David's Diary: Tuesday, June 25, 2002

Porto Ercole, Italy

We have been in Porto Ercole for a couple of days. Porto Ercole is on the Italian mainland about half-way between Marina di Pisa and Marina di Roma (one of the closest marinas to Rome). We made the long passage from Elba by starting before daybreak. The first part of our journey was challenging as visibility for a few hours was only a quarter-mile in fog.

Approaches to Porto Ercole

We are anchored off a long beach that is a short dinghy ride from Porto Ercole. Today we rode the dinghy in and went for a walk up the castle that looms over the town and the sea entrance. The walk was hot and dusty and we were looking forward to being inside the shade of the castle walls. Unfortunately, when we got to the top the castle gate was closed as the interior has been redeveloped into private apartments. We looked longingly through the gate at the lush garden inside, then turned around and followed a narrow path around the castle walls that led to a narrow staircase and back to town.

On the Beach

We took advantage of the beach being so close by swimming and playing in the sand. I walked along the beach, enjoying the families taking in the sunshine. There were few foreigners on the beach. These were Italians enjoying the Mediterranean, not too surprisingly as Rome is only a two-hour drive away.

Rewards of Hard Work

Kevin and Allen worked long and hard to make a sand chair. Kevin takes some time off to check the fit, before heading back into the sea to cool down and wash off the sand. Tomorrow we head towards Rome.