Le Vignole -> Portosecco -> Chioggia

Le Vignole

Once again I'm up early, before the girls. Sitting by the open door of the boat, watching the small fish swim by in busy schools, watching seaweed floating by, listening to birds, pheasants, church bells, chickens, a cock, a peacock! I write a few notes on my phone that I'll use to make blog entries when we get home. Two men row past in a gondola.

I notice a thick black line along the wall on the opposite side of the narrow canal. I had also noticed this along the edge of the canal at San Francesco. What could it be? Skid marks left by unskilled houseboat pilots? These boats have thick, black rubber rubbing strakes along the sides. Maybe it's the high water mark? But why black? Algae? It's strange how I like getting up early on the boat. Normally I'm not a morning person at all, but these early mornings on the water are something special. 

The girls are up now, and before we go we want to take on water, so Eileen and I start by warping the boat around. The current is flowing past, so to turn the boat all we have to do is release the stern and give it a little push. The flowing water does the rest. Now that we are facing the right way, we can just drive off ahead. We pass the sailing barge and the few small hire boats moored behind it. Our hose is still too short. We need to move back a bit, but there is a mooring line in the water from one of the hire boats, and I don't want to get it stuck in our propeller. We take the rope off, slide the boat back, and finally the hose reaches our tank. But the hose keeps wanting to pull out of the intake pipe. It occurs to me that a rolling hitch would be perfect for keeping it in place the time to fill the tank. The only problem is that I can't remember how to tie a rolling hitch... But wait, I've got a knot-tying app on my phone! A few minutes later I've got the hose under control with a rolling-hitch to a stantion. We have a quick breakfast and prepare the boat to leave. We're later than planned, again.

But before we leave we want to see if we can visit the tiny church on the other side of the bridge. We walk over, taking a few pictures on the way. Actually the whole lagoon must be the most photogenic place I've ever visited. For the first time since I've had this camera (Canon PowerShot A710IS, nearly 8 years!) I've run out of space on the memory card. I actually had to delete some of the less successful photos last night, and now it's full again. I'm going to have to use the iPad to take pictures from now on. I feel a bit self-conscious. I've seen more and more people taking pictures with iPads lately, but I still think it looks stoopid! The tiny church is locked up, so we return to the boat and cast off the mooring lines. Venice, here we come again!

A Goldola crossing Bacino di San Marco

We leave the peace and quiet of our little canal and hang a right onto the Canale San Nicolo, which leads directly to Bacino di San Marco. This is the stretch of water between San Giorgio and Piazzetta San Marco. Soon we can see the Doge's Palace to the right. Traffic is getting really crazy now, with boats of every size heading in every direction. Tour boats and vaporetti are pulling in and out of quays all along the edge of San Marco. Work boats are chugging by. Water taxis are speeding past. We are the slowest thing on the water, except for a lone gondola crossing over from La Giudecca. Wow, that's bravery! 

The boat is pitching and rolling heavily as we hit the crossed and confused wakes of all the passing boats. It's utter madness. I'm trying to take pictures. Eileen is at the wheel, and to my amazement she is absolutely calm! Laura and I are keeping a lookout, calling out positions of boats passing from behind, crossing from the left and right, coming from ahead, sometimes all four at once! I hit the "Video" button on the iPad, thinking what a great video this will make.

Doge's Palace and the Piazzetta San Marco

As we proceed up the Canale della Giudecca things calm down a little. By now we've passed the entrance to the Grand Canal, and now we've got Giudecca on our left and Venice on the right. We pass by the super-yacht Space, moored up to the quay. In the distance we can see the tops of hulking cruise ships sticking up over the buildings. There is quite a controversy surrounding the presence of these cruise ships in the Lagoon and the damage they might be causing to the canals and the fragile base on which Venice rests. Not to mention the atmospheric and visual pollution. 

We come to the top of La Giudecca and circle around to the left, tucking in close to the other side of the island. This side of the island is very different, with many small shipyards at first, followed by beautiful country villas. We see the futuristic "Tender to Space" tied up. Down near the bottom of the canal we turn left and take a last tour of San Giorgio past the church of the same name, the campanile, and the marina where we had been thinking of staying. In the end we were happy with our mooring on Le Vignole so we spent a second night there instead.

Now we are heading away from Venice, the start of our journey back to Chioggia where we will spend the last night, giving the boat back first thing in the morning. Hard to believe we'll be flying out tomorrow. Today is overcast and much cooler than yesterday. Venice is receding into the cloud and mist as we head along the Canale San Spirito through a quiet and peaceful part of the lagoon. Soon all that's left are the campaniles. Eventually those disappear too. 

Laura is at the wheel now, and there is virtually no other traffic. We pass several small, mostly uninhabited islands; Isola San Clemente, San Spirito, Poveglia. There is a certain melancholic atmosphere in this part of the lagoon, especially after the adrenaline-inducing bounce up the Giudecca Canal. The realisation that our holiday is coming to an end adds a bit of sadness too.

Poveglia

There is a recommended anchorage on the other side of Poveglia, and I'm tempted to stop there for lunch. The island, like many of the islands in the lagoon was originally populated by those fleeing the barbarian invasions on the mainland. Many buildings, churches, and fortifications were built as populations grew. When these small islands became impossible to defend, the people were relocated to Venice and the islands remained mostly uninhabited. Eventually Poveglia was used as a quarantine, and then as a hospital for the mentally ill which finally closed in 1968. As we pass the southern corner of the tiny island, the bricole peter out, and we don't have a depth sounder so we chicken out. We can't afford to run aground when we have to have the boat back in Chioggia tonight.

