Historical Genoa proved to be fascinating with its narrow cobbled ,traffic free streets and ancient buildings.One big attraction was the vast aquarium.
After two enjoyable nights we set sail this morning in rainy conditions.
Once clear of the harbour we were happy to set some square sails. Even better news Amie, our Leadership@Sea candidate, is our watch leader today.The rain has goneand we are cruising SW at 4knots.
Ken FS
A Bosun's Mate in Genoa.
Standing on the fo'c'sle as Tenacious gently made her way through the big and busy port of Genoa was a fascinating sight. The docks are bustling with an array of cruise liners, ferries and cargo ships, towered over by the grand, historic city with its various church spires and coloured tower blocks, that is Genoa. As a BM, coming into a port is always a mix of excitement for exploring a new place, relaxation for being ashore after the activity of being at sea and the chance to get on with the jobs that are not suitable to be doing when bouncing around under sail (not necessarily in that order!).
Our jobs for Genoa included greasing the anchor capstans and oiling the boat falls (the wires that launch the DOTI boats). This involved donning boiler suits and gloves and trying our best not to make a mess on the decks as we made sure everything was well oiled and greased to do its job.
Once the jobs were finished, it was our chance to go exploring. The docks are a refurbished, modern area with the aquarium, bars and restaurants, but a short walk across the main road and you are into the maze of the narrow cobbled streets of Genoa. It is a very exciting city to explore because round each corner, there is an assortment of delightful Italian cafes, tiny little chapels or grand cathedrals and palaces to stumble across. The city is built up a hill, so after an hour or so of random wandering and a BM's sense for climbing, we turned a corner and were able to look down across the city.
Sadly during our two afternoons of exploration I was unsuccessful in obtainining a pair of italian shoes (probably something to do with my companions keeping me as far away from the shops as possible!). Instead, both evenings we were able to indulge in the tasty, delicious food that the italians have to offer, in particular, a DIY Tiramisu that was sublime!
We are now back at sea heading for Monaco and I am back to BM type jobs such as helping to set the sails and playing with ropes...proper sailor type stuff!
Laura, BM