The weather forecast in Corfu stayed the same for three days – thunderstorms and wind.

Gouvia Marina

On the morning of the third day, we decided to make a break for it and go to Gouvia even if we had to anchor in the bay while we got the engine pump fixed. A friend had given us the name of some agents at A1 yachting and we called them to see if they could handle our entry into Greece to save us from going into town. They came back shortly after and although the marina had told us there were no berths when we called they had managed to find one for us.

We cruised down the coast which is beautiful and green and such a change after Malta which is all brown, dry, and rocky.

Video …

Corfu was very busy with charter boats going in and out of the marina, but they were having to wait for slots in their own area and we went in and were handled almost immediately.

The engineers arrived very quickly and took the pump away to be fixed. Next, we wandered up to the office of A1 yachting and discovered that the immigration police who were in the building next door were not happy with our documents. They could not find the exit stamp for Malta but they did find the entry stamp for Italy and it was over 90 days old. According to our passports, we had been nowhere else. Here we go again. There was much discussion on the ins and outs of Schengen and the individual countries’ agreements. In the end, it came down to the fact that we should have been stamped in each country so we could count the day’s agreement separately from the Schengen days.

Of course, leaving malta they treated us as crew on a yacht. Albania had its own system and stamped papers, not passports – mainly for the yacht requirements. Then the Greek authorities were treating us as passengers but decided in the final stages we should be crew. In the end, all the documents were signed and stamped and we were legitimate.

The next day the pump came back and we were all set to leave. We picked up some fuel at the fuel dock – last visited two years ago and ago. Then we set off with a forecast that would give us 30% on a tight reach than all the rest on an easy reach to Malta at about 15kts. Sounded great. As you can see from the photo – the weather was not that warm – not the Mediterranean we were used to.

Stormy Passage

We departed down the east coast hoping for a quick trip. After passing Corfu town the wind was dead on the nose again – seems to happen to us all the time. The wind was already averaging 22kts from the South rather than SW and the sea was rough already 1-2m and short. Rather than bashing into all the way on the motor we decided to tack and motor sail to the end of Corfu.

We reached the end of Corfu late in the day and turned right slightly to track for Malta. This did not seem to help as we turned right so did the wind. The wind was hard on so we motor sailed. The forecast was ok but windy. During the night the wind increased and so did the seas. At one point we were making 3.5kts Speed over the ground – depressing.

The second afternoon we were down to 3 reefs and no genoa – or now and then a handkerchief out. Making 6.5 knots and still motor sailing as the wind was so far forward. We were running forecasts every 6 hours and decided if the wind got no better we were going to head for Syracuse and not Malta and have a rest. We were running about 6 hours on ETA.

As the evening approached the wind increased from the NW we were hand-sailing rather than on autopilot which could not see the approaching waves and we had been dropping off some of the big waves. Still doing 6.5 knots but very rough. We had a good sail for about 3 hours then night fell and we had to reduce the speed of the yacht as we could not see the waves either. The forecast was for waves bout 2m at 4 sec intervals and that was about right.

The new forecast showed us right in the red patch and it had been gusting over 40kts. There was supposed to be a calm patch at one stage but we never found it.

Syracuse

Dawn rose with our entry to Syracuse. We notified our approach into the harbour and were told to remain on the yacht and then the fun started with authorities. We had not been planning to end up in Syracuse so of course had not given them the 12 hours notice required. We wanted to get in, do the paperwork, have a rest, and clear out the next day. Not so easy. The harbour master told us what was required for the health clearance and emailed us the details. We sent the documents off to 8 email addresses!! This was by now about 8 am. Then heard no more. On querying the harbour master she told us the Health department was separate and they had no idea how long it takes. They have obviously had this problem before.

We then started to tidy up the yacht and discovered that our port Pelican Stiker wire had two broked strands. Just as well we stopped. Now looked like we would not be going to Malta and certainly not sailing. On further inspection of the yacht, we discovered that we had also cracked the area under the rear davits again. One had been mended 3 months before in Marina di Ragusa and it was not too bad but now the other was showing cracking around the base. We made the decision not to continue to Malta but to go to Marina di Ragusa and try and get the wires and damage fixed there.

We then settled in for a rest. Got up after lunch and still no emails with a clearance. Called the harbour master again and explained that we would like to leave first thing the next morning because we wanted to take the calm weather window before the next storm. She was very helpful and even suggested not getting off the boat but clearing at Pozzallo. We called them but they asked us to call Marina di Ragusa as they did not speak English well. I talked to the girls there about a marina and the situation with the authorities and that we did not need to be stuck at Pozzallo if we did leave due to the approaching storm. She got back to me and had been told that Pazzallo now comes under Syracuse so if we couldn’t get the health clearance in Syracuse it would be a problem in Pozzallo.

The good thing that came out of the conversation was that they knew an agent in Syracuse who they had used before and they might help. We then called Giorgio siracusa@luise.com at Luisa Yachtshttps://www.luise.com/italy/ and had a chat. He told us that the process was with the health department there – if we did not give 12 hours notice then they threw the file in the next day’s list so we would not get it today. Sit back and relax. In fact, we would not get it until close to lunchtime the next day – certainly not first thing in the morning. We explained our problem with the weather and trying to get away as soon as possible but it seemed nothing to do but wait.

