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Sicilian Odyssee - 2022
  • Lucy Sanders

Sicilian Odyssee - 2022

Een 91-daags avontuur van Lucy Meer informatie
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Nieuwste eerst
  • Het begin van de reis
    30 juni 2022
  • Lucy SandersSicilian Odyssee - 2022Reiziger

    Southsea to Marina di Ragusa

    5 juli 2022, Italië ⋅ ☀️ 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!    Meer informatie

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  • Lucy SandersSicilian Odyssee - 2022Reiziger

    Marina di Ragusa

    25 juli 2022, Italië ⋅ ☀️ 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!    Meer informatie

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  • Lucy SandersSicilian Odyssee - 2022Reiziger

    Finally setting sail!

    1 augustus 2022, Italië ⋅ ☀️ 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!    Meer informatie

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  • Lucy SandersSicilian Odyssee - 2022Reiziger

    Syracuse

    4 augustus 2022, Italië ⋅ ☀️ 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.    Meer informatie

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  • Lucy SandersSicilian Odyssee - 2022Reiziger

    Arrivederci Marina di Ragusa

    16 augustus 2022, Italië ⋅ ⛅ 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!    Meer informatie

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  • Lucy SandersSicilian Odyssee - 2022Reiziger

    Exploring the East Coast

    24 augustus 2022, Italië ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    We spent two nights in Catania, and after finding an amazing pizzeria, with pizzas that didn't even fit on the plate, we finally managed to get our first undisturbed night of sleep in five days! Well almost undisturbed, we were woken at 7.30am by several incredibly loud booming noises. Disconcerting at the best of times, incredibly so at the foot of an active volcano. Having Googled "loud booming noise in Catania" I was partially reassured by the response that it might be the volcano, but more likely it was something to do with a religious event. This was confirmed later in the day when we accidentally joined a massive crowd in the main square at the start of a parade for Saint Agata (the patron of Catania).

    The next day we set off again, this time to a bay near a town, just south of Catania, called Brucoli. With, very little wind and a calm sea, we could finally get the paddle-board and drone out and just enjoy life at anchor!

    With the weather due to turn in the next few days we decided to head to the security of another marina for a few nights, this time in Augusta. Despite just being a normal town between the tourist hot spots of Syracuse and Catania, Augusta has a disproportionately large marina, apparently this is probably a consequence of Mafia activity (a local council will be "encouraged" to build a large structure because someone with friends in high places has a construction or cement company that would benefit from having a bit more work). This did work in our favour as they had so many free berths that we could moor side-on to the pontoon (still more natural to us as Brits than med mooring!)

    Although not somewhere we had originally planned to stop, we lucked out and arrived during a week of festivities, starting with a singing talent show held in the town square our first evening (it turns out the youth of Augusta are a talented bunch!) and of course another parade for the local patron saint. I also experienced a true Sicilian breakfast, granita (halfway between a sorbet and a gelato) with brioche. As someone with a sweet tooth, who is rather partial to "breakfast biscuits", I felt like I was amongst kindred spirits.

    The forecasted storms arrived with a rather spectacular show of lightning over the headland. The following day, having become a little bored of Augusta we unfolded our bikes and decided to explore the coastline by land. Having heard horror stories of boats losing all electrical power (including the ability to turn on the engine) we watched with incredulity as the French boat that had been behind us in the marina for the last few days set off and sailed directly into the lightning storm over Catania. Clearly, after a while the thrill of sailing loses its edge and people have to get their kicks in more extreme ways, or the French are crazy!

    Watching the rain sweep towards us we decided we better head back to the boat. Unfortunately, we weren't quick enough to outrun it and learnt the hard way that folding bikes are not built to be cycled on slick post-heatwave roads, as we performed an impressively synchronised slide out down a rather wet hill! Luckily we weren't going very fast and there was no other traffic, so apart from some small patches of road rash and some slightly grubby clothes we were no worse for wear.

    Sadly for Sam things only got worse when a suspected dodgy mussel from lunchtime caught up with him overnight. After putting the lavac toilet through its paces he needed a couple of days to recover so we stayed on in Augusta before heading back down to Syracuse to meet our next guests.    Meer informatie

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  • Lucy SandersSicilian Odyssee - 2022Reiziger

    Taormina

    1 september 2022, Italië ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    We met Chris and Alice (one of Sam's friends from his ski season and his girlfriend) in Syracuse, and after giving them the grand tour of Odyssee we found a beach area for a swim, before dinner and drinks in the town.

