Go West!

The key to this part of our journey has been the need to keep on moving west. We are on a tight time limit, due to Schengen restrictions. We have only 90 days in the EU and in this time, we want to move the boat from our entry point in Sicily to the UK, via the Azores, in September. The need to keep on trucking has effected our choices significantly, and the wish to have spent longer in every place has been a constant theme. 

We spent twelve days in Sicily with our American sailing friend, Wayne. Cruising in Sicily was very different to Greece and Turkey, as you move between cities rather than small villages and isolated bays. Syracuse was our landing point and was our first huge city. The old town was beautiful and teaming with life. We did our first walking tour, courtesy of of Wayne, who had brought a Rick Steve's guide book. This name meant nothing to us, but apparently he is a legend in the US. 

From here we headed north up the east coast and were fortunate to see Mount Etna erupting in the last afternoon and on into the evening. We were very lucky to be up wind of this event and so escaped the downfall of ash and just enjoyed the spectacular show. It was really special to see and a once in a lifetime experience that we will never forget.  

 

The following day we took the bus up to the beautiful town of Taormina, where we did another walking tour. I really enjoyed these tours as they allowed us to take our time and see things we definitely would have missed. 

The weather and tide were set fair for an uncomplicated trip through the Messina Straight, which we sailed through with 20 knots of wind from behind. Once out the Straight we went over to Vulcano in the Aeolian Islands. This active volcano emits steam and a very powerful smell of sulphur but we had been spoiled by our ring side view of Etna a few days before.

We returned to Cefalu on the north coast of Sicily. This was another beautiful city, with winding streets, and a stunning cathedral. We completed the 200m ascent to the ruined castle on top of the hill in the 30 degree heat at midday. The plan had been to go early but our dinghy engine refused to cooperate, and lead to a two hour delay in the trip, as Phil did an emergency service of the outboard. 

With a brief stop near Palermo, it was time to move on, and we made the two day passage over to Sardinia, where Wayne departed to fly back to the US. We had enjoyed our time in Sicily with Wayne, but we were feeling the pressure to keep moving.

We spent only eight days in Sardinia, enjoying the anchorages along the south coast. The beaches are very pretty and again we would have loved to stay for longer and see more of the place, but time was not on our side.

Our next jump was a two day passage to Menorca. We left the day after a gale for an up wind passage. The wind was good, in the mid 20 knot range, but the sea state was not great. The waves were 4m for the first 24 hours and both Phil and I felt sea sick for a few hours at different points. To add to the fun we had yet more issues with the toilets and had to do more plumbing at sea. 

However, the Balearic islands made up for all of the hardships of this passage. We have heard other cruisers wax lyrical about these island and having now been there we can see why. The turquoise water is really special. We had three stops on Menorca and three stops on Majorca. We caught up with cruising friends, who we had first met in Turkey last year, and spent a couple of nights socialising and playing Cyclades, but again it was time to leave. We will see them again down the tracks, I'm sure. 

We were now on our final push to reach the marina, where we will leave the boat for our two week trip back to UK. We had 350 miles to travel and a very light wind ten day forecast. With this in mind, we took the decision to skip Ibiza and use the wind we had to move much nearer our goal. This was a massive shame, but you have to play the wind you have. 

We enjoyed a slow passage south west to the Spanish mainland. We averaged three and a half knots and had the kite out most of the way. But apparently we can't do a long passage any more without a plumbing issue. This time it was the drain under the kitchen sink that was leaking, so another long passage and another plumbing job for Phil. 

Our next trip will be a 190 mile hop down to Malaga, with a short final leg of 40 miles to the marina in Estepona (near Gibraltar). Here we will clean and ready the boat to be shut up for two weeks, whilst we fly back to the UK. 

I just wonder what new plumbing challenge is in store for us on this trip?