As we were sitting on the yacht waiting we had a visit from another yacht who had been in Marina di Ragusa previously. Brad and Janet were waiting for the current weather to go through before continuing to MdR. They were good friends of Chris the Refrigeration man we had met in Malta.

The forecast for the next few days was not good as can be seen from the shots of Predict wind below. The third photo was of the gust we got in the bay the next day. It was very windy and 0.5meter swell even in the harbour. The wind got up at 4am and at 6am we got the motors on an motored into the wind to get the bridle up and then release more chain. Beside us in the anchorage, another yacht was doing the same, and ahead of us one dragged so far they had to pull their anchor right out and start again. We were in around 7m and had about 60m of chain out. We really grabbed as we let the bridle out and did not move again while we were there.

The following are some views of the harbour in Syracuse. It is a lovely old town but overshadowed by the big cruise ships. I know people love them but this one had speakers going with the exercise music and dancing most of the day and the noise was awful. It dwarfed the old town and you could see why people do not wantcruised ships in some of these old traditional towns.

Hew loved this boat below, said it really was a James Bond-style yacht – big aft deck for all the fun and games!! Plenty of room for the helicopter as well. Great name.

Other boats seen around town.

When the weather finally cleared we decided we had one afternoon to walk around town – looking at the sights as seen above, the old and the new.

Departure for Marina di Ragusa

Then next morning we decided to get up before sunrise and leave at daybreak. I think the harbour wanted us to stay. The anchor came up so far and then we found we were totally entangled in an old net that had obviously been dumped. 45 minutes later we had cut it off. the movement of the boat over the last three days as shown on the screen probably aided the entanglement. What a muddy mess!!

Finally on our way to Marina di Ragusa.

We had an uneventful trip and were happy to return to the old marina. Clean and tidy and lots of welcoming smiles. Also much warmer than Corfu and even warmer than Syracuse.

Anyway so on Friday decided to take two friends, Nick and MAddie, who we meet two years ago, and also have a Fountaine-Pajot and set off for a “sail”. Didn’t manage to leave until noon as too busy tidying up the boat to go to sea.

Maddie is very good at the “keep everything out of the sun”, says she is leading the future trend. My daughter Izi totally agrees with his dress code as her skin is as prone to sunburn as Maddie’s!!

We were all very keen to go . Left the marina, had a swim straight away as the yacht floated away on the current – a steady 0.5kt and calm.

Wind came in very light 5kts so up go the number 1 and the main and we toddle off at 2 kts!! Under sail we reached a maximum of 4 kts and after lunch and some consideration we decided that if we wanted to reach our destination before dark and on Saturday we would motor sail – typical Mediterranean.

We arrived at Isola do Capo Passero on the SE corner of Sicily around 7pm. Quite a few boats still around but as normal most left for the night and only three larger boats stayed.

Next day we had a slow start, late breakfast and swim, then decided we really needed to walk to the Torre before the hordes of people arrived. It was just so nice to be anchored out again that you did not feel like moving.

Anyway off for the hike over the island.

To the north is a tonnara, dating to the thirteenth century, now abandoned and where you can still see a number of large rusty anchors used to attach heavy nets to the bottom of the sea that led to the tuna “death chambers” in the caves in the cliffs.

In the center of the island is populated by dwarf palms which have been newly classified as a protected species.

The main structure is the 16th century fortress of Charles V, that was probably built on something that already existed and that occupied the highest part of Capo Passero. It was built to protect against pirates and has a square plan and stands, elevated, to 22 meters high. Atop this structure is a lighthouse. The entranceway faces the sea and not the land and the crest at the entrance is almost worn off.

There are very few exterior windows but a large central courtyard can be ween through the grated door. The Madonna and Baby are on the plinth.

After walking up cross country we found the path down.

I then swam back to the yacht via the caves in the cliffs. Many tiny fish (1cm-5cm) but no large ones. It was great to have a good swim.

Then, unfortunately it was time to leave. as all breeze of 5kts had come up and we wet off to sail home. Several hours and several tacks later the after a nice breeze of 10 kts and speed of around 5 kts but already 7pm we decided that reverting to motoring the rest of the way to make it before 10 back at Marina do Ragusa.

we arrived with 15minutes to spare and so got the help and a great welcome back from the ormeggiatori. Feels like we belong here!!

A lovely weekend and great to be out of the marina.

Note: This is out of sequence but blogs relating to the period in Marina do Ragusa follow shortly as will some videos when I have them sorted!!

Very hazy, sultry warm conditions. Sunday arrival 39 deg C.

We immediately noticed that many of the roads between Catania and Marina di Ragusa have been re-sealed and many more windmills have been erected on the hills.

We arrived Sunday night and a huge amount of traffic leaving Marina di Ragusa heading north after a beautiful weekend. The town was full but almost everyone is Italian very few from other countries.

Lovely fresh fruit- nectarines, apricots, peaches, watermelons, rockmelons,. Gorgeous sweet tomatoes, cheese, prosciutto, and daily fresh bread.

Afternoon siestas and streets full of people in the evenings just wandering around.

Most people we talk to have been fully vaccinated. Italy with a population of 60m has vaccinated 49+m and achieving 540,000 per day. Sicily has 5m people and 3.9m vaccine doses have been administered.

