petem
Well-Known Member
My trip report starts when Deleted User kindly invited my wife and I to join them on their Ferretti 630. My wife thought we were a little mad staying with people who we'd only met once over 10 years ago but after a little persuasion (I knew there would be no problems) we accepted Mike's offer and booked some cheap flights to Cagliari. As the date approached my wife had to drop out due to some health issues with our son (hopefully on the mend now) but I decided to go regardless. Apologies for the poor quality photos, I could only fit an old and small compact camera in my case. Hopefully others will post better ones in due course.
Day 1
So on Monday I flew out of Stansted and arrived 30 mins early at Cagliari. Mike suggested a taxi transfer to avoid the usual IT hire car rental issues. Cagliari is one of those neat airports where you can be off the plane and through the airport in a few minutes. Waiting at the exit was a lovely Italian lady driver and a couple more minutes later we were on our way. After the usual hair raising drive we arrived at Portoscuso. Unfortunately I just missed the 2:30pm ferry so had a beer and a sandwich before catching the 3:40pm ferry. Another 40 mins or so later I arrived at Carloforte where a 5 min walk took me to Mike's boat. Mike and his SWMBO and fellow forumite RobbieW were on board so we had a cup of tea and a chat. A plan was formed for dinner in a local restaurant followed by drinks on board MYAG's boat to watch the fireworks.
MYAG, his SWMBO, Hurricane and his family and MapisM and his SWMBO joined us for a very pleasant meal with wines to match the food. Following this we went back to MYAG's stunning Sunseeker 80 Yacht where we were given a guided tour. MYAG is rightly very proud of his boat, in particular the functional and cosmetic mods that he specified (some of which SS have copied on future Yachts).
The fireworks were amazing, far better than my 'Disney' yardstick and of course MYAG's Portuguese Bridge was the perfect viewing platform.
Day 2
After a good nights sleep and lie in we headed round the coast to Mezzaluna. We spent the day anchored and Hurricane and MYAG joined us. Deleted User taught gave me a lesson in anchor snubbing which was cool.
In the afternoon the boys had a play with Hurricane's very quick Jetski. Unfortunately we discovered that Mike's rib wouldn't start. After much head scratching and poking about the cause was attributed to a missing kill cord (not as obvious as it sounds). Of course nobody minded using MYAG's Novurama tender to ferry us between boats.
As the weather was predicted to be calm, the consensus was to stay put for the night rather than move round to the next bay. As has already been documented by MapisM, the sunset was stunning.
Deleted User's boat looked beautiful in the light of dusk.
In the evening we had a delicious meal of grilled meats, bread, salad, cooked by Deleted User's SWMBO (supplemented by a couple of dishes kindly provided by MYAG), eaten on their flybridge. As ever, the wine and beer flowed freely.
Despite the forecast, the wind picked up overnight so we endured a rough night at anchor. Anchors held tight so there was no damage but not a great night's sleep.
Day 3
The following morning we moved round to the next bay which I think is La Caletta. More anchor snubbing ensued (Deleted User was very tactful suggesting that I may not have locked the ends properly when we nearly lost the snubber the following day)! MapisM and his SMWBO had been invited aboard MYAG's boat and arrived by car late afternoon.
By this time Deleted User had found the missing kill-cord but despite this the engine still wouldn't run properly (missfire on one of the two cylinders). MapisM and MYAG duly dismantled it and diagnosed a plug / coil problem. Much plug cleaning / fettling / swapping entailed and the issue was narrowed down to a defective coil. MapisM and other men present were totally in awe of MYAG's revelation that he has a portable sand blaster on board! After much chewing of cud, tender re-stowed (crane operator being my other newly acquired skill - proving that I'm not a 'one trick pony')!
In the evening we joined MYAG on board where his crew cooked some lovely fresh prawns, bulgar rice, fresh salad, vegetables. MYAG further demonstrated his man skills by griddling octopus and steak on the flybridge grill. After fresh melon, coffees etc we returned to Deleted User's boat where we had a perfectly calm night at anchor.
