May 19 to 21 - Riposto - visit Taormina
Again, the wind (west this time) and storm force us to extend our stay a little Riposto. Thursday, 20 was a rotten day, wind and rain in the afternoon ...
Friday morning, looking out the windows, what was our surprise to see the summit of Mount Etna covered in snow!
this season in this latitude, it is still not running ... Then the west wind came, gusting to 40 knots in gusts. We have therefore made advantage of the afternoon to take the bus to Taormina from 25 miles distant, must-see destination for visitors from Sicily say.
The bus ride we found that the region is highly populated. We have virtually no left urban areas except occasionally a small piece of countryside among lush and fertile valleys where they grow mainly citrus but also other fruits and vegetables.
Taormina is actually a pretty small city perched on a rocky promontory overlooking the sea ... but overrun with tourists of all nationalities! An unbroken succession businesses occupying the main street and a street leading to the Greek Theatre.
We have chosen to escape the crowd and climb through small streets and stairs to the vicinity of the castle built on a rocky outcrop overlooking the city. We were able to enjoy beautiful scenery and relaxing!
In return, we borrowed the narrow streets beautiful and quiet away from the hectic business but with a little walkabout to the end.
May 22 - Riposto - Taormina - 9000
We left the dock early in the afternoon with absolutely no wind. The forecast northwest weak, whether this short voyage will be quiet. Alas, when we doubled the piers of the marina, we picked a confused sea and a wind blowing over 15 knots and is! We must therefore make difficult two sides in this rough sea, raising Algieba showers of foam.
I fulminated against those meteorologists who sometimes had better change professions!
Well, it's the law of the sea and we have a very small way to go ... In fact, an hour later the wind dropped and it's a train a senator that we join the wetting at the foot of Taormina. The sea is calm, just a little roll, but this bay is wide open to the sea ... and it does not fail, the roll is growing at nightfall will be at least uncomfortable.
May 23-Taormina - Rocella Ionica - 70,000
4:50 am, it was still dark when we set sail for a fairly long road which must lead us to Rocella Ionica located on the southern Italian mainland (the sole of the bunch). We leave in our wake Etna with snow-capped blushes at sunrise ... What a beauty!
We are the engine for half an hour but we arrived at the entrance to the Strait of Messina and air stream begins to be felt, so we send the painting ... Crosswind 10 knots at first and then it goes up to 15 knots, we were sailing at 8 knots, it rises again (20 knots) and then we reduce just the genoa. Algieba is unleashed and the speedo goes up to 9 knots, this train will be arriving soon! But the best things come to an end and soon passed the strait, the wind died completely ... again, the purr of the Volvo is heard. We still did 21 miles in 3 hours.
Thereafter we will put to sea but progress will be slow because we have to face 1.5 knot adverse current.
Entering Rocella Ionica is deemed sensitive, we will finish the engine does not happen at night. This marina, built circa 2000, has been a major problem (probably political and financial) and has never been finalized ... Equipped with beautiful fingers (one broken and never repaired), landing covered with beautiful electric terminals but without power and just a water tap by the pontoon.
Until last year it was free but now a man in the uniform of a general (albeit very nice) just collect a reckoning. Both
say that many boats on their way to Greece and the Adriatic are stopping here, we will have the opportunity to meet Mareike, a very nice skippeuse German nationality alone at the helm of a magnificent Swan 46 that conveys Croatia ... It is a sport! She shows us around this beautiful boat (Class!) And talks about his plans for charter in the Adriatic and in Greece. It
will leave the next morning because his schedule is very tight so that we, because of no wind this time, we stay another day ... maybe two?
24 and May 25 - Ionica Rocella
We are in this place we will visit the village, very nice up and we climb to the medieval castle by a path filled with tall grass. From above, we have a superb view.
back down in the village by small steep streets, we chat with a shopkeeper, people are very friendly and we send plainly ... So we try to jabbering in Italian!
