Monday, September 16th, 2019
I am writing this update much later than Monday. The sign into Brindisi turned out to be far more complicated than I had imagined. None of the complications were meaningful or overly stressful, but I didn’t get through the check in process until around 9am Monday and then they wanted me off the dock ASAP.
Generally speaking it is good to appease foreign guys who reside in military complexes when visiting a country as a tourist, and so I pulled off the pier shortly after being cleared into the country and without a SIM card for cell service in Italy. Oh well, I should be able to live without cell service.
The run from Brindisi to Santa Maria di Leuca was relatively uneventful. There was some wind and some waves, but nothing too intense. Probably the highlight was the visit by dolphins. There is something about being visited by dolphins while crossing a sea that lifts the spirit. My visitors really didn’t stay long. They spotted me from my starboard side, then came along side, one on each side of the bow and rode along for about 30 seconds before breaking off. One of them came back and crossed my bow about a minute later. I stayed on the bow pulpit for about 15 minutes looking for them, but they didn’t come back.
If you have been reading this blog for a while, you know that Leuca is one of my least favourite places to park the boat. It ALWAYS rolls, according to the cruising guides and my experience to date matches that description. After arriving I went into the port to see what berths would be available. There was space right near the opening, but I noted the huge roll on the boats berthed there and decided that I don’t want to pay to be tossed about. I can do that for free at anchor.
The weather was supposed to be almost a dead calm overnight and so I anchored just outside the marina, still behind the break wall with five other boats. A quick meal and I slept like a baby, still tired from the Saturday/Sunday crossing.