Logbook, night of 9 and 10 to November 15

Night of the November 9 in the port of Circolo Canottieri Ichnusa de Cagliari

November 9 night - We are in the port of Circolo Canottieri Ichnusa in Cagliari. Organized by the Ichnusa Rowing Club of Cagliari.

It has been a complicated and especially long navigation. Continuous jumps of wind, rain, gusts, waves.

We are all very tired, but the first thing is to check the possibilities we have of arriving in Tunisia keeping the calendar for the other stages of Palermo and Livorno.

We do all possible checks and assumptions, but unfortunately we have to resign ourselves, we cannot reach Tunisia.

The weather conditions of these weeks are really bad, especially in this part of the Mediterranean, in the canals of Sardinia and Sicily, and it seems that they will remain prohibitive for a long time.

Let's go to bed a little frustrated. But Tunisia is still on our calendar. It was only postponed.

November 10, an unexpected stop in Cagliari

November 10th - At the moment we have an unexpected stop for a few days in Cagliari, to the joy of the friends of the Sardinian peace movement who are excited about our unexpected presence.

Marzia, Pierpaolo, Anna Maria, Aldo and Roberto come to visit us on board in the torrential rain of this liberation that does not give up and we think about what we can organize running without warning.

Alessandro also returned on board, as he had gone down to Barcelona. He will come with us to Palermo.

This stop in Sardinia allows us to take stock of the military bases that suffocate this wonderful island. Since the XNUMXs, NATO and the US have made this paradise a strategic base for what they call "essential war services."

A puzzling definition. As if war were "essential."

In practice, the island is a gigantic military base for exercises, training, experiments with new weapons systems, simulated wars, fuel tanks, weapons and ammunition, espionage and telecommunications network.

The coastal waters near the military estates are often closed

The coastal waters near the polygons of Quirra, Teulada and Capo Frasca are often closed. The extension of the military areas of this part of the Mediterranean is such that it exceeds the entire surface of Sardinia.

The Sardis have lived with military bases for decades, not without trying to resist. Many demonstrations and protests. Last November 4 the activists of A Foras protested with the eloquent title:

Outside the bases of war. Posters in eighty villages of Sardinia, mobilizations, protests.

But the military blockade resists thanks to the usual tangle of businessmen, warmongers, reasons of state and secrets.

For some time now, on the island where the two largest polygons in Europe are located, there is a suspicion that in some areas the high incidence of cancer is related to soil contamination caused by military waste. Investigations are slow.

We talk about it with our Sardinian friends who invite us to participate in one of the meetings of the “Migrant Art” network that is held in the María Carta cultural room in the University student house.

Migrant Art is an initiative born in Bologna in 2012

Migrant Art is an initiative born in Bologna in 2012 and that in a few years has spread throughout Italy and abroad. The objectives are very simple: create inclusion through art.

Week afternoons are open to all, students, immigrants, homeless, young and old.

We arrived accompanied by our friends by car and we were enveloped by the affectionate and enthusiastic atmosphere of these young people who are talking to each other making music, dancing and experiencing art.

We talk about ourselves and our projects holding hands and moving around the room with the sound of a clarinet.

We join symbolically with a silk thread that unites us to each other in a network of emotional involvement.

We say goodbye to the boys and go to dinner at the Federico Nansen pizzeria.

The pizzeria is frequented by the pacifists of the city

Nothing is accidental, the pizzeria is frequented by the pacifists of the city because Mauricio, the owner, has a unique history.

In the first place, he called his restaurant that way because as a child he was an admirer of the Norwegian explorer of the late 19th century.

Nansen was not just an explorer, remembered above all for being the first to cross Greenland on skis. Nansen was High Commissioner for Refugees of the then League of Nations, Nobel Peace Prize winner in 1922, invented the Nansen Passport to protect stateless persons and dedicates the "Nansen Refugee" award to him, which is awarded to those who stand out in the assistance to refugees.

But what does a pizzeria named Nansen in Cagliari do? He soon explained.

Maurizio years ago went to live in Gaza, in Palestine, to teach how to make pizza, has maintained relations with the Palestinian world and in Cagliari offers a sliced ​​pizza with various tasty ingredients.

At the end of this Sardinian-Palestinian gastronomic experience we return on board (always in the rain) and get into the sleeping bags to hear the whistle of liberation (always him). Sardinia, land of peace.

November 12, a day full of activities

November 12th - In less than 24 hours, the Cagliaritan group organized a day full of meetings and activities. Not only did they make the flyers, they flew us to college and other places.

The program begins at 16.00:XNUMX p.m. with the “Hands off our children” program in solidarity with the investigated peace activists.

From 18.00 to 20.00 hours there is a public meeting with the screening of exhibitions, films and moments of discussion on the themes of the
March. First, disarmament.

At 21: 00 hours there is a party with songs and dances of the Terra Mea Association. The WhatsApp chat is flooded by the messages of the volcanic Marzia that with its tender air makes us all run like crazy. With emoticon strokes.

This unplanned stage is proving to be beautiful, beautiful people, beautiful weather that revolves around the pacifist movement.

Beautiful Sardinia Come on, let's go together, isn't this desire beautiful?

Beautiful dances. The crew tests the traditional dances of Sardinia, apart from Rosa, our sailor who has an innate grace both when she is at the helm and when she dances, everyone else wisely decides not to spoil the ancient tradition of Sardinian dance with its endangered movements The feet of others.

This unplanned stage is proving to be beautiful, beautiful people, beautiful weather that revolves around the pacifist movement. Beautiful Sardinia Come on, let's go together, isn't this desire beautiful?

Beautiful dances. The crew tests the traditional dances of Sardinia, apart from Rosa, our sailor who has an innate grace both when she is at the helm and when she dances, everyone else wisely decides not to spoil the ancient tradition of Sardinian dance with its endangered movements The feet of others.

The only thing that makes no sense in this peaceful and festive climate is the weather.

Even the Palermo stage is in danger. South-southwest very tense and wavy. On the other hand, the open chat with friends from Palermo is a delirium of messages. In the end we decided to decide tomorrow.

November 13 and November 14. We are leaving. Proa to Palermo

13th of November - We are going. Bow to Palermo. We have 30 very tough hours ahead, with little wind at the beginning and a strong wind and waves at the end. We prepare and before leaving there is a dense exchange of e-mails with Francesco, Maurizio and Beppe from the Palermo Naval League.

We open an informative session by WhatsApp. They agree with us: leave
immediately.

A stop in San Vito Lo Capo and then to Palermo to get around all the south wind that is coming. On 14 day we are in San Vito, definitely grateful for the sea conditions in the last section.

Go to sleep. Tomorrow we will go to Palermo.
Alessandro has regained the color. Before this march he had practically never boarded a ship.

In a few weeks it has accumulated a few hundred miles. Fight dizziness but resists and when we proposed to return to Palermo by ferry refused.

Great!

The November 15, we are finally at the mooring of Cannottieri in Palermo

November 15th - In the late afternoon we are finally at the Cannottieri mooring in Palermo. Francesco, Maurizio, Beppe reach the top.

We spent five hours with a tense south, skating. Tired, but also very funny.

All good, even Alessandro has recovered.

We take a few hours off in anticipation of tomorrow's program that is announced inestimately to the 11 to the Naval League there will be children for the Sail Boat Art exhibition, in 13 meetings with the city authorities and a show.

In the evening, dinner at Moltivolti, a local ethnic cuisine.

Peace, social inclusion, welcome, we will talk about Palermo and the network of Embassies of Peace.