Before leaving Tunisia to sail off into the greater Mediterranean Sea we teamed up once again with the crews from yachts ‘Sweetie’ (USA) Tony & Shannon and ‘Caffe Latte’ (Canada) Jean & Yolène to explore the south and west of Tunisia.  You may remember our previous shared adventures together in Morocco back in 2019 – so good to be exploring together again, we make quite the team!

Being 6 of us it was cheaper to hire two small cars than one large one to fit us all in, therefore the adventure was completed with the team split with the “men” in the black car (with the wobbly wheel) and the “ladies” in the silver car (unfortunately without air-conditioning).

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Day 1. MONASTIR – MATMATA

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A Berber village of underground troglodyte dwellings. Troglodyte being a person who lives in a cave. We saw many examples of disused, original, restored and modern troglodyte architecture.

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The typical village structures are created by digging a large pit in the ground then around the perimeter of this pit, caves are dug in to be used as rooms, with some homes comprising of multiple pits connected by trench like passageways or tunnels. One must be careful where they walk in Matmata as these holes/craters are deep and unmarked.

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In the photos of our troglodyte hotel, you can see the depth these buildings go down to, and it makes such a difference, the temperatures were perfect without the need for heating or cooling. Being the only guests we had the whole place to ourselves, however also being Ramadan the bar wasn’t open! They did however bring us some drinks to our own private courtyard (pit). We slept like locals in these underground caves. 

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Matmata is also famous as the setting for filming of Luke Skywalker “Star Wars”, as well as Matmata’s village being one of the maps on the very popular Call of Duty computer games.

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Day 2. MATMATA – CHENINI via DJERBA

Djerba a small island off the south east of Tunisia, historically a home base for some of the Mediterranean’s most renowned pirates.  The whitewashed desert towns are influenced by Berber, Arab, Jewish and African cultures.  

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We caught a car & passenger ferry across to the island and there was a competition on to guess how much it was going to cost each car (car + 3 passengers), guesses came in from $2 – $20 dinar (local currency) with the final result being 600 millines (cents – which is 30c Australian). 600 cents is no typo, the Tunisian currency is measured in $0.000 (there is 1000 millines/cents in the dinar/dollar).

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We attempted to visit the El Ghriba Synaogue (the largest in Africa) but it was closed for cleaning.  I have never visited a synagogue – oh well another time.  The island has over 200 mosques, and you wouldn’t believe how hard it was to navigate to the one we decided to visit!

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The underground mosque, a navigators nightmare to find, and to be honest we may not have even found it as this wasn’t technically underground, anyway, we relied on google who in its wisdom took on the most direct route via some private driveways/homes and through some olive plantations.  It was as advertised closed, but the door was unlocked (Phil checked).

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Arriving at Chenini in the late afternoon was another adventure of its own.  Looking for our accomodation and again relying on google the lead car (girls) followed the instructions given which led us up the mountain on the wrong side via a donkey track that got incredibly tight with steep drop off’s on the side, after some advice from the locals (some yelling from above and others waving wildly below) we managed to reverse out and get to the correct side of the mountain.

Once we managed to arrive safely we were pinching ourselves – is this place for real??

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WOW & AMAZING go some way towards describing our first impressions along with “am I dreaming”.  I am not often lost for words but this place has to be seen to be believed.  The colours, the blending of life and nature, the people who live here – how tough must they be now and even more so before power, water and modern conveniences were the norm.

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We couldn’t wait to explore but that would have to wait until morning, first there was a hill to climb to our rooms, then a drink to be had as well as a delicious 3 course traditional Tunisian dinner – the food in a word – delicious! Indeed we asked the chef for the recipes much to his surprise and he was a little shy in sharing.  Shannon (from Sweetie) and Phil (Red Roo) have both attempted to remake one of the dishes served with limited success – keep trying both of you!!

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Day 3. CHENINI, TATAOUINE & The Surrounding KSAR’S

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We hired Bou Bou the Berber guide to show us around Chenini.  The picturesque ruins of this 12th century  ksar (grain storage) sits proud at the top of a ridge with the settlement running down and out from this point cut into the rock along a series of small terraces that lead around the steep hillside.

