• Cruising donkeys

The journey home

It’s going to take a while but we are now heading slowly north and back to beautiful Guernsey Meer informatie
  • Aeolian Islands

    11 juni 2019, Italië ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    From Scilla we bearded across the straits and anchored on the west edge of the Milazzo headland on Sicily. There were a few day boats there as it was Sunday but they had all gone by early evening leaving just us it was very quiet and very calm. Next day we moved north to Port Ponente on Isola Vulcano, it’s a bit sulphurous, rotten egg smell, but depends on wind direction. This morning we had an early start and started our walk up to the crater rim at 7am, it’s been so hot the last few days that we wanted to get up and down from the sun reached melting temperature. Am glad we made the effort as the views were pretty good, there was some heat haze but we could still see Stromboli. We had planned to walk up and the around the rim but because of the breeze we could only go 3/4 of the way this meant we got to the high point but not close to the very yellow section as the sulphurous gases were very strong here so we turned back. Also on the island are mud baths, but I know from a previous experience that it is nearly impossible to get the smell out your bathers, it’s pretty tough getting it off your skin! Wind direction due to change tomorrow so we will be heading to another of the islands Panarea before possibly a late night cruise to Stromboli in the hope of seeing an eruption. Apparently it is almost constantly having little eruptions and we might see molten lava which would be kind of exciting!Meer informatie

  • Panarea

    13 juni 2019, Italië ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Hello again sorry it’s been a while. We are making slow progress north towards Rome.
    From a somewhat rolly anchorage off the cement works on Lipari we headed north to Panarea where we anchored south of the main town and had a walk around, but boy was it hot.Meer informatie

  • Stromboli

    13 juni 2019, Italië ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    In the late afternoon we went up to Stromboli passing by the west coast to see the lava and mini eruptions before anchoring to the north to wait for nightfall. We headed back to the west coast about 10 and saw some more eruptions and lava flows. We tried photos but they didn’t work sorryMeer informatie

  • Vibo, Tropea and Cetraro

    15 juni 2019, Italië ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    We thenturned north again for an overnight cruise to Vibo Marina arriving at 6am we had a quick snooze before going into Marina, which is near Tropea but a lot cheaper! Would definitely recommend this family run pontoon with lovely club house and helpful staff. This is the first time a Marinero has asked to come onboard and help with lazy lines! We took a train ride south 11 miles ish to Tropea a quite cute place, it’s up on a promontory with little narrow street and lots of churches. We are now in Cetraro not particularly noteworthy just a convenient stop off as we head northMeer informatie

  • Isole di Dino, Sapri

    17 juni 2019, Italië ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    From Cetraro we continue NW along the coast stopping for a dip and lunch off Isola Di Dino. Island was cute with impressive caves but the mainland coast was lined with brolly and lounger concessions. Back from the thin low stretch of coast were impressive hills, On the hill above the island was a town with pastel painted houses that made me think of ‘Ballimory’ from the kids TV programme. Scario where we anchored to spend the night wasn’t really note worthy for anything other than the wide the shallow bay it was in but we had a delicious pizza, they made John’s GF base fresh, and generous GnT.Meer informatie

  • Scario, Costa Infreschi &Capo Palinuro

    18 juni 2019, Italië ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    So we haven’t travelled very far these last few days but have seen some great coastline. Along this section it’s very steep, lots of caves, villages on hills and towers on every headland.
    We left Sapri and moved to Scario for Gelato and a look around as Pilot book author liked the town, it was cute but very small with a lighthouse that appeared very random as not on a headland or very high or any specific rocks we could identify. From here to a beautiful bay Costa degli Infreschi where, although there were trip boats during the day, we were the only over nighters. Bizarrely the mooring buoys in the bay were all about 2m below the surface not a problem I dove and put rope through loop on top but still a bit odd. Then next day around the headland to Camerota for shopping and more gelato before anchoring up just south of Punta Palinuro.Meer informatie

  • Punta Palinuro, Acciaroli and Ogliastro

    20 juni 2019, Italië ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    From our lovely anchorage near Punta Palinuro where we saw the caves we continued around the coast stopping for ice cream at Acciaroli, very pretty little place with narrow streets and as you can see some properties right on the water. In the pilot it says that one of the interesting things about stopping here in the marina is you never know what sort of neighbours you will wake up to. Here is an example of one of the more unattractive gin palaces we saw. We then headed to Ogliastro near Punta Licosa for a night, it’s really only a hotel resort but was sheltered from the NW swell found a pair of goggles at our second anchorage spot the first one was deeper but more exposed so we anchored then I swam and John did a dinghy recce and we moved closer to shore with 6ft under keel.Meer informatie

