After leaving Portomaso at 0600hrs yesterday in well, quite frankly horrid seas and a fresh wind, Magellano did her best to cope with what nature was flinging at her. It reallyn was pants. 50 miles of rolling and pitching. But we take heart that in any other boat we would have turned back or more as likley not gone at all.
once we picked up the lee of sicilly it was a lot more comfortable and the Straits of Messina proved to be a 16 knot blast, playing chicken with ferries and other commerce.
A fantastic backdrop as the sun when down, my first navigation of the messina straits, and my first view of Etna- but not my last volcano for the day……
as we came out of the straits, i rustled up some “Pasta alla Magellano” just prior to the wind kicking up a notch again. This time from the NNW the seas were short and steep and an unpleasant few hours were in prospect. HOWEVER…….!
The second volcano in one day came into sight- Stromboli- the lighthouse of the Med. Awesomeis all I can say about that. But again, it wasn’t to be the last volcano…..
All through the night we had the legendary big sky which was full of shooting stars, so bright and vivid that you thought that you should hear them…… off to our port and to our stern a thunder storm was raging, no noise just super bright flashes of lightning.
As we headed in shore to pick up the lee, it gave us time to appreciate this wonderful spectacle.
my watch fininshed at 0400 and I turned in for an hours sleep (ha!) I was using the forward cabin which is normally habited by Jess, but as she was on watch, the thought of that huge bed was to great to resist!
Unfortunately it was like being in a washing machine with no water on spin cycle whist sitting on a trampoline, i was in bed one second, then bouncing off the deckhead the next, it was so funny and I was so tired that I could do nothing about it except laugh myself to sleep!
I awoke to my third volcano, Vesuvius, and a very strange metomorphasis took place- I turned into Dean Martin, this seems to happen whenever I approach Napoli…….
“I’m praying for rain in california, so the grapes can grow and they can make more wine….”
Anyhoo…anohter fantastic sight, maybe 50-100miloes away is a massive “thunderhead” producing lightning…..with Capri in the foreground……Hell this is rubbish……..

Posted: dicembre 12th, sabato, 2009 @ 8:08 AM
Categories: Coming back to Viareggio.
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