Go One, Go All!

Sunday November 30th, 2008
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

The day of departure for our Atlantic crossing has finally come. We have filled every nook and cranny with food, topped up on fuel, finished the last load of laundry, repaired, replaced or rendered every project that needed to be done. The exception for that would be the new head sail. That project never came to fruition so we'll roll along with our newly 13 patched marvel, attach the storm sail and hope for a nice down wind run. Though there is visibly no wind around here at the moment, we may have to motor out a day before it fills in. Then according to our weather faxes it's filling in nicely out of the NNE. Just the way we like it. As the old sailing adage goes, "Sail south until the butter melts, then head west". This is supposed to be the best way to find the trade winds that are to take you off to the Caribbean. Again though, according to our weather faxes, it ain't quite filling in yet. The risk of waiting too long is that we might not make landfall before Christmas and we would like to avoid that. If we get stuck in the doldrums it could take a really long time. 2700 miles to go and we carry enough fuel to make it roughly 160 motoring hours, or about 7 days, so we certainly want to conserve that as much as we can.

The Atlantic hurricane season officially ends tomorrow. 2008 proved to be a record breaker as the weather officials had predicted. For the first time on record, six consecutive tropical cyclones (Dolly, Edouard, Fay, Gustav, Hanna and Ike) made landfall on the US mainland and a record three major hurricanes (Gustav, Ike and Paloma) struck Cuba. This is also the first Atlantic season to have a major hurricane (Category 3) form in five consecutive months (July: Bertha, August: Gustav, September: Ike, October: Omar, November: Paloma). Now that it's over on paper, let's just hope mother nature realizes this and doesn't throw in a late in the game hit like 2005 which delivered one after Christmas. We always pray for wind, but now we're going to be specific, not too much, not too little. Picky aren't we.

Go one, go all! So there are many ways to get across on ocean or around the world. You can single hand it like the competitors in the Vendee Globe Challenge. They solo sail their 60 ft. beauties easterly around the world. They departed from France in November, with their newest technologies and designs they are even trying to set records of making it around the world in 80 days! Then there is the mass exodus of the ARC or Atlantic Rally for Cruisers. A rally, as the name suggests, promotes strength in numbers. Numbers they certainly have, 240 of them. We wished them well and waved them off as they departed out of Gran Canaria last Sunday for their own Atlantic crossing. What a zoo that was. For many it is their first ocean crossing, for some, repeat offenders. We are sure we'll be seeing many of them once we have reached the other side.

For us, this crossing is the beginning of the end in some ways. Our last major puddle jump. We can hardly believe that 8 months ago we were working our way across the Indian Ocean and in 8 months time we are likely to be back at home. 4 years in the blink of an eye. It is a dream journey to be on. We will be sending out regular journal entries to this mail list and the blog site. You can also track our daily position from the tracking link on the front page of our web site. With all this time on our hands, hopefully we will catch up the web site and upload the last few countries at our next internet connection. Time will certainly be on our side, lets hope the wind and waves play along.

So that's it. Feel free to write us any time. We love to stay connected. We'll be thinking of you all while you chop down those Christmas trees and shop till you drop. See you on the other side!

Won't you join us and ... Sail on!

Out of the Med

Sunday October 19,2008
Atlantic Ocean
coordinates 34 40.863N,007 26.748E

All is well on Ohana Kai and we have finally broke free of the Mediterranean Sea and have crept/beat our way out the Straight of Gibraltar and into the Atlantic Ocean en route to the Canary Islands. It has been an amazing month since we last wrote to you. We covered two more countries, and most importantly had a spectacular visit with Lisa's parents.
The quick recap...
Departed Italy end of August with a two day stop over in Porto Pollo, Sardinia for some windsurfing and skim boarding.
3 overnights to reach Barcelona Spain, find the heaven of a marina in Port Forum. First week we spent preparing for our company. Lisa's parents were coming for a good long visit and the boat needed some loving before their arrival. The main sail, the dodger and biminy made their way to the sail repair shop for a pricey but much needed and well done overhaul. New zippers, new seams and patches all around. Lisa's parents, Nonnie and Nonno to the boys, have had the opportunity to visit Ohana Kai
in ports of Mexico, New Zealand and Thailand but this time they wanted to become a part of the crew and do some real sailing. So we broke them in right away. We had them doing sewing repair jobs on the dock, and hiking it with their backpacks on to the market and back for provisioning runs. Our smallest crew member Matthew did hit double digits and celebrated his 10th birthday the same week. So we took time out to see a bit of Barcelona, the aquarium and Gaudi's La Sagrada Familia. The Sagrada
Familia is a fascinating and wondrous cathedral dreamt up and designed by Gaudi. He has an amazing ability to incorporate nature as he sees it into every curve and point, copula and pillar he creates.

