Sicily

In desperate need of a rest, slower pace of living and  shower we sailed the last leg to our winter home, Marina de Ragusa at the southern end of Sicily.  The final days sailing was wonderful – better than could be hoped for and better than experienced in many months.  Flat seas, 15 knot breeze and we were flying down the Straits of Messina, helped along by the ever present current.  Just before we rounded the corner and sailed the final few nautical miles to our winter home a black storm appeared on the horizon – Don took one look at it and ordered the genoa furled, mainsail dropped and every item stowed – the seas built, the wind strengthened as the storm headed our way.  In the distance we could see a water spout and were very thankful it was many miles away from us.  Much to our horror we saw the birthing of a much closer water spout and it was heading our way, almost opposite to the wind.   We could not outrun the demon as it was approaching fast – Don,  my calm mild mannered Captain shouted “for f..#!%’s sake hold on” – the spout went over the top of us, immediate winds over 50 knots which pushed us over, scary stuff.  After it continued on its destructive path we still had the storm to contend with.  During a lull Don made the decision to try and get into the marina – the entrance being a mile or so away but close to the beach, silted on the starboard side which meant keeping very close to rocks in order to have enough water to get it – a difficult manoeuvre in strong winds and waves but he was aware that the longer we put it off the larger and more confused the waves would become.  With Don’s expert steering we arrived amongst greetings and smiles from the 100’s of other boats safely tucked into the protected marina. 

 

Thanksgiving

Marina life in Ragusa was wonderful, we all had our stories to tell, 10 other Australian boats to chat with and a great variety of other nationalities meant lots of celebrations – Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, English High Tea afternoon, Halloween just to name a few.  We participated in Shibashi on the beach every morning as the sun rose, aerobics or power walking was also available, shopping trips, bus trips to the local markets – a busy and entertaining time and many new friends made.  The small town of Marina Ragusa held a lot of charm, the elderly men sat around each day playing games, everyone was very friendly and you were soon known by the baker, butcher and café staff.  My goal was to taste all the different gelato flavours and grade them, cannoli was next.

Shibashi

One particularly fun excursion was to go olive picking -  a young family had taken over their parents farm house with an olive grove, they were struggling and offered a day in the country with lunch and dinner to any cruiser who gave them a day of picking – along with Aussie friends we spent the day chatting, picking and learning about olives. 

We hired a car and went exploring – you know what they say about Italian drivers… – Sicilians are worse.  Life in Sicily is generally pretty relaxed and nothing happens in a hurry (it tookme ¾ of an hour to get a stamp in the post office and there were only 3 customers !); that is until Sicilians get on the road in their car – then everyone is in a desperate hurry ! Double lines mean “let’s pass”, blind corners on narrow roads are just a red flag to pass and see if 3 cars can squeeze past the corner side by side, speed limits have no meaning – the faster the sooner you arrive so the safer for everyone else on the road.  Any form of indication as to intentions is not possible because the vehicle is going so fast that it is over before they realize and anyway no one pays any attention to turning signals as they could be in error. 

Modica

I insisted we visit Modica – the place where the famous chocolate is made.  Most of the cities and towns are spectacular, Modica was one of our favourites.  The chocolate was not.  The history and architecture is amazing, there was never enough time to explore thoroughly.

Mt Etna was another favourite.   Located on the east coast of Sicily, close to Messina and Catania, Etna is the tallest active volcano in Europe, visible also from the moon. Etna stands at 3,323m (10,902ft) above sea level.  After Etna we visited Alcantara Gorge. The woods around the gorge are quite small but very scenic.  The river offers a wonderful swimming spot. 

Taormina  A popular tourist area with an historic settlement on the ridge top.  Behind the town looms Mt Etna.  Goethe, in Italian Journey, described Taormina as “the greatest work of art and nature”, writers and artists still settle here bewitched by its light.

Noto

The theatrically Baroque town of Noto stands on a ridge of the Iblei Mountains, furrowed by a long and straight road which widens out into wonderful inclined squares. Here Spanish Baroque architecture triumphs in churches, palaces and monasteries, all cast in golden-coloured stone.

Siracusa

Syracuse (Siracusa in Italian language) is one of the main historic cities of Sicily. Located in the southeast corner of the island, it was founded in 734 or 733 BC by Greeks.  Rich in Greek history, culture, amphitheatres and architecture, also it was the birthplace of the mathematician and engineer Archimedes. The ancient Siracusa is also listed by Unesco. It includes Ortigia, the ruins of the Temple of Athena, a Greek theatre and a Roman amphitheatre.

