2010 Cruisin', Boozin' and Snoozin' ..... May - Oct 2010

27 May 2010 - 08 October 2010


View Balvenies 2010 Voyage in a larger map

Mark on guitar with Liam.....sleeping??? 

So another cruising season has come and gone.  The seasons in the Mediterranean are reasonably short, but this year seemed very short indeed.  We started out later than planned from our last winter port in Valletta on the small island of Malta.  We had been busy painting the coach roof and wanted it finished, it was worth staying for and it looks just great.  Then the season ended sooner than we had hoped too, September and October saw the start of unsettled weather coming through, with the odd front bringing cooler days, longer nights and thunder storms. 

We had a choice - join many of our cruising friends and carry on out of the Med, into the Atlantic, visit exotic Morocco, explore the Canary Islands cross the Atlantic Ocean and be in the Caribbean in time to enjoy a rum punch while listening to steel drums sitting under a palm tree with the sand between our toes by Christmas.  Sure sounds appealing, still does - but there is always next year!!

So here we are, in the lovely town of Cartagena on the southeastern corner of Spain.  We will stay here for the European winter which we hope will be reasonably mild.  We will spend our time (in between boat jobs of course) exploring this wonderful country, trialing as many tapas bars as we can find, improving our somewhat appalling command on the Spanish language and taking as many siestas as necessary to blend in with the locals!!

But now a recap of 2010 ....... This is Cruising the Summer of 2010 -

Picnic in Corsica with the "Windies"

Before we left Malta we thought long and hard about the route we would take through the Western Med.  Several yachts that had travelled through Italy the summer of 2009 and said how extremely busy it was, that the anchorages were poor and often rolly, marinas expensive, how affected the weather is by the fierce Mistral wind, how expensive eating out was... the list was long with few positives.  Then when we were back in Auckland over summer we met with friends George and Merima off Moonshadow who had also cruised Italy in 2009, they agreed with most of the above but their advice - "don't miss it".  

So we took their advice and from the moment we arrived on the east coast of Sicily and anchored under Mt Etna and the stunning hilltop town of Taormina we never once regretted it, Italy was absolutely outstanding and we loved every minute (even the wet ones!!).  Nearly every stop was a highlight:  the bubbling live volcano, smelly mudbaths and beach happy hours at Vulcano, the opportunity to visit ancient buried Pompeii from Agropoli, the beautiful Amalfi coast towns clinging by their toenails to the steep to cliff faces surrounded by vivid green and yellow lemon trees, the pastel painted houses of Procida crumbling down but oh so "Italy".  Then we hit the busy part, crazy Ponza on a long holiday weekend with the armada of incoming boats seemingly endless but there was always room for one more.

Most expensive drinks with "Panthera"

We sailed overnight west to Sardinia, still Italian,  but with a definite independent island feel to it.    On long hot summers days we found deserted bays with clear water and sandy beaches, contrasting greatly with the wealth displayed in the compact area around Porto Cervo, where super yachts easily outnumbered little yachts like ours.  We had a day inland, astounded by the Stone Age ruins we visited, intrigued by the overgrown forests of cork trees. Maybe we should have explored more of Sardinia, we just touched the north east corner and it was beautiful, many anchorages in some sheltered waters, an excellent spot.

It was time for a change of culture and language and we hopped across to Corisca and dusted off the French phrase book.  The well preserved ancient walled towns of  Bonifacio, Porto Vecchio and Calvi and the frequent coastal battlements gave us a great sense of their history.  Our inland travel revealing the lush mountainous interior, sandy banked rivers, stone age ruins - this gem of an island had it all.  Combined with some gin clear waters in appealing bays Corisca was yet another highlight.

Time for a mudbath with White Rose and Sundancer II

Back to Italy visiting the Tuscan Island of Elba, some great anchorages, cute villages, sweet scented pine forests, good weather.   Time for the mainland again to our most secure anchorage weather wise of the season at La Grazie. This Cinque Terra area was jam packed full of interesting excursions - the famous Cinque Terra (Five Villages) coastal walk, a day out by train to Pisa, just a short hop over the hill to Porto Venere and a visit from our friends Helen and David.  Unfortunately the weather changed here after a dreadful long night of thunder/lightening storms and torrential rainfall, it was unsettled for a couple of weeks after and never returned to those long settled summer days.

The Italian Riviera was next, sophisticated Santa Margherita made an excellent base for a few days, nearby famous Portofino as quaint as all the postcards.  Our Italian sojourn was nearing its end, a few days in San Remo just 20 miles from the French boarder was an excellent way to end.  The covered market one of the best I have ever seen in any country.  Sadly it was arrivederci to Italy, we couldn't stay forever.  We enjoyed everywhere we visited, the locals were always welcoming, the food in general every good and pizzas and pasta dishes very affordable, drinks ranged in price from average to outrageous but they normally gave free nibbles with them to soften the blow!  Italy oozes history and  culture, it is a wonderful unrivaled country.  The people have a style and spirit that matches it perfectly.

Celeb spotting in Monte Carlo

I must add that we were extremely lucky for the most part with settled weather.  The west coast of Italy is all a lee shore and any westerly winds leave you with few places to run.  Any strong winds further out in the med will affect the swell so you need to look at a large weather picture on a daily basis.  That said, there are places to tuck in from most conditions but you need to always have a plan B, and often a plan C too. 

I can't move on further before I mention one of the most important factors of why all the above was also so enjoyable.  We cruised in company the entire time, not always with the same boats as we all go different speeds and have different agendas but there was a group of us going roughly the same way and boy did we have fun.  I hope I don't miss anyone but to the following - you made an excellent season even better.    Sundancer II, White Rose, Blue Banana, Eye Candy, Gone with the Wind, Threshold  and Panthera.  Once we left Italy we were on our own except for a couple of rendezvouses with Baracca.  Thankyou all for making our season extra special.

Next it was on to Monaco, what Italy oozes in history and culture, Monaco oozes in wealth.  Our 3 nights in the marina were a highlight of a different kind, never did we think we would be able to afford to marina Balvenie  in Monaco and spend time in this pocket sized Principality.  The wealth displayed just in the cars parked in Casino Square was enough to knock our socks off, then there were the dozens of enormous super yachts parked in a row in the marina, and one look in the estate agents window  indicated 8million Euro as a  'cheap' one bedroom apartment - this is definitely not somewhere the likes of us retire!!!!  But it was fun, not ostentatious or stuffy - just for rich people who like to enjoy showing their wealth.

