Barque in heavy sea's
December 20th 1893, a mounted messenger galloped into Boscastle with news that a large ship was driving ashore, but by 4 pm the barque IOTA of Naples with an all Italian crew of eleven men and one boy had crashed under the great Lye rock off Bossiney Cove in a ranging gale and snow storm.
The whole face of the cliff was a mass of foam, some of the crew took to the waves or tried to jump from the mast on to the rock, cabin boy Domenico Cantanese , aged fourteen, was swept away with another seamen who tried to save him.
Two sailors reached the summit of the Lye rock, but though the Rocket Brigade fired a line over them, they were unable to use it.
Ignoring the gale and the fast-falling darkness, Coastguards went down the cliffs and, as the beach ebbed dry, scaled the pinnacle.
Quickly the sailors were sent over to the mainland by breeches-buoy, the other seven survivors were discovered a hundred feet down on the crag’s seaward side.
More Coastguards came over, and with their aid Charles Hambly a 'rockman'at the Longgrass Slate quarry in Tintagel was lowered down the cliff face; standing on a narrow ledge, buffeted by wind and hail squalls secured a lifeline around each of the Italians in turn, and were hauled up to safety.
Only the body of the young cabin boy was recovered from the sea, he’s buried in the windswept graveyard of St Materiana Church Tintagel, where a wooden cross and a lifebuoy bearing his name and ‘Iota, Napoli, 1893’ still marks his grave.
Cache can be found at N50 40.ABC W004 44.DEF
A = Inner jib + Flying jib.
BC = (Spanker boom x 4) + Main sail + Fore topgallant sail
D = Fore lower topsail.
EF = (Flying jib x 2) + (The gaff top sail x 2) + Fore topmast stay sail.
Best parking is at the FREE Bossiney Cove car park( OS SX067889 )
Just a mile along the road from Tintagel towards Boscastle (additional field parking available summer months) For a level'ish walk out to GZ, avoiding the steep elevation changes of the direct route: walk back along the road towards Tintagel for 150 mtrs. then take the rough lane off to the right before the Bossiney House Hotel, this will take you out to the coast path.
If you intend to visit Bossiney Haven, this hidden gem has a small sandy beach which is completely covered by the tide at high water and access to the beach is via the footpath from the car park over farmland and then by steep steps, a route which is not suitable for wheelchairs or push chairs. On the beach is Elephant Rock hidden in the cliff face. On the right hand side of the cove there is a cave to explore which opens up into a large cavern.