Showing posts with label Italy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Italy. Show all posts
Friday, 11 April 2014
Sailing Italy to Malta
February 21-5 2012
The Bora wind eased overnight and by mid-morning had dropped enough that we were able to cast off the lines and leave the marina without the risk of being blown onto the dock, surrounding piles or nearby boats. Tim is very experienced at helming Moksha in confined areas and we were certainly impressed again at how skilfully he extricated the boat from a reasonably tight mooring in breezy conditions.
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| Wind coming off the snow capped Alps in the distance kept things a little cool as we left Monfalcone. |
At last we were underway leaving Duino Castle and the snow capped Alps in our wake. A month after arriving in Monfalcone we were headed south through the Adriatic Sea along the coast of Croatia towards the heel of Italy for a right hand turn towards Malta. We would then cross the Gulf of Taranto before skirting the Italy’s toe, crossing south of the Straight of Messina and then sailing off the Sicilian coast and on to the Grand Harbour at Valetta on Malta. All in all we would be covering roughly 800 nautical miles and had our fingers crossed the usually nasty winter Mediterranean weather would be a bit kind to us.
Joining us for the trip was a Slovenian friend of Tim’s, Marko who is also a former employee of the Seaway company which produces the Shipman yachts. With five on board the crew was initially split into two watches with Marko guiding Karen and Rob and Tim providing the instruction for Phil. For the first couple of days we would be alternating the two watches every three hours which means sleep was going to be at a premium.
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| We never tire of watching the sun dip into the sea |
With the risk of unexpected strong gusts from the lingering Bora, once clear of the channel we hoisted the mainsail with the first reef in place along with the full jib. Once well clear of the shore, the prevailing 14 to 18 knots of North Easterly breeze saw us getting along at consistently over 10 knots which gave us a little taste of Moksha’s speed.
Our first day at sea was largely taken up with getting a feel for the boat and becoming more familiar with her sail handling systems and our roles in the process. At 72 foot she is clearly the largest boat we’ve crewed on and, with her large sails, by far the most powerful. The forces at work demand your utmost respect and any mistake on a line, winch etc could have very serious consequences for boat and or crew. We were feeling nervous and a little daunted but both Tim and Marko were extremely helpful and patient with us.
In a pattern that was to repeat itself almost endlessly over the next four days, the wind proved extremely variable. At times it blew strongly in the 20 to 25 knot range with gusts over thirty and at others dropped to almost nothing forcing us to fire up the engine. Most of the time we relied on the auto-pilot to steer the ship but we all got the opportunity to hand steer to become familiar with how Moksha behaved. Marko and Rob in particular spent many hours at the helm purely for the enjoyment of it. Despite topping 14 knots of boat speed on the gauge at one point, Rob had to concede the top speed award to Marko who hit 15 on one of his watches.
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| That be Sicily over there. |
Most of our course had us staying well clear of the coasts with just glimpses of land in the distance so to speak but from Brindisi to Castrignano del Capo around the heel of Italy and then again passing Porta Palo di Capo Passero, we sailed quite close in and soaked up the sights as we cruised on by. In between we’d sailed just south of the Straight of Messina, the narrow water between Italy and Sicily. Here the wind is squeezed between the land masses and picks up pace big time giving us a fairly exhilarating downwind ride surfing the good sized swells. We had a good view of Sicily’s Mt Etna just on sunset and hoped Europe’s most active volcano might give us a show during the night but unfortunately she was feeling sleepy on this particular evening.
With a three hours on, three off regimen we started to feel a bit sleep deprived after the first couple of days and with the rough sea state Rob battled a bit of seasickness that he sometimes suffers at the start of a passage after being ashore for extended periods. It was also cold, very cold. Even during the day, we were well rugged up but at night both of us resembled red versions of the Michelin man.