Our goal with our new crew members on board was to reach Gibraltar. In the Mediterranean you are truly at the mercy of the wind gods and you may or may not find the right weather windows to get where you want in time. They can get angry at a moments notice, sending fierce winds and stay angry as long as they feel like it. So when you see a weather window you take it an run. We took Nonnie and Nonno for their first day off the docks and gave them an exuberant sail with 20+ knot winds and square
seas and an overnight sail. We tucked them each into a corner of the boat and they did great. We made our way out to the Balaeras Islands to see what we could see. A quick stop at Menorca and Mallorca let us all stretch our legs, view some lovely piazzas, cave formations and taste some more pizza. With their sea legs a little stronger we decided to make the big push back toward the mainland. The winds were perfect so we blew right past Ibiza and in the middle of the night very unceremoniously
crossed back into the Western Hemisphere. Our new crew members braved a double overnighter this time and we sailed for Cartagena, arriving at the Yacht Port Marina, just in time for the Romano y Cartagenian festival. Tribes of men dressed in costume and walking the street performing mock battles, was great fun to see. We walked a beautiful esplanade, designed for foot traffic only, each evening. It was always graced with young and old and while you strolled sights, sounds and tastes filled your
every sense. We really began to get the hang of tapas bars, or snacky dinners as the boys call them. Small plates of tasty morsels you point and order, consume and converse with your companions.

The next four days were a succession of long day hops, motoring and sailing each night, stopping at an anchorage or marina in this order: Ensenada de Terreros, a rolly but protected from the wind anchorage;
Club de Mar in Almeria, a nice port side tie for us, showers, dinner and some internet;
Puerto de Motril, another port side tie to a very high sided concrete public quay, they unfortunately charge for the days you touch the quay not the 24 hour period and though we are actually there for less than 12 hours we have to pay for 2 days, no amenities to speak of, we're not happy;
Maribella Marina, we believe we have entered the smaller and less official of the two marina's available here, hopefully for a smaller price, they squeeze us in and we end up staying for two days and having the gin rummy marathon of the year while we wait for a storm to pass. Whew!

Though we are told we are traveling in the driest part of Spain we had seen only rain and grey skies for days. We made the final push for the Rock of Gibraltar in rain and thunder,lumpy and large square seas with lots of wind behind us. Our new crew was earning their stripes on this trip. We wove our way through massive container ships that anchor due east of the Rock as they await their turn to round the point and refuel. Rounding Europa Point, we are thankful to be out of the fray and made our
way to the Spanish Anchorage in the north of the bay. The border between Spain and Gibraltar is just next to a fully functioning and (noisy) official airport runway that you get to walk across any time you need to cross the border. The next day we found a place in Marina Bay Marina and planned our inland trip to see the Rock and Seville, Spain. We visited the macaque apes, the WWII tunnels and the St. Michaels Cathedral built into caves within the Rock of Gibraltar. In Seville, we had a marvelous
time and we saw everything; Andalucian Horses, flamingo dancers, every piazza, plaza and cathedral. We viewed the points where some of the greatest navigators in Magellan and Columbus likely departed for their journeys and meandered our own daily treks through cobble stone streets. Best of all we enjoyed every minute possible with our Nonnie and Nonno and we salute them for their over 650 nautical mile journey on the s/v Ohana Kai.

