We were woken very suddenly from our alcohol fuelled slumber after our night with Colin and Moira with big bang just next to our cabin. A big 55 foot charter boat had banged it's bow into us. It took a few seconds to work out what was going on, an old bloke on deck was trying to lift their anchor but because we had all swung around in the night their anchor was on the other side of our boat, he seemed to think he could just keep coming forward and push us out of the way! As you can imagine Ali was not best pleased and started shouting I said just wait we will pull up some chain and let you get your anchor but the guy kept lifting. Why he was trying this on his own when there were at least eight people onboard I have no idea..... Eventually one of his friends came up to help him and we got out of his way with no more bangs.
The wind was blowing and so Ali decided it was off to the Aeolian Islands to see the volcanoes. It was a pretty long day especially due to a raging hangover and a very strong thumping headwind.
One of the first things you notice when approaching the island is the smell of rotten eggs and it stayed the whole time we were there depending on the wind direction sometimes it was quite strong, the girl were not impressed!
We got to the anchorage on the east of Isola Vulcano just before dark, it was full and it took us a few attempts to get settled having to go far closer to the shore than we would have liked. We had a fairly restless night before finally giving up at 5am and motoring around to the anchorage at the east side of the island. This anchorage had far less boats but proved as tricky due to the steep drop off - one minute you are in 60 metres of water and then suddenly it is 6 m deep. We set the bow anchor and a stern anchor as we had chosen a spot quite close to the ferry breakwater, had some breakfast then went ashore to climb a volcano!
The first of the hydrofoils coming in at around 6.30am (and they keep on coming until about 9pm!)
Islay Mist anchored below the Volcano on the east side of Isola Vulcano.
We hired jeep, an old wreck but a bargain at 30 Euros for the day! This helped us get the girls a little closer to the bottom of the path up the side of the volcano. When we parked up we saw this sign......
It costs three Euros for the climb which should really include an escalator s boy it is one hot walk!
Here are some pics.
Kaylee feeling the heat.
The side of the volcano is eroded by large gullys from rainwater which you have to traverse here and there.
The last of the shade about half way up, then it gets really hot!
You can see the layers of sedimentation from eruptions of dust where rain has washed some of it away.
A herd of wild goats we spied.
Finally the top of the volcano!
The girls posing with mum just glad not to have to climb anymore!
Even though we were pretty hot I think we were all delighted to be at the top of the crater, it was just as amazing as we thought it would be the clouds of sulphuric gas billow out from the blow holes and turn all the rocks around them bright green. The ground is very hot at the blow holes and the girl and I stayed well away from them. There is a helipad at the top (now that would be a good way to get to the top!) us ladies just stayed there whilst Ali walked the whole way around the crater.
Some more pics....
The coloured rocks.
The path around the blow holes takes you down into the crater. The whole east side of the volcano has blow holes pouring out gas.
A view of the crater and blow holes with Isola Lipari in the background.
Blow holes up close.
Closer!
We went back down the volcano which with the scree was far scarier than the way up as is usual. At the bottom we treated the girls to ice cream being so proud of them for making the climb especially as we had been advised they wouldn't make it. They are a lot tougher than they look!
We headed out again in the afternoon to get the money's worth out of our jeep and had a drive around the island. It is very beautiful with loads of wild flowers lining the verges, the aroma hits you as you drive along. There are small home steadings here and there and a lot of half finished houses Ali thought would make good projects! I wasn't so sure about living on a volcanic island that only sprouted from the sea a few hundred years ago....
The girls weren't so enthralled with the scenery!
Some scraggly looking sheep.
We went for a walk through the trees in a park.
Then we had to stop for this wayward rambler -
An essential flower picking stop.
Ali fairly liked the jeep! I on the other hand was a little worried about the lack of seat belts or doors especially on the steep hillside roads with hairpin bends!
The next day we went to the black beach at the anchorage for a swim and looked out the volcanic mud pools. The sulphur bubbles up through the mud and lot of people go to bathe in the mud thinking it has restorative properties, I am not so sure about that, it certainly has a lot of hair and bits in it - yuck!
Ali went furthest in.
Kaylee got all muddy although kids aren't really allowed in the mud as it can be dangerous apparently but you couldn't hold her back! Then it was back out to the sea to get clean again, the sea actually has hot spot too where volcanic gas comes bubbling up. The biggest drawback of the mud pools is that you smell of rotten eggs for quite few washes afterwards!
It really is a pretty cool place. We wanted to stay but we also wanted to see Isola Stromboli's night time fireworks and there were high wind forecasts for the next night so we went back to the boat to set off.