  • Agripoli

    22 juni 2019, Italië ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Managed to anchor up right next to the marina under the castle. We took a walk around the old town and Argonese castle on the hill, saw some beautiful copper faced oors on the oldest Agropoli church. We have stopped here as it’s the closest safe harbour to visit Paestum.Meer informatie

  • Paestum

    23 juni 2019, Italië ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    Up early so to try to avoid worst of the day time heat but was already 26 degs at 7:30am! Train journey uneventful but not sure why we bought tickets no one checked them. Temples were very impressive. As were other ruins at the site. On return train journey no one checked tickets either I am glad they only us €4 each return!Meer informatie

  • Agropoli to Antari and Amalfi

    24 juni 2019, Italië ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    Nice easy cruise North, no wind, we had thought Salerno but guide book write up very unenthusiastic so we decided on Amalfi. This section of coastline is incredible with houses and hotels perched on the mountainside. There were also hundreds of other boats all zooming along creating loads of wash not good. But we managed to find a shallowish spot and anchored up so we could go ashore. We anchored of Antares which is just to the Rast of Amalfi in the next valley. We were able to use what I imagine were at one point the old donkey trails but had now been built around to go from one town to the next p and over the headland. Amalfi was stunning but very crowded and expensive that said we did have an ice-cream to keep going. We took a different route on the return. For some reason there was a large tunnel, big enough for cars but not used by them that went through the headland almost to Antares, it came out at an underground car park, well under headland, you could then risk it for 200m on the road or for €1 take a lift up to top of headland and walk back down into Antares centre. Here we visited the church only to find a wedding in full swing and had a drink 1/2 the price of Amalfi drinks. Too choppy to stay the night so we headed west and ended up anchored off Positano.Meer informatie

  • Positano and Montepertuso

    25 juni 2019, Italië ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    After our walk back to Antares we headed back to the boat hoping we could stay there for the night but the swell caused by all the ferries, trip boats and hire boats was horrendous. We tried just to the west of Amalfi but no better so headed further west the boats were still zipping about so still lots of swell. In the end we anchored of Positano it was only a little better but it was here or head to Capri. The scenery on this bit of coast is incredible big caves, houses perched on cliffs, roads that are more bridges than roads. There were some properties that we think could only be accessed by boat and only on a calm day!
    In the morning we headed ashore for a wander around tow, it was already busy. We decided to walk out of town a bit, that meant going up. Well not we really more me, I was getting a bit stir crazy, anyway 1500 steps up later and we arrived in Montepertuso ready for a cold drink but cafe wasn’t open so settled for an ice cream from the corner shop before having a breather and a mooch. Met Blu a beautiful grey cat who was desperate for cuddles and pats, up on our laps butting our chins sadly he was wearing a flea collar so we couldn’t steal him. Back down to the boat and we headed to Capri for the night. The channel crossing was very choppy wind against tide, yep there was apparently 2 knots of tide going north with the wind from the north, we had to close the hatches and windows, but it all eased as we reached Capri and anchored off the south of the island to the east of Marina Piccolo.
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  • Capri

    26 juni 2019, Italië ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Wow we couldn’t believe the boats that were anchored up here, we were the very poor relations that’s for sure. One of the boats had a helipad and not for a little Mickey Mouse heli either. There was some swell here but this disappeared when the trip boats went and we had a peaceful if very warm night. Still can’t get over how hot it is, 7:30 and 26 degs in the shade, sleeping is becoming a real problem, for me anyway John can sleep no matter what.
    We walked up to Capri town, only about 400 steps so an easy day so John could have a look around. We found some quieter alleys within the town and loved the little electric trolley cars the builders and suppliers used to get gear around. We also found the posh street Gucci , D&G, and others I hadn’t heard of. I think we would enjoy it more in spring or autumn when we could walk around more without melting. Back to boat for dips in the sea staying here another night.
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  • Sorrento headland and Naples

    28 juni 2019, Italië ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    After two nights in Capri we headed, west around, back to the mainland and anchored up just outside the Marine Park to the east of Marina Di Casanova. We had been looking at the caves/tunnels as we had come along past Sorrento and here were some we could anchor near and go have a look at. They were impressive obviously years ago the locals had but steps down to some of them and shaped the natural fissures. We could see that some were used for boat storage and maintenance until very recently others had perhaps been abandoned a while ago as the edges were now above sea level. Very interesting to see sadly the wind picked up so we couldn’t stay we tried calling a few marinas, well 2 and both were full, so we headed north for the night, watching Mount Vesuvius off our starboard bow, settling for an anchorage to the West of Naples. I have been lucky enough to visit Naples and the historic sites of Pompei and Herculaneum before and John said that in this heat he really wouldn’t enjoy it so we might as well move on. That night was our visit sight of the green sea of the Gulf of Naples, not nice after the beautiful turquoise we have been experiencing.Meer informatie

