South Down the Italian Coast

We have now started our journey towards Sicily and our final destination for this year Ragusa, from Rome we headed south 26 miles to Anzio and anchored outside the Marina, there were only three other yachts anchored in the bay so we had a great deal of space to choose from and the holding was good.

We settled down for a relaxing evening and watched the sunset, just as we were about to call it a night the Coastal Guardia came along side and asked to see our ships papers and passports, whilst these were being checked Kevin got chatting to one of the Guardia. Apparently he was from Sicily and started showing pictures of his family, and told us he didn’t much care for mainland Italy he much preferred Sicily but there weren’t any jobs there. Suddenly they decided they needed to move off as there was a boat in the vicinity without any lights, they were in such a hurry to get going they forgot to give us our papers back, so Kevin told them “no papers No mooring line” the papers were swiftly handed back and Kevin threw them their mooring line, we waved them goodbye and they wished us a safe journey.

The following day we set off for the Pontine Islands and the island of Palmarola, on arrival in the bay we agreed it was one of the nicest places we had been to, we anchored off and then set off in the dingy to explore the caves within the bay.

Caves at Palmarola

We got so carried away that we ended up circumnavigating the whole island without having to fill up the outboard with more fuel, back in the bay we spied Dakini, our friends Helen and Marcels catamaran, and so we pulled up along side to say hello, they were quite shocked to see us and welcomed us on board for a drink.

Later that day Marcel took us swimming into one of the caves which got narrower and narrower and was pitch black inside, but once you got so far in there was an opening in the cave letting the light in. have to say I was a little frightened as I just could not see anything and when the flash of Marcels camera went off I screamed in sheer terror, which both Kevin and Marcel found very amusing.

We stayed for two nights in Palmarola before making our way across the Ponza, we anchored up in the bay and although not as nice as Palmarola it was still quite a lovely setting if not a little busy with the small tourist ferries and the speed boats. On the Sunday there it was heaving but by the evening everyone had gone.

On the Saturday we went to get some provisions and explore the town which is quite quaint, small narrow streets with lots of tourist shops, and you are able to stock up on provisions however the choice is limited. We also found a laundry service there but at 20 euros per wash we decided to give it a miss.

On the Sunday we got up early as we wanted to walk over to the light house on the headland, so Marcel and Helen picked us up in their dingy at 0800, at one stage we ended up in the cemetery which was interesting but not in the direction we needed to go, so we turned around and back into the town.

We eventually seemed to be going in the right direction as we followed Kevin’s lead, and then we came to a fork in the road and the dilemma of which road to take. At that point and Italian women in her car stopped by us and Marcel asked for directions, the next minute we were all piled in her car and heading to her house, which she informed us had the best views on the island and was also on the way to the path to the lighthouse.

The journey to her house took us up one of the narrowest roads I have ever seen with sharp corners and very steep, I wouldn’t fancy driving up it myself.

She wasn’t wrong about her house having the best views, from one point you can see Palmarola one side of the island and the bay of Ponza on the other. We never did make to the lighthouse as she offered us coffee and water then showed us around her house and gardens, Marina was lovely woman.

From Ponza we headed with Marcel and Helen to Capri, which is supposed to be the most beautiful in the Med, the journey was approximately 50 miles and we arrived at 18:30, at first we tried the anchorage just outside the marina but the depth was far too deep for us to anchor safely. We radioed to Marcel and Helen who were bringing up the rear and agreed that we would move to the south anchorage. As we sailed around the island the views were spectacular and you could see why it had got the reputation.

Capri

However when we got to the anchorage on the south side the swell was quite big which meant it would be a rocky rolly night so we continued on to the east anchorage, again the swell was quite big and the depths too deep and so we ended up going back to the south anchorage. By this time it was dark and Kevin felt it was too risky to try and anchor in a bay that went shallow quickly, where half of it was bouyed off and there were rocks nearby. After several discussions between us we decided to head to the main land and into the bay of Naples and anchor in a place called Marina Mata, a small bay with good shelter. By the time we arrived there it was nearly half past ten and we were all shattered.

The lesson we learnt from this is that although the pilot book indicated there were anchorages around Capri depths weren’t given, therefore next time we need to research the anchorages before setting off and have a plan B.

The next day we headed off to Agroploi, Marcel had worked out a deal that we could stay in the marina for 50 euros a night instead of the usual 70. When we arrived we headed to the pontoon we had been directed to, the marinara was there to assist us with mooring, however he was the most sullen person we have met so far. As Kevin tried to set up the plank, which is our passerell the marinara was straight there informing Kevin that he had to lift the end of the pontoon and keep it off, which is not easy when you are trying to set it up.

It appeared that each pontoon was managed by a different Company as Marcel and Helen had a very different experience to us, their marinara couldn’t have been more helpful and even loaned his car to Marcel  so that we could visit the ancient site of Paestum the following day.

