Brindabella

Position update: Isola d’Elba – Porto Azzurro

Time: 6:15 hours Miles: 37nm Total Time: 51:45 hours Total Miles: 606nm

We had to leave Giannutri early the next morning as the wind direction changed and we would have been pushed onto the rocks. The weather was due to change. There was a Gale Force 7 with gusts forecast on the VHF radio, from the French Riviera and down across Corsica. It sounded like the Mistral. In the early morning, the wind was low and we sailed across to Santo Stefano on the mainland. We arrived in the small, town marina early afternoon and prepared the boat for the forthcoming wind.

The town of Santo Stefano is very pretty with fir trees and smart houses as a backdrop with a working fishing quay complete with a fleet of trawlers. There are good fish stalls here and we bought some sole to cook for dinner. There is a paved walkway along the coast and at night the trunks of the palm trees were lit up with tiny white lights. To the opposite end of the quay is a port with ferries going to the nearby islands of Giglio and Giannutri. A small supermarket and laundrette are close by.

We spoke with a couple from the yacht Tancho, and they came on board for a drink. They were heading to Sicily, so we exchanged information with them on good ports and anchorages.



Time: 3:00 hours Miles: 14nm Total Time: 48:30 hours Total Miles: 569nm

We have now reached the island of Giannutri which is one of the Tuscan islands. It is wild and exposed. The island forms a natural crescent shape, shallow enough to anchor close to the shore, otherwise it is too deep. There is a little harbour where the ferry lands. We anchored quite close to some rocks, but the wind was off the land. There were a few other yachts and two men diving.

We had a barbecue for the 2 nights that we stayed and we also had the first swim of the year. The water temperature was bracing!



Here's a photo of Simon taking Daisy in the dingy for her walk.





Simon took this photo of the sunset over Isola di Giglio.



Time: 5:15 hours Miles: 33nm Total Time: 45:30 hours Total Miles: 555nm

We motored round from Rome and the sea still had remnants of swell. Three and a half hours later, we reached the marina at Traiano. This is a large modern well protected marina with cafes, restaurants and chandleries.

We were used to being one of the few visitor boats in a marina, but there was a lot of activity here. A large number of yachts from Europe were making ready for a long-distance race. There was a great atmosphere of excitement. The course would take them south round to the island of Stromboli and back to Traiano, a distance of some 500nm.

In the evening, we ate at a fish restaurant in the port.



Time: 5:00 hours Miles: 30nm Total Time: 40:15 hours Total Miles: 522nm

At 8.30am, we slipped our lines at Nettuno and headed towards the port of Rome. It was warm, but the air was muggy with little wind. On the VHF radio, we heard a Force 7 to 8 gale warning for Corsica, broadcast in Italian, French and English. Simon had already seen on the forecast an increase in swell and wind for the next 24 hours for our next destination in Rome. We arrived at the marina at 1.30pm and put extra lines out to secure the boat. We ate on board that night and took Daisy for her final walk.

The wind started at 10pm and continued for the next day. Waves were rolling in the marina entrance. We had been here last year in similar conditions! We managed to get off the boat passerelle to take Daisy for her morning walk and take the rubbish and washing ashore. Once back on board, we caught up with admin tasks, then mid-afternoon we went for a walk along the beachfront and to the supermarket. The wind and swell had completely gone by the following day.

Time: 5:30 hours Miles: 28nm Total Time: 35:15 hours Total Miles: 492nm

It was a calm day with a light wind, so we motorsailed from Ponza to the marina at Nettuno. We had been here last year and had to watch the depth at the marina entrance. In one patch the depth sounder recorded 2.7m, we draw 2.1m. On the approach to the marina, we prepared to tie up, alongside rather than med moor. Sure enough we had exactly the same hammerhead berth as before!

We walked round the town looking for a restaurant and came across the old town. In the cobbled square, we spotted a little fish restaurant, with no English translation on the menu. The fish was excellent and for dessert, we each had a moretto, which is a very rich chocolate cake!

Time: 6:30 hours Miles: 40nm Total Time: 29:45 hours Total Miles: 464nm

After a brief walk around Ventotene, we had breakfast in a café and bought a few food items in a little grocery shop. It was calm at sea, and we saw an army helicopter overhead, that did a fly by and circled the boat twice.