May 26 - Rocella Ionica - Crotone - 63000
Departure at 6:45, the wind is zero and we must navigate to the motor until about 11am. A light southeast wind comes and then we set sail for some ... time because three quarters of an hour later he must return the engine, it is very hot in the cockpit. The time for breakfast and then a breeze from the west stands and we are under sail. The breeze strengthens gradually and downright, shortly before heading to double column behind which lies Crotona. Algieba accelerates and we have to squeeze between two oil platforms to gain entrance to the porto vecchio Crotone to 19h.
Again, we need to tie up the front to the wharf, the strong crosswind preventing us to maneuver correctly.
27 and May 28 - Crotone
We are pleasantly surprised by Croton, which in addition to imposing Aragonese castle dating from the thirteenth century and whose visit is free, has a beautiful old town within a belt of ramparts.
It was a pleasure to stroll through the narrow streets and popular feeling good southern Italy.
A little anecdote: The first evening on a catamaran near neighbor whose owners are absent a good-sized white dog with nice head will not stop barking (it annoys me a bit!) ... A little
Later, I go back to the bridge and hear water noises and grunts, the dog was in the water and exhausted because he has a paw caught in a rope which he can not unravel. I step on the cat, I manage to catch the dog's collar and, not without difficulty, to release the tab, and then I go back on board.
The next day I told this to the owners and the south, the lady gives me a good bottle of wine of Ciro Marina (neighbor)!
May 29 - Crotone - Santa Maria di Leuca - 72,000
is still a long voyage ahead of us because we have to cross the Gulf of Taranto and probably with little wind. We start at 5:45 and this crossing will prove long and tedious. In the afternoon, we'll still be a few hours of quiet sailing.
We arrive at Santa Maria di Leuca to 20h, there is no one to greet us but the English neighbors to help us dock the boat, the blow, the night will be free ...
May 30 and June 1 - Santa Maria di Leuca
The wind settled north and will be strong during the June 1st, we prohibit the raising of the channel to enter Ottrante Adriatic. We will also visit the village rather nice with quite extraordinary beachfront villas nestled in the pines. This reminds La Baule ... Some houses are very beautiful and a little more "Rococo" or "Disneyland".
A large basilica shrine was erected on Cape Leuca (Finibus Terrae and the Romans called him) and is accessed by a huge double staircase of stone whose construction was ordered by Mussolini. The popes have frequently visited this place.
This course is the division of territory between the Ionian and Adriatic Sea.
The surrounding countryside is worthy of interest, are groves espalier all separated by dry stone walls with from time to time, construction conical stone dry well, which should be of ancient dwellings.
These small "houses" all have a small outside staircase leading to the roof.
We could borrow a small road (there are few) lined with stone walls, which meanders between groves and stands to give a magnificent view over the sea
The coast is cut and offers multitudes of tourists visit the caves on small boats.
June 2 - Santa Maria di Leuca - Brindisi
Once again, the journey will be long because we chose not to stop when Ottrante it is not easy to find a place there ... Mareike spent an uncomfortable night at the wharf for fishermen. Check
So at 6 o'clock in the morning and once doubled Cape Leuca, Ionian Sea is left behind places at the Adriatic Sea.
The wind was absent, we are heading to the engine along the mountainous coast, we see clearly the coast of Albania on the other side. .. Algieba is still North and around 9:30, the 40th parallel is again crossed in the opposite direction this time. We face a strong opposing current (2.5 knots), which slows us down ... I tell myself that this train will be difficult to arrive at Brindisi before dark!
Aeolus was not counting on that first appeared about 11 hours from the south, and allows us to hoist the sails, the wind behind. It rapidly increasing to 12/15 knots then 18/20 knots with gusts in the afternoon, at the same time the current decreases. We therefore
veins rife along a coast that is becoming increasingly flat, lots of beaches, bars and restaurants that we hear the music for several miles.
Navigation is a fun, comfortable despite a sea formed a little. We meet (at a respectable distance) of many cargo ships that go down the Adriatic ... The wind is steady but suddenly the mainsail request to jibe and the wind switches to the West without warning, attacking with a vengeance!
