Cagliari

This web page describes a portion of a 7 week trip with S/Y Thetis in 1996 from Greece to Malta, Sardinia, Ustica and Calabria in Italy, and back to Greece. The portion described is our stay in Sardinia, Italy. It is illustrated with maps and photographs, also included are some historical and geographical descriptions of the places visited as well as several links to other related web sites.

 Overall Route 

Detailed Route Italy

Map of Sardinia

Detailed Map of Sardinia

Profile of Sardinia

History of Sardinia

Wednesday October 2, 1996 Day 20

I wake up at 7:00. After my coffee I walk ashore to the telephones and call Nikos. He is sick! He does not want to come to Sardinia until he feels better etc. I am to call him in a few days. I am very worried about the EUTELSAT problems and now Nikos being sick. What if I have to go to Paris? If Nikos cannot come what route should I take back and so on.

Later Lewis and I go ashore exploring the town. The town is full of activity in the morning, with many street vendors, many of them African in native dress, selling all shorts of things from watches to ivory statuettes. We find a chandler and amazingly enough they carry the Greek brand of navigation lights that Thetis has been using. I buy 3 spares, a red, a green, and a white. We look for a replacement of the empty camping gaz bottle, we ran out of gas which is used for cooking during the passage, and we think that we have located a store that carries them. We then look for a travel office so that Lewis can arrange for his ticket back home. We find an office but their computers are down so they cannot look up any flights or prices. We ask them if they know where we can rent motor scooters. They direct us to the Hertz office near the train station.

We locate the train station by asking and find the Hertz office. They only rent trucks! No motor scooters but they have cars at their airport office. We walk back to the travel bureau. The computers are now working long enough to ascertain that there are no seats on the October 6 flight from Rome to London but there are seats to Athens. The price is not very different so Lewis decides to fly to Athens, alas the computers are down again and they cannot book him. They suggest another car rental. A place named Ruvioli not far from our dock. Lewis leaves all the information they need and an imprint of his credit card and they promise to book him and issue the ticket. We can pick it up anytime.

We walk to Ruvioli. They do not have motor scooters either but they do have a tiny car. Since they are many clouds on the horizon we decide that motor scooters may not be a good idea after all and a tiny car may serve us better. So we rent a Fiat Punto but it turns out we still have to go the airport after all for the final paperwork. Off we go with two gentlemen of the Ruvioli office. The young man at the airport completes the paperwork, give us maps of Sardinia, marks them with all the "must see" places and escorts us to the tiny car. Off we go back to the port. It is incredible. Here we are in a large city, in a busy commercial harbor, full of traffic, with cars parked all over the sidewalks and we drive the car right up to the dock next to our boat, and park it. And it is all free!

Virtual Tour of Sardinia

We then drive along the southern cost, "Costa del Sud," it is a spectacular drive. Most promontories have a mediaeval or Byzantine watch tower. There are many small beaches with fine sand, interspersed with reddish rocks. The water, however, is not very clear; it is clean but not as clean as the Aegean.

As we drive West the scenery changes from very arid to lush green, the mountains are tall and sheep bells can be heard from distant flocks. There are many, too many, holiday villages and large hotel complexes. At least most of them are tastefully done. When we reach Teulade we turn north and take the mountain road back to Cagliari. The road is full of sharp curves and it goes up and up. There are many (a red berry whose name in English I do not know) and prickly pear cactuses along the road. We stop to cut and eat some, and I manage to get prickles on my lips which are very painful.

Back in Cagliari we have a very nice and inexpensive dinner at the "Trattoria del Serafino."

Thursday October 3, 1996 Day 21

We started early in the morning on a quest for replacement camping gaz. We go to the store that we had located yesterday. They look at the bottle and tell us to leave it and come back in one hour. We then go to the travel agency and pick up Lewis' ticket to Athens for October 6. Then we start looking for a place to do our laundry (which has been accumulating). We locate a place, and after making inquiries, we go to the boat and bring them our clothes. It is a misunderstanding. They only do dry cleaning, no laundry. They suggest another place a few blocks away. We find it and they promise to have it done by early Saturday morning. We go back to the gas store. They cannot refill the bottle in less than a week, they can only sell us a new one at a high price. Frustrated, we take the empty bottle back to the boat.