We were pretty glad to leave the ferries of Isola Vulcano behind they run all day long and they come in really fast making a huge wake which rocks you around all day long. We were lucky we managed to choose a brief period free of big ferries when we lifted our two anchors as it was a bit tricky.
The sail up was a fairly quick one due to moderate NW winds We commented that the swell seemed different to the usual Med chop it was long and regular, just like the Atlantic. Now we know that if we ever start feeling as if we are in the ocean in the Med again it is time to look for a good harbour! More on that later....
Me and the girl with Isola Stromboli in the background.
Isola Stromboli. This is the last photo for this blog entry as none of the rest came out and it was too rough to take too many. We got to Stromboli and were glad of the shelter we got behind it except for the katabatic gusts every now and then. The plan was to anchor at the only piece of the island which has anything approaching a beach. In reality it falls away very sharply indeed and it is full of local moorings. We did however anchor and had tea with the audible grumblings of the volcano in the background every now and then getting us excited about the night ahead! We went off to bed in the hope of a couple of hours sleep before going around to the NW corner of the island to view the nightly fireworks of the volcano. This hope was very quickly dashed with some strong gusts and the anchor alarm going off. It was already dark so we headed on around the island. As we motored around to the north the sea had gotten a lot rougher so we didn't wake the girls. In the end because of the clouds all we saw were three burst of red glow at the top, which whilst amazing enough were nothing compared to what some of our other sailing friends have seen! We were glad we had done it but decided it was time to set off towards the Messina Straits before it got any rougher.
Ha ha that idea didn't work very well at all. Ali took the first watch as I was a bit nervous about sailing on my own in the strong winds. I had only been lying down for a little while when it seemed as if the boat was hit with a bang, I heard Ali shout 'Oh Shit' and since he doesn't panic often I knew things weren't great. Then the boat lurched over so much so that Kaylee who was in the bed with me landed on top of me. I got up as quickly as I could, Ali came down dripping wet saying he had hoved the boat too (for the first time ever) and needed help to take the main sail down even though it was already fully reefed, yip it was that bad Ali was suggesting taking the sail down! We got our full heavy weather suits on for the first time since we had crossed Biscay, but boy did we need them as it was just chucking it down. We had been over taken by a classic Med thunderstorm the lightning was flashing around us, the rain was pouring and the wind was gusting on top of an already big sea, not pleasant at all. We got the sail down, Ali had to just tie the sails down at first a it was too dangerous to close the sail bag. After that we turned back the direction we were headed (thankfully with the wind) put just a meter and a half of the jib out very cautiously and found it was OK, we were zipping alon at between six and seven knots. We decided then we would just both stay up all night as it ws only fifty miles to go. The actual thunderstorm stayed with us for about and hour and then thankfully moved off. We were very worried about being struck as quite a few people we have met have lost all their electrics in this area or worse. After the main storm passsed we were still surrounded by a complete ring of lightning a few miles off on all sides whih gave the moonless night it's only source of light. There were big boats heading to or leaving Messina to keep and eye on too. I spent all night clipped on in the cockpit and Ali watched the radar etc. I prefer being outside on watch so it worked well. It is funny though as I have spent a lot of time worrying about being hit by a famous med storm and it wasn't so bad once we got the main sail down just a lot of rolling around. I realised at dawn that it had been a blessing the night had been moonless as the big waves are far more scary when you can see them coming!
After a few hours the winds began to ease leaving just a rolling sea so we both took a chance to get an hours sleep on the couch. At about seven am Kaylee woke up and joined me on deck (clipped on as the boat was still pitching and rolling) The first thing she said was are we at the volcano yet? they were both very mad we hadn't woken them for the volcano! They knew nothing of the night we had put in at all, amazing.
Ali suggested putting the main back up when the winds died down a bit but then said,"I know stupid question!" But one thing is for sure despite all the quips about Ali's sailing exploits there is no one other person in this world I would have wanted in charge of the boat that night. He is a great sailor, knows this boat like the back of his hand and would never do anything to put us in danger. Enough praise though as tomorrow is my birthday and as usual the peerie shite has forgotten all about it!
That's it for now, we are currently anchored at the island of Korcula in Croatia there have been highish winds today whilst a little worrying on the anchoring front at least they bring a reprieve from the relentless heat we have experienced over the last few weeks - never thought I would ever be glad of some wind! Daniel is here with us and we are heading North a bit before heading back to drop Daniel back at Dubrovnik then we head to Greece from where the girls and I are flying home for ten days. Alisha says she hopes it will be raining!
