Capri to Tropea
Thursday, April 29th, 2004
Today, our crossing of 50 miles is flat calm from Cetraro, the bear suit is off, but not much else, and we have to motor all the way.Our destination is Tropea, at the top of the toe of the shoe, and we are getting excited about crossing to Sicily. It’s Max’s birthday and we can taste the seafood pasta of clams, scampi and mussels and local wine, which Tropea is famous for.Leaving the Island of Ischia a week ago in the pouring rain, but all the same a very picturesque place famous for its thermal pools - we will come back to it. We sailed to Capri and out came the sun.
We were in Capri four years ago and it is still magic. A place everyone should visit not as a day tripper but stay and enjoy.
The credit card is out for me and there is a boat show on, so Ian is in his element. The tender I choose was a 40 footer Riva motor cruiser, brown with white upholstery, lots of chrome and called Chocolate.
Max rejoins us here, and with Ian’s negotiating skills, we are given a fresh tuna from the fisherman next to us. We circumnavigate the island and motored over to the Amalfi Coast. 
Positano is magnificent as we approach, and is very exposed to the sea but as its flat calm, we chance the night here on a mooring. Ashore we climb the numerous stairs and enjoy the feel of Positano.
We knew we were the first tourists of the season as the locals were eager to rent us the mooring for the night and they also got us ashore with $60 for two beers and a Campari.
It’s a way of life now, and as we head south, we have to be very aware of what we are paying. Price also depends on whether you sit down or not, take it on a plate or eat it out of a napkin. It takes Ian hours to get over being ripped off and the poor man gets it every time we pass.
After a rolly night we cruise the Coast to Amalfi bringing back memories, last time it was in a hire small boat with outboard, and stay the night.
The ever present little man is at the wharf to meet us, and so the haggling is on again! This is a beautiful part of the coast, but don�t come in July and August, it must be hell. Our little man does come in handy when out to sea two miles we realize we don’t have our dinghy.
We are now well south in search of that better weather and even though the bikini got a very brief airing one day we must have got too excited.
Stopping at various Ports for the night, in low key very old villages, we have enjoyed the local cafe for our cappuccino, pastry, aperitif and beer with the locals.
In Agropoli we enjoyed watching the sport of canoe polo between the pontoons, very aggressive and a very serious sport here. I can see Cable and Shifty fighting it out in canoes in the Marina.
Our last port looked OK from the water with its usual castle, but has been renamed Shitoli by Ian. The castle was the only interesting building and just left to deteriorate. The numerous old stone villages in the valleys and on hill tops are being forsaken for newer places on the coast.
We have yet to have some success with trolling for fish. Andrew Short�s lure is ten times the size of any lure here (no marlin or sharks here), so with a new smaller one we will try our luck today.
Tropea is a delightful old town - 200 steps directly up from the marina. Renowned for its Calabrian produce and wine, we spend time stocking up for our trip to the islands. The restaurant that we had heard about was exceptional
Thank you for all your emails it’s very nice of you all to let us know how good the weather is in Sydney but hopefully we can reverse this.
Tomorrow, if the weather is good, we go out to the ever active volcano island of Stromboli (the oldest light house in the world) and the Aeolian Islands.
For those of you who know Max, you will be pleased to hear we have him waking up at 8am instead of his habitual 5.30am. Must be the wine!
Yes, the Treleavens have left sunny Sydney for freezing cold Rome, to continue their European cruise. Max ‘Cyclone’ Ryan has joined them for a few weeks, so will also figure in these annals.This is the first installment since their return and we will bring you updates as we receive them. Di Pearson www.sailworld.comPorto D’Ischia 19/04/2004 After a great morning of sailing, 40 miles from the island of Isola Ponza to Isola Ischia, we have had lunch on the quay a glass of wine, then back to the boat for the siesta time zone.It’s not exactly Med cruising as we are a month too early and still very cold and wet.We arrived in Rome on the 6th April to relaunch our yacht in the Fiumicino Canal.It’s 10 degrees, but we press on and paint the bottom with the help of Max Ryan, who has joined us for eight weeks.The wintering over in the canal has worked out very well, costing us only $250 a month, a haul out charge, and the best part was the boat was still there after five months!
Easter Eggs are a very big thing here and we saw the biggest one we have ever seen at our favourite cafe in Fiumicino.
We passed the island of Ventotene, which was once a penal colony and the place Nero’s wife was banished for being a bad wife. Eventually she beheaded, her head given to the mistress.