MARINA DI CALA DEL SOLE....LICATA/SICILY.....OCT. 19, 2013

After spending the summer exploring beautiful Greek Islands and some really phenomenal Turkish coastline we arrived in our winter-home Licata, Sicily on Oct. 19th 2013 together with Vivamare. We are welcomed with a fanfare of bells, whistles and horns from friends who had arrived earlier in the month.  What a great feeling to arrive in such a familiar place.  The only difference we notice immediately is the number of occupied berths is considerably more than it was in 2011 when the marina opened and we were one of the very first cruisers staying the winter. 

Marina di Cala del Sole

With approx. 30-35 other live-a-board yachts and approx. 60 permanent people living on board, the marina has turned into a vibrant community; many Brits, French and Germans...most everyone speaks English.   There is a meeting room with tables and chairs and a book exchange.  In addition people have organized all sorts of activities including yoga, Pilates, choir, art classes, walking tours, wine tasting tours. The daily 9am VHF radio net keeps everyone informed about car or taxi sharing, lost and found items, parts and services needed, ladies coffee, progressive dinners and everybody's favorite, "Happy Hour" at the Cafe Letterario.

Caffe Letterario

I wake up most mornings around  6am, but stay in bed until I hear the skipper up.   He puts the kettle on and makes tea.  I do my stretching exercises in the meantime.  Everything progresses very slowly most mornings.  We usually don't finish breakfast much before 10am.  

Several ladies love to organize, so holidays are a priority.  There was a pot luck Halloween party; everyone was in costume with a DJ and 80's music playing.  We had a Christmas Eve dinner, New Years Eve bash and an intimate Valentines dinner.  Of course when "happy hour" runs into "dinner hour" nobody feels much like cooking so our corner Pizzeria Mulino is always welcoming.

LONDON, ONTARIO

We flew to Sudbury Nov. 10th for Ryland's birthday on the 12th; he turned 3 years old.   After a few doctors appointments and visits with friends we arrived in London for too short a visit with Tanja and family.  The first snow storm of the season, what a whopper.

For Ryland's birthday we all went to Science North; his absolute favourite place.  For dinner I made homemade Mac& Cheese, dad brought home a chocolate cupcake and a NEMO balloon.  The children's party took place on Saturday, but we had left for our visit in London. 

Happy to be away from the snow we arrived back on Simple Abundance in marina Dec. 10th.  Christmas decorations started to appear around town and on several boats.

MARINA DEL CALA DI SOLE

Marina staff invited cruisers to Xmas party with prosecco and panettone and presented us with a new BBQ for Sunday lunches on the dock. 

NAV STATION

2014 presented the skipper with 2 challenging projects; 1...installation of SSB radio (purchased in Canada and stowed in luggage).  #2...installation of two new solar panels (delivered to marina).

The SSB radio will come in handy for the planned Atlantic crossing Nov/Dec 2014.  It is used for long-range communication, emails, chatting with friends and downloading weather info. from anywhere in the world.  Mounting the radio in the nav station, attaching the tuner in the outside locker and running the wires to connect the two units was only half the job (about 4 days of heavy duty aerobic exercise),  Next, a thin layer of copper sheeting was glued into the hull (directly under my bed in the aft cabin).  This step took another 2 days of measuring, cutting and being cramped into small spaces a 5 year old would have a problem with.  A full week of intensive labour was rewarded by a clear radio voice transmission on the first test.

COPPER FOIL

SKIPPER IN LOCKER

TUNER IN LOCKER

The solar panel installation was a little less trouble. 

The whole month of January was windy and rainy.  At least the many social events meant we left our cabin once in a while.  February brought a little relief with a visit to the Quignonus wineyard including their famous BBQ.  The uncomfortable weather also gave us a chance to watch the Winter Olympics in Sochi.

Cabin fever was setting in mid February, so Vivamare and Simple Abundance decided to explore a little more of Sicily.

MT ETNA

MARKET IN CALTANISSETTA

We wanted to see a little more of the inland towns.  Our first stop took us into the market in Caltanissetta, situated among rolling hills and other small towns, known primarily for its sulfur mines of the early 1900's.  Today the area is heavily reliant on agriculture.  The beautiful produce displayed, each bowl only 1 Euro.  Prices we only dream about in Canada.  Spring in Sicily is gorgeous; the many different shades of green and yellow from the wild flowers is breathtaking.

Unfortunately the day ended with the tragic news that a fellow cruiser in the marina had been struck by a car while riding his bike earlier that day.  Philip had just recently given us (other live-aboards) an entertaining slide show presentation of his time cruising Albania and Montenegro.  A little memorial was held  on the day Philip would have turned 60.  The captain's room is now Philip's Hall in dedication.

SCALA DEI TURCHI AT CAPO BIANCO

With the sun shining and a picnic lunch packed we headed off again several days later to Scala dei Turchi, a rocky cliff on the coast of Realmonte, near Porto Empedocle.  The attraction is its unusual white colour.  It lies between two sandy beaches and is accessed through a limestone rock formation in the shape of a staircase, hence the name.  It was definitely worth the climb.  

One more job the skipper needed to finish before leaving for Montafon; moving the bilge pump for better access and maintenance. Two days spent in the narrow bilge beside the generator brought a few scratches on both arms, but the skipper never gives up, now he could go on his ski vacation with a clear conscience.   

