Trip Report #1-2004: Escape from Sibari

Filed from Tropea, Italy

38 40.9N  015 54.3E

Date: 5/30/2004

Photo: Tom observes progress of channel clearing at Sibari

   Tom Returned to Sibari, Italy in early April to prepare and launch Starboard Home by the end of the month and await the arrival of Garry Oakley, who had been crew on our Atlantic Crossing in 1999. (Click Here)  
   Peg meanwhile, remained stateside to anxiously await the birth of son Rob and his wife Alex's first child. Rob and Alex had visited us in Gaeta, Italy in 2000 while they were touring Europe before marriage, jobs and graduate school and now kid(s?). (Click Here)
   The plan was that Garry and Tom would sail Starboard Home around the boot of Italy, through the Straits of Messina and up the western Italian coast. 
   Throughout the month of April there were concerns that the harbor mouth of to the marina had filled in over the winter and that it would not be cleared in time for all the cruisers´ spring plans.
   However, work on boats went on, Easter was celebrated with a cookout organized by Nancy and Marvin on Good Company, whom we had met last year at the Rendezvous in Stari Grad. (Click Here)

 
Photo: Easter cookout at Sibari Marina, Italy

     Shortly before Garry's arrival work did start on clearing the channel and one boat managed to get out; but then a storm from the south east refilled the opening more completely than before. In fact, it became possible to walk clear across the opening on the sand bar without getting our feet wet!  When Garry did arrive at 2:30am, twelve hours late because of an airline strike, there was still hopes that additional work would start. After a day or two of no work and the approach of the weekend and more bad weather, we decided to take a bus trip to Rome and see the sights.
     The new, modern bus went through the beautiful center portion of Italy and only took six hours, dropping us and our backpacks off in the center of Rome.  Since Peg and Tom had also toured Rome on their way home last year, Tom was able to find a room in one of Rome's many very small hotels in a convenient location. The next three days were spent as typical tourists, visiting many of the wonderful sights and sites of Rome.

Photo: Garry outside the Colosseum

Photo: Garry and Tom inside the Colosseum with the Arch of Constantine in background 

 
Photos: At the Roman Forum

 
Photos: At the Campidoglio and the Fantana de Trevi

Additionally we took a tour of the Vatican and St Peter's Square and Balisica, visited the Pantheon, and relaxed in the Piazza Navano. Getting about Rome was done mostly by bus and on foot, quite often requiring map reading:

Photo: 'I thought it was this way'

They did stop for refreshment once in a while and were on the lookout for celebrities.

 
Photos: Gelato and Mrs. Soprano?

      After three days when they checked with Good Company by phone and learned that work had indeed been proceeding on the channel, they took the morning bus back to Sibari. After provisioning in one day, they cautiously proceeded through the newly dug opening with 6" under the keel and about 6' on each side of the boat. They were the third of about six boats that 'escaped' that day.
      They did short, pleasant day sails along the boot to S.Cataldo and Le Castello, At Roccella Ionica they stopped for a day to repair a sail, whose head ring had torn out, and to see the town. 

 
Photos: St. Cataldo and Le Castello

 
Photos: Roccella Ionica and NOT Starboard Home on the beach there

The next day they had a very nice sail over to Sicily where they anchored below the beautiful town of Taormina.


Photo: Taormina, Sicily

 After a good meal and a good night´s sleep, they got up very early to hurry through the narrow Straits of Messina, which separate the toe of Italy from Sicily. There is current here and it's best to time passage with the tide table. Their early start allowed them to continue on to very picturesque old town of Tropea on the Italian west coast.

Photo: Tropea, Italy

From the new marina, there is quite a good climb up to the old town, but it is worth the climb.

 
Photos: Tom part way up and Garry at the top

Unfortunately, Garry only had a day to enjoy the town before boarding a train north to catch his plane home. Tom  stayed at Tropea a few more days before moving north to Vebo Valentia to leave the boat and fly home to join Peg in Albuquerque. 

       Addio,

       Tom

       aboard s/v Starboard Home
       Vibo Valentia, Italy

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