Beating around the boot of Italy

The omens are good when your new boat is so enjoyable on its first passage home

After five years of co-owning a 36-footer moored in Punta Ala, Tuscany, my friend Dario gathered up his courage and bought a 40-foot racer-cruiser Grand Soleil 40 B&C. I still believe the spec of the boat he liked most was her location in north-east Italy – requiring a long trip home.

Dario, Stefano and myself met in Rimini in June to begin the 1,000-mile trip to sail Tululù (meaning silly in north Italian dialect) back to Tuscany, round the south coast of Italy. We set off in light winds, mostly under engine, heading south-east, parallel to the Italian coast. The area is a popular beach destination for Italians and Germans and the lights shine out over the water for a great distance. We sailed down past Vieste, Bari, Brindisi and then on past Otranto and Italy’s most easterly lighthouse.

We now approached Leuca on the heel of Italy. The scenery was amazing with cliffs and caverns. Another fuel and bread stop there and we headed south-west across the Ionian sea. Finally, the wind kicked in – but it was from the wrong direction. After testing many options we learned that the boat likes to sail, holding a constant 7 knots on a close reach. This was much better than the 3 or 4 knots under engine with the bow pounding into the seas. At night, I heard with great sadness of another migrant rescue operation. How lucky we were to be sailing through the night for fun, instead of sailing dangerously in search of peace and opportunity, which every human deserves.