Porto Cervo with Eye Candy and GWTW

It is was time to cruise the French Riviera and the Cote d'Azur, famous names that just roll off the tongue.  We started in Villefranche a popular anchorage near to Nice, a small scenic town ashore.  Relatives Neil and Barbara stayed a couple of nights and we had a chance to explore inland, visiting tiny rural villages located so close to the busy coast but a million miles away in reality. From Nice westwards the coastline was extremely busy much more built up than I had envisaged, huge apartment complexes lined the foreshore, marinas every few miles, very few nooks and crannies to anchor in, and often a swell from one direction or the other would sneak in.  Then there was more unsettled weather, it was only the beginnng of September but we never experienced those famous unbearably hot calm days on the French Riviera.

I fell in love with France over 20 years ago when I first backpacked there, and have returned several times since.  I had been looking forward all season to cruising its coastline, soaking up the culture, practicing my French and sampling the French cuisine.  Now I felt a traitor to France, this coastline didn't reflect the France I loved and we both missed Italy.  The cost of living was high, fruit and vegetables seemed especially so, eating out cheaply was almost impossible, happy hour drinks and coffees were almost affordable dependant on where you were!!  The weather wasn't kind to us, Mistrals kept howling.  We could see no value in heading along the coast further westwards and into the eye of Mistral territory so we took the opportunity of a short lull in the winds and headed south overnight to Spain's Balearic Islands.  We had spent only 12 nights on the French coast.

Can Mark get beer out of Threshold's steering system???

Our stay in the Balearics was slightly longer, just 3 weeks.  We spent time in Menorca and Mallorca and explored them both.  We enjoyed sleepy Mahon and found Palma a classic, interesting, very European city - with a central market to rival San Remo.  We only stayed one night on Ibiza, it is more of a beach/party island, and although still warm enough when in the sun and out of the wind, summer was on the wain.  There are many anchorages in the Balearics, most of them small calas (coves), often deserted ashore or maybe with a tourist development.  It is more of a summer destination than a touring one so we didn't experience them at their best.  More adverse weather, this time an extensive system lasting days was heading our way.  We considered marinaing in Ibizia for a few days to sit out the weather but heard rumours of yachts our size still being quoted 300Euro a night, and this was now October!  So here we are, back to the top where we started, Caribbean or Cartagena. 

Looking lopsided in Portofino

We have been in Cartagena on the south eastern corner of Spain over a week now and were feeling quite settled, until this morning.  I managed to tune into the "rum runners net", a HF Radio net our friends have started up and are checking into as they move westwards, Gone with the Wind and Moonshadow were about to arrive in Morocco, Beyond, Stardust and several others about to join Cristata in the Canaries.  Today we are feeling somewhat left behind, but we have Spain to explore and much more - that rum punch will just taste all the sweeter next year!!!

Countries and Principalities visited -  5   Malta, Italy, France, Monaco and Spain
Island Groups visited -  7   Sicily, Aeolean Islands, Bay of Napoli Islands, Sardinia, Corsica, Tuscan Islands, Balearic Islands
Nautical Miles travelled -   1742  (Distance had we gone in a straight line was 767!!)
Nautical Miles motored -   929   Only about 20miles was due to adverse headwinds, balance due to no wind
Nights at sea -   3   Ponza-Olbia,   French mainland-Mahon,   Ibiza-Cartagena
Nights tied up for free on a buoy -   4   Porto Pollo, Pollenca, Porto Petro
Nights tied up for free at a dock -  14   Scario, Agropoli, Olbia, Final Ligure, San Remo
Nights tied up in Marinas -  7   Amalfi, Monaco, Pollenca
Different Anchorages visisted -   60
Strongest winds -  46 knots at anchor in France, 28 knots at sea downwind across the top of Corsica
Fastest speed -   8.6 knots flying across the top of Corsica
Sleepless nights -  less than five (more than one is too many!!)
Rainy days -   Lost count really, but not that many that rained ALL day and this is Europe!!
How much did it cost? -  Done all the numbers and it averaged out at 385Euro per week (this season was 19 weeks).  That includes stocking up the food and drink supplies in Malta before we left there, and starting/finishing with full diesel tanks.  Our biggest expense was eating/drinking onboard 1888E closely followed by eating/drinking out 1545E, diesel ranked next as we did alot of motoring 1300E,  next came sightseeing/local transport 580E, Marinas 372E, small repairs/maintenance/spares 340E, phone/internet 240E, the rest is made up of odds and ends - souvenirs, clothing, laundry etc  

AND THAT WAS THE SUMMER OF 2010

San Remo - sadly the end of Italy ..... August 2010

Lovely houses in Triora

23 - 30 August 2010

After snorkelling the underwater Statue of Christ at San Fruituoso we let the mooring line go, motored out of the bay then set sail across the Gulf of Genoa to Final Ligure. We had a good sail, all the time mindful that if we had much of a wind shift our chosen anchorage outside the marina in Final Ligure would not be great. There are very few protected anchorages along this stretch of coastline but the winds were forecast to die away so we hoped for the best. We anchored just beside the marina breakwater in shallow water by 6.30pm, had dinner then by 8.30pm the wind had moved to the south leaving us no protection, and although only 10knots it had quite a chop and we don’t like being on a leeshore. So just on dark we lifted anchor and made our way slowly into the marina, aware that it was quite shallow.

Our first choice of stern tying to a free spot didn’t work, we ran aground backing in. 2nd choice was side tying to a vacant spot next to some fishing boats, again we ran out of water. 3rd choice (running out of choices here) was to turn the boat and try and tie to the vacant fuel dock for the night hoping it would be deep enough. Skipper performed about a 20 point turn and got us round and somehow manoeuvred us side ways close enough for me to jump off and attach us, we were tied up, still floating - just and although not a perfect spot we felt much safer. After a quick walk around the marina to stretch our legs we managed a reasonable sleep. By 7.15am we let the lines go and motored out, running aground only once more before we were freed from Final Ligure’s clutches. It’s a good thing the bottom was soft gooey mud! We raised sails but only managed a couple of hours sailing before the wind died away, we motored the remainder of the 37 miles to our next stop at San Remo arriving at 2.30pm.

