Freya & Us

We stopped cruising four weeks ago when we returned to Gaeta from Naples and the time has flown by. First on our list was arranging for some major maintenance work to keep Freya sea worthy and Bristol fashion. We are having a seacock, the standing rigging (the wires that hold up the mast) and the rubber boot between the sail drive and hull replaced. If the latter fails we will have a very big hole in the bottom of the boat, not to be recommended. We also found the source of an annoying tiny puddle of diesel that kept finding its way into the bilges. Unfortunately it was a rust hole in the fuel tank. It was too far gone to be repairable so a new tank was added to the shopping list. The tank is in and the other work is scheduled to be done over the winter.

Socially we have been quite busy. There are a few other boats over wintering in Gaeta, some there for the whole of the winter, others like us going home for Christmas. It's quite cosmopolitan, we have two sets of Brits, a Norwegian couple, a Dane, a French couple and a Yank. So we have been quite busy. We hosted a halloween party on Freya, complete with a carved pumpkin, bats, candlelight and a wonderful pumpkin pie cooked by Lorraine. A piano recital and of course the odd meal out and drinks were also on the agenda. Our last meal just before we left was our first ever Thanksgiving lunch complete with turkey and trimmings in one of the local restaurants organised by the Yank, Jayne.

Of course we've not neglected the sight seeing. Locally we have got to know Gaeta and its old and new towns a little better. We are really enjoying the shopping for the daily essentials in the local shops and are now greeted warmly by the butcher, baker and the green grocer. Not sure if they see us as 'one of the family' or just like laughing at our Italian, either way they remember us and we have fun. Above old town Gaeta is a hill, Monte Orlando. We packed a picnic lunch and walked up to the top for some magnificent views across the town, along the coast and of the Pontine islands, which are likely to be out first stop when we start cruising again in the new year. At the top of the hill is an impressive mausoleum to a Roman consul and general, Munazio Placo, who was a contemporary of Julius Caesar. The walk was beautiful with some very dramatic cliffs and gorges, the most notable being the 'split mountain' with a monastery built above it. Legend has it that the mountain split in two on the day when Christ died on the cross.

Further afield our sightseeing included an overnight trip to Salerno by train to see the wonderful illuminations that are displayed all over the town between November and January. The highlights for us were the fairy tale garden with huge displays depicting scenes from Cinderella to Peter Pan and the giant penguins on the beach. The town itself was also very pleasant with good shopping so we managed to tick quite a few things off the Christmas list.

For our last week we hired a car and did some touring inland and along the coast, lots of beautiful views and lovely towns and villages to see. Much of our driving was along the Via Appia, the old roman road that ran along the coast to Rome, so there was no shortage of roman villas and ruins to explore. The towns of Terracina and Minturno deserve a mention but the most impressive sight was the Villa Tiberius in Sperlonga situated right on the sea. Not only was the villa huge, but it had a huge grotto built into a natural cave in the cliffs. These contained some huge statues and fountains which were surround by saltwater ponds that doubled up as fish farms. Beautiful and amazing. If it ever becomes available as a building plot we will be in the bidding.

The boat was lifted a couple of days before we left and the mast removed ready for the standing rigging replacement. Freya looked very different and bare without it, but hopefully she will be properly dressed when we return next year, probably around the end of February.

We are now back home and are looking forward to catching up with friends and family.

Click here for the interactive map of our travels