The boatyard is looking much tidier https://www.cmrcantierenavale.com/. Unfortunately, as expected, most of the yacht work is only partially complete. Which is not unusual but disappointing. Over the last eighteen months the problem with Covid has meant that not only were there complete lockdowns but also many staff have been missing at various times. The other not unexpected issue was that the boat was filthy- mostly – the usual Saharan red dust.

The tender has had the tubes replaced and the engine fixed but the transom is not. Also, the squabs need replacing and tube covers extended. It looks unloved.

The alterations for the bunk rooms project had been done well but not finished and the squab for the new bunk had not arrived. As discovered later all the screws are zinc and not stainless and Hew had to spend a whole day of week three changing them.

The skin fittings were still being replaced this week. The new 3D printer at the boatyard has proved very handy. When some covers did not fit a modified replacement was printed.

Due to Brexit, parts from the big UK chandlery stores now not only gather VAT but also the duty and get bogged down in paperwork so all pieces are being sourced via the yard suppliers. Another improvement is the yard now has a dedicated purchaser, Antonio who also runs the 3D printer.

The Victron power monitoring gear and inverters currently undergoing a rethink as too complex for the electronics guys here. The good news is that at least we are getting some information from the new units – the bad news is the starboard battery bank is dead and needs replacing!! Maybe also the alternator.

The rigging needs replacing for insurance before we can cross the Atlantic. Unfortunately, it will take 2-3 weeks for parts, that long without a mast, and cannot be done at MdR until October. Therefore we are rethinking the rigging replacement in terms of where and when.

We had made a deposit for the deck repaint but it has not been started. The deck was repainted by the previous owner but it was a really bad job and the paint is all coming off. We have decided to leave this job until we get back to New Zealand.

On the Water at the Dockyard Week 2

Week 2 The yacht finally went into the water on Thursday and additional work that was not on the original list was also added i.e. more items were not working properly or had failed!!

We moved onboard Saturday. After two weeks ashore it was great to be back again and much much cooler.

Saturday night was a big night for Italy when they beat England for the Euro2020 Cup (delayed from last year) – the whole town was in celebration mode. All the kids were out – cars, motorbikes, electric scooters, and cycles. Electric scooters are a much bigger item here than in New Zealand – more so than electric bikes. The cruiser’s favourite Stella Bar hosted everyone again. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g1097285-d6649059-Reviews-Bar_Stella_Marina-Marina_di_Ragusa_Ragusa_Province_of_Ragusa_Sicily.html

Saturday was still a workday for us but the locals get out in all forms of sea craft – traditional or not. Good to be near the water again and see all the activity. The Marina is looking very tidy and nearly completelybooked out for the winter. https://www.portoturisticomarinadiragusa.it/

Earlier in the week, we noticed that all the cockpit roof lights were falling out and needed replacement. Job finished this Sunday.

The stove too had two burners not working and a bad arrangement of burners anyway, with the largest to the rear inner corner. Removal a Sunday evening job.

At the same time, we were listening to all the Italian RIBs coming back to the Marina with their stereos on full bass!! Some of them are so good they can even outdo Gypsy the big launch on the other side. Made us realize that we had not got the stereo going yet. There are quite a few Takacats https://www.takacat.com/ here probably because the boatyard has an agency, but we hadnt seen any before except in New Zealand.

Summary at the end of week two:

Good: lights in cockpit updated, stove updated, living on the yacht, new squabs for dingy, sails and lazy bag on board.

Awaiting: Batteries, belts, pumps, engine impellers, tender finishing

Apologies for the late post but the next to follow shortly.

Italian driving –

Much has been said about this topic but our thoughts are these. Italians:

• always pull over and give room for you to pass
• pass you at double the speed you are doing
• generally ignore all speed limits and all speed cameras
• never indicate even if they have asked you to follow them
• pay attention to the different parking areas marked on the roads in the main towns i.e. non colour, pink, yellow, blue
• park anywhere anyhow if the roads are not marked: nose only, forwards, backwards, in the direction of travel , in the opposite direction, parcelled ion the road

Italian Design

• Being at the beach everyone is very casual and you do not see as much as you do in the towns but every now and then something catches your eye and you think it is really great. Even the simple espresso machine
• 
• Long dresses are in for women here in the summer and they are very elegant, also log wide soft flowing trousers.But then there are also the short dresses and very high heels – sorry I missed the stilettos in this photo
• 

Food

• absolutely prefer fresh and local in all foods
• the tomatoes at this time of year are fabulous as are the aubergines, capsicums and peaches
• they love pizzas
• they love fresh bread and often feel it thoroughly in the supermarket to make sure it is fresh
• sea food is really good if you get it fresh, but when they offer you a plate for fresh fish to chose from, look at the eyes and choose carefully, some are not as fresh as others
• the little family local stores that are not part of a chain are often have a deli and are often better than the supermarkets for fresh fruit, dried meat cut and bread and they have all sorts of items you might need that we would not normally associate with such as store e.g. gas bottles and fittings etc

Recylcing, Rubbish and Sewerage

• supermarkets only sell self composting bags or re-useable carry bags
• households have a system of 5 rubbish bins: paper/cardboard, glass, plastic, compostable and finally unsorted(the rest). In the compostable bin you need to put your scraps in compostable bags(only) before they go in the bin and you can buy these from the supermarket. They collected on different days of the week and are all small bins – very efficient
• The bad side is that around the marina the users are not as fastidious and there is always too much rubbish and not collected often enough – results in hot smelly garbage wafting around the area. “Eau di summer”
• The other side that has still not been fixed is the smell of sewerage in some places – old town.
• Marina do Ragusa is luck as there is a huge amount of artesian water that flows into the sea here so despite being so arid there is a fairly steady supply. The sea even feels cold around the beach where is comes out and there is a big outlet in the marina that washes the marina out continuously.