At San Remo's free dock

San Remo has a large harbour behind an enormous breakwater, there is an expensive marina at one end, some small docks for the local boats in the middle, then on the inside of the breakwater is a very long quay, full in parts with fishing boats, but there is one area designated for visiting boats and it’s free. We had heard of some boats getting one night free, others got 3 nights, well we had 6 very enjoyable nights tied up and no one came looking for payment.

It was a great town, again mainly only Italian speakers, even though were we now only 15 miles from the French boarder it didn’t seem to attach many foreign tourists. It was well set out, a 2 lane cycle path ran along the waterfront, the main shopping area was a pedestrian mall, there were a couple of other cute shopping lanes then running up the hill was the old town. The old town was mainly residential and had several town walls and gates, each added as the town had expanded, there were dark tunnel ways linking the high buildings and squares. We visited early evening, with fading light it all seemed a little dank, dark and seedy, I’m sure in brilliant sunshine it would have looked and felt quite different. The architecture and layout was interesting and again different to others we have seen, it was certainly worth the visit.

Who's laughing at who here?

On another day, in company with our German neighbours Kati and Gerd we caught the bus up the Silver Valley inland, passing countless hilltop villages to our destination of Triora, 33km north of San Remo. This medieval hilltop village was the spot in the 16th century for trials and executions of all the local witches and even has a Witchcraft museum displaying the history and countless witches’ hats for sale. It has a stunning vista over the surrounding heavily wooded countryside and neighbouring villages, plenty of little lanes and alleyways to explore, and despite the worst coffee we have possibly ever had was a great days excursion.

We stayed in San Remo longer than we had planned, there were strong winds blowing some distance offshore bringing a heavy swell onto the coast. Each morning we would climb the stairs to the top of the breakwater, look at the surf rolling in and wait another day, tucked away safely behind the huge breakwater seemed the best place to be! As this was to be our last stop in Italy we were in no hurry to leave. Late one afternoon while helping a new joiner tie to the dock, Mark removed his sunglasses so they wouldn’t fall overboard but forgot to pick them up again. Of course they had gone when he realised so it was off to the Optician for a new set of prescription, polarized sunglasses, they would take a week to arrive so we would be returning to Italy by train to collect them. Our stay tied up to the free dock was not so cheap after all.

Hill top villages in the Silver valley

I loved this place, it had such a nice feel to it, a normal working town but well planned and set out, clean, tidy and orderly and a vibrant feel to it, and a reat spot on the riviera.

Eventually the seas calmed down and we left Italy on August 30, three months after we had arrived. We had had a wonderful time and were sad to be leaving, but Monaco was to be our next stop, and that was very exciting!

Cruising info for Final Ligure and San Remo, Italy:-
Anchorages –
Final Ligure 44 10.591N 08 22.349E 3.9m sand/mud. Would be fine with no wind or west round to north east. The fuel dock where we ended up was just inside the entrance on the right hand side, we tried stern tying on the left (opp fuel dock) as indicted in Italian Waters Pilot but nudged bottom still about 6m off dock. We draw 2.4m. We didn't pay anything - arrived after dark and left at dawn.
San Remo 43 48.886N 07 46.975E 4.7m Head towards the yellow fuel dock sign on the breakwater (there are two fuel docks, other one over by town) You can see a little port-a-cabin building also, these are excellent showers and toilets, closed overnight but open all day, new and cleaned daily. There were only enough mooring lines for 4 boats to stern tie, we were the closest to the fuel dock, had 2 boats side tied between us and fuel dock. One boat attached his own mooring line to the chain to stern tie, other boats side tied inbetween and some rafted to them. Max number of boats we had in was 9 (could have fitted more), no one was turned away. Could drop anchor and stern tie but may faul it on the mooring chains.
Communications - All phone signals ok and dongle working well. A couple of WIND shops ashore that spoke excellent English to get sorted if this is your first stop in Italy.
Ashore - There is absolutely everything within easy walking distance - walk around the breakwater to the fort and the junction with the road running along waterfront. Turn right to Casino supermarket, when water runs out it is right in front of you sort of attached to a restaurant. Or turn left at fort, then 1st right, 1st left at Chinese Restaurant and there is a Dico supermarket just along on right - set slightly back behind wire netting fence. Excellent covered market, (says Pesca Mercado or something on outside of huge building). Keep going up past Chinese restaurant up street, road vears to right a little and inclines and on left is big market. Think it was open daily, it is exceptional. ATM's everywhere. Waterfront dining 2 pizza or pasta, 1/2 litre wine, complimentary Lemoncello 30Euro. Happy hour drinks in one of the lovely squares with live music 2x500ml beers & 1 wine 14Euro yummy free nibbles. Fuel just along from where tied up Diesel was 1.25Euro per litre. This pump mainly for the fishing boats but happy to sell to us. Cost was more over the other side of marina at the other pump. Boats that had come from France filled up here before returning so guess it must be cheaper here.
Sightseeing - The bus trip up to Triora was a great day out into the hills, but perhaps an hour to long. Caught 9.15am up and 3.05pm back (no others). Buy tickets in station first (it's cheaper than on bus) 2.35Euro each, one way. It's about 1 1/4hours each way. You can catch the bus to Ventimiglia 2.00Euro each, one way (Ventimiglia is not worth an excursion unless enroute to Monte Carlo) and then the train to Monte Carlo 2.50Euro each, one way (we did this to collect Marks glasses) The San Remo bus station is about a block inland from the Casino Supermarket.
Radio - English speaking Radio station, from here to St Tropez, Riviera Radio 106.5FM

Postcard perfect Portfino ..... Aug 2010

22 August 2010

Welcome to Portofino

We had two excursions to Portofino, the first by foot, the second on Balvenie. We walked along the coast from Santa Margherita, it is a very scenic walk and well worth doing. Our first glances of the tiny harbour were a peep through the trees, down the walkway and into the village through the 'back door'.

The teeny terraced houses were only about 5 metres wide, several looking in need of a serious do-up but certainly adding character to the village. The main square sits at the harbour side, a large cobbled area edged by several swanky bars and restaurants, but some pretty normal ones too. The harbour is very compact and fits only about 10 superyachts, and that is a real squeeze, small local fishing boats fill all the other places and it certainly has the feel of a real working harbour.