I hope to expand upon each of these parts of the trip on the blog soon. The web site is updated through Greece so enjoy. and our true position is updated daily on the tracker link. We were able to ride out the storm in Gibraltar fairly well. Only minor bumps and bruises for Bruce to repair. It was a force 11, which on the Beaufort Wind scale is one step below a hurricane. The worst storm Gibraltar has ever seen, depending on who you speak to. Many boats didn't fair so well and it's heart breaking
to only be able to sit by and watch destruction happen. I can only describe it like riding one of those mechanical bulls while tied to a concrete pier. No sleep that night but much to be thankful for. We enjoyed our time but we are ready to be done with the Med for the season. Looking forward to making landfall in the Canary Islands in just a few days.

Ghosts and things that go bump in the night.

October 31, 2008
Puerto Naos, Isla Lanzarote
coordinates 28 58.040N,013 32.178W

We had enjoyed our stay at Playa Francesca, Isla Graciosa. A tiny island with it's four old volcano cones, we had climbed and conquered one of them. The town provided us with some much needed produce and bread. The beach provided many opportunities for a sand forts and a bon fire. The weather was predicted to turn with winds out of the west making this location untenable so on we went. All 12 boats or so anchored here made the morning run to the next island of Lanzarote.

Puerto Naos, a fishing harbor afforded great protection and it was free. The guides we are using, we must keep in mind, are over 10 years old so we are never sure what we will find in the next location compared to what the text says. The channel marked into the harbor claims very shallow waters outside it's borders. We scoped it out, found what we though to be a suitable place to anchor amongst the smaller fishing vessels and prepared to wait out the winds. The Kelly's anchored a stone's throw
away decided to try to surprise us for Halloween, dressed as ghosts actually managed to climb aboard Ohana Kai without us even noticing. Great fun. We exchanged sugary goodies and chatted about the last 3 years. Specifically, we talked about how many times we had each run aground or hit something. The number is not important, you just don't want to be winning that contest with the highest number. As all good sailing stories go, we had jinxed ourselves. Not a half hour later, with everyone snug
in their boats, crunch, crunch, crunch. The tide was dropping much more than we had expected. We are back in the world of 2-3 meter tide changes. Luckily it sounds much worse than it is. The noise created when the keel grates the bottom will curl your toes and make your heart skip a beat but no damage done. We pulled up a bit of chain and gained a bit more depth. A few minutes later, across the radio waves, the Kelly's called out, "One more to the list", they bumped too. We continued to try
to anchor and reanchor over the next 4 days in this tight and crowded little space as the holding was crummy, and the space a minimum. Trying to not slide back onto unsuspecting neighbors with the increasing winds was the name of the game. We succeeded.

Much more fun was the discovery of an IKEA on this tiny little island. Who knew! We treated ourselves to some Swedish Meatballs and everyone got to pick out a treat to take home. Kelly girl got a new apron, Kelly boy, Tristan and Matthew each new pillows, Bruce got a jar of yummy Lingonberry sauce, Lisa a new cutting board and for Ohana Kai a sweet smelling new candle just in time for the holidays.
Then the big event! It's official, we have a teenager on board! Tristan turned 13 on November 2nd. As requested a small but fun pirate party was held in his honor, everyone in full dress with bandanas, parrots, hooks for hands. We ate popcorn cannon balls and of course watched Pirates of the Caribbean.

The winds were back in our favor so we made our way down to the next island of Fuerteventura.
coordinates 28 44.350N,013 51.830W
Tucked on the northern shore between Los Lobos, we were in search of surf. The unseasonable high winds and cool weather have been thwarting our adventures a bit. Bruce has been the only one, along with Kelly boy, to brave the waters with their thickest wet suits and catch a few waves. Apparently the rest of us hot house flowers are waiting more fair conditions. Until then we'll continue to explore the unique old volcanic landscapes and spanish style towns of the Canary Islands.

Lastly, we had the great fun of reuniting part of the Lawur crew with Ohana Kai. Our dear friend Robert was in London on business and managed to hop over to see us for a quick stay. It was just like old times and the wind even cooperated giving him a perfect 2 days of sailing. We miss our old cruising friends a ton.