Piazza Armerina e Villa Romana del Casale

Piazza Armerina is a Sicilian commune, one of the so-called "Lombardic" towns, due to its dialect which notably differs from the main Sicilian dialect. Strolling around Piazza Armenia offers the chance to admire some of its houses, which show Norman or Gothic architecture. The World Heritage Site of Villa Romana del Casale is a Roman estate has impressive mosaics.

Ponza, Naples, Pompeii

Ponza

What a haven this tiny island turned out to be.  Extremely pretty, protected bay and a delight to explore.  When the weather turned bad and our protected anchorage became bumpy Don took White Rose 1 around to the other side of the island – I always become nervous when we are the only boat in a bay especially in bad weather – “what do they know that we don’t”.   Within a few hours the other boats arrived, beaten and wet as the seas outside were now very rough.  One large power boat had a Scotsman as Captain and was currently under charter by 2 business men (surreptitiously on a fishing trip) who collect their “females” from a different Port and spent 4 days in luxury.  The boat was heading home once the weather allowed and the charter was complete.  We chatted with the Captain and had a few laughs at his “guests” expense.  Next he arrived with bags of food – excess to their requirements.  Hermetically sealed bread, sponge flans 18” in diameter, cakes, packet mixes and fruit and veges – more than we could ever eat but much appreciated, interestingly a lot of the packet mixes, cakes and bread were gluten free. 

Mainland Italy

Sailing from Sardinia to the Almafi Coast of Italy we decided to call into a small town Torr del Greco which was the closest to Mt Vesuvius.  The small fishing harbor was entertaining – it appeared there were several different fishermen in charge of the various derelict wooden platforms that were dubiously called “docks”.  The tiny harbor was crowded but we were welcomed with many shouts, waves beckoning us into the most impossible tight spots – we got in but did worry about how on earth we were going to get out again unless we were towed backwards.   All types of rubbish were floating in the water surrounding our boat – which was embarrassing because of its size – at least twice the size of any other vessel in the harbour.  We quickly became very popular and it did not take us long to realise why – the cost for dockage was ridiculous (€80 / night) – the docks were floating in a cesspool, tied to an ancient wall in between active fishing boats that had not seen a hose or soap for many years, rubbish bins were not heard of so rubbish and 4 legged creatures lined the path – no bathrooms nor water available but we were close to Vesuvius!  The locals were friendly and soon had us laughing, we shared out some of the food given to us by the Scotsman in Ponza – now we really were popular.   The following day we took the train to Pompeii and after trekking around the amazing site we sought Herculean, simply amazing how well preserved these site are.

Vesuvius

Mt. Vesuvius looms over every bit of the Naples region. The only active volcano on the mainland continent of Europe, Mt. Vesuvius is over twelve thousand years old. Its highest point is 1,270 meters high and records show that before 79 A.D. its slopes were probably covered by forest. At its foot the lush soil made cultivation of various crops easy, especially vines.

Vesuvius last erupted in 1944.   Allied fliers took photos of the eruption.

What we call "Vesuvius" is really the younger part of the mountain complex that geologists call "Greater Vesuvius." The older part of the mountain, now an extinct volcano, is called Monte Somma. A fresco recovered from Pompeii shows a single summit--and much taller--Monte Somma covered in vegetation before the eruption of 79 AD.

It is estimated that 2.5 million people could be affected by a significant eruption of Vesuvius. Conditions are closely monitored. There is a plan in place for the evacuation of people nearest the volcano that assumes between two weeks and 20 days warning of an eruption.

Pompeii

Late August, almost 2,000 years ago, the two towns at the foot of Mount Vesuvius went about their daily life as they always had.  Earth tremors, dry wells, howling dogs, and silent birds forewarned the 20,000 residents of Pompeii and the 4,000 citizens of Herculaneum, but they regarded their majestic mountain as a gift from the gods and beyond suspicion.  All this would change in less than twenty-four hours.  A little after midday on 24 August 79 AD a tremendous roar and gargantuan column of flame, rocks, smoke, and dust gushed forth from what had previously been regarded as a mountain; not a volcano. Within a half hour Pompeii, a mere 6 miles southeast of the crater, was pelted with pumice stones so light they floated on the seas. Concerned Pompeians initially took refuge in their homes, but as the weight of the volcanic debris began crushing rooftop structures they began to flee. By dusk it is estimated 90% of the citizens had reached safety.