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Visiting Chenini and spending the morning roaming the hillside and ksars was an absolute delight and a definite highlight of our trip.  We learnt so much, and Bou Bou earns his money with possibly more questions being asked to him than he has ever had before! 

One of the things we learnt was to do with the burial of Berbers, graves are marked with either 2 stones or 3 stones.  Females have 3 with one on the head, womb (belly) and feet and the Males just the two one on the head and feet. 

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In regards to exploring the hillside, the ksars and every little nook and cranny I will let the pictures do the talking.

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In the afternoon we drove to several nearby villages to view their ksars all a similar history yet very different to look at depending on the location.  

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A ksar is a structure that typifies Berber (native) architecture, it is the traditional fortified granary built by regional tribes to preserve and protect precious grain crops. Ksars were usually built on natural defensive positions and occupy some spectacular hilltop positions. The low humidity of the region combined with the cool conditions inside meant that grain could be kept for years without deteriorating. The rooms were sealed with doors made of palm trunks to ward off insects thrives and weather. Sometimes a caretaker (often a local religious figure) regulated how much grain could be taken by owners during times of drought, and prevented crop holders from squandering their resources through a system of enforced saving and stockpiling.  The half sealed doors means the family that owns this store has moved away from the region or passed. 

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Ksar Douriet is abandoned both by residents and tourists so it was a great visit to wander around at our leisure.

Ksar Ouled Debbab – Used up until a few years ago and now partly transformed into a hotel. However it seemed abandoned and we are sure this was due to the fact there was a large dinosaur on site. Luckily we had our Aussie Wildlife warrior with us who subdued it and made the area safe for us – thanks Phil.

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Ksar Soltane – Two magnificent courtyards of the best ksars we visited (restored and touched up when used in movie scenes). We played like children/monkeys and took endless photos.

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Ksar Jlidet apart from Chenini it seemed the most authentic.

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Day 4. CHENINI – CHEBIKA via Douz 

A 370km drive to the very west of Tunisia to where we could see the Algerian border.

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We passed through Douz the doorway to the Sahara Desert then crossed “Chott el Djerid” a large  7,000 square km salt lake.  The landscape was diverse from rocky hills to white sand, to red sand, to salt lake/clay pans. Some very familiar sights reminding us of home in arid South Australia.

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We passed a variety of animals in this seemingly inhospitable environment.

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The West is known for its vast canyons and desert oasis’s, we couldn’t wait to explore and were not disappointed as it was all there waiting on our arrival.

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Day 5. CHEBIKA, TAMAQZAH & MIDES.

The Desert Oasis & Golden Canyon.

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Possibly my favourite day of our 6 day adventure.  We started with a tour of Chebika with Mr Friday, showing us the old village which was washed out in 1969 when it rained for 3 weeks straight. 

We learnt that Tunisian doors have three knockers. One for females (LHS), one for males (RHS) and one for children (lower RHS) they all sound a different knock due to their location so the household knows who is knocking.  Funnily enough we hadn’t before noticed the three knockers but after that point noticed them everywhere in every village even back in Monastir. 

We then headed up the valley behind the old town climbing up to a summit with amazing views looking down on the old town, new town, canyon, oasis, palm trees and the expansive flat desert to the west.  We all sincerely enjoyed this, with Mr Friday’s motto being “بشوية شوية” pronounced “shwaya – shwaya” meaning slowly slowly, well he was wearing his Sunday slippers (yet he was concerned about Phil’s double plugger thongs). 

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We then descended into the oasis to see the source of life – a very small spring in the rocks, leading to water pools and waterfall (cascade).  

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Next was the nearby village of Tamaqzah where we enjoyed a 3 course Tunisian lunch before exploring the Golden Canyon – so much fun and amazing views around every corner, the colours and contours of the rocks were mesmerising.  

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We then visited Midas the most Western point with yet another canyon and the outpost guarding the Algerian border which when we approached by car the armed guard came out which encouraged us to turn around and go back to the main road. A fantastic day with desert, rocky hill climbs, oasis waterfalls, canyons and of course wonderful company – so lucky to have such great friends and fantastic travelling companions.

