No, this is not a homeless camp in California

Gaeta, Italy

At first glance, one might think this is a photo depicting a way of life in “The OC,” but it is really the dock behind Berkeley East at her winter marina in Gaeta, Italy. After launching BE following her six-month hibernation on land, we moved her to a berth so we could complete the final tasks needed to throw off the lines and set out for the season. Install sails, replace some running rigging, reinstall the bimini, provision, all the final essentials to cruise.

When we first pulled into the dock, there were a few boats but it was basically void of people, a nice, peaceful atmosphere. We had an end slip with a beautiful view of the mountains to the north and the town to the west; our space was open and airy.

After a great sleep, we rose to begin work, only to find that we had been invaded by racers during the night. Apparently, a regatta was coming up, the Trofeo Punta Stendardo Regatta d’Altura, and there was a steady stream of boats sailing into Gaeta for the event.

Historically and universally, sailboat racers are a dedicated, competitive, enthusiast bunch. And Italian racers are no exception. Did we mention competitive? While they may have sailed from Rome, or Naples, to Gaeta with every convenience and all the required safety gear, when it came time to race, anything and everything not bolted down was left on the dock, in little pup tents, or just tossed about wherever there was space. Our dock looked like a war zone and navigating through was a challenge taken at your own risk.

We watched as the boats left for the first day of the regatta, each of them speeding off to be the first out of the harbor. We wondered why the boat that was next to us was back so quickly. It appeared that they decided the wind was light so they could offload some more weight, like a sail they would not need. But once they were gone again, we realized that they also left their fenders behind. We quickly moved all of Berkeley East’s fenders to our neighbor’s side of the boat in anticipation of their return.

After two days of races, the dock returned to normal, and we were beginning to plan provisioning runs when the weather took a turn. Before we knew it our “open, airy” berth felt like it was in the middle of the ocean. The floating dock was rocking so much that trying to get off the boat was a dangerous proposition. Plans for drinks with other cruisers were cancelled just as one of BE’s bowlines snapped (timing is everything); luckily there were two. But conditions were deteriorating and we knew the second line was at risk. Calls to the marina were answered with a plan to move Berkeley East to the fuel dock, an easy task if waves weren’t crashing over BE and the wind wasn’t blowing 25 knots. The Italians typically have a very casual style about these things, and while they said “no problem,” in the end, marina workers were called in from home, a tender was dispatched, and with much skill, teamwork, careful timing and a bit of luck, BE landed safely after her first rough passage of the 2018 season – 1/4 mile to the other side of the marina. That night, the wind gusted to 50 knots.