Thus far Herculaneum, a short 12 miles away, had been spared thanks to strong winds pushing the worst of the volcano’s abuse on Pompeii and nearby Stabiae. Their fate would quickly change when a heavy column laden with dust, ash, and rock weakened, causing the superheated cloud to collapse upon itself. The result was an avalanche of hot ash and gases racing down the mountainside. This pyroclastic surge engulfed Herculaneum, instantly consuming every living being. Hours later a fourth pyroclastic surge would sweep through Pompeii killing all who had remained, approximately 2,000 people. Two further surges sealed both cities within earthen tombs that would take nearly 2,000 years to rediscover.

Excavations at Pompeii

Excavations were begun all the way back in 1748 by Carlo Borbone. Seeking fame, he dug at random for treasures.  It wasn't until the appointment of Guiseppe Fiorelli in 1861 that a systematic excavation was undertaken. Fiorelli was responsible for pioneering the technique of making plaster casts of the victims of the eruption.

Herculaneum

Herculaneum is smaller and better preserved than Pompeii - the town’s destruction being caused by different volcanic debris.  Much of Herculaneum is still being uncovered today.  The site is easily accessible, compact and definitely worth a visit.

Corsica Sardinia

Arriving in Corsica was a highlight.  We tucked into a tiny pretty bay, white sand beach, rocks to explore and snorkel along and small plate size fish that happily fed on the fuzzy growing on our hull, we wondered if we stayed long enough would be leave with a clean hull.  The spectacular town of Bonifacio was a frustrating few miles east but very difficult to get to via land from our anchorage.   To access Bonifacio by water is easy, a short entrance maybe 1 mile long and rather narrow winds around a few bends and ends in a very busy marina and town.  We pulled into the fuel dock, asked about a berth in the marina whilst getting fuel but it all seemed too hard – the over zealous marinaras were keen to put us in a slip but we could not get a price per night – knowing how high some marinas were charging and the difficulty in manovering in the tiny space we did a 6 point turn and headed out.  Going out was entertaining – normally rules of the water say keep right but we have found it is “keep out of the way of faster and bigger boats” more the rule here.  The faster boats wanted to pass the slower ones and the tourist ferries wanted to pass everyone – at one stage we were 4 boats across taking up the entire channel leaving no room for any incoming traffic.  Don and I laughed as we watched a very large vehicular ferry go speeding into the narrow entrance leaving a great wake behind him and imagining all the outgoing boats scrambling for cover.  We sailed north up the coast to Porto Vecchio, anchored in a calm protected bay and motored ashore to check out the French famous patisseries. 

Public transport on Corsica is not geared towards tourists but rather school, we wanted to visit Bonifacio and walk around the town high on the cliffs – to get there we took a very early public bus and had the choice of catching the same bus back on its return journey or waiting 5.5hrs for the next one – we opted for the 5.5 hrs and were surprised how easily we filled in the time.  The town is quite a decent climb from the marina where the bus stops.  Wandering around the tiny streets, stopping at sidewalk cafes, marvelling at the limestone cliffs and amazed at the cemetery which has the prime position in town filled in the hours.  Porto Vecchio was wonderful also, its old town is again up a steep hill and a maze of narrow cobble stoned streets.  

Sardinia

A short sail south and across the notorious Bonificio Strait and we were in Sardinia.  La Maddalena archipelago are islands compose of red granite, low and rocky.  Many of the islands are off limits and a permit is required to anchor on the permitted ones.  Having heard the locals were refusing to pay fees to visit their islands and the authorities not pressing for the fees we did what other cruising boats did and found a beautiful protected cove and dropped the anchor.  Within one hour we had the authorities beside our boat and a lovely English lady asking to view our permit – they were not concerned that we did not have one but insisted we purchase the permit from them.  The Park people charge boats per day not per night.   As it was 3.30pm we had to pay for that day and intending to stay in the bay overnight we had to pay for a second day even though we intended leaving early at 60 euros per day we decided to pull up the anchor and leave – oh the beach was an old “Clud Med” site so we were not allowed to go ashore despite 2 groups partying on the beach, one a child’s birthday party and obviously arrived by the boat tied to the old dock. 

