Nimrod Oceanlord

The plan today was to leave Tropea between 10 and 11 so that we would reach the top of the Messina Straits just as the south going tide kicks in at 4.30pm. The wind of course was on the nose and, instead of the forecast of 12-16 knots, we had gusts of over 25! The sea had built up and so it was very slow progress indeed. The waves were crashing over the boat and whoever was on the helm (you guessed it – Liz wasn’t on for very long) It wasn’t cold but very salty. By 6pm we had had enough and although the sea had abated, the wind was still on the nose with a new forecast of over 20 knots all evening.

Caution got the better of valour and we looked for a refuge for the night. We are currently on a mooring buoy in the little harbour of Scilla right by the entrance to the Straits. Depending on the forecast for tomorrow we will either slip our lines at 6am to get the south going tide or stay here for the day.

So far this trip we have not actually made it to any of our intended destinations! Oh and by the way, the engine is performing marvellously!

Pictures of our track today and also the town of Scilla at night. We have also started to send data via the marinetraffic app and you’ll find us if you search for Nimrod of Tamar (her full name, don’t you know!).

Just ten days to go before the next episode of our adventure begins. We fly out on Sat 13th Sept to move Nimrod from Naples to Malta via Sicily.  Our first stop will hopefully be Stromboli, some 160nm from our marina (about 30-33 hours sail), in the Aeolian Islands. Stromboli is an active volcano and can be seen ‘erupting’ several times a year.

Route from Naples to Stromboli

Then, after we have explored the islands, we will go onto Sicily and investigate good stops for the coming year before moving onto our final destination – Malta. We have a 7 month berth in Valetta as we want to have some steel work and repairs done over the winter. We also figured that it should be a warm and fun place to visit during the winter as it is relatively close to the African coast. We shall see.

We decided that we would sail over to the island of Ischia on Sunday morning and in order to make the most of the day, we set off early. However, just as we were about to leave, a huge thunderstorm erupted so we had to wait 30 minutes. It did clear the air and the sun shone through all day. What little wind there was, was right on the nose so we motored the 25 miles.

We thought about anchoring but decided to go into the port of Ischia as we couldn’t be bothered to blow up the dinghy for one afternoon. That decision cost us €102 – the cost of the marina although it was cute, set in the harbour and we were moored right next to all the bars and restaurants.

After lunch on board, we then walked into the main town of Ischia some 45 mins away. It was hot but enjoyable and remarkably clean compared to the mainland. There were plenty of shops to keep Liz happy! We also visited the Aragonese Castle that sits on top of an imposing promontory. It was amazing with lots of verandas, works of art, glorious views and lovely cafés. It was built in the 15th century and has since been a convent and a monastery. It is now privately owned and well worth the €10 entrance fee.

We then made our way back for supper on board followed by an early night as we were up early again to get back to our marina by lunchtime so we could sort the boat out before making our way back to the airport. A brilliant weekend away.

Pictures of the harbour, castle and views.

Saturday was cold, overcast and windy but we still decided to opt for a ferry trip over to Cápri. The ferry terminal is pandemonium with unclear directions as to where we needed to buy the tickets and where the ferry actually left from! They told us it would be either quay 7 or 8 but in true Italian fashion, it actually ended up being number 6. The crossing was uneventful apart from the rain which stopped before we reached port.

Capri is a town of two halves with the cheap touristy bits down at the harbour and the expensive touristy bits at the top of the furniculare.

We couldn’t walk too far because Ruth was a bit tired from the day before but we managed to go to a vantage point on the south part of the island to see the famous rocks. A quick lunch down at the harbour before making our way back to the ferry for the 40 min trip back to Naples.

We then went off to find Herculaneum as last time Liz and I tried to find it, we failed miserably. By the time we got back to the boat, we were all still fairly full so we had cheese and biscuits whilst watching Mama Mia!

On Easter Sunday, we woke up to clear blue skies and a lovely 20 degrees C. After another leisurely breakfast – after all, we are on holiday – we then left for Herculaneum hoping that the parking goddess would smile on us. We were not disappointed. Easter Sunday in Italy appears to mean that no one was on the road and neither were they parking near the site.

I have to say that Herculaneum was amazing. The fact that you can see the skeletons of the women and children in the boat houses made it very real and not just a history lesson. Although, there were quite a few school parties it was relatively quiet.

As it was such a stunning day, we then drove up to Mount Vesuvius. Despite the quiet roads, chaos ensured at the top as people were parking anywhere they could find so the coaches couldn’t get by. Luckily, we had prudently decided to park a short walk away so we weren’t involved in the ensuing carnage! On the way back down we stopped at a lovely cafe with a beautiful backdrop of Vesuvius and a stunning view across the Bay of Naples to Capri for the requisite beer! Dinner on board and an early night followed as we had to be at the airport by 10am on the Monday.

We arrived into Naples airport during the early evening of Maundy Thursday to a chilly Italy. Once we had picked up the hire car and gone to the local Auchan supermarket in Pompeii, it was already past 9pm. We arrived at the boat to find that the boatyard still hadn’t reattached the backstays (these are the two metal wires that help hold up the mast). Luckily, we weren’t planning on sailing this weekend as we have been accompanied by Liz’s parents, Ruth and John. A phone call the next day meant that it was sorted (after a fashion) by the time we got back in the evening. They hadn’t bothered putting in split pins and I doubt they have tensioned them properly but at least they are now attached so we can fine tune them!

As we all slept in a bit, we decided that we would do a car tour of the Amalfi Coast rather than going over to Capri. The Italian driving hadn’t got any better since our last trip here so it meant being vigilant for a while and then you sort of get into the swing of it and drive like they do! First stop was Ravello, just north of Amalfi, and we were very lucky to find a parking space very close to the pedestrianised centre. It is a delightful place with a beautiful Duomo with ornate pulpits going back to the 13th century. We wandered down the side streets to look at the tourist shops selling all sorts of tacky ware but all in all a lovely place. We had lunch in a cafe with spectacular views across the Bay of Salerno next to the Gardens of the Villa Ruffulo.

We had intended to visit the gardens but we ran out of time and wanted to see more of the coast. Next stop was Amalfi itself and again we were fortunate to find a parking space by the harbour and near to the cathedral. Treating ourselves to an ice cream, John and Ruth really got a taste of Italy.

After milling around there for a while, we decided to make our way to Positano – made famous in a number of films. It is set up high in the rocks either side of a ravine. It seemed to be very spread out with no real centre so we decided to drive through to save Ruth from walking too far. It did have a lovely feel to the place with nice shops and lovely restaurants overlooking the sea. By this time it was 7pm and we were keen to watch one of the many processions that occur on Good Friday in this area. The most spectacular is supposed to be in Sorrento so we made our way along a delightful coastal road to the town.

Sorrento is much bigger than we had thought from our last visit there by sea in October. Again, we were very lucky to find a spot to park quite close to where the procession started. It was quite a macabre sight as hundreds of adults and children were all dressed in black with pointy hats and looking quite menacing. There was singing and bands to accompany a very solemn, candlelit walk through town.

It then took an age to get out of the town as the roads were gridlocked both in Sorrento and every other village we went through. Finely got back to the marina around 9.30pm and went directly to eat at the Yacht Club where Liz and Jo had some delicious tuna whilst Ruth and John had steak. All washed down with a very nice bottle of very local wine – made less than two kilometres away! Back to the boat for a wee snifter and some simnel cake. A fabulous if chilly day when out of the sun.