    On returning to the boat, I started to feel pretty unwell and was promptly sick. I was shocked that a couple of glasses of wine had had such an effect on me, but it soon became apparent that the alcohol was not to blame (and as a silver lining, neither were the mussels in Sam's case), this was some kind of stomach bug! After a sleepless night I promptly slept for nearly 24 hours straight, feeling right as rain, ready for our sail the following day. The others spent the day at the archaeological park we'd gone to previously with Helen and Steve, and enjoyed sunset drinks and dinner overlooking the harbour.

    We set off, heading north along the coast again for a lovely sail with textbook conditions, arriving by mid-afternoon at the bay we'd discovered the week before. With lightning forecast in the area we watched with relief as it passed away to the northeast of us, resulting in impressive views of lightning over Mount Etna. We weren't as fortunate with the wind, which with impeccable timing did a full 180 degree turn and gusted up to 25 knots within seconds of us commenting how still and calm it was! Poor Al and Chris had a bit more excitement than they had bargained for as they were in the water at the time. Al was pulled through the water clinging onto the ladder and Chris watched as the boat rapidly swung away from him around its anchor point.

    Ever unpredictable the wind then dropped right down again and we were able to get the barbecue lit and play a few games. The significant change in wind direction did however mean that the swell was at odds to the new wind direction so we had a rollier night at anchor than we had expected.

    My grand plan to catch a bit of extra sleep in the morning while the others went for a swim was swiftly scrapped as I was woken by a helicopter circling the boat. Having established that none of our party was in imminent danger we realised that it was just the coastguard practicing some drills (and definitely doing a bit of showing off for the watching boats!)

    We set off towards Catania and having scoped out the available marinas on our last trip we were treated to a definite upgrade, by which I mean it actually had a toilet and a shower that wasn't in a rickety portacabin! The view was pretty special too.

    The next day was Chris's birthday and an absolute highlight of the whole trip. We went on a guided tour up Etna, which was absolutely spectacular and made even better by our amazing tour guide Giovanni (who had not only grown up on the slopes of Etna but was a geologist too), we couldn't have asked for a more knowledgeable or enthusiastic guide! He also happened to be dating a food blogger who we, of course, mined for some restaurant recommendations.

    With a forecast for very little wind and knowing we would be heading back down south later in the week we took the advice of the slightly mad French bloke in the boat next to us in the marina and took the train up to Taormina. It turns out this wasn't exactly the more relaxing option. Having taken the bus previously with just surgical masks we'd assumed this would be OK on the train. It turns out we were wrong and it's also fairly strictly enforced. Thankfully, there was another passenger in our compartment who did a fantastic job of keeping the conductor distracted. The two of them spent the entire train ride screaming at each other, while the passenger filmed it all, and the conductor even got the police on board at the next stop. At this point Sam and I did our best to keep our heads down to avoid getting kicked off! One of my favourite pastimes when people-watching the Italians (a famously passionate group), is to play "angry or just Italian" and this was a clear case of angry!

    Taormina is a stunning town built into the cliffs with a definite Amalfi feel. We'd booked an apartment last minute and were treated to one of the best views in the town, overlooking Isola Bella in the bay. After a dip in the pool (and a game of flipflop frisbee for lack of any more conventional pool toys) we headed up to the main part of the town for dinner followed by a ballet at the ancient Greek theatre (possibly the most beautiful setting to watch a show).

    On our final day together Chris and Alice set off for a romantic walk to watch the sunrise over the beach and Chris popped the big question and our Al came back with a significantly more sparkly left hand!

    A lovely way to round off a brilliant week and we went out to celebrate in true Sicilian style with the best granita and brioche in Sicily before taking the cable car down to the beach. We left the lovebirds to it and took the train (with FFP2 masks this time) back to Catania ready to start our trip back down south.    Meer informatie

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  • Lucy SandersSicilian Odyssee - 2022Reiziger

    Licata (and Suffolk!)