On first impressions the marina and town did not seem up to much, however our initial impression changed after we walked into the old town, the main street was pedestrianised with cafes, bars and restaurants lining the sides, very picturesque.

In the afternoon we set off for Paestum and paid our 10 euros each to go into the museum and then to walk around the ruins. The museum was interesting to a point, but not set up in any chronological order of how the ruins were discovered and the workings of the archaeological site. The ruins themselves had three almost complete temples one each for Zeus, Hera and Athena, they were quite spectacular and made us wonder on how such huge buildings like these were constructed without all the machinery used today for construction.

From Paestum we set of for a small village in the mountains called Carpaccio, the roads were very narrow and steep and we did wonder if the little car would make it up, especially at one point when we stopped half way up. On arrival at the village we parked the car and headed off to get an ice cream which we ate as we admired the view down the valley to the sea.

Carpaccio view to the sea

The next day we left Marcel and Helen and we made our way to Scario, and I think I had one of the most hair raising journeys I have ever had. About a third of the way into the sail we started to see the clouds thicken and darken, at one point we saw a tornado behind us, which thankfully was going in the opposite direction to us.

As the clouds got blacker and blacker we decided to take down the sails and the Bimini, don our wet weather gear, life jackets and safety clips, no sooner had we completed this it was like someone had thrown a switch, we went from no wind to Force 7/8 winds, torrential rain and a very unpleasant sea state. I huddled in the corner holding on for grim death with a few tears trying to get some shelter from the spray hood to no avail, it wasn’t long before both of us were soaked to the skin, and even though Kevin told me to go downstairs I couldn’t leave him on his own on deck.

After about an hour things started to calm down a bit and eventually the sun came out but the swell was still quite big and so we decided to spend the night in the marina at Scario rather than at anchor, again the marina wasn’t up to much, no showers or toilets as in Agropoli, but at least the marina staff were very friendly and it was a more reasonable 40 euros a night.

At night we took a stroll along the marina front where there are cafes, bars and restaurant’s, there was very little activity and there did not seem to be any soul to the place. We only stayed one night as the town clock kept us awake for most of the night as it chimed the hour and every 15 minutes after that, the pilot book had indicated it only chimed during the day but that does not appear to be the case. The next day we moved over the bay to Sapri.

Before we set off for Sapri we ventured into the centre of Scario, our initial impression didn’t change much from the night before, but we did find somewhere to get some provisions, and the cobbled streets leading down to the harbour looked quite quaint.

Back on board we set off across the bay, on arrival we both agreed this was a much nicer town than Scario, we anchored just outside the marina and waited for the arrival of Helen and Marcel who had emailed us to let us know they were on their way.

So the next day we all set off for Cetraro another 40 miles down the coast, the coast line is quite stunning with its beautiful mountains as a backdrop with small villages perched on top.

Unfortunately there is also a lot of litter floating in the sea, we have come across a large amount of polystyrene boxes that the fishermen use, empty bottles, and other assorted rubbish which is a shame. Especially when the Italians have a large number of marine reserves along the coast which you cannot anchor in. However Kevin thinks this is just a ploy to get you to use the very expensive marinas as there is usually one just by a marine reserve.

On arrival in Cetraro we anchored outside the marina about 30/40 metres off the beach, initially the water although not clear due to its chalky bottom appeared clean but on closer inspection there was quite a significant amount of debris floating about and so our planned swim was abandoned.

After looking at the weather forecast we decided to stay at anchor for two nights and then make our way further south on the 16^th September, and so on our second day there we ventured ashore for a walk along the beach, the walk into town was quite some way and so we didn’t venture that far. We did however stop off at a very popular Gelateria and indulged in some rather good homemade Italian ice cream which Marcel treated us to before heading back to the boat.

That night we were wined and dined on Dakini and the girls were once again beaten by the boys at Brandi Dog, as we said our goodnights we agreed to set our alarms for 0700 in readiness to leave at 0800 and joked about the possibility of being woken earlier by the swell which had been predicted to increase around 0600. What we hadn’t expected was for it to start at 0100, or for it to get as high as it did, by 0230 we decided that it was no longer safe to stay in the bay. Our options were to head into the marina or head out to sea, we decided against the marina due to the direction of both the wind and the swell as it potentially could bash us against the harbour wall and so out to sea we went.

The conditions continued to get worse, as I went forward to raise the anchor the bow of the boat was banging down into the waves requiring me to hang on for grim death, anchor up I crawled along the side of the deck back to the cockpit and Kevin slowly made his way out of the bay, his concern being that with the wave height and shallow depth we could easily go aground. Once out of the bay there was no going back and we headed out to sea, for the first two hours we didn’t seem to be making any headway at all, the waves by now were a good 2 to 2.5 metres high and coming from all different directions making it difficult for Kevin to steer the boat so that we weren’t slamming directly into them. At one point we were caught by a rogue wave as the boat slammed back down into the water the spray came right over the boat and poured of the sides and back of the bimini, I thought our time had come.

