Update 17

We are in Sicily after spending 3 incredible days in the Aeolian Islands. Seeing the island of Stromboli erupt at night was an amazing experience. We had planned to arrive around 4 AM and we were right on schedule. We shut the engine off, the seas were calm and we watched the eruptions until daybreak. When it is light out you cannot see the red flames just smoke. Later that day we sailed to the island of Salina and anchored out for the night. On Sunday we sailed over to Lipari, the largest island and most populated. The islands are all quite close to one another. On Monday we sailed over to Vulcano which has an active crater that spews out some smoke occasionally to let you know it is still active. There were no really nice anchorages on Vulcano so we crossed back to Lipari and found one of the most beautiful anchorages of the entire trip. The sea was very calm and the water as usual crystal clear. The water temperature is now up to 85-86 degrees. We swam and snorkeled and explored the caves and natural arches just yards away from Sea Star. That night the moon rose ( 93% full) over the cliffs with the Vulcano crater in the distance, magical.
Backtracking a little: Nick came aboard in Amalfi on Wednesday the 29th. The next morning we took a bus 7 KM to Ravello, a small town up in the hills. Ravello is noted for its summer music concerts. The outdoor stage is set on the side of a cliff with the Amalfi Coast as a backdrop, it was stunning. I wish we had time to go back that night to experience a concert there. Instead we headed back to Positano and anchored off of the small beach where Cindy had found so much sea glass. My worst fears were confirmed when Nick got the sea glass fever and he and Cindy scoured the beach endlessly! While we were on the beach a lady, Raimonda, who owns a small house overlooking the cove and beach saw that Sea Star was from Florida and asked me about the trip over, where we had been etc. While we were talking another lady was dropped off by a small boat and came ashore. She was a friend of Raimonda and Raimonda mentioned to her that we had sailed over from Florida. Her name was Homera. Well to make this short we were invited to have drinks at her house at 8 PM that evening. To get to her house she met us at the beach, opened a locked gate that led to steps going up the side of the cliff past Ramondas to her house overlooking Positano. It was beautiful and a night to remember. The next morning we sailed to Stromboli which brings us back to the beginning of this e-mail.
As I write this we are at a marina in Milazzo. It is very HOT and the town is dead. In the morning we leave to go through the dreaded straits of Messina, home of Scilla and Charybdis. Our next stop is Taormina.

New slideshow at: http://www.larsonweb.net/pdf/Ravello-Aeolian.pdf

Paul, Cindy and Nick