Palmerola and Ponza

What a nice sailing week! I spent one week on T-Fish sailing South to the wonderful islands of Palmerola and Ponza, some 85 - 90 nm from my home port. 

Both ways I had perfect sailing conditions. On the way to Ponza I took advantage of a Mistral which strengthens through the Strait of Bonifacio and bends to the South - South West in the Thyrennian Sea. I started with light downward winds of about 10kn which increased to some 27kn further South, sailing wing-to-wing using the spinnaker pole. Some 10nm before the islands, the wind fell asleep and therefore I had to use the engine for the last two hours.  On the way back I started with a light Southerly to Westerly of about 10kn, perfect for the Gennaker. During the night the wind fell asleep for an hour or so and then came back enforced with some 18-20kn from the South. I used the main and the Gennaker the whole return trip keeping T-Fish almost constantly at hull-speed.

I have been several times on the islands and still consider them as one of the most beautiful islands in the Med. In particular the rock formations of volcanic origin with steep cliffs, reflecting the sun in different color grades depending on the sun height, the clear water and the beautiful anchorages but also the lively and picturesque town of Ponza makes these islands a perfect sailing destination.

In Ponza, I met Ilona and Andreas, a retired German couple who are spending the summer months on their Cat Yoko exploring the Med. We had a nice evening out enjoying an excellent fish restaurant in Ponza and after some years in the Thyrennian Sea, I even could give them some hints of 'Must See'. 

        

Santa Marinella

A week-end in Santa Marinella on T-Fish to escape the heat at home......

16864 steps, 35 degrees Celsius, Saturday afternoon in Rome

Rome in general is less crowded in July and August when the Romans escape the city heat and spend their days at the seaside. I was wondering how many tourists are already back after the COVID-19 confinement and spent the last Saturday afternoon in Rome. Yes, tourists are back but by far less than before the virus outbreak. I guess, hotels, B&Bs, bars, restaurants, souvenir shops, etc.... are still heavily suffering. 

 

Coffee at 6 Bft close hauled

Sunset at Giglio Campese

Finally I was allowed and could find some days for s small trip to Argentario, Giglio and Gianutri. Wind conditions were perfect for an ambitious sailing (20 - 25kn) although not from a the perfect direction. Anyway, I had fun and could test new equipments which I installed in the last couple of weeks. This includes a new charger/inverter with 1600 W allowing me to use a 220V coffee machine off-grid. I also installed a powerful battery to battery charger which recharges the house bank much more efficiently. Furthermore, the system is now ready to change to Lithium batteries once the current lead-acid batteries are degrading. For the installation basically the entire main electric strand had to be renewed and I got rid of tons of old cables. Besides this, I upgraded the safety system with an EPRIP and two AIS MOB devices fixed to life jackets. Yes, and some additional 'toys' also found their way aboard T-Fish. One is Air Buddy, a compressor-based diving gear which allows me to clean the underwater body whenever needed. 

A lot has been done but there is still a long list of open projects which I consider myself important before T-Fish can go on longer-term cruises. The plan is to complete all projects within the course of next year and to have her ready by the timeframe Sept 2021. I will keep you posted.

Gianutri

And here my video from the short trip, the first time making coffee at 6 Bft close hauled. I know I still have to work on my camera pointing but anyway, it demonstrates it works.

 

COVID-19 Confinement: What I miss ...... what I like ......

After 5 weeks of COVID-19 confinement at home, I start getting bored although there is really nothing to complain. We are in a safe place, tele-working works seamlessly, food supply is ensured, and my wine cellar was well stocked before the confinement. And - we have a small garden and a spectacular view on Rome and the Sea in the far distance. Thus, really nothing to complain.....but after such a long time you start missing things and habits. Here is my list what I miss or even hate and what in fact I like:

I miss (hate):

- being separated from my daughters who are in Berlin in confinement and not being able to celebrate Easter and their birthdays together this year

- not being able to make plans for future family reunions and other travel plans

- having lost our Easter vacation in South Africa (however we may be able to do it next year)

- face-to-face chats with my colleagues during coffee/lunch breaks

- walking my dog in nature (in fact I did it anyway and was stopped and heavily fined by the police - rules are rules regardless if they make sense or not)

- week-ends on T-Fish preparing her for the new season (postponed to the time period after the confinement - let's hope I can start in May)

- week-end excursions to the mountains or to the seaside, discovering new places, restaurants, shops, etc....

- spending evenings with friends in restaurants

- a strong European leadership making sure that our community of values and solidarity stays together, possibly even grows together tighter drawing on the lessons learnt from the crisis

- that figures (infections and death) only slightly improve (there is a slow downward trend) although we are already at the end of the 5th week of confinement in Italy

 

In the midst of every crisis, lies great opportunity

Albert Einstein

I like:

- the positive environmental impact due to reduced industrial activities and traffic 

- the clear sky over Rome (I never saw Rome so clear during day and night)

- the reduced noise level (although it has a bit of an apocalyptic touch in particular when looking down on Rome during the night)

- the rest and additional time for reflexions, reading books, photography, foto and video editing, games,...

- the muse for cooking (see my Chicken in Red Pepper below - not healthy but good!)

- the idea that many socio-economic processes may change to the better after the crisis (but not guaranteed) with a likely positive impact on our environment 

Summer 2019: 3 weeks on T-Fish and a bumpy transfer back to the Italian mainland

Fertilia - Asinara - Castelsardo - Santa Teresa Gallura - Isola Maddalena - Costa Smeralda - Golfo Aranci - Olbia and transfer from Olbia to Porto Riva di Traiano (Italian mainland) the new home port of T-Fish. The new home port is about 1 hour by car from our home and besides occasional sailing trips to neighboring islands, T-Fish will undergo further upgrades/changes there preparing her for longer sailing trips in my retirement.