The town of Alghero was built by the Arabs and was occupied for a long time by the Catalans. Its inhabitants are still speaking a Catalan dialect. It is very picturesque. One of the first things, after reaching the town, was to call Pei, as we had arranged, but I only spoke to her voice mail. We wander around the narrow streets and the esplanade watching a most dramatic sunset. We then look at the various stores and buy few gifts. As we are wandering the streets we look over the restaurants, and we decide on one which has a terrace overlooking the sea and we have a very nice dinner. After dinner, I try calling Pei again and once more I speak to the infernal voice mail. No idea what is happening at EUTELSAT.

It is now late and we start on our way back to Cagliari via the town of Sassari. The total drive is 250 km and we reach the boat by 12:30.

Friday October 4, 1996 Day 22

We slept a little late. We begin the day with coffees and by starting the motor to charge the batteries and run the watermaker. We than siphoned diesel fuel from both the jerry cans into the main tank. We drove the empty cans to the nearby gas station and filled them. Back to Thetis we top the tank from the jerry cans, we then drive back to the station to re-fill again the cans. This exercise took a good part of the morning.

We then walked to the post office, past the elaborate town hall, and mailed postcards to various friends and relatives. At a bank we changed some money and had a most pleasant surprise. The rate of exchange is 1500 lira/$ and not 1050 as we were told at the travel agency. We walked back to the boat and had a light lunch.

In the afternoon we took a drive towards the gulf of Oristano and then took a dirt road from Uras to San Antonio di Sartadi, a tiny hamlet overlooking the gulf to the north. The dirt road is very bad, full of mud and water holes. Lewis was very scared that we would be stuck in the mud and kidnapped by the "banditos." At San Antonio we found a public phone from which, as it was 10:00 AM in DC, I tried to call Pei but once again spoke to her voice mail. We then drove south, along the high mountains of the Costa Verde. This is a spectacular drive and I do not think that any photograph can do it justice.

From Montevecchio we turned left and via a mountain pass we reached the town of Arbus. This area is high up in the mountains and is full of old mines, some working but most of them abandoned. It reminds one very much of Colorado.

From Arbus we had again a fantastic drive to Iglesias from where we joined the highway which led back to Cagliari.

Once more I tried Pei and once more I spoke to her blasted machine. Later Lydia from the S/Y Salubria came to Thetis for an ouzo. We tried a different restaurant where we had an indifferent dinner after which we went to bed.

Saturday October 5, 1996 Day 23

I called Nikos, but he is still sick and he said that he will definitely not come to Sardinia. Well, this is it! I am on my own, starting tomorrow. Now that this is real I am scared but I think that I will manage it. While Lewis is still asleep, I look at various routing possibilities. I could go to Isola di Ustica about 200 nmi east and then via the Eolian islands for another 100 nmi to the Straight of Messina and after stopping at Reggio Calabria to Cephallonia (200 nmi). This would be the shorter route with several stops and alternatives along the way. But these stops could be problematic since they all require docking. In none of these places can one stay (off shore). Also the Straight of Messina can be a bad problem, according to Heikell, depending on the combination of winds and currents. Alternatively I could go south of Sicily with an optional stop at Isola Egadi (about 160 nmi) and then straight to Pylos or Methoni (about 460 nmi). This route will require about six days sailing non-stop which maybe exhausting with a constant lookout. In addition the use of motor is seriously curtailed because of the distance. Also I would have to go round Cape Maleas, which could have very bad weather this time of the year. I cannot make up my mind and will decide later after thinking some more about the possibilities and looking more closely at the prevailing weather patterns.

This is Lewis' last day in Sardinia. After he gets up we go to collect our laundry. It is not ready. The pleasant young lady promises it for 2:00 PM. This will ruin the sightseeing of our last day with the car. We ask them to forget it and give the clothes back. She says, that they are all wet. We ask for them nevertheless and she goes to the back to get them. She disappears for over 3/4 of an hour. I guess she just washed them. After carting the heavy, wet clothes to the boat, we hung all of Lewis' clothes and as many of mine as we could with the clothes pins available.

