July ended up a restless and fast paced few weeks as we sailed through many Italian islands and briefly touched the mainland. From remote southern Sardinia to the towns of North western Sicily, the volcanoes of the Aeolian islands, the steep mountains towering over Positano, rocky Capri, Sorrento and Ponza.. the wind blew strong and often prompted us to move along to find better shelter elsewhere. We started having issues with our old windlass which meant we could not relax much at anchor.
In every little bay, port and town we were able to land, we sampled a fabulous variety of impressions and flavours… divine pistachio ice cream, exquisite produce and local specialties, colourful architecture, vibrant urban gardens, weird and wonderful cliffs and caves, ancient ruins almost everywhere, and of course the delightfully passionate ways of the Italian people.
We bounced around a lot at anchor, a mix of wind induced swell, heavy maritime traffic, and occasional squalls. With an unreliable windlass, we were not able to leave the boat as much as we might have liked. As we headed away from Sicily towards the mainland, every anchorage was crowded and we woke up on two occasions to a waltz of dragging yachts, some still asleep others in a panic… at dawn, a collision was heard inside the bay.. people yelling, horns blown, yachts dashing out to flee the mess.
In contrast to this joyful madness, we enjoyed several overnight passages between islands and have come to love these very special moments where everything inessential falls away. The mind spontaneously surrenders into the moment leaving you at one with crew, sea and sky.
A real highlight after braving extreme temperatures and public transports was to experience a walk through the archeological site of Pompei. A bustling Roman city of 12,000 inhabitants, it was frozen in time and preserved in 6 meters of volcanic debris for many centuries after a devastating eruption of mount Vesuvius in 68AD. Walking along the streets worn by the wheels of horse carts, you can see wall graffiti and advertising, through buildings remains sections of vivid fresco paintings, witnessing the huge public forum, thermal baths, temples, thousands of homes and commerces, was a truly moving and fascinating experience.
We undertook the 3-4 day trip back to France in the first days of August to leave Dragonfly in the port of Toulon while we gather with family in Brittany for a week. The conditions for the crossing were not favourable. We waited a couple of days off the Napolitan coast for the wind and swell to settle, then motored almost all the way north of Corsica (two whole days) as the wind was then scarce.
Naomi’s 10th birthday was celebrated on entering French waters in true mermaid style. We were visited by numerous pods of dolphins and sperm whales and even several dragonflies so far from land. Magical!
That night the wind picked up. At last we were able to shut the engine.. 23 knots on the forecast, we would make it to Toulon before lunchtime the next day if the conditions held. By 11pm, the wind built up into the thirties… by midnight it reached gale force.. massive waves and no moon. The clew on the staysail ripped, the reefed main was dropped completely and the engine turned on to ride the waves at a safe angle. We never doubted the capability of Dragonfly to handle this extreme weather but the 40kg anchor was dislodged by the waves, hanging over the bow, it pounded against the hull. The tired windlass failed to retrieve it and the 120m of chain threatened to unravel at once which would have meant very big trouble in these conditions. Luca, Naomi and Lee were woken up to put on their life jackets and rested in the salon.
Simon had no choice but to make his way to the bow harnessed to the jacklines to secure the anchor with a rope. A huge wave crashed over the bow flooding the entire deck in white wash and for a moment Tama and I lost sight of him. It was terrifying.
It took another four hours with no reprieve to reach for the closest shelter in the îles de Lerins off Cannes. On the way, the bimini ripped from above our heads, the top of the mainsail shattered and one of the ropes securing the dinghy snapped. A bonus to making it to safety, the dinghy was still hanging when we arrived.
Sea mammal magic and sea storms.. the epic stuff of myths!! Many practical things were learnt from this misadventure, some of which I will share in later posts. Something remarkable in the days that followed was the atmospheric peace, light-heartedness and feeling of unity in which we were all immersed. A precious perspective reset!
As for how we will be equipped and prepared to ride out a next potential storm, we feel good and confident. One significant piece of equipment we did not have on the 4th of August was the long ordered para anchor we will be picking up in Gibraltar at the end of September. Deploying a para anchor allows a boat to sit safely in extreme conditions and wait out a storm rather than trying to make way out of it and putting stress on the boat’s structure, steering and navigations systems and crew.
As I am writing this, it is the third week of August already. Simon, Lee and I are back on board in the port of Toulon doing some much needed repairs and maintenance after a fabulous week spent with family in Brittany. Tama, Luca and Naomi have stayed there for an extra two weeks, for some very precious times immersed amongst their big French family. The sails and bimini have been fixed and reinstalled, a shiny new windlass is now holding Dragonfly’s chain in place securely, and we are almost ready to leave port to enjoy coastal cruising in this area until the hoard returns… we miss them already!
A side note on the mighty pohutukawa!
One of New Zealand’s most iconic native trees, I was amazed as spring set in in Sant Carles to notice a pohutukawa tree in full blossom in the middle of a roundabout. A Catalan pohutukawa, …how cool! I had heard of a very old one in some other Spanish town, and maybe even in Portugal.. but right here.. just for us, in small town Sant Carles? A little later, I noticed others along the water front. That was pretty special I thought.
Then, hedging a marina in Porto Pina, Sardinia, in the landscaping of a town square in Palermo, the planter boxes of restaurants in Cala San Vito Sicily.. and around gorgeous villas in Panarea, Aeolian islands.. All of these fairly young trees.. a new Mediterranean fashion?!
This reads live a novel, what an incredible adventure! And such beautiful photos, too! We’re in full lockdown here in NZ, so this was truly a breath of fresh air, thanks! 😊
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