DAY 1
We checked out of Pula Marina just after 2pm and went over to the Customs and Immigration Dock. Checkout there was really easy and quick and then we were soon on our way.
We put up the mainsail, but the wind dropped off to nothing. You could tell we were going to Venice, as when we got closer, the water got progressively dirtier and shallower (20-30m). It was a mill-pond out there as we slowly motored across to Venice, 70nm away. We all dodged ships and fishing boats that littered the way on our 2 hour night shifts.
We reached the channel into Venice at 7.30am and got ourselves acquainted with some very busy charts. Once inside, it became much clearer – despite all the new breakwaters and a new lighthouse on the outside.
There was quite a current running as there’s a 1m tide in Venice, something unheard of in the rest of the Med.
Sailing into Venice (,A La James Bond in Casino Royale), has been on my bucket list for some time and it was exciting to tick this one-off.
We were heading for the marina at Compagnia Della Vela on San Georgio, a marina recommended by the really nice Italian guys we met in Molat from the Savento Sailing Team.
We arrived at San Georgio, right opposite St Marks Square a little early and we took the opportunity to do a little sightseeing from the water before heading into the tight entrance of the Marina.
Because of the tides, the marina was set up with poles for the monos to slide in between and tie up to. There was one space where a cat could go and we were extremely lucky to score it.
Safely tied up, it was off to see Venice. The water bus cost a cool 7.5 euros for a one way ticket, the most expensive public transport I’ve been on for a while. We ended up catching it all the way to the bus/train station as this was nearby to the frontier police, who checked us into Italy. And for 0 euros. Beautiful!
The rest of the day was spent getting a SIM card from Wind, getting pizza and wine for lunch at a cute little sidewalk cafe, and aimlessly wandering the streets and canals of Venice, seeing what popped up around the corner. We had read SV Golden Glow’s Blog and they had some great info on Venice including how to get some temporary licence plates for our dingy to be able to cruise the canals. Unfortunately the authorities had changed this in February this year and we are not able to do this in A Little Bit of Mischief. Bummer!
After an overnight leg last night, we returned to the boat and had a quiet night watching a movie over a few drinks.
A Little Bit of Mischief 