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Sicilian Odyssee - 2022

June - September 2022
A 91-day adventure by Lucy Read more
  • 15footprints
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  • 91days
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  • 4.9ksea miles
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  • TravelerSicilian Odyssee - 2022
    Day 6

    Southsea to Marina di Ragusa

    July 5, 2022 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    Well what a journey it's been already! An odyssey is defined as "a long wandering or voyage usually marked by many changes of fortune" and that seems pretty spot on so far, it seems our boat is rather aptly named!

    From security queues so long they snaked in and out of the Heathrow terminal building to a cancelled onwards flight from Cologne, passenger revolts, 2am coach rides across Germany, a bomb scare in Frankfurt and multiple failed attempts to buy new flights to Tunisia we (and miraculously all our luggage) finally made it to Monastir.

    30 hours of travelling with about 2 hours of broken sleep and we had finally made it! However, no rest yet. After showering (in an attempt to make ourselves slightly more socially acceptable) we finally met the sellers Marian and Jean-Marc (a lovely couple who split their time between the US and France). They had bought Odyssee (then called San De) in 2002 in the US and had spent the last 20 years sailing her in America, before an Atlantic crossing in 2014 followed by several years in the Mediterranean.

    It's rather an odd experience viewing something in person for the first time when you've already committed to it and spent a substantial amount of money on it but Odyssee didn't disappoint. She's a 36ft Westerly Corsair built in Waterlooville (the nearest town to where Sam grew up) back in 1984. With a centre cockpit and wide beam the boat is surprisingly spacious inside and has clearly been a labour of love for Jean Marc and Marion who have spent a lot of time, money and effort maintaining and upgrading the boat since they've owned it.

    Tunisia was a pleasant surprise, everyone we met there was so friendly and helpful, a complete contrast to Marrakech (our only other experience of Northern Africa, in which you couldn't even look at something without being demanded to pay for the privilege!) and the food was not only delicious but spectacularly cheap!

    Jean Marc and Marion had very kindly agreed to sail back from Tunisia to Sicily with us which we jumped at as an opportunity to get a really thorough handover of the boat and her particular quirks and systems, as well as an opportunity to get some tips on Mediterranean mooring and short-handed crewing from people who had been doing it for years.

    With a sudden improvement in the wind forecast we set off at 10am on the 3rd of July. Unfortunately, despite preparing with anti-seasickness tablets, travel bands and ginger supplements I was struck down fairly severely by sea sickness on the first day so eventually admitted defeat and spent most of the day lying down in the saloon wondering if we'd made a rather expensive, foolish mistake! Sam however had a great day, learning the ropes (excuse the pun!), watching a pod of dolphins play in the bow wave and proudly changing the ensign over from US to UK!

    Thankfully, on day 2 I made a full recovery and well and truly found my sea-legs! There was a fair bit less wind (which may well have been a contributing factor) so we spent a lot of the day travelling at a rather relaxed 4 knots. Sam took the opportunity to do his first repair, reattaching the rudder to the Hydrovane (a mysterious bit of kit that somehow through the magic of physics uses the wind to act as an autopilot). The water was a glorious blue and the sunset gorgeous but sadly no more dolphins.

    Due to the drop in wind we ended up doing another full night passage in which Sam and I had a chance to familiarise ourselves with AIS, a brilliant system that alerts you to other boats in your vicinity, what direction they are travelling in (surprisingly difficult to establish in the dark) and how close you are likely to get to them with your current course (also very tricky to judge in the dark!)

    We finally arrived outside Marina di Ragusa at 4am but decided for the sake of an hour to circle about until dawn broke so we could see where we were going. We made our way in at daybreak and after a couple of hours nap docked at the fuel berth, the "marineros" came on shift to show us to our official berth.