This time, Brindisi, where we see the industrial structures, and it quickly gets closer to 18 hours we make our entrance and sail upwind in this immense port, accompanied by the whistling of the wind. We
manœuvrons for lowering the mainsail and I'm storing it when I hear my sailor announce 2.50 m deep and 1m ... fast turn around ... then zero! But nothing happens, it has confused speedo and sounder! In fact, we had 15 feet below ...
We're going to the bottom of the harbor, distant nearly 3 miles from the entrance and find a berth with the Lega Navale.
June 3 to June 6 - Brindisi
The weather is poor and is expected to wind 25/30 knots north, we decided to stay a few days at Brindisi. We're in the Lega Navale, we take the "treghetto" (ferry) to cross the small inlet and go to town. The historic center is nice, well restored, with a beautiful cathedral, yet it is not Syracuse!
The port is busy, there is a major ferry traffic to Albania, Greece and Turkey. While strolling along the quay, we admire the elegant silhouette of Riel, a large luxury yacht (56 meters). You can rent this beautiful modern ketch with her crew through the modest sum of 220,000 euros for a week! The Lega Navale
do we tolerate that two days, so we have to change places and get to the new marina which is very eccentric position, we need this time for us to take the bus into town which we have strayed.
There, we meet Roberto, a very nice local Italian comes tinkering on his boat. We offer delicious salads in his garden ... return he will get a far Breton homemade!
He wants us to stop at Villanova, a seaside town at the foot of her (Ostuni), but given the smallness of the port, the difficulty in finding a place and asking price, we give it up ... Too bad!
June 8 - Brindisi and Bari - 66,000
So to the big city of Bari that we are headed.
Departure at 6:15 with the sun already present and a calm sea, too quiet! Indeed, we do most of the road following a motor-side with a little relief as scintillating plastics from vegetable crops. We
we go into the major trading port, where in a corner is a small yacht club in a large sports complex. The city is 4 kilometers, we will go off the next day.
This large city (600,000 inhabitants) consists of an old fortified city with walls and an imposing castle, and a new town that developed around it. It has two ports: Porto Vecchio little south, which is the port of origin and the huge north Porto Nuovo, which hosts the large traffic of freighters and ferries. Part
old town is of course very beautiful and perfectly restored, we lost in the maze of arcaded streets and squares. Limestone is very white buildings ... It was a pleasant visit, we met a French traveler and makes small talk a little while.
June 10 - Bari-Vieste - 56000
The departure is a little less early morning (6:45), and the sun is already high. The weather forecast tells us the wind freshening southeast during the day to 17/18 knots or 20 knots in the evening .. Vieste Indeed, by mid-morning, we begin to have the wind and toward noon, he is prepared to 15/17 knots.
The look is at full speed, we walk though the coast is overlooked because we are in a sort of gulf, Vieste lying on the spur of the Italian boot, this stud is none other than the mighty Cape Gargano.
During the afternoon, the wind suddenly stops, leaving us slapping sails and boat riding on a sea uncomfortable ... The brave Volvo is restarted reluctantly
... A little before 18 o'clock we'll to the small town of Vieste perched on a rock and go around the island Santa Eufemia before entering the small harbor. The sea is restless
in this place and I think that strong wind from North, it should hit here ... Cape Gargano a cap is strong!
... June 11 - Vieste
We stay here a few days, especially since it is a birthday to celebrate, before taking the (small) crossing to the island of Lastovo in Croatia. This will be the end of the Italian episode that lasted for some time ... In fact, we are in Italy since late July of last year! We loved.
The city of Vieste is lively old part has been completely restored and is now albeit tourist tourists is quite small. As usual, it's a maze narrow streets, so narrow that the balconies almost touch. It is better to be on good terms with his vis-à-vis! From time to time at a street corner, a nice view over the sea limestone cliffs along the shore are a dazzling white ... Anyway, a beautiful small city.
In one week, our friends Bainsois Dominique and Annie, come join us in Dubrovnik. We look forward to seeing them ...
