I spent a few productive and relaxing days in Malta. The battens in my mainsail have been temporarily taped together, and replacements will be shipped to the Canary Islands in time for the Atlantic crossing.
I also picked up the last of the safety bits and bobs for the ARC. The ARC is an event I've joined where 200+ boats cross the Atlantic together, and every boat has to meet their safety standards. I had a virtual safety inspection in Montenegro, and a few things were added to my list. My hope is that my in-person inspection in the Canaries goes smoothly.
My friends Cami and Lore arrived late on the evening of the 21st. The next morning we went for a run towards town. They wanted to see Valletta, and I still had a few errands, so I turned around at the edge of the city and headed back to the boat. On the way, I tripped and took a tumble, scraping my knee and leaving a flap of skin hanging off my palm. Luckily, no twists or deep pain.
The last thing I was waiting for in Malta was replacement parts for my forestay, which I think was damaged in some very heavy winds off the coast of Portugal. Just before the girls got back from Valletta, Matt at ProLink Rigging messaged to say the parts had arrived. We untied the dock lines and motored to a harbour on the other side of Valletta, deep in an industrial area. Matt helped us tie up at the shipyard, handed over the parts, and helped me with some fittings for a new downwind sail I'd had delivered to Montenegro.
A little after 1pm, we were sailing away from Valletta towards Gozo, a small island just north of Malta. The wind was on our nose, so we tacked upwind until nightfall. Our anchorage was supposed to be protected from the swell, but it somehow snaked its way into the cove and made for a rocky, restless night.
Early the next morning, we went for a quick swim, pulled up the anchor, and set sail for Sicily. The winds were great, and we held a beam reach (wind coming directly across the side of the boat) the entire way. I got seasick for the second time this trip. It probably didn't give Cami and Lore much confidence watching their captain turn green and puke several times onto the deck.
We arrived in Licata just after 4pm and tied up at a marina. Since I'd avoided officially entering the EU in Malta, I now needed to clear immigration and customs in Sicily. Unfortunately, the immigration police in Licata were only open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 9am to 1pm. That wasn't going to work.
The next morning we left around 5:30am for a town four hours west that looked more promising. We were rewarded with a beautiful sunrise, which is always the best part of an early departure.
When we arrived in Porto Empedocle, I radioed the harbour to ask if we could tie up for a few hours while I cleared in. They were very friendly, welcomed us in, and called the police for me. When the police arrived, they realized I'd need to go to the station for photos and fingerprints. Giuseppe, the harbour master, and his English-speaking friend Salvo drove me there and helped translate. Very little English was spoken in town, so I was very grateful for Salvo. Afterwards, they dropped me at the Capitaneria di Porto, where I received a Costituto, a document I'll need stamped at every Italian port I visit.
Three hours later, we were back on the boat heading west. The original plan was a 14-hour sail to a small island called Favignana, but the paperwork cut the day short. Around 10pm we reached Mazara del Vallo, radioed the harbour master for permission to anchor outside the breakwater, and went to bed.
Another early start, another sunrise. We sailed the rest of the way to Favignana and were on a mooring buoy by 10am. We spent the day exploring, hiking up to an abandoned castle at the top of the island and having a nice lunch in town. We were all glad we'd stopped, and pretty impressed with our fairly random choice of jumping-off point for Sardinia.
At 4pm we dropped the mooring and set sail. The passage to Sardinia was 25 hours, so leaving in the afternoon meant getting the overnight portion done early and arriving before dark. We made a few tacks to navigate around the smaller islands, then sailed close-hauled all the way to Cagliari.
The crossing was mostly uneventful, with near-perfect conditions. I quizzed Cami and Lore on sailing scenarios and had them do all the tacks, so they'd be confident enough for me to rest when I was off watch. I took the first watch, 10pm to 2am, then they took over and did a wonderful job. The next day, the captain of a megayacht radioed just to say he was impressed we were averaging 8.5 knots, and that he was looking forward to finishing his season so he could go sailing himself.
Just before 6pm, we pulled into the marina in Cagliari, where two very friendly staff helped us into our berth. We cleaned the boat, hit the showers, had a glass of wine, and wandered into town for dinner.
The next morning, Cami and Lore said goodbye and headed to the airport. I picked up groceries, walked to the Capitaneria di Porto to file my Costituto, then sailed until nightfall to an island off Sardinia's southwest corner. It also wasn't very well protected from the swell.
After another poor sleep, I set off first thing for my first solo overnight crossing: 200 nautical miles to Minorca. This was a major milestone, and I was curious how I'd handle it. The plan was to set proximity alarms and take lots of catnaps. I listened to the entire Best Offer Wins audiobook, FaceTimed Britt a few times to check in, listened to music, and wrote this entry.
The winds were good the whole way. I arrived in Maó around 5:30pm, docked the boat at a marina, took a shower, FaceTimed Britt, ate an omelette, and went to bed. I slept like a bag of rocks.
The next few days will involve replacing the damaged parts of my forestay in Palma, and continuing west to the Canary Islands.