    After completing our first trans-continental crossing we went to check in. Unfortunately, this was also not so straightforward as Marina di Ragusa didn't have the facilities to do this and we would need to travel to another town Pozzallo (a 40-minute drive each way) to do this. It also came to light that due to an issue related to an elusive and complicated document known as a "constituto d'arrivo" or transit log, Jean Marc and Marian had left Sicily without the relevant stamp in their passport and were rather concerned how this would go down with passport control. Sam and I however were equally concerned that if they didn't check in we had essentially smuggled two people across to Europe from North Africa, which we suspected given the current state of affairs would be rather frowned upon!

    So we all piled into a taxi to Pozzallo and after a rather tense encounter in passport control we all got stamped in and breathed a huge sigh of relief! Having learnt from Jean Marc and Marian's experience we then set out to obtain a transit log for our stay in Sicily. Again much easier said than done, as we were bounced from one official office to another and back again with each claiming it was nothing to do with them. With a fair bit of perseverance and having sweated to a state of dehydration due to 40-degree heat and a rather intense encounter surrounded by official looking Italians sounding rather upset and jabbing fingers and shaking their heads at our various official documents, we eventually convinced someone to issue us one!

    We travelled back to Marina di Ragusa, Marian and Jean Marc packed up the last of their things, we bid them farewell and Odyssee was finally ours!    Read more

  • TravelerSicilian Odyssee - 2022
    Day 26

    Marina di Ragusa

    July 25, 2022 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    Life as boat owners has been eventful to say the least, if not filled with a great deal of sailing!! Within days of arriving Sam and I started to suspect that the headaches, fuzzy throats and fatigue we were experiencing were perhaps more than just a side effect of a run of interrupted nights of sleep and dehydration. A covid test confirmed that we had indeed managed to catch our second dose of covid, so we began our boating life in quarantine! Luckily (for us, if not the Italians), we'd done a food shop the day before testing and Sam's was a very faint line, so he was negative within a day.

    We also had plenty of jobs to keep us occupied to keep "cabin fever" at bay. We began by emptying and repacking the copious contents of every cupboard, locker and drawer, throwing out or donating the few things we knew we definitely wouldn't need and documenting the whereabouts of everything else that looked useful. Mostly by their proper names, but occasionally with a more descriptive "useful looking plastic thing" or "mystery metal object". We also spent several days scrubbing the hull and scraping back the many layers of flaky varnish on the teak before sanding and sealing to bring Odyssee back to some of her former glory.

    Although we haven't had chance to work on our sailing yet we've definitely picked up some other skills along the way. We became plumbers to fix a holding tank leaking into our bilges (I won't go into detail but I can assure you it is a spectacularly unglamorous job that if given a choice we wouldn't have done in 35 degree heat!), electricians to sort out some noisy cabin fans and mechanics to flush the fuel lines and clean out the carburettor on the outboard engine (closely supervised given Sam's history of dubious refuelling on dinghies!) and to service the main engine.

    Our RYA engine maintenance course gave us a good starting point, but it turns out that servicing an engine that hasn't been serviced in the last 5 years and has oil and fuel running through it is a more challenging and messier task than we had previously experienced! Once we realised it was seized on, the 5-minute job of changing the impeller turned into a 2-day task in which we dismantled the whole sea-water pump and used every tool ever invented in an attempt to get it off. Although incredibly frustrating at the time, the immense satisfaction of turning the engine back on and finding that not only is water not leaking from the pump, but it was actually coming out of the exhaust as it should, was worth it and gave us a boost in confidence that with time, perseverance and the help of books, Google and YouTube we could figure a lot of things out!

    Unfortunately, there was also an issue with the voltage regulator in the alternator that we first noticed on the journey from Tunisia but became more pronounced whilst in Marina di Ragusa, to the point we didn't dare go out until it was fixed (luckily the battery monitor is designed for simpletons so even I could recognise that the sad face was probably a bad sign!) We decided that engine electrics were a little too specialised for out bumbling attempts to fix things so after a rather unhelpful response from the boat yard on site, Sam contacted a chap called Elia who had done the viewing with him back in May. As well as a side business as a local contact for the boat broker he also runs a boat yard in Licata (the next marina to the west of Marina di Ragusa). As luck would have it he happened to be visiting our marina on other business so brought his mechanic with him, who disconnected the alternator to be checked by the marine electrician in Licata. All going well (and assuming no parts need to be ordered) we may well have a fully functioning engine by the end of the week!

