Spirit of Adventure blog

It was late on Friday night, after our traditional Britannia members cocktail party & formal dinner, that we passed through the Messina Strait – a narrow-ish channel of water in between Italy’s mainland, and Sicily.

Saturday morning found us arriving into Palermo under some fine sunshine, Sicilian mountains looming in the background. Steeped in history, along with magnificent countryside (not forgetting Mount Etna) and some fine Italian food to match, this island has plenty to offer the explorer. There followed an overnight hop to another Italian island – Sardinia – and the port of Cagliari on Sunday.

A stiff breeze from the north made harbour entry slightly more challenging than it otherwise would have been, but safely alongside the sunshine shone all day. The administrative capital of Sardinia, it is also the main port and most important commercial and industrial centre on the island. The city has a medieval feel about it, particularly when ascending through it to the old 12th century castle perched on top, affording excellent views overlooking the bay and harbour. With plenty of winding streets offering decent looking restaurants & ice cream parlours, it would be hard work not to enjoy a day here.

Late afternoon came about and once again it was time to sail off to our next stop, conveniently located en-route back to Blighty, in a country known as perhaps England’s longest standing ally…

Kind Regards
Captain Kim Tanner