SEPT. 20 KOLONA BEACH

Sadly we must leave Kolona Beach.  Our goal is to reach our winter mooring in Licata, Sicily without having to stay in any one place too long due to bad weather.  We will revisit most of the same marinas and anchorages we enjoyed earlier in the season while heading eastward.

POROS ANCHORAGE

Being familiar with an anchorage is super nice.  After 8 hours of travelling we tend to eat out and so we dined at Matina's Taverna a second time this summer.  Just such lovely people and great food.  


 Planned to leave around 9am the next morning, but a torrential down pour delayed our departure by 2 hours,  nevertheless, we arrived in Sofiku Bay, Stavedo Restaurant (recommended on Trip Advisor) in time for a late lunch  with free WiFi and free mooring.  How conveniently close, just one step off the boat.

STAVEDO RESTAURANT

 The highlight on this short trip was seeing a small pod of dolphins.  Dolphins are mammals and very social creatures and found mostly in shallower water.  






Back thru the Corinth Canal to the pretty town of Galaxidi where we did a little shopping.  Only small shops, no supermarkets....farm fresh eggs, local honey, natural yogurt in clay pot; we even found a small butcher tucked away in a small side street, nothing is prepackaged or artificial...amazing.

Galaxidi Shopping

Due to very high winds we stayed 3 days in Galaxidi before making our way to Trizonia.  We headed into the pounding waves struggling against the fierce wind.  Vivamare stayed with us for about 2 hours but decided to head back to Galaxidi.  It would be another 2 days before we would reunite in Trizonia.



Sept. 29th we make the trip from Trizonia to Mesolongi and dock at the town quay, not pretty, but safe.  Mesolongi is to be our last Greek harbour.  Running low on water the skipper runs a hose to the restaurant outdoor tap and bingo..our tanks have been replenished.  Can finally shower and wash hair.  The four of us walk into town to find a supermarket so we can prepare meals for our crossing from Greece to Italy about 200 nm.  We are constantly checking the weather sites for a reasonably good weather window.  

Finally Oct. 3 we all agree to go one port further and go to Vathi, Ithaca.   The sky is overcast and now there's not enough wind to even raise any kind of sail.  The temperature has dropped considerably and I wear socks for the first time in 6 months.  By early evening the Vathi harbour was full (last Greek harbour).  Several charter boats with all female crews arrived.  Even as we watch them dock, dropping their anchor, the skipper already knows our anchors have crossed so the next morning as we prepare to leave it takes 20 minutes of patience and persistence from the skipper before our anchor is free.

We motor due to only 4 knots wind.  We now have time to try and raise the para sailor or spinnaker which is stored below deck under the bow cabin bed.  It is  a special type of sail used in light winds. It fills with wind and balloons out in front of the boat. 

PARA SAILOR

Unfortunately we didn't have much luck keeping it up because lines were tangled, but we certainly gave it a good try and we continue to motor. This will be our last night- sail until we reach our destination, Licata.  Finally around 6pm there is enough wind to turn the engine off and raise the main sail and the genoa.  Just before it gets dark we exchange the genoa for the jib and put 1 reef in the main; that setup will take us thru the night safely at a speed of 8 kn. During a night-sail we attempt to take 2 hour shifts on watch in the cockpit.  It was a quiet night and all was well so we arrived in Crotone early afternoon with a strong wind from behind about an hour before a downpour.  Early to bed and late to rise, the rain and wind stayed with us for several days.  

As we biked past the shipyard we spotted Richard on his catamaran, a friend we met earlier in the year; so we invited him back to Simple Abundance for a drink. What a treat to see him again. 

Once the weather cleared we did one last shop at the "market" (love it), produce is so fresh, so cheap.  Next morning we fuelled up with 242 euros worth of diesel before heading to Roccella.  Roccella's claim to fame is their 1 meter long pizza.

1 METER PIZZA IN ROCCELLA

We stayed 3 days in Roccella before crossing from the mainland to Siracusa, Sicily.   95 miles/15 hrs. later we anchored in Siracusa harbour, the only 2 cruising boats.  

Next morning we continue along the Sicilian coast to Marzamemi.  Not a pretty harbour, but the best free wifi connection.    The weather forecast was not favourable and we stayed 3 nights which left 2 days for exploring the countryside nearby.   

Pachino

A few km inland, the town of Pachino and its surroundings have been repeatedly chosen as the location of several movie sets.  Since 2000, the main square in Marzamemi is host to the Festival of Cinema of the Frontier.

Marina di Ragusa is our last stop before Marina del Cala di Sole in Licata.  The 2 marinas are similar in size and facilities.  Several cruisers have moved from Ragusa to Licata in the past 2 years.

  Licata is well protected by large, overlapping breakwaters.  The marina has a chandlery, laundromat and a very nice caffe/bar.  Immediately behind the marina is a modern mall with a full-size supermarket.  The marina staff is very friendly and helpful.  The town of Licata is a typical mid-size Sicilian town, not a tourist resort and not particularly attractive, but its vibrant and friendly (it grows on you). Within a short bike ride one can get to all the desired services required by live-aboards.  This year (2014)  there are about 60 live-aboard boats and a very lively social community.