At last, we get in the car and head east to Poeto, a suburb of Cagliari. Again we see some pink flamingos and I do photograph them, but they are at some distance and I am not sure that they will show. We buy some supplies at a supermarket and drive to the beach of Villasimius where we eat our lunch. I call Alice from there and she sounds very edgy.

We then drive the back roads along the "Costa Rei." This island, which is larger than Cyprus, is amazing in its variations of terrain. It now reminds me of the arid areas of Colorado and Arizona. We continue driving north and stop at the town of Tortoli for a cup of coffee. From there I call Pei at home.

The Eutelsat situation is bad. They are very agitated and have written a nasty letter to COMSAT. There is a problem with the group delay measurement which I do not understand. Pei has managed to compile the Kp measurement but got stuck in the Am setup procedure. She is very frustrated with EUTELSAT because she had very limited access to the system for testing during the past 3 weeks and now they keep disappearing for long lunches while she gets up at dawn to test. We just have to wait and see how this situation develops.

We drive on to Dorgali. The road is over very high mountains, over 1400 m. The views are breathtaking. I really would like to return to this island. From Dorgali we take a short detour towards the sea and go to the little harbor of Cala Gonone. It is a pretty resort with scuba diving as one of its main activities. Again I observe the sea water, it is nowhere as clear as the waters in Greece.

Back on the road we drive towards Nuoro. It is now dusk and we start thinking about dinner. The young man at the car rental had told us not to miss eating at an "Agrotourismo." These are farms which prepare a typical Sardinian meal of roasted lamb and pork. Earlier in the day we had seen at least two such signs, but although we have been watching we had not seen any recently. As we drive nearer Nuoro we see a large sign with a lamb on a spit labeled Su Cologone Restaurante, Sardi Tipico." As this was only a 2 km detour we stop and look it up in the tourist guide. It turns out to be a fancy hotel/restaurant and according to the guide one of the best tables in all of Sardinia. We get there but it is only 7:20 PM and the restaurant opens at 8:00. We take a nice walk in the complex. The hotel is situated in a large track of land and there are stables and horse trails to the nearby mountains. At he restaurant, we order the item "menu tipico" which is an amazing procession of dishes. To begin with there are the antipasti: Sardinian salami, prociutto, a kind of kokoretsi (a shish-kebab made of entrails), hot cheese dumplings, funchi, sweet breads, and a very sharp soft sheep milk cheese spread accompanied with Sardinian bread (thin crusty pita). These are followed by the "primo piato" consisting of a colorful arrangement of ravioli with grated Sardinian cheese, macaroni, and a dish of some kind of an omelet. Then the "secundo piato" of a combination of roasted baby lamb and roasted baby pig accompanied with a potato dish. These were being roasted on spits at an enormous fireplace. Following the meat was a green salad with fennel. They were prepared to serve us an assortment of pastries but we passed and had only coffee.

Sardinian Cuisine

The drive back was very tiresome and long. By the time we made it to the boat it has 12:30. Lewis started packing and I went to sleep.

Sunday October 6, 1996 Day 24

We left for the airport at 6:15 AM. Lewis checked in and left without any problem right on time. The car rental place was, of course, closed so I could not return the car yet.

Back on the boat I started a major pickup/cleaning operation. I rearranged my clothes to take advantage of the empty front cabin, but I will continue to sleep in the rear cabin as it is better when the boat is tilting heavily.

Since I had to go back to the airport to return the car, I gave Lydia a ride to meet her arriving husband. We waited for a while, she did not have the exact flight number, and watched several flights from Rome, but there was no sign of her husband. I returned the car and the nice man drove us back to the harbor.

I made a shopping list for the trip but had to wait for the stores to open on Monday. I hung the rest of the wet laundry to dry, and continued with a thorough boat cleaning. The weather was exceptionally nice with a clear sky, but the weather report called for a high pressure in Spain moving towards us and a low pressure moving from the east. I made a lunch from leftovers and took an afternoon nap. I plan to leave tomorrow but still have not decided on the routing.

