Juli 2024
Red alert on Stromboli - what now?
Text: Christian / Pictures & short films: Carola
After a fascinating stay on the steaming island of Vulcano, we are in the mood for more, so we head on to the neighboring island of Lipari to the north.
Our guests have already settled in well on the boat and the “sea legs” are growing a little more every day.
We decide to stop for a swim in the south of the island first and enjoy a wonderful swim. Loud music comes from a small boat in the distance. We keep an eye out and see a floating store. It's a floating ice cream vendor heading towards our boat. This was our little highlight on this hot day and so we enjoy a cool ice cream on our hot boat for a change.
In the late afternoon, we call at a small, family-run marina in the town of Lipari, which will be our base for exploring for a few days.
Lipari did not disappoint us, the historic town impresses with its well-kept alleyways with beautiful historic houses and a lively harbor area with bars and restaurants.
To the north, accessed via a tunnel, is the district of Canneto, which boasts a long promenade with a beach in front. We feel very much at home here and feel a little nostalgic as we cast off.
Lipari in the foreground, Vulcano in the background
Swimming stop, Valle Muria
The floating gelato seller
EOL.Mare Marina, Lipari
After a wonderful day of sailing, we end the evening in a cozy atmosphere
The beach of Canneto
On the way in Canneto
Canneto
Sightseeing in Lipari
Basilica Concattedrale di San Bartolomeo
Well-kept streets
Path to the small harbor
Piazza di Sant‘ Onofrio
Marina Corta
Lipari by night
We have wind and it should take us to the northern island of Panarea. On our third attempt at anchoring, we manage to find a safe spot in a sheltered bay to the south. We only want to spend one night here because our actual destination is Stromboli. We have reserved a buoy in front of the small town on Stromboli.
As luck would have it, the volcanic activity of Mount Etna and Stromboli increased significantly during the days of our trip here, with both ejecting ash. As a result, Catania Airport even had to be closed for a short time. A red alert was issued. What should we do now with our trip? Do we want to and can we even go ahead with our planned visit to the island of Stromboli under these conditions?
We gather information and find out that the situation has eased just enough for Stromboli to have stopped its typical spewing of red-hot rocks, but that a lava flow is pouring into the sea on the northern side. We decide to cast off on Panarea, heading for Stromboli. After all, we can always return if something changes or we don't feel comfortable.
On the way to Panarea
Caletta di Zimmari, Panarea
Clouds of smoke in sight from Stromboli
We girls use the next morning for a quick excursion
Lara takes the wheel
Panarea in the wake, course Stromboli
Halfway along the route, our thoughts are racing and we want to make sure once again that everything is OK at our destination. I call the landlord of the buoy and he confirms that we are allowed to arrive. The police had given permission for pleasure craft. Only the tourist boats, which usually arrive in large numbers, are not allowed to sail at the moment.
We approach the island and see some smoke still flowing in our direction from the tip. We enjoy a light shower of ash, which sprinkles our boat. Now that's a welcome.
Finally, in the afternoon, we reach the reserved buoy off the village of Stromboli. The friendly marinero informs us about the options for visiting the island. We decide to spend the rest of the afternoon exploring the town on foot. For the evening, we book the recommended boat trip to the north side of the island, with a view of the lava flow.
We are relieved that everything is half as bad as portrayed in the media. It has once again proven true that many media outlets, without getting a picture of the real situation on the ground, simply disseminate ready-made, often unverified articles from press agencies, which are themselves incompletely researched.
To our further surprise, the well-kept, picturesque little town with its lush green gardens showed an extremely relaxed side. The few tourists stroll leisurely through the streets. The bars and restaurants are getting ready for the evening clientele. We would love to spend a few more days here, as we think it is the most beautiful place on the Aeolian Islands so far.
After a long walk, we return to the boat. However, it is already too late for the dinghy service at the small marina. We need another solution to get onto our boat. To find a solution, we first treat ourselves to a nice aperitif in the marina bar by the water with snacks to satisfy our hunger.
In the end, I decide against taking a cab boat, which would have to come from somewhere, and swim to the boat in my underpants. I then use the dinghy to pick up my “wifey” from the shore and bring her safely back to the boat.
