Tunisia Marina Gammarth

We have added another country to the list and both bought cheap fuel and left the EU, something a non EU flagged boat has to do every 18months. We had thought we might stop in Albania on our way to Greece but no need now and fuel is a third of EU prices almost on a par with Gib but not quite. We travelled 145Nm to get here, during the day it was flat calm but very boring the highlight was 10 mins with 3dolphins playing on the bow as we went along. During darkness there was more chop and swell and also a lot more traffic, during daylight hours we saw maybe 5 boats but overnight there seemed to be loads and they seemed intent on travelling straight at us we kept having to change the autopilot course. At the end of Johns first shift he stopped the boat I leapt out of bed, no crisis but a trawler was now affectively alongside after it kept zig zagging across our bows. The Marina is modern and isn’t very local but it is secure with 24hour security and the staff are very helpful most people seem to speak French as second language so we are getting on OK must just stop saying Si instead of Oui. That said clearance procedures took 2hours each department wanting copies of the same documents and us filling in 3 separate but very similar forms and saying where we are going including any other places in Tunisia so they can all be listed and both what day and time we are leaving the country, after that we needed a nap. Tomorrow we are taking a taxi to Carthage for some more ruins, not the best in the country but the closest and also visiting is the town of Sidi Bou Said but it’s Ramadan so not sure if cafes will be open hopefully there are enough tourists around to make staying open worthwhile.Leggi altro