Bonifacio

If you never have been in Bonifacio (Corsica), it is a 'must-go'. Definitely one of the most beautiful mediterranean towns I have seen. The picturesque upper town is located on the top of steep limestone cliffs with a spectacular view on the Strait of Bonifacio, the channels which connects the western Mediterranean Sea with the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Approaching Bonifacio from Sea is breathtaking. The narrow entrance to the natural port between steep cliffs is only visible shortly before the entrance, giving the skipper the illusion to crash the boat against the cliffs until the entrance becomes visible. A challenge, in particular in rough sea conditions.

Bonifacio

T-Fish in Bonifacio

Simon, a colleague and friend, original from the UK but living in California for many years now, contacted Charly and me towards the end of 2018, letting us know that a good opportunity to sail together will come up in spring 2019 after a conference in Milano which we also planned to attend. In fact, spending a sailing vacation together was planned for quite some time, basically since he had to skip the trip on Tehlikeli down the Baja California from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas ( San Diego to Cabo San Lucas ) because of other commitments. This time it worked out and we enjoyed a fantastic sailing week with strong wind conditions from Fertilia via Asinara Island (where we had to stay 2 days at anchor in a sheltered bay because of storm-like wind conditions) to Bonifacio and back to Fertilia.

Major Overhaul

The sailing season 2019 started with a major boat overhaul. In fact it started already during the shakedown cruise in 2018, when I realized that the depth indicator only showed depth down to about 10m.

Major overhaul ongoing

When checking the transducer, I found that the plastic threaded bolt fixing the transducer head with a washer and plastic bolt in a hull-through hole, had a crack. It looked like that the transducer head was mainly fixed by the remaining sika clue in the hull-through hole. Therefore, this required an urgent repair avoiding that the transducer head may come loose and water may enter the boat.

the new depth, speed transducer

When looking for a new depth transducer, I decided to change the whole system which allows me to network the different boat sensors. I finally opted for the Raymarine i70s system pack with a new speed, depth and water temperature transducer, a new wind transducer, a color multifunction display and cables and terminators for installing a SeaTalkNG / NMEA2000 network. I further installed a ShipModul MiniPlex 3 Multiplexer in order to connect older NMEA devices (e.g. such as the VHF radio to read GPS data). The multiplexer was further connected to a wireless router which allows to stream over WiFi all network data to different devices (smartphone, tablets, computers). The multifunction display (Raymarine i70s) was installed in the cockpit. A single instrument now substitutes all old VDO instruments. If needed the system easily can be expanded in the future e.g. with a compatible autopilot (the current one has no NMEA outputs).

the refilled and closed old hull-through hole of the old transducer and the new hole for the new transducer

At the same time, I finally decided to change all hull-through fittings and sea cocks. A major work which was done by professionals. In fact the old fittings still looked OK but as some sea cocks needed replacement, I decided to do all in one go in particular considering that the hull-through fittings are still the original ones and are some 30 years old.

new hull-through fittings

A very special Thanks goes to Rainer, a sailing friend which I met in Fertilia. Rainer worked several decades in different shipyards and basically knows everything about boats. He continuously helped me by providing expert opinions, borrowing professional tools and providing me a hand here and there when needed. He also installed the wind transducer and a new AIS antenna at the mast top. I really enjoyed his company and in particular our after-work-beers and some really nice evenings. Keep in touch, Rainer! 
 

Ode to Joy

The more difficult the times the more important it is that people show solidarity and stand together even in distance.  Music unites.

The world was overwhelmed by the Italian flashmob or balcony concert which unites neighboring families in Italy now every evening.

This now was copied in Germany after the coronavirus lockdown. What makes me in particular happy is that the European Union's anthem Ode to Joy was selected. A united Europe is now more needed than ever standing close together in solidarity with our partners and trying to find common solutions out of the crisis.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B861wmQ8li8

Leaving Brussels for good!

My daughter with her boyfriend in Cape Town and happy that they got an earlier flight back to Germany today. Unfortunately we had to cancel our vacation with them in South Africa due to the global coronavirus crisis.

We are still in Italy - in home quarantine for almost 2 weeks now and we are desperately hoping that the numbers will go down soon.

What a tragedy! For sure the world will be another one when global immunity has been reached or a vaccination against the virus has been found. Such a major break offers chances but also bears a lot of  threats for making the world a better or worse one . I hope that global solidarity will win over national isolation and that international federations of states will show strong leadership in forming our future social fabric.

The country-wide lockdown allows me to catch-up with the blog which I basically neglected since the shakedown cruise at the beginning of the 2018 sailing season. One of the main reasons was that there was no further sailing in 2018 as we were extremely busy preparing our move back from Brussels to Italy. This time, it was not just a simple removal (whereas no removal is simple) but a major downgrading at the same time as our kids are now out of the house for their studies. Thus, we moved from a 5 bedroom villa with a large cellar and garage, into a 2 bed-room apartment. We were extremely busy sorting, packing, selling and depositing household goods for a period of almost three months. Finally we sold/deposited about 1/3 of the household, put another 1/3 into a long-term storage in Germany and moved with about 1/3 of our household into our new home in Italy.

We are extremely happy with the apartment and the small garden attached to it which we found as our new home. It has a spectacular view to Rome and the Sea, is only 10 min by car to work, and has restaurants and shopping possibilities in walking distance. The next step was to bring T-Fish back from Sardinia to Italy main land, closer to our new home, allowing us to use her during week-ends.