Past interesting islands
Stromboli greets us with an unmissable cloud of smoke
Ash on our boat
Landfall on Stromboli
Everything is so beautiful and green
The houses are all white here
Hearty narrow alleys
What a contrast
An aperitif with plates helps to find a solution
Our private pick-up service is growing
Evening mood
We get ready for our night boat trip with volcano sightseeing, at 21:00 we are to be picked up by Zodiac boat.
The four of us are waiting on our stern, ready to be picked up and eager to see what's coming. In the dark, we see a motorboat approaching. We climb aboard and join the small group of other sailors in the Zodiac.
The local tour guide and his colleague, who translates, drive us at breakneck speed through the night to the north side of the island, outside the restricted area. This is great fun for everyone.
Slowly, the glowing orange lava flow becomes visible in the darkness, which impresses us greatly. Once we arrive at our destination, we float on the water in the quiet darkness with the engine switched off and listen to the sound of the lava flow. It pours unstoppably, glowing orange, into the sea. What a magnificent natural spectacle.
In between, we receive lots of interesting information about the volcano and its activity. Now we can also better understand the reason for the “red” alert level. This level was not declared because of the possible eruption of the volcano, but because of the possible danger of earthquakes, for example a tsunami could occur in the event of a seaquake. But we would have little to fear on the water, the guide said reassuringly. Such a wave would only unleash its destructive power on the coast. Nevertheless, we don't want to imagine what it would be like.
The way back is just as fast as on the outward journey and we catch one last glimpse of the glowing lava. Tired but satisfied to have been able to take part in such an experience, we climb into our bunks and go to sleep.
The lava flow is slowly becoming visible
It's not so easy to take good photos on a rolling inflatable boat 😅
Flowing lava
Very impressive
At night, the sky glows red
The following morning we set sail again from Stromboli, this time back towards Sicily. After all, two weeks have already passed since our guests arrived and their return flight is in a few days' time. We want to be back on the mainland in good time. We have chosen Palermo as our port of call.
With a fair wind, we sail quickly towards Capo d'Orlando, where we anchor overnight. With slightly less wind, we then sail westwards along the coast in two further daily stages until we finally reach Palermo.
We moor at the pre-reserved berth in a city marina. What a contrast to arrive back in a vibrant city after many days of island hopping in the great outdoors.
The whole team is once again looking forward to a good dinner and city life. With few expectations, we are immediately captivated by this wonderful city. We discover many lively alleyways and squares with historic buildings and some Arabic influences. This city inspires us.
But in Palermo it is also time to say goodbye to our fellow sailors. We will drive you to Catania airport in a rental car.
Farewell from Stromboli
We test our gennaker for the first time (for a short moment)
The Aeolian Islands are slowly moving away
Capo d‘ Orlando
We make another anchor stop in the Contrada Rais-gerbi bay, where we stay for two nights
For Lara and Finja it is the last night at anchor (Gulf of Palermo)
Palermo ahead
First of all, we need to fortify ourselves before we explore Palermo
Piazza San Domenico
Festino di Santa Rosalia
Cathedral of Palermo
We say goodbye to my nieces Lara & Finja. It was a wonderful time with the two girls. Thank you for being part of our journey.
Back on the boat, we work through our to-do list: cleaning the inside and outside of the boat, shopping, washing clothes, disposing of waste, filling up with water and diesel and much more.
But there are also two jobs to be done by contractors: on the one hand, our refrigerator is weakening again, and on the other, we would like to carry out the periodic engine maintenance that is due soon.
And anyone who knows how it works in a foreign place can guess that it's not always so easy to find reputable contractors who actually show up and do a good job to boot. A lot of communication via WhatsApp and phone calls were necessary until it finally worked (again, as expected) and the people were actually at the jetty on the agreed days and did the agreed work to our satisfaction.
Waiting for the laundry
Changing the filter in the watermaker
Everything ready for the engine service
Provisions
Fill up the tank
In addition to all the work on the boat, there is still time to look around Palermo and the surrounding area. A short excursion takes us to Monreale. There we visit the cathedral, which is well worth a visit.
Wenn wir denken, dass wir in Palermo alles gesehen haben, so täuschen wir uns. Denn jedesmal entdecken wir neue Plätze, Sehenswürdigkeiten, Gassen mit netten Bars und Restaurants.
