10/18/2025-Genoa, Italy
Up early for another sunny day but less wind. The list of
chores is getting shorter. We took advantage of the calm weather to take a run
out of the harbor and blow out the turbo charger. From the sea you can see how
vast the city of Genoa really is. It is Saturday so there are no updates on our
ship. I can see on AIS that it is still parked in Carrera.
In the afternoon we moved off the boat and into a VRBO next to the port, just 2 blocks from the boat. We like to get off the boat before we put it away so we can wash the linens and more easily clean the boat. We got a load of laundry in and returned to the boat to continue cleaning.
10/19/2025-Genoa, Italy
The sun was shining once again; we are very happy with the
dry weather so we can put the boat away dry. More cleaning and last-minute
chores now that we are off the boat. Glad the apartment is close as we made
several trips back and forth. It was Sunday so there were lots of people
walking the docks and the town. By the end of the day, we were ready to put the
boat on a ship. We could feel the weather changing and clouds moving in.
10/20/2025-Genoa, Italy
It rained for the first time in weeks. Happy to be off the
boat and catching up on my computer work. It rained all day making for a nice
reprieve.
In the evening the rain seemed to let up so we could walk to
dinner and the theatre. Dinner was Ligurian Sushi Fusion that turned out to be delicious.
Truffles on the sushi roll, real wasabi and beautiful fresh fish. Desert was a creation;
it was served in a small fry pan and made to look like a sunny side up egg with
bacon. In reality it was whipped cream infused with coconut, a dollop of mango
and chocolate shavings served cold, so good.
The show was Queen at the Opera. We did not know what to
expect. It turned out to be a performance of Queen music; Guitar, base, drums,
keyboard, lead singer, two female backup singers as the core group. They had an
opera soprano for a couple of songs and the whole thing was backed up with a 20-piece
orchestra. It was a great show, and it was in English!
We walked back to our apartment around midnight passing
through the street of palaces and what appeared to be the redlight district. We
felt safe enough with enough other people out and about. It is fun at night to
get a glimpse into the various buildings with their high frescoed ceilings.
10/21/2025-Genoa, Italy
In the morning the Admiral declared the day to be a
“vacation” day. I do not know what that means, I take a 2-week vacation 26
times a year, add it up. It was a lazy morning, but some revised plans needed
to be made.
We were notified that we were no longer boarding the ship on
Friday now it would be Saturday, check out day. I checked to see if we could
stay an additional day in our VRBO, but it was not possible. The fallback
position was to check our luggage at a storage facility so we could retrieve it
and depart after the boat was loaded. We saw lots of storage facilities online
but you had to make your reservation online before they we give you their
address, hhmmm. We did find a couple on google maps but as we walked to each
location there was nothing there. Finally, I signed up for a place online and
we were given an address. We walked all over and inquired but could not find
the place. Finally, I called and I was given what I call Alabama directions, if
you go to St George church we are near there and across from the aquarium and
across from bus stop 13. This is all well and good if you know where these
things are. We finally found the place, it was a kiosk type restaurant, and our
guy was sitting inside conducting business on his cell phone. This was the
place! So, I am going to leave my luggage with a guy at a restaurant on a cell
phone, it does not feel good. We will have to think about this.
From there we discovered a market called Eataly. This was a
huge and fabulous market with all foods from Italy. We stocked up on some fresh
vegetables and some fresh pasta for dinner. For a vacation day I felt like I
worked pretty hard and was overdue for a cocktail and some relaxation.
10/22/2025-Genoa, Italy
The day was sunny and warming up so we headed to the boat
for some prep work that still needed to be done. To load the boat I need to
drop the back stay, a scary prospect. I was able to loosen the port side
turnbuckle for the backstay but was unable to budge the starboard turnbuckle
even with heat from a torch. Yesterday I put the Italian version of penetrating
oil and let it sit. It took more heat and bruit strength to loosen it up, but
it finally moved. Opening up the turnbuckle I cleaned and lubed it well. That
filled the better part of the day. We stopped by the Marina office to pay our
bill feeling confident in a Saturday departure.