Isla Graciosa, Canary Islands

October 30, 2008
Isla Graciosa, Canary Islands
coordinates 29 13.144N,013 31.621W

A decent crossing from Gibraltar, we had a mixed bag of wind and weather. As we departed the rock we had light winds against us, which then led to two days of motoring, no wind and then two days of 20 knots from behind. Bits of rain and lightning accompanied the trip but all went well. We arrived at the southern end of the little island of Isla Graciosa, Canary Islands at sunrise on the 23rd and tucked ourselves in tight on the southern end of the island with about a dozen other boats. Realizing
that we are at the same latitude as Baja California, that would certainly help you picture our surroundings. The islands are low lying, dry wind blown areas covered with the occasional shrub and sand dunes with the exception of 4 old volcano cones that are left over from long ago. The colors of the dirt that make them up are quite colorful though with swirls of various browns, golds and yellows. The tiny town that survives here looks a bit like a cross between Greece and Baja. Low lying pueblos,
white washed with bright blue shutters. The people ashore aren't quite as warm and welcoming here though. The native language is Spanish but they do speak English as well. There is a slight hint of tourism here as a daily glass bottom boat delivers people to the beach each day to play despite what the weather might say.

The weather here is a mixed bag as well, unable to make up it's mind sometimes minute to minute. 30 knots of wind to nothing, torrential down pour to sunny blue skies with fluffy blue clouds. The water is about 68 degrees but with the wind can chill you to the bone quickly. The boys are enjoying the beach time and the hikes to town or up the volcano crater are providing some good exercise and shore time. We have met a few new boats as well from Australia with children aboard which is great fun
for Tristan and Matthew. You forget just how little "kid" time they have and with such few children lately. Mom and Dad are great fun but I don't think we quite qualify to fill that "kid" position.

Though we don't have the internet that we fast became attached to in Gibraltar, we have reunited with our BBC and Voice of America radio programs that broadcast daily on our Ham radio. They will even be doing a live broadcast on November 4th at 22:00 UTC (or 10:00pm here in the Canaries), approximately 2pm Pacific time so we will be able to track the election results with the nation. It's an amazing time to be alive around this PLANET, and maybe, just maybe, we'll all begin to realize just how
connected we all are.

Out of the Med

Sunday October 19,2008
Atlantic Ocean
coordinates 34 40.863N,007 26.748E

All is well on Ohana Kai and we have finally broke free of the Mediterranean Sea and have crept/beat our way out the Straight of Gibraltar and into the Atlantic Ocean en route to the Canary Islands. It has been an amazing month since we last wrote to you. We covered two more countries, and most importantly had a spectacular visit with Lisa's parents.
The quick recap...
Departed Italy end of August with a two day stop over in Porto Pollo, Sardinia for some windsurfing and skim boarding.
3 overnights to reach Barcelona Spain, find the heaven of a marina in Port Forum. First week we spent preparing for our company. Lisa's parents were coming for a good long visit and the boat needed some loving before their arrival. The main sail, the dodger and biminy made their way to the sail repair shop for a pricey but much needed and well done overhaul. New zippers, new seams and patches all around. Lisa's parents, Nonnie and Nonno to the boys, have had the opportunity to visit Ohana Kai
in ports of Mexico, New Zealand and Thailand but this time they wanted to become a part of the crew and do some real sailing. So we broke them in right away. We had them doing sewing repair jobs on the dock, and hiking it with their backpacks on to the market and back for provisioning runs. Our smallest crew member Matthew did hit double digits and celebrated his 10th birthday the same week. So we took time out to see a bit of Barcelona, the aquarium and Gaudi's La Sagrada Familia. The Sagrada
Familia is a fascinating and wondrous cathedral dreamt up and designed by Gaudi. He had an amazing ability to incorporate nature as he saw it into every curve and point, copula and pillar he created.

Our goal with our new crew members on board was to reach Gibraltar. In the Mediterranean you are truly at the mercy of the wind gods and you may or may not find the right weather windows to get where you want in time. They can get angry at a moments notice, sending fierce winds and stay angry as long as they feel like it. So when you see a weather window you take it and run. We took Nonnie and Nonno for their first day off the docks and gave them an exuberant sail with 20+ knot winds and square
seas and an overnight sail. We tucked them each into a corner of the boat and they did great. We made our way out to the Balaeras Islands to see what we could see. A quick stop at Menorca and Mallorca let us all stretch our legs, view some lovely piazzas, cave formations and taste some more pizza. With their sea legs a little stronger we decided to make the big push back toward the mainland. The winds were perfect so we blew right past Ibiza and in the middle of the night very unceremoniously
crossed back into the Western Hemisphere. Our new crew members braved a double overnighter this time and we sailed for Cartagena, arriving at the Yacht Port Marina, just in time for the Romano y Cartagenian festival. Tribes of men dressed in costume and walking the street performing mock battles, was great fun to see. We walked a beautiful esplanade, designed for foot traffic only, each evening. It was always graced with young and old and while you strolled sights, sounds and tastes filled your
every sense. We really began to get the hang of tapas bars, or snacky dinners as the boys call them. Small plates of tasty morsels you point and order, consume and converse with your companions.