Day 4
Following a a lazy day at anchor in Mezzaluna bay we completed our circumnavigation of Carloforte passing this old Tuna factory now converted to a restaurant.
MYAG isn't keen on marinas (an understatement
) so elected to drop the hook in Cala Vinagra (I think).
MapisM had a second night on board with MYAG meaning the four of them would tender round to Carloforte for dinner. A table for dinner was duly booked for everyone present plus Hurricane who presumably had now completed his ironing duties following the departure of his SWMBO. MYAG, MapisM plus their SWMBO arrived at the restaurant following a rough trip round the island in the tender. All four looked remarkably unruffled (in particulate MYAG SWMBO) despite the wind. MapisM's wife had been awaiting the arrival of a iWatch thingy that Deleted User collected for her from the marina office. She was so excited and was dying to unpack it! No doubt MYAG was abhorred by her choice of watch but was very gracious and kept his opinion of Apple to himself! Dinner was superb, I had the raw tuna done four ways and a lovely creamy fresh fish (and chips) that I shared with my hosts. Much generosity abounded (despite protestations) when it came to paying the bill (many thanks).
Fortunately the wind had dropped which I hope meant a smoother ride back in the dark for the MYAG party. After a final night cap on board Deleted User's boat we realised it had gone 2pm and headed for bed.
Day 4
Up at 8am for me, a bit bleary eyed, and the 10am ferry back to the mainland. An incredibly cheap €15 minubus taxi got me back to the airport for my 2pm flight back to Stansted.
Deleted User's boat
Deleted User and his SWMBO have a beautiful boat. My double cabin in the bow was spacious with its own heads and shower. The boat has a wonderful layout and I think the upper dinette opening into the cockpit is a perfect configuration for an owner operator boat. Both the cockpit and flybridge table seat 10 making for some extremely sociable al-fresco dining. It seemed just as happy pootling around the island at 10 knots as it did on the plane approaching 30 knots. The Italian style and build quality is evident.
Finally I'd like to thanks everyone for their generosity, particularly Deleted User and his SWMBO who were perfect hosts. I normally only ever get to read about these events so the opportunity to be part of one of these was a real privelege for me and I had a great time. Thanks also to MapisM whose knowledge and passion for the beautiful Carloforte coast is evident and also to MYAG and his SWMBO for entertaining us (have fun in the Baldricks).
To end, the obligatory wake shot!
Day 1
So on Monday I flew out of Stansted and arrived 30 mins early at Cagliari. Mike suggested a taxi transfer to avoid the usual IT hire car rental issues. Cagliari is one of those neat airports where you can be off the plane and through the airport in a few minutes. Waiting at the exit was a lovely Italian lady driver and a couple more minutes later we were on our way. After the usual hair raising drive we arrived at Portoscuso. Unfortunately I just missed the 2:30pm ferry so had a beer and a sandwich before catching the 3:40pm ferry. Another 40 mins or so later I arrived at Carloforte where a 5 min walk took me to Mike's boat. Mike and his SWMBO and fellow forumite RobbieW were on board so we had a cup of tea and a chat. A plan was formed for dinner in a local restaurant followed by drinks on board MYAG's boat to watch the fireworks.
MYAG, his SWMBO, Hurricane and his family and MapisM and his SWMBO joined us for a very pleasant meal with wines to match the food. Following this we went back to MYAG's stunning Sunseeker 80 Yacht where we were given a guided tour. MYAG is rightly very proud of his boat, in particular the functional and cosmetic mods that he specified (some of which SS have copied on future Yachts).
The fireworks were amazing, far better than my 'Disney' yardstick and of course MYAG's Portuguese Bridge was the perfect viewing platform.
Day 2
After a good nights sleep and lie in we headed round the coast to Mezzaluna. We spent the day anchored and Hurricane and MYAG joined us. Deleted User taught gave me a lesson in anchor snubbing which was cool.
In the afternoon the boys had a play with Hurricane's very quick Jetski. Unfortunately we discovered that Mike's rib wouldn't start. After much head scratching and poking about the cause was attributed to a missing kill cord (not as obvious as it sounds). Of course nobody minded using MYAG's Novurama tender to ferry us between boats.