    Because having engine issues isn't enough to keep us entertained, Sam decided to channel his inner Lucy and fell down a hole into the gas locker resulting in a rather spectacular "egg" on his ankle. Luckily he's able to weight bear and there's not too much bruising so hopefully just a ligament sprain that will continue to settle with a bit of time, rest and ice!

    Between these setbacks, or as I rather optimistically like to call them "learning opportunities", we've had chance to get to know the local area a little better. Marina di Ragusa is a nice little town that seems to be a hot spot for Italians on holiday with a lively square and seafront parade as well as a beautiful beach with crystal clear waters and golden sand. It also seems to have an unwritten rule that you must be under the age of 25, tanned to a shade of mahogany and in possession of toned thighs and washboard abs to be on there! Thankfully, Sam and I can play the ignorant tourist card and continue to be the oldest, whitest and flabbiest bodies on the beach! The situation is not helped by my new favourite food, the canoli (a very healthy combination of deep-fat fried pastry filled with a sweetened ricotta cream!), Sam's insistence that chicken nuggets and chips is a "healthy" dinner choice as it isn't as carb-heavy as pizza or pasta, and a mission to sample every flavour of gelato. Yoghurt and orange is the current unexpected favourite, zuppa Inglese (directly translated as English soup, a trifle-flavoured variety definitely was not!) We've also dusted off the BBQ and discovered a brilliant pizzeria just 2 minutes cycle from the boat!

    Marina life is good and we've already met some lovely people from all over the world, most notably Bill and Nancy (an American couple in their 80s who have spent the last 25 years cruising in various boats) who we met on our first full day and who have taken us under their wing and are always on hand to offer advice and share their experience of sailing and the local area.

    We've also taken a few day trips to explore the surrounding area on our bikes, finding a fairly secluded beach through a nature reserve to the east, and a small, pretty fishing village to the west. We also caught the bus to Ragusa (the main town about half an hour north of Marina di Ragusa) which was granted UNESCO World Heritage status in 2002. Of course, being all-consumed boat people now, before we could wander the cobbled streets and admire the beautiful churches we took a 7-mile round trip walk to an industrial estate on the far side of town to stock up on spare engine parts that weren't available at the local chandlery.

    A boat owner's work is never done so we have a few more jobs to work through in the next few days, most pressingly Sam's pursuit of "acoustic perfection" in a sound system that currently only seems to allow two out of four speakers to work at a time on a rather intermittent basis and a few other day trips from Marina di Ragusa before hopefully setting sail towards Syracusa!    Read more

  • TravelerSicilian Odyssee - 2022
    Day 33

    Finally setting sail!

    August 1, 2022 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    We've finally made it to sea! Although Elia returned to inform us that our alternator was in perfect working order, he did manage to get his electrician (who was in bed with Covid at the time) to do some remote diagnosis over Skype. He identified that it was actually a secondary voltage regulator hidden under the pilot desk (an area that I'd taken one look at and decided to pretend doesn't exist!) that was causing the problem. Elia disconnected this from the alternator to prevent it overcharging and we were given the go ahead to do some short sails with this temporary fix and the promise that the electrician would try to get to Marina di Ragusa to replace the regulator once he was out of isolation.

    With a fair bit of trepidation we fired up the engine and set off to do our first solo sail! Miraculously, it actually went rather smoothly, nothing broke, no-one fell overboard, no-one was sick and most importantly the engine fired back up when we needed it to! A success all round!

