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Sicilian Odyssee - 2022Sicilian Odyssee - 2022
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Sicilian Odyssee - 2022

июня - сентября 2022
91-дневное приключение от Lucy Читать далее
  • 15следов
  • 4стран
  • 91дней
  • 138фотографий
  • 5видео
  • 4,9кморские мили
  • 4,8кмиль
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  • ПутешественникSicilian Odyssee - 2022
    День 56

    Exploring the East Coast

    24 августа 2022 г., Италия ⋅ ⛅ 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.    Читать далее

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  • ПутешественникSicilian Odyssee - 2022
    День 64

    Taormina

    1 сентября 2022 г., Италия ⋅ ⛅ 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.    Читать далее

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  • ПутешественникSicilian Odyssee - 2022
    День 76

    Licata (and Suffolk!)

    13 сентября 2022 г., Италия ⋅ ☀️ 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!    Читать далее

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  • ПутешественникSicilian Odyssee - 2022
    2
    День 82

    San Leone

    19 сентября 2022 г., Италия ⋅ ☀️ 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.    Читать далее

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  • ПутешественникSicilian Odyssee - 2022
    День 91

    Farewell to Odyssee (Chapter 1)

    28 сентября 2022 г., Англия ⋅ ⛅ 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!    Читать далее

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