|
It was at one of those amazing meals that they asked if I would work with them to organize
and guide sea kayaking trips on Elba for Americans. (Can I get back to you on that?)
Now, after a year of preparation, I could make mistakes in Italian in five tenses instead
of one, and I was back with my friend Jan on an exploratory commercial trip of Elba as
guinea pigs for Gaudenzio and Raymond, with six Northern Hemisphere paddlers (Canadian,
American, and Dutch).
This was no expedition to Greenland, Alaska, or Patagonia. The weather was warm and sunny.
There were no bears or walrus to deal with, there was no kava to drink, and no half-mile
portages. We were on a Tuscan island in the middle of the Mediterranean drinking caffe
latte, cappuccino, and all kinds of wine. We had rooms at the Hotel Marinella right across
the little embarcadero from the harbor beach where our kayaks rested each night. In the
morning we breakfasted on rolls, jam, Nutella, hot chocolate, and caffe latte. Lunches
were hotel-prepared sandwiches, fruit, juice, and carrots, with our additions of wine or
some local cheese and marinated vegetables.
For dinner we either returned to the Marinella (house wine included) and taunted our
friendly waiters by requesting more than one flavor of gelato per serving, or went out on
seafood adventures around Elba. We did not suffer except for the remorse of over eating.
Is this still kayaking? Heck yes. We got out onto the water nearly every day to paddle and
play. Here the sea is filled with colors so saturated and intense that the mass of it
seems to jump out of its basin and into your eyes. Over the sand the water glows
iridescent turquoise and from the surface you can see schools of small dark fish
contrasted against the pale bottom. Over rich algae environments the water slides to a
dark lapis or sapphire that Homer must have had in mind when he wrote of the "wine
dark sea" in the Odyssey. With the sun behind, you can see your own shadow floating
on the bottom haloed by ethereal gleams of reflected light. It is easy to stop paddling
and gaze at the wonder of it. Like a dark mirror the water reflects the gold of granite
cliffs and the night neon of seaside trattatorias and gelaterias, faithfully reflecting
the works of nature and merchants.
Over the course of the trip we northerners became immersed in the warm water, sun, sand,
and breeze, enveloped by a safe sensuality. In sleeveless shirts and PFDs we paddled along
the rock ledges envying the clusters of nude bathers that decked the ridges and rocks,
even as they envied our mobility and grace in our kayaks. On Elba etiquette required that
sunbathers on village beaches and in boats wore clothes, those on remote beaches and rock
ledges need none. Apparently Napoleon's sister, Paolina, was Elba's first nudist
(naturalista).
Kayaking on Elba's west shore near Punta Nera, the cliffs presented hard evidence of the
power of volcanism. Tawny cascades, pillars, and building-sized boulders sat in the clear
Mediterranean water like freshly scrubbed giants in a bathtub. The residents have already
tagged it's towers and formations with some pretty colorful names: L'Aquilla (the Eagle),
Punta de Timone (Rudder Point), Punta della Testa (Head Point), Sedia di Napoleone
(Napoleon's Chair), and L' Uomo Masso (Rock Man). Since we were seeing these cliffs for
the first time, Jan and I decided to name them ourselves. Then something loomed into
view-tall, craggy and erect. Giddy with a foxy playfulness we dubbed it Pene di Napoleone.
(I think I can skip the translation), had a good chuckle, and paddled on. Paddling back to
Marciana Marina after a 5 kilometer trip west, we looked up from the sea to the sky. It
was an hour before sunset and the sun hanging behind us created a rainbow arch out to the
south sky. As the sun set further the candy daytime colors of sea, cliffs, hills, and
cottages melted into a muted palette of lavender, rose, and powdered blue veiled by
graying mists.
Our hardy band would often take our lunch breaks on one of Elba's wide sandy beaches, such
as Cavoli, Procchio, and Biodola. These breaks were as relaxing and fun as kayaking. At
the beach front cafés we could get espresso, hot chocolate, gelato, or wine, and use the
bathroom. People watch, take photos, sunbathe, and luxuriate. Most fun of all we could
play in the warm water, swim, learn and practice rolls, braces and rescues with our
Greenland-style paddles. We practiced sculling braces and rolling. I did both, painlessly
meeting two long-term goals. These practice sessions became more and more lively,
reminding me of the fun times I had as a kid playing with girlfriends on an air mattress
in the summer water of Lake Michigan. What affected our kayaking was the wind direction.
