Cruise - Day 1

We were able to sleep in a little longer today as we packed and waited our transport to the Wind Surf. Laurence, our driver, arrived at 11:40 ahead of our planned noon departure. He spoke English, but not nearly as well or as informative as Stefano had been, and he didn't narrate any of the trip to the port or our detour to Ceri, an old small walled village with two restaurants, a church and not much else but views of the surrounding vineyards and countryside.

We ate a leisurely lunch and stumbled through ordering with the waitress who spoke no English. After 1 1/2 hours we continued to the port of Civitavecchia, arriving around 3 and were some of the earliest to arrive so our embarkation went quickly.

The cabins were on deck 1 just above the waterline (3 decks of passengers), but it was well laid out and reasonably large with plenty of storage space. We unpacked and then set out to explore the various rooms, bars, restaurants, lounges and the library.

As departure neared, we ordered drinks and relaxed on deck watching the harbor pilot come aboard, speak with the captain, before setting sail. We cleared the small harbor in no time, and the pilot got off on his boat as we sailed at 10 to 12 knots. Before we left, we were required to be in our cabin for a mandatory emergency drill, but the port forbids using the emergency claxons so the captain just announced "now you would hear seven short and one long tone". We then donned our life preservers (Bryce was sure to get our pic), and we headed up to our muster area in the lounge. After all had been accounted for, all the orange-vested passengers were able to return to their cabins.

The sails were unfurled automatically (North Sails - $50k/ea) and we sailed towards Corsica while appetizers and drinks were served. That night, we ate in the dining room, Carolyn and I enjoying the chef's recommendations which featured lamb chops preceded by shrimp appetizer and salad, followed by dessert, and all complimented with three different wines.

Finishing about 10, we retired to our cabin to watch "Adaptations" with Nicholas Cage which we'd borrowed from the library in our previous explorations.