Fortunately (for Gianluca), food would not be in short supply this trip. Up until today, I would have confessed to being one of the worlds worst fishermen. All I could show for two years of effort while underway (and the loss of innumerable lures), was one very small tuna and a seagull. Not anymore! Behold… [...]
By dawn, I’d managed to pass the southern tip of Sardinia and after setting a course of 228º taking us between Isola del Toro and Isola Sant Antioco, I handed over the GPS to my trusty crew and went below for some sleep. I usually sleep exceptionally well in my Yarmouth23. Whether it be in [...]
Cagliari has a busy port, it even has a traffic separation scheme extending two miles from the breakwater. The massive refinery at Sarroch on the western side of the bay adds to the chaos as gargantuan tankers ply the waters of the shallow bay. All of which calls for some intrepid watch keeping while underway, [...]
I’ve set (motor)sail for Cagliari and something is wrong with Eileen of Avoca. There are odd vibrations coming from the engine but I am at a loss as to the cause. After a restless night I notice an appreciable loss in power and am getting more concerned. I’ve checked everything I can on board and [...]
Setting the TillerPilot, I take 20 minute naps (using an egg timer as my alarm clock) between lookouts and manage to reach Palermo by 1pm the following day in a semi-rested state. Thankfully there was very little in the way of shipping, though I still don’t like sleeping when the coast is just an hour [...]
Strangely, I’m experiencing a complementary current near the coast when I’d expected a contrary one. As a result I arrive at the strait at least two hours before schedule. What an inconvenience! What I’ve failed to notice is that my complementary current is an eddy. Fooled by the shipping which makes the passage through the [...]
It’s Sunday and my crew has departed. As stated earlier my plans have changed and so Eileen will head north through the Messina Strait and then follow the coast of Sicily to Palermo rather than stop in Malta. After checking the tides I’ll set off at sunset.
After checking the weather at a local Internet cafe (the marina told us that their WiFi didn’t work) it became apparent that we would have to change plans as any attempt to reach Malta (Matts’ departure point) in the following week would be bordering suicidal in a small boat. While the conditions remained stable we [...]
Matt and I left Roccella Ionica in high spirits, it was great to be moving again and while the sea was still boisterous, the winds were favourable. Our destination? Siracusa Sicily, just under 110 NM away on a heading of approximately 212°. Upon departure we said our goodbyes (en passant) to our new French friends [...]