Street Cleaning

• these come through every night and sweep the streets – often with a person on the side walk as well
• but they never pull out any of the weeds which is a great pity as it detracts from the clean streets

Cars

• most are small to get through all the little streets and alleyways, some are very small

Gardens and Public Planting

• very few houses / apartment blocks have good gardens. Mostly just a few plants growing out of bare soil.
• the most common plants in Marina di Ragusa are a mixture of local such as Oleanders and many Fijian red Hibiscus and NZ Pohutukawa  – surprisingly .
• some motorways have Oleanders in the centre strips in colours of white, pink, red and make a very colourful display as you are driving down them
• 

 Heat and siestas and eating

• Everyone still has an afternoon siesta and it is a great idea – too hot to do anything outside in the middle of the day
• Great to be able to eat at 1100pm unlike NZ
• Boat yard is one of the few places that works 8-5 no break.
• The beaches are packed and more volley ball nets have gone up
• 
• 

Differences

• Windmills have multiplied and are seen on every ridge and on the outskirts of lots of towns, but some very hasty days with the dust from the south.
• 
• Solar panels are on most buildings and you can buy electricity programs to suit the amount you generate – some of them are useage limited.
• There has been a lot of work done on the main roads ato be ready for an influx of tourists – the work is still going on.
• 
• Budgy smugglers and shorts are still in for the boys but the girls are now nearly all in thongs!!
• 
• Most people / nearly all are vaccinated
• Masks are everywhere and worn every time you go inside a building or public transport.
• You can get colour coordinated mask to match your dress/shirts etc
• The boat yard has really improved/ modernised and tidied with a 3D printer now as part of the equipment
• Very often the menus are in bar codes on place mats

In Summary – Summer in Marina do Ragusa seems to be going very well, full of Italians with very few overseas people, assisted by a “go local” campaign similar New Zealand which will make up for a long hard lockdown last year.Everyone is hoping there will be no major change – unlike other parts of Europe.

Note: I will add to this page with photos as items pop up.

Departed at 1815L motored most of the way to Syracusa with little to see. Best was sunset passing the Straits of Messina with Etna in the background.

Sunset over Messina Straits and Mt Etna

Arrived Syracuse about 35 hours later at 0615L and anchored then fell asleep for several hours.

Di and Pete went into town to explore while Hew and I went off to get the Costitutio. For a change the office was tidy and organised and only took an hour during which I had to handwrite a crew arrival list which I had already typed out with identical information but not an identical form …..

Then we went back to the boat to sort out a few jobs. All met up and went for a la passeggiata (the evening stroll around town) and then dinner. Lovely evening and a great change from the day we were here last year which was cold and windy. But weather is definitely getting cooler.

Hew feeling cold and colourful

Lovely old buildings that we walked past and we also wandered up the canal in the dingy to look around.

The Paintings on the roof in every room tell a story

Next morning Di and Pete were dropped off to get a rental car and view Sicily before heading to Spain. The steps on the canal were filthy and close by the best hotel in Syracuse – so sad for a tourist town.

We departed for the last leg back to Marina Di Ragusa motor sailing into the wind 15-20kts for the first half then gradually declining wind for the last part.

Capo Murro di Porco

Arrived at 1730 feeling tired and salty. Entry seems even more silted up and now has buoys marking the main channel at the entrance. Cheerful welcome on the radio and parked next to an Australian yacht Katherine owners Lee and Andrew, friends of Rob and Virginia’s.

Quick tidy, early dinner and early night all jobs left for the next day.

Put the sails on Tuesday morning with the help of the new crew – hard work. The sea trial for all the new instruments was a fail as all the screens blanked – software bug…!!!. Back to the marina for an upgrade. By now it was too late to head off to Malta.

Wednesday lovely morning but lots of software and line problems and then our instrument man Pietro had to accompany his daughter to a play in the old Greek amphitheatre in Syracuse so gone for the day at lunch time. Lovely day so we decided to go out and do our own sea trial. Went for a light sail and a swim. Very pleasant and all seemed well except for already identified instrument faults. But we felt great.

Back to the marina where Christine and I tried to sort out a long-standing issue with the gennika furler while Alan and Hew tried to sort out the engine instruments and speed transducer. We succeeded but the boys had to change the connection unit for the instruments and they were still not entirely right.

Thursday dawns windy and more software programming – finally good to go by lunch time. Not as nice a day as Wednesday but more wind so set sail with overcast skies and 15kts. Sails were up and we were off, instruments all looked good and then our starboard bilge alarm went off. Much running around and floor board lifting and discovered that two minor problems- float switch was jammed by a hose and so alarms was going but not bilge pump. After much investigation it appears tp be same issue we had last year. At some stage in the yachts history some “not so bright spark” had disconnected the  fridge/freezer drains and decided they would be fine emptying into the bilges. Very difficult to fix as on the other side of the keel and behind and under the fridges. Anyway, once the bulge pump and bucket were out the water was soon gone and on we continued.Christine and Alan took the helm for most of the day while Hew and I had a nap.

