Back in the Med for 2006
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A month late but we are now back cruising for the 2006 Med summer. Launching my book 'Letters from the Med' has been very successful and I trust you are all enjoying the past three year's memories.
How quickly you can change your mode. We are still tied up to the side of the Tiber River at the ACHAB yacht club getting the yacht back together again and on our bike's getting the groceries of marinated seafood, pasta and tomatoes full of flavour, we are settling in very nicely.
It's very hot in more ways than one with World Cup Football such a passion and taken very seriously. When the Italians are playing, the whole country shuts down as opposed to Australia where you have a long night and no one goes to work the next day.
Last Thursday we arrived in time to watch Italy play the Czech Republic and what 
an experience. In the Marina Port Turistico di Roma every goal was re-enacted with any thing they could kick, hence the chairs are flying and if it doesn't go to plan they throw things at the T.V. and then with a win, the church bells are ringing. Little did we know when we watched Australia qualify against Croatia that the next game would be against Italy?
We plan on sailing 60 nm on Monday to the island of Ponza and be there in time for the game. Armed with flags and banners we will certainly be in the minority and for all intents and purposes, this could be our last letter.
Young Ian and Jasmin have now joined us so that makes four Australians and hundreds of Italians watching a game in the small town square. From what we can read in the papers they are not taking it lightly.
Go Australia!
Our plan after the game is to go south to a marina near Pompeii to see the ruins. Around the corner from there is the Amalfi coast which is always a delight and south to Sicily, on to Tunisia, on the African coast.
Not a lot has changed, Ian is at the chandlery shop buying more useless things - he "might just need it", while I scrub the decks.
ACHAB Yacht Club has been fantastic, no security problems and getting maintenance done they couldn't have been more helpful.
PS from Ian for the blokes: The useless thing to Andrea happens to be a wonderful item to me. As I do all the oil changes myself I often struggle with pumping out all the oil by hand and then filling up various containers. Jabsco have just put onto the market a container with its own electric pump with a long tube to put down the dip stick. No more spilt oil and now a totally empty sump.
PS from Andrea! Oh yes but have you seen the size of it.