Sundowner II log – 2007 update 29 – Gaeta

With the decision made to move south next year, plans were made to head north and spend some time around the island of Elba with its many protected anchorages. Also there was an opportunity of some work in one of the hills overlooking Rome. But with the weather unsettled it never happened and the summer was spent anchored outside the marina in Gaeta with a few trips to Ventotene, day trips along the coast sometimes in the company of visitors or friends and a trip across the bay to anchor outside Richard’s lido near Formia was always fun. We also picked up a couple weeks work gardening and a couple more antifouling boats in the yard. All in all a busy yet relaxed summer making many more friends on shore as well as at anchor. The highlight was Dennis' 50th birthday

for which many friends and family flew from all parts to celebrate. It is time for a reality check, get to Scotland and work the winter.

Summer 2007


With FC and United finishing May with titles Pip and Jim our old time mates further livened up ours and everybody elses lives with visits. Pip always sociable was very pleased how well he was always greeted with a smile and it was just before he left that when introducing him to a local friend the man refused a shake of his hand because unknown to Pip his nickname in Italian slang means lonely one handed sex so he reverted to his christian name Michael although everybody else still called him Mister Pip.

Jim turned up after causing mayhem at the island games in Greece on his way from Guernsey was as only he can be Big Jim.

We made a weekend visit back to England to celebrate Dennis' Dad Dennis 80th birthday and after watching the local football at Yeovil Dennis waited like a schoolboy for an hour and got his plaster signed by Mark Robins – the opposition manager – who was very shocked after being asked and signing 'sorry'. Asking why he was told if he hadn't scored the winning goal against Nottingham Forest many years ago, United wouldn't have won the FA Cup, Fergie may have lost his job and not had his years of success which meant Dennis wouldn't have been in Rome – he did see the funny side eventually!

An American guy had bought and sailed a yacht from Croatia with the intention of living and working from the anchorage then wintering in the marina but due to its keel design would sail at it’s anchor causing it to trip under the strain and movement, while he was at work we rescued it a couple of times but in the end he had to move it to a safer place near Naples and for our efforts he replaced our batteries which had died through age and not being charged properly the previous winter he also supplied us with wine and beer which we shared - cheers!

At times we have had our own escapades with anchors, once while anchored off Richard’s lido

when the afternoon wind as normal picked up at 2pm the beach is called Vindicio which means wind something and is the base for the wind and kite surfers, it had always seemed odd that we were the only ones to take advantage of the shallow sandy/weed convenient anchorage. From the beach we watched as Sundowner slowly moved towards the rocky, man-made breakwater we rushed to the dinghy but with only paddles it was obvious Sundowner would win the race and beat us to the rocks before we could board her. So Richard launched the lido pedalo, all was well for a minute or two but the going was hard and getting harder so we paddled as well. It was an exhausting, panic-stricken struggle but we just managed to position the pedalo behind Sundowner and scramble aboard before the rudders struck the rocks. The engine was started and we slowly moved away from the breakwater taking the pedalo with us but we only managed 1-½ knots which was strange. The anchor was retrieved and after heading into the wind and waves we released Richard and the pedalo opposite the lido then set sail back to Gaeta. In hindsight we should have re-anchored, a bit like when you fall off a bike, but we were too exhausted to think properly. Richard then phoned to say that the reason people were shouting from the beach was the fact that the bung had been removed from the pedalo so it was gradually filling with water! We then retrieved our upside down dinghy and when it was turned over we caught a fish!

We often set off early out of the bay and sailed along the coast anchoring off a beach that Sandra’s sister and children use in the summer holidays sailing off and onto the anchor. But one day after staying a bit too long on the beach when we sailed off the anchor in the strong wind the boat tacked itself and we merrily headed towards the beach and through the no entry swimming buoys – not clever as we had to start and use the engine to tack away- oops!

