Monday 24th May.... Linda - 'Thesee has left the building' as the saying goes. A final weather check on Saturday morning left us confident enough to release those lines from the pontoon and sail away to begin our new summer season sailing adventures. But before the departure at 11am we enjoyed our first al-fresco breakfast of the year. Then it was time to say goodbye to friends and neighbours.
Breakfast toast and jam
Cheerio to our friends
Licata has been good to us and Thesee, and although we can't wait for new adventures it's still quite a big decision to finally leave and let go, made especially difficult this year because of our Saffy dog.
Dean made all the final checks, and we put our lifejackets on. Mine incidentally seems to have shrunk over winter 😉 ha ha. You get a bit nervous thinking that you will have forgot the routine and what needs to be done, but it soon comes back to you, it's surprising really.
Looking back as we leave the harbour
Byeeeeeeee Licata
... and then we were off
Dean sets up the hydrovane self steering
Dean finds these creatures captured in the engine filter
as he does his checks of the boat
The wind was a south easterly meaning we had to tack into it. Not the best point of sail but we needed to get around the bottom corner of Sicily to make the most of the southerly's that were forecast for Sunday across the Ionian. Here you can see our zig zag track as we made our way down the coast. By the time we were near Ragusa it was blowing up a fair bit and the sea got rather lumpy especially on the port tack travelling south as you can see from our wobbly line. I messed up one of our tacks and we ended up doing a hove-to manoevre instead. Dean was not amused. It's not easy to tack a boat with an inner forestay, cutter rig like Thesee.
We were about 20 miles from the corner when the sun set. Our friend the moon was waxing gibbous with 78% illumination, and high in the sky by this time. It's so much nicer to sail at night when the moon is bright. Moon set was 3.30am and so we only had one hour of complete darkeness before it started getting light again. Of course this was all expected....it's not just the wind and weather we research you know.
So we rounded the corner of Sicily in a calm sea and not long after, the sun was starting its daily routine. We were getting near to the time to make the do or don't decision about whether to carry on and cross to mainland Italy or whether to stop in Sicily for one more night. All was looking good for a crossing from Syracuse to Roccella Ionica on the Italian mainland. It was another 90 mile journey and would mean a second night at sea (a record for me). We felt good, decision made. Let's do it.
Sunrise on Day 2
Crossing the Ionian Sea here takes you past the mighty Mount Etna. No fireworks from him today, and in fact he was almost completely shaded by haze all day long. You can just about pick out the outline in this photo. Today was Isaac's 6th birthday so we sent him a photo. Happy Birthday Isaac!
The best photo I could get of Etna today
The crossing was quite boring with not much shipping until we got nearer the Messina Straits when about 6 massive cargo ships appeared after coming through with the tide. Thankfully they all descended upon Dean when I was having my off duty snooze.. Phew I got away with that one. Kept him busy though!
Next event was reaching the mainland, with the sun setting on Day 2. By this time we had calculated that we would arrive at Roccella Ionica during the night. We couldn't slow down because the wind had dropped and we needed some speed to counteract the swell. Dean had already called the marina and they said we could either anchor outside until morning, or alternatively go in and berth on the fuel quay.
Arriving at Italy's foot
During the last 30 miles the wind was fluky and we had the sail up and down like a yoyo. It was a shame it was dark as the coastline looked spectacular, illuminated once again by Mr Moon. Good job they don't have any clouds here!. We reached our destination at 2am, going into the marina and rafting up against another boat who was already on the fuel berth. Job done. Time for bed. Heads on pillows, both of us exhausted and asleep in five seconds flat.....zzzzzzz
Straight track across to Roccella Ionica
So happy to be here and starting the new season
** DAILY BLOGS FROM NOW ON **
so keep on following
THE ADVENTURES OF THÉSÉE
Tuesday 25th May... Linda - Feeling much more human today after a proper night's sleep. Two days blog to catch up on so here goes... Yesterday morning we were up at 8am to be prepared for de-rafting the boat and getting a berth when the marineros start work at 9am.. They were very good and allocated us a spot on the quay wall at the far east end of the marina. Wow this quay wall is very high and we had to raise the fenders twice! Dean says the fenders are almost as high as the top of the mast. In reality they are half way up the guard wires.