Later in the afternoon I took a long walk to the Cagliari citadel (the old town). The view was very good but not that interesting as most of the surrounding area is industrial. I found the archeological museum which,amazingly enough, was actually open. It is a small museum but very nicely done in a brand new building. Their Nuraghi exhibits are very interesting and they show models of the main sites as well as most of the findings. There are many clay figurines and pottery which remind me of Cycladic but not as refined. After the museum I walked by the Cagliari cathedral and then walked through the many small streets of the citadel.

As I was walking back to the boat the wind started blowing briskly from the East and many dark clouds started gathering.

I took a hot shower and then sat at the cockpit having an ouzo and watching the clouds. There was distant thundering. Lydia from Salubria came with her newly-arrived husband, Bob, and joined me for the ouzo. We later moved to their spacious cabin. He related their voyage of 8 years. They left San Francisco, sailed for a while in the Sea of Cortez, then transited the Panama Canal and then cruised in Costa Rica where they had a number of unpleasant experiences with the local authorities (graft, extortions, and outright stealing). They then sailed north all the way to New York city. After a stay there they crossed the Atlantic on a northern route. Eventually they entered the Mediterranean where for the last four years they have been cruising in Italy, Greece, and Turkey. They have 7 grown children who visit them occasionally. Now they are on their slow way back to San Francisco where Bob is starting a new business to market Internet related services.

Later I went to the "Tratoria Serafino" for dinner.

Monday October 7, 1996 Day 25

During the early hours the wind came on, blowing hard 20-27 knots from the South. It started thundering and to rain hard. I closed all the hatches and the companion way but some water was leaking in. I adjusted the fenders. Later the wind increased further with gusts up to 35 knots. This raised appreciable waves within the harbor. The boat is being pressed hard against the concrete dock but the fenders are protecting us.

In the morning the wind is still blowing hard. Even if I was crazy enough to want to leave the harbor, I am not sure that I could do it without a large crew, as the boat is blown smack on the dock.

I go ashore on another search for camping gaz, to a store that Bob told me about. Yes, they used to have it but not this time of the year. I hope that I have enough gas left for cooking and most important, for the morning coffee. I call Nikos, The weather in Greece is also bad, he has also looked up the weather on the Internet and it does not look too good, but maybe it will improve tomorrow. If it does I will leave then. I have a long shopping list. First I find a new alarm clock to replace the old one which stopped ringing. I really need one for the trip. Then I bought groceries, clothes pins, etc. I also found Arab coffee in a Moroccan store. This is very good because I have been running low on this most vital commodity.

Later in the afternoon it starts raining again, first on and off, later heavily and continuously. I spend some time labeling electrical cables and repairing some of the wall upholstery which has started pealing off.

During one of the no rain intervals I walked to the "Capetanaria di Porto" and looked at the posted weather report. The Sardinian sea has 7-8 Bft from the SW while the Tyrrhenean Sea (the sea between Sardinia and Sicily) has only 6 SW. Maybe I will be able to leave tomorrow.

I spend most of the late afternoon and evening rain-bound reading in the leaking cabin. This is getting tiresome! I turn on the instruments to measure the wind speed, they do not work. It must be a bad electrical connection, but it is almost impossible to trace wires in the rain and at night. This I will have to do in the morning.

I put on the storm jacket for protection and go ashore to eat.

