2019-08-31 Palinuro to Reggio di Calabria, Italy

To make the most of the day travelling around the southern Italian coast, we make an early start at 5.30 am with a spectacular sky
Looking back to the lights of Palinuro, Policastro and Sapri
With a calm sea and very little breeze, we will make good progress on our journey
By 8 am the sea is like a mirror
Late morning we have some visitors arrive
A small pod of playful dolphins spent 20 minutes frolicking at the bow of the Tangaroa
Looking west in the distance off the south western coast of Italy, is the Island of Stomboli which has one of the most active volcanos in the world. It had a major eruption in July and again as we pass, it appears to be erupting once again!! We chose to keep our distance!!
In July 2015 we cruised around the Aeolian Islands and visited Stomboli Island with it’s pretty town and black beaches
More and more freighters pass us as we head towards the Strait of Messina, the narrow strait between the western tip of Italy and the eastern tip of Sicily
After 12 hours of motoring down the south western coast of Italy we finally reach the famous Strait of Messina with the Sicilian town of Torre Faro and it’s conspicuous tower ahead
Looking south east to the Italian coast with smoke in the distance from further eruptions from Stromboli
We have nice memories visiting the lovely Italian town of Scilla in 2015
On the Sicilian western point there are many popular beaches
Looking ahead to the narrow Strait of Messina which at it’s narrowest point is 3.1 kms wide (1.67 nautical miles)
The Strait is notorious for its very strong current, rocks and whirlpools. The water appeared to be boiling all around us and our speed went from 10 knots down to 3 knots as we made our way through the narrowest point at the north eastern entrance
The length of the Strait of Messina is 32 kms ( 17.28 nautical miles) and as there was only a couple of hours of daylight left we chose to continue to the nearest secure port for the night
The large tower on the Sicilian coast
Heading east we pass the popular southern Calabrian Italian beachside town of Cannitello
Continuing on along the Calabrian coast we were still motoring into the strong current as we approach Vecchio Porto
The lighthouse, Faro Punta Pezzo stands north of the busy ferry terminal which links mainland Italy to Sicily
As we approach the very busy ferry port of Villa San Giovanni, we had to keep out of the way of the numerous ferries crossing back and forth to Sicily
Once safely past the ferry route we decide to continue along the coast
We pass Monastero della Visitazione standing high in the mountains behind the towns of Carmine and Archi on the Calabrian coast
After 14 hours of travelling we radio the Port of Reggio Di Calabria to seek a berth for the night
As we have planned another early start in the morning, we decide to fuel up the Tangaroa before going into an available berth
From the fuel berth we are instructed to take the berth beside the white yacht at the entrance to the marina
Once the Tangaroa was securely tied up, it was a relief to turn the motors off and relax

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