David's Diary: Friday, September 27, 2002

Santa Maria di Leuca to Crotone, Italy

After a few days in Santa Maria di Leuca, it was time to move on. We have a lot of miles to make from where we are in Italy in order to be in Tunisia before the winter weather sets in. We were up at dawn to head off across the Gulf of Taranto. If you picture the south of Italy as a boot, then the gulf is the arch.

Allen Approaching Crotone

It was a boring day of motoring, but we made the seventy nautical miles (135 km) to Crotone on the western side of the Gulf of Taranto. The industrial town is dominated by four huge gas platforms that we have to avoid as we approach the harbour. Allen doesn't seem to mind as he sits out on deck and takes in the view knowing that soon we'll be on land where he can get off and run around. It can be hard on the children to be restricted to the boat on long passages, but they all cope well.

Crotone

We fill up with fuel and tie up to the dock for the night. Our stop in Crotone is going to be short, but we still get out and explore the town. We get roast chicken for dinner and afterwards Karalee and I got for a walk. We discover an English-style pub called the Bounty Pub. Why one would be in this industrial town in the far south of Italy we'll never know, but having found one we stopped to enjoy a shandy and a pint of English ale. It's too bad that we are pushed for time as I think Crotone would be an interesting place to spend a couple of days.