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Day 6. CHEBIKA – MONASTIR via SBEITLA

400 km, 6+ hours to get us home but with a fantastic stop around the half way mark at the town of Sbeitla. 

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However before getting to Sbeitla we had the boys leading us through a large town looking for a place to buy a baguette for lunch.  This little adventure led us in circles and even had us driving through the market street during which the black car (boys) managed to knock the stand out from a trestle table of one of the ladies selling clothes.  Never fear the girls stopped to ensure this was corrected with the help of a man on a motor bike who assisted the lady to put her table to rights. 

Arriving in Sbeitla was exiting not only for us but for the staff at the ticket counter to sell us our tickets into the ruins, they hadn’t had regular tourist visits for over a year and didn’t have any change to sell us our tickets!  We managed the correct change between all of us eventually. 

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This Roman settlement established at the start of the 1st century is famous for its remarkably preserved Roman temples.  We visited the Antonine Gate (built AD 139), the three 2nd century temples Jupiter, Juno & Minerva, the remains of the Great Baths, the Theatre and of course the Churches. 

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Whilst exploring the ruins the word had passed around town that tourists had arrived and one enthusiastic entrepreneur (the guy from the adjacent service station in his uniform) jumped the fence into the ruins and gave it his all to try and sell us some supposedly ancient coins and mini statues.  Furthermore upon return to the cars the local police were parked behind us guarding our cars who then stopped the traffic on the main road to allow us to pull out and leave.  Talk about rock star treatment.  

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Tunisia has shown us over the last 6 days a magnificent display of landscapes, ecological habitat, generous people, mind blowing architecture, wonderful food, a rich history and a unique culture with their own way of living.  Thank You Tunisia we won’t forget our experience, and also to our wonderful travelling companions from yachts Sweetie and Caffe Latte.

It was time to take Red Roo out of the water and tackle the maintenance she was due. 

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The priority for this haul out was to replace the propeller shaft stern tube seal which prevents the water from entering the boat along the propeller shaft. The seals rubber bellows were fatigued and had started to leak water into the boat when the engine was running. So it was very important to replace this seal. As this job entails undoing and slipping the propeller shaft out we also replaced the cutlass bearing which keeps the propeller shaft in alignment and takes the torque of the engine immediately in-front of the propeller.

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Being 2.5 years since our last haul out we also attended to other below waterline maintenance which included cleaning and servicing the propeller, replacing the zinc anodes on the propeller and on the skeg, cleaning the bow thruster tube and propeller, inspecting the rudder bearings, inspecting the lifting keel, cleaning all thru hull fittings, AND… of course one doesn’t simply come out of the water without doing anti-foul on the hull and a polish of the topsides. 

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Anti-foul is the special marine paint coating used for the hull that is always underwater to prevent sea growth accumulating on it. It paints on and prevents most sea growth from adhering to the hull. When sea growth attempts to stick/grow the paint falls off with the sea growth to protect the boat, or if it doesn’t fall off we can snorkel/dive and wipe a layer off with a soft plastic scraper or scourer pad. This means for optimum performance a good 2-3 coats all over and more on high use leading edges such as bow, rudders and keel are a good idea. The “fall off” aspect of the paint makes the job a dirty one as anytime you touch it (wet or dry) it comes off on you!

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We allowed 7 days to complete this work which included a good amount of “fat” to cater for the unexpected complications that were bound to arise in any or all of the tasks ahead. There are two options for hauling out in Monastir and we chose to do so in the yard at the marina, the price was right, their boat lift straps clean, the workers helpful and doing all the work ourselves we were in control of the results.

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We are pleased to report that it all went well, to schedule and plan.  It did take longer than expected to remove and replace the cutlass bearing (that thing is a tight fit), but thanks to our friend Heinz who assured us we won’t break it by using muscle & force (and a big hammer) to get it back in.  After replacing the stern seal, cutlass bearing and reinstalling the propeller shaft it took Phil a full day to check and realign the engine.  Well, he assures me that was what he was doing and not just sitting inside reading a book, drinking coffee and occasionally hitting the hammer on the engine to sound busy while I was outside doing ALL the dirty work of sanding, painting and the back breaking arm muscle torture of polishing the boat.

