On the high seas.....once again!

So our journey back to our home, Inelsamo, began rather emotionally. We didn’t know what to expect when we landed in Tunisia. We knew leaving the safety of the Land of Oz and going to a country which had the highest Covid infection rates in the world was high risk. We then didn’t know how long we would be in Tunisia before being able to sail out into EU waters. And getting approval to leave Oz came with all sorts of strings attached. In essence, the Oz government made it clear we would be on our own. So it was with a heavy heart that I said farewell to family, holding everyone just that wee bit closer and tighter. We'd just finished celebrating my beautiful sister's 50th, which provided such precious family time and for which I am enormously grateful. But saying 'see ya' was incredibly difficult.

For those who know me, it won’t come as a surprise to hear that we were at the airport super early and we were first in line to check in. I didn’t know what bureaucracy was going to be in place so I figured get in early and allow time for problems to be resolved. But it was all unnecessary. It was pretty straight forward given we had our paperwork in order. There was one phone call to DFAT and Border Control to confirm we had approval to leave, a scan through out Covid Vaccination Certificates and Tunisian entry documents and then we were good to go. The airport was empty though and all shops and eateries closed so that made for a long 2 hours pre-flight. The plane was then only about a third full with only us in our row of seats. All well spaced out and masks were mandatory except when eating. Dubai airport was very similar in terms of Covid safety but the shops and eateries were open so that meant that our short turnaround was a little more comfortable. Then we landed in Tunisia where we were required to do 10 days self-isolation. So not knowing what condition Inelsamo would be in, we booked an Airbnb for that 10 days and I am grateful we did as it meant we could relax in air-conditioning, get over jetlag and get some initial work done on Inelsamo without being in amongst the mess.

Then finally, we managed to walk down that jetty after two years absence and see our beautiful home, gently rocking! I can’t begin to describe the enormous sense of relief and joy I felt seeing her and knowing we were home where we needed to be. Once more, tears flowed as she is our home and part of our family now.

Because Craig had left in a rush to catch the last flight out at the start of Covid’s first wave, she did look like a bomb had hit. There were clothes, tools, documents and canned food everywhere and cushions lifted and tossed. The battery bank floor panel was off, as we had complete battery failure in the ensuing couple of years. And she was generally in need of some TLC. But that was totally okay with me as I just was so very happy to be back and I was ready to tackle the challenge. So after a good scrubbing, repacking and clean up, below decks was once again my happy place. Up top she was in pretty good condition despite the Sahara winds and sands that lashed her. The teak was very dry and there was red sand everywhere but otherwise, all okay. Once again, some elbow grease and deck scrubbing brought her to life. Then the challenge was all about our systems check. With enormous relief, refrigerators worked, the air-con worked, the engine purred and the sails went up and down happily. Our only real drama was the battery bank and battery charger. We’ve had a complete failure there and of course, getting some of these necessary items was impossible in a Covid Tunisia. So some temporary measures later, and we managed to get our navigation systems and autohelm working.

Then our challenge was to wait out the “red country” listing of Tunisia before being able to go anywhere. Our sole goal really for the remainder of this year is to now get to Sicily where we have a winter berth contract. Pre-covid we did have a Turkey commitment to a marina, but that was simply not going to be possible for us given the distances and the limited time so we had to cancel that and choose a closer destination. Thus Licata, Sicily. Thankfully however, on 23rd September, Malta opened its border to fully vaccinated travellers from Tunisia. So with that, we made plans to sail out on 28th September when we had a good weather window and which allowed us time to do the necessary nose jab for PCR entry tests.

Passage planning and final checks done, we said goodbye to our Tunisian friends and to

Tunisia and set sail on a 32 hour passage in a straight line from Hammamet to Valletta, Malta. Typically, the weather was not as a predicted! Big gusts, rough seas, some rain and the result was a seasick me and an exhausted Captain. And our temporary power

solution failed midway meaning we lost navigation equipment and the autohelm. So Craig began hand steering which would have been a long and exhausting passage particularly for him. But I decided, when all else fails, switch it off and ‘pull the plug’. A thoughtful pause and a flick of the on switch and voila…..she was all working again. That meant we could at least relax a little but we did have to keep the engine running to maintain power systems supporting our navigation and autohelm. So not the ideal sailing situation but it meant we were safe.

We finally reached the magical rocky cliffs of Malta. After some ‘new to us’ entry protocols via the VHF, we then settled into Roland Marina in Valletta. Then……Breathe………….

Now comes a load of work. We will be refitting a lot of the hull skin fittings, much of the plumbing and propulsion hardware and getting some other odds and sods done. Full out of water work on the sail drive, engine and rudder. So by the time we are finished here in a couple of weeks, Inelsamo should be absolutely magical and making her way across the Straights to Licata, Sicily.