Mark off to view the superyachts

There were a few boutique shops, all set discreetly into the existing buildings, it wasn't nearly as ritzy as we thought it would be, it was just a real cute small harbour and typical run- down Italian village. It also has an outdoor sculpture museum showing some rather unusual 'works of art'. For some reason it has become a favorite holiday destination of several famous people, we missed Rod Stewart(skippers' boyhood hero) by just a few days! It certainly is in a beautiful setting and the whole area is just stunning, one of our favorites yet.

We stayed and enjoyed a sundowner, sitting harbourside, peacefully watching all the happenings. Then we walked back a block and found our first Italian restaurant in Italy that had red and white check tablecloths, how could we not dine there - we enjoyed excellent pasta under the stars in this splendid spot.

Pink pigs of Portofino

We noticed a sign advertising an outdoor concert on Sunday night so decided to bring Balvenie along and anchor off if the weather co-operated. Sunday morning dawned bright and sunny with little wind forecast so we left Santa Marghertia mid morning and motored the short distance along, hoping to squeeze into the small area designated for anchoring just outside the harbour entrance. To say it was full would be a gross understatement, every one comes out to play on a sunny Sunday, and today was certainly no exception

The anchorage area is over 20 metres deep, way deeper than we are normally happy to anchor in. Mark somehow managed to manuveur us into a space just big enough for us, we put out just enough chain to hold us in place, and all our fenders then spent the afternoon keeping anchor watch, as did everyone else. It was just amazing, how anyone would consider this an enjoyable Sunday afternoon's entertainment I have absolutely no idea.

Fishing fleet mixing with the superyachts

You can't leave the boat because someone will probably nudge you at some stage, and you haven't been able to anchor properly so you might hit someone. You rock and roll non stop with the wakes of all the passing traffic, you listen to 20 different sound systems blasting out all manner of music - you do not relax. But we had come for a purpose and felt sure that when the sun dipped over the hills all our new close friends would pack up and leave, we could re-anchor properly then go ashore for the concert.

All was going well until around 5pm when a tender from the harbour came out and told us we must leave as a superyacht was coming in to anchor and stern tie and we were in the way. Of course this didn't go down too well onboard but we are reasonable and felt sure we could anchor a little further across now that boats had gone and leave plenty of room. With that re-anchoring completed we were quite happy we would have enough room once a couple more small boats left. However our patience of sitting all afternoon was not to be rewarded.

looking into Portofino from the sea

Once again were were asked to leave as another superyacht needed to tie up, bearing in mind this is a free public anchorage spot we were not very happy, we admitted defeat, lifted anchor and with not enough room to re-anchor returned to Santa Margherita for another night. Well at least we can say we tried!!!

Cruising info for Portofino, Italy:-
Anchorage - 44 18.285N 09 12.785E 23.5m We did manage to get into 10m on one of our re-anchorings further in, space is limited as there are swimming buoys across. Don't go on the weekend!
Ashore - It wasn't overpriced. Drinks on the waterfront 7Euro beer, 6Euro glass wine with good free nibbles. Dinner on the lane leading up to the bus station was 35Euro for 2 pasta's, 1/2 litre wine and cover charge. I'm sure we could have spent 350Euro at one of the others had we wanted to! Bus to Santa Margherita was 1.20Euro each one way.

Italian Riviera at Santa Margherita ..... Aug 2010

18 - 23 August 2010

Buildings of Santa Margherita

We arrived into the harbour at Santa Margherita after a steady sail up the Cinque Terra coast from La Grazie. The wind was from the south east, straight through the entrance gap so we tucked in as close as we could next to the moored boats to get out of the swell. We were amazed there were no other boats at anchor but happy to have plenty of room.

Santa Marghertia is a a lovely town, it is centre piece of the Levente Rivieria, the area between famous Portofino just to the west and Rapello to the east, known as the playground to Italy's very rich and famous, especially through summer. We spent 5 nights tucked up in the harbour, the weather still not completely settled after the big storm we had had days earlier in La Grazie. We enjoyed excursions ashore, wandering the streets and promenading on the waterfront with hundreds of Italians. Again we heard very few non Italian speakers, where have all the foreign tourists gone?

More great nibbles for happy hour

One afternoon, between showers, we caught the bus the short distance to Rapello, although in an attractive spot it had very busy shopping area and everyone had come out to play while the sun shone. We returned to the more sleepy Santa Margherita and enjoyed a harbour view table for happy hour, but of course the harbour view is included in the drinks price, 21Euro for 2 large beers and a wine, but we saved on dinner as the free nibbles were so good we didn't need anything else to eat!!

When the clouds cleared one afternoon we grabbed the camera and took to the streets. The buildings here were quite unusual, in the top photo you can see they are freshly painted, with the stone corners, window arches and facades all painted in complementing colours. However, these facades are all painted on and the buildings are all plastered and flat, and they just paint all the designs on them, even very old ones that hadn't been restored were the same, all just painted on. They must have some very talented painters around here, it must take months to complete each building.

Cute changing sheds in Santa Margherita

On another afternoon we did the coastal walk around to beautiful Portofino. The walk is just lovely, the houses are tucked away discreetly in the trees. Actually to call them houses does not accurately describe them, most were castles, converted forts, villas, and most set back with total privacy afforded by the dense tree cover in the whole area. We followed the quiet coast road around, in and out of the few small bays enroute until we were above Portofino and looking down through the trees into the small harbour there. It is just so so beautiful and will be displayed fully in the next blog update.

Balvenie in Santa Margherita's harbour

Eventually we moved on, the clock is ticking and we need to keep making progress further west. We tied up to a mooring buoy in the small bay of San Fruittuoso, and took the opportunity to dinghy across and snorkel over the 4 metre high Statue of Christ which has been placed in the bay in about 15 metres of water. Visibility was good so we were able to see the statue, no one seems to know why it was ever placed there.

Enroute back to Balvenie we were intercepted by the mooring ball fee collector, Mark played his "but we have sailed all the way from New Zealand to see your beautiful country" card, it has worked time and time, - no charge again today!

