Departure

A mighty cumulonimbus builds up in the northwest of our mooring place and gradually darkens the sky. Grey shreds of clouds pass us by, but bring only little rain. The low in the Tyrrhenian Sea has moved to the east and is dragging the dense clouds behind it like a vacuum cleaner. Today in the early afternoon we had, still with the most beautiful weather, our last big shopping of two behind us. 

Donkey

But the thunderstorm passed us by, already in the late evening the stars could be seen again. Since the situation is still unclear, we have, as for an Atlantic crossing, provisioned ourselves for two months. Sailing is allowed again since May 18th, but it is not allowed to leave the region. From June 3rd this should also be possible again, however, these are guidelines of the central government in Rome. The individual regions are free to tighten the regulations. For example, it is still not possible to reach the small island of Ponza. Also the other regions in the south of Italy try to protect themselves as far as possible from the heavily affected northern Italian provinces and issue different regulations, which makes the situation a bit confusing at the moment. For this reason we have decided to increase our provisions, which will give us the possibility to survive for two months if necessary.

Stowing away is not so easy either

If the situation allows it, we will go ashore where we can and supply ourselves with fresh food. So we are ready and planning our onward journey for next Monday or Tuesday the 25th or 26th of May. Depending on the weather. At first we will head south to the edge of the region, which we are not allowed to cross before June 3rd. Next to the already mentioned island Ponza, Ventotene offers itself as a stopover. As already mentioned, it's not clear if you can go ashore there, but the islands offer safe anchorage and maybe swimming is already possible. As soon as the regional borders fall, we will sail over the Amalfi Coast to the Aeolian Islands. After that we will see further.

The Amalfi Coast this year before Corona

So, what do we have to eat in our boat now? Well, as the home port reveals, our catamaran is first and foremost a Swabian sailboat, freely according to the motto "We can do everything except High German", which of course also applies to sailing. After all, we own long coastlines of the largest German inland sea, just by the way. So the cuisine is also Swabian to a large extent. This is mainly due to the fact that one crew member is very strongly rooted in this region and the Swabian eats nothing but Swabian. But since the other crew member is a "Neigschmeckter" and can not completely hide his at least half Styrian roots, the same member uses a trick. He basically claims that the dish comes from Lippolsweiler, a small Swabian provincial town and that the recipe has an old Swabian tradition. So Italian tortellini sometimes pass as Maultaschen. With Styrian cuisine, the trick is no longer necessary, since the crew member in question has never missed an opportunity in the past to introduce this excellent cuisine to the Swabian crew member. Only the beetle bean salad with pumpkin seed oil is still on strike, but this salad is a tasty change to the mixed green salad with olive oil that is usually served here.

Beetle bean salad in styrian seed oil

As a child, I was raised by my Styrian grandmother, which of course had an impact. So the apple strudel and quark strudel from grandma was legendary, there was and there is simply no better one. A wafer-thin dough, which broke like glass when you stuck a fork into it, simply delicious. The Viennese sometimes spoils this delicacy with vanilla sauce or whipped cream, which softens the dough and creates a tough mass. Also very popular with the tourists but they only get the frozen stuff anyway that has really nothing to do with an apple strudel. I still remember how I cycled with a 3-speed bike from Feldbach to Riegersburg up the 18% incline and stuffed apricot dumplings into my mouth at Aunt Janne's, and that in the summertime in very hot weather. The way home was murderous. Or the roast pork of aunt Inge simply a poem. Unfortunately, most of the dishes are quite complex and not so easy to prepare with the on-board equipment, but we still try to eat a balanced food and above all to do without bags or canned food. This is not always possible but mostly already. Beside many vegetables, which we buy fresh, we also eat meat and fish. The non-Swabian crew member tries to catch the last of these himself. Unfortunately, so far with moderate success, so that the menu, as far as the fish is concerned, can be improved. The whole thing is supplemented by various kinds of fruit, which we of course also get fresh and which vary seasonally and regionally. We also have two herb pots, rosemary and basil, on board, which we nurture and care for. Since the Swabian potato salad needs a very specific potato consistency and the potatoes that are needed for it are simply not available here in the south, a creature keeps looking at me half disappointed and half apologetic if a new attempt has failed once again. So that she makes an effort again next time, I set up a reproachful mine, but eat it anyway. Since we have now of course bunkered food that will last as long as possible, we will buy fresh fruit and vegetables again on Sunday, which we store in nets on board by the way, and then set sail again on Monday. The weather forecasts are very promising so far, and with moderate northeasterly winds the sea should remain shallow and we can test everything thoroughly.

Berth Gesti Nautika Fiumicino

Since we paid for the mooring until mid-June, a return would also be possible at any time, but we don't want to think about that at all. Our goal is still to sail out of the Mediterranean this year and feel the Atlantic Ocean. With this in mind, as always, everyone fair winds and keep a stiff upper lip.