Brindabella

Vessel Name: Brindabella
Vessel Make/Model: Najad 405
Hailing Port: Suffolk Yacht Harbour, UK
Crew: Simon, Fiona and Daisy the dog!
About: Simon and Fiona had Brindabella built in Sweden before she was launched in 2009. They sailed her from Sweden back to Suffolk in the UK. They are now exploring the Mediterranean.
26 March 2024
23 March 2024
22 March 2024
21 March 2024
20 March 2024
19 March 2024
18 March 2024
30 October 2023
16 October 2023
14 October 2023
13 October 2023
12 October 2023
11 October 2023
05 October 2023
04 October 2023
02 October 2023
01 October 2023
Recent Blog Posts
26 March 2024

Marina d’Arechi

Position update: in Marina d’Arechi

23 March 2024

Salerno

Sunshine bathed the anchorage in the early morning when Daisy went for her walk. We left in calm and very low winds, so we motored all the way to Salerno. There was a lot of debris in the water such as bamboo and branches. I had to avoid a log which was attached to a floating upright tree!

22 March 2024

Baia del Buon Dormire

We left the anchorage at Centerio very gingerly, so as not to touch the shallow sandbar. It was a cloudy day, but the sea was calm. We saw two dolphins briefly approach the boat and then disappear. There are very few marinas along this part of the coast, so we planned to anchor at Palinuro, where we [...]

21 March 2024

Cetraro

While at Santa Maria we debated whether we should continue north or go to Tropea for a few days. There was settled weather for the next few days and strong winds forecast for next week. We needed very calm weather for the next two stops because we would be anchoring. If we stopped in Tropea, which is [...]

20 March 2024

Santa Maria

On Wednesday we had a good forecast for passing through the Strait of Messina. This is a narrow stretch of water between Sicily and mainland Italy. There can be strong tides here and it is better to have the tide and wind with you when making this passage. Unfortunately, the website that shows the current [...]

19 March 2024

Sicily – Riposto

The next stage of the cruise was from Siracusa to Riposto. It was a beautiful morning and very calm when we took the anchor up in the bay of Siracusa.

18 March 2024

Sicily - Siracusa

We had spent the weekend preparing Brindabella for the cruise. We got the sails up and fitted everything that we had removed for the winter layup. The cupboards and fridge were also filled with food and drink. By Monday morning, we were ready to set sail.

15 March 2024

Sicily - Marina di Ragusa

Today we were lifted back into the water for the weekend. We will spend a couple of days putting the sails up and provisioning for the cruise.

07 March 2024

Sicily - Marina di Ragusa

We arrived back at the boat on the 7th March and gave her a quick clean before being lifted into the yard on the 8th March. Fiona and I moved into a hotel for the week while the yard have been applying new antifoul and polishing the topsides.

30 October 2023

Sicily – Marina di Ragusa

We spent 12 days in Marina di Ragusa doing a mixture of visiting the sights of Sicily and working on the boat. The marina really started to fill up while we were there, and it is a popular over wintering spot. There were boats from many different countries including the UK, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and [...]

Marina d’Arechi

26 March 2024
Simon
Position update: in Marina d’Arechi

Time: 2:30 hours Miles: 4nm Total Time: 55:15 hours Total Miles: 321nm

Salerno

23 March 2024
Fiona
Sunshine bathed the anchorage in the early morning when Daisy went for her walk. We left in calm and very low winds, so we motored all the way to Salerno. There was a lot of debris in the water such as bamboo and branches. I had to avoid a log which was attached to a floating upright tree!

There were a few marinas in Salerno, we chose to go to Azimut, which was a lovely locals marina. The harbourmaster was very helpful and friendly. He gave us a bottle of Limoncello on our arrival.

The area around Salerno port and the cruise terminal is very modern and smart, with new concrete walkways. There was a small beach, good cafes, clothes shops and restaurants. The town was buzzing as it was Saturday night and lots of young people were out with their friends. We had a coffee and returned for a quick meal on board.

On Sunday, it was Palm Sunday and we went into the city to explore. We had breakfast out, as we had run down our boat breakfast stocks! We had a very nice coffee, croissant and fresh orange juice in a cup and saucer, with spoon in case it needed more sugar. We looked inside the cathedral and saw a choir emerge dressed in red and white gowns, holding small branches of olive trees.





