2018 Season Three: Leaving The Aeolian Islands

The next day it was back around to our old anchorage off the pumice mine on Lipari, as it was going to have the protection we needed for the wind change. We did some hull cleaning again and Todd found the perfect place to hang the hammock in the shade under the dinghy.

Doug helped Todd with another generator diagnostic and we negotiated with a local fisherman for a fresh squid for dinner. (Which was tender and delicious in a light egg wash and seasoned breadcrumbs, over an interesting local pasta that Sandy had found back on Favignana Island.)

There was a tentative plan to dinghy around to the museum in the main town of Lipari, but with the wind shift it didn’t seem prudent so instead we returned to Mr Baffo’s for another plate of the “Italian Nacho’s”.

The last night in the Aeolian islands was actually pretty uncomfortable as a current picked up which held us beam to the swell. (The mono hulls were having a worse time of it with 30 degree rolls). We had a Thunder storm blow through as well, but wind didn’t exceed 26 knots and it was over by 8 pm. We got the anchor up, (due to the current it was behind us and we had to reverse to pick it up, a first for me), and headed across towards an anchorage about 5 hours away on the Northern end of Sicily at a place called Calamona.  The trip across was an uneventful motor sail in minimal wind. There were quite a few other sail and power boats heading South. We noted that most of them weren’t running their AIS “Automatic Identification System”, although the tankers and cargo ships did. Between the boats and dodging various fishing buoys there was enough to keep the watch crew alert. The road-stead anchorage was off a long sandy beach (hence it had an attractive sandy bottom), and was just over an hour from the entrance to the Straights of Messina. It was a lovely calm night and after an early dinner of rabbit and meatball stew, with a tasty side dish of sautéed cauliflower, zucchini, onions and garlic that Sandy made, we all hit the hay.