Web Diary page 28-30th September 2007
Ladyliv
Mon 8 Oct 2007 00:11
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LADY LIV WEB DIARY PAGE 28-30 SEPTEMBER
2007
REGGIO, CALABRIA POSITION 38:07.61N 15:39.10E
After the horrendous couple of days previous we
decided to R&R for a time in Roccella Ionica - a free marina in a
picturesque location, with free water ! Who could ask for
more?? In the first 24hour period, we managed to sleep for 16 hours,
desperately making up the rest that we needed. Then we needed to eat ! We
explored town, found the bar, the bank and the supermarket, also the internet
place to check the weather forecasts - the forecasts had not been accurate for
our Greek-Italian passage so we were wary ! The entrance to Roccella
Ionica marina is quite a dodgy one - in the pilot book, it warns of shallow
entrance, hidden rocks and difficult swells - we were fortunate but had to pick
our way through the shallows (down to less than a metre under the keel at one
point), and avoid an underwater rock in the approach whilst following a transit
line in that almost put you on the beach ... you will see from the images,
that one unlucky boat didn't get the approach right !!
Rested, fed and relaxed, we left Roccella on the
30th and headed up towards the toe of Italy (from the heel..) towards Reggio, a
port right on the Straits of Messina. An 11 hour uneventful
motorsail (ish) and we arrived in the dark into a busy commercial harbour which
looked most uninviting. The Straits are a very busy traffic
area, being a main east/west route in the Med, and the hundreds of
lights, flashing and fixed, reminded M of her Day Skipper night sail on the
Solent ... but a little warmer of course. Moored alongside a harbour wall in a
very dingy looking harbour and settled in for the night.
  
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