Cruising info for Santa Margherita and San Fruittuoso, Italy:-
Anchorages-
Santa Margherita - 44 20.029N 09 13.005E 5.7m sand We kept close to the moored boats for better protection and it kept us out of the way of the ferries, they are frequent all day but don't create much wash
San Fruittuoso - 44 18.832N 09 10.364E There were several big white mooring buoys with lines attached in that area. Over the other side of the bay are several little dinghy moorings where we tied the dinghy while we snorkeled. The statue was easy enough to find. Normal charge we think was 10Euro for an hours stop for the mooring buoy
Communications - WIND Dongle and TIM on phone worked well
Ashore - Take dinghy in to the right of where the ferries are going and tie off to concrete wall close in (too shallow for bigger boats so out of harms way). Everything you need, 2 ok supermarkets quite hard to find and describe (go walkabout!!). English newspapers. ATM machines. Diesel pump end of harbour on right 1.25Euro per litre. 500ml beer 7Euro on waterfront but heaps of free nibbles. Dinner of 2 Pizzas half litre carafe wine and service 35Euro on waterfront. Pre purchase bus tickets from kiosk on main road running along waterfront - 1.20Euro each for Rapello or Portofino

Rainy days with guests and Candlelit Port Venere

Sipping on Rothschild Champagne with Helen and David

13 - 18 August 2010

We were still in La Grazie, and despite the recent dreadful weather, still enjoying it. After the mega thunderstorm we hoped things would improve but we awoke Friday morning after just a couple of hours sleep to overcast skies, drizzle, the muddiest anchorage you have ever seen, but rather a nice clean boat! By midday our friends Helen and David arrived, the skies had cleared enough to have a catchup cafe latte ashore and dinghy back to the boat without getting wet. This was not quite the experience we were hoping to give them, and late evening they learnt first hand that this is not all "boozing, cruising and snoozing", when a nearby yacht took off in a violent gust of wind and all hands were required on deck to fend them off.

Saturday's weather was no better, but we are all waterproof so before cabin fever set in we headed around to Porto Venere in the rain. It was chaos ashore, the roads were washed out in several places with landslides and flooding, large trees had fallen, everything was covered in mud - the storm had been very severe. We soldiered on in the rain, amazingly there were other hardy tourists out as well, and we enjoyed our excursion despite the weather. We even ventured out again for pasta in a local trattoria for dinner, making the best of the inclement weather. On Sunday it was marginally better, sadly this hadn't been a great long weekend break for Helen and David but they excepted it well and it was great to have time to catch up with them. Next time we promise them sunshine and clear blue seas.

The best ever pesto in Porto Venere 

We thought about leaving but there was still quite a swell running plus a festival advertised on Tuesday night in Porto Venere, such a shame to miss out, so we had a couple of days at leisure. So on Tuesday we joined John and Robin off Panthera and their guests Roger and Judith, all kiwis from the Waikato, and we got the bus back around to Porto Venere and joined in the festivities. We started with happy hour on the waterfront, it was very big mistake to order the drinks without checking the prices first but you learn the hard way (we really all should have known by now), 2 rounds of drinks comprising in total of 6 medium tap beers and a litre of house wine set us back 66Euro, but you should have seen the nibbles - they were amazing, we had a great drink, in a lovely setting with excellent company and didn't really need dinner so we didn't moan .... too much!!!

Judith, John, Mark, Robin and Amanda, Porto Venere

It was a religious festival involving the carrying of cross through the candlelit village, but it wasn't just the village lit by candles, it was all the headland, down the cliff face to the water, out to the church and up to the castle, it just looked like a fairyland. We were so lucky with the weather, although still very cloudy there was no rain or wind. We decided on a picnic dinner and while we queued with hundreds of others for takeout focaccia slices topped with various tasty ingredients the men bought local wines, had them opened and even got plastic glasses. We found a spot with a great view of the celebrations, settled in and enjoyed the evening. Stopping for gelatos on the way home finished off an excellent night out.

Porto Venere by candlelit, magic

There were no more excuses to stay, we had spent 10 nights in La Grazie, the worst of the weather had passed and there was enough wind forecast on Wednesday for us to sail up the coast. We said our farewells to all aboard Panthera we had very much enjoyed their company but we were heading in different directions, sadly more ships that pass in the night! Wednesday morning was gloomy again but it was time to move on so we lifted anchor and headed once again for Porto Venere, this time by water. We had already watched many yachts go through the pass there but it was very shallow so we took it slowly and made it through. Unfortunately we were then out of the shelter of the land and hit the swell and waves which had definitely built on those we had seen the the previous night. We motored out to sea, raised sails and headed north up the Cinque Terra coast. The wind was on the beam and the seas not so bad once we cleared land, so we sailed the 33 miles to our next destination of Santa Margherita.

Cruising info all on previous post

Leaning Towers and the Cinque Terra..... Aug 2010

08 - 13 August 2010

Mark cuddling up to the locals

We were expecting friends the coming weekend so had decided to make La Grazie our base during their stay. There is so much to see and do in the area we had no trouble filling our days.

First off it was an excursion by bus around to the unofficial "6th Village" of the Cinque Terre (Five Lands or Five Villages). Porto Venere lies at the end of the headland past La Grazie and it is a delightful, colourful, scenic and historical place, everyone has been here - Romans, Byzantines, Lombards, Genovese and Napolean (of course!). We sampled fresh pesto, for which the village is famous for, on still warm focaccia bread in tiny backstreet lanes, climbed high up behind the houses to the towering 16th century Castello Doria, and stood in silence inside the most beautiful small 12th century Gothic style church, Chiesa di San Lorenzo. What a wonderful place. 

Sadly it was time to say goodbye to our very dear friends Annie and Liam and their beautiful catamaran Gone with the Wind .  For those of you that have followed our journey you will know that we have been with them on and off now since 2006 in Darwin and we have spent over 50 anchorages in their company.  They are crossing the Atlantic this year so need to carry on faster than us, we will miss them very much and wish them very safe sailing and look forward to meeting them in a lagoon with gin clear waters, coconut palms ashore and the sound of steel drums in the distance.  A quote from Mark on their leaving "The only part of me that isn't sad to see them go is my liver!!!".  Farewell to our party friends.

Porto Venere's Castle and Church

Next up was Pisa, neither of us had been there before, so it was on "the list". We caught the bus to Le Spezia and then a train down to Pisa. We walked from the train station down through a main pedestrian street, the old buildings had deep overhanging stone canopies, making it all very cool and dark with an ancient feel it to. We carried on in the general direction of the tower on our map. We don't ever remember seeing photos showing the setting of the Leaning Tower, just the tower itself, and were totally surprised to find a huge open area outside the town centre, with the most beautiful white stone buildings gleaming in the sunshine.