The next four days were a succession of long day hops, motoring and sailing, stopping at an anchorage or marina in this order: Ensenada de Terreros, a rolly but protected from the wind anchorage;
Club de Mar in Almeria, a nice port side tie for us, showers, dinner and some internet;
Puerto de Motril, another port side tie to a very high sided concrete public quay, they unfortunately charge for the days you touch the quay not the 24 hour period and though we are actually there for less than 12 hours we have to pay for 2 days, no amenities to speak of, we're not happy;
Maribella Marina, we believe we have entered the smaller and less official of the two marina's available here, hopefully for a smaller price, they squeeze us in and we end up staying for two days and having the gin rummy marathon of the year while we wait for a storm to pass. Whew!

Though we are told we are traveling in the driest part of Spain we had seen only rain and grey skies for days. We made the final push for the Rock of Gibraltar in rain and thunder,lumpy and large square seas with lots of wind behind us. Our new crew was earning their stripes on this trip. We wove our way through massive container ships that anchor due east of the Rock as they await their turn to round the point and refuel. Rounding Europa Point, we are thankful to be out of the fray and made our
way to the Spanish Anchorage in the north of the bay. The border between Spain and Gibraltar is just next to a fully functioning and (noisy) official airport runway that you get to walk across any time you need to cross the border. The next day we found a place in Marina Bay Marina and planned our inland trip to see the Rock and Seville, Spain. We visited the macaque apes, the WWII tunnels and the St. Michaels Cathedral built into caves within the Rock of Gibraltar. In Seville, we had a marvelous
time and we saw everything; Andalucian Horses, flamingo dancers, every piazza, plaza and cathedral. We viewed the points where some of the greatest navigators in Magellan and Columbus likely departed for their journeys and meandered our own daily treks through cobble stone streets. Best of all we enjoyed every minute possible with our Nonnie and Nonno and we salute them for their over 650 nautical mile journey on the s/v Ohana Kai.

I hope to expand upon each of these parts of the trip on the blog soon. The web site is updated through Greece so enjoy. and our true position is updated daily on the tracker link. We were able to ride out the storm in Gibraltar fairly well. Only minor bumps and bruises for Bruce to repair. It was a force 11, which on the Beaufort Wind scale is one step below a hurricane. The worst storm Gibraltar has ever seen, depending on whom you speak to. Many boats didn't fair so well and it's heart breaking
to only be able to sit by and watch destruction happen. I can only describe it like riding one of those mechanical bulls while tied to a concrete pier. No sleep that night but much to be thankful for. We enjoyed our time but we are ready to be done with the Med for the season. Looking forward to making landfall in the Canary Islands in just a few days.

When in Rome

August 27, 2008
departing Fiumicino for Sardinia, Italy
coordinates 41 46.307N,012 14.252E

After our exciting entrance to Fiumicino, we were happy to find more safe haven up the channel and under two lifting bridges. Boats tied up three deep on either side of the channel, we found the Constellation Nautica, a marina in name sake only. There are quite a few boat yards available, free internet and showers for a tie up fee of 30 Euros a day. A perfect place to use for our home base to head in to see Rome.

After a bit of walking in circles we found an unmarked bus stop that sits nearly across the street from the marina. The bus that arrives at 10 and 40 minutes after the hour will give you a free ride to the Leonardo di Vinci Airport where you can then purchase a metro ticket for 11 Euros, that no one will check, but will take you directly to the center of downtown Rome. We dropped of our backpacks in our hotel room and hit the ground running! By the end of the afternoon we had covered the Colosseum,
the Roman Forum and part of Capitolene. Still to cheap to pay for a guide we enjoyed the sights on our own. So much information there so will give one of our favorite facts, they used to fill the Colosseum up with water and stage naval battles there! There are some interesting open air bus rides that can give you an all access ride around Rome, and different price scales on the metro, but with a strong pair of legs and a bit of determination, we can attest that one can cover the whole thing on
foot as well.