At the same time the rain was coming down in torrents and there was lightening all around us, for the second time in two days the computer, iPad, hard drive and phone were put in the oven just in case we were hit by lightning.

By daybreak the storm which at its height reached force 8 seemed to be easing, but the swell and the rain continued for the remainder of the journey, so we were glad when we made it into one of the marinas at Vibo Valentia. Initially the charge was 55 euros but after some discussion/haggling Kevin was able to get the price down to 35 euros per night as we intended staying for more than one night.

The staff at Marina Carmello couldn’t have been more helpful, with one of the marianero’s coming on board to secure the lazy lines, whilst the other helped tie off the stern lines and then provide us with a plank to get on and off the boat. We also had access to toilets and shower facilities which although basic were clean, so we agreed for the price we had good value for money compared to Aggroploi and Scario.

In the evening we were treated to a coffee cream ice cream with compliments of the marina staff, we have never experienced that before and our impressions of the marina continued to improve.

Our intention from here is to sail across to Stromboli to see the volcano there provide us with a spectacular light show as we sail around it at night, but having looked at the weather for the next week we may end up staying put until conditions improve as it is forecast for continual rain until next Tuesday, thunder storms, and a sea swell of about 2 metres, and for the moment I think we have had our fair share of sailing in stormy conditions.

Distance Travelled 2012: 2471Nm

Distance Travelled 2013: 2311Nm

Total Distance: 4782Nm

Our Present Position: https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?saddr=38.715519,16.128689&hl=en&sll=38.705807,16.109047&sspn=0.036906,0.077162&mra=mift&mrsp=0&sz=14&t=m&z=14

Corsica & Rome

Our last week in Corsica was spent with Kevin’s brother Steve his wife Madeline and their two children Sophie and Harry, they were staying in an apartment near to the bay of Porta Vecchia  so we anchored in the bay for the duration of their visit. As stated in my previous entry the bottom is quite foul but the holding is very good, which was a godsend as we experienced some very strong winds our first night in the bay, requiring Kevin to check no other yachts anchor was dragging our way. At the same time other yachtsmen were checking/repositioning their anchors or moving to a different part of the bay altogether.

On our first day with Steve and Madeline the weather was not too good and the winds were still quite strong and so we spent our time either at their apartment or sitting by the pool. The following day however we set off early for a bay about 14 miles away called Porto Nova. The bay had clear blue waters but it was very cold something we had not been used to, that didn’t stop the kids however and they were soon in the water whilst the adults did a bit of chilling out and sunbathing.

Madeline relaxing in the sun

Prior to coming out to see us Madeline had done some research on which bays she would like to sail to, one of which was Santa Giulia, a bay which we had considered going into before but is buoyed off making it difficult to get anywhere near the beach to anchor, so we went in the car. The write up in the pilot book gives it a great description but in reality the bay is semi-circular with a very small strip of sand around, the water is crystal blue which means you can see the amount of debris floating in the water. The beach was packed and it was difficult to find anywhere to park ourselves. In the end we found a small patch of sand and plonked ourselves down, and so not one we would visit again.

Santa Giulia Beach

The weather although hot was unpredictable, the winds never blowing in the direction forecast, and not at the wind speed predicted either and so more often than not we would plan our schedule for the following day according to the forecast and then find we would be sailing with the wind on our nose which meant we had to put in several tacks to get to our destination.

Another bay we visited by boat was Anse de Cola, about nine miles north of Porta Vecchia, on the way we were treated to an aerial display by two fire fighting planes, as they flew above us and then down onto the sea to pick up water before dispersing it again back into the sea, the kids were beside themselves at the spectacle and took loads of pictures.

Anse de Cola is a much nicer beach than Santa Giulia, again crystal clear waters, but not busy at all. Whilst there Steve, Madeline and the kids took the dingy to explore the bay, and on return Madeline was wet through, Sophie had been driving the dingy into the waves, which broke over the front of the dingy soaking Madeline to the skin.

Of all the bays we visited with Steve and Madeline I think our favourite all round was Golfe de Rondinara. Again crystal clear waters and a lovely sandy beach, once anchored Kevin set the plank up as a diving board and Harry was the first off followed by Kevin, Steve and Sophie.

Harry

Sophie

Steve

Even Madeline was willing to have a go but chickened out at the last minute, I on the other hand didn’t even make an attempt preferring to gracefully descend into the water using the bathing ladder.

At one point in the day Kevin started to feed the fish with some bread and shortly afterwards Sophie who was in the water was surrounded by a large number of fish.

