Todd put out a fishing line when we were back in international waters, and almost immediately hooked a little mackerel which he released after a quick photo. This was also a main shipping route and we spent the rest of the day monitoring and changing course when needed to avoid getting too close to the commercial traffic. In the end we didn’t get wind for sailing until we passed by Pantelleria Island at around 10.30 pm, but at least by then we were clear of the shipping lanes. It would have been nice to be able to stop at the island which was renown for its “pudding wine” and capers, but our narrow weather window didn’t allow for it. The timing of our crossing coincided with a full moon which made the night watches very pleasant and helped with visibility and crew morale. By 5am we started seeing lights off of Northern Africa, and by day break around 6 20 am (we lost an hour with the time change), we could see white blocky buildings interspersed with tall towers along the coast, and low brown hills with minimal vegetation backing them.
When we arrived at the reception quay, there were 2 large pirate galleons tied up (tour boats). Initially the dock staff indicated we should squeeze between them, but I shook my head “no”. The wind had filled in so we had 20 knots blowing us off the dock and maneuvering was a challenge. In the end we hung out in the harbor until one of the pirate tour boats left, before securing to the quay.