| After Monastir, our next stop in Tunisia was Bizerte on Tunisia�s northern coast. The sail from Monastir to Bizerte entailed two weather systems -- the sail north from Monastir to Cape Bon and the sail west from Cape Bon to Bizerte -- and at the center was Cape Bon, the major cape at the northeastern tip of Tunisia. Major capes were known to generate on occasion a vortex of wind, and this cape was no exception, making the possibility of the passage around difficult at times. Watching the weather sent by Phil�s brother, early Saturday morning looked like the best time to travel around the cape. We departed Monastir just after noon on Friday, August 22, for the overnight sail to Bizerte, 142 nautical miles away. Upon departing the marina, we had a great sea view of Monastir�s ribat. We had hoped to sail at least half the distance to Bizerte, but instead we ended up sailing only three hours before motoring the rest of the way due to little to no wind. Late Saturday afternoon, August 23, we dropped our anchor in the small harbor near the entrance to the old town of Bizerte. |
