10th September
As we approached Stromboli a puff of cloud shot up into the air. We motored past the lava field - an almost vertical black slope from which a mass of cloud streamed. This was the lava sliding it's way slowly down to the sea. Every so often rocks would break away sending up puffs of smoke as they bounced down. In daylight we couldn't see the red glow of the lava, we would have to wait for night for that.

We anchored off San Vincenzo in rock and sand avoiding the few plastic milk bottles floating about that turned out to be moorings. Holding wasn't great but it would do. Colin dropped me off ashore on the black beach for me to walk to the viewing area that was still open as crater tours were cancelled whilst the eruption was ongoing.

The town was delightful - tiny pathways and alleys that turned out to be roads (when i nearly got splattered by a scooter wizzing around a corner) wound around the white painted houses up to the plaza in front of the church which had some beautiful stained glass doors. I tried to find the 'main' road and wandered around randomly for a while before realising main road didn't necessarily mean it was a big road, just slightly wider than the alleyways.


Photos clockwise from top left: filthy feet after the walk; the church of San Vincenzo; stained glass doors; tsunami warning sign; the main road; me at the view point; the lava field; black sand beach; narrow lane in the town

After a bit of tooing and froing I arrived at the path to the viewing area. It started off as a crazy paved path that gently zigzagged up before the zigzags got steeper and tighter and the paved path turned to sand. The first view point came into sight looking over the lava fields we had sailed past. A rough track lead up from it with a sign in Italian. It didn't say anything like 'this is the limit you can go to' or 'no entry' and there was no tape across the path so onwards I went but I think I might have gone beyond where I was supposed to. This track was very rough and steep and after 15 minutes of hot walking there was another platform which had a much better view so was worth the effort.

It's hard to describe how amazing it was standing there (I have a logical, scientific mind rather than a writer's mind) listening to the lava rocks falling and bouncing down the slope like mini avalanches cracking and creaking. Awesome!

We decided to spend the night at anchor and visit the lava flow the next night on our way to the Messina Strait. The wind blew quite strong during the day so we didn't get ashore. During the afternoon more boats arrived including the tour boats whose wash sent us rolling around. The ash cloud got bigger and bigger during the day and a fine black dust rained down on us. The top of Stromboli became hazy in the thick black cloud.


Photos clockwise from top left: the Sciara del Fuego - lava field; motoring towards Stromboli; ash cloud; two views of lava in the night, pretty hard to take from a moving boat; Emerald anchored under Stromboli

As dark arrived a red glow could be seen over the ridge line. Getting excited now! During the wait we were entertained by the singing from a boat of German blokes - hmmm wasn't sure about the Back Street Boys track though! Just before midnight we were one of the first to set off motoring into a F5 which was a pain as it meant we bounced a lot which wasn't good for photos. The glow got brighter and then a line of bright red-yellow lava came into sight as it trickled out of the crater. Wow! We motored alongside it and back again, I could have watched it for hours and that short time is the highlight of my summer. But sadly no, we had to get going towards the Messina Straits which which turned out to be a complete anticlimax but that story has to wait for the next blog.

Video of some lava:

Thanks James for this, lovely song! Link to Billy Bragg song - Ingrid Bergman.