  • Bagnoli then Port Miseno and Procida

    1 juli 2019, Italië ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    After a quiet night we started looking for somewhere we could leave the boat and go shopping, provisions getting a little low. We decided on a place called Bagnoli as it appeared flat and there was a Carrefour fairly close. Where we were would have meant a steep uphill climb in the wrong direction before turning to reach supermarket. I almost wish we had done the climb, Bagnoli is not a pretty place, it was all a bit desperate, and not somewhere I would have wanted to venture into at night, the water was still a dodgy green and the ‘grey’ water runoff was on the beach but at least we got the shopping done even if it did seem to take ages. We then headed further west along coast looking for turquoise water. We failed but did find Port Miseno a beautifully sheltered natural harbour that had lots of anchoring space. The water was clear, you could see the bottom, just the wrong colour we still got in, we had to to cool off but made a point of not swallowing any. The next day Saturday was a little more windy so we decided to stay where we were but it got a bit ridiculous the locals turned up in fierce most of them seemed to just take their boats off the permanent moorings further in and come out an anchor up. They were swimming and seemed unconcerned about their kids swimming. We had a gorgeous meal at Capo Blu in Miseno, due our lack of Italian it was all a bit of a surprise but we had 5 separate mini starters and a main of ‘Amerjack’ fish (Google’s translation) we said no to pasta course though they did have GF pasta. It really was delicious.
    Sunday rather than experience a repeat we headed out to the Flegree Islands we took a cruise around Procida and Vivara, a small nature reserve joined by a pedestrian bridge to Procida, before anchoring for the remainder of the day in a bay on the NW coast just outside the Marine Park by the islands Cemetery. We experienced another first for us when the ‘bar Del mare’ came into the bay selling drinks and ice creams, very enterprising.
    We were going to stay the night but the building swell persuaded us to return to Port Misero. That has got to have been one of the bumpiest and most unpleasant crossings we have done and all the swell was the result of idiot boats going at breakneck regardless of who and how close they were passing. The pilot book mentioned Italian Macho Man syndrome and boy was it out in force.
    We returned to Procida on Monday same bay and had a walk around visiting Corricella and the main port before spending the night anchored to the north of the port much smoother once ferries stopped.
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  • Ventotene

    2 juli 2019, Italië ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    From Procida we decided to stay offshore and so to Ventotene, there appeared to be an anchoring option that was outside the Marine Park prohibited zone. Pleased we did it’s a lovely island, probably only slightly larger than Herm but more houses. In the old harbour there are now bars and other businesses in the caves the Romans had cut out of the rock. Both Ventotene and San Stefano, the offlying island were penal colonies. San Stefano still has the round prison building. Here we also saw our first Guernsey ensign on another boat, see window shot. Walking around the island we saw a beautiful church lots of cats that obviously I fed and a mini digger, look at size of seat back to get scale.Meal we ate ashore was a disappointment felt reheated and from packet but you can’t win them all and the view of the old harbour was stunning.Meer informatie

  • Ponza

    3 juli 2019, Italië ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    From Ventotene to Ponza with its incredible rock formations, we anchored just north of harbour with only a couple of others but by 18:00 it was really busy. Ashore and although a bit developed no high rise and a lovely feel to the town, we drank our most expensive drinks to date at €8 each for a GnT and Aperol spritz but comfortable easy atmosphere and lovely views. Can’t believe we only have 2 more nights before we get to the boats summer rest stop. Then lots of work to do cleaning and stowing etc before we head home, can’t wait to see the island and everyone there.Meer informatie

  • Rome and our summer work

    6 juli 2019, Italië ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    We traveled from Ponza back to the mainland near Circeo and anchored up we are lucky the weather has been so calm allowing us to anchor as marinas in Italy this time of year would be over €100 a night. Next day we cruised along the coast with some pretty coastline to Anzio and anchored again, dinghy ride to shore for food but think John had a bit of sunstroke as felt really rough, he’s OK again now. While in Anzio we saw what we thought was a microlight and it was but it was fitted to a dinghy, sadly the photo isn’t very clear. From Anzio we continued north towards Rome and Take Fives home for the next two months while we head back to sunny but hopefully cooler Guernsey to do some work and earn some money, well I will be anyway. The marina is oK but the mosquitoes and biting flies are evil little bu**ers.
    Oh yes forgot to say when we used dinghy at Anzio I thought it smelt a bit so we decided to give it a full clean and then pack it up while we were away good job we did, when we lifted the inflatable floor there were three dead 4inch sardines umm lovely. Did my best to get rid of smell but we decided not to store dinghy inside during our absence!!
    See you all soon from Tuesday eve I will be available on my old Guernsey phone number let me know if you want to meet up.
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  • Sunny Guernsey

