Southern Calabria

We’d reached Italy, but now had to make the long journey to Sicily. We were at the bottom of the heel and needed to make our way across the ‘instep’ and ‘sole’ of the Italian boot. It doesn’t look very far on a map but would take us three days. After consulting sailing blogs and other references to look for marinas and anchorages that would be best to stop at, we made a rough plan knowing that we’d need to be flexible in case of bad weather or other unforeseeable issues.

The first leg would be the longest and most difficult as it was across the instep of the boot, with mostly open seas. There would be no land to keep us interested and no mobile coverage for most of the trip. We estimated it would take 12-13 hours so set out from Santa Maria di Leuca early in the morning as we wanted to arrive in the daylight.

As predicted, the crossing was long but the weather good and we had both sails up and no motor for most of the trip. We’d planned to anchor off Le Castella but knew very little about the small town. A quick google check when we were back in mobile phone range revealed that its name came from the 5^th century BC castle located near the town. The castle was built by the Greeks as part of their colonisation of southern Italy, then called Magna Graecia (Latin for Greater Greece). As we approached we saw that it was spectacular. From some angles it appeared to be floating on the sea and in certain light looked like a giant sandcastle. Needless to say, we anchored nearby and after our long journey spent the night on board having dinner and enjoying an amazing view of the castle.

We took the dingy across to town the next morning to replenish our food supplies and to check out the town. There were no real attractions other than the castle but it had a few restaurants, shops and bars and after our long sailing day we decided to stay one more night. The weather was hot and after checking for jellyfish, spent the day swimming, kayaking and enjoying the beautiful view.

That evening we went into town for a drink at a bar overlooking the water and castle. Like most places in Italy we were given snacks to have with our drinks but these were better than any we’d had before. There were small pieces of pizzas, olives, potato chips, nuts, cheese, salami, mini sausage rolls, eggplant parmigiana and quarter sandwiches. When we ordered a second drink they delivered some more. There was so much food!

After drinks we wandered about the town looking at the shops as they were open late. The main street and church were still lit from a recent festival. Locals wandered up and down the main street and waterfront – small children walked hand-in-hand with their parents, older people strolled and stopped to chat with friends, and teenagers hung out in groups. It had a nice atmosphere and we enjoyed people watching as we ate a light dinner before heading back to the boat.

The next morning we lifted anchor and sailed to Rocella Ionica where we’d booked a berth at the marina. We needed to refuel and top up our water. We knew the marina was located a few kilometres from the town but their website boasted two restaurants, a café and minimart nearby so we figured it would be a good stopover. We arrived to a very hot and somewhat desolate marina to be told when checking in that the restaurants and café were not yet open. The only consolation was that the minimart sold very good coffee, pastries and ice-cream.

Once the weather had cooled a little, we took the long walk to town to find somewhere for dinner. We stopped at the first restaurant we came to on the edge of town and were heartened by the wood-fired pizza oven and the delicious smells coming from the kitchen. Most of the customers appeared to be locals enjoying dinner with friends and family. Almost everything on the menu featured local fish – swordfish, sardines, red prawns, mussels and anchovies. A few of us ordered a dish of spaghetti, sardines, cherry tomatoes, garlic, chilli and olive oil. It was delicious! It was one of the nicest meals I’ve had on the trip. As we ate, the restaurant filled with locals, some celebrating a birthday, others just catching up for dinner with family or friends. It was a great night and we took the long walk home feeling very satisfied.

The following day we headed for our last southern Calabrian destination – Bovo Marina – not an actual marina but a small town on a bay that would give us some protection from winds. The journey was much more interesting as most of it was close to land and we enjoyed seeing the different landscapes and towns while we discussed what the farms might be growing. We also saw our first sword fishing boat, known as a Passarella, which has a seat high up a 30 metre tower in the centre of the boat. The pilot sights the fish from there and steers the boat to chase it. At the front of the boat is a long bridge where the harpooner takes position to aim for the swordfish. We’d been told they mostly fished in the Messina Strait so were surprised to see one on this part of our journey.

We arrived mid-afternoon hoping to swim as the weather was very hot. On the way into the bay we spotted some jellyfish heading out but were hopeful they wouldn’t be closer to the beach. A few of us jumped in for a very quick dip to cool down, while others stood watch in case they were still lingering. As we got back on board we saw some a few metres away. That was the end of our swim for the day! The town didn’t look very inviting and we couldn’t see any restaurants on the waterfront so we ate on the boat. That night the boat was very rocky and noisy due to swells from passing ships, but I managed to get some sleep excited to be arriving in Sicily the following day.