    13 september 2022, Italië ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Having said goodbye to Al and Chris we were back on our travels again. With a few events we needed to head back to the UK for we decided to head back round to the south coast to a marina in Licata since they'd offered us free mooring for September as a bonus for booking in for the winter season.

    We retraced our journey back to Marina di Ragusa via Augusta, Syracuse and Portapalo (a little rolly but a significant improvement on our first attempt at anchoring with barely a breath of wind overnight). We were also joined by a small pod of dolphins who came to play in our bow wave and frankly I've never been more excited! It's a miracle I didn't drop Sam's phone in the sea trying to film them!

    As we turned the corner from the east to the south coast we were rewarded with near perfect sailing conditions, just the right amount in just the right direction. As a result we had a glorious sail back to Marina di Ragusa, rather proudly winning a race with another boat (who admittedly wasn't informed they were participating in said race), but we were incredibly proud of Odyssee nonetheless, she can be described in many ways but sleek, with racing lines is not one of them!

    Of course, when we got Marina di Ragusa we caught up with Bill and Nancy and invited them out for dinner. Sadly it was a very fleeting visit as we had an early start and our longest sail so far, so at 7am we set off, refuelled and hoisted the sails. Again we had another day of glorious wind so after some initial motor-sailing we could switch off the engine and enjoy the peaceful tranquillity of being purely wind-powered.

    Having a few weeks without any bilge issues we were well overdue a bilge worry, and that morning we noticed that there was some water and initially assumed we had spilled some when refilling the water bottles. Having mopped this up we were slightly disconcerted to see that it had refilled by the time we arrived at Licata. Knowing that we were leaving the boat unattended for 6 days we set to work trying to work out where this water was coming from. Thankfully with a bit of detective work we finally worked out that it was coming from a tube from the bottom of the fridge. Easily fixed, we defrosted the fridge (a job we'd been meaning to do at the end of the season anyway) and could leave the boat fairly confident she would still be floating when we returned.

    As seems to be a recurrent theme for us now, our journey back to the UK wasn't entirely straightforward. After a 5.45 start to catch the coach to the airport we arrived to see that our flight had been delayed by several hours. It later came to light that due to sickness in the air traffic control tower at Gatwick Airport they were now only able to accept 12 flights an hour rather than 40. Luckily our pilot worked out that he could fly us back to Luton (and at least get us back to the UK), but that there we would need a full crew change to continue on to Gatwick as the original crew would be over there allowed hours. The new crew swapped on and were almost immediately crowded by angry and aggressive passengers as the pilot announced we would likely have to sit on the runway in Luton for 2 hours! Thankfully, probably fearing for the safety of the crew, this decision was swiftly overturned and we were on our way. Steve and Helen met us at the airport and handed over my car and Sam and I went in search of a long-craved for roast dinner!

    On Saturday we headed to Waldringfield for Sam's cousin Katie's wedding to Ollie. A gorgeous day with a lovely venue and despite a slightly soggy start, the rain then held off for the rest of the day. Heading off that evening and with quite a significant outfit change, I went from a dress and heels to squeezing into my old gym leotard (the only sport-themed fancy dress I could rustle up from mum and dad's house) ready for my friend Pippa's hen do.

    Arriving just in time for my second dinner of the day I was very grateful for lycra! This was followed by drinks and lots of Mr and Mrs style games (the key takeaway of which was that my friend has rather questionable taste in food and it's a blessing her future husband sees 'food as fuel'!)

    The following day we headed to the local go-karting course and Sam was invited to join as an honorary hen, a decision probably swiftly regretted as he duly won (lapping me 3 times)! Heading back to mum and dad's we cooked up a beef bourguignon (served with some of the mega-veg that had popped up in their veg patch in their absence!) for the returning cyclists after their 2nd and final stage of LE-JOG!    Meer informatie

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  • Lucy SandersSicilian Odyssee - 2022Reiziger
    2

    San Leone

    19 september 2022, Italië ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Well, what a fantastic week! We invited Sam's dad Steve to come back with us as an early 70th birthday present so all three of us flew back to Sicily. Despite a rather late-night return to Licata, due to another delayed flight (this time due to the staff struggling to get the door of the plane to close, good old Ryanair!) we decided not to waste any time and headed out on our first day to explore further west to a port called San Leone. Sam and I made the most of the luxury of an extra member of crew and thoroughly enjoyed Steve's chauffeuring skills while we put our feet up!

