René’s old blog

It has been an OK day today. I’ve paddled from the Is Arenas beach around Capo Mannu first to Putzu Idu, and then on to San Giovanni di Sinis at the entrance to the Gulf of Oristano.

I slept well in the night, with just a few interruptions due to wind and rain. It really makes a difference having slept well. I only unload the basic necessities, so even if I’m a slow starter in the morning, it only takes about an hour to pack and launch.

During packing the wind was E, but it turned to NW (maestrale) before I was on the water at 9.

I therefore had a bit of headwind for the first hour, until I was around Capo Mannu. The last stretch to Putzu Idu was very easy, as I was sheltered from the NW waves and the wind pushed me inesorably towards a bar on the beach for an early lunch (I had almost but not entirely, completely skipped breakfast).

The sun was shining from an almost cloudless sky, so I stayed at Putzu Idu until 2, to avoid paddling under the midday sun.

Today has been an inefficient day. I have paddled 23km from Porto Alabe just south of Bosa, to the beach Is Arenas, between S. Caterina Pittinuri and Capo Mannu. I did not get around Capo Mannu as I had hoped.

I had a terrible night, and didn’t get to sleep much. I was up at 6.30 but more tired than when I first tried to sleep. Karel had promised F4-F5 winds in the morning, so I decided to wait a bit, get some rest and let the worst of the winds pass.

It was 11 before I launched, while the winds were still quite strong, now more SE than E, so I had it against me whenever I couldn’t paddle directly under the shore. The waves were from SW, well below 1m, and not a problem.

Progress was slow, and it took me two hours to do the 8km to Punta Foche, where I stopped for something to eat and a bit of respite from the sun. Having eaten a bit I promptly fell asleep in the shadow under a rock, and slept for another two hours.

Today has been a calm and hot day and I have made good progress for a second day. I’ve paddled from Cala della Speranze to Porto Alabe (5km S of Bosa) with a short detour up the river to Bosa, about 39km in all.

I launched early (for my standards at least) at 8.30 to take advantage of the calm weather. No a wind was moving, and the only waves were the sorry remains of the swells from yesterday. It couldn’t have been easier and I was at Capo Marargiu in no time. At the Torre Argentina I stopped for lunch and an hour’s rest.

At Bosa Marina I got a bit curious, and started to paddle up the river Temo to get a glimpse of Bosa and the medieval fortress above the city. I ended paddling all the way to the centre of Bosa, with the cathedral at the old bridge. On the way back I stopped at Bosa Marina for an icecream.

From there it was only a few km to the beach of Porto Alabe where I will stay the night.

(Entry written yesterday evening but not posted due to lack of mobile connectivity)

Today I finally got started. I’ve made it a short day, for various reasons, so I’ve just paddled 15.5km from Fertilia to Cala della Speranza. Tomorrow I will try to get to Bosa Marina.

This morning couldn’t have been more different from yesterday. The sun was shining from a partially clouded sky, and it was even a bit hot. There were a bit of wind at sea, but on land it was calm.

The first thing to do was shopping, buying food and snacks for the next few days. I then changed, checked everything one last time, and packed the kayak, while the phone was charging. When everything was ready, I set off for the camping office with the packed kayak on a trolley.

The forecast said thunderstorms in the night and morning, and thunderstorms we got. The first came at 4 in the morning, and gave me a good idea about why some people find thunder scary. It was just overhead, lightning almost continually while a constant thunder rolled back and forth over the sky.

After the thunder came a downpour which has continued since, transforming most of the camping into muddy pools. Another thunderstorm passed in the early morning, around 7-8, and yet another as I’m writing this, at 11-12.

The current forecast promises more thunderstorms for the rest of the day, followed by light rain during the night. Friday should be clear and sunny, about 20° C and moderate winds. Saturday and Sunday will have scattered clouds but at that time I hope to be well clear of the Alghero area and more towards Bosa.

I’m back in Fertilia today, almost ready to continue the journey around Sardinia.

Francesco drove me and my gear from Cardedu to Fertilia this afternoon, and I am now well installed in a camping a few hundred metres from where I stopped last year.

The local weather forecast promises a thunderstorm tonight or in the early morning, so I will sit that out here, and then launch as soon as the weather behaves again, which should be tomorrow afternoon or the day after tomorrow at worst. Afterwards I should have at least two reasonably good days to get started on.