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Arriving in Monastir on New Years Eve we saw in the New Year with long time cruising friends “Sweetie” sharing a meal out (early at 5:30pm as the covid curfew meant restaurants shut at 7pm) then back to “Sweetie” for games, laughter and of course a few drinks to see in 2021.

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Our plan was to stay maybe 2 months to cover the worst of winter here in the Mediterranean, reset our Schengen time for re-entry into Europe, do all our winter jobs and maintenance and then cruise off again around March. BUT as they say, Sailors write their plans in the sand at low tide … it is now May and we hope to leave by the end of the month. The delays have actually worked in our favour in more ways than one – it seems the unsettled weather saved itself for April so we were glad not to be out at anchor or making passages in the frequent high winds and also the delay in our boat parts coming from from France for our haul out put us back nearly 6 weeks which has allowed Phil to receive the 2 Pfizer Covid Vaccines here in Tunisia – A Big Win!!! (I am too young to get mine in the Tunisian roll out so will have to keep trying as we move onto other countries).

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One of the highlights of our time in Monastir Marina has been the large and wonderful cruisers community here. We have never wintered before with so many other liveaboards/cruisers and we found ourselves quite popular with a full social calendar – most enjoyable making new friends and learning of their adventures.

The City of Monastir is a pleasant place to be with the main square, the Ribat, the Mausoleum and the old and new Grand Mosque all adjacent to the marina making it a very pleasant short walk to town as you pass these magnificent sites. These sites are the top sites for town and the remainder of the streets are very much working class Tunisia (dirty, cracked concrete, and full of character and chaos).

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We have found everything we need and more in this city with Phil becoming quite the expert with what you can buy and where (boat bits) around town or get made in the industrial/commercial fishing port. Maree has found a wonderland of fabric stores for both boat projects (canvas, plastic etc) as well as general notions and fabric for other “non boat related” sewing fun (shhhhh, don’t tell Phil). Nearly all items and the metal fabrication is significantly cheaper than Europe.  

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There are two supermarkets which have everything we want (with the exception of anything Pork related – being a Muslim country it’s not available here), however we do almost all of our shopping in the produce markets, which are a colourful, busy, noisy, and have many tastes and smells for the senses (when busy it can be scary in Covid times so we shop in the quieter hours), however a lot of the stands are actually in the street outside, the fresh food is super fresh, delicious and incredibly cheap. You can only buy what’s in season and been harvested the day prior as there is no such thing as cold storage or frozen goods and we have enjoyed a variety of in-season treats whilst here; peas in the pod, strawberries, grape fruit, dates, oranges, garlic, as well as year round vegetables (the carrots are amazing – best we have ever eaten).

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During our time in Monastir we did a couple of day trips from the marina to visit nearby attractions. We visited El Jem and Sousse with another lovely cruising couple Terry and Mike who had sailed to Tunisia from Australia via the Indian Ocean and Red Sea.

El Jem has in its centre an ancient Roman Colosseum constructed between AD 230 and 238. It was the third largest in the Roman world and the arena measures 138m long by 114m wide.

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There is three tiers of seating reaching to 30 meters high with a seating capacity of 30,000. The construction wasn’t easy with the stone being hauled from the coast 30km away and water brought 15 km by an underground aqueduct. It is still to this day mostly intact, and being there walking around and standing in the arena is pretty moving.

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My imagination went into overdrive dreaming up the animals, gladiators, battle scenes and crowds. The four of us plus another four were the only visitors to this amazing historical building.

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We also visited the El Jem Archaeological Museum which had fabulous Roman mosaics and a reproduction Roman villa built on the original foundations.

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Sousse is Tunisia’s third largest city and is just a 40 minute (50 cent AUD) train ride north of Monastir. It is spoken of for its Medina, with its maze like cobblestone streets through the Souks for shopping and also many sights of historical and religious interest.  Built in AD 859 the  walls of the Medina stretch 2.25km at a height of 8m and are fortified with a series of solid square turrets.