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| Tim, Marko and Karen soak up the morning sun |
We could of safely taken on anyone in a game of strip jack poker and won purely through having so much to lose. One night Rob counted up that he was wearing 22 items of clothing, 2 shoes, 4 socks, underpants, long johns, jeans, wet weather pants, t-shirt, thermal top, 2 woollen sweaters, hoodie, beanie, wet weather jacket, 2 inner gloves, 2 motorbikes gloves and a life jacket. Despite having more layers than a millionaire’s wedding cake we were still chilled to the bone after three hours on deck at night. We all wore life jackets on deck, not because the sea was so rough but because with the amount of clothing we were wearing we’d sink like a stone if we did happen to end up in the icy water somehow. It also took so long to get dressed for a watch you had to set your alarm 20 minutes before handover just to get on deck on time meaning that much less sleep.
When day three dawned with clear skies and sunshine it lifted everybody plus with Tim now feeling confident enough to let us take watches on our own, we also all benefitted from getting some extended sleep breaks. Pure heaven.
Moksha had been setting a cracking pace most of the way from Monfalcone but the wind dropped out almost entirely on the final evening and we spent much of the last night motoring towards Valetta. After completing our midnight to three am watch we had the opportunity to sleep in but were out of our bunks early not wanting to miss seeing our approach and entry to Malta’s famed Grand Harbour.
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| Tim at the helm as we enter Grand Harbour |
Guarded by massive sandstone fortifications dating back to the early fifteen hundred’s when the Knights of St John made Malta their home for 278 years, Grand Harbour is a magnificent sight from the sea. Sailing towards the safety of the twin stone breakwaters we couldn’t help but think of those vessels that had passed before us, everything from the ancient trading galleys and square riggers to the brave merchantmen who survived the Nazi onslaught as Allied convoys fought their way through to relive the island in WW2 that had followed our exact route. Sailing under the forts towering over us on all sides entering Grand Harbor we were very aware that we were surrounded by living history. With a ten days or so planned for this stop we were really looking forward to exploring beyond those huge walls as soon as possible.
We had a berth booked at the Grand Harbor Marina and were guided into our mooring by the mariners to end our first passage on Moksha. She was placed right in the highest profile spot in the marina. Tieing up right alongside the stone wall by the promenade and straight over the narrow street from the Casino and string of Cafes we quickly drew a small crowd of onlookers. We then spent the next few hours cleaning and squaring things away because if Moksha was going to be in pride of place we were all determined she was going to look her best.
At last five tired bodies headed off the boat for a much anticipated English breakfast. For us it was still hard to believe that we were really living our Mediterranean dream and actually sitting in a 500 year old square in Malta with a plate full of bacon, sausages, eggs and hash browns.
Life is good!
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| Moksha moored in pride of place at Grand Harbour Marina |
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| Rob, Karen and Phil relax after the passage (Yes he does look a bit like like Billy) |
To stay right up to date with what we’re up to these days and see lots more photos check out and 'like' our Dreamtime Sail Facebook page at Dreamtime Sail on Facebook
If you have only recently discovered our blog and would like to read how it all started, or work through our previous adventures, click the link to go back to our first blog entry. Stuff it. Let's just go sailing anyway. We hope you enjoy reading the previous posts to catch up on our story.
Wednesday, 2 March 2011
Acciaroli to Scario – Sailing in Southern Italy
August 6, 2013
After a nice breakfast on deck in the sunshine enjoying the views across the harbour to the delightful hamlet of Acciaroli, we cast off the lines and motored south east across glassy waters in windless conditions. We were on a bee line to round Cabo Palinuro and then on to a small town further down the coast where we would spend the night. Where possible, our summer cruising here in the Mediterranean is all about relaxed, stress free travel. We limit our passages to short hops each day always scouring the pilot guides and internet for interesting looking stopovers along our course.
Less than 30 nautical miles away, Scariosounded like just such as place. The tourist guides described it as being very picturesque with old world charm and assured us we would ‘enjoy the amazing panoramic view into the wide bay of the Gulf and towards the mountains of Basilicata and Calabria, which seem to rise directly from the sea. On days of clear visibility you are even able to see the famous statue of Christ in Maratea. A beautiful church with its separate bell tower – a campanile – is to be found on the main piazza of Scario. From there you can promenade under palm trees above the small, contemplative port and take part in the typical Italian village life in cafés, bars and restaurants.’ Yep! That sounded like our kind of place.