We continue to Malamocco, and from here on we are retracing our steps from the outward journey. We decide to try to stop in Portosecco, where several moorings are indicated on the chart. We spot rings along the wall opposite bricola 53 and head in towards them. Tucking in behind some piles, we come alongside the wall. Eileen tries to lean down to thread a line through a ring but she can't reach so I take the line and hang over the wall precariously, just managing to get it through. We tie up the boat in line with the steps, get a few things together and head ashore.

Portosecco is a very small, simple fishing village with a very pretty-looking church. We wander over trying to find the entrance to the church but end up in someone's yard. Backtracking a bit we come to the church entrance but it's closed. We decide to head for the beach. It's a five minute walk from one side of the island to the other, and then up some steps and over sand dunes and we're on the Adriatic Sea. It's deserted except for a group of people sitting on one of the embankments that protrude out to sea. We walk along the beach for a while, Eileen and Laura dipping their feet in the water. The sun has come out now, and suddenly it's getting very hot. 

Beach at Portosecco

We walk on for a little while then turn around and start to head back. The sun is blistering hot now and it feels very humid. There are showers forecast for this evening, and we had planned things so that we would be back in Chioggia before then. I'm watching the sky carefully and I can see thunderclouds gathering on the horizon. I'm starting to get worried that we'll be caught in a thunder storm, so I hurry us along back to the boat.

We untie the boat and set off again along the canal towards Chioggia. We're only about half an hour away, but it has clouded over completely now and I'll be glad once we're tied up for the night. We cross the Bocca di Porto di Chioggia, looking out for ship traffic whose path we would be crossing. Off to our starboard side a small ship is approaching. I keep an eye on him, and he is steadily falling back so we'll pass safely ahead. Once across the channel, I'm surprised to see that he is turning in and coming up behind us. I wonder if it's wide enough for him to overtake here? He seems to think it is! Eileen is at the wheel and once again she is staying calm and cool as this big hulking ship slowly overtakes us.

Ship overtaking. Keep calm and carry on!

We hesitate a bit over where to go, but eventually identify the entrance to the port of Chioggia and then the canal that takes us back past the moored fishing boats and over to the familiar Rendezvous Fantasia base. At first it doesn't look like there is anywhere to park, but then we identify an empty berth near the end of the pontoons. We head up, turn, and start backing in. There is not much wind so this shouldn't be too difficult. Laura is watching the stern, and she warns me that I'm going to hit the mooring pile to port. I give it a little blast of ahead and the stern moves over to starboard. Back into reverse and we slowly slide between the piles towards the pontoon. Someone from RVF is there to take our stern lines, and soon we are moored up safely. Wooohoo! I get a great rush of relief and pride all at once. I'm relieved that we made it back safely, we didn't break anything, and nobody got hurt. I'm also immensely proud of my crew who were brilliant through it all! 

After spending a week in a watery, boaty universe it feels strange and somehow unpleasant to see cars, buses, and all this road traffic. It's early evening so we should still have some time to see more of Chioggia before getting something to eat. Chioggia is not flooded with tourists who all disappear at sunset, so it's quite busy and animated on a Friday evening. Along with the cars and scooters it's also surrounded by canals and boats, so it makes for a gentler transition from our water world back to dry land. 

We walk the length of the main street, Corso del Popolo, visiting churches along the way. We walk out to the lagoon end of the street and there is a vaporetto stop with boats going to Venice. Very tempting, I could probably find the shop with the glass squids but they would almost certainly be closed, so I give up on the idea. Eileen is intent on going back to the same restaurant where we ate the first day, El Fontego. Large, heavy rain drops are starting to fall as we arrive, and waiters and customers are rushing to move inside off the terrace. 

Good choice of wine! My cheeks hurt...

We are seated quickly, inside also this time. I'm feeling adventurous and in a mood to celebrate so I order the "big gnocchi" starter followed by calamaretti for the main course. I choose a wine, and the waiter makes a sour face and shakes his head disapprovingly. He comes back a few minutes later to say that he is sorry but my wine choice is not available. He suggests another and I accept. Several minutes later the waiter and proprietor come to the table looking very serious. The proprietor apologizes profusely that the wine suggested by the waiter is not available, but in any case he would recommend a different wine anyway and is sure that I'll be happier with this recommendation. I think it was my choice of red wine with fish that threw them off. They weren't going for it though, and I had no choice but to accept the white. And a good choice it was, too!

We're all feeling relaxed and quite relieved and our holiday is coming to an end, so we are really enjoying ourselves. The wine probably contributed something too! Laura is making a serious face, and it makes me break out in laughter. I'm trying to get the waiter's attention with the Irish finger wave. It doesn't work. Every once in a while the table sways back and forth, as if from the wake of a passing boat. Laura has to hold her cheeks cause they hurt from laughing so much! Eileen finally manages to get the waiter, we pay and head off in search of gelato. It's pelting rain, with thunder and lightening in the distance. Earlier on we had scouted out all the gelaterie, and there is one across the way that stays open til midnight. We eat our cones while sheltering under the arcade, strolling along and window shopping. When we're finished our ice-creams we hurry back to the boat in the rain, jumping over puddles. Sleep comes easily.


Log Entry for Friday 10 May 2013:
From: Le Vignole (depart 11:00) Towards: Chioggia (arrive 17:45) via Portosecco (arrive 15:15, depart 16:15)

Tides
▲ 1220 0.8m
▼ 1710 0.4m
▲ 2305 0.9m
▼ 0600 0.0m

Baro: 1011.5 hPa
Wind: 3 kn gusting to 10 kn
Temps: Low 16° High 20°
Rel humidity: 83%
Forecast partly sunny AM, then mostly cloudy. 65% chance of showers from 17:00. 90% chance of showers from 20:00

Engine hours: 554.5 - 559.9
Water: 3/8 -> 4/4 (filled up in Vignole)
Battery (12V): 12.5
Battery (24V): 25