The Admiral was feeling a little out of sorts, so the afternoon was spent leisurely in the apartment. This was a great apartment, comfortable and well equipped. We were able to get all of the boat laundry done here. The latest update from the shipping company now has us loading on 10/26. In some ways this is helpful. I booked a hotel for Saturday night and canceled the luggage storage; I am happy about not leaving luggage with this guy.
10/23/2025-Genoa, Italy
A cloudy day with a chance of a thunderstorm in the
afternoon. It looked like our ship might be coming in today, so we had eyes on
the AIS throughout the day. Continuing to monitor and test my starting battery
I was convinced it needed replacing and today was the day. I located a battery
shop that said they could test my old battery and sell me a replacement. It was
off to the boat for a battery removal. The battery was out and loaded in the
wagon in no time for the 3 km walk to the battery store.
They tested the battery and said “Morta” (Dead). They had
the exact replacement. 400 euros later we had the new battery in the wagon and
made the 3 km trek back to the boat. Reinstalling the battery made me feel a
lot better, no worries. With that chore done we headed back to the apartment
for lunch. The rain and thunder came and went as predicted leaving clear skies
behind.
After lunch we went to the pharmacy to get Suzette’s prescription fille. This was turning into a challenge here in Italy due to the Spanish doctor issuing the script. But with an email from the doctor, we were able to identify the proper ointment and order it in for the next day.
In the afternoon we did a walking tour of the Medieval
section of Genoa, an area to the east that we had not explored yet. Lots of
ancient walkways and ancient churches. The architecture was for the most part
simple. As we returned to familiar and more recent, 18th century
areas the architecture was more ornate.
Checking on our ship, it had finally left Carrera and was due into Genoa at 2010. We would be loading Raffaellesco on the 26th at 0900. Reaching out to my agent about an arrival time in St Thomas I was shocked to have a predicted arrival of 11/9! This is way earlier than expected and throughs a wrench into a lot of our plans. Plan B will have to get sorted out.
10/24/2025-Genoa, Italy
A beautiful sunny day, a good day for loading boats. There are
about 10 boats ahead of us for loading today and tomorrow. We are second in
line of Sunday. A lazy morning before heading out for another walking tour.
This was more of the central part of the old city, 18th century on.
Genoa is a gritty city, graffiti everywhere, buildings in need of renovation, narrow alleys where the sun never shines, rat traps on the sidewalk, the occasional rat (dead or alive) and a cross section of ethnicities and levels of wealth. Unlike Rome and Florence there are no grand boulevards and no grand piazzas. By the harbor there always these very black men seemingly busy doing nothing. They do not accost you and they are casual but dressed well, they must be selling something. On some days they have tables out with cheap trinkets and souvenirs, other days they are just there.
In the afternoon we enjoyed aperitivos by the water and
watched as the people ebbed and flowed. Suzette discovered a new drink we will
add to our repertoire, a Cardinale. Similar to a Negroni but dry vermouth in
place of sweet vermouth and served stirred in a Martini glass.
10/25/2025-Genoa, Italy
Moving day. We cannot extend our VRBO so we are moving to a
hotel for our last night in Genoa. Packed and out by 1000 but we cannot check
into our hotel until afternoon, so back to the boat with all our traveling
possessions.
I detached the backstay and assembled a temporary using the
topping lift. Something about not having a backstay in place is very unnerving.
We cleaned the hull and the teak in the cockpit. We enjoyed our last lunch on
board then headed to the hotel to check in. This is our third and hopefully
last accommodation in Genoa for this trip, 11 days in a marina for the boat and
8 days in VRBOs for us.
After settling into the hotel, we walked the west end of the old city to complete our tour of Genoa. We found a little local restaurant for dinner, but it was nothing special. The old man who appeared to be the owner and the chef was very proud of his food wanted very much for us to love it. After dinner he brought us a limoncello on the house, it was alcohol free, not very impressive. Love the old guy though.
10/26/2025-Genoa, Italy
Loading Day! Packed our bags and put them in the bag storage
room to retrieve later. Walked 10 minutes to the boat and prepared for
departure stowing the passerelle and dock lines for the last time in the Med.
We motored the short distance to the commercial port and checked in with the
port pilots on the VHF. Along the way I got an excited “UH OH” from the
admiral. The MFD said it was 0930 and we were due at the ship at 0900. A quick
check of my phone said it was 0830 and the pilot confirmed 0830 local time. The
EU time change is this weekend but the MFD is not as smart as my Smart Phone.
