Our Wakes: 2016
From Elba to Roma: (29 to 30 September 2016)
The end of our second season was approaching. So end September we decided to sail to Rome
where we would leave the boat. Timing was perfect as early October the weather deteriorated
and sailing would have been much less pleasant. En route to Rome we passed by Giglio island. This
small island became famous when the Costa Concordia hit the island and the passenger boat sank.
When we passed the island the wreck had already been removed but to our surprise a huge crane
was still on the site. This crane was now removing the platforms that was built to remove the
wreck. The people on the island opposed this project as they wanted the platform to become a
place where divers would visit an artificial reef. The ministry of the environment rejected this
proposal and now the platforms are being removed using the crane.
Our passage from Elba to Giglio was very pleasant with a wind of around 10-12 knots. Once we
were close to the island at around 11am, the wind dropped and we had to motor for the rest of the
day. Rome was still too far away so we headed to the port of Santa Marinella. We spent the night
anchored next to the marina. The day after, we visited the village, but it had nothing of interest
to us. Mid-morning we started the engine and headed directly to the port of Rome. The distance
was around 24 nautical miles. As we neared our destination we saw more and more planes landing
as we were getting closer to Rome's main airport. Our marina is located close to the airport so we
knew we were on the right course. The marina (Porto Turistica Roma) is modern and from there it
is easy to reach the center of Rome by subway although it does take about 90 minutes . The only
disagreeable feature of the marina is the airport, but luckily, from 2300hrs until 0700hrs we are
not disturbed. We now started to prepare the boat for the winter on the days when the weather
was not ideal. However when the weather was good, we visited the city of Rome. Before returning
to Belgium we visited the Vatican as well as the old port of Rome, Ostia Antica. This place is
considered as beautiful and interesting as Pompei, but less frequented by tourists. For more
details of our visit to Rome, please go to the next page. On the 30 of September we boarded the
plane to Belgium and started our cold winter months.
where we would leave the boat. Timing was perfect as early October the weather deteriorated
and sailing would have been much less pleasant. En route to Rome we passed by Giglio island. This
small island became famous when the Costa Concordia hit the island and the passenger boat sank.
When we passed the island the wreck had already been removed but to our surprise a huge crane
was still on the site. This crane was now removing the platforms that was built to remove the
wreck. The people on the island opposed this project as they wanted the platform to become a
place where divers would visit an artificial reef. The ministry of the environment rejected this
proposal and now the platforms are being removed using the crane.
Our passage from Elba to Giglio was very pleasant with a wind of around 10-12 knots. Once we
were close to the island at around 11am, the wind dropped and we had to motor for the rest of the
day. Rome was still too far away so we headed to the port of Santa Marinella. We spent the night
anchored next to the marina. The day after, we visited the village, but it had nothing of interest
to us. Mid-morning we started the engine and headed directly to the port of Rome. The distance
was around 24 nautical miles. As we neared our destination we saw more and more planes landing
as we were getting closer to Rome's main airport. Our marina is located close to the airport so we
knew we were on the right course. The marina (Porto Turistica Roma) is modern and from there it
is easy to reach the center of Rome by subway although it does take about 90 minutes . The only
disagreeable feature of the marina is the airport, but luckily, from 2300hrs until 0700hrs we are
not disturbed. We now started to prepare the boat for the winter on the days when the weather
was not ideal. However when the weather was good, we visited the city of Rome. Before returning
to Belgium we visited the Vatican as well as the old port of Rome, Ostia Antica. This place is
considered as beautiful and interesting as Pompei, but less frequented by tourists. For more
details of our visit to Rome, please go to the next page. On the 30 of September we boarded the
plane to Belgium and started our cold winter months.