The wind was blowing and so Ali decided it was off to the Aeolian Islands to see the volcanoes. It was a pretty long day especially due to a raging hangover and a very strong thumping headwind.
One of the first things you notice when approaching the island is the smell of rotten eggs and it stayed the whole time we were there depending on the wind direction sometimes it was quite strong, the girl were not impressed!
We got to the anchorage on the east of Isola Vulcano just before dark, it was full and it took us a few attempts to get settled having to go far closer to the shore than we would have liked. We had a fairly restless night before finally giving up at 5am and motoring around to the anchorage at the east side of the island. This anchorage had far less boats but proved as tricky due to the steep drop off - one minute you are in 60 metres of water and then suddenly it is 6 m deep. We set the bow anchor and a stern anchor as we had chosen a spot quite close to the ferry breakwater, had some breakfast then went ashore to climb a volcano!
The first of the hydrofoils coming in at around 6.30am (and they keep on coming until about 9pm!)
Islay Mist anchored below the Volcano on the east side of Isola Vulcano.
We hired jeep, an old wreck but a bargain at 30 Euros for the day! This helped us get the girls a little closer to the bottom of the path up the side of the volcano. When we parked up we saw this sign......
It costs three Euros for the climb which should really include an escalator s boy it is one hot walk!
Here are some pics.
Kaylee feeling the heat.
The side of the volcano is eroded by large gullys from rainwater which you have to traverse here and there.
The last of the shade about half way up, then it gets really hot!
You can see the layers of sedimentation from eruptions of dust where rain has washed some of it away.
A herd of wild goats we spied.
Finally the top of the volcano!
The girls posing with mum just glad not to have to climb anymore!
Even though we were pretty hot I think we were all delighted to be at the top of the crater, it was just as amazing as we thought it would be the clouds of sulphuric gas billow out from the blow holes and turn all the rocks around them bright green. The ground is very hot at the blow holes and the girl and I stayed well away from them. There is a helipad at the top (now that would be a good way to get to the top!) us ladies just stayed there whilst Ali walked the whole way around the crater.
Some more pics....
The coloured rocks.
The path around the blow holes takes you down into the crater. The whole east side of the volcano has blow holes pouring out gas.
A view of the crater and blow holes with Isola Lipari in the background.
Blow holes up close.
Closer!
We went back down the volcano which with the scree was far scarier than the way up as is usual. At the bottom we treated the girls to ice cream being so proud of them for making the climb especially as we had been advised they wouldn't make it. They are a lot tougher than they look!
We headed out again in the afternoon to get the money's worth out of our jeep and had a drive around the island. It is very beautiful with loads of wild flowers lining the verges, the aroma hits you as you drive along. There are small home steadings here and there and a lot of half finished houses Ali thought would make good projects! I wasn't so sure about living on a volcanic island that only sprouted from the sea a few hundred years ago....
The girls weren't so enthralled with the scenery!
Some scraggly looking sheep.
We went for a walk through the trees in a park.
Then we had to stop for this wayward rambler -
An essential flower picking stop.
Ali fairly liked the jeep! I on the other hand was a little worried about the lack of seat belts or doors especially on the steep hillside roads with hairpin bends!
The next day we went to the black beach at the anchorage for a swim and looked out the volcanic mud pools. The sulphur bubbles up through the mud and lot of people go to bathe in the mud thinking it has restorative properties, I am not so sure about that, it certainly has a lot of hair and bits in it - yuck!
Ali went furthest in.
Kaylee got all muddy although kids aren't really allowed in the mud as it can be dangerous apparently but you couldn't hold her back! Then it was back out to the sea to get clean again, the sea actually has hot spot too where volcanic gas comes bubbling up. The biggest drawback of the mud pools is that you smell of rotten eggs for quite few washes afterwards!
It really is a pretty cool place. We wanted to stay but we also wanted to see Isola Stromboli's night time fireworks and there were high wind forecasts for the next night so we went back to the boat to set off.
We were pretty glad to leave the ferries of Isola Vulcano behind they run all day long and they come in really fast making a huge wake which rocks you around all day long. We were lucky we managed to choose a brief period free of big ferries when we lifted our two anchors as it was a bit tricky.
The sail up was a fairly quick one due to moderate NW winds We commented that the swell seemed different to the usual Med chop it was long and regular, just like the Atlantic. Now we know that if we ever start feeling as if we are in the ocean in the Med again it is time to look for a good harbour! More on that later....