Arrived at Malta around 8pm in time for sunset. Very welcoming feeling with the old fort and bangers and fire crackers going off in the evening. 4 other yachts already anchored outside the water polo club in Marsamxett harbour. As we were manoeuvring into anchoring position discovered the windlass not working- no power-we had had the same problem at MdR on the hard when we were marking the chain but had replaced a relay and thought it was all fixed……. but not so. More scrambling down hatches and behind switch boards for a temporary fix. Finally anchored and relaxed.

Friday morning was chandlery shopping for Hew and I, but another fail – it was a public holiday…. grrrr. Latest toy boats in Malta are the Eco Donuts below with the solar powered electric engines.

Alan and Christine had gone off to view the fort and old town so we retired back to the yacht for a relax and read.

By the time they got back Alan decided to cool down with a swim. Small boat in the background is for sale for USD18m.

Too late to really leave so we decided to make use of the restaurant at the yacht club which is excellent and had a lovely meal. 

Saturday we rose early and set off at 6am for Gozo the northern island to some recommended bays. Here are some photos on the way up the coast . Motored all the way as not enough wind. The only others up were the fishermen. Here are some photos of the sites along the coast. Note the graffiti on the foreshore.

Also many hotels along the foreshore and especially any beaches or good rock ledges.

Between the beaches and the low hills are many magnificent cliffs and caves

Also similarly to Sardinia and Corsica a collection of watch towers all along the coast. Many of these have their own names.

Finally we reached the northern tip of Malta and now crossed over to Gozo. We did not stop at the main town of Mgarr as we had been given some directions to continue to Dwejra Bay, so here are just some passing photos of the town and the very large Cathedral.

Again many interesting formations on the cliffs around the coast.

Dwejra Bay was so magnificant that it needed its own post.

Well after three long flights – two on Singapore and one on Ryan Air I arrived into Comiso on a beautiful clear Friday. The flight from Rome to Comiso had been great – over all the islands we had sailed through in 2018, then coming into Comiso you could see back to Licarta and all the market gardens around Comiso town

Unfortunately the weather did not last long and the afternoon turned windy and grey which continued into Saturday and Sunday. Back in Marina di Ragusa there is little activity still and it takes some time to get back into the rhythm of the town. This time we are staying in a flat near to the centre of the town so easy walk to the centre. Patisserie close by is very good.

Yacht not in the water still and Hew tired after three weeks of working on it and/or trying to get the yard to work on it !! So just hanging around for the weekend catching up on sleep. Sunday afternoon shops closed so catching up on all the paperwork.

Mesino was the site of the ancient roman navy for some time and supplied with fresh water by the Augustan aqueduct from 100km away. There remains the largest known cistern ever built by the ancient romans – commonly called the “temple of water” or “piscina mirabilis”, It is on private land with no explanation and little direction. You make an appointment then just go and look for yourselves. It has a ceiling held up by 48 pillars in 4 rows of 12. It is mentioned in Robert Harris’ book “Pompeii” and google has some good information which is worth reading before you go.

[See image gallery at kiwiflyingfish.com]

Pompeii was the next stop and and on advice from a friend we got a personal guide which was absolutely the right decision.  His grandmother had been born and grown up in the house  which is in the middle of the ruins and he lived nearby so he had a great wealth of knowledge about the history of the area and the ruins.

So much is known about Pompeii because it was buried and many houses remained in tact. Early excavations and restoration efforts did some damage but now all parts are being handled very carefully. Apart from the major temples, and amphitheatres it was great to learn about the little things such as the signs for the brothels and the names of the prostitutes engraved on the walls, and their specialties painted in frescoes. Also how the common people and the women made their thoughts known on elections even though they did not have the vote.

I loved the paved roads and the delineation of the pavements from the cart areas and the method of sluicing them clean each night from the fountains. I also loved the mosaics and was amazed at how many had survived. Whole villa layouts, with their fountains  and gardens was also interesting. We would have missed many of the small details if we had not hired the guide. 

The last few photos are of the  Pontifical Shrine of the Blessed Virgin of the Rosary of Pompeii which is a Roman Catholic cathedral, Marian pontifical shrine and minor basilica commissioned by Bartolo Longo.

I hope you enjoy the photos. 

[See image gallery at kiwiflyingfish.com]

Ponza

We sailed from Ostia direct to Pontines – were going to go to Palmerole but Ponza closer and we were late leaving. Anchored Cala di Feola – gorgeous town very different from others we had seen. Pastel coloured houses up the cliffs and in many cases the houses were in caves back into the cliffs with doors and windows appearing in solid rock. The bay was small and a little shelter but good anchorage with winds from the E and S which we had and were forecast. As usual the bay filled up with lots of boats packed in for a beautiful evening.

Lightning and thunder unforecast early morning – got up at early as it started to rain to shut everything then suddenly a +20kt front came through and bedlam – the wind picked up our bows and we swung really close to another as we tried to up anchor. With too much weight on chain and still swinging luckily quick-thinking motor boat let out his anchor fast and we just missed his bow – which  was pointing into the wind and we were side on.  General panic as boats up anchored and tried to escape the weather.