Tuesday October 8, 1996 Day 26

Just a little past midnight I was woken up by a horrific sound. The wind, still from the South, was blowing furiously into the harbor. This harbor is as secure as a harbor could be. It has 2 enclosure arms which totally prevent any waves from entering the harbor. Yet, tonight, the wind is so strong that the waves raised within the harbor are substantial. Thetis is being smashed against the concrete pier despite all six fenders The fender covers are now all in tatters. I get dressed in a hurry with storm gear and install extra spring lines in case the old ones brake. But it is the smashing against the pier that has me worried. The wind is increasing and all six fenders are now almost flat against the pier. I am afraid that any one of them could disintegrate and then Thetis, unprotected, would break. The best I can do is to stand amidship, prop myself on the rigging, and push with all my strength with my legs against the pier in an effort to attenuate the force on the fenders. I do so in the driving rain and howling wind for what seems to be forever. The Swiss young man from the yacht two boats down from Thetis comes to help. He, his young wife, and 5 year old daughter are on their way to Tunisia for the winter. He walks all over the piers looking for old tires or anything else that can be used as an extra fender but he finds nothing. On the section of the pier which is now exposed to the fury of the elements are 3 other sail boats besides Thetis: an unattended Italian, the Swiss, and the American Salubria. All of them, except Thetis, are not touching directly on the concrete but are touching on huge, rubber, long, cylindrical fenders attached horizontally by chains to the pier. Unfortunately when we sailed into Cagliari the one empty spot had such a fender with one of its chains broken, so that the cylinder was almost vertical with one of its ends in the water. Because of this Thetis has to rely on her own fenders exclusively and is now in great danger.

I spend all together 2 1/2 hours in the rain pushing continuously trying to save my boat. At last rescue comes in the form of Bob from Salubria. He saw what was happening and, despite his jet lag, he and Lydia searched their storage areas and found three old but large semi-deflated fenders which he is now bringing me. With these in place, in addition to my six, Thetis is no longer in danger, just very uncomfortable. The wind in the harbor was measured to be a steady 38 knots with gusts over 50! What a night! Relieved and exhausted I go back to sleep.

In the morning the wind is still howling but thank goodness it is now coming from the West and not from the horrible South. The boat is not forced against the pier anymore. I start looking at the problem with the instruments. There is no electricity coming to them at all. I start tracing the wires and I do find a bad contact. I solder it and now there is voltage at the instruments but they still do not work. I connect them with a jumper directly to the battery and they work fine. So there must be a high resistance on their power line and do not get supplied with an adequate amount of current. I go ashore and buy some thick electrical cable and connect the instruments with a temporary line directly from the electrical panel as there is no way to replace their permanent line without removing the cabin ceiling. Now all the instruments are working again.

Later in the afternoon the wind is blowing at 35 knots and black clouds with thunderstorms are rolling in again. It is very hard to get weather reports. The "Capetanaria di Porto" has not updated their report and no one there has any idea. I was given a telephone number for the Italian weather service but they only speak in very rapid Italian and hung up on me as I try to explain in my broken Italian that I want a forecast for the South Tyrrhenean sea. From what I gathered from the Italian AM broadcast, the wind is at 7 Bft and from variable directions. I speak to the Italian gentleman, Tony, from Ghengus who says that there are three weather systems moving from here towards Greece. I do hope to be able to follow behind them but I am not sure which is the worse evil: a night like the last one or 7 Bft in the open sea. Tony promised to come tonight to Thetis before the AM broadcast at 10:30 and interpret it for me.

In the early evening I called Alice and told her that most likely I will be leaving tomorrow and if not I will call her again. I tried Nikos but he was out and so I recorded a message. I spoke to Pitsa who, of course, does not know where Nikos is. I am too tired and depressed to go ashore for dinner. I cooked and ate onboard. Tony, true to his word, came around 9:30. and we started having some ouzo. He looked around and saw some Greek cookies - brand and his eyes lit up. He considers them very special, especially with ouzo! He is 61 years old and a retired naval architect. A few years ago his only daughter was killed in a car accident and he fell apart. He devoted all his energy into building Ghengus which is over 50 ft and looks like a submarine, really ugly. He then retired and spends most of his time onboard. His wife joins him from time to time (only for two week periods) and together they have sailed all over the Mediterranean. As he cannot handle the boat by himself he hires someone to help him. Presently he has a German youth whom he hired at the Balearics a couple of weeks ago. They are on their way to Trieste for the winter. He will be going through the Messina straight.

We listen together to the weather forecast. The wind is basically 7 Bft all around Sardinia and will be dropping off to 6 later tomorrow. The wind direction is variable and unpredictable. West of Sardinia it is blowing from the NW , and east of Sardinia towards Sicily it is blowing from the NE changing from the SW. In the Ionian it is SE force 7.