Because of the location of Marciana Marina on the north of the island, and because Elba is
mountainous in the center, we were well protected from any wind from the south or even the
east. Three or four times we put the eight kayaks up on two cars and drove to the south of
the island to paddle new sections of coast. Only once was it to avoid wind. It was an
amazing feeling for me, to just set out on a paddle without looking at a tide log, without
a wetsuit on. We could linger on a beach as long as we liked, never having to look at our
watches to time our departure with a changing tide but only allowing enough time to sit
down to dinner at the hotel.
During the two weeks of our trip conditions were mild. But one day, rain was predicted.
The seas were up a little and it rained in nearby Corsica. The night before we wined and
dined late into the night and chose to rest in the morning. With only half a day for
paddling we traveled northwest from Marciana Marina to Scalgieri on Biodola Bay. There we
relaxed on the beach (it had become an art form) and practiced l'esquimo (as the Italians
call the Eskimo roll). Just as we started the one-hour point to point crossing to Marciana
Marina the Tramontana wind from the north picked up and seas increased to 5 or 6 feet.
They were irregular with waves rolling in rapidly from the right.
I'd been paddling flat water for two weeks so I reminded myself that the water was warm, I
was skilled, and that waves and wind would push me to shore. We divided spontaneously into
two pods of four. My pod was moving a little fast for me. After I requested a slow down I
became the pace setter, and relaxed immediately. It was exhilarating to paddle, brace, and
slide in such warm water. The waves increased in size at the mouth of the harbor and we
surfed and sloshed our way in on the following sea. One paddler did capsize in the harbor
surf, but no problem, she was assisted into her boatand to shore in no time. A few locals
on the beach watched us come in out the waves they themselves would never go out in. We
congratulated ourselves with high fives. "Bravuristi kayakisti!" (Great
kayakers!) cheered Gaudenzio. We were all smiles. As I dripped my way through the tiled
lobby of the Marinella the desk clerk handed me my room key and spiraled his finger around
his ear signaling "you're crazy."
Another day we paddled quietly to our take out beach at Marina di Campo on Elba's south
shore. The mid-day break had been a social one of practicing rolls in the warm water,
joking, and playing. Now there was no need to talk. Every feature of the sky, rocks, and
sea around me sang with energy. I paddled past a blow hole under a rust colored ledge.
Each time a surge filled it I could feel the low vibrations burst deep into the rock and
water, and into my boat as the small waves exploded in a shower of compressed air and
water. I broke out and felt loose, strong, and fast. I was singing a Pasty Cline tune and
paddling fast in time because I wanted to, not because I needed to. It's a little
embarrassing to say here, in print, for all the sea kayaking world to read, but I felt
like a sea kayak goddess. I was in harmony with the fluid world around me. I know you've
felt it too, your deep connection with the power and grace of the sea, your boat, and your
body.
Copyright © 1998 Barbara Kossy
More on Elba
Barbara Kossy lives and kayaks in the
San Francisco Bay Area. She is a former president of Bay Area Sea Kayakers (http://www.baskers.org/frame.html) and has been traveling
regularly to Italy since 1983.
Would you like to add an article about your travel
experiences in Europe? It's easy to do.
Top of Page
Our Favorites
Rome | Switzerland | Bavaria
| Ouray, CO
Trip Tips and Tools
Trip Planning | Best Websites | Travel Books | Been There... | Group
Tours
Travelogues | Metric System | Money | What to Wear | Guest Book
Why Rome? | Why Switz.? | Why Plan? | Trip
Packing | About TWEnJ
Topical Index | Search TWEnJ | E-mail Julie | Home Page
The Not-For-Profit Site For Your
Travel Plans
Use of this site constitutes
your acceptance of these
Conditions Of Use.
|