As the weather was predicted to be calm, the consensus was to stay put for the night rather than move round to the next bay. As has already been documented by MapisM, the sunset was stunning.
Deleted User's boat looked beautiful in the light of dusk.
In the evening we had a delicious meal of grilled meats, bread, salad, cooked by Deleted User's SWMBO (supplemented by a couple of dishes kindly provided by MYAG), eaten on their flybridge. As ever, the wine and beer flowed freely.
Despite the forecast, the wind picked up overnight so we endured a rough night at anchor. Anchors held tight so there was no damage but not a great night's sleep.
Day 3
The following morning we moved round to the next bay which I think is La Caletta. More anchor snubbing ensued (Deleted User was very tactful suggesting that I may not have locked the ends properly when we nearly lost the snubber the following day)! MapisM and his SMWBO had been invited aboard MYAG's boat and arrived by car late afternoon.
By this time Deleted User had found the missing kill-cord but despite this the engine still wouldn't run properly (missfire on one of the two cylinders). MapisM and MYAG duly dismantled it and diagnosed a plug / coil problem. Much plug cleaning / fettling / swapping entailed and the issue was narrowed down to a defective coil. MapisM and other men present were totally in awe of MYAG's revelation that he has a portable sand blaster on board! After much chewing of cud, tender re-stowed (crane operator being my other newly acquired skill - proving that I'm not a 'one trick pony')!
In the evening we joined MYAG on board where his crew cooked some lovely fresh prawns, bulgar rice, fresh salad, vegetables. MYAG further demonstrated his man skills by griddling octopus and steak on the flybridge grill. After fresh melon, coffees etc we returned to Deleted User's boat where we had a perfectly calm night at anchor.
Day 4
Following a a lazy day at anchor in Mezzaluna bay we completed our circumnavigation of Carloforte passing this old Tuna factory now converted to a restaurant.
MYAG isn't keen on marinas (an understatement
) so elected to drop the hook in Cala Vinagra (I think).
MapisM had a second night on board with MYAG meaning the four of them would tender round to Carloforte for dinner. A table for dinner was duly booked for everyone present plus Hurricane who presumably had now completed his ironing duties following the departure of his SWMBO. MYAG, MapisM plus their SWMBO arrived at the restaurant following a rough trip round the island in the tender. All four looked remarkably unruffled (in particulate MYAG SWMBO) despite the wind. MapisM's wife had been awaiting the arrival of a iWatch thingy that Deleted User collected for her from the marina office. She was so excited and was dying to unpack it! No doubt MYAG was abhorred by her choice of watch but was very gracious and kept his opinion of Apple to himself! Dinner was superb, I had the raw tuna done four ways and a lovely creamy fresh fish (and chips
) that I shared with my hosts. Much generosity abounded (despite protestations) when it came to paying the bill (many thanks).Fortunately the wind had dropped which I hope meant a smoother ride back in the dark for the MYAG party. After a final night cap on board Deleted User's boat we realised it had gone 2pm and headed for bed.
Day 4
Up at 8am for me, a bit bleary eyed, and the 10am ferry back to the mainland. An incredibly cheap €15 minubus taxi got me back to the airport for my 2pm flight back to Stansted.
Deleted User's boat
Deleted User and his SWMBO have a beautiful boat. My double cabin in the bow was spacious with its own heads and shower. The boat has a wonderful layout and I think the upper dinette opening into the cockpit is a perfect configuration for an owner operator boat. Both the cockpit and flybridge table seat 10 making for some extremely sociable al-fresco dining. It seemed just as happy pootling around the island at 10 knots as it did on the plane approaching 30 knots. The Italian style and build quality is evident.
Finally I'd like to thanks everyone for their generosity, particularly Deleted User and his SWMBO who were perfect hosts. I normally only ever get to read about these events so the opportunity to be part of one of these was a real privelege for me and I had a great time. Thanks also to MapisM whose knowledge and passion for the beautiful Carloforte coast is evident and also to MYAG and his SWMBO for entertaining us (have fun in the Baldricks
).To end, the obligatory wake shot!
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