After settling into our spot we followed the allocated blue line along the quayside that takes you to the office to check in. Very organised we thought. First impressions very good, fabulous views and quite peaceful.
The view from our spot in the marina
You can see how high the quay wall is.
Thesee is playing hide and seek.
Found you Thesee
Following the blue line
Blue - To the marina office
Red - To the shops, food and drink
Green - Showers and clubhouse
Yellow - Recycling
After dealing with the formalities, we sat and had a coffee at the marina cafe, then we took a walk down the beautiful promenade towards Roccella town. There's lots of greenery and shady spots and we needed it as the weather is pretty amazing.
Approaching the marina office and cafe
Shady trees all around
We passed the boatyard and were originally shocked to see a lot of boats on their side. It was quite alarming, but as we neared and got a better view it seems that it's just a scrapyard and the boats have been dumped there, lots of damage and broken masts etc.
Crikey! Not nice to see
I couldn't stop taking photos along the promenade, it was so lovely with a cycle path too. Don't see many cycle paths in Italy. Here's some photos...
Looking back towards the marina
Gorgeous pink flowers against the azure waters
Tree - o
We spotted a big big castle up on the hill
It looked like Colditz
Prettyness everywhere
Castello Carafa di Rocella Ionica
and Ex Chiesa Matrice S.Nicola di Bari
We found out that the Church is now a concert hall
Once in the town area we realised the coast road is all residential, and so we headed one street back from the coast and found the main road. By this time I was hungry again and so we sat down for a panini type thingy and it was massive.
A metal cycle here
Is this Orange Blossom? It was so fragrant
Hungry Hippo 1
Hungry Hippo 2
Moving on we poked our head inside the nearby Church to see there was a horse inside.... only pretend though. Then we came across a quaint square with cafes and the main train line with a barrier. It was so unusual, we would have stopped for a drink but we'd just had one.
Walking back to the marina we popped onto the beach for a short stroll. It had a Caribbean Island feel to it I thought. So far so good and we think this place is well worth the visit.
On to today, this time an early stroll in the other direction through the pine woods and vegetation. There is a campsite but it was closed and we couldn't see much but they did have two big flags flying. Strangely one was the Union Jack, the other was the Stars & Stripes! Don't know what that's all about. We found a mummy cat with her tiny kittens, she kept her eye on us. On the way back we saw her run off into the woods and she must have hid the kittens under the portacabin as they were nowhere to be seen
It was a very rural walk, lovely and different to what we've been used to. At one point there had obviously been a forest fire. We know this was happening in Licata too as we saw two fires there recently.
The fire damage
Campsite flags
Nearly back now
There's no rest for the wicked. One of our new solar panels has stopped working. Dean has been in contact with the company and we may have to send it back, so he had been trying to sort that out all afternoon.
Wednesday 26th May... Linda - Time to move on and so we set off from Roccella Ionica at 8am, very carefully edging our way out of the shallow marina entrance. Today's route was approximately 65 miles across the aptly named Gulf of Squillance and around the headland to Crotone. Once again we had done our homework on the weather and expected a sail on a beam reach with up to 19 knots of wind. The winds came quite early and were with us pretty much all across the bay. We had to reef the sails 3 times as the winds got up to 25 knots on occasions. Thesee and crew handled it well, although we did get a good old salty splashing on 3 occasions. The first one went right down my left earhole!
At one point across the bay we heard a helicopter. Dean identified it as the Guardia di Finanza! They circled us giving us a good once over before heading off on their way.
By about 4pm the wind dropped but the swell was big and made for a very uncomfortable rolly ride. We had to start motoring in order to ride the waves. Finally we reached the Capo Rizzuto headland and as we passed around it the sea calmed down a lot.