The Leaning Tower is sited in la Piazza del Duomo, along with the buildings of the Bapistery, Catherdral, Camposanto (indoor cemetery) and Museum, all circa 1064AD. The entire area is grassed, so the white stone shows brightly against the green grass and vivid blue skies. All the buildings were equally impressive but for some reason only the tower decided to fall over, therefore over the centuries making it very famous indeed. The Sinopie Museum had an excellent short video showing the work that has gone on trying to 'save' the tower from falling over completely, many years of labour have gone into stabilizing both the surrounding ground and the tower itself.

Pisa's tower is definitely still leaning!

We sat in the square, taking in the vista and enjoyed pizza in Pisa for lunch, then we bought a pass for the buildings and slowly made our way around them enjoying the architecture and history. In the Bapistery every half hour the door is closed and the ticket collector goes in the centre of the circular domed building and hums, the acoustics were just amazing - quietening even the noisy children!  The Camposanto was an interesting 'open air cemetery' enclosed by four walls but with no roof.  It held a collection of graves set into the floor, some as recent as this decade, of the very rich or famous we imagine.  It also housed some some beautiful statues,ancient headstones and sacophagus. The museum also showed statues, sculptures and artwork - the whole area held so much more than just the leaning tower and was really worth the visit.  We relaxed overlooking the square enjoying a local vino bianco before making our way back to the train, then bus to Balvenie.  An excellent days excursion.

Still so much to see in this wonderful area.  The following day we headed into Le Spezia once again and caught the train to Monterosso, the most northern of the five villages.  We stepped off the train and headed into what we expected to be a cute little remote village, accessible only by foot, boat or train.  The look of disbelief on both our faces was quite evident, the road ran along the shore, cars beeping at each other, a packed beach with everyone on sun loungers under matching sun umbrellas - this was not the Cinque Terra we thought we would see.  So we hit the trail south to the next village of Vernazza. 

Cinque Terra's very cute village of Vernazza

At this point it would have been good to remember that the Lonely Planet had mentioned that this 4km stretch of the walk "is particularly difficult with lots of ups and downs", oh well too late now.  Some time later, very hot and sweaty we arrived in the absolutely delightful village of Vernazza, now this was more like it.  Words really can't describe some of these wonderful little villages we have seen, they are ramshackle, falling apart, in desperate need of some tender loving care but that is the total charm of them, they are just wonderful - they would just not be the same if they were all replastered and painted, we love them and this one was great, even with the August crowds.

We wisely caught the train and connecting uphill bus to the next village of Corniglia set ever so high up in the hills, a tiny village with a huge vista, just a couple of very cute teeny lanes and not much more.  We had recovered from our morning exercise enough so walked the rest of the trail, next onto Manarola a reasonably flat walk hugging the coast and then finished off on the broadwalk "via dell Amore" (lovers lane) to the final village of Riomaggiore. There have been thousands of padlocks placed on lovers lane, on the handrails, on the wire netting protecting walkers from the crumbling rockface, and any other spot a padlock can be locked.  The story goes that you show your love for your loved one by "locking it in place on lovers lane".

Time for pesto focaccia in Vernazza

We arrived in Riomaggiore just minutes before a train was due back to Le Spezia so didn't do the walk uphill (someone said there is a lift somewhere) into the village, we had had a great day and had seen nearly all there was to offer so decided to head on back and rest our weary bodies.

We were expecting a change in the weather with severe thunder storms forecast overnight, the anchorage was not very busy and we were happy that we would be ok to sit out whatever came our way in La Grazie, and so we waited.

By early evening the rain had started, the winds were not too bad, but we sat and watched the storm clouds getting closer and closer.  We could see the lightening, both sheet and fork, in the distance, willing it not to come our way, but with each crack of thunder it got closer and closer.  By now it was absolutely pouring down, probably the hardest rain we have ever had on the boat, and it went on and on and on.  The storms came closer, and as the lightening electrified the sky in time with the loudest crack of thunder overhead the wind died completely, the rain pelted down and we just sat and waited for it to pass.   Our friends were driving enroute from Switzerland, also experiencing severe flooding and thunderstorms, we hoped the storms would pass and Friday would dawn a brighter day.   

More to come on this wonderful area in the next installment ...

Padlocks on the "Via dell Amore" Cinque Terra

The Cinque Terra coastline

Cruising info for La Grazie, Italy:-
Anchorages - La Grazie 44 04.199N 09 50.413E 9.0m mud
Communications - Dongle and phones all had good signals
Ashore - La Grazie is very small but has an average supermarket, bakery (open mornings only and runs out of bread early), fruit and veg shop, deli, butcher and laundromat (5.50Euro 7kg or 8Euro for 14kg wash, 4Euro for dryer) There is a fuel dock but Mark tried 5 times and it was never open.
Sightseeing - Local bus tickets 1.35Euro each per trip, either to Porto Venere or Le Spezia, buy from Tabac shop on main street. Can buy on bus if its closed, cost 1.50Euro
Entrance fee to Castello Doria 2.20Euro each
Train to Pisa Intercity to Pisa 8.50Euro each one way. Local train back 5.20Euro each one way. (Other cruiser info - Ventana report that if you get off at the first Pisa station it is a very short walk from there to the ruins. We were on an intercity train so it only stopped at the main staion but our return one did stop at the other station.)Pisa Entrance Fee pass 10.00Euro each, does not include climbing the tower (I don't like heights!!)

Cinque Terra Park Pass 8.00Euro each. Includes return train, any village buses and walkway fees. Trains depart Le Spezia 07.12, 07.55 (weekdays only), 10.07 and 11.10 stopping at all villages and 10.01 stopping only at Riomaggiore (No 1) and Monterosso (No 5). If aiming for the 10am ones allow AT LEAST 30 minutes to queue for ticket, probably longer - not sure how busy earlier ones are. Can not buy ticket on train or from machine. Must queue at seperate Cinque Terra office in train station, not regular counter.

Enjoyable Elba ..... Aug 2010

Cafe time in Poggio, stunning vista

29 Jul - 08 August 2010

After our stormy early morning departure from Corsica the squalls cleared, we raised sails and enjoyed a peaceful, comfortable sail 40 miles east to the Italian Tuscan Island of Elba. The Tuscan Island group comprises of 6 islands, the largest marine park in the Mediterranean. Elba is the largest, about 150kms long, a popular destination, just 50kms from mainland Italy and an absolute gem.