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Within the Medina walls there are 24 mosques (12 for men and 12 for women). It was very obvious we were the only tourists in town that day (and maybe all year), but it was really pleasant and we were hardly hassled at all by the store holders (however there were many closed up shops, we assume owing to the huge impact of COVID).

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We also visited the Sousse archaeological museum which is home to some breathtaking Roman mosaics of equal quality to the El Jem museum.

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Tunis. When our boat parts from France eventually arrived in Tunisia we hired a car to collect them (3 hours north of Monastir) and used it as a good opportunity to also visit the countries capital city Tunis. Our agenda for the day in the big smoke was to visit the Medina (old walled in city which are the souks (markets) and houses), the museum and also the much talked about Sidi Bou Siad (coastal tourist zone). We didn’t really rate Sidi Bou Said, it was pretty but nothing special. We enjoyed the huge Medina but didn’t find it anything extra special to others we have visited in both Morocco or Tunisia, however in saying that we will continue to always visit them as they are a hugely stimulating place to experience and visit and you never know what you will find (I don’t mean to sound blaise, but I think maybe we are a little put off spending much time in these places at the moment due to the confined spaces of the Medinas and the covid pandemic risks associated with it). 

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What we did sincerely enjoy was our visit to the Bardo Museum. It is filled with the superb Roman mosaics that once adorned Roman Africa’s most lavish villas. Not only is collection extraordinary the museum itself is housed in one of Tunisias finest palaces. We wandered the palace and mosaics for hours with our mouths open in awe. Who would ever want carpets in their house when your floor could be works of art!

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It hasn’t been all day jollies and socialising, we have accomplished most of our winter jobs lists, and of course added a lot more to keep us busy during the year. Some of the bigger items ticked off the list include;

• Boatyard lift out to service below water items. See seperate ‘Red Roo Haul Out’ post coming soon.
• Water filtration system for when we take water from shore
• Replace the silicone sealant around the bathroom (head) and kitchen (galley)
• Buy and install new mixer taps in the kitchen (galley) and shower.
• Overhaul the anchor windlass (became a big project with a failed bearing being difficult to acquire locally)
• Install sleeve on gooseneck bolt to reduce boom movement.
• Dingy refurbish (new lines and secure points)
• Replace dingy davit fittings (where it hangs off the stern of the boat)
• Repair fridge condenser coil and clean/replace cooling circuit hoses
• Replace toilet hoses
• Fabricate new bow roller to improve anchor position and security
• Sanded floorboards to remove squeak (yay!)
• New tell tales (wind indicators) on the rigging
• Stripped, cleaned, re-greased and reassembled the sheet/halyard winches (x 6)
• Climbed and inspected the mast and rigging and remove redundant tv aerial from top of mast
• Taper the mainsail batterns. Tony, our local sailmaker cruiser friend did this for us.
• Instal new lazy bag lines (the bag the main sail lives in)
• Refurbish the gas oven and cooktop.
• Check & clean all boat compartments, cupboards and lockers for any residual water damage (none yay!)
• First aid kit check inventory and re-fresh
• Food stores inventory
• Create French, Italian & English crew lists
• Sewing jobs: make anchor riding sail, mast boot, lee cloths, outboard motor cover, BBQ cover, repair lazy bag, make hatch covers, replace curtains, recover salon seats, water filtration cover, drogue anchor bag
• Sorting & indexing 2 years of photos from cameras, phones