    We managed a couple of day sails, but one less than planned, as of course, no week is complete without a bit of toilet maintenance. I have to admit, whilst treading water, snorkel mask on and plunger in hand as Sam tackled the outflow pipe from the inside with a sewer spring I did begin to question some of my life choices that had led me to this point. I've also come to the conclusion that either we are very unlucky or the lavac toilet has the world's best PR department as supposedly "The Lavac Toilet has long been a favourite with sailors throughout the world, providing their owners with years of trouble-free use. One of the simplest marine toilets to operate, it requires virtually no maintenance." In their defence it does have very few parts, we've just had a problem with all three of them! On the plus side I now know what I'll have as my specialist subject should I ever go on Mastermind!

    Toilet repairs aside Sam managed to fix one of our fans with a bit of soldering and I had my first trip up the mast in the bosun's chair. Entirely unnecessary it turns out, as the "random anchor ball" I went up to retrieve turned out to be a radar reflector, but I had a great time. Sam and the creaking, groaning halyard that had to hoist me up maybe less so.

    Whilst waiting for Elia to return we decided to channel our inner Italian and hire a moped for a few days so we could explore inland a bit more. We stopped off at a beautiful vineyard/olive grove with a shop on site and stocked up on local wine. We also visited an amazing Roman villa, originally built in the 3rd century AD and excavated in the 1970s, where a mudslide had almost perfectly preserved the mosaics on the floor.

    On day 2 we came to the realisation that the scooter wasn't speed limited at 55kmph as we had initially assumed but the frame of the speedo had melted down blocking the movement of the needle beyond this point, which definitely explained why 55kmph seemed to cover a wide range of speeds!

    With that we were over a month in with our first guests due to arrive!    Read more

  • TravelerSicilian Odyssee - 2022
    Day 36

    Syracuse

    August 4, 2022 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    As our friend Bill says "sailing is like making plans in the sand at low tide". Essentially when you are working with an older, slightly temperamental boat and reliant on specific weather conditions it's near impossible to make any firm plans in advance. Throw in Covid and the fact the entire population of Italy seems to take the whole of August off and our original plans were a complete no-go. Luckily my parents had booked accommodation in Syracuse (where we had originally planned to sail round to meet them) with free cancellation so they rebooked a split week between Marina di Ragusa and Syracuse instead.

    It was a brilliant week and a nice mixture of being knowledgeable tour guides of familiar places like Marina di Ragusa and the Roman Villa as well as an opportunity to explore new places too! The luxury and comfort of an air-conditioned hire car was also a welcome relief after last week's scooter!

    On the way to the Roman Villa we stopped off in Scoglitti at a seafood restaurant known for its set menu. However, the menu wasn't particularly descriptive and didn't shed much light onto what to expect, so we decided to go for the antipasti (starter) and secondi (main fish dish) followed by lemon sorbet to finish. It was possibly one of the most delicious seafood meals I've ever eaten but spectacularly filling! After the fourth course had been brought out and already full to bursting I assumed we were just waiting for the dessert so watched with slight panic as the waiter brought out yet another set of knives and forks followed by our main course!

    We also took a day trip to Modica, another of the UNESCO baroque towns in the region, this time famed for its chocolate. If I'm honest I wasn't holding high expectations of the chocolate, as everyone who mentioned it described it as "interesting" or "different", adjectives usually reserved for things you don't want to be outright rude about but can't think of a positive alternative for. But following a tour of the oldest chocolaterier in the town we finally tasted some and I was pleasantly surprised even by the "meat biscuit". Apparently back in the day the Sicilian shepherds would take pasty shaped biscuits filled with a spiced chocolate mix that preserved a chunk of meat on the inside. We also stopped off at a watermill built inside a cave followed by dinner at our favourite restaurant in Ragusa.

    On our final day in Marina di Ragusa we took mum and dad out on the boat, with mum being even more prone to seasickness than I am, we decided not to attempt anything too adventurous, so anchored out just off the beach and then went for a spin outside the harbour once the wind picked up enough to put up the sails. Again, no one was sick, so another successful outing!

    For the second half of their visit we left Odyssee (who thankfully had now been fixed by the electrician!) behind and headed to Syracuse to meet up with Sam's parents Helen and Steve who had just arrived. Syracuse is another Baroque town on the east coast of Sicily with a rich varied history and both a Roman and Greek legacy. We spent the first full day exploring the old town based on Ortigia Island and stocking up at the rather impressive market.