We headed around the east side of the island for some shelter and anchored in the southern half of a bay – Cala Gaetanoa – lovely flat calm with the front having departed . All went for a snorkel to some of the grottos in the cliffs and had a swim around a huge natural arch standing in the bay.

We then went around closer to town to have a look and anchored below the an old villa close to the main town with ancient Roman fish farm grottoes. Not allowed to snorkel but entered in the RIB. These were really interesting since we had just read about the fish farms in Robert Harris’ book “Pompeii”. The first photo is the fish farm grottos and the later photo with caves above the rocks are the exit from the farms. In the fish farms there is a pond with the cut out of the rock for a gate or grill. Amazing structures, apparently the Romans farmed Moray Eels which were regarded as a delicacy!!

Later went into the small colourful town for cocktails  –  heaps of local boats in the cove. We were told that the fishermen used to paint their houses different colours so they could find their own from the sea.  we were amused by the local squid boats which had 3 little rowing boats on the stern with generators and an array of lights on them.  The little boats were less than 4 metres long – we came across them operating in the middle of the night later when we travelled from Capri to Procida. 

AIS for Italian fishing boats is an optional device – you leave it off so no one knows where you are and only turn it on at the last minute if you think someone is coming too close. The night we came across the little squid boats fishing we could obviously see the lights but couldn’t locate the larger 30 meter mother ships on our AIS.  suddenly when we were within less than a mile of these boats trying to find a way through 5 boats turned on their ID systems and immediatley turned them off again when we had passed through.

Ventotene

Arrived late afternoon. The town was an old roman harbour originally built for galleys. Great cordoned off bay below the cliffs which are also part of the remains.  There are also two cisterns and aqueducts  on the island also care of the Romans.  You have to be impressed with the engineering feats of the Romans but I guess with a cheap supply of labour in slaves almost anything could be achieved. Now there is a desalination plant!

Great little museum as 4 shipwrecks have been found close to the harbour that were preserved as they were in very deep water. Tours to the roman villa and cisterns on different days.

We loved the way the old galley harbour had been left pretty much intact and is now used by smaller local boats.  Around the harbour they are still using all the old walls and caves for shops, restaurants, garages etc. The town has a lot of character. A larger modern harbour had been built close by for ferries and larger boats.

Later afternoon they invited all yachts outside harbour if they would like to come in for very low fees- we asked in person when we were ashore and they said EU 25 – the guy made a mistake and when we got back to the boat the man in RIB also offered us a berth and he asked how much when I told him he said “that’s cheaper than chewing gum”!! By the time we got to the berth it was obvious the other guy had made a mistake but he stuck to the price and said he didn’t know it was a catamarano – even though I had told him – obviously saving face . No services but much more comfortable than the swell outside..

Wedding on in town and everyone – men and women wearing white. Looked great – went all night – including fireworks at 0230 am. Then in the morning as we got organized to depart a boat load of partiers came ashore in a RIB – they had obviously been swimming and were still under the influence!!

Santa Stefano

We sailed past in the norming and had decided that we did not need to go and look around a prison. Almost every island in and every island fortification seems to have been used as a prison at some time – some for far longer than others.  This one was purpose built, by the prisoners of course!

Flegrean Islands

Ischia

Arrived at Ischia around lunch time and anchored and snorkeled Spiaggia Citara but not many fish. The most were on a big rock right behind us!  Moved to another area for the night  Lido di San Montano, a popular spot and  lots of boats and just round the corner from the marina at Casamicciola where we could have anchored but too many boats  so happy where we were. The bay was a thermal area and park and looked really lush and well planted  but we decided not to go ashore.

There is a noticeable change in the weather form the 30 degree days to only 25 and therefore a lack of swimming by all the crew in the evening except myself.

All the day boats around us departed except for two who both had snorkelers on who went snorkeling after dark. I am unsure of what they were looking for as we did not have any underwater torches with us – next purchase. Also I had a problem in a very large cave when my camera battery died and I could not investigate the back!!

Aragon Castle is maintained  by a Milan family and very good condition – best we have seen so far and all the gardens cared for – seems that private enterprise is better than state. Some great spaces and alot of art hanging in various parts of the castle.  It appeared the family also underwrote an art restoration studio on the site. These enormous defensive castles must have consumed all of the local GDP when they were constructed in the 1500’s.  A particularly horrid room in it was “house of tortures” – medieval torture instruments as well as armour and weapons. They had nasty minds in those days. Amusing to see male and female chastity belts!!

Below the castle in the bay where we anchored and close to the cliffs are outlets of fresh water and the sea water is full of bubbles – like champagne. Great to see.  Also interesting thing was that the seagrass in the area eaten right down – like it had been mowed as the fish grazed on it. Lots of fish there and also crab nets from the locals. And a very oversized anchor for a little boat.

Between all the swimming some of the crew were busy learning to sail the yacht!! But the gym program in London to get fit didn’t quite provide enough arm strength!!!

Ischia town. Great enclosed deep harbour full of ferries and tour boats. Seems the commercial enterprises run the harbour as although it is a perfect place and built when an old lake which had been formed in an earthquake  had a narrow channel cut through to the sea …. It is dirty, run down and purely functional. It had been raining in the hills and with the harbour full the water laps over the edge of the sinking pavements and pontoons on the southern side. The pontoons here are above the edge of the harbour and when we got back the dingy was sitting on the edge!! The town a few streets back is much larger than expected with many shops a huge number of restaurants on cute winding streets.