    18 juli 2019, Guernsey ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    We got OK and are having great weather only one wet day since we got back. We have met lots of our Guernsey friends already but more to see. Last weekend was Rocquaine Regatta and here are some photos there was a raft race and one entry had been decorated to look like a Viking longboat and could even breath fire. There were various weird and wonderful competitions including the rollerball sandcastle competition (congratulations go to Gary and friends for a creditable second), crab pot hauling, welly throwing, and pallet smashing. Also the more usual ones like wheelbarrow races, stilt races, chariot racing, sand bikes, frisbee, 5 aside etc. This weekend is Torteval scarecrow weekend so hopefully more photos to follow.Meer informatie

  • Rome

    26 september 2019, Italië ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    Fortunately Take Five was exactly where we left her and none the worse for her summer holiday. But we were there less than 24hours before we headed to Rome. It has been a long day but we walked miles and visited Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Saint Angelo’s Castle, Pantheon, Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel and lots of Churches. Here are a few photos, more from Vatican Museums on next post.Meer informatie

  • Rome 2

    26 september 2019, Vaticaanstad ⋅ 🌙 20 °C

    Vatican Museum photos, we weren’t allowed to photograph in the Sistine Chapel and we had to make sure our knees and shoulders were covered. Just realised I didn’t tell you about our mad dash round the Basilica, well what happened was the little map we were given by the Hotel turned out to be not very accurate so we headed for where we thought we were meeting to collect our museum tickets only to find out, when we couldn’t find the street in question, that we needed to be the other side and we only had 5 minutes to get there. *ugger, off we go walking fast, marching, jogging, then running when we realise just how far we have to go. Lots of ‘scuzi’s’ later and we get there in time and apologise to everyone for holding them up. Just glad the museum pieces need to be kept at a low is hard temperature so we’re able to cool again. Tomorrow we are headed to Colosseum, Palantine Hill, Roman Forum and Basilica so should get a few more miles in our legs before returning to the boat.Meer informatie

  • St Peters Basilica

    27 september 2019, Italië ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    Photos of the Basilica. Now don’t get me wrong it was stunning but the audio guide felt it was necessary to tell me about every single thing in the church, the artist/sculptor of each piece, when it was created what it was made of and at whose instigation, what it was, what was in its hands, on its head, at its feet who else was there etc etc for me this was just too much information especially delivered in a monotone voice through headphones so we just walked around and looked at everything we were allowed to see. We thought about queuing to climb the dome steps but it looked like we would be there nearly all day. Saw the Vatican guards, well the guys in the odd striped outfits, only a few had weapons and they were spears. So glad we paid extra for our skip the line type tickets as the heat was still pretty awful today though a lot better than before we left for the summer. After a delicious salad lunch we collected our bags and headed back to the boat €1.50 each from Rome to the boat not bad eh? Oh yes got to go back and update yesterday’s post as forgot to mention the running!Meer informatie

  • Colosseum and more

    27 september 2019, Italië ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Another full day after taking in the view from our bedroom balcony of Santa Maria Maggiore Church and a delicious breakfast of unlimited cakes and pastries in the associated patisserie we visited the Colosseum, Palatine Hill and Roman Forum. We had audio guides for the Colosseum and I thought it was about right enough info to understand what you were seeing but not so much to swamp you or bore you senseless. The Forum etc we just mooched around reading the info boards if they were in the shade. After battling our way through Rome’s student protest about climate change which was asking place near the south edge of the Forum, we wandered South West towards Rome’s oldest bridge, this is the one that crosses onto a small island in the river that houses a hospital or at least it used too, passing as you would expect lots of churches on our way and seeing 2 Irish bars. We then crossed over the other branch of the river and wandered up through the gardens of Gianicolo towards the Vatican City to see St Peters Basilica. Photos from Colosseum and Forum on this post.Meer informatie

  • Santa marinella

    4 oktober 2019, Italië ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    We left Technomar a week after our return to Italy and Take Five. We restocked, did washing, relaxed, got bitten by Mozzies and replaced the generator battery. The first night back on the hook was spent in the bay, a stones throw North of the river entrance in what will some day, so says our guide book be Porto Turistico Faro Di Fiumicino all they’ve done far is put in the breakwater. It was a bit rolly as the wind didn’t do as forecast but it was OK. The problem was that that evening I started with head cold, one minute fine next very snotty so bad nights sleep. Next morning we headed across the bay to our current location Santa Marinella I slept most of the way but we got ashore for a slow walk and coffee and as I had started on the magic little green cold tablets from Greece I felt a bit better. Forecast was for strong northerly winds all night and most of today so we decided to do two nights here but the wind dropped at 1am (cold still keeping me awake) so know the time exactly, and has been very peaceful today. However I can now here a brass band so we might heard ashore we see whats happening.Meer informatie