Olbia

Olbia was a bit of a surprise. We tied up on the old quay, which we had expected to be a bit rundown, but found that it had been refurbished. There were 2 other yachts alongside, both British, so we had a good chinwag with their crews whilst we sorted out our fenders and lines. Alongside a 70ft ketch and a large ‘gentleman’s motoryacht’ we were definitely the baby on our bit of the quay, especially as the other part of the quay was completely taken up by a large square-rigged sailing cruise ship. We liked the live jazz band they had onboard which entertained both their guests and us whilst we enjoyed dinner in BV’s cockpit. We were less enamoured with their guests’ ‘last night madness’ noisy all night party which went on until 7am when they departed to the airport.

On the plus side, we were awake early so went for a run before the sun got too hot. We wanted to find a supermarket and have a quick look around and a run seemed to be a good way to achieve both aims. Unfortunately, we got completely lost and eventually made it back after running for quite a bit longer than we had intended. Right at the end of our run we did find the supermarket just a few hundred metres away; if we’d only turned left instead of right at the start of the run!

Olbia is very close to an airport and so is a good place for crew and passenger changeovers. This was very evident as the quay filled up completely with a wide selection of international yachts. The town itself is quite lively and the centre is really rather pretty. We found a fantastic ship’s chandlery and got a few bits and pieces as well as doing the inevitable stop for coffee and hooking up to the internet. We liked the café on the front and came back in the evening for an aperitif. With our wine we were also presented with a platter of antipasto laid out on one of the Sardinian crisp flat breads; very pleasant, especially as they delivered another with our second round of drinks.

We used or time in Olbia to get ready for our 2-day passage to Sicily. As well as replenishing our stocks of beer, wine, gas and food we also prepared some meals so that cooking at sea would be much easier.

Whilst we were in Corsica we got hold of some Figatelli, one of their specialities. It is a coarse, dark, liver sausage that has been smoked and has a strong meaty favour. Unless it has been dried for a long time it needs to be cooked so we used it to add a rich flavour to a pork, red wine and mushroom casserole. That's now in the fridge ready to be served in the ‘BV restaurant’ as we cross the south Tyrrhenian Sea; no need to let our quality of life slip just because we are on passage!

The Italian method of traffic control

Whilst we were in Olbia I also noticed that the local police were out in force, probably because a cruise ship was in port. They were very hot on implementing traffic calming measures at the pedestrian crossing to the high street market area and it seemed to be working very well. For some reason the Italian boy racers did exactly as they were told and slowed right down. [Ed: As did the middle-aged male English pedestrians it seems!]

Olbia has been an active port for thousands of years. We visited an excellent maritime museum on the seafront which explained the history and also exhibited some incredibly rare remains of some Roman era trading ships. These had been burned and sunk during an attack on the port by Vandals and the wooden beams were preserved in the seabed mud. The museum has been plagued by funding difficulties since it was constructed and so is still being set up. Apparently only a small fraction of the artifacts and Roman ship remains they have are on display, so it can only get better. Worth a return trip.

Last night we had a very convivial evening hosting Bruce and Pam from Osprey, who are fellow Cruising Association members and today, 8 June, we have repaired a couple of seams on the genoa, where the UV had weakened them, bought fresh bread and are now just waiting for the wind to build before we set off towards Sicily.