Evening walk in Palermo
Cattedrale di Monreale
Chiostro dei Benedettini
View over Monreale to Palermo and the Gulf of Palermo
Palazzo dei Normanni
Peoltello
As much as we like Palermo and as good as the gelatos taste, we want to keep sailing. The light wind suits us and pushes us further west. With two stopovers, we reach San Vito Lo Capo, the large blue bay in the northwest of Sicily.
For us, it is an atypical place in Italy, reminiscent of North Africa with its small, cubic buildings. Beautiful, well-kept pedestrian zones with stores and restaurants run through the center.
There is a typical Italian vacation atmosphere, with mainly Italians strolling through the town. We notice this when we overtake the leisurely strolling Italian families at our northern European walking pace, whose shoes could almost be freshly soled as we walk. But perhaps it is also us who have not yet fully arrived in the Mediterranean lifestyle.
We will never forget our hike on the west side of the cape, a barren landscape with cacti and karstic rocks created by the surf. Here we can also visit three large caves, which are slightly elevated and lead into the cliffs. We take an evening dip in a small rocky bay before returning to the boat.
Leaving the marina in Palermo
A wonderful morning panorama. We spent a quiet night at anchor off Marrakech Beach, near Carini.
We like the bay near Macari so much that we stay at anchor for two nights
Arrived in the marina Diporto Nautico Sanvitese – San Vito Lo Capo
We explore the town
Everything is recorded meticulously
And here's what I filmed at that moment 😅
At dusk by the lighthouse
Off on a coastal hike
Fascinating landscape
Grotta del Cavalli
View from grotto
Small bay that invites you to cool down
An eventful day comes to an end
After some lovely days and lots of gelati, we head west to the Aegadian Islands, which are completely unknown to us. We decide to call at the largest island, Favignana, as there is plenty to see in the small town of the same name.
So that we can leave our boat with a clear conscience despite the forecast winds, we book a place in the marina.
Once again, we are pleasantly surprised by a small town and its rich history. Intensive tuna fishing was carried out here for many years, as can still be seen from the large old factory building, which was still in operation until 1977. Today it houses a museum dedicated to fishing and its processing into tins for export abroad.
That same evening, we are drawn to the interesting building. Built by Vincenzo Florio in 1859 and greatly expanded from 1878, the factory was extremely progressive for its time. Florio was the developer of the steam cooking process for preserving canned tuna.
Caro has planned a hike to the Castello di Santa Caterina for next Friday. A historic fortress on a hill opposite the town.
It is hot and humid until we finally reach the top and explore the abandoned, partly dilapidated walls. From the roof, we enjoy a wonderful panoramic view of the island and the bay with our boat.
Favignana
And we are already in the middle of town
In the tuna fish factory
Quite big boats - very impressive
Our destination for today
Target is near
Straight to the bathroom
We want to get to the top
The climb was definitely worth it - panoramic view. The islands of Marettimo and Levanzo can be seen in the distance.
On the way back - view of the harbor and the small town of Favignana
After the tour we urgently need something to eat
We “stop”, not for the mojito, but for a refreshing swim in the cool water
We regularly study the wind and weather forecasts for Sardinia, our next destination, which we would like to sail to from here. This is a 30 to 35-hour sailing trip, including a night sail.
The forecast for tomorrow, Saturday, has been showing a light south-westerly wind for several days now. Again, we compare different weather models and weigh up whether the wind will be sufficient. We are unsettled by the increasing tendency of possible strong thunderstorms on the planned sailing route.
The air here is extremely humid. In the morning, wafts of mist drift by and the whole boat is full of condensation. All this in summer temperatures of 30 degrees. Should we set off early next morning or wait until Monday, the next possible weather window? We decide against a night-time start.
The next morning, we study the new weather forecast again and find that the previous weather window for the coming Monday has worsened and the tendency for thunderstorms has increased. Even in the long term, there is no sign of a better weather window.
Do we want to start this morning, we ask ourselves. The wind should be just sufficient over long stretches and the tendency for thunderstorms should be somewhat weaker again with the latest forecast.
