40:34.86N    14:21.63E    Nerano,  Amafi Coast

Monday, 13^th June, 2011.

We sailed away from Torre Del Greco around 11.00 a.m. after shopping and headed along the bay to Sorrento.  The town looked wonderful on the cliff top and the lido’s with their colourful beach chairs and umbrellas were doing a good trade. Unfortunately, we were unable to stop as the water depth was 40 to 50 metres right up to the cliffs so we motored around to the next bay for lunch. It was a small village beach with the usual bars and ice cream shops.

After lunch we motored over to Capri but we had the same problem here as the cliffs are sheer straight into the water and the depth is very deep. The only place shown near the marina is now covered with small buoys for the day boats. Therefore, it has taken away the possibility for yachts to anchor safely in this area as the water is so deep elsewhere.  There are two other anchorages around the island but you are just looking at sheer cliffs for views.   Jim and Frank were not prepared to pay 200 Euros for the marina for the night so we motored along the coast catching the sights such the funicular train to the town of Capri on the hill.  We marvelled at the beautiful hotels so very near the edge of the rocks at Anacapri.  Anacapri still retains a small town feel in comparison with Capri town.  It was separated from the rest of the island by an impervious wall of cliffs until a connecting road was built in 1877.  Small farm can be seen on the hills above Anacapri.

We could see the Villa Jovis on the edge of the cliff near Capri town which was the home to Emperor Tiberius from where he ruled the Roman Empire during his final years.  On the side of the cliff below the villa was an opening which looked like a shute.  This according to history was where he executed criminals and threw them down the shute straight into the sea.  Large cisterns have been discovered in this area which guaranteed the self-sufficiency of the complex.

We motored back to the mainland and moved south into the Amafi coast area.  At the first bay we picked up a restaurant buoy free as long as you ate in the restaurant that night.  No problem on eating.  The problem with the area is that it is in the Punta Campanella Marine Reserve which was established in 1997 and covers from the Cape of Sorrento until Point Germano at Positano.  No anchoring, swimming or fishing is allowed but we cannot find out what they are protecting whether it is grass, seahorses etc.

The town of Nerano where we were on the buoy was celebrating their Saint, San Antonio.  It is a statue of a monk in a brown habit carrying the baby Jesus.  Boats came out from the beach, the first one carrying the statue, white lily flowers and priests followed by another boat carrying the choir dressed in white flocks and blue capes with the band playing. About another 30 small boats followed carrying hundreds of followers.  Every so often they let off orange floating smoke flares and carried red and white hand flares.  As they went up the bay and back again they seem to stop and have a little service and then start moving again. Fireworks were let off around 7 o’clock and again at 11 o’clock.  The procession came back ashore and the service was conducted again outside the church for another hour or so with a BBQ set up further down the beach.

We were picked up by launch and taken to the restaurant for a wonderful dinner plus a wonderfully expensive bill!  To add insult to the injury of the bill the swell did not stop and we managed to roll most of the night.  There did not seem any reason for it.