The first item on the agenda was the Piazza di Bernini situated just down from the US Embassy to get more pages placed in our passports. From there we headed straight for Vatican City and decided that if ever there was a place to splurge for a guide this was it. Lorna, from the east coast of US was our spectacular guide and worth every cent. Her professionalism along with her fun personality, great story telling ability and keeping the boys included and engaged was magnificent. We learned so
much within the walls of the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel, the crypts, St. Peter's Basilica, absolutely awe inspiring and had fun all along the way. Viewing the works of Michelangelo, Rafael, Bernini, Dali and so many more is a very special feeling. Calling them masters is an understatement. Again, history comes to life before our eyes. That afternoon we head for the bone church decorated entirely out of 4000 monks skeletal remains, intriguingly creepy. We counted the number of Spanish
steps at Piazza di Spagna and then enjoyed a cool and peaceful moment within the walls of The Church of the Trinita dei Monti, viewing the Volterra masterpiece fresco of the "Decent from the Cross".

Next day we made our way over to the Piazza Venezia and the Vittoriano, topped by the equestrian statue of the king and colossal bronze chariots, one can also view the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier there. Over to the Fontana di Trevi, water gushing from every point of decorated bas-reliefs and statues. We tossed our own coins in ensuring a safe return to Rome some day. We spent considerable time within the Pantheon, just taking in the grandeur that still stands today as the city's only architecturally
intact monument from the classic times. Built by Agrippa and redesigned by Hadrian in the 3rd century. The remains of many of Italy's most famous Kings and artists buried here including Rafael himself. The simple dome design, powerful marble columns and the open oculous in the ceiling seems are a vision to behold. Up the road a little farther you find the Piazza Navona and the Fountain of Rivers. It's shape traces the Stadium of Domitian where the long oval site once held 30,000 spectators to
watch chariot rides and naval battles. Another half dozen blocks and across the river is the Castle Sant'Angelo. Favorite fact, it contained the famous passetto or passageway, built by Pope Nicholas III in 1277. The corridor ran atop a wall that encircled the Vatican and led to the castle afforded the pope a safe walk way between the two.

One of the last items we found so interesting all throughout Rome was the omnipresent Egyptian Obelisk. Each one brought over by various emperors or Popes of the time they can be found in the Vatican, the Pantheon, and nearly every other Piazza we visited. Covered by their typical hieroglyphics they have a beauty of their own but seem so out of place here.
Whew, just scratching the surface here we look forward to returning someday for a much deeper look.

A Port in a Storm

August 15th, 2009
Fiumicino, Italy
coordinates 41 46.220N,012 13.521E

We departed the Pontine Islands to head for safer anchorages because our weather faxes indicated that some severe winds were coming. We decided to head towards Rome and kill two birds with one stone. We had a full day sail of a beautiful wing on wing, down wind run. By the middle of the afternoon the winds began to pick up and come around out of the north. It appeared as though the forecasted gale was coming a day early. We headed for our first choice, a marina in Anzio. The guide books stated
in calm weather one could anchor just outside but that clearly wasn't going to be an option this day. The seas at this point were already stacking up and as we neared the entrance something felt all wrong.

In the states the saying is "red right returning", which simply means that the red buoy markers should be kept to your right or starboard side as you enter a marina. In much of the rest of the world it is the opposite, green markers are kept to your right as you enter marinas but clearly the waters were looking much too shallow on that side to enter. Desperate to get out of the increasing winds and seas we slowly made our way but quickly figured out the markers here were wrong. A large series
of waves began to carry us toward the entrance and we watched the depth meter drop, 10 feet, 9, 8, 7, we draw 6.8 feet. The large waves then proceeded to pick us up and pile drive us into the sand bottom like a new WWF wrestling move. We saw 5.5 feet. Three times we hit harder than ever before. Driving the engine as strong as she could go we utilized the next series of breaking waves to wiggle off and get out of there. Checked the bilge, not taking on water, we began our motor up the coast for
another 3 hours in search of an alternative.

