Summary

The author recounts a memorable day of swimming and boating along the Cinque Terre coast, despite the challenges posed by recent natural disasters.

Abstract

The narrative describes a day filled with adventure and relaxation as the author and companions enjoy a swim in the Ligurian Sea in December, followed by a boat trip with a local fisherman to see the Cinque Terre villages from the sea. The group experiences the beauty of the ocean and the impact of recent floods and landslides, with a particular focus on the author's humorous mishap while boarding the boat and the delightful culinary experience that concluded their day. The author reflects on the rarity of such natural disasters in the region and their gratitude for not being affected directly by the devastation.

Opinions

The author expresses a deep love for ocean swimming, describing the experience as "just glorious" and wishing to have been a mermaid.
There is a sense of humor and resilience in the face of embarrassment, as the author laughs off an ungraceful moment when boarding the fishing boat.
The author conveys a sense of awe and respect for the power of nature, noting the devastation caused by the mudslides and floods.
The author holds the Cinque Terra National Park accountable for the disaster due to negligence in maintaining the terraces on the hillsides.
The author is particularly impressed with the meal at La Pi, emphasizing the exceptional taste of the mussels and baked prawns.
The day's events are seen as magical and special, especially the sunset at Manarola, which is a rare sight for the author and companions from Queensland.

Swimming and Boating off the Cinque Terre Coast

From mermaid to whale in one afternoon

Today is the day we are hoping to do a boat trip visiting the five Cinque Terre villages, but we are going to sleep in first! The past couple of days of pre-dawn trains are starting to catch up with me. The normal boat trip isn’t running due to the devastation of the mudslides and floods but we have our hearts set on seeing Cinque Terre from the sea. Stacey enquired in the village and found a fisherman willing to take us.

Swimming in the Ligurian Sea in December

It dawned bright and sunny and hot, so we decided we’d go for a swim in the little cove as Andrea the local fisherman wasn’t to collect us until 2.15 pm. I was first in the water but since I had sent my togs home with Keeley two weeks ago — after all it is December, I wore my undies.

The only thing that could have been better would have been to swim in the nude. The water was clear and cool and just glorious. I think I should have been a mermaid! I had the best time. Lorelle and Stacey soon joined me and we frolicked around in the water taking photos with Stacey’s underwater camera.

I love swimming in the ocean. We swam over to a rock that had soft sea lichen growing from it, and it was like sitting on a soft rock in the water. I didn’t want to leave, but when I pushed off to swim back to shore, my leg got caught and I hurt my knee. I made it back to shore hoping I hadn’t done any permanent damage. I am particularly wary of my knees!

Fortunately, I managed to hobble up the rocky shore and stretch out on a flat rock and soak up the warmth of the sun, listening to the sounds of the waves on the rocks, for an hour or so. It was just magic. I drifted off and only woke up in time to get dressed and head for the harbour to meet the boat.

Fun on a fishing boat

We watched the boat pull in beside the concrete wall and I wondered how the hell I was going to get on it. The waves were going up and down, up and down, as was the boat. It wasn’t tied to the shore or anything. My reactions were too slow and I mistimed my jump. Panicking, I just jumped and fell face first, spread-eagled, flat on the deck, like a beached whale. Luckily it was a flat deck! I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry or both but quickly ascertained I had done no damage, so lay there laughing hysterically.

Me sprawled out on the deck of the fishing boat. Photo by author

Andrea took us right up to Monterossa which was one of the villages devastated by the recent floods/mudslides/landslides. He explained that there were two main causes for this catastrophe: 500 mm of rain in 3 hours (almost 2 feet — unheard of in these parts) and the negligence of the Cinque Terra National Park in not up-keeping the terraces on the hillsides.

My daughter and sister enjoying themselves. After my faceplant, they wouldn’t let me stand up! Photo by author

The other village was Vernazza which was swamped by so much mud it still hasn’t recovered. The small population had been evacuated and still has not returned. He said there was something like 110 landslides that surrounded Vernazza. 11 people lost their lives and just yesterday another 4 in Sicily in a similar natural disaster.

The view of the cliffs from the sea. Photo by author

The last time this happened here was in Manarola in 1948! So, not a common occurrence. Fortunately for us, we had booked in Riomaggiore and not one of the devastated villages.

Sun sets into the sea

After sailing (motoring) up the coast, Andrea dropped us back to his village of Manarola — much easier to get out of the boat — and we sat and watched the sunset. It’s not often we get to see the sun sink into the sea but that’s exactly what it did. Very special for us Queenslanders who only see the sun rise out of the ocean if we’re at the beach early enough!

Sunset at Manarola. Photo by Stacey Mulcahy

A delicious dinner

Stacey bought us a beer, God only knows what it was, I was too tired to be bothered looking, and we headed for dinner at La Pi. Pretty hungry by this time, I ordered spaghetti with mussels for primi (the most delicious mussels I have EVER tasted!- another superlative) and for secondi, baked prawns. I don’t know how they cooked them but they were melt-in-the-mouth scrumptious. I want to go back there again!

After dinner, I had the choice of walking back to Riomaggiore along Lovers’ Lane in the pitch black or waiting 45 minutes to catch the train. We decided to walk Lovers’ Lane. Stacey walked with me but neither of us could see anything so tried to use my iPhone as a torch. I used to have the torch app but in my panic, couldn’t find it. By some miracle, we arrived home safely and I went straight to bed. Tomorrow is my rest day — and washing day!