By Andy Lund

Ed. note - This is the twenty-first installment of a multi-part series by
Andy Lund on his ocean-crossing journey aboard Resolution, the Nordhavn 46 he took delivery of in February 2004.

September 12, 2006

Capri, Italy

We just arrived Capri, at about 1900 this evening, after a 24 hour run from the Aeolian Islands, off the NE coast of Sicily. We had planned to stop in Salerno, but there was no room, as far as we could tell. Much chattering with "Salerno Port Control" and telephoning to non-answering numbers, so we gave up. Capri had space when we phoned, to our pleasure (Nordhavn 62 "Grey Pearl" couldn't get in ten days ago), so we ambled down the Amalfi coast, passing Amalfi and Positano, the 24 miles to Capri. World's most expensive moorage - 190 Euros (about $250) per night. We finally surpassed our $200 moorage bill in New York City. Nevertheless, it's a lovely place, so we'll spend two nights, and go see the Blue Grotto on a local boat.

The Aeolian Islands were exceptional. Lipari is a pretty little town, not overrun with tourists - at least in September - but our night there was a little rolly, what with the wash from the constant hydrofoil ferries arriving at speed. We anchored on the NW side of Vulcano Island, just south of Lipari, in a nice sheltered cove. We were able to put the dinghy down, so Mike and his brother Ryan buzzed off around the corner for some exploring. I had three lovely swims in beautiful warm blue water. At one point we found small chunks of pumice floating on the sea, looking like grey foam at first. The volcano on Vulcano was steaming, and it must have spat out some pumice. You didn't know rocks floated, did you?

Last night we detoured past Stromboli, a still active volcano in the Aeolian chain. It was periodically spouting lava in great tongues of red fire from its peak. Quite a sight in the dark. Etna (on Sicily) also had a visible lava flow as we passed Taormina northbound earlier in the week, coming up the Straits of Messina.

In the Straits of Messina,we ran past the notorious ship eating Scylla and Charybdis of ancient Greek lore. Yes, there are still whirlpools (we only saw strong eddies and tide rips), and the tide runs hard. We timed it right, so we were doing 11.6 knots at one point, meaning we had over four knots of push. The Ionian Sea (south of Messina) and the Tyrrhenian Sea (north of Messina) are at slightly different levels and salt content, so the current flows back and forth. Calculations are north flow starts two hours before Gibraltar high tide, etc.

We still plan to visit the Naples area, so tomorrow's task is to find a marina with space, and convenient transportation. Sorrento may qualify, if the winds stay southerly, as its harbor isn't too protected from the north. The "Circumvesuviana" train line runs from Sorrento through Pompeii and Herculaneum to Naples. So we may spend three days there, then head for Sardinia. I'm glad we're tucked in here in Capri, behind two breakwaters, as it looks as if a thunderstorm is brewing. Figures, as Mike and Ryan just finished washing the boat.