Catania

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