APRIL 20 TO 22 MARGUERITA DI SAVOIA TO VASTO
APRIL 20 TO 22 MARGUERITA DI SAVOIA TO VASTO
Having reached Manfredonia bay I felt relaxed. That I can make it to Ancona for the 26 to be on time for unloading the olive oil with Wolfgang who will come from Zurich. I was already used to finding excellent little ports every 10 miles and the Marguerita di Savoia one was not the exception. Someone must congratulate the Italian Authorities for this great help to sailors.
The rest of the travel was now just keep going until covering all the distance. It proved relaxed but not without little surprises. Like the morning of April 20 it was possible to get out of the Port without engine so favourable was the wind but it died and revived a few times during the day up until early evening she it burst into strong headwind up to 24 knots according to my instrument and. It was unde4 this wind that I entered at night the port of Vieste and anchored in the pre port. I tied Pelago to the dock in the morning and I was lucky to be on the open market day for my last food provisions in Italy. Great fruit and vegetables local cheese, bread and fish. The fisherman told me he saw PELAGO anchored when he was getting into port in the morning. The nice gentle wind was forecast to last for 48 hrs and in the afternoon I made the decision to keep the automatic pilot on all night while I would sleep in the cockpit pushed by the gentle very stable wind. So I lied down into my sleeping bag next to the autopilot expecting to reach Vasto in the small hours next morning. The sound of the autop and the propeler that turns while the boat moves under sail put me too sleep fast. One hour later my dreams were interrupted by the feeling that things were not going to plan. The sails were secured in the butterfly style but the boat was only shaken by the waves and going nowhere. The wind died too early relative to forecast. Luckily I was only 3 miles away from the Tremiti islands where I fished one of the many permanent anchors and went back to bed at midnight. The Tremiti islands are small and very beautiful. Pitty I had to rush at Sun rise in the morning. I sailed off with little wind. That died and revived into a great gentle side wind that blew us very fast and very calmly towards Pescara. Unfortunately it died young at 5pm and the only reasonable solution was to go for anchor to the nearby port of Vasto till next morning hoping for good wind.

Having reached Manfredonia bay I felt relaxed. That I can make it to Ancona for the 26 to be on time for unloading the olive oil with Wolfgang who will come from Zurich. I was already used to finding excellent little ports every 10 miles and the Marguerita di Savoia one was not the exception. Someone must congratulate the Italian Authorities for this great help to sailors.
The rest of the travel was now just keep going until covering all the distance. It proved relaxed but not without little surprises. Like the morning of April 20 it was possible to get out of the Port without engine so favourable was the wind but it died and revived a few times during the day up until early evening she it burst into strong headwind up to 24 knots according to my instrument and. It was unde4 this wind that I entered at night the port of Vieste and anchored in the pre port. I tied Pelago to the dock in the morning and I was lucky to be on the open market day for my last food provisions in Italy. Great fruit and vegetables local cheese, bread and fish. The fisherman told me he saw PELAGO anchored when he was getting into port in the morning. The nice gentle wind was forecast to last for 48 hrs and in the afternoon I made the decision to keep the automatic pilot on all night while I would sleep in the cockpit pushed by the gentle very stable wind. So I lied down into my sleeping bag next to the autopilot expecting to reach Vasto in the small hours next morning. The sound of the autop and the propeler that turns while the boat moves under sail put me too sleep fast. One hour later my dreams were interrupted by the feeling that things were not going to plan. The sails were secured in the butterfly style but the boat was only shaken by the waves and going nowhere. The wind died too early relative to forecast. Luckily I was only 3 miles away from the Tremiti islands where I fished one of the many permanent anchors and went back to bed at midnight. The Tremiti islands are small and very beautiful. Pitty I had to rush at Sun rise in the morning. I sailed off with little wind. That died and revived into a great gentle side wind that blew us very fast and very calmly towards Pescara. Unfortunately it died young at 5pm and the only reasonable solution was to go for anchor to the nearby port of Vasto till next morning hoping for good wind.