We decide on a southerly route to avoid the area with the possible thunderstorms. At the same time, on the second morning of the crossing, we should reach an area with spatial winds that will push us north towards our destination.
We quickly prepare our boat for departure; Caro had already wisely cooked provisions for the trip in the evening.
We set off with the help of a marinero and his Zodiac. Due to the very narrow exit from the mooring area, he has to push us around the bend with his boat so that we don't touch any boats opposite us and don't get caught on the long mooring line of our neighbor on the left.
We are back at sea and heading west under engine power, past the island of Marettimo into the open sea. The last outlines of the Egadi Islands slowly disappear.
Here is the illustration of the possible routes, which was previously explained in the text
We want to go further
The tension is visible
Nevertheless, we have a reason to celebrate - July 27, 2024 - one year ago we set off on our “long journey” adventure in Pula (Croatia)
Marettimo
Egadi islands fade more and more
Meanwhile, the wind does what it wants. Instead of the predicted spatial wind, it is now coming exactly against us. Crossing up is not an option, the wind is too weak, the resulting route too long, combined with the increasingly unfavorable prospect of thunderstorms. So we continue to motor into the night, at least with the pleasant side effect that one of us can relax and sleep, as there is not much to do.
There is not much traffic in sight either, the few ships are far away and not on a collision course with us. Clear skies with a wonderful starry sky accompany us, the Milky Way is clearly visible and late at night the moon rises in the distance.
On my watch, I set the timer for 15 minutes to check the instruments and carry out an all-round visual inspection. The time passes quickly, boats on the AIS can be identified and spotted with binoculars, there is always something to see. There are cargo ships, fishing boats and a few sailors out and about. Unfortunately, the wind is still a long way off.
It's shift change and I go to sleep in the saloon while Caro keeps watch. When I wake up, Caro calls out to me “Wind, we can set sail”.
It's a wonderful moment when the engine finally stops and we glide silently along, pushed by the wind. We are hungry and have a hearty breakfast to fortify us for the second day of the crossing.
But what is that fluttering around our boat, looking for a foothold? A small bird finds its way to us in the middle of the sea. It is a hoopoe. A beautiful little bird that seeks and finds its place on our boat. And so the three of us glide through the glittering sunlit sea into the afternoon until the wind lets us down again. It stays that way until we arrive, sailing under motor. A turtle, which we pass on the way, provides further diversion.
Body care during the crossing - refreshing and soothing
Time for dinner
And so we motor into the sunset
Moonrise
A new day dawns
The hoopoe seems to be feeling at home
Finally under sail and no longer two people on board 😁
Land in sight, we can make out the first outlines of Sardinia, albeit still faintly in the haze. Further hours pass until we finally drop anchor in the southeast corner, in the bay of “Cala Carbonara”. Our animal companion finally leaves us when we arrive in Sardinia.
Once we arrive here, we sleep in for a long time and enjoy two relaxing days at anchor, swimming and reading.
Finally land in sight
Sardegna
Arrived 💪
Of course there is an anchor beer with snacks
This is how we end the day and recover from the crossing
We draw up a rough plan for the onward journey and for our time in Sardinia in general. We want to sail north along the east coast and a little further to the south coast of Corsica. At the same time, we also want to see the interior of Sardinia, so we are planning a longer stop in a marina to start from there with a rental car.
The departure from Cala Carbonara takes place on a wonderful cross-wind course to Cala Sa Figu, where we are greeted by strong gusts when anchoring. But our anchor has dug itself perfectly into the sandy bottom, which we check as usual with diving goggles and snorkel. We stay here for the night.
This marks the end of July.
Well rested and refreshed, we sail into another bay
Easterly winds push us forward - perfect 👌
Cala Sa Figu - obligatory anchor check
Morning mood
To follow our sailing route from July, three parts are available below.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
This Post Has 2 Comments
Interessante Reise, als wären wir mitgesegelt. Die Kartenausschnitte haben mir die Orientierung erleichtert.
Schiff Ahoi
Das stimmt wohl. Alleine anhand der Ortsbezeichnungen gleicht es der Suche auf der Karte der sprichwörtlichen „Stecknadel im Heuhaufen“. Zumal es oft kleine und unbekannte Buchten sind.
Liebe Grüsse
Chris&Caro
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