Sailing with the Treleavens

Ian suggests we shower on our way into the port of Amalfi and Pip
disappears, sometime later she peers out the port hole and all we hear is, holy shit!!!

Nesting in the valley between enormous mountains strait out of the sea is Amalfi looking very colourful as the sun goes down. Over head we can see Ravello perched high on a cliff with grape and lemon vines crossing the rugged mountain sides. Pastel coloured houses and the gold and green tiled dome of Saint Andrea Church all set behind a small port full of fishing boats, yachts tying up to the wall, ferries coming and going and then they squeeze in the super yachts.

We are lucky to get a place on the wall and are soon cocooned between the fishing boat St Andrea a 82 footer Dufour 'Wild Salmon'. As it happens before we leave Ian has the boat listed for sale. Next to come in is the big one, a 130 foot 'mini ship' with 10 staff and wouldn't you know it, off get just one couple. We are happy as it makes a great surge breaker.

The weather is now perfect, so we have decided to slow down and enjoy this part of Italy. The sea is flat and occasionally if we are lucky we get to sail in 12 knots, just a light breeze. A local phenomenon happens here in the evenings, and for a very short time black clouds form and it pours with
rain.

The evening is spent sitting in the square pigging out on the very best Italian ice cream.
Next day we cruise slowly up the Amalfi coast to Positano in perfect
conditions. Rugged towering mountains overhead with a road clinging to the face, in and out of tunnels you can hear the buses horns who take up the whole road on the corners. Hotels, mansions restaurants, dot the coast and with the bougainvillea in full bloom it's an amazing sight.

Positano in all its glory but one thing I am glad of is we are on boat. In awe of the setting we lunch on board and just admire the scenery. Time to tackle the tourists and heat of the day to explore this car less sea locked village. Climbing the only stairway in, we pass the usual tourist shops full of blue and yellow china and lemon scented candles all set under a cooling archway of bougainvillea. Ian passes the restaurant that ripped him off last year and still mutters 'I will get you one day'.

Back at the boat we all fall into the sea, what a relief. On our way to Capri for the night we can see a lot of yachts anchored off an island so we detour to have a look. The whole island is owned by the late Rudolf Nureyov, not a bad summer vacation with its one burnt orange mansion and chapel.

Capri, and we are turned away as its Saturday night and we haven't booked. This is a first for us and our small 50 footer and Aussie flag don't help. Back to the main land to find a bay on the Sorrento Peninsula for the night under huge cliffs and anchor taking a line ashore. Kevin takes the rope ashore and lassoes a rock with a lot of difficulty but it makes for a few laughs back at the boat. The sound of falling rocks is a bit airy but with no one in sight and birds circling the cliffs it is nature at its best.

Crossing back to Capri to the western side, we anchor in Picola in view of the Faraglioni Rocks. Surrounded by fast cruisers and super yachts by the dozen we spend the day swimming and lying around doing what Italians from Rome and Naples do best.

Time to take up our reserved spot in the Capri Marina and along with every size boat imaginable, this is better than any boat show. Not a very big marina and fast ferries by the minute coming and going makes it quite a circus on arrival, fenders out we are squizzed in.

Joining the rich and famous for the evening in Capri we soon join the slow walk parade, people looking at people, and admire the shops and have drinks in the square.

Leaving for the island of Procida 15 miles away we stop at the Blue Grotto and see if they will take us off our boat and into the grotto. I had never visualised that the opening was so small. A big fat Italian, once chef in Sydney, with a big g'day, rows us in his small boat to the entrance. Sitting on the floor I have a very secure feeling that if he fits, so do we. In the grotto it is a beautiful blue and he sings Volare (Nel Blu Di Pinto Di Blu), pity all 5 small boats in the grotto don't sing the same tune.

Procida and Ischia are both popular resort islands with thermal pools. At Ischia we swim beneath Roman Castles in emerald water and a night at St Antonio where the movie The Talented Mr Ripply was filmed. The islands of the Golf de Napoli are a beautiful cruising ground and we could spend more time here.

Before I have even time for a thermal swim, we are off as there is a breezeto catch, all roads lead to Rome. On the way to the island of Ponza we stopfor lunch at the island of Ventetene, once known as Devil Island for its prison, and also a place for exiled Roman emperor's wives. The water is so clear we anchor over huge bolder rocks and watch the anchor disappear. Justwhen you need a little help to get the anchor out the yacht won't go into neutral. With 3 'experts' on board we determine the gear cable has broken.
With Kevin stationed in the 'engine room', hand on gearbox and many relayed instructions we get under way.

Onto the Island of Ponza and we are in for a big surprise. Competing with Sydney harbour, and it's not the wine over lunch, we sight a whale. A whale in the Tyrrhenian Sea, is it possible? I can assure you all 5 of us where watching as it spouted and the big tail went up in the air giving us something we will never forget.

Ponza's small fishing harbour is a beautiful sight full of moored yachts. With limited control Ian once again anchors in the front row much to the amazement of Geoff and Kevin.

The restaurant EEA is a great find and with restaurants booked out 4 days in advance on Ponza we get a table. We leave the order to the waitress and are served tuna carpaccio, octopus salad, gorgonzola zucchini roulade, red prawns, marinated anchovies, eggplant mozzarella tomato stack, followed by fresh fish and tuna with rosemary olive tapenade. A fantastic meal, in fact the best ashore this year.

Back at the yacht we opened the last bottle of Limoncello, Geoff threw the top over the side, and we proceeded to drink the contents.

With sore heads the next morning we set off on the 60 miles to Rome where our guests are to leave us.
 

This entry was posted on Monday, June 27th, 2005 at 9:48 pm and is filed under 2005. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.