We also visited Salerno's medical museum which showed a virtual video about the first medical school, founded in Salerno in the 9th Century. Herbs were grown in the botanical garden for medicinal purposes. It became the most important source of medical knowledge in Western Europe at that time.



The rest of our time was spent at the fruit and veg market, stocking up on supplies and at a small supermarket and fish shop. Simon cooked spaghetti vongole for dinner.

Time: 8:00 hours Miles: 52nm Total Time: 52:45 hours Total Miles: 317nm

Baia del Buon Dormire

22 March 2024
Fiona
We left the anchorage at Centerio very gingerly, so as not to touch the shallow sandbar. It was a cloudy day, but the sea was calm. We saw two dolphins briefly approach the boat and then disappear. There are very few marinas along this part of the coast, so we planned to anchor at Palinuro, where we went last year. However, Simon checked the forecast for the evening and it looked like the swell would be higher at Palinero, than the other side of the peninsular.

We decided to anchor at the Baia del Buon Dormire. In effect, we were anchoring at sea, but we tucked into the bay behind a large rock shaped like a rabbit. The water was deep with plenty of swinging room. The cliffs were high with yellow stone and there were several small beaches with a river. We had the anchorage to ourselves. It was a bit drizzly and cool when we took Daisy ashore for a run on the beach and a paddle. There was a full moon which lit up the anchorage. As the name of the bay suggests, we had a good night’s sleep!



Time: 6:45 hours Miles: 43nm Total Time: 44:45 hours Total Miles: 265nm

Cetraro

21 March 2024
Simon
While at Santa Maria we debated whether we should continue north or go to Tropea for a few days. There was settled weather for the next few days and strong winds forecast for next week. We needed very calm weather for the next two stops because we would be anchoring. If we stopped in Tropea, which is a very pleasant port and town, we could be prevented from moving on for around a week. Even though we had been moving on now for three consecutive days, we decided to push on. This effectively meant committing us to another three days travelling to reach the marina at Salerno.

There was no wind all day, so we motored to Cetraro. You need to pass over a sand bar and either into the marina or anchor just outside. We got over the bar with just 20cm to spare and into the deep water the other side. We anchored close to the beach and port wall. It was extremely calm, and we had a pleasant night watching the fishing boats return to their home port.

Time: 9:15 hours Miles: 56nm Total Time: 38:00 hours Total Miles: 222nm

Santa Maria

20 March 2024
Simon
On Wednesday we had a good forecast for passing through the Strait of Messina. This is a narrow stretch of water between Sicily and mainland Italy. There can be strong tides here and it is better to have the tide and wind with you when making this passage. Unfortunately, the website that shows the current flow in the strait was not working, so I calculated the flow from high water Gibraltar. There were low winds forecast for the day, so we were keen not to miss the opportunity to exit the straits before the weather changed.

You need to be alert to shipping in the straits. There are larger ships travelling north and south and many large ferries crossing east and west. We chose to cross early from Sicily to mainland Italy and motor up the small craft channel on the east side.



It had already been a long day by the time we exited the straits, and the original plan was to anchor off a small beach. Unfortunately, when we arrived, a small fishing boat was laying a net across the bay. We decided to move on to another potential anchorage, where we anchored for a while to take Daisy ashore. However, the swell there was not pleasant for an overnight stay. We chose to move on to a third anchorage at the village of Santa Maria. We arrived here just as it was getting dark. With the help of what little light was left, the chart plotter and Google maps, we found a large spot of sand to drop the anchor.

We celebrated getting through the Strait of Messina with some Messina beer!

Time: 11:15 hours Miles: 65nm Total Time: 28:45 hours Total Miles: 166nm

Sicily – Riposto

19 March 2024
Simon
The next stage of the cruise was from Siracusa to Riposto. It was a beautiful morning and very calm when we took the anchor up in the bay of Siracusa.

During the day the wind built and we sailed most of the way. This trip provided a magnificent view of Mount Etna. We had a large pod of dolphins join us for a while.

As we got closer to Riposto the wind continued to build and the sea conditions worsened. Turning in towards Riposto we were side on to the waves and one hit the side so hard, it covered the cockpit in water.

Riposto is a safe port to enter particularly when any sea is running. It has an unusually deep entrance, being 17 meters.

