Wander Lost

Month: October 2023

  • Gaeta to Fiumicino

    Yesterday’s sail to Fiumicino was quite emotional. I knew it was the last big sail I’m going to do for a while. I am going to a marina in the Fiumicino canal later today where Lady Cindy will stay for up to three years while I complete a work contract in the UK. This is a pause in the journey not an end. That Atlantic ocean will still be there in three years waiting to be crossed.

    The weather is definitely starting to turn, its been windier and cloudy the last two days. Its still warm though.

    I will spend the next two weeks working on Lady Cindy. There are a few jobs i have put off needing parts or a non moving boat. On the 27th I start an epic journey to Southampton across Europe by train. More on that in a future post.

    Patty is still in Argentina with family, the boat is quiet without her, and not as clean🤭 She returns to Italy at the beginning of November and after a brief visit to her apartment in Barletta, she will fly to the UK to join me in Wales.

  • Agropoli to Gaeta

    Dotty and I have been slowly heading North back up to Fiumicino to dock the boat from the 15th. Most of my free time, and there has been a lot, has been spent working on an Android app. More on that later..

    I was woken this morning with a call of ‘hello there’ bleary eyed, i popped my head out the open hatch above my bed to find a swimmer next to the boat. He asked to rest against the boat, he had swum well over 300m from a hotel complex ashore. I invited him aboard while i made coffee. His dry bag, which was full of water, contained his now wet cigarettes and a bottle of wine 🤣, did i mention he’s from Dublin? 🤣 he is on holiday with his girlfriend and went for a morning swim. We had a good chat and i took him back by dinghy.

    In case you are wondering how Patty is getting on in Argentina..

    She never dressed like that on the boat 🤣

    I have now booked my journey back to the UK. It involves a £500, 33 hour journey using a taxi, 7 trains, a sleepover at Geneva station, crossing Paris by metro, a pet transport minibus through the channel tunnel and two more trains to Southampton. Well the alternative, was a 6 hour journey with two flights from Rome to Southampton via Amsterdam. That cost half as much, but dotty would have to travel as cargo 🤔 imagine her howling in the hold 😳.

    At Southampton i will visit family and stay in a pet friendly hotel. I also pick up a car my uncle is kindly donating before driving back to wales. Friends have kindly arranged temporary accomodation while i look for something more permanent.

    I have been developing an app called ShipsLog, the clue is in the name as to what it does. I am at the stage where i am using it myself snd ironing out bugs/making improvements. Watch this space for more information