I slept solidly until 8, my best sleep of the trip so far, and woke up feeling refreshed. After a morning of faffing and some stretching I paddled out of Livorno at midday.

Sun tanned Italians were lying on the rocks, soaking up more sun and I wondered how they do it. I’d melt after ten minutes.

A breeze on my back kept me cool and pushed me across a bay with a long pier sticking out from a factory. I hoped it would blow stronger but in fact it died, and I was left with flat water. I think I can expect a lot of flat water on this trip.

If a trip is uneventful, is it just as much of an adventure as a trip packed with surprises? Because boredom and monotony are just as challenging as a stormy sea, and invoke emotions just as memorable. Nothing happening is something happening. I thought about this.

Then a small plane came swooping down, heading straight for me, and I thought perhaps it was going to land on the sea. I paddled the other way with a heart pounding, but it pulled up at the last moment and I shouted up at it, the pilot no doubt laughing.

I came to a sandy bay lined with pine trees and dune scrubland, completely deserted between towns. These beautiful trees were planted in 1839 by the Grand Duke of Tuscany Leopoldo II, to protect the crops that grow on the flat farmland from the salty winds.

I made camp on a wild part of this bay that was crawling with interesting beetles, and enjoyed watching the huge orange sun sink below the horizon, and the moon rising above the pine forest.

Diabetes

Patience is key. Plus making small adjustments. Even though I said I wouldn’t do it, Ive decided to try low carb again, at least until I’ve got things stable. I injected 6 units levemir in the evening which kept me in range overnight. I’ll try a bit more tomorrow as I did rise in the morning slightly. 4 units of levemir in the morning was a bit too much as I had to eat a cereal bar every hour to stop going down whilst paddling. Big improvement though!