After our delightful time in Castelsardo we were happy to be moving on, this time to another morning buoy in the natural park. The weather was nice and we negotiated that tricky entrance really well after a great departure from our tight spot by Skipper Nigel. I have to say, revisiting the entrance on our exit in much calmer waters it is still very difficult to spot from the approach. It wasn’t only the weather that made this an interesting port to enter and leave.
Once again almost no sooner than we had got out into open waters and we were back on fishing buoy watch ….. there were tons of them ! All well marked but it meant we had to pick our way through – and they continued all the way!!! We had a nice wind for motor sailing and we made good progress – after about 4 hours we were navigating our way round rocks and a lighthouse that are just off the bay we were heading for. Skipper Nigel pulled right up to the buoy he had selected and I managed to pick up the line on first pass – and then we could relax…..in another amazing location. Oh and did I mention we can hear the donkeys once again 😉
Yes, we’re back at Isola Asinara – or donkey island as we now like to call it. We’re here for 3 nights of swimming, paddle boarding and snorkeling. The waters are crystal clear here once again – there’s no anchoring only mooring buoys and all the waters are protected so we’re swimming amongst happy fish. There is a small dock here and a kind of village but as I mentioned in a previous blog the island has been basically deserted since the prisons holding the mafia were closed. The island is now home to wild donkeys and not much else. We have spent a lovely couple of days here doing lots of relaxing.
On what should be our last day before moving on, I took a morning paddle board to the shore and had a walk. Of course I saw no other people while walking as the day trippers don’t arrive until the 10 o’clock ferry and they stay til the 5pm return takes them back. Apart from that it’s just us boaters and a few island staff who are here. The buildings which have been renovated seem to house research and ecological facilities. It makes for an almost eerie feeling, but of course the donkeys are ever present making you smile. They seem very placid but I didn’t try to get too close (especially since I had no suitable donkey treats with me – whatever they might be).
When I returned to my paddle board I felt the wind had picked up and indeed I had to paddle hard to get back to Gemini J. Once aboard we were finishing our morning coffee as the conditions started to pick up. The marina representative came over on a rib and told us that the wind was going to pick up – then helped us to add an extra line for security. So, here I am writing the blog, it’s blowy outside, too blowy for our shade cover and a bit choppy to use the zodiac dinghy so we’re on an enforced rest afternoon (what a shame ;-)). Hopefully the wind dies down as forecast overnight so we can move on tomorrow……for now we’ll enjoy the sunset and the amazing full moon …..
The Adventures of Gemini J 