Kayaking on the Tyrrhenian Sea

Steve

A view of the coast that we explored while kayaking.  This was shot from the bus up on the highway.  The stone tower and little beach we discovered are straight down from here, hidden from view. 

We have enjoyed some unreasonably good weather since we arrived, but last week weather man finally announced the first winter storm.  Well, rather than cancel school due to bad weather, we decided to get a jump on things and cancel school due to the last of some really good weather.  I had been eyeing some kayaks that rent by the hour down on the beach, and figured that what better way to end our summer than with a day out on the water.  The place we rented from only had one double kayak, a bright yellow plastic affair.  With little choice, we rented it and put the girls together in the front and I took up the paddler's position in the back.  Jo Anne grabbed the red single version, and we were off.  The sea was deep blue and calm and there was almost no wind, so we glided along fairly effortlessly.  Now at this point, I must thank my wife.  Having grown up around the ocean, on a calm day like this I saw no reason for life jackets.  I find they just make the experience uncomfortable and thought them unnecessary as both our girls can swim.  However once we were drifting along with the open ocean to one side and the cliffs of the Amalfi coast on the other, I was glad Jo Anne had insisted that we get jackets for the girls.  Kudos to her and her motherly instincts.

We had been paddling along for thirty minutes or so, spying sea caves in the cliff wall and enjoying the view, when we came to a rather jagged slab of rock that rose sixty feet or more from the surface of the water.  On top there was some vegetation, but nothing more.  As we got closer, we could see that although it was near the cliff, it was not actually connected, and the sea water ran through the little channel this tower created with the cliff wall.  Well, we had to go through that!  It looked like something one might expect to see in the Pirate's of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland, though it was much more inviting without all the human skeletons sloshing about.  Jo Anne went first (hey, I had the kids) to be sure there were no rocks just under the surface, and I followed.  It was a short passage, and on the other side we found ourselves in a small turquoise bay ringed by steep cliffs.  On the far side of the bay we could see the remnants of an old turkish watch tower standing guard over the point, and directly in front of us lay a small inconspicuous little beach.  We immediately made for the beach, but as we got closer we could see that the beach was already inhabited.  A single individual was walking along the beach, and my aging eyes told me the he was not wearing a swim suit (or anything else for that matter).  My bubble burst, as I began to fear that we had uncovered some sort of Italian nudist colony.  Not the experience I was hoping for, especially given the age of my companions.  The individual disappeared behind some rocks, and while Jo Anne and I were discussing what to do, he reappeared clad in a black swim suit, clamored over the rocks toward the tower, and was gone.  Whew!  Our little landing party was back on, and a few minutes later the nose of both kayaks dug into the shoreline.  This place was truly amazing.  The beach and water sparkled, and there was no trace of people (or the garbage they often leave behind).  The first thing I did was cool off from the paddle with a swim.  The water was clearer than a lot of swimming pools I've been in, with hues of blue and green that would make you think you're somewhere in the the south Pacific.  The girls dropped their jackets and headed off to explore the beach, which was bounded by a shallow little cave on one end and a wall of flat, table like stones on the other.  For the time being the place was deserted, and we spent the later part of the afternoon swimming and lying in the sun.   

Now the meter was running on the kayaks, and we hadn't brought any food or water as we did not expect to be gone for so long. Although we were all really enjoying ourselves, it was after 3:30 so we figured we had better get paddling.  Then just as we were getting ready to launch the kayaks, the former nude sunbather came scrambling back over the rocks and came up to say hello.  His name was Jacquino, and he said he lived in a house higher up on the cliff.  We mentioned how impressed we were with the beauty of the place, and he told us it was his favorite beach and he always came down for a swim after he got off work.  Then he noticed we did not have any food with us, and promptly stocked us up with tangerines and water that he had stashed away up near the cliff.  (Have I mentioned how nice people are around here?)  We thanked him profusely and were on our way.  We paddled back through the little rock channel (we could have gone around through the open bay, but not nearly as fun) and with the wind at our backs pulled up on Il Fornillo beach around 4:30 pm with smiles on our faces.  After some snacks from the beach bar, we headed back to our apartment, picking up two pizzas on the way.  We closed the day with pizza and beer on our balcony, sending off the summer in grand fashion.  This day goes down as one of my favorites of the time we've spent here in Italy.  When I had first imagined moving to Italy for the fall, I had hoped it would be a chance to ditch the rat race and enjoy life and the family for a little while.  This was a day where I felt we did just that.

Sadly, we were not able to bring any sort of camera with us on the kayaking adventure, so no photos exist of our day on the water.  Fortunately for you the reader, our girls were kind enough to provide illustrations of the excursion.