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Chi Chi Sailing by Italy's Amalfi Coast


We had a fear of boats. Not the boat itself, mind you. Just the possibility of the boat sinking with us aboard.

 

Like many fears, this one had a distinct cause. In fact we could trace ours back to the exact moment of its origin: 9 a.m., October 30, 1997. On a hot, humid cruise along Bangkok's Chao Praya river, our longtailed boat sank. In murky waters, trapped beneath the sinking boat, we fought our way up to daylight and its promise of precious oxygen. And from that moment on, we steered clear of boats: big boats, little boats, any boat. We passed up cruise assignments around the globe. Until we had the chance to cruise aboard a tall sailing ship, the Star Clipper.

The clipper, one of the world's largest sailing ships was cruising from Civitavecchia, just outside Rome, down the Amalfi coast to ports of call that rang with the promise of romance: Sorrento, Pompeii, Sicily, the Aeolian Islands. It was time to tame the watery demons that had kept us on terra firma.

The Star Clipper. Copyright Paris Permenter & John Bigley.

In the port alongside megaships, the Star Clipper looked like a ship in a bottle: perfect yet pretty darn small. We looked around the dock at our fellow passengers, many hailing from across Europe. They seemed to look up at the massive masts with awe but no one seemed worried. It was time to follow suit. We climbed the gangplank.

Soon the captain welcomed the passengers to the ship. "Give me all your problems today," challenged Captain Marek Marzec, a gray bearded mariner hailing from Poland. "I will put them into my safe. Maybe I give them back after seven days. Maybe not." OK, Captain, You asked for it. For the next week, we vowed to put our watery worries in his hands. Soon the sails rose to the majestic sound of "The Conquest of Paradise." We were underway.

Throughout the first night and the next day, we were at sea. Other guests lounged in the restaurant, retired to their cabins, or floated in one of the two small pools. We sat warily at the rail, our eyes on the wheel. "Thirty degrees starboard," Captain Marzec instructed in his Polish accent. The captain was behind the wheel when he spied us watching. "Would you like to take the wheel?"

Simultaneously, we looked behind us. Surely an officer was standing behind us, ready to take the helm. But behind us was only miles of Mediterranean blue.

"You, would you like to take the wheel?"

We had both attended the basic navigation lesson that morning (hey, you can never be too safe), learning port from starboard and bow from stern. We understood how the rudder guided the ship with the help of the wind to power the massive vessel.

Captain Marek Marzec instructs author John Bigley in the ways of navigation. Copyright: Paris Permenter & John Bigley.During the day, we'd seen other passengers assume the helm with the help of the captain. But they hadn't been passengers with a fear of boats.

"Come, come," he urged us. "The two of you can do it together." He motioned us to the wheel. Maybe it would be wrong to refuse a direct order from the captain.

We stepped forward.

"We need to go 10 degrees port," he commanded. Slowly, slowly, we cautiously turned the wheel, watching the rudder indicator move in response. Ahead, we could see the ship itself moving to the left. We were guiding the ship, and its 170 passengers, toward Paestum, our first stop. The wind at our backs, the sun in our faces, the Italian coastline on the horizon. Sailing was looking pretty good.Captain Marek Marzec explains to the passengers the navigation of the Star Clipper. Copyright: Paris Permenter & John Bigley.We traced the Italian coastline south, anchoring about mid-calf down the boot. The cliffs of the Amalfi coast outlined our route to Agropoli, small community perched along the cliffs. The modern streets, lined with tiny gelato shops and trattorias, led the way to the real attraction of the region: Paestum. This UNESCO site was once a sprawling Greek city, contained inside massive stone wall. Today three temples and countless ruins remain of the site.

The Greek influence was also the highlight of the next day's stop: Taormina, Sicily. We set our sights for the island's Greek temple perched high on a hill above Taormina. It lies in the shadow of Mt. Etna, still steaming from recent eruptions.

Volcanoes turned out to be the theme of the next several days of port stops. We set sail for the Aeolian Islands, seven small volcanic isles that rise from the Mediterranean like rocky cones. We landed on Lipari, an island dotted with shiny black obsidian belched from the earth's hot interior. From Lipari, we could see the volcanic summits of the nearby islands of Vulcano and Stromboli, smoking like a chimney pot.