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During our stay we also lived through our first entire Ramadan which is practiced by those of the Muslim faith. The basic principle is a month of fasting, prayer, reflection and community. Those who observe Ramadan fast between the hours of 4am and 7pm daily (this changes slightly by minutes each day based on the moon), and by fasting we mean everything, no water, no drinks, no fruit, no food, which in effect impacts the day to day workings of the country quite severely. There are no restaurants or cafes serving food for the entire month, meaning a lot of people are out of work for the month, and for all other business that don’t function around food most are shut by lunch time or early afternoon due to the fatigue staff suffer from fasting. Food and drink can still be bought from the markets and supermarkets for home consumption outside the hours of fasting. The start and end of fasting daily is signalled by an extremely loud “cannon shot” and lightening flash from the fireworks used. Being so near the grand mosque and with the water reflecting sound we had the pleasure of being woken from our bed most mornings with this cannon, a very good heart starter. The evening meals after 7pm are said to be quite the celebration and feasts in the homes, with many people travelling to spend the month with family (due to limited work). Alcohol is also banned for the month and can’t be sold or purchased. Luckily we knew of this and stocked up accordingly, and when the final cannon sounded (a double banger) at the end of Ramadan we still had 1 bottle of wine left and a dozen beers – good planning! What was a surprise is the amount of people in the community who don’t observe Ramadan or strictly adhere to fasting all day. The only coffee shops open in the city were the three here at the marina to cater for westerners. On a normal day you would be lucky to see 2 patrons at any of these establishments [due to covid restrictions] but come lunchtime during Ramadan they were full with very few vacant seats. It seemed a lot took advantage of the reduced work day and turned it into a social afternoon. The marina cafes are also almost hidden from the town so the risk of being seen by others is minimised.

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We have sincerely enjoyed our time in Tunisia and despite the very real struggles, worries and impact from Covid we have felt very safe.  We take covid very seriously and take full responsibility to manage our own exposure and safety. The impact on the people here in Tunisia is very evident and heartbreaking, and whilst as individuals they can’t control the restrictions or the economical impact it has had, it can be frustrating to see them not take steps to control their own safety. Masks are mainly used as neck warmers if they have them at all. Funnily enough one of the safest activities we have enjoyed has been doing some sight seeing of their biggest tourism places in the country and having it entirely to ourselves – great for us but again crippling for those that make their living from the tourist trade.   

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We find the Tunisian people in general friendly and mostly patient and helpful to us outsiders trying to speak their language and understand their ways. Although Tunisian Arabic is the main language it seems like the majority of Tunisians speak French and a lot know some English also. They are always asking where we are from and welcoming us to their country (on almost a daily basis). Our general observations also note that they seem mostly very respectful and trustful with most businesses leaving equipment, tables and chairs outside even goods with just a towel over them and you never see any theft or vandalism. We like and highly recommend a visit to Tunisia for anyone who is interested in experiencing a different culture and visiting some amazing places.

Arriving in Bizerte, Tunisia on the 15th December 2020, we really didn’t know what to expect as far as checking into a foreign country in these new Covid times.  To our pleasant surprise it was easy and we received a most warm and sincere welcome to Tunisia.

We tied the boat up at around 4pm and were instructed to stay on the boat. By 6pm we had a laboratory technician at the boat in full PPE (white paper overalls, gloves and mask) ready to shove a stick up our nose for a Covid test. The next morning the results were in – we had passed the test (and didn’t even have to study!). The officials then came on board one after the other; Customs, Port Police, Guard National, then finally the Marina all with paperwork to process us and the boat into the country.  Last to visit was the Government Doctor who assessed our Covid results, our previous travel and our health before determining that we would need to quarantine for 4 days, complete a second Covid test then (as long as we pass again) we would be fully cleared in and free to leave the boat and explore Tunisia.  We passed the second test too and for the benefit of those who haven’t been covid tested it doesn’t get easier the more you do, whilst it is painless it is anything but pleasant. We didn’t have it too bad however as we learnt that the poor technician who tested us has to complete a test at the end of every work day (due to his exposure risk in testing people all day everyday), he told us he has now had 321 tests …. ouch – I don’t think his nose will ever recover!!!

The 4 days confined to the boat in quarantine passed very quickly as we were certainly exhausted from our lively passage across from the Balearic Islands, so we took the time to recover, and enjoyed being plugged into power and water (no limits on consumption of these was welcome after 6 weeks of anchoring along the Spanish coast). Long hot showers, electricity for laptops/movies and cooking, water to hand wash our clothes (in a bucket) and plenty of food stores we were happy.

