Having just changed internet providers and gone through a
massive task of uploading a thousand and one photos (that is possibly
literal!!) I now feel like I am in some position to continue the epic with
regard to sailing season 2014!
Having left Roma e Napoli far behind, we continued down and
around the coast with first stop Sorrento… a very short stop and quick run up
the hill to the town before the wind changed and forced us out of the
anchorage. That has to have been one of
the bumpiest and wettest dingy rides we have had in a while and although
Sorrento was very cute I wouldn’t recommend attempting to anchor or use the
harbour unless the wind is in the right direction… so a quick sail around the
corner before the sun went down was required.
Not sure it was completely legal where we stopped so might not mention
it by name but as it was late and the weekend we never had any bother. Beautiful view overlooking Capri and some
amazing walks on shore (not to mention a lovely reserve and caretakers cottage…
(ah ha… some of you can picture the anchorage now… shush; it will be our little
secret!). We even found a mad old geezer
selling homemade frozen limoncello which certainly put a spring in our step on
the trip back!
Next stop Capri… couldn’t afford the marina at €260 or so a
night so opted to bounce around with the other cheapskates. Beautiful Island but boy they certain charge
like a wounded warthog – for everything.
We spent a couple of days on foot, funicular railway and bus and then
take a pass on the Blue Grotto (sorry Penelope; just couldn’t justify €56 for
10 minutes inside!!) If I was rolling in
dosh I would say I’d be back but…. |
| Bramble rides the rails... I think she must be on everyone Japanese persons facebook page! |
We also noted that Berlusconi charmingly referred to Merkel
as “an unfuckable lardass” today… Well I suppose he is a kind on expert on such
matters… although she is a little too old for him for accurate comment J Anyway such is Italian
politics… always diplomatic and to the point!?
Now it’s a short sail down the Amalfi coast…. Spectacular scenery
but again the harbours and moorings are a bit out of our budget… €70 for a
bouncy buoy overnight off Positano was a bit cheeky and if we had stayed that
bumboat boy would have had to ferry Bramble ashore every hour so I felt I was
getting my monies worth… Surprisingly there were still some places to anchor
and although they weren’t the most comfortable they did give us a good
opportunity to explore ashore. Then
finally we cracked the in-transito berthing system and managed many nights free
in some really nice harbours. In-transito
yachts can usually stay for 1 – 3 nights for free in any co-operating harbour
(not all harbours have in-transito berths) on their own anchor if stern-to or
go alongside and as long as you don’t take on any water or electricity it’s all
free. We found the best way was to
anchor of the harbour entrance and dingy in to the harbour office and negotiate
face to face. Most of the staff weren’t
that confident in English and answering the radio in English was not an option…
I know how they feel; when I have to waffle in Italiano on the VHF it can be
very intimidating at times. 
Maiori was one of our favourites’ and the lovely Guarda Costiera
man let us stay three nights for free.
To give you an idea of money saved, Maiori was €50 per night in the
“marina” section or free on the wall!!
Anyway his generosity gave us a decent break to venture inland so we
took a chance on the very exciting local bus and then made a 6 hour walk back
over the top of a very large hill via 
Sanctuario dell’avvocata… sweaty doesn’t
begin to sum it up but there were fabulous views (however beware of snakes in
this part of the world and look down every once in a while!) and we felt very
virtuous eating our pizza that evening…. Needless to say Bramble showed us up
completely and finished fresh as a daisy despite an hour long accidental detour
to another village on the way down… Great day out and the townsfolk were super
friendly. Add to this Maiori is off the
beaten track which was delightful after some of the touristy hassle we had had
in other places.
After Maiori we left the “Amalfi” area and found some more
free spots in some lovely places (unsurprisingly some not that different from
the hotspots)… funny how a lot of tourists limit themselves to where everyone
else goes… perhaps they are too afraid of not being able to sign off on the
“big five” wherever they go so to speak.
Three places we enjoyed:
Palinuro afforded us good shelter at anchor and we recommend
their “blue grottos” (yes folks they are free in your own dingy or you can take
a tour and unlike Capri the tour boats wave you over and show you how to get in
to the best bits rather than threatening to sink you)… each cave had a
different theme as it were and the glow from some of the volcanic phosphorus
deposits were amazing.
Scario was delightful and due to the downturn in visiting
boats, free on the wall. Fabulous
laundry on shore and friendly, interesting locals, if a bit unintelligible at
times!
Tropea was really pretty and the marina well run – upfront
and super helpful Roberto filled us in on all the ins and outs of the town and
we had a lovely couple of days there soaking up the atmosphere of the old town (only
200 or so steps up and down each time you want to visit!) and enjoyed a scrummy
lunch at Il Convivio consisting of vongole, fritta calamari e gambero con
un’insalada rucolo e pomodorini – Complimenti!!
Places I wouldn’t bother with…
Vibo Valentia… enough said but I suppose I should be grateful
that I did learn finally how to backhand like an Italian…
Messina straits and Sicilia here we come…
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