Me and the girl with Isola Stromboli in the background.
Isola Stromboli. This is the last photo for this blog entry as none of the rest came out and it was too rough to take too many. We got to Stromboli and were glad of the shelter we got behind it except for the katabatic gusts every now and then. The plan was to anchor at the only piece of the island which has anything approaching a beach. In reality it falls away very sharply indeed and it is full of local moorings. We did however anchor and had tea with the audible grumblings of the volcano in the background every now and then getting us excited about the night ahead! We went off to bed in the hope of a couple of hours sleep before going around to the NW corner of the island to view the nightly fireworks of the volcano. This hope was very quickly dashed with some strong gusts and the anchor alarm going off. It was already dark so we headed on around the island. As we motored around to the north the sea had gotten a lot rougher so we didn't wake the girls. In the end because of the clouds all we saw were three burst of red glow at the top, which whilst amazing enough were nothing compared to what some of our other sailing friends have seen! We were glad we had done it but decided it was time to set off towards the Messina Straits before it got any rougher.
Ha ha that idea didn't work very well at all. Ali took the first watch as I was a bit nervous about sailing on my own in the strong winds. I had only been lying down for a little while when it seemed as if the boat was hit with a bang, I heard Ali shout 'Oh Shit' and since he doesn't panic often I knew things weren't great. Then the boat lurched over so much so that Kaylee who was in the bed with me landed on top of me. I got up as quickly as I could, Ali came down dripping wet saying he had hoved the boat too (for the first time ever) and needed help to take the main sail down even though it was already fully reefed, yip it was that bad Ali was suggesting taking the sail down! We got our full heavy weather suits on for the first time since we had crossed Biscay, but boy did we need them as it was just chucking it down. We had been over taken by a classic Med thunderstorm the lightning was flashing around us, the rain was pouring and the wind was gusting on top of an already big sea, not pleasant at all. We got the sail down, Ali had to just tie the sails down at first a it was too dangerous to close the sail bag. After that we turned back the direction we were headed (thankfully with the wind) put just a meter and a half of the jib out very cautiously and found it was OK, we were zipping alon at between six and seven knots. We decided then we would just both stay up all night as it ws only fifty miles to go. The actual thunderstorm stayed with us for about and hour and then thankfully moved off. We were very worried about being struck as quite a few people we have met have lost all their electrics in this area or worse. After the main storm passsed we were still surrounded by a complete ring of lightning a few miles off on all sides whih gave the moonless night it's only source of light. There were big boats heading to or leaving Messina to keep and eye on too. I spent all night clipped on in the cockpit and Ali watched the radar etc. I prefer being outside on watch so it worked well. It is funny though as I have spent a lot of time worrying about being hit by a famous med storm and it wasn't so bad once we got the main sail down just a lot of rolling around. I realised at dawn that it had been a blessing the night had been moonless as the big waves are far more scary when you can see them coming!
After a few hours the winds began to ease leaving just a rolling sea so we both took a chance to get an hours sleep on the couch. At about seven am Kaylee woke up and joined me on deck (clipped on as the boat was still pitching and rolling) The first thing she said was are we at the volcano yet? they were both very mad we hadn't woken them for the volcano! They knew nothing of the night we had put in at all, amazing.
Ali suggested putting the main back up when the winds died down a bit but then said,"I know stupid question!" But one thing is for sure despite all the quips about Ali's sailing exploits there is no one other person in this world I would have wanted in charge of the boat that night. He is a great sailor, knows this boat like the back of his hand and would never do anything to put us in danger. Enough praise though as tomorrow is my birthday and as usual the peerie shite has forgotten all about it!
That's it for now, we are currently anchored at the island of Korcula in Croatia there have been highish winds today whilst a little worrying on the anchoring front at least they bring a reprieve from the relentless heat we have experienced over the last few weeks - never thought I would ever be glad of some wind! Daniel is here with us and we are heading North a bit before heading back to drop Daniel back at Dubrovnik then we head to Greece from where the girls and I are flying home for ten days. Alisha says she hopes it will be raining!
I can well imagine how scary this was, and although I'd already heard the story, your telling of it in your blog is excellent. John says he's glad we weren't sailing in company with you then.
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ReplyDeleteHey guys
ReplyDeleteLove the photos on Stromboli Linda - excellent once again, ali in for a bath with his shades on, Alisha with hands on hips(cool) and Kaylee's certainly no stick in the mud.
Big smoorikins tae da lasses & likely een tae Ali too. Safe travels and hope the wind starts behavin. xx