Lighthouse on the north corner of the headland
... with a mix of unusual and varied buildings
We'd identified an anchorage and headed for it. Some of our friends from Licata (3 couples on catamarans) were already anchored there. It looks like a good spot. We are in 3.5 metres of water, 350 metres off the beach. We grabbed some dinner and sat outside for half an hour as the daylight disappeared and a huge orange ball appeared on the horizon, wow .... Full moon tonight.
We we're just sitting there as you do when this great big orange ball rolled down the hill side!
Rigs just offshore from our anchorage
Thursday 27th May... Two reports today, here's mine.... Linda - We had a great night's sleep, gently swaying in the almost flat calm waters. A fabulous morning appeared and we could get a better view of the shoreline. For some reason I thought it would be industrial but in fact it's very appealing. A definite hotspot for sunbathers and holidaymakers. The beach looks lovely and very orangy coloured. There's a number of well maintained beach huts, alongside restaurants and bars. Lucky for us it's deserted and so no noise apart from the tractor cleaning the beach.
Good Morning Crotone
Looks quite posh
A view looking aft from Thesee's bow
Lovely
Dean. This is the first chance I have had to try out my new dive cylinder, the one I bought Linda for Christmas.. Anyway I had a quick snorkel over to check the anchor then got ready.
Checking the anchor
Ready to go
Underwater Jobs for today:
Clean the propeller, check anode and grease.
Clean and check keel coolers
Clean and check bow thruster
Check rudder bearing play
Check cutlass bearing play
Check and clean through hull fittings.
After inspection all looked OK. I gave the keel coolers a good clean, these help the fridge and freezer gas do its job. Most of the underwater area was all good. It was only about a month ago we had the diver clean underwater for us in Licata.
Thesee has a feathering propeller, that is to say the blades fold flat in the water when sailing so not to cause so much drag. This needs to be greased regularly and it's not been done since Almerimar. It involves removing two 5mm grub screws and fitting a grease nipple and then attaching a grease gun to pump the grease inside. I had a bag hanging on the propeller shaft with all the bits in, the trouble is once you start greasing your hands become covered and sticky. Apart from being very fiddly all went well in the end. First time I have ever used a grease gun underwater. Sorry no underwater work photos, maybe next time.
Friday 28th May... Linda - Dean forgot to tell you that he removed the faulty solar panel from the deck in yesterday's report. It was glued down and he needed to basically saw it off with a length of wire, so as not to damage it further. Now we just need to get it wrapped and shipped back to the company.
It took a while
Last night we made the decision to move on today. Having to do a fair bit of motoring on and off this last week we were down to half a tank of diesel. The next hop involving a 70 mile journey across the Golfo di Taranto, we wanted to make sure we had plenty. So at 6pm last night we went up to the harbour in Crotone to fill up and then anchored just outside for the night. It was a good spot and we got 7 hours sleep before our early start at 5am today.
Nice and calm in this anchorage too
Not long after our 5am departure we passed some rigs just a couple of miles offshore. Can you see the lifeboat hanging on the right hand side?
The wind kicked in at 8am and we were able to get a good 6 hours of sailing across the bay towards Gallipoli. We had all three sails up at one point, the main, genoa, and staysail. Then when it turned into a gentle breeze we changed the sail plan and hoisted the cruising chute. Just afterwards we heard a squeaky squeak noise and couldn't work out where it was coming from. Turned out to be the new uphaul from the cruising chute needed to be be a bit tighter. We commented that over the last few days we have actually used all but one of our sails and in all three reefed positions.
After a short while we took the chute down because we were getting less than 3 knots of speed and it would have taken forever to reach our destination. It was at this point we spotted a turtle in the sea! At first I thought it was a bottle, then a piece of weed, then I realised it was a turtle. This was a first for us and we were so excited. Maybe the squeaky squeaky noise attracted him, and he wanted to see what we were messing about at 😃
With the three sails up
There were two other boats crossing the Golfo today. We don't know them but we did see them both in Roccella Ionica. One of them is Canadian flagged, registered Toronto.
