Karen’s
parents, Trevor and Joy, stepped off the boat at Vibo soon after dawn and made their
way to the station for their train trip up the Italian south coast to Rome.
From there they would continue their European adventure via a luxury coach tour
all the way to the United Kingdom. It had been fantastic having them on board
to share so many highlights such as Isla di Capri and Amalfi and we’d all
enjoyed the long overdue time together.
 |
| Some very welcome friends joined us on our way to Stromboli |
After
our farewell’s we got stuck into preparing Alcheringa for sea and had the ropes
off within the hour for our passage across to the Aeolian Islands. First stop,
Stromboli. It was a beautiful Mediterranean summer’s day but unfortunately the
wind was having a sleep in so initially we were left to motor along the coast
over smooth seas before heading offshore. Breakfast underway in the cockpit was
certainly a pleasant introduction to cruising on Alcheringa for our friends Tony and Lynne.
 |
| Coffee and breakfast as we prepare to leave the toe of Italy |
Rob
had met Tony while completing his Royal Yachting Association Skipper’s
qualifications sailing on Moreton Bay at home in Australia. He and Lynne chase
the sun, escaping British winter living in Australia for that part of each year
but return to their lovely home in Buckinghamshire for the northern summer.
They have a trailer sailor in Oz and have got into a boat share plan in the UK
spending a few weeks sailing the south coast when they’re home. We had enjoyed
a great couple of weeks staying with them in Buckinghamshire the previous year
and were very pleased to be able to return the hospitality.
 |
| Sailing in 2400 metres of water on the way to Stromboli |
Fortunately
the wind picked up a little during the day and we were able to get the sails up
pushing westward towards the home of one of Europe’s most active volcanos. A
small pod of dolphins joined us for some fun and games around the bow shortly
before the tip of Stromboli’s smoking volcanic cone came into view on the
horizon. A quick look at the chart plotter revealed we were sailing in 2,400
metres of water which may have accounted for the brilliant colour and clarity
of the sea around us.
 |
| Tony on Alcheringa's bow as we approach Stromboli |
The
volcanic island of Stromboli rises over 900 metres above sea level straight up out
of these deep waters and much of its coastline is vertical cliff face. Just
fifty metres from most of the shoreline depths already reach thirty or forty
metres and in some spot well over a hundred, all much to deep to anchor in.
 |
| Vibo
Valentia to Stromboli – 42.9 Nautical Miles – 8 Hours 42 Minutes Average Speed 4.9 Knots – Max 7.5 Knots |
We
arrived at our planned anchorage off the north eastern corner end of the island
where there is an area of shallower water about 5.30pm but were totally
unprepared for the scene that greeted us. There were literally hundreds of
yachts and large motor cruisers squeezed into the relatively small patch and we
could see many more coming. We decided it was time to ignore the Italian law
which requires boats to anchor 100 metres from a beach and take advantage of
Alcheringa’s shallow draft of just 1.6
metres. We edged our way through the crowd and went inside them all, close to
the black sand beach , where we dropped anchor in a bit less than 2.5 metres.
There was not a lot of room for error but at least we had the benefit of very
good holding in the sand as we saw many boat have a lot of trouble getting
hooked in further out. As it got tighter and tighter for room it wasn’t long before any boat with a shallow enough
draft and game enough skipper was
joining us in close to the beach
 |
| Spot Tracker shows our anchorage on the north east corner of Stromboli. Note the smoking crater at the islands centre. The population varies between 400 and 850 depending on the season and is located at two settlements on opposite sides of the volcanic peak. |
 |
| Just a small section of the massive fleet packed around us on Stromboli |
 |
| Tucking in closest to the black sand beach gave us ring side seats for a magical sundowners session with great friends as the volcano rumbled |
Stromboli
has been in almost continuous eruption for the past 2,000 years. A pattern of
eruption is maintained in which explosions occur at the summit craters, with
mild to moderate eruptions of incandescent volcanic bombs, at intervals ranging
from minutes to hours. Eruptions typically result in short, mild, but energetic
bursts, ranging up to a few hundred meters in height, containing ash,
incandescent lava fragments and stone blocks. Stromboli's activity is almost
exclusively explosive, but lava flows do occur at times when volcanic activity
is high. An effusive eruption occurred in 2002, the first in 17 years, and then
again in 2003, 2007, and 2013.
It
was a little surreal enjoying post passage beers with the rumbling eruptions of
the active volcano to one side of us and a massive fleet of holiday makers on
the other. Sundowners that evening were truly memorable but given the crowded
nature of the anchorage we abandoned the idea of a night circumnavigation of
Stromboli to witness the fire and lava show visible from the north-western side. It
would have simply been a nightmare trying to get a spot to anchor when we got
back.
Instead
we set off around the northern points mid-morning the next day after most of
the bareboat charterers had gone on their merry ways. It was truly awe
inspiring watching explosive releases of volcanic gases hurl massive fireballs
of rock and lava high above the peak of the crater at surprisingly regular
intervals. With some of these smoking boulders splashing into the sea below, it
was easy to see why our charts showed a safety exclusion zone stretching .2 of a nautical mile (380 metres) from the
shore. Skirting along the edge of this prohibited area Alcheringa was very
quickly coated in a thick layer of very, very fine volcanic ash.
 |
| Stromboli's volcano had plenty to say as we sailed past for a closer look |
 |
| Tony and Lynne with the sun peeking over Stromboli's erupting crater |
In
search of cleaner air to breath, we left Stromboli in our wake and headed
south. We planned to anchor off the town
of San Pietro on Isla Panarea but along the way sailed past a spectacular small
rock islet called Basiluzzo. There were a number of boats anchored close into
the cliffs of its northern side but we spotted what looked like just enough
room for us to drop anchor in the seclusion of a very small indent on the
southern side. As it would provide protection from the mild north westerlies
predicted overnight we jumped at the chance to get away from the summer hordes
for a while. Shortly after we got nicely hooked in at the first attempt another
yacht did anchor in our little inlet
for a couple of hours but we didn’t let them spoil our relaxing afternoon swimming,
enjoying the sunshine, some fine Italian vino and great conversation. Life is
good on Alcheringa.
 |
| Stromboli to Isla Basiluzzo– 12.7 Nautical Miles – 2 Hours 47 Minutes Average Speed 4.6 Knots – Max 5.8 Knots |
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| After Stromboli's crowds we had, almost, solitude at Isla Basiluzzo |
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