The next marina we came across had 6-10 foot breaking waves running perpendicular to the channel, the wind speeds now 30-35 knots. We called the manager to ask the safety of the entrance and before looking out his window said it should be no trouble. Upon looking out his window he called back and said it was our call, i.e. he is taking no responsibility when we crash upon his rocks. We witnessed a large luxury power yacht try to negotiate the channel. With all it's power, bow thrusters and extra
engines it got tossed around within the channel like a rubber duck in a whirlpool. We watched it get turned 90 degrees when hit by waves not once but twice inside a channel no wider than itself, and breaking waves splash OVER it's 18-20 foot profile. It made it in but we got our answer, we weren't.

Last chance, another hour up the road was the Fiumicino Channel. The winds were now up to 45 knots and blowing out of the due west, the seas steep and confused. The depths around the shores were only 45 feet adding to the ability of these waves to stack up at the entrance of this channel, which of course also runs due west to east. It was going to be our only opportunity for a safe haven for the night or we would have to try to hove to and wait the storm out in the middle of the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Even with the advantage the longer day, it was now nearing 9 pm and the sun was beginning to set. We tried repeatedly to contact the marina within to no avail. It was going to be all or nothing now.

We lined up with the entrance, setting ourselves between the very steep and very close set waves, 10-12 foot waves every 6-10 seconds apart. The channel entrance, though large enough and clearly marked, was now nearly impossible to distinguish. When we were in between the waves, from the bottom of the trough you couldn't see it any more and no longer knew if we were lined up appropriately. Due to the steep degree of the waves, steering the boat down the face is incredible difficult and once you
begin to turn out of it there is no controlling the ability to go straight again. If you aren't lined up properly, you may end up on the concrete breakers.

We placed all four of us, with our life jackets on, either sitting in the cockpit or near the entrance so if we needed to get out of the boat quickly we would all have a clear access. We let a set of waves pass by and then made our attempt. Lined up and ready to, no longer able to see the entrance, a wave picked us up and we started in. Afraid we were too far to the left and going to hit the breaker the boat was hit by a wave and began to turn left so we finished tried to steer our way out and
waited for a smaller set. We cleared the breaker and lined up for a second run. There were no smaller sets so we lined up for our second attempt. There are no words to describe the feeling when you look behind you and see a sheer wall of water, picking you up and sending you down a path you aren't sure where it will end. Looking in front of you seeing only the back side of it's sister wave. We were reaching speeds of 14 knots down the face but this time we felt we had a good line up and continued
to ride each succeeding wave right down into the channel. No more discussions, no more instructions, just quiet prayers that nothing would happen to our family or our home. Just a safe landing, please.

We made our way down the channel and the waves began to give way to what was more like confused seas inside a channel, but with the boat in neutral we were still speeding along at 5 knots down the 500 yard long stretch. A large fishing boat was sitting perpendicular at the end of the channel. What we also hadn't realized, until this point, was that we had amassed quite an audience who by this point were yelling and cheering us on. Arms waving and clapping, thumbs up all around! Afraid we weren't
going to be able to slow down in time, Bruce began to negotiate the boat to spin it around and at least face into the wind so we could have more control. The rest of the crew sprung into action to get fenders and dock lines ready. Then we realized a few of the people on the docks were the Coast Guard and had then begun to wave us into an opening on the side of the channel that emptied into a small marina and the Coast Guard Station. We maneuvered our way in and they proceeded to tie us right up
to their Coast Guard ship. No less than 8 of these marvelous men took over tying us off, made sure were all ok. They let us know they all thought we were crazy and then, bless their hearts, took us in and gave us a wonderful dinner, warm showers and lots of fun story swapping. Many thanks Cmdr. Julio Cavalo, Cmdr. Joseph Bufalini and their whole crew of the Fiumicino Coast Guard. We spent a wonderful night, yet still tumultuous due to the storm, tied up to the safest place in the marina.

Our "crazy" escapade won us a bit of fame for the following week, people would still give us thumbs up if they happened to recognize us or our boat. Even when you are prepared sometimes there is no avoiding the weather. Next time, we'll talk about what to do "when in Rome".