The Canadians overtook us
on their impressive Amel Super Maramu
Today Thesee reached his 9000 nautical miles record. Dean noticed this when he was doing the log record so we took a photo quickly before it changed to 9001.
This was Dean celebrating as we reached 6 knots speed over the ground on a 10 knots beam reach.
Look!
About 5 miles before we reached Gallipoli would you believe it we saw a 2nd turtle! Both were about the size of a large dinner plate, floating along with their heads sticking out of the water.
Here I am at the helm, as we near Gallipoli
We went to the Commercial Harbour where they have a few free TRANSITO berths on the Town Quay. Our Catamaran friends were already there and updating us with the situation. Unfortunately we arrived when all the fishing boats were returning and annoyingly offloading their days catch on the TRANSITO berths. The fishing boats were queueing up one after another and it became obvious that we had no chance of getting a place on the TRANSITO berth. Time was getting on so we decided to go back around to the anchorage on the south side of the headland. As you know, we always have a Plan B. It's a good spot, and we are anchored in about 7 metres of nice blue water with a sandy bottom.
Sunset over Gallipoli old town
Saturday 29th May... Linda - Another good night at anchor, and a lovely morning. Dean set about taking the anchor windlass apart, as far as he dare....being as we are at anchor! I'm not really sure what the issue is. Dean says it sounds 'tight'. More to follow in due course I'm sure.
The windlass, partly disassembled
Some of it in a cardboard box
Not a lot else happening, just the usual weather watching and route planning. A few local boats did came out to anchor today, being Saturday. There is loads of room to anchor here so all were spaced out nicely. A few jet-skiers, and even a flotilla of canoes, if that's the correct terminology. We gave them all a wave as they passed. Dean cooked a chicken on the Cobb BBQ later, delicious. Tomorrow we are going to try and get onto the town quay again, if not, maybe in the marina.
The sign showing where to berth
Castle on the quay?
...and what looks like an impounded sailboat
The quay wall is quite high. We had to use our highest passarelle socket which is on the aft seating area, also we had to use our passarelle extension. Walking the plank is a somewhat hair-raising experience. It is free after all so we can't complain, and they let you stay for maximum 5 nights, so very generous.
Would you fancy walking this?
OK if the boat isn't moving about
Our four boats on the quay
L-R Thésée, Wandering Star, Odyssea X, Wild Odyssey
Once settled in we took a stroll around the old town. It was buzzing, cafes and bars galore, and being a Sunday the place was really busy. We really didn't expect it to be so nice here.
Quaint touches
... and restaurants
A posh place down there
Museum San Domenico
Cat on a hot car roof
Later on at 6pm we all went for a sundowner at one of the bars in the old town. Didn't get back until 9.45pm but lucky for us we still had some BBQ chicken from yesterday so it didn't take long to knock up a meal.
The new town was quite impressive, with fairly upmarket clothes shops and cafes. On the way back down the main street we were gagging for a drink and it was lunchtime so we indulged in a lovely fresh wrappy thing with a fancy name. It was really quite delicious.
This area near the castle is all fish restaurants
Thesee
Passing one of the marinas
Along the main road in the new town
Din dins
To get the menu you have to scan the QR code
on the serviette box
Almost back now, still nice buildings
and the tourist train stops here
It was still a bit blowy today and the boat is constantly moving with the sea bending around the breakwater, but it's not uncomfortable. Gallipoli has pleasantly surprised us.
Tuesday 1st June... Linda - Everything went to plan today. Whilst we were waiting for the guy from the courier company to come and collect the solar panel, Dean got on with the monthly maintenance checks. The courier came to collect at 10am, then we were off. A weight off our minds knowing that the solar panel is finally on its way. De-berthing from the town quay worked just fine, letting the stern lines off the chains, and motoring forward taking in the anchor chain as we went. Out of the harbour we had to round the headland which was quite a bumpy ride, but once we turned south we were going with the wind and the waves so it was much better.
