Update, June 2 '06, From Triumph,

Greetings from Italy, We are up the boot about 70 miles in Roccella Ionica. The weather had turned so the last two days have been heavy wind ( 20 +), rain and overcast. This system should pass in another day, but the seas will still be rough for two days. We are in a "failed" marina. It is nice and well protected, Free, and the Guardia Coasta are friendly. There is a restaurant and the 3 km walk into town is pleasant. I washed the boat yesterday morning then it rained all afternoon to finish the job. Last night the wind howled all night. It is mainly from the NW and West.

Last night Hank and Julie come over for wine then the four of us walked up the the restaurant for Pizza. Pizza is sold by the meter. Our four individual servings made a meter.

We are still debating about sailing over night to Greece or by going further north in IT. then back down to the Corinth Canal. Our first Greek port may be Corfu. We will pass through the Corinth Canal to Athens in about 10 days. The cost we understand will be several hundred dollars for our boat.
This will be off set by the lower fuel price in Greece ( about $1.20/ liter US vs the $1.60 we paid in Italy).

The weather patterns in this area are quite different than the other regions of the Western Med.
The high over Russia and the Low over North Africa are combining with the high mountains to cause un predictable shifts and gust. I am copying RTTY wx from Germany as I am typing.

More later, Dick