But the real highlight of our volcanic tour was Pompeii. Docking in Sorrento, we soon headed toward the ancient ruins at the base of Mt.Vesuvius. For hours, we walked the cobblestone streets, rutted by ancient chariot wheels. Stone walls outlined former homes, bakeries, and even brothels. Once home to a large population, today the only residents are stray dogs, eagerly seeking out the shade of tall columns or ancient walls. We sought the shade ourselves as we stood on Sorrento's pier awaiting our tender back to the ship. In the distance, we could see the Star Clipper's four tall masts.

"Are you from the ship?" a fellow tourist asked us. There on a driving holiday, she said she'd seen the distinctive shape of the ship from their pier. "Isn't it a little scary sailing like that?"

We turned to each other and smiled. For the first time in years, we realized that the answer was no.

Heading back on the tender, we were eager to set sail again, to seethe huge white sails unfurl in the breeze and be transported along the coastline in the same fashion sailors had traveled that region for centuries. Time to hoist the anchor and set sail.

Oh, and Captain Marec, you can keep our problems in your safe for good. We won't be needing those watery worries any more.

Paestum, a UNESCO site, was once a sprawling city. Today three temples and countless ruins remain. Copyright: Paris Permenter & John Bigley.

When You Go:

The Star Clipper's sister ships include the Royal Clipper, the world's largest sailing ship, the Star Flyer. Check with the Star Clipper company for schedules, which include Caribbean, Mediterranean, and Asian sailings. For more information, go to www.starclippers.com.

Captain Marek Marzec explains to the passengers the navigation of the Star Clipper. Copyright: Paris Permenter & John Bigley.We traced the Italian coastline south, anchoring about mid-calf down the boot. The cliffs of the Amalfi coast outlined our route to Agropoli, small community perched along the cliffs. The modern streets, lined with tiny gelato shops and trattorias, led the way to the real attraction of the region: Paestum. This UNESCO site was once a sprawling Greek city, contained inside massive stone wall. Today three temples and countless ruins remain of the site.

The Greek influence was also the highlight of the next day's stop: Taormina, Sicily. We set our sights for the island's Greek temple perched high on a hill above Taormina. It lies in the shadow of Mt. Etna, still steaming from recent eruptions.

Volcanoes turned out to be the theme of the next several days of port stops. We set sail for the Aeolian Islands, seven small volcanic isles that rise from the Mediterranean like rocky cones. We landed on Lipari, an island dotted with shiny black obsidian belched from the earth's hot interior. From Lipari, we could see the volcanic summits of the nearby islands of Vulcano and Stromboli, smoking like a chimney pot.

But the real highlight of our volcanic tour was Pompeii. Docking in Sorrento, we soon headed toward the ancient ruins at the base of Mt.Vesuvius. For hours, we walked the cobblestone streets, rutted by ancient chariot wheels. Stone walls outlined former homes, bakeries, and even brothels. Once home to a large population, today the only residents are stray dogs, eagerly seeking out the shade of tall columns or ancient walls. We sought the shade ourselves as we stood on Sorrento's pier awaiting our tender back to the ship. In the distance, we could see the Star Clipper's four tall masts.

"Are you from the ship?" a fellow tourist asked us. There on a driving holiday, she said she'd seen the distinctive shape of the ship from their pier. "Isn't it a little scary sailing like that?"

We turned to each other and smiled. For the first time in years, we realized that the answer was no.

Heading back on the tender, we were eager to set sail again, to seethe huge white sails unfurl in the breeze and be transported along the coastline in the same fashion sailors had traveled that region for centuries. Time to hoist the anchor and set sail.

Oh, and Captain Marec, you can keep our problems in your safe for good. We won't be needing those watery worries any more.

Paestum, a UNESCO site, was once a sprawling city. Today three temples and countless ruins remain. Copyright: Paris Permenter & John Bigley.

When You Go:

The Star Clipper's sister ships include the Royal Clipper, the world's largest sailing ship, the Star Flyer. Check with the Star Clipper company for schedules, which include Caribbean, Mediterranean, and Asian sailings. For more information, go to www.starclippers.com.