with Guiseppe from Cagliari when he invites us on board to share a pasta meal with himself and son and nephew.

A well earned rest and swim in between work

Our haulout of scheduled for Tuesday 8 September.  Bring it on.  It will cost us Euro 850 plus additional expenses for cradle and staying on the land, but we realise that it is inevitable.  

The yard is close to the marina and great bathroom facilities and this is important when you are filthy from head to toe.  

The shops are a short walk across the railway lines near by and provisions are excellent.  

There is a lovely beach not far from here where we enjoy a cooling afternoon swim on a hot Sunday.

The rudder is dropped out on the day we haul out and it is immediately evident that the bottom bearing has broken away from its bonding.  The top bearing is fine.  It will be a matter of cleaning up the shaft and rebonding the bottom bearing back in place.   The rudder is carted away to the well appointed workshop and disappears for the next few days.  In the meantime, we are very sure that the damage is a result of the propeller hitting the rudder when it came off.

We set about cleaning off the old antifoul and preparing ourselves for some hard yakka.  Richard goes at it a little too hard on day one and puts his back out.  He is in agony.  Pippy administers anti-inflammatories and insists on total rest.  By the next day he can get up and walk so we jump a bus to the Tourist Medicine Clinic around 4 km away in the nearby town of Tortoli.  Richard is so lucky he is able to see a Orthopaedic Specialist who ups the dose of the anti-inflammatory and prescribes total rest for one week.  

/Guess who?

Pippy and Francesco

Life on board continues and Pippy chips away under the boat while Richard deals with the total frustration of not being able to do anything for a few days. Francesco provides jokes and support.

We are using plastic plates and knives and forks so we can keep the washing up to a minimum on board until one day Richard enjoys his dinner a little too much only to find half a  prong from the plastic fork missing... woops it must have gone down the hatch too!!  That's the end of that idea but we keep the plastic plates and its great to throw them away after a meal.

Francesco re-installs the rudder

Richard is feeling better and fellow cruiser Klaus prescribes some sensible exercises which he does regularly... most of the time.  He is back on the job and we both end each day weary but with a little more done.


Soon the rudder is returned to us all repaired and goes in like a dream.  We have been very lucky with the standard of work here. 



Monday 24 September

We will have been here two weeks tomorrow and today started like a normal day.  We are both working hard on the finishing touches to the topsides gel coat as Matelot gets her once a year thorough going over. The antifoul is all complete.  

Richard is on starboard polishing the blue, Pippy working on the white stripe port side.  Its like pushing a log uphill now as we are both so tired and just want to get the boat back in the water. 

Now - did I miss anything?

Our man Francesco

Francesco is known for his skill with gelcoat and fibreglass repairs and maintenance.  

He is the master and just at the right moment when we don't think we will ever get it done, lends a hand with the topsides polishing.  Francesco you are awesome.... 

The huge fishing boat which was right behind us has been put back in the water today and another one ten times as dirty has been put in its place.  The noise of the travel lift as it moves the boats around is deafening and impossible to talk over the top of.  We shout and make sign language to each other.

Storm brewing

Its now 1550H and the wind is howling - a gale from the south and west - it keeps on swinging around, but that puts us in the firing line for all the spray and we can hear the water blaster at work as Pippy writes.  Richard gets some help and we have some additonal supports put under the boat as we are wobbling around a bit up here.

Dust storm over Arbatax Marina

Suddenly the air is hot and thick with swirling red dust. Everyone runs for cover.   We hear later that this wind is called the Libeccio (le bitch!).  We cannot go outside without getting covered in it.  We have all the hatches firmly closed but its still pretty gritty inside.  The cockpit is a jumble of items which have been hurled by the wind from the gunnels and rails to the floor of the cockpit, where they lie in piles of dust.   That is those things which have not disappeared over the side.  Later on Richard has to retrieve Pippy's shoes from half way along the yard.

The view from our cockpit

The sea state in the harbour is almost untenable.  There have been two yachts running for cover into here in the past hour.  One of them ended up tangled in the front of two moored boats quite a distance from where he was planning to go.  The other one abandoned going stern-to and went in fast - bows first, well heeled over by the wind.

What happened to our tranquil happy boat yard where we were pottering away on SY Matelot and getting her ready for another year?  Hopefully all will return to normal tomorrow, but for today, we think we will retire and forget the outside work.