ARBATAX

With dinghy repair under control we leave Villasimius on a beautiful sunny day with quite the breeze....15knts, really looking forward to taking out the jenny.  By the time we were on course the wind had died and we motored all the way to Porto Corallo.  Really just another marina without a town or infrastructure.  However, we did have dinner out in the only restaurant for miles where the skipper chose "cavallo" (horse) from the menu.  It was a lovely quiet, mild evening without any insects.

Upon arrival in Arbatax the next afternoon no one in the marina answered our VHF call to direct has to our berth and help with docking.  So we headed for the fuel dock and filled her up, 250 euros later we were helped into a berth by the friendly marinaro.

After a quick shower and marina office check-in we had a visit from the Guardia Finanzia for about an hour.  They are a law enforcement  agency and part of the Italian armed forces.  They are essentially responsible for anything to do with smuggling... drugs, alcohol and especially people.  They asked for all documents regarding the boat, passports, and where and when we had travelled in the last year.  They also wanted to go below to look around. At first the experience was a little unsettling, but they  were courteous and even recommended a restaurant.

ROCCE ROSSE

The next morning called for a little sightseeing excursion; a brief walk from our boat took us to the rocce rosse, Sardinia's most famous cliff.
 The port in Arbatax is dedicated to the building of oil platforms, gas rigs and a hugh wharf for commercial vessels.

ARBATAX HARBOUR

Next morning was bright and sunny with a stiff breeze so we decided to move on to an anchorage with a nicer view.  Wind was good 12 knts, mainsail was up, we both had smiles on our faces to finally be sailing again.  That lasted all of 15 minutes, then the wind died off with just 5 or 6 knts dead on the nose.  We noticed the waves were suddenly bigger and the sky was clouding over; we don't remember rain in the forecast.

SQUALL SKY

Within seconds the wind gusts picked up and we were in the middle of a rain squall with 40knt winds.  Quick to react, the skipper double reefed the mail sail and we just held on and hoped the squall would end as soon as it started.  The term reefing just means to reduce the area of a sail in order to stabilize the boat and avoid any damage.  Luck was on our side and within 15 minutes the wind was back below 20 knts.  Ideal wind speed is around 15 knts.  Looking ahead...was there more on the horizon?