We arrived in the southern anchorage of Marina di Campo early Thursday afternoon. Except for small local craft on moorings it was deserted. We anchored in the middle of the bay, tidied the boat a little, then took a well earned afternoon nap! We spent 4 nights in this lovely spot, the small town ashore was a delight to wander around, there were few cars - everyone was on bicycles, it was just great. Friday came, and so did the yachts, the bay filled up and it stayed that way, it was the beginning of August and maybe everyone had started their summer holidays.

Street art on the walls in Poggia

We caught the bus one day over the island and up to the capital of Portoferrario. We read in summer it can be a hectic place with a million visitors each summer, most arriving by ferry into this main harbour. It was a sunny saturday and we expected chaos, but it was so deserted we wondered if there was a ferry strike. We enjoyed a leisurely pizza lunch al fresco, rambled through the old town area, went up to Napoleon's villa where he stayed while in exile, took in the outstanding views and saw all there was to offer.

Pink houses on Poggias town square

On another day we shared a car hire with Liam and Annie. We headed west along the southern coast and then up the western side of the island. It was time to turn inland and find a spot for our cafe latte, driving high into the hills we passed Marciana a small pleasant town, but kept going higher to Poggio just one of the cutest little villages ever, and what a view. Definitely the best choice yet for our morning cafe. We stayed up in the mountains awhile, the air was cooler and the scent of pine just wonderful. We had packed a picnic lunch so found a designated picnic area inside the forest, set out all our goodies and nibbled away. With the rest of the island still to explore we headed along to the east coast, then continued up to the north east corner, from there Italy was just a stones throw away. Stopping in Porto Azzurro on our return for a cooling afternoon drink in the town square completed our tour and we were back in Marina di Campo by 7pm. A great day out on this beautiful island.

Group "family" shot at the It Pizzeria

Our evening was spent ashore at the It Pizzeria, owned by a Italian/Australian family - Mum, Dad, 3 daughters in their 40's all working together in the family business every summer, what a challenge that would be!! They treated us very well and we had a lovely evening in their waterfront restaurant.

Time to move on, we had enjoyed our short stop by car at Porto Azzuro so motored the 14 miles around to the eastern end of the island and anchored in the protected harbour. Gone with the Wind had moved on to the mainland, but just to keep the antipodean numbers up, Sundancer II rejoined us from Corsica, and also Panthera, a New Zealand owned catamaran - at last some kiwis!!! The six of us had a great meal ashore at San Guiseppes, we voted it our best pizza this season. The town is quite touristy, most were Italians, but again there was a really relaxed, friendly, holiday atmosphere. After 7 nights on this island paradise it was time to head back to the mainland.

Enjoying a seafood antipasto

It's nearly 100 miles to the famous Cinque Terra area on the Italian mainland. There is not a great choice of anchorages enroute but we decided to break our journey and stop a night anchored off the small town of Castiglioncello. We departed Elba in company with Sundancer II and Panthera, there was only a light wind but with skippers persistance we managed to sail over half the 41miles. The anchorage afforded little shelter from the east or south - but we had little wind, then just before dark an annoying roll developed, to finish things off a beach bar came alive with the sound system kicking into life at 11pm through till 2am. Not one of our better nights sleep. By 7.15am we were out of there, we tried to sail in the light winds but motored most of the 48miles north in flat seas. Finally we arrived into the best protected anchorage we have encountered this season in the small bay of La Grazie, tucked inside the larger bay of Le Spezia.

Cruising info for Marina di Campo and Porto Azzurro on Elba:-
Anchorages -
Marina di Campo 42 44.699N 10 14.504E 8.5m sand, just a little roll sometimes
Porto Azzurro 42 45.602N 10 23.648E 9.5m sand. (Sundancer II were slightly in front of us and got their chain wrapped around a huge piece of machinery on the bottom. We had had changeable winds and had moved direction frequently. They eventually cleared it with Mark in the water directing them around the obstruction.)
Castiglioncello 43 24.020N 10 24.969E 9.0m sand Didn't go ashore
Communications - yippee, back in dongle land!! but .... it didn't work. Topped up just 5Euro in WIND shop in Portoferraio which got it back into action. Phone signals good.
Ashore - Dinghies can be left on beaches in both or tie to wall in harbour/marina. Both towns had everything you need. Good supermarkets in both (Marina di Campo best one by bus station/tourist office). Got diesel from marina in Porto Azzurro, didn't note price.
Sightseeing - Our bus to Portoferraio was 4.50Euro each return, slightly more if you buy ticket from driver. There is also a one day pass valid for all the island. The tourist office is right by the bus station in Marina di Campo. They gave us a list of car hire places. Our car (small and only 2 door) was only 45Euro from 9am to 7pm and we put in 15Euro fuel. We collected it from Centro Noleggio, on the main road out of town about 10mins walk, the office is a wooden shed with a postage stamp sized sign, in a carpark with several pushbikes and motorbikes parked in front.

Reunion time at Ponza ..... June 2010

24 - 28 June 2010


***The previous day there had been about 7 yachts and no tenders in here***Pizza in Ponza with Liam and Annie, Andrew and Clare***Ever wondered where to stow your dinghy for a change?? This yacht sailed in with it hanging up the mast - amazing!!!***The glorious sight of the 5 masted cruise ship leaving at dusk***

Once we cleared Ventotene we had a gentle downwind sail for 6 hours to cover the 24 miles to Ponza. The main harbour at Ponza shows a large no anchoring area to allow for the regular ferries from the Italian mainland to maneuvour, there were several yachts in there already and it didn't look like there was room for one more so we headed around the rocks just a short distance and anchored off a beautiful sandy beach in clear water with 7 other boats. It was Thursday night and we knew the weekend was likely to get busy so we were happy just to sit back and watch it all unfold. And unfold it did, Friday afternoon the Italian invasion began, superyachts, megayachts, mini cruise liners, a 5 masted yacht cruise liner, enormous motor cruisers, ribs of all sizes - one in particular was 60 feet long with 3 250hp outboards!!!, regular yachts, trailer sailers, runabouts, basically if it could float it seemed to have arrived in Ponza. The inner harbour area that we thought was full must have had close to 50 more boats in there, and our anchorage was overflowing, it was truly an amazing transformation.