    After a lovely week together mum and dad's time in Sicily came to an end and they flew back to the UK. Sam, Helen, Steve and I decide to venture out into wider Syracuse to explore the Archaeological Park on the outskirts where both the ancient Greek theatre and ancient Roman amphitheatre were located.

    We decided to head back to Marina di Ragusa with Helen and Steve so they could see the boat, but with a big decision still to be made about whether to sail back to Syracuse with them on board or not.    Read more

  • TravelerSicilian Odyssee - 2022
    Day 48

    Arrivederci Marina di Ragusa

    August 16, 2022 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    Having arrived back in Marina di Ragusa we finally introduced Sam's parents to Odyssee. During the drive back we had decided to remain undecided on whether to head round to Syracuse with Helen and Steve on board. Steve (who had previous experience sailing around Sicily) was incredibly keen on the idea but the rest of us had some reservations. It was our first proper trip heading somewhere new and unfamiliar on a boat that had only just been fixed, with a forecast for more wind than we had previously encountered. It would also be the first time that we would be anchoring out overnight. There was also the responsibility of having guests (and important guests!) on board should anything go wrong.

    Unfortunately, we hadn't factored in that it may not be our decision, and our hand was forced by the fact that the marina no longer had any spare berths available over that weekend due to a mass Maltese invasion. So we began preparing the boat ready to leave. After a slight panic over the fact our GPS and instruments for detecting water depth, wind strength and boat speed wouldn't turn on, Sam figured out that the problem was related to the new USB sockets we'd asked the electrician to fit, which were earthed into the instrument plate causing too much resistance. With these disconnected again we were up and running, and ready to go.

    The Maltese (or more specifically boat-owning Maltese) are rather frustrating neighbours to share a pontoon with due to a love of loud conversation and even louder music at all hours of the night (although never a full song, no song seems to get past a minute before being skipped to the next) so after a not so restful "early night" we bid farewell to Bill and Nancy and headed off to sea.

    The day started well with gentle winds gradually building to perfect sailing conditions and we made good time. Unfortunately, a series of small challenging experiences (including a terrifying temporary loss of steering due to the unexpected activation of the autopilot) led to us all feeling rather stressed and drained by the end of the day (apart from Steve, ever the optimist, who declared it a great day of sailing 😂).

    Having reached the anchorage in Portopalo we started to relax slightly, despite the winds picking up even more than forecast to near gale force (even managing a couple of games of Perudo, which Helen either has spectacular beginners' luck in, or is a secret grand master). We were fairly confident our anchor would hold and we had an anchor alarm set that would alert us if the boat started drifting. Unfortunately, we weren't alone in the anchorage and having watched a Maltese boat drag anchor past us we were slightly horrified to watch as they lifted anchor and reset it directly up-wind of us. Luckily the wind dropped down at around 1am so after a few shifts of anchor watch we all managed to get a few hours of sleep.

    In the morning we woke to an absolute millpond, which gave no indication of the stress of the night before. We took the opportunity to go for a swim before setting off for leg two of our trip to Syracuse. After a much more relaxing sail we reached our next anchorage in Syracuse Bay but with the wind starting to pick up again and a temperamental dinghy engine Helen and Steve decided to head back to land earlier than planned, while it was still light and Sam had a chance of rowing back to the boat when the engine inevitably cut out.

    Monday was another windy day and the marina in Syracuse was also full so unfortunately we weren't able to leave the boat and spend a final day with Helen and Steve, but Syracuse did very considerately bring some shared entertainment to us. Helen and Steve joined a parade on shore to celebrate the local patron saint and then informed us that the parade (complete with priest and ancient relics) would be continuing out into the marina.

    After another rather sleepless night we decided to move on from Syracuse to Catania (where we'd finally managed to book a berth in a marina for a few nights) and sailing towards the port we were rewarded with a spectacular view of the city with Mount Etna looming up behind it!    Read more

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