We continued around the group of islands to the mainland and anchored in a lovely bay.  Upon waking the next day we were confused as we watched each of the 8 other boats leave the bay – when the two 100 footer yachts also lifted their anchor we decided we had better leave also – just as the wind turned into our bay and picked up speed.  Less than ½ hr around the corner we found a calm protected beach and spent the day snorkelling and lying around in the sun.  Our next destination was the town of Olbia, spending a night in Golfo Aranci along the way.  Olbia is a small town in a very protected bay – it is large enough to host cruise ships therefore has infrastructure such as a public bus system, railway, airport and hire cars.  I did my research and found a spectacular canyon which was difficult to get to by public transport so we hired a car for the day and went exploring.  The walk into the canyon was further than expected, also hotter, hillier and exhausting – we had read about a 4wd that takes you from the carpark into the park then it is a 1hr 20 walk into the canyon – our car park did not have a 4wd and we presumed it was because it was no longer peak tourist season – in reality it was because we were at the wrong carpark and the furthest distance from the canyon.  Having a discussion about giving up on our destination many times along the walk and deciding to see what was around the next corner we trudged on for 3 hrs arriving at the canyon exhausted, sweaty, dusty and wondering how we were going to walk back to the car.  The canyon had a pay booth to enter an area strewn with very large bolders and still a distance to the actual canyon – the tourist information didn’t mention any of this !!  Not having the energy to go bolder hopping for hours we soaked our feet in the beautiful cool water and began our trip back stopping several times for a soak in the river.  When we got back to the boat I found all my photos of the trip had been wiped – I was not the most popular wife around.

Olbia offers free dock space along their town dock.  This was a treat – to simply walk ashore whenever we wanted the trade off was the locals and tourists standing mere inches away from our cockpit, inspecting our dinner plates – we ended up closing our hatches to stop inquisitive people looking in at us.

Next stop – The Pontine Islands – Ponza to be exact – approximately 50 miles off the coast of Naples, Italy. 

Spain

Cartagena, Spain

The sail from Saidia, Morocco to Cartagena, Spain took 30 hours – we were fortunate enough to sail when the moon was at it's closest to earth (apogee) for the year making our overnight passage bright.   The swell was on the beam which caused the boat to do figure 8’s the entire way – Don got to do the galley duties.

We stopped at the marina in the centre of Cartagena.  You couldn’t get a better locality – museums, shops and galleries right on our door step.  We are yet to get used to the prices of marinas, fuel and food in the Med – a 2 night stay was enough for us. 

Valencia

Our next stopover was Valencia – a beautiful city once again.  Don and I always head to the “old town” finding the architecture, history and narrow cobble stone streets fascinating.  At one time a river ran through the city – after it was diverted a park was made along the riverbed offering a beautiful cool setting amidst the city mayhem.  Valencia is also well known for its (diverse/strange/modern ??).

Balearic Islands 

We had been warned that the worst time to visit the Balearic Islands were during the Spanish holiday season when everyone and their dog is visiting, crowded anchorages, party music and nudists crowding the beaches were the norm.  That description was correct, the many beautiful remote anchorages were either full of bouys and/or boats, I am sure the islands would be a wonderful place to explore out of season but for us it was simply too crowded.  We stopped at a few anchorages on Mallorca, made our way down to Formentera which is known as the Caribbean Island of the Balearics – pristine clear aqua water, white sandy beaches – that may be true but there were so many people and boats that we couldn’t see either.    All the toys were out – jetskis which are called “water bikes” here, kayaks, and the strangest contraption that is placed on your feet as shoes, a large vaccum cleaner hose is attached to the “shoes” with the other end to a jetski – water is propelled through the tube allowing the wearer to rise above the water and if practiced enough can go metres in the air then arc gently as if a dolphin time and time again – amazing!! 

We found a beautiful anchorage on the island of Menorca – I am not sure if the end of August therefore end of “peak season” made the difference or the fact that the island is further north so many boats do not venture that far but Fornells on Menorca was beautiful.  We had a hard time getting there, 3 metre swell on the beam meant a very interesting trip, with the wind coming from the north and the cala entrance the same direction we were worried the swell would enter the anchorage making it very uncomfortable.  After negotiating the narrow rocky entrance covered in white water we were amazed to find a calm protected anchorage.  We spent a few days swimming, exploring and recovering from the horrible trip.   After watching the winds and deciding that there was not going to be a “perfect” sailing wind in the near future we did the next best thing and left for the overnight trip to Sardinia.  Not having a lot of fuel and it being extremely expensive in the Med we sailed when possible which meant our trip took a lot longer than usual but the water was calm and moving along at 3 knts without swell was peaceful and allowed us to catch up on some reading and eating – after all what else is there to do ??