Somehow everyone fitted in, there wasn't the chaos we had experienced in Croatia last year, all these boats were privately owned and no one wanted to hit anyone else, it just all worked, and everyone was considerate of each other - maybe Italy in the "busy season" might not be as bad as we anticipated. The Coastguard were keep busy trying to keep enough room clear for the ferries, but each time the ferry left it just all filled up again, until the next time!! We learnt that it was a long weekend, with Tuesday a holiday and Monday taken as an extra day off by many so maybe its not normally quite this crazy.

Along with the hundreds of Italians heading for Ponza there was one Australian catamaran. Our great friends Liam and Annie on Gone with the Wind were finally catching up with us after spending another winter in Turkey, we have been sailing with them on and off since Darwin in 2006, and spent many an anchorage in the Red Sea in their company, and a couple last year in Croatia. The farewells in this carefree cruising life we lead are way too regular, you meet wonderful people, spend time and priceless experiences together then part ways as we are often heading in different directions. But the reunions when they happen, well they are just the best. It was a big night with Blue Banana and Eye Candy also there, many a sundowner followed by many more moonuppers lasting well into the wee small hours!!!

The small town of Ponza was cute, not much there really but some small well presented shops, some busy restaurants and not much else really. Even though it was very busy it still had a real holiday feel to it, we squeezed our dinghies on the dock and all had a great pizza con vino evening out.

There looked to be some other spots around the island that would have been interesting but we had our anchoring spot and we weren't going anywhere until we left for Sardinia!! We had a good weather forecast to move across to Sardinia 155 miles west so in company with GWTW and Eye Candy we left busy Ponza to the locals and continued heading westwards. The wind failed to fill in until late in the afternoon, then it increased in early evening and built overnight and at one point we were cracking along at 8 knots in the full moonlight in flat seas with 23knots hard on the wind. Unfortunately the seas soon got lumpy due both to the wind and a shallow shelf we were going over so we buttoned off and put a reef in until daylight. The great thing about doing overnighters around the summer solstice is that its still light till around 10pm and then the skies start to lighten again at 4.30am, excellent. We had Olbia on the North East coast of Sardinia as our destination but couldn't quite lay it, so instead of tacking or motoring we just made landfall further down the coast at Porto Brandinghi - we thought we were going to Sardinia but we had arrived in paradise!

Cruising info for Ponza:-

Anchorages - Ponza 40 54.274N 12 57.907E 9m sand with weedy patches
Communications - Vodafone and TIM signal ok but we couldn't get WIND for dongle. Could get it further out in anchorage (better line around headland to aerial) and ashore so took laptop and dongle in and sat and had a coffee
Money - ATM on main waterfront ****Can't remember limit here but limit in Sardinia is only €250 per transaction, some machines worse at €200****
Provisions - Lots of minimarkets, fruit/veg shops, 3 butchers. Conad supermarket on waterfront round to right, through the tunnel and along a little. Also deli along there with best bread so far in Italy and yummy ricotta tarts
Formalities - Coastguard buzzed around but never stopped by

Island hopping in Italy ..... June 2010

22 - 24 June 2010

***Mama's home cooking, dining ashore with Peter and Bridget in Ischia***More fortresses - headland at Ischia***And another fort across the way at Procida at sunset***Get your do-up here!!! Waterfront Procida***

The low passed by and headed for Croatia so we moved on from Procida just a few miles to the island of Ischia. Squeezing in the tiny permitted anchoring area was not so easy but once settled the vista of the Castello on headland made the move worthwhile, ashore the island was green and lush and looked lovely. White Rose and Eye Candy had arrived before us and had gone ashore, only to come back a long time later having not been able to find anywhere they could leave their dinghies. White Rose had organised a water taxi so we got ready pronto and joined them for an evening shore excursion. Ischia is said to rival Capri for its natural beauty and it really was lovely, many trees, flowers, pedestrian areas and many Neopolitans looking seriously glamourous relaxing in all the cafes and bars. We found a cute little restaurant promising Mamas traditional cooking (Mama looked about 90!), the service, company, ambience and atmosphere could not be beaten, just a shame Mama had never learnt to cook!!

Early next morning we were awoken by two elderly fisherman, quite possibly Mama's husband and brother, through sign language it seemed they wanted us to move so they could lay their nets in the anchorage. Bleary eyed I explained as politely as possible in my non existant Italian that we were in the designated anchorage area and that we would be staying there, they looked at us in amazement and eventually rowed away - we went back to sleep!

Time to head ever westwards however the wind did not come out to play and we motored 26 miles in some rather lumpy seas out to the next island of Ventotene. Its a small island lying north/south and not providing great coverage, but there was no wind forecast so we found a spot in what we thought was sand amongst 17 other yachts, dropped and set the anchor. We jumped in for a swim, there was the most fish life we have seen in the med, the surrounding area is all marine park and what a difference it makes it was great to see life under water again. We also noticed we were on rock not sand, but hooked nicely to a big boulder and not likely to go anywhere. By dusk we were the only boat left at anchor, all the others had gone into the tiny Roman natural harbour which looked like it would only fit about 4 boats, conditions were pleasant albeit a little rolly so we stayed at anchor, and didn't even go ashore to the small village..

We awoke at dawn, bouncing up, down and sidewards in choppy seas. A 15knot breeze had filled in from the northeast, with a fetch on it all the way from the Italian mainland. We started lifting the anchor immediately, dreading the moment it would snag on the rocks. We should have had more positive thoughts as it came up without a problem, Italy continues to treat us well. We cleared the island, put the sails out, bore away and had a very pleasant downwind sail 24 miles ever westward to the next island of Ponza

Cruising Info for Ischia and Ventotene:-

Anchorages -
Castello d'Ishia (Southern Bay): 40 43.694N 13 57.760E 9.6m weed and sand, zoom chart right in to see the non anchoring area. We paid €2.50 each, each way for the water taxi. Other boats did manage to find places to leave dinghy but its not very easy
Ventotene: 40 49.756N 13 27.854E 9m sand, weed and rock. We couldn't tuck in any closer as it was all buoyed off for swimming areas. There were about 20 yachts in the Roman harbour, bit lively coming out into the nor'easter as its a tiny entrance. Good half way point to Ponza but wouldn't stop there again, maybe further down around the island a little would have been better.
Communications - No WIND signal for dongle in either, poor Vodafone and no TIM on phones Money - ATM's on Ischia
Provisions - Good supermarket on left side on main road in Ischia towards main town
Formalities - no, no,no!