The Aeolian Islands

Panarea



Fumes blowing off Etna, the reflection of the sunlight makes it glow as if active

Once again we left early, 5:00 am, to make our passage through the Messina Straits by 10:30am. It was an uneventful passage; however we did pass a French yacht that was being boarded by the Italian authorities. It was a long trip to Panarea, but that will put us a short way away from Stromboli where some of the crew plan to hike up the volcano.



Skyelark anchored off Paneara



Small boats at the town dock

We arrived late in the day and took the dingy to explore the town. Fred and I went in search of the fine vino we had found in Siracusa, without much success. At one supermarket I noticed some bottles on the bottom shelf behind the cash register; it wasn’t the same extraordinary vintage, but one that we felt would do and at 8,50 Euro for a 5 litre jug it was just what we were looking for.



Fred checks the cap to make sure the wine hasn't gone off

We stopped off at one of the waterfront cafes for a couple rounds of beer; they were accompanied by several plates of snacks as has been the custom at many of our previous stops. The town was fairly lively with ferrys coming and going far more often than might have been imagined.
We had dinner aboard and came close to finishing our bottle of vino, but after a long sail and our time in town it was more than the crew could manage.
Stromboli
The island of Stromboli was just 9 miles away, so we went to shore in search of breakfast; We settled on the café we had drinks at yesterday since they were the only one we could find that had omelets on offer.



A fishing boat on the shore



One of the beautiful cafes in town

Back on board we hauled the anchor and made our way to Stromboli; the towering peak of the volcano seemed daunting and it was then that I decided I would opt out of the several hour trek to the crater and back. As we were sailing we passed one of the curious boats they use to catch swordfish; crew members sit in a crows nest to spot them on the surface, other crew members then walk out on a large platform attached to the bow and harpoon the fish.



A swordfishing boat

The hikes don’t leave town till after 5:00pm, so we had time to explore and fit in a proper lunch to prepare the boys for their climb. We stopped off at a place with a balcony overlooking the harbor, a necessity for Dan since the holding on the rocky bottom is tenacious at best.



A small island with a lighthouse off Stromboli

I went for the fresh pasta with capers, olives and anchovies while the rest selected from the interesting pizza menu. When lunch was done the guys went to inquire about the hike, I set off up the road leading from town to the trail in order to get some photos looking down on the village.





Skyelark at anchor off the town

Once back in town I found them making their final arrangements since proper hiking boots are mandatory and they would have to rent them. I stopped at a nice restaurant overlooking the water and had a coffee and a cigar, while making phone calls home and getting some more nice photos.
I left the restaurant just as the hikers were passing by and wished them well then went into the church at the center of town for a look around and some salvation. The church doesn’t look like much from the outside, but inside it is beautifully done up with a fine alter and murals and stained glass throughout. I took some photos and lit a candle before starting my way back to the dock to meet Dan.

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The modest look of the outside of the church belies the splendor of the inside

The plan was to leave after the hikers had come back, around 11:00 pm and since I would be on the midnight to 3:00 am watch by myself I made a sandwich for later and went to bed to get some rest. Dan woke me around 10:00 pm to tell me the wind had shifted and the anchor was dragging, so I got up and helped him haul it up and stow it away. The guys had texted that they were on their way back down so we just slowly motored off the anchorage area and out of the way of the ferrys until they were ready to get picked up. As we started off towards Sorrento, our base in Italy we passed the back side f the volcano, we slowly motored in the right general direction watching as the orange glow from the crater would get brighter and brighter until it would burst and throw flaming rocks into the air. It was quite a spectacle to see and I could only imagine what it must have been like from the summit.