Gaeta

Sorry - we have some good photos set aside but cannot get them to upload. Wow what an interesting place Gaeta is.  We had not heard of it until now when we heard it was a good place to take a pit stop and provision.  Fortunately for us there is a safe anchorage just outside the marina at the head of the harbour and we hand out here for 11 days while Richard recuperates. Its a NATO base of some sort so our view to the south is a large American supply ship for a few days.

Pippy cannot avoid it any longer and has to relearn how to drive the outboard.  She does a few bunny hops around the harbour then gets the hang of it.  This is followed by several days of carting huge bags of groceries, fruit and veg, beer and wine etc back to the dinghy via trolley, then on to the boat.  We had not realised we had run things on the boat so low.

Well, its more than a week later and we are still here.  We have been in touch with Bill and Jean on Soleil San Fin (on their way to Genoa and Dockwise to America) and they have introduced us to Jayne on Aorangi who keeps her boat in the marina.  Jayne proves to be an amazing contact and genuinely lovely person who is married to an Italian and has lived here for 27 years.  With fluent Italian, Jayne walks Pippy around the town to all the ‘best’ places to buy wine, cheese, olive oil, fruit and veg etc.  The Gaeta bread cooked in an open fire furnace is delicious, a little like a sourdough and will keep fresh for several days on board then once dried can be reconstituted.

Pippy and Jayne do the Wednesday market together and come home with a classy white linen shirt for Jane and Prada sailing trousers for Pippy (yes they are the genuine article at Euro 8), local wine and loads of fresh fruit and veg.

The ‘shopping alley’ one street back from the harbour is fantastico.  Authentic Italian setting with mostly locals going about their everyday business.  There are many choices of places to buy fresh meat and vegetables, locale wine and olive oil.  It is blessedly cool in the narrow street with tall buildings keeping out the blistering sun.  Pippy regularly rattles the trolley over the old cobbles from Pams supermarket who will vacuum pack prosciutto etc and so will some of the Macellerias.  Around 5-6 pm each day there is a fresh fish market near the small fishing marina.  Anchored in the harbour makes us fair game as the large fishing boats scream home past us in time for the market.  They send out a wake like a tidal wave.  We just have to make sure we leave nothing sitting on the transom as the wave comes right into the cockpit at times!

A shop called Alimentary Mary on the waterfront opposite the marina entrance sells wonderful local wine, bread, cheeses (Buffulo ricotta) and other yummies.   We park our dinghy regularly right in the corner of the marina by the showers and toilets in front of a galvanised fence which we tie to.  Pippy abruptly learns to always use the pedestrian entrance to come and go from the marina.  The security bar comes down with a crash between cars coming and going and Pippy nearly wears it one day.  There are warning signs all over the place (in Italian) but they happen to be attached to the bar and up in the air when Pippy (in a heat daze) walks through after a car and she is inches from being wiped out.  We hear later that the bars have been known to break car windscreens!!  WHEW!


The night before we say goodbye to Jayne, we join her to watch a soccer match on TV in the delightful Yacht Club, cheering lustily for the Italian team who win to Germany.  Unfortunately they are knocked out of the European Cub the following weekend by Spain.  However, its nice to have a taste of watching sport in Italy in such a lovely location.

Soon it is time to leave.  Richard is feeling better though not 100% so we plan a not too demanding day sail up the coast to Anzio.  Half way there (motoring with wind on the nose) we spot the Pontine Islands in the distance off to port.  The wind will take us there easily, so we change course, hoist the sails, turn off the engine and head for the Island of Ponza.  We have it on good advice from Jayne that it it beautiful there and we are not to be disappointed.

Siracusa to Capri with visitors on board...

Deb and Greg visit us in late May, with Noel and Kerrin following on about eight days later...

Siracusa, Riposto and Taormina with Deb and Greg Cook make for many more special memories.  

Just shipped in....

Tastes like a beer should....

That's Matelot down there....

Mt Aetna smokes away in the background

Pomodore at the market...

We get fed with lots of free samples at the cheese shop...

We farewell Deb and Greg and sail through the Straights of Messina with whirlpools and strange currents all around us.  

Noel and Kerrin Vautier join us at Agropoli, and we sail on to Amalfi, Positano and Capri. 

Amalfi Harbour

What stories we can tell from all this.  Mooring in Amalfi has to be one of our most memorable experiences of the Med so far and will stand out in our memory as a real adrenalin rush.  

The rocks are very close!

Our boat is taken over by an experienced Ormiggiatori who drives us at speed straight into the small port, through a tiny gap in the pontoons and straight for the shore, turning at the last moment and planting us beside another boat, shallow water and rocks seemingly inches under the bow.

Relaxing after the adrenalin rush

Capri Grotto

 


We move on to Positano for a rolly anchorage and a nice walk up the hill.

Capri is circumnavigated...

Its very difficult to land anywhere on the island.  We manage to leave our dinghy on one of the few public beaches and come back to find it covered in bathers clothes.....

Anchoring in the shade...

Our nights are spent anchored off Marina Piccolo....

It gets a bit crowded but its the best place in the afternoon land breeze.

Photo opportunities are many.   But when it comes time to farewell Noel and Kerrin we cannot find anywhere to land them with their suitcases.  Richard gets Noel in with his suitcase but is not allowed to take Kerrin in there, so has to take our tiny dinghy into the port amongst the milling large ferries.  He is gone for more than half an hour and causing concern, but eventually pops out amongst the frenetic wakes of all the boats coming and going.

Aoelian Islands - a Place of Beauty then on to Agropoli

Richard with all his sheets out.

Its 6 June by the time we set sail from Tropea for the Volcanic Aoelian Islands . We want to make sure we don't miss a stopover at this magical place. A quick visit to the laundry before we depart means we have washing to get dry on the way.  It doesn't take long... the washing that is.  

We choose to make an overnight passage as we have blown our budget on marinas and the anchorage outside the marina is still too rolly for our comfort. 

It is not long before the sun goes down that we spot Stromboli off to our starboard side.  

Our arrival into the anchorage on the eastern side of Vulcano is around 5am and we drop the anchor and take a hot spa in the bubbling water close to the shore. 

We like the look of the anchorage on the other side, so head around there later in the day.  Because we are so young and fit, we decide to climb to the top of Vulcano...   Its amazing!

We sleep well when the sun goes down to New Zealand

We manage to purchase good provisions on Vulcano.  Fresh lamb chops, fruit and vegetables and really delicious bread.  Our dinner of lamb and veg as we sail past Stromboli again, this time keeping it to starboard, is most welcome.  It sends up a bit of fire but not enough for photographs.

Its another overnight passage to a beautiful anchorage at Capo Palinuro on the mainland, then Agropoli to rendezvous with Noel and Kerrin Vautier.

Agropoli is a pretty cool place

We did not know much about Agropoli before now.  Close to Pompei, there is lots of history here and this site is pastoral and relaxing to visit.  We take a picnic lunch and have a nap under the trees afterwards, before returning on the train - not far - to meet up with Noel and Kerrin.