Throughout their time with us they were also treated to displays from “Macho Man” as described by Rod Heikall in his book Italian Cruising Waters. These are usually but not always Italian men with more money than sense who drive speed boats and who frequent places where others are quietly enjoying themselves, arriving and departing at high speeds creating  a huge wash that then sends those boats at anchor rocking and rolling over the place, requiring the occupants to garb any articles not secured down so as to reduce any breakages. These macho men also have a habit of zooming past you at high speeds as close into you as they can get whilst you are trying to sail, creating the same problem, only this time the helmsman has try and ride the wash whilst the first mate tries frantically to ensure nothing gets damaged. On a couple of occasions when this has happened to us we have ended up with broken glasses in the cupboard so now we stuff them with tea towels to stop things moving around.

All too soon their time with us was over, the night before Steve and Madeline departed for home and we made our way to mainland Italy, we went up into the old town of Porto Vecchia, it was lovely, it certainly changed our initial impression of the place and is well worth paying a visit. That night we had a meal in a restaurant recommended to Steve, where we had the house special, I think we all agreed afterwards although very nice it was one of the dearest lasagnes we had ever had. Back down at Steve and Madeline’s apartment we said our goodbyes and headed back across the bay to Miss Lilly and the next leg of our journey.

The following day we were up bright and early and made our preparations to cross to mainland Italy and our first destination Di Roma Marina 139 miles away. Again we had planned our crossing according to the weather forecast and once again it was different than had been predicted and so instead of sailing all the way as over as planned we did have to motor sail for about 50% of the journey.

As we approached the mainland there was something serene about the coast line, and the waters were a beautiful aqua colour and flat calm. On entering the marina we were met by the marina staff in their dingy who escorted us to our birth and assisted with mooring up, they couldn’t have been more helpful, and the cost per night was 34 Euros including water and electricity which we thought for mainland Italy was good value for money.

The next day we set off to visit Rome a place I had always wanted to visit, and where Kevin had been several times mainly for work and so it was the first time for both of us to do the sightseeing bit. So at 0900hrs we boarded the bus to the metro and caught the train into Rome, have to say the roads aren’t up to much, certainly very little has been spent on them unlike Spain. On route we stopped off to get a map and guide book and over a coffee planned our day.

First stop was the Colosseum, as you come out of the metro station there it stands looking very majestic. Once we had found the entrance we joined the queue to get our tickets and video guide, which took about 30 minutes. There are several ticket touts outside the Colloseum trying to get you to buy tickets to get access without queuing but the cost was quite steep and so we declined.

Inside the Colosseum it was huge and we were glad we had paid a little extra for the video guide as it helped put everything into context regarding its history and its use, along with how it used to look.

On our planned list of must see sights were the Roman Forum, Monument to Victor Emmanuel II, Fontana Di Trevi, Vatican City and the Sistine Chapel. The Trevi Fountain which is my daughters favourite place in Rome was crowed and took some of the shine of the place, however it was still worth visiting and as it was very hot it was great to run your fingers through the cool water and to the traditional thing and throw a coin into the fountain thus ensuring our return.

Vatican city was just how I imagined, St Peters Square is vast and so was the queue to get into the Sistine Chapel, after a fairly lengthy debate we decided it was far too hot to stand in the queue that was moving towards the entrance very slowly and would take a couple of hours, and so we made our way back to one of the metro stations to head back into the centre of Rome. All in all though this was the only sight on our must see list that we didn’t get to see.

By now my feet were killing me and so we made our way to a little coffee bar/gelateria and had a well earned ice cream before heading off to have a look at some sights that were not on our list. Along the way I spied a nice pair of shoes in a shop window and went in to have a look, having tried them on and got a nod off approval off Kevin I decided to buy them for 22 euros more than half the original price, bargain. I also noticed a lovely dress which I also purchased however this was not in the sale so not quite such a bargain.

We would have liked to finish our day with a meal at one of the restaurants but as we were unsure how long the trains would run back into Ostia where the marina was we decided to head back and have a meal at one of the restaurants around the marina, on hindsight this was a bad choice.

We had originally planned to spend a couple of days in Rome, but after a full on day the day before plus we had managed to see most of what we wanted to see we decided to continue our journey south and over to the Pontine Islands. With hindsight I think if I was to go to Rome again and hopefully we will it would be easier to stay in the city, that way we could have taken a little bit more time with our sight seeing and had that meal in one of the restaurants. 

Distance Travelled 2012: 2471Nm

Distance Travelled 2013: 2029Nm

Total Distance: 4500Nm

Our Present Position: https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?saddr=39.510133,15.94165&hl=en&sll=39.484965,15.982018&sspn=0.073,0.154324&mra=mift&mrsp=0&sz=13&t=m&z=13