It ain't over...however;

We made it to Sardinia and are busy winterizing Gertrude. The weather is getting worse by the day. It’s in the 50’s and 60’s now and really windy. Burrrrrrr.

We have decided to leave Gertrude here for the winter and return to Charleston. We needed to make a change as the weather won’t allow us to continue sailing like we have been the past few months. Our options were listed in our poll and even though most wanted us to sail back across the Atlantic it was vetoed by Charles and me.

In order to sail across the Atlantic we would need to be in the Canary Islands by mid November. To meet that deadline we would need to do some serious sailing over the next month. Neither one of us was up for that. We also thought it would be better to keep Gertrude in the Med so we can enjoy her next summer. We have been cruising the Med for a couple of months and we still have a lot we want to see. If we brought her back we wouldn’t be back in the Med until we circumnavigated in a few years. Leaving her in Sardinia will enable us to be back in May and spend a couple weeks sailing her to Tunisia and Greece. Then we can sell her, sail her back, or keep her in Greece.

It’s actually cheaper to keep her here than it would be in Charleston. So even though it is tough to leave her and leave Italy, in the long run I think it is the right move.

So now what are we going to do? We will live in my parent’s condo on Daniel Island temporarily. Our tenants will be moving out of our houses in a couple months. Once one is free we will move back home. Charles will get back into diving. He has missed it. I have not decided what I will do yet. I am still processing our adventure. I have several options, and one of the things we are both looking forward to in our return is making money again!

Here is a list of some other things we have missed over the past 5 months.
Normal Milk

West Marine

TV: Super Natural, CNN

Consistent refrigeration

Barack Obama

Being able to easily communicate

Chicken Fingers

Smiles and waves

Charleston Restaurants

American Hamburgers

Friends/Family

Olivia

Fossil diving

dolphins

dock fingers

Easy Access to Fresh Water

Good night sleep

Cheaper Gas

American Dollar

Ice

Target

Sticky Fingers Ribs

Real BBQ!

Pizza Delivery

Large Cokes with lots of ice

More Photos from Italy

Italian Adventures

Buildings older than Jesus (Rome)

The Pantheon Dome!

Were Julius was burned after he was killed by that nasty Brutus.

This is where J. was killed. The only part of the Theater that remains is this wall that is imbedded in the new building. The senate was taking place here for some reason.

Venice and Saint Marks!

Exlporing Venise with the parents!

Exploring Pompei

That nasty Vesuvius

Crazy Night In Italia

Charles and I had quite the adventure last night. We have had lots of friends and family tell us they have been living vicariously through us over the past few months. Well, I would have welcomed a trade with any one of you last night (No I wouldn't, I love you all too much).

Charles and I were sick of the storms on Elba (island off the coast of Piombino, Italy). The weather off the island looked great. So we decided to take off and head towards Rome. 2 hours into our sail our regulator broke and we were no longer charging our bateries. Big deal? Well our electronics, autopilot, radar all need the power to run. We didn't want to turn back because Elba was now covered in dark clouds and giant lightening bolts. So we kept plugging away. We turned everything off but the nav lights and Charles worked some magic that gave us an intermittent charge.

As the waves got bigger, I got more seasick. Yes, I still get seasick. It happens to the most experienced sailors, although few admit it! I used my last perscription patch on the way to Pisa (anti seasickness medicine). So while I was suffering and Charles was sailing, the wind and waves kept picking up. All night long the waves tried to kick Gertrude's ass. Charles did a great job taking care of her. I decided I was better off below. Oh yes, some may call me chicken, but it's the first time I have ever cried becasue of pure fear. It just welled up and poured out.

We were going to hunker down in Civitavecchia, but there were 7 cruise ships lined up waiting to get in; with 15 foot waves we were not about to get in their way. The next marina was only 6 miles down. The enterance required us to go straight at the seawall until the very last minute where we turned to get into the harbor. This turn required us to go sideways to the 10 foot waves breaking at shore.

Of course as soon as we turned a set of 15 foot waves came through. Thanks be to God almighty there were only 3 of the bastards. As soon as the last one past Charles kicked the RPMs up to 3000 as we slid into the area blocked by the breakwall. Another wave would have pushed us into the rocks. We would have swallowed some saltwater, but Gertie would have been soggy toast.

I told Charles as soon as we docked at the fuel dock, "I am done babe." He knows not to ask me for a few days whether or not I am serious.

Now we are enjoying Roma!!! Its awesome. So many told us don't spend more than a day or two here. Craziness I tell you!

We meet my parents in a couple of days to travel up to Venice sin Gertrude. We were originally planning to travel to Naples with them on the boat, but there have been storms every night here. I don't think my mom would appreciate it...

Cannes and Villa Franche

We loved our time in France. Our costs went up drastically, but we were able to eat on the boat for most meals. When we were in Cannes we were lucky enough to be there for their tribute to Russia. They had a party for a different country each week of the Olympics. They gave tribute to Canada, but no USA. hmmm The fireworks below were amazing to watch. Right before they began all the boats in the harbor were facing out to sea. This huge Russian tall ship came sailing in with the entire crew on board in uniform. Increible.
Just as the festivities started the wind changed and all the boats did an about face and pointed towards the show. So funny!

Villa Franche was a cute village between Nice and Monico. We met a wonderful couple there from Ireland and ended up spending some time with them before they had to leave. I will add more pictures later!