On the approach to Ponza, we were careful to anchor in the designated area, to the north of the bay. The ferries turn in the centre of the port to anchor at their bow and med moor at the quay. We had a barbecue in the early evening and watched the late-night ferry come in, just after dark. The following day we went ashore and looked round the delightful island.



On the Saturday, the Carabinieri (police) came alongside in their large tender. The officer started to fiddle around with a large fishing net. At first, I was amused, as I thought that he liked to fish in his spare time. However, instead of tying up and coming on board, he held the fishing net out. We had to place our passports and boat papers in the net, which he then took on board his boat, for the second officer to check. Happy with what he saw, he returned our documents and wished us a Buona giornata! We were pleased that he did not ask us to re- anchor, confirming that we had anchored in the correct area of the bay.

We spent 3 nights anchored here.





Time: 3:30 hours Miles: 23nm Total Time: 23:15 hours Total Miles: 424nm

After buying a few provisions, we left the island of Procida bound for the island of Ventotene.

Ventotene is one of the Pontine islands in the Tyrrhenian sea. We had a good sail there and it turned calm as we approached the island. We checked the seabed for rocks and found sand in which to anchor in line with the lighthouse. At 5pm a fisherman laid two nets right in front of the anchorage. He waved to us. We did not hear him raise the nets in the morning!

We had our first BBQ of the season.

It was a very small island with a Roman history and the nearby island of Santo Stefano was a former prison, where political opponents to Mussolini were housed during the Second World War.

Time: 5:30 hours Miles: 28nm Total Time: 19:45 hours Total Miles: 401nm

It took two and a half hours to motor out from Naples to Marina Grande on the island of Procida.

The port was lined with brightly coloured buildings in pink and yellow. There were shops, cafes, restaurants and the main port terminal in this location. We explored the island and walked across to Corricella. This was a delightful fishing village with pastel-coloured houses, shops and cafes. There were small fishing boats, and several fishermen were mending their nets. Daisy decided to go for a swim here.



We walked through the narrow streets to another marina on the opposite side of the island.

Time: 2:30 hours Miles: 12nm Total Time: 14:15 hours Total Miles: 373nm

Early in the morning, we were up walking Daisy and trying to decide whether to use Good Friday to travel to Naples. The forecast for the day was calm, but the following few days were going to be very windy. Simon had contacted Powerboat Marina in Santa Lucia, Naples and they replied that they had a berth free. However, we wondered how much protection we would get from a Southerly wind. In the end, we decided to leave anyway, otherwise we would get trapped in Salerno for several more days, at least we could move on and there would be plenty to do at Naples in the windy weather.

The sea was reasonably calm when we left and we initially motor sailed. However, just off the island of Capri, the wind increased, and we had a good sail across the bay and into Naples.

We were pleasantly surprised when we reached the marina in Naples. The small marina was located in Santa Lucia in the heart of Naples at a quiet corner near Castel dell ’Ovo. The marina staff were friendly and gave us a good berth, alongside, so we didn’t need to get the passerelle out. Restaurants lined one side of the quay and the other side had prestigious hotel fronts. Opposite, we had a good view of Vesuvius. The photo above is form the marina.

We knew that a Force 7 would be coming on the second night, so we prepared with fenders, extra ropes and rubber snubbers. We took the ensign in and put the bimini down. The wind would hit us on the bow. We prepared well and felt safe. We had an uncomfortable Saturday night with strong wind, followed by swell, but by the morning of Easter Sunday, it had calmed down considerably, and peace was restored.

Although the marina was in a very busy area, it had good security. On one side of the gates was a mass of people, cafes and restaurants but on the marina side it was such a contrast and quiet.



On Sunday we explored the city visiting two churches, a shopping mall, and a museum in the Spanish quarter. For lunch we had a pasta meal out, close to the marina.



On Monday we had lunch in Hotel Paradiso on the other side of the bay. We first visited this hotel in 1998 and this was the location where we made plans to start our own business. It is a wonderful hotel with amazing views over the bay of Naples.

The photo below is the view from Hotel Paradiso.



Time: 6:30 hours Miles: 40nm Total Time: 11:45 hours Total Miles: 361nm