As it had been a long day, we decided to eat out that night and found a nice restaurant. The town is very much a local town with no tourism. Although it was very clean and tidy, it definitely looked like time had stood still in Riposto for the last few decades. There were several good fish shops all selling local fish from the Strait of Messina.

Time: 8:15 hours Miles: 42nm Total Time: 17:30 hours Total Miles: 101nm

Sicily - Siracusa

18 March 2024
Simon
We had spent the weekend preparing Brindabella for the cruise. We got the sails up and fitted everything that we had removed for the winter layup. The cupboards and fridge were also filled with food and drink. By Monday morning, we were ready to set sail.

Marina di Ragusa has been a great location to overwinter the boat. It is a safe marina and less affected by storms or surge. There is also a great community in the marina with a meetup in Bar Stella Marina on a Tuesday and Friday evening. A number of yachts are based in the marina permanently and then use it as a base to cruise to Greece and other locations in the Med.

We left Marina di Ragusa early and were bound for Siracusa. We motorsailed for the first couple of hours and as the wind filled in, we had a good sail around the southeast corner of Sicily. We were able to sail up the coast and right into the large bay of Siracusa.

There is a large area where yachts can anchor. The recommended procedure is to call the Siracusa harbour master on VHF and they will provide the co-ordinates to anchor. However, our call went unanswered. Maybe this early in the season when it is quiet, they are not so strict. We anchored beside a yacht that was already there and were joined by a third later in the evening. In the summer, there are large cruise liners which dock in the harbour, and they need to ensure their turning space is not impeded by yachts at anchor.

Siracusa is a great town and we explored here last spring.

Time: 9:15 hours Miles: 59nm Total Time: 9:15 hours Total Miles: 59nm

Sicily - Marina di Ragusa

15 March 2024
Simon
Today we were lifted back into the water for the weekend. We will spend a couple of days putting the sails up and provisioning for the cruise.

This year we are sailing north along the west coast of Italy to Varazze, which is a marina near Genoa that we know well. Although this will be a great cruise and we will be visiting some of the ports we saw last year together with some new ones, it is also with some sadness that it will be our last cruise on Brindabella. Once we reach Varazze, she will be put on the market for sale. She has been a wonderful yacht, and we will be very sad to leave her. However, on a happier note, we have a new yacht being built in Sweden for us, so are also looking forward to taking delivery of that.

Sicily - Marina di Ragusa

07 March 2024
Simon
We arrived back at the boat on the 7th March and gave her a quick clean before being lifted into the yard on the 8th March. Fiona and I moved into a hotel for the week while the yard have been applying new antifoul and polishing the topsides.

Brindabella was extremely clean when she came out of the water with little or no weed on the bottom. The marina seems to have a flow of fresh water entering via two springs and I guess these help to keep the normal weed that can grow on the hull at bay.

Sicily – Marina di Ragusa

30 October 2023
Simon
We spent 12 days in Marina di Ragusa doing a mixture of visiting the sights of Sicily and working on the boat. The marina really started to fill up while we were there, and it is a popular over wintering spot. There were boats from many different countries including the UK, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Canada. Each Tuesday and Friday there are drinks and snacks served in Bar Stella Marina were around 30 to 40 boat owners meet to have a drink and chat. Its certainly a very social marina.

During our stay in the marina, we hired a car and visited Villa Romana del Casale which is a roman villa and baths.



We also visited the town of Modica which we really liked. It had a great atmosphere. It is famous for making a cold pressed chocolate. We bought some of this to go with the Marsala wine we bought earlier in the trip. We had a meal out in Modica before driving back to the marina.



While we had the car, we also visited Taormina. Famous for hosting the G8 summit in 2018. We anchored off this town on our way south in the spring.



We are now commencing our slow drive back home. This includes some more stops in Sicily, a ferry to Genoa and then a drive up through Italy and France. Finally crossing from Calais to Dover.

It's been a great autumn cruise and we have enjoyed the extended time in Marina di Ragusa. We are now signing off for another year. Good Bye!

Total Time: 63:25 hours Total Miles: 303nm
Current Location
Brindabella's Photos - 2011 Brittany Cruise
Photo 20 of 89 | Back To Album
Prev   Next
The small Normandy village of Dielette, just before we entered the port
The small Normandy village of Dielette, just before we entered the port
Added 27 August 2011

About & Links

Favorites
Photo Albums
15 March 2024
16 Photos
16 April 2023
102 Photos