A day in Campo boe

What is campo boe? It is our new activity…that ended last week. You might ask why we write about it only now? In short, I had the rights to writing it and for different reasons (mostly, cause I was lazy) it wasn’t done until just now. But that is not the answer to my question! Campo boe. Campo boe takes us deeper into the works of AMP”Punta Campanella”. We had the possibility to be of need to two other park workers: Luca and Nicola. In turns, one of us with one of them, worked on the official park boat in the one and only park buoy campsite (Located in the base of Montalto).

How does campo boe function? There are 27 buoys in total. They are intended for public use in exchange for a small contribution to the park of 10-20 euro’s (depending of the size of the boat). After, the money is used to keep the buoy campsite in good order. The purpose of this campsite is to encourage people not to use the anchors of their boats, which are big foes of the plant posidonia (a vital part of marine life and biodiversity, in Mediterranean sea). By having the possibility to use a buoy instead of an anchor, we ensure that the posidonia, and together with it: the sea life is kept safe and the place is beautiful and in relative peace.Our day in campo boe goes like this;

1. Wake up. Obviously. Get dressed, have some food, which for me means coffee.
2. Get in the car (with the people who are going to Nerano to start their day in Ieranto bay).
3. Get out of the car in Nerrano and go down to the beach of Marina del Cantone. Wait for Luca or Nicola to pick you up.
4. Get picked up by one of them. Arrive to the nearby buoy campsite.
5. Help the people to attach their boats to the buoys. Give out tickets and in return receive a contribution. Help anyone in need, for we are in charge of the site. Inform people of how the buoy site works and why it is important to preserve it. And most importantly, be professional while doing it.
6. When the clock hits 16:30, we finish up and with great speed, which I particularly enjoy, head to Massa Lubrense (where the office of AMP “Punta Campanella” is located)
7. In Massa we part ways until the next time.

           All in all, the job is nice and has its benefits: the people are nice and often treat us with a cold drink, a coffee or a fruit. And most are interested to hear of the activities of volunteers and the project MARE, in general. People enjoy the place, for thanks to the part played by Posidonia, the site is cleaner and livelier. The campo boe opens up at the beginning of June and goes until the end of September. My hope is that soon we shall see one more campo boe, at some other part of The AMP Punta Campanella.