Our time on the Kala Nag, docked in the historic (non-touristic) port of Castellammare di Stabia, was a refreshing break from hotels and B&B's. Nicola greeted us at the train station, gave us a quick driving tour of places we would need to know to make our stay comfortable (...like the best pizza we ate in 2 weeks!), and introduced us to our "quarters." Then, the boat was ours, and he only appeared as agreed to take us out on excursion. There is no crime in the town, and the dock employs a 24 hour watchman.
Living on a boat is tight quarters, but beyond that, it could not have been more comfortable. Everything from bedding to kitchen to bathroom, to spacious table area is in tip top shape and immaculately clean. The care that Nicola takes of his boat is to be admired, yet he was relaxed about us making ourselves at home, once we knew the "ground rules." Everything we needed, including the train station, was an easy walk from the boat. We traveled one day by train (20 minutes) to Pompei. Sorrento is also within short train ride.
One day, weather permitting, we scheduled a trip to the isle of Capri. Nicola is a skilled, experienced, knowledgeable captain and an interesting, caring, and fun person. His interest in our stories was genuine, and we thoroughly enjoyed hearing his. We learned much about the shoreline and its history.
We have only one regret, and even that was not the fault of Nicola. We were passionately looking forward to sailing, but the day we left harbor, the entire trip was motor. The wind was not strong enough to sail. Because we had failed to ask questions, we left thinking any minute the sails would go up. A huge let-down, but totally our fault. Nicola is trustworthy and honest...and his English is great. A simple conversation would have avoided the misunderstanding.
We highly recommend a stay on the Kala Nag. The entire three days was a delight.