From the marina at Olbia, you can look across and see the city. We have arrived a couple of days before our guests; so, we have time to find our way around and get provisions. I love it when the locals show up to sell their wares from the back of a van. And Rog is always happy to take his grocery cart for a walk.

And then… …after a year and a half of planning and having the ups and downs of life intervene, my sisters have made it to Dolce Farr Niente.

We planned a couple of days at the marina to give them a chance to see Olbia and for us to determine their appetite for boating. By the second day, they were keen to try an anchorage. We made the short trip towards Porto San Paolo and anchored at a little bay with a beach called Porto Della Taverna. The anchorage was tucked behind Isola di Tavolara, the image of the giant, flat, rock island is iconic for this area. Swimming off the back of the boat and sleeping at anchor are among my most favourite things, I am so glad I got to do that with the sisters. We took the dingy to shore that evening for dinner at the beach restaurant.

The next day was Julie’s birthday, it started with a beautiful sunrise and ended with a lemon cream filled panettone.

Everyone was feeling good about the time afloat; so, we decided to venture further afield to La Maddalena. La Maddalena is one of the islands in the Maddalena Archipelago, a national park. The town of La Maddalena on the island of the same name is the only settlement.

We spent two nights at La Maddalena before heading for shelter again at Porto Cervo. Costa Smeralda, the area around and including Porto Cervo, was developed in the 1950s by a consortium of magnates headed by the Aga Khan. This time we had more time to explore.

The Stella Maris church overlooking the marina, is a symbol of Porto Cervo. It is built on land gifted by the Aga Khan and was designed by one of (only) four architects that were commissioned to build Costa Smeralda.

After a few wind-blown days, we decided to escape inland to Sassari. Sassari is the second-largest city in Sardinia. The ancient city is a stark contrast to the modern and pristine Smeralda.

And just like that, our visit with the sisters is over. We are pushing the envelope on this shoulder season as evidenced by the number of days we have been forced to shelter. As soon as this latest system passes, we will high-tail it back to Fiumicino. We will likely repeat many of the stops as we reverse the journey.