Catastrophe narrowly averted.
When we arrived at the ship there was a huge catamaran
positioned for loading, but the slings were not in position. The wind had
picked up to about 15 and I think they were waiting for the wind to subside. We
contemplated tying up to the quay but there was to much surge to be against a
quay made for ships, so we drifted. They want you to have minimal fuel and
fluids on board. Being the overachiever that I am, I had left the fuel very low
so idling for hours was nerve racking. The wind subsided at about 1000, and the
cat was strapped in and lifted to the deck. The load master waved us in, and we
tied next the ship.
Between the surge and the fact that my lowest spreader was inches from the ships rail I was a bit nervous. A deck hand tossed down 3” strap lines to tie us to the ship. He then proceeded to drop pads to protect our sides from the huge slings that would lift the boat as well as straps to tie the boat to the ship’s deck. He was very careful to protect our boat and make everything fast. Suzette was right in there helping him at every step. I was freeing up the halyards and makeshift backstay to clear the air. 4 more crew came on board and managed the slings while two divers managed the slings underwater. Before long we were going up, and I mean we. They had us step onto the ship’s deck when Raffaellesco was level with it, then they continued to raise the boat and swing it into its position on deck. They welded eyes to the deck and strapped the boat down supporting it with an adjustable set of stands. The load master waved us over and we climbed a ladder to board our boat. The crew went to lunch while we resecured the backstay and a few lines. Some last-minute stowage and a complete power shutdown and we were done.
We ascended the ladder and found our way off of the ship. Now we were on the docks trying to find our way home using Google. No taxis to be found. After walking for a good kilometer, we found ourselves confronted by security at the entrance to the cruise ship port. We were on the inside trying to get out. This precipitated passports, a confused discussion about how we arrived in Italy and where were we coming from. We spent a half hour trying to explain that we have been in Italy for over a month and we just put our boat on a ship. Finally, the officer called someone. When he hung up, he and the other two officers were all smiles and helped us on our way. Never a dull moment for the crew of Raffaellesco.
It was past 1300 and we were hungry. We stumbled on a
neighborhood restaurant full of locals and figured it must be a good spot.
Pizza for Suzette and Calzone for me straight from the Brick Pizza Oven. The
cashier was kind enough to call us a taxi to get us back to our hotel, we were
tired of walking, and we had a train to catch. We retrieved our bags at the
hotel and walked a block to the train station to buy tickets to Como. We
managed to catch the 1520 to Milan as planned.
The train ride passed quickly and comfortably. An easy train
change in Milan and we were off to Lake Como. Arriving in Como at night under a
sliver of a moon it was significantly colder, time to break out our coats and
scarf. A short walk to the VRBO and we were home for the next couple of nights
here in Como.
We dropped our bags and headed to the old part of town for
dinner. We were not terribly hungry but wanted to get a bite. We found a small
restaurant that was all about Puglia. We loved the wine in Puglia, so we took a
chance. Evidently the owner was from Puglia and had all the décor and finishes
shipped in to build out the restaurant. They had these huge loaves of bread
that were shipped in from Puglia among other goods. Suzette explored the
beautifully displayed food and talked with the Chef before we ordered. We
ordered a bottle of Primitivo and two appetizers: pickle salad and an appetizer
tray. The pickle salad was an assortment of things that were pickled;
artichoke, olives, cabbage, onion and sun-dried tomatoes. The appetizer tray
turned out to be a fabulous smorgasbord of small bites, lasagna, frittata,
stuffed tomato, bean puree, mixed roasted peppers and tomato and stuffed
zucchini. This was our kind of food. They served the bread from Puglia and
another bread that appeared to have ash mixed into the bread, strangely
delicious. Suzette’s interest in the chef earned her a taste of a couple more
items that the chef brought out on another plate, mozzarella and a mixed pepper
salad. Way more food than we needed but so good that we were reduced to
recreational eating as we mopped up every last bit with our Puglia bread. No
room for dessert but we did enjoy an Amaro as a digestive after dinner. We will
remember this meal.
It was a busy day and we were happy to return to our apartment for a good night’s rest.
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