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Fortunately the wind backed through the early hours so we could stay on starboard tack and still not miss Menorca. We passed on gybing for Mahon and held on for the shelter of Fornells. Lost the stub of boat hook trying to pick up a swinging mooring, settled for dropping the anchor. Relaxed into a tranquil evening

A welcome northerly gave us a beam reach through the morning and the swell had reduced enough to risk goosewinging again in the afternoon’s easterly. By dusk the rolling was becoming uncomfortable, Dianne was confined to her sea berth, Nicholas committed Amber Sand to broad reaching through the night.

Another long goosewinged session: as the following seas built, so the rolling set in; not good for Dianne’s stomach. With some relief switched to broad reaching in the afternoon and evening lighter variables.

The mistral blew through followed by a favourable forecast of easterlies for the passage to Menorca. We motored out of the Golfo di Palmas and round Capo Sperone to find some useful breeze.

Ghosted out of the anchorage with a couple of nervous manoeuvres until the forecast easterly arrived. A steady and comfortable day’s sail around Capo di Teulada and into Golfo di Palmas, switching broad reaches and goosewinging. Greeted by a quartet of dolphins who stayed with Amber Sand awhile. The commercial quaysides of Porto Ponte Romano are well past their heyday but still offered us reasonable free shelter from the approaching mistral.

A timely reminder: a day spent enjoying the simple delight of lying to our anchor, the only visiting vessel in a wild unspoilt surroundings, the sun warming us and a gentle breeze rippling the water

Ghosted out of the anchorage and started down the coast on the lightest of sea breezes but by mid-morning the SW picked up. We could just manage to motorsail a course to Chia then tacked to round Capo Spartivento, winding between a tight spread of fishing marks. As we coasted along, we were impressed by the variety in the Sardinian landscape and the sympathetic resort developments. Crept into Porto di Malfatano and eventually lined up over a patch of sand to dig into

Rested and refreshed, we researched our options on the internet, deciding against Cagliari and for pushing on around the south coast with the prospect of a mistral at the weekend. After a friendly visit from the Carabinieri patrol boat, we weighed anchor and shot out of the bay on a fresh NE at midday. An hour later, beyond the gust zone, having motored out of a vortex, we were gently sailing on a light southerly. By 3 pm, we were accelerating away on the white horses of a fresh SE. At 5 o’clock, we crossed another wind interface to start beating on a SW. Just held course into the east bay of Capo di Pula but it did not offer encouraging shelter so we went around for the better reputed holding on the west side.

The forecast northerly blew in at dawn, considerably stronger than expected, requiring two reefs in the main and some furled genoa Once in the lee of Capo di Carbonara, we could point across the gulf for Cagliari but it was still 17 miles away. For an exhausted and dehydrated crew, the much nearer anchorage in Baia di Carbonara looked very attractive and fortunately a lull with a brief westerly helped us in there.

After 18 hours of rolling along, the winds went light and variable through the afternoon and evening. The motion had become too much for Dianne whose stomach returned all offers of sustenance. The wind gave up before midnight