    After a rather cautious entrance to the harbour at San Leone, which has silted up to the point where we only had 2 feet of clearance beneath the keel, we discovered a bar just off the marina. This had the most glorious sunset views, so good in fact that not one but two wedding parties came there for reception photos, I have never felt so underdressed! The following day despite a complete lack of wind we decided to motor further up the coast to a well-known beauty spot with white cliffs known as the "Stair of the Turks" for a 'relaxing' lunch at anchor. We hadn't however factored in some rather sizable swell rolling in from the south and having dropped anchor I promptly brought up my breakfast and we swiftly lifted it again, admired the cliffs from a distance and turned back to San Leone!

    This was a bit of blessing in disguise as it meant we were back in time to get a taxi inland to enjoy the other main attraction in the area, the "Valley of the Temples", a set of six temples built during the Greek occupation of Sicily. It was a brilliant place and even Sam (who usually sets me a temple limit on holidays) enjoyed it. However, it soon become clear where he'd inherited this normal reluctance for too many monuments on one day from. As the photos show you can lead a Wyllie man to culture, but he will still find an ant colony infinitely more interesting!

    The next day we were heading back to Licata and thankfully the swell had dropped right down and the winds picked up, so we were able to sail the entire way at a very pleasant 5 knots! We learnt that Licata had a hidden culinary gem in the form of a very unassuming and reasonably priced 2-Michelin star restaurant called La Madia so we decided to treat Steve for his birthday. Without Google Maps I doubt we'd have spotted the entrance (a simple grey doorway at the bottom of a residential apartment block) but the food was brilliant and the chef was fantastic and really friendly.

    Steve's penultimate day started well as we came across a Chow Chow in a purple coat taking a swim in the marina. Watching what is essentially a giant teddy bear leisurely swimming lengths is quite possibly one of the most therapeutic things I've ever seen. From here we decided to explore the local beach, another hidden gem, possibly the nicest stretch of coastline we've explored in Sicily before heading up a very steep hill to visit the castle and enjoy the views of the town and marina.

    On Steve's last day we set off for our final sail of the season to a bay just west of Licata. This time we were able to make the most of being at anchor and got both the drone and the stand-up paddleboard out to explore round the little island we had anchored up next to. It was a perfect last stop before we start the process of getting the boat ready for winter.    Meer informatie

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  • Lucy SandersSicilian Odyssee - 2022Reiziger

    Farewell to Odyssee (Chapter 1)

    28 september 2022, Engeland ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    And just like that our 3 months afloat have come to an end. With Steve heading back to the UK, Sam and I started the winterizing process, getting Odyssee ready for several months unoccupied.

    First things first we had another good clear out, now that we had a bit more of an idea what we actually wanted and needed. It soon became apparent that the previous owner had never had the heart to throw out any rope he'd encountered. After finding spare lines in cupboards, under beds and even in the bilge we laid them all out, a grand total of 45 (including one that he'd told us had been bitten in half by a dog, rendering it unusable)!! Unfortunately, it seems that Sam is a Jean-Marc in the making and at least 30 of said ropes came back on the boat....

    The next job to tackle was to take down the sails so they could be stored out of the elements for the winter season. A surprisingly satisfying job, whether we'll remember how to put them back up next year remains to be seen.

    The weather was a little more variable resulting in some rather beautiful sunsets! We also had several rain showers to contend with, although these turned out to be a blessing in disguise as it revealed that our boat is not as rain-proof as we'd assumed! Having sourced the leaks to the speaker housing in the cockpit and a crack in the wood by the main entry hatch we set to work sealanting and varnishing to reduce the risk of coming back to a flooded boat!

    It wasn't all work and no play though and with a good wind forecast we hopped on our bikes and Sam finally got a chance to go kitesurfing on our final day!

    After a few final checks we locked Odyssee up for the winter and caught the bus to the airport and miracle of miracles finally had a flight leave on time (and fly to the right airport)! So that's a wrap for this year. The odyssey will continue in 2023!    Meer informatie

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    Het einde van de reis
    28 september 2022
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