September 4-5, 2013
The winds picked up out of the east and the ferries made the cove very rocky with lots of swells. We moved on Tuesday afternoon to a cove on the backside of Ponza. Unbeknown to us, there is a viaduct that connects the bay with Ponza through the mountainside. We anchored here for 2 nights, and all Ray would say, “this is so incredible!---- Have I said that already?” The colors in the volcanic cliffs and the sunsets are so vivid! Every night we watch the sunset instead of the evening news-
The winds picked up out of the east and the ferries made the cove very rocky with lots of swells. We moved on Tuesday afternoon to a cove on the backside of Ponza. Unbeknown to us, there is a viaduct that connects the bay with Ponza through the mountainside. We anchored here for 2 nights, and all Ray would say, “this is so incredible!---- Have I said that already?” The colors in the volcanic cliffs and the sunsets are so vivid! Every night we watch the sunset instead of the evening news-
The colors are from the volcanic ash and lava.
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The white ash formed a Keystone looking BAT
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Sunset in Paradise!
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We swam every day morning and night- in the cool refreshing water. And finally on Wednesday late afternoon we took the dinghy to shore. We asked another boater if the passage way to Ponza was open. One said “no and the other person said “yes’. So we parked our dinghy on shore and hiked up to the tunnel. It was a little scary as the tunnel was an abandoned viaduct. We ventured on anyway and came to the end where we had to climb under a fence to get to the street. But it was well worth it! We went into town planning to have dinner. Then, we discovered the restaurants don’t serve dinner until 8:00 pm. Ray did not want to walk back in the dark and make the passage through the viaduct. So we settle for a gelato and dinner on Azzurra. What a great day!
Matt and Sarah!
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The walled part of Ponza
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We pulled anchor at 9:00 on Thursday morning and set sail for Gaeta, on west coast. Finally, we are heading to our most desired destination- Mainland ITALY!!!
Out track from the anchor drag feature on our GPS. We were all over the place one night!
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The Ponza Light House.
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September 2-3, 2013,
Our over night sail was uneventful, just the way we like them. Sarah crewed with Ray and Matt crewed with me. Matt and I had the best shift, 2100-0300 because we actually had some wind to sail. Ray and Sarah had to motor the whole time. We arrived in Pontine Islands at daybreak, which is perfect timing for this harbor. The volcanic islands are riddled with rocks and shallow areas. We could not believe the spectacular colors of white, yellow, gray and blues in the rugged cliffs lacing the shore. We sailed past a lighthouse that was on top of a pinnacle with a winding road that was built just to support the site. The photos don’t do it justices- at all!
This link gives some interesting facts about the islands. www.italian-islands.com/html/pontine.html
Our over night sail was uneventful, just the way we like them. Sarah crewed with Ray and Matt crewed with me. Matt and I had the best shift, 2100-0300 because we actually had some wind to sail. Ray and Sarah had to motor the whole time. We arrived in Pontine Islands at daybreak, which is perfect timing for this harbor. The volcanic islands are riddled with rocks and shallow areas. We could not believe the spectacular colors of white, yellow, gray and blues in the rugged cliffs lacing the shore. We sailed past a lighthouse that was on top of a pinnacle with a winding road that was built just to support the site. The photos don’t do it justices- at all!
This link gives some interesting facts about the islands. www.italian-islands.com/html/pontine.html
Cove where we anchored one night- too rolly!
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The point on northwest entrance point to Ponza
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The first of the Pontine Islands- Isle di Palmarola. The switch-backs on the side of the cliff shows how steep the terrain and road is.
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Additional cliff roads along the side.
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The town of Ponza- Fantastic!
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This is a house built right into the rock, to include 2 balconies off the cliffs.
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Cove where we anchored one night- too rolly!
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