Had a good simple meal at a great restaurant called Da Raffaele – identified by chicken jugs for wine! Also one very funny waiter who had an act for everything and had one woman in tears she was laughing so much.

Procida

Nice little island, the western most portion is a nature reserve around an old caldera with a bridge to it from the main part of town. We remain mystified as how these nature reserves work as according to the charts everything is protected but the locals just carry on fishing, anchoring and everything else within the exclusion zones. Procida is a little fishing village – we stayed in the bay next to the main town.  Very pretty with another fortification on the hill that we did not visit as running out of time.

After Procida we visited Messina and Pompeii (I will cover those in a separate post) before going to Capri, then we later returned to Procida for two nights because the anchorage was so good before we dropped off our three younger crew back at Capri.

Capri

We went to Capri with high hopes from all the stories of how beautiful it was but it was really a disappointment. Huge volcanic rock and great cliffs overrun by tourists and tour operators. Exorbitant prices. The marina wanted EU2300 for the yacht – if we had been the same length but a monohull only 5m wide it would have been EU280 obviously they do not want catamarans. Our first trip to Capri we stopped on a bay to the west and explored some caves in the bay. The next day we anchored close to the harbour to have a look around but just sent the kids ashore while we did some paper work. 

The second trip when we arrived in the port and anchored in the same place we were first get there and so go the spot we wanted and stayed to drop off Sophie James and Ryan. Decided to have a quick look around town after they left but by that time – midday it was like a zoo . Ferries had been arriving all day and off loading people by the hundreds. The wharf / marina area is standing room only unless you are sitting in a restaurant. There are ques for everything – buses, trams, small ferries and boats to the grottos and the mini market – a complete Zoo. Puts you off so much that you do not want to be there.

We intended to stay for several days but with bad weather and only very deep anchorages we only lasted one night. The second night we left at 2200 as the wind got up and went back to Procida for the night and an extra day then came back to Capri to drop of James, Sophie and Ryan before we continued down the Amalfi Coast. 

This is the  photo of father and son after James had 6 weeks on the yacht.!! They now both had a tan.

Stromboli

We anchored on the west side near the town just on dark . Black volcanic rock and really cute square white houses. As darkness fell we could see all the small tourist boats going out and just hanging outside the town waiting for dark. Then as it got darker they all headed to the north side of the island where you can see the best displays for the eruptions from the crater and the large red hot rocks falling down the scree slope into the ocean. You can hear the rocks in the night before you see them. We decided that it was too hard to anchor after dark so left it to the morning and went round and watched just before  sun rise. The only  problem was the sun came up too quickly and I did not have a large lens needed for the distance. the eruptions are intermittent so the best was as we were driving around and there did not seem enough to get the photos I wanted. Would definitely go back and perhaps climb the mountain next time or spend the whole night off the coast on that side. 

Liscia di Bianca, Bottaro, Dattilo

We motored on after sunrise to the three small islands before Panarea and found a great anchoring spot and stayed the night. The island itself had several small caves and some gas bubbling out of the ground.

Between Bottaro and Liscuia Bianca there is a real hot spot with sulphur vents  which is fun to swim through and the fish seemed to like it as well as there were hundreds of small fish. 

As we left the next morning we also went past Le Guglie, on Dattilo and tried to find a wreck that was listed but couldn’t see it.

We also saw our first reall group of dolphins in our 5 months cruising here – twice before we have seen 2 or 3 but this time there were 10 or more.

Panarea

We anchored outside the town of Panarea – very cute some really expensive shops, small alleys, but hard to get any groceries as many of the items were sold out and the ship did not come in for a couple of days. The butcher was also a pizzeria so managed to get some steak kebab for one nights dinner. The taxis were all electric golf carts. Several electric scooters around.   The locals also warned us about the wind coming so we headed to the south end of the island and anchored in Cala Junca. There were three other boat there as well and the largest tied itself to the cliff for the night. The bay is also supposed to have a wreck in it at a shallow depth but I couldn’t find it and there is a necropolis on top of the point but we did not find out about that until in the museum in Lipari!! It was a very windy night but no incidents and since the wind was forecast to increase we left for Lipari in the morning. 

Lipari

We went to Lipari marina as the weather was due to deteriorate and there are few really safe anchorages. We decided to stay  two nights but ended up staying for three. The staff were the best we had anywhere. They were so helpful in every aspect; replying quickly to an email query, being very welcoming, helping to get on the dock, rearranging the dock lines as they were not right, revisiting us before a really windy night to add another bow line!! They couldn’t be faulted.

They squeezed all the yachts in for the nights that were bad and checked all lines and all the commercial operators who were 3 and 4 deep against the outside wall opposite us. To top it all they gave us a really good price since it was the end of the season. The power was good and the water and the refuse was just up the dock as were the showers and toilets. The bus went into town or you could walk from the marina – we cycled. They also helped us for directions on chandleries, and translated for a mechanic we needed to get in for the engine. No problem at all .  The marina although small was a really pleasant surprise. 

Of course being in a marina we meet and talked to several of the yachties – all sitting out the storm. One an american was sailing single handed at seventy and is going to write a book. Should be interesting as he is a good writer . 