Checking the battery bank is part of the maintenance
Today's journey took us down the inside of Italy's heel to the very southern tip at Santa Maria di Leuca. It's a precarious location as two seas meet here.. The Ionian and the Adriatic. You wouldn't want to be here if the weather was rough, and we've read that the marina doesn't give much shelter, so timing is of the essence.
The weather forecast is pretty settled for a few days so we hope we've got the plan correct to stay in the anchorage for a night or two. It took about 6 hours to reach our destination, arriving at 4.30pm.
Arrival at the anchorage
Bars on the beach
Today's 'Vessel Finder' track
Castle or Hotel? Not sure yet
The anchorage
The three catamarans were here in the anchorage with us. Debbie & Paul invited everyone over for drinks and nibbles. It's the first time we've been on their boat....it was amazing, like a floating hotel. It turned into quite a night and we didn't get back until gone 10pm.
Wednesday 2nd June... Linda - Two of the catamarans left this morning. We are staying another night along with Wandering Star. Once there was more space in the anchorage we moved to a better spot. It was difficult raising the anchor as it was in a rocky patch. With a little patience it finally came up and we moved into a much better sandy spot just outside the fairway to the marina.
The two catamaran just leaving for Otranto
View from our new spot nearer the breakwater
Being as we had inflated the dinghy last night for sundowners, it meant that we could get ashore today for a walkabout. Over by the lighthouse at the far end of the marina is a massive, and I mean massive waterfall. Its part of an irrigation system and they apparently only switch the water on at certain times of year. This afternoon it was dry, but you can climb the steps either side...and there's a LOT of them. They call it Mussolini's steps. Apparantly, Mussolini insisted that the greatest aquaduct of Europe should end in a waterfall, a monument, and a 300 steps staircase, to welcome foreigners to Italy.
Thesee from our first dinghy ride of the year
About to start the staircase
..only 290 steps to go
Still climbing
Looking back towards the harbour
At the top now looking down the dry waterfall
At the top we reached the lighthouse. This lighthouse is the second most important in Italy after Genoa. There were a few market stalls and quite a number of people about. There's also a Basilica 'Sanctuario di Santa Maria di Finibus Terrae'. Something to do with a bit of a Lands End thing going on. It's a Bank Holiday here in Italy today which explains why so many people.
The lighthouse
Statue of Pope Benedetto XVI
Going down the other side now
Next was a walk along the marina and seafront. Again pleasant with a lovely boardwalk which we took on the way back. Some very posh looking places along the seafront created by someone in the old days wanting to turn this place into a resort. He succeeded.
Keeps you off the road...clever
Amazing buildings
Looks like a hotel
We stopped off for ice cream.. a bit pricey compared to what we're used to. 3 Euros each. Stopping off for a few groceries we got some crusty bread. It's massive, nearly as big as the waterfall, and it weighs 3 kg! It's as big as my breadboard, and you should have seen the size of the loaf that they cut it off.
We'll be eating this for a week
Bacon sandwiches?
Bigger than our plates
This evening I happened to pop my head outside after a boat created a lot of wash and sent us rolly pollying (it happened quite a few times today, including getting out of the dinghy). As I turned around I noticed that the waterfall was lit up. I fetched the binoculars to have a close look and subsequently realised that the water was flowing! Quick get the camera, camcorder, and phone our friends nextdoor. We were quite far away from it but it looked spectacular, lit up either side with green and red making it look like the Italian flag. Then a short burst of fireworks. All this obviously as it was a Bank Holiday, and how lucky we were to be here by chance today.
Waterfall in full flow
A wonderful way to say cheerio to the Ionian
The next blog post will be called 'Adriatic Adventures here we come'
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