Even though the anchorage is convenient for the town of Gaeta with its shops, bars and fresh mountain water from the continually flowing tap in the small fishing harbour, problems with visiting boats were a daily and nightly nightmare. One of the worst was a medium sized motor boat that anchored up-wind of us and proceeded to mask and paper up the cockpit and with a large generator was set to spray paint the boat. All would have been ok but our windows are black and the non slip bits on deck grey so not wanting to look like a snowball we move to the old town where the Guardia moved us as we were too close to the Naval base but a very convenient row ashore to Vic’s bar. One big Australian catamaran even informed us one afternoon that he was too close so we offered that it wouldn’t take much to re-anchor but he didn’t. We woke him at midnight when the wind changed and he got very angry when his offer of large fenders was refused – his wife sorted him out and told him in no uncertain terms to move it! He apologized the next day for his language and for threatening to mow Dennis and his dinghy down. One very large yacht came in one day and it took him three attempts before managing to pick up our anchor then pull us down the coast, we informed him we were quite happy where we were and after we untangled the mess he gave us a lovely bottle of wine.

Whilst on Ventotene we met and chatted to the people running the dolphin and whale watch boat and it turns out that their main habitat is the deep channel between Ischia and Ponza that passes Ventotene which just happens to be the same run as the hundreds of motor boats 24/7 during the summer. We have had the misfortune to be nearly run down on at least three occasions by huge, unhelmed auto piloted monsters.

On one occasion we had a young American lad on board who had been with us for a week’s break, he had been told by his macho mates that he shouldn’t go with those hippy brits as they may kill and eat him. When a large cruiser was on direct collision course a couple of miles out of Ventotene we woke him with the words “ wake up Michael – you’re about to die!” and we stood there watching as at 4 ½ knots we were basically dead in the water and even at over 30 knots we had a bit of a wait before it passed 30 metres to our stern.

We keep meeting some really nice friendly people one couple, Daniel and Katy, left their boat at anchor and while they were in France we watched out for their boat it turned out they were at the leaving party in Brest of Daniel and Marise who we had made friends with in Portugal, and later when they went north they got friendly with Gerard and Danielle who we are now friendly with and have spent many hours in their enjoyable company learning things such as solar wind - when the wind follows the sun during the day. We had one particular funny episode when Dennis was having a cigarette outside the Lampara restaurant he noticed the wind had increased dramatically and the boat in front of our friends boat had slipped it’s anchor which in turn slipped theirs and ours. Sundowner was very close to the shore so it was a quick return by dinghy and pick up the anchors, so with a very strong north east wind blowing directly into the anchorage we thought it best to head to the harbour in Formia. Gerard woke with the commotion and Dennis waved and said see you later. It was a long rough three miles into the wind and waves with our friends following us, we were then surprisingly joined by Gerard and Danielle on Pacha, and after docking they wanted to know where we had heard 60 knots forecast, and we had to tell them “ No! We said see you later!”

We now have a budgie to add to our list of rescues as on a particularly offshore windy day Sandra spotted a budgie just fail to land on our boat and then was swept under the stern of our neighbours and showed great spirit in it’s vain attempt to board as it flew in and out of the water so we rushed across in the dinghy and with the aid of a paddle lifted him clear.

His face was a picture as he realized he was on solid ground. We nested him in an old wine box and printed up photos and posters as he seemed he was a pet and on our third shop Maria, the owner, said she had found one the same on her doorstep at 6 am that morning had already bought food and a cage and was going to buy a mate so her children now have two pets.

October found us back in the marina and the boat prepared for the winter leaving just a few weeks to party then once again return to Scotland and work and play.

Before returning to Gaeta we had Alex and Tania’s wedding which was a fabulous occasion to be forever imprinted on the mind.


After nearly three years and a month of farewells it was hard to leave good friends, family and Gaeta itself on the 1st of June.(After 19 days we are still only 200 miles further away in Vibo Valentia – the weather is strange!)

Oh, and who are the double Champions of England and Europe? Oh Manchester………