We spent some time in town and really liked it. It was a small town but not overrun by tourists – even though there were many there. Really good large supermarket( best since Malta) that had everything and would deliver within and hour. A delivery time unheard of in Italy on all our travels. They also had chandlers , hardware shops etc. Everything you need in a normal town as well as the tourist shops. It was a really nice change.  

The fort on the top of the hill and all the buildings inside have been turned into museums with some great exhibitions. Also a very good explanation of the volcanology of the area. Everything was in Italian and English – except for the volcanology exhibition which was only in Italian and it was a great pity as it had a world wide explanation and very interesting. The only issue I would have is that the area had a dead feeling – there was not even a cafe in the area so if you wanted a rest and drink or something to eat you had to go back down to the town, then come up again to resume your tour. Also with no living businesses it made the area feel cold and unfriendly.

The Norman abbey was built on top of a Greek temple and the columns were reused. Interestingly every column had a different cap stone carving.

The interior of the San Bartolomeo Cathedral was beautiful especially the stained glass and the ceiling frescoes.

Hew had to get a new passport before we left Italy as he did not have a 6 month left before expiry and we would be  going through the US. We had been taking photos in several places as his first photo was rejected. Finally we decided that we would use a professional photographer to get the digital photo, but none of the photographers believed we needed a digital copy and they all said they could not do it. Finally on the last day in Lipari we decided that those we had taken would be accepted as they all had textured backgrounds, slight shadows or reflections on his glasses or eyes. When he found the last photo had been rejected we decided to stay a third night and do the photos in the morning . Went into town and found a guy who took the photo  put it on the smart drive for us. We went back to the yacht and set of f for Volcano.

Volcano is an island of contrasts – good and bad

We arrived into Porto Levente which is a pleasant looking port with a nice hotel and bar on the beach to the west end and a small pontoon that you can tie to and that the sightseeing ferries drop off at. The local fisherman who had sold us fish two days before turned up and sold us another couple of Dorado for dinner which were great. 

Unfortunately we had not checked  the digital photo and when we did we found that a 2M photo had turned into less than 250K – why or how I don’t know. But it did so we needed to get another – so back to Lipari and the fastest way was the hydrofoil. GRRRR……

We got off the yacht and walked into the main port area for Hew to catch the hydrofoil back to Lipari – easiest way 15min trip.  The port area is absolutely horrible – full of tourists waiting for ferries, run down, dirty, full of junk shops and junk stalls. Never want to go back. Additionally the famous mudpool /baths is just a natural pool surrounded by wooden stakes beside the road. Maybe that is natural but I would not go near it. It would seem like a very run down version of sitting in a mud pool in Rotorua that you found on the side of a road. With all the tourists walking past and peering over the fence at you. Hard to describe. I don’t know why people swim in it. It is very sulphurous and apparently slightly radioactive!!! 

What was cute were all the open Citroen Mehari cars – would love one for the beach. Seems that they cost a lot to acquire now though – obviously collectors items.

I left Hew at the Ferry and walked back to the boat. He appeared a few hours later having been to Lipari to get a higher resolution copy of the photo . We sent it in that night. 

In the morning we had another email and it had been refused so we sent the fifth photo in which was one I had taken with his glasses off but he had reflections on his irises so we hadn’t used it. Guess what the next day it came back approved. Thank goodness, otherwise Hew was going to become a resident of Italy!!!

Having sorted the passport issues we left the yacht to climb Volcano. The walk from the dock to the top took an hour and I was glad we did it in the morning early as after that there were loads of tourists. The track to the top is good although very eroded in places. The rim is very sulphurous and as you go higher you can get above it, but for the last 800m you got a good smell of the fumes. It is a great view from the top and you can see all the old craters around the island. Looking back into the residential area it looks really pretty – not the same island you see from the ground around the port. Sone keen people had also been to the bottom of the crater and laid their initials with rocks . A worthwhile trip.

         Later we decided to go north to the last islands Salina( which can be seen in the photo above north of Lipari)  and Filicudi ( which is further west). Unfortunately we had left a bit late and as we were sailing up the west coast of Lipari the wind was getting up and all on the nose and the forecast was not great. We got up to Salina  and looked at the options of anchorages and decided it was not good so sailed back – downwind this time –  to the southern end of Volcano. We did try to anchor at Gelso but one yacht had the prime spot and both other spots we just dragged over the rock and into deep water. It we had anchored closer to him it was too close for the wind change predicted overnight and we thought we better take the safe bet and go back to the north side. 

We arrived at Porto di Ponente just on dusk and got a good anchorage close to the permanent moorings. 

There were eight other yachts in there but we had plenty of room and we could have also had a mooring if we wanted but decided that we didn’t need to pay the extra. The mooring man was very friendly and said to call him if any problems.

Guess what?? 3am we hear a great crash – leap out of bed and a yacht who had anchored in the dark near us had dragged right across our anchor line – missing the bows by about  meter. They were all up and then got their motor on and tried to pull their anchor up but of course it was caught in our chain. The wind was blowing about 15kts and we were swing around as well. For us to let out chain we need to  pull up  to let the bridle off and that would only take us closer to them. About 45 min later they finally got their anchor free but they had to haul it in by hand with three of them on the bow – I am guessing that they burnt out their windlass. 

Back to bed and about 5 am which meant we didn’t then wake till about 0800 so a later start than planned. We were leaving the Lipari Islands for Sicily.