15-Jul-2022 -- The Italian summer of 2022 started with very warm and dry days. A planned 10th Confluence and the pleasure of having three grandchildren along for this assignment added to a great day on the open sea.

44 North 10 East had been logged in 2002 by Walter Sigl, Robert Sigl and Valter Benabucci from Linz, Austria. Now, twenty years on, a team from Australia has arrived in the Toscana Region of Italy.

The Magra River flows in Tuscany and into the sea south of La Spezia. Many boatyards offer an excellent range of rental watercraft. Negotiations complete and a 6m ribbed 150 h.p. craft is sourced to ferry this group into the Ligurian Sea and the confluence point of 44N10E.

From the boatyard the G.P.S. was giving a bearing of 170 degrees and a distance of 4.52 n.m. A far cry from the hot and very humid days in Ghana, West Africa where the Borneo Boys toiled for days to achieve a confluence point.

Today was different, the Yamaha powered out of the river and across a flat sea. The Italian Coast, part of the Italian Rivera is bathed in sunlight. The Italian Alps to the east were losing their morning clouds and reigned majestically over the blue clean waters along the coastline.

Onboard and for the record, Chook and Pop and their family numbering 7 in total. AB, CB, DB, DB, EB, KB & WB

As mentioned, this was very different to the dry plains of Africa, the sea offered no hills, no trees, no wild animals.

A large tourist ship crossed the set course, but soon the sea was flat again. The G.P.S. counted down the distance quickly and the directional compass held steady. On a dead flat sea 44N10E was recorded. Visit #2 completed.