We started with a 7 hour passage from St Agata to Vulcano which has one of the two active volcanoes in the islands and the only really good anchorages. The scenery as you approach is spectacular with great red and black cliffs revealing cross sections of old lava and ash flows. We saw a tripper boat go up to a cave and decided to give it a go ourselves.
It was almost large enough for Rosa to get into – mast and all. With deep blue water underneath. Lindsay spotted what looked like rubbish in the water – but it turned out to be floating pumice. We caught few pieces in our net.
The anchorage is spectacular with the volcano brooding and smoking above, black sand all around and huge pillars of basalt rising out of the water. We took the dinghy ashore and found a pleasant though very touristy village. We would have liked to spend longer but Stromboli was a must and was a long way to go with only two days spare before a big storm was due to come through.
We left early the next day planning to go around Stromboli at night. We would need a place to moor afterwards and there is no decent shelter on Stromboli so we spied out Panarea on the way – putting an anchoring site and 2 mooring buoys on the GPS. We also noted that the tiny quay was not viable as it was being repaired and the small remaining space was either used for fishing boats or hydrofoils. We got to NE Stromboli ant 6.00 and anchored in very deep and open water for dinner. As the sun set we went off slowly anticlockwise and got to the site where you can see the fireworks in the dark. It is too dim for photography from a moving boat so it’s all in our hear=d. The mountain obliged with three eruptions throwing glowing rocks and lava high into the air which then tumbled down the side of the crater. Truly worth a visit if you ever get the chance!
We got to Panarea at 2300. The anchorage looked uninviting as a couple of small day boats were now moored close to where we would swing so we picked up one of the buoys and had a lumpy but safe night. Mike went in to see the sights so we settled down to breakfast – only to be accosted by a rude young man in a disreputable blue fishing boat demanding €20.00 He had no identification and would give to receipt so we thought he was probably on-the-take. In the end I decided to pay for a quiet life. Thinking about it, I should have insisted on taking a photo of him accepting the money but at the time, I just handed it over. 10 minutes later there was a shout from the neighbouring power boat and a sleepy naked bloke emerged wrapping a towel around himself. He shouted that it was his mooring and demanded payment! I told him we’d paid the bloke in the blue boat. He wasn't happy and I really kicked myself for not taking that picture. I gave him a cheery wave and cast off and I suspect we came under the category of too much trouble to chase. Not a place we will be going back to though.
With a storm forecast the next day, we headed for Lipari (the capital) and picked up a nice pontoon mooring for two days. It wasn't cheap but the ormegiattore (who is the spitting image of Elton John) was very friendly and helpful and provided water, electricity and even WiFi.
Lipari town is great! Lots of provisions, cafes and everything you would expect in a thriving little town. The graveyard is fascinating and the Citadel is impressive. It houses a beautiful cathedral and an excellent museum which is very informative about the vulcanology and history of the islands. The history is very rich and goes right back to Neolithic times when they were the only source of Obsidian in the Western Med, through Greeks, Romans, Moors, pirates crusaders and others.
Finally we had a very lumpy sail over to Milazzo to drop off Mike & Linda and pick up Hugh and Marion.
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