We had a very nice quite night here. This could be the best protected berth
we have had so far. No rocking
around at all. It has been a
really nice stay. But all good
things must come to an end and we leave just before 10:00am. No other boats have gone, which is unusual. Most of the other boats seem to be
charters. They all have Italian
flags, but the crews are of differing nationalities. A German family next to us and then a French couple who
converse with the Germans in English.
To prove the point, the boat next to us on the other side has a Dutch
flag, but it crewed by two Italian lads!
That is the exception that proves the rule!
We go off in nice weather and there is a
bit of a breeze. The wind gage
shows it is blowing 7-8 knots. We
don’t have far to go so we put up the sails and shut down the engine! We are only doing just over 3 knots,
but we persevere and even put out one of the fishing lines. We are on the edges of a nature reserve
where you are not allowed to fish.
However, I point out to Richard that as we never catch anything, the
fish are safe even if this is a reserve!
After about 45 minutes the wind dies away
completely, so we are back on engine to our destination. We are going to the Island of
Ischia. It is considered to be
very fashionable. Richard has
firstly plotted us to go to a secondary port on the island where there is a two
Michelin rosette restaurant, but on the way we change our mind. We are not that keen on another big
meal and the book says it is more fun in the main town Ischia Port. However, the pilot also says that the
harbour is very crowded and it is difficult to get a berth. So Richard phones up and finds that
they can give us a berth, but at a price -100 Euro! We decide what the hell and go anyway.
For what is the main port on a very busy
holiday island it is relatively small and filled with ferries coming and
going. We had to wait for two
ferries to enter and one to leave before we could safely enter. We are put on a pontoon quite near the
centre and not far from the office.
For a change there are real toilets and showers (well, there should be
at this price) which is important because you are not allowed to discharge even
grey water (e.g. washing up water, shower drains etc) into the port. So no shower on board today.
It has turned very hot today and we are
regretting not arriving later and stopping first for a swim. But the book also tells us anchoring is
supposed to be prohibited, but there are lots of boats at anchor anyway!
We have showers and feel a bit better and
then walk around the town. It is
quite a nice sophisticated place.
The main road running from the port to the castle at the other end of
the whole town is elegant with designer shops etc. I even get to do some shopping. I finally find a leather goods shop and ask about a new
wallet (my old Asprey one having been lost out of my handbag just before we
left). I find one that fits the
bill and costs about a tenth of what a new one from Asprey’s would cost!
After a long walk around the town nearly
to the castle we stop for a drink.
It is aperitif time and we get drinks with the nice nibbles, which is
such fun here. So back to the boat
and a rest before dinner. We have
identified a restaurant here on the port that are doing spaghetti with sea urchin,
which we want to try.
So out we go to dinner. The restaurant we have chosen seems to
be one of the more popular ones, which is good. But we have a shock walking there. We are walking through deep puddles, because it is a spring
tide and the waters have gone above the level of the harbour wall! And we thought that there are no tides
here in the Med. Well, we know
there are tides, but usually they are only 6 inches or so. But according to the tide table Richard
has just looked up, this one has a range of 18 inches! So that accounts for the flooding.
Dinner is very nice. One of the better ones we have had
other than the Michelin star job.
It is also amusing people watching, especially seeing them all trying to
avoid the flooded pavements. Now back
on the boat and planning for tomorrow and the Bay of Naples.
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