August 4th – September 2nd

Italy, Corsica, Menorca

It’s been almost a month since I updated our blog which feels like a lifetime on the boat. I don’t know what it is but time goes much slower here. Maybe it’s the pace of life, not rushing around, not having a routine? I don’t know but when we think back to Greece and Montenegro, it doesn’t feel like 3 months ago, it honestly feels like 3yrs (in a good way!)

After hearing so many amazing things about the Amalfi Coast, we were excited to arrive in Amalfi town and see what all the fuss was about.

Our first impression was how pretty it was but also how busy. The anchorage was extremely rolly with all the boat wash but we were hoping this would die down once everyone had returned home in the evening.

We ventured into town for a mooch and some dinner but struggled to make it through the crowds and buses of tourists. We knew it was going to be busy but this was off the charts (but what did we expect coming here in August?)

The town itself was beautiful with the main square and Arab-Norman Sant’Andrea Cathedral at the heart of it. It was obvious why it was so popular but we quickly made our way up the main street and found a hidden quiet restaurant down one of the tiny little alleyways away from the crowds. The waiter kept the kids entertained with juggling and skipping, Matt and I enjoyed some delicious local wine, a great meal and walked away with a much lighter wallet than when we arrived.

We got back to the boat after trying some tasty Amalfi gelato but were disappointed that the swell hadn’t calmed down, making for a rotten nights sleep.

The following day we wanted to explore the countryside behind the town so we dug out our trainers and hiked up the 1000 steps towards Valle Delle Ferrier waterfalls. We walked through old ruins to find natural waterfalls, frogs, lizards which were beautiful (the water was absolutely freezing) but what better way to cool off and refuel before heading back towards crazy busy Amalfi. It reminded us of home actually, Plymbridge woods for those of you who know it!

Due to the swell and how uncomfortable the anchorage was, we decided to move on and check out the rest of the Amalfi Coast. We sailed past Positano and Capri (all were very pretty with super yachts galore) but due to the constant swell created from the north westerlies, we were reluctant to anchor anywhere and decided that this area would be best exploring from land and out of season.

We made our way to the islands located west of Naples and spent a few days chilling out and swimming on Procida but also cleaning, doing laundry, chores etc before leaving for Sardinia on 11th Aug.

The overnight sail was quiet and very calm and we were lucky enough to see some dolphins as the sun was setting, the perfect overnighter! As always though we were happy to see land and arrived safely in Sardinia relieved to see a flat protected anchorage and beautiful sunset.

Despite being boatbound for 2 days due to strong Mistrals, the boat held fast, the sea wasn’t rolly, there wasn’t the swell we experienced in Amalfi so we breathed a sigh of relief and were excited to explore Sardinia.

What a stunning place. We didn’t realise how clear and turquoise the water would be, with white sand and secluded beaches, something we hadn’t experienced during our trip so far. We were spoilt for choice of where to go and fell in love with the place immediately.

We’d been eating on the boat a lot so decided to treat ourselves to a fancy meal in Porto San Paolo which was delicious. This town even had a decent supermarket (I actually gasped as I walked in! So sad, I know)

Sardinia doesn’t have much to do on land so the last few weeks have been mainly spent swimming, snorkelling and having a wonderful time with our gorgeous friends the Embletons. Having spent 6 weeks without any visitors (just the four of us…for 6 weeks….no other company……it’s a miracle we’re all still alive!) we couldn’t wait to see them, the excitement levels were through the roof!

The following evening we went to a restaurant on Isola Tavolara in the most beautiful setting but with a rather eye watering bill (Eur16 per bread basket, they brought two, plus Eur3 cover charge per person. That’s Eur56 before we’ve even started!) However, all was forgotten when we skinny dipped off the back of the boat into the most magical phosphorescence. Unbelievable.

We made our way to La Maddalena islands which are part of a Nature Reserve just north of Sardinia where the water was the warmest yet and full of sea life. There happened to be a beach bar here and it would have been rude not to visit so we popped in for a cocktail (or 2) where we shared the beach with some wild boars. Brilliant.

We like to give our visitors a true representation of boat life so Pips was lucky enough to be part of our rubbish struggle. When you’re anchored, nobody’s keen to take away your rubbish so one morning we loaded ourselves up and set off in search of bins. Oh the glamour! This was followed by a trek to the supermarket for more beer, I mean provisions.

The final day was overcast with a thunderstorm looming so it was spent at a water park, much to the kids delight! We’re going to miss these guys so much but as always, there are more Edgebleton adventures in the pipeline.

It sounds terrible but we had started to take this trip for granted so having our friends on board made us remember how utterly awesome this whole experience is and how lucky we are to be here. Sardinia has been a firm favourite for all of us and somewhere we’ll certainly return to.

We had been watching the weather and knew that it was turning bad so whilst it was calm, we made our way to Bonifacio, Corsica which is only 10miles north. What a place to sail into. As you approach you can see the medieval cliff top citadel, huge stone walls and L’Escalier du Roi d’Aragon, 187steps carved into the cliff face. Stunning.

Anchoring here wasn’t fun (not in the slightest) but we made it without any disasters and with the help from some lovely Australians. The kids came over shortly after we arrived wanting to play with Mia and Seb which they loved and we were then invited onto their 54ft catamaran. It was a gorgeous boat but I would have found it way too daunting for us to sail as a family (Matt breathed a huge sigh of relief!)

My Mum and Barry are flying into Menorca on Saturday 7th so the big question was when were we going to head across to the Balearics. With bad weather on the cards, we made the snap decision on Saturday morning to go for it due to a small weather window over the next few days. As this was going to be our last overnight sail for this trip, we were more nervous than usual as we’d come so far and didn’t want anything to go wrong at the last hurdle. Despite seeing some flashes of lightening in the distance throughout the night, it was a quiet crossing but our longest so far which was obvious by the kids behaviour. They were super bored by the end of it which was totally understandable but we made it without any dramas and are now sitting comfortably in a marina in Mahon, looking forward to enjoying some time on land (and of course some decent supermarkets!) for the next week before Mum and Baz arrive on Saturday. So excited to see them!!