Cagliari, Italy

Most of the boat chores are done, but we’re going to spend an extra night because our propane tanks won’t be ready to pick up until this afternoon. It’s supposed to rain today, anyway, although from the skies this morning, that’s hard to imagine. Still, one thing we’ve learned about the Mediterranean is that the weather changes very rapidly.

The Marina di Sant’ Elmo has been a disappointment, but maybe our expectations were too high based on a letter in one of the Commodores’ Bulletins from the Seven Seas Cruising Association (SSCA). Different cruisers experience places differently; we know that. We do get a 10% discount as members of SSCA, but the very nice staff of the marina hasn’t been all that helpful on some specific questions such as Internet or WiFi access and the propane tank question. And some things have changed since the other cruisers were here making it a little confusing since we don’t know Italian. I’ll send an update to the SSCA.

Meanwhile, we have found an Internet café in the city center (Lamari, Via Napoli 43, www.lamarinternetcafe.com), but it’s a little expensive, so there will be delay before I get this posted because I’m writing it on the boat. And we have nice neighbors here at the dock. On one side is a French boat from Brittany, Tamanu, that is finishing a circumnavigation. On the other side is a Dutch boat with Jan and Josee, who say they’ve been following us since Sollyer, Mallorca. As it turns out, they were also in Lagos when we passed through and stopped in Cartagena this spring before we left.

Today we’re going to do some provisioning and maybe some sightseeing, as well as finish up some of our chores. As often happens, taking care of boat stuff and basic needs consumes much of our time.

P.S.—As I post this, the weather still looks good, so we're planning a barbecue this evening with our Dutch neighbors. We're providing the tuna, of course.