In total we spent two weeks in Bizerte, during this time we found our feet in regards to understanding the people, customs, language, money, food and the way of life in Tunisia. The Tunisians are very welcoming. This is one of the many pleasures we get to experience each time we land in a new country.  

Whilst in the North of the country we took the opportunity to hire a car and see further afield than the city. 

We toured a large aluminium boat building factory (Red Roo is aluminium) in Menzel Bourguiba owned and operated by our new friend Claude (a lovely Frenchman who had a 22 meter aluminium catamaran next to us in the marina).

We drove to Ichkeul National Park expecting to be able to get close to Flamingo’s only to get to the gate and be told the park was shut due to Covid.

On our travels we came across the Medjez-El-Bab Commonwealth War Cemetery, where 2903 Commonwealth Servicemen from the Second World War North Africa campaign (1942-1943) are buried or commemorated, 385 of which are unidentified. A very sombre place that is maintained to a very high standard by the local staff. 

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We stopped at Dougga, a Roman settlement that peaked around 400 AD. The ruins of the complete city cover an area of approximately 75 ha. It became a UNESCO site in 1997. We really enjoyed exploring this place, we were 2 of 4 people wandering the ruins and there is no such thing as out of bounds, guide ropes restricting access or even occupational health and safety in a place like this. You are truely free to roam and explore, even fall down open un barricaded holes in the structures, or pick up the stones from mosaics dated 1400 years old.

We visited Le Kef and toured the Rabat which overlooks the city, as well as drove through the cork forests and the Ayn Darahim Mountains on route to Tabarka, a northern coastal town. During our time on the road we passed some magnificent rich farming country with the winter crops emerging. Northern Tunisia was the breadbasket of the Roman Empire with an estimated 60% of the empires wheat coming from the region.

We were the only cruisers living on our boat at Bizerte so we enjoyed a quiet Christmas together.  We ate out at a restaurant for lunch (the one in town that sold alcohol – remember we are in an Arabic/Muslim country now and alcohol isn’t a common thing).  We treated ourselves to ½ a dozen oysters for an entree, only to be told they had just three oysters, however they were so big I am not sure we would have managed any more than that.  We strolled back to the boat and drank away the afternoon and evening making a good dent in our ships stores of grog – it was Christmas after all!!

Once the correct wind and weather arrived we set off again for the 145 nautical mile passage which took us east across the Gulf of Tunis, around Cape Bon and then south to our winter berth at Monastir.

We had a great sail making good speed in pleasant conditions (a relief after the previous passage). We left Bizerte and arrived in Monastir a little over 24 hours later, anchoring off the beach outside the marina.

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The next morning we entered the marina (with a little touch of anxiety) for our first ever Mediterranean berth.  This may not mean much to many of you, but every region of the world has a different way of “parking” your boat, and we were about to learn yet another.  Previously we have become practiced and skilled in normal finger pontoon berths, then in the Baltic Sea we learnt to deploy a stern anchor and nose into the rocks or docks to tie off, we have also perfected the box berths or pile berths but of course they do it different here in the Med. We had done our research but it is always a bit “exciting” actually executing something new in a boat.  Especially when you have a great cruising boat for sailing and anchoring but one which isn’t quite as responsive on steering in small tight cramped marinas, or going backwards at low speed, which of course is what is required to berth here.  In short they don’t have pontoons (to side tie onto) you need to back into a berth in between other boats and tie off your stern (rear) to the quay, then pick up “slime lines” from the water that are secured underwater on the bottom (usually to concrete blocks) to tie off your bow.  Then secure a “plank” to get on and off your boat from the stern to the quay.  We managed this quite well (or some would say fluked it), but it was a relief getting the first one done, we now know what to expect next time.

We were welcomed in Monastir, arriving New Years Eve to be greeted by fantastic friends who we had previously met and wintered with in Morocco 2 years prior, and have since made many new ones too. Monastir has a great winter sailing community with around 20 boats all with people living on them from many countries; USA, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, Brazil, The Netherlands, as well as other Australians!

We will be here for a few months to wait out winter, haul out the boat and anti-foul the bottom and then be ready to head off sailing and exploring as the pandemic and weather allows.