Since I'm writing this post from the port of Nice, you can see that we made a bit of headway since the crew swap in Salerno. We've had a bit more weather on this leg, so have had a few extra days in each port on our journey. April is still a sketchy month for weather, and I've been watching a huge low pressure in the Atlantic prepare to suck all of the air out of the Med.

Picking up with Robert and Joe departing in Salerno, we (Tracy, Lesley, and I) enjoyed a few more days exploring the Naples area. It is really difficult, and expensive, to stay in ports near Sorrento or Capri, so we rented a car for the day and went out to explore. Roads weren't too bad, though they got successively narrower as we got closer to Sorrento. We had decided to take the ferry out to Capri, as I planned to sail by it on our way north. The ferry ride was a bit rough, and while none of our intrepid crew lost their cookies, there were more than a few that didn't enjoy the trip. Biggest clue that it was going to be a rough passage was when one of the ship's crew started handing out plastic shopping bags to everyone. I'm sure that visual explains it all.

Capri is a beautiful stop, and the stairs up to town make it an easy climb. I enjoy the narrow walking passageways in town, as they always remind me of being in the souks of Morroco. Prices in these shops are not the same as the souks though, as they cater to the very rich, with names such as Cartier and Rolex. Always fun to wander around though. We enjoyed our short visit and decided to catch the ferry back to Sorrento so that we could enjoy the sights there before our drive back to Salerno. We were trying for an earlier ferry than the one that we had booked, figuring we would stay ahead of the crowds. Apparently everyone else visiting was enjoying a Vulcan mind meld, as we all came up with the same idea simultaneously. So, we enjoyed the wait for the next ferry with a couple hundred of our fellow travelers. Ferry ride back was not as bumpy, and we were soon back in Sorrento.

Sorrento also has scores of narrow walking streets, and we found interesting shops with artisan crafts like lacquered boxes and pottery. As we have been decorating the boat interior with art from our travels, Tracy found a nice piece to cover the hole where the old depth readout used to be in our stateroom. Then it was the drive back to Salerno, winding our way back out of the narrow Sorrento streets, with a stop enroute to the grocery.

The next morning, we made a last minute propane purchase, returned the car, and checked out of the marina. Headed to the island of Ischia on the north side of the Bay of Naples. We motored most of the morning through a few rain squalls, and then hoisted sails after leaving Capri to Port. We had a few hours of nice sailing across the bay, only furling the sails just under the castle on Ischia. I had sent a berthing request, which was fortunate as the marina was packed with boats already. With the wind blowing and Grainne's handling characteristics, there was no way we were going to get into the first space the ormeggiatori (sp? Dock guys) indicated. The other spot was bracketed by mooring balls, with all sorts of lines beneath the surface. They were nice enough (though not happy about it) to provide a little directional assistance with their zodiac, and we were so one berthed in the port of Ischia.

Great little spot with one little problem. The ferries came into port day and night. They scream in through the narrow cut, get near the dock, drop their anchors, and back in hard to moor stern to the pier. Same evolution in reverse upon departure. It is fun to watch, as these guys are really good at working to their anchors. It is not a lot of fun to hear however, particularly when my eyelids are slammed shut for the night. But we made do, and enjoyed the visit up to the castle for the day. Cool spot, and it is being restored beautifully. Tracy and Lesley tried for the local hot springs, only to discover after a long bus ride, and even longer set of stairs, that the hot springs were closed for the day.

The next day we were headed north for Anzio. I am pushing hard with a few long days in order to fit between storm cycles. We had several hours sailing, including flying our spinnaker Big Red. Really nice to finally fly that sail again. We have had few opportunities for spinaker sailing here in the Med due to the constantly changing winds. Since the last time I put Big Red up only lasted about 20 minutes, I was more than happy with a couple of hours. We got to Anzio just around sun down. The Pilot book describes a good spot to anchor as just east of the entrance buoy. And while we expected some silting at the harbor entrance, I was careful to proceed on a slow bell. Good thing, as the depth in the approach was really shallow. We anchored in sand in about 3 - 4 meters, which is not unusual. Good visual marks and anchor drag set on the plotter. We enjoyed a nice dinner at anchor, and then headed off to bed. I don't think I had closed my eyes for more than a minute when I felt the boat motion change. A quick check of the plotter showed that we were indeed dragging, verified about ten seconds later with the drag alarm. It was obvious that this spot wasn't going to work for the night. So we picked up the anchor, and retraced our track out of the harbor approaches. It was shallow about a mile from the harbor entrance. Not sure how they manage to get the larger boats in and out of the harbor. Looks like a night to motor on to Rome.

It was another 4 hours north to Rome, so we settled in and headed for the Port of Rome. I expected to arrive around 3 in the morning, and figured we could tie up to the fuel pier until the port opened. When we entered the port, I was surprised at the shallow bar across the entrance. And as we got out the spotlight to shine on the fuel pier, I was even more surprised that there was a beach in front of the fuel dock. Guess that is not going to work. We continued into the port, which opens up into a huge marina with thousands of boats. There was a good quay to tie up to, so Tracy stepped ashore with the lines, and we were moored for the night. Time to get some sleep.

We had set the alarm for 0800 figuring that no one even comes to work until 0830. So we were surprised to be awoken at 7 am by a rap on the boat. Friendly dock guy, and soon we were moored stern to in one of the slips on the north end of the Marina. Tied up in Rome, pretty cool! Actually we were in the suburbs of Rome, but close enough for exploration. We enjoyed a day exploring Ostia Antica, a port city which had been covered by flooding by the River Tiber, and only recently re-discovered and excavated in the last century. We also had a long day trip into Rome to see the sights as Lesley hasn't been here since she was very young.

The weather forecast looked favorable for a Monday departure, and I've been trying to get across to France before the next major storm hits. We had a banner day of sailing, ending at a well protected anchorage for the night. Great spot to get some sleep before the last push across the Gulf of Genoa. I had looked at several scenarios for the passage, including a long stop in Corsica. But with the forecast looking pretty dire for the next week, decided for a long transit through the night. We sailed for most of the crossing, with strong winds out of the east. And while we were all very tired at the end of the transit, it was great to see the French coast at first light.

We tied up in the border town of Menton-Garavande and went to the port captain to clear into France. No need he says, we are all one Europe! So we were good to go. With only a couple of hours to Nice, we got underway and headed for this icon French Riviera Port.

The ports fill up really quickly here, but the Marina was able to find a spot for us along the quay wall. The crazy thing was that it was between two super yachts, and we were borrowing the berth of the yacht that was out of town for the next few days. Manouvering Grainne between these walls along either side was relatively easy, and soon we were moored up for the next few days. The laid lines are one and a half inch hawsers, so no worries that we are going to pull them out in a storm. We also weren't easy to see from the town, since we were completely dwarfed by the other boats. But it is a great spot. We are enjoying exploring the town, the 5 minute walk to the boulangerie (bakery) in the morning, and of course, the gelato.

Tomorrow we depart for a storm port for the next few days. Finding a place to moor has been very stressful, as they are all full with other boats all seeking shelter from the wind. The forecast is for one of the powerful levanters that last for several days, so anchoring out is not an option. The marina here was very helpful in getting me a slip a couple of hours down the coast, so we will head out in the morning.

We have been pushing the underway times to scoot between storms on this leg. Getting into a routine has been difficult, so I'm hopeful that we can make the next leg of the trip in several short hops. Hoping that the weather will cooperate as we continue on to Port Napoleon.