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| Sailing south along the Italian coast from Acciaroli |
As we approached Cabo Palinuro, the previously low coastline gave way to dramatic cliffs of considerable height rising vertically from the sea. In the very calm conditions we were experiencing, there was no need for us to give these headlands our usual wide berth for safety. It was very enjoyable being able to cruise in close and get a good view of the numerous sea caves and prolific birdlife present on every rock face. The sea was so calm, a number of small boats and even some yachts were anchored right next to the cliffs themselves with their crews swimming in and out of the caves.
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| Very calm conditions approaching Cabo Palinuro |
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| Definitely a good weather only anchorage. |
The water certainly looked very inviting. So inviting in fact that when we rounded the cape we too elected to anchor between a big rock outcrop and golden sand beach for a swim and some lunch. It’s great to be able to just stop for a while if you want to when you find a nice spot. We’ve met a number of cruisers who are following gruelling sailing schedules, aiming to see the whole Med in one summer. The fact is there are only so many days in a season and, as long as you actually keep moving, we all see the same number of places. It’s just that with our style of cruising we see the places those others sail past on their quest to tick all the boxes of the more famous spots in this part of the world. That’s way too much like hard work for us.
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| Time for a swim and some lunch before continuing south. |
Suitably refreshed after a dip and bite of food, we got underway again but with the added bonus of a nicely building afternoon breeze. The engine was soon silenced and we were scooting along under full sail on a nice broad reach. We held this point of sail for a bit over five miles before rounding a large aquaculture fish farm where we turned and headed for our stop at Scario.
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| We were running wing on wing towards Scario as we passed another stunning hilltop village this fellow traveller motoring to windward. |
The wind was now astern so we switched to running wing on wing with main and headsails out on opposite sides of the boast. We have found Alcheringa sails very nicely in this sail configuration and were able to ride the swinging breeze the final seven miles almost right into the anchorage.
There is quite a nice looking small harbour at Scario but, as is common in the summer months, it looked a bit crowded. Instead we chose to anchor off the village, well sheltered between a lighthouse on the point and the main breakwater in six metres of water with good holding. Where possible, we much prefer to avoid marinas and save the money for more pleasurable activities. It’s also much quieter and more private without being squeezed in rubbing fenders with neighbours on each side all night.
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| Acciaroli to Scario – 27.7 Nautical Miles – 6 Hours 31 Minutes Average Speed 4.3 Knots – Max Speed 6.5 Knots |
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| We had no problems anchoring for the night outside the harbour at Scario |
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| Alcheringa resting nicely at anchor off Scario in Southern Italy. |
After enjoying a cold, post passage Peroni beer while securing the boat and lowering the dingy, we headed ashore to explore the waterfront. We are very happy to report Scario lived up to both our expectations and the tourist guide descriptions. We did indeed ‘promenade under palm trees above the small, contemplative port and take part in the typical Italian village life in cafés, bars and restaurants.’ As we strolled amongst the wealthy Romans and Neapolitans who move into their villas on the hills above the village each summer and modest numbers of other holiday makers, we even followed the suggested order and partook of excellent coffee in a café, explored further before sampling the fine products available at one of the character filled waterfront bars and then settled in at one of many harbour side restaurantsfor an excellent dinner of fresh local seafood. We even watched one extremely excited young fisherman race up from his small boat struggling under the weight of a massive sailfish on his way to show his catch to his no doubt delighted family.
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| Karen and her parents, Trevor and Joy, ready for our seafood feast at Scario |
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| Note the Ormegiatori (local concessionaire) on the dock ready to stuff another fistful of Euros into his bag once the power boat manages to squeeze its way into a very narrow space inside the harbour at Scario. |
Before making our way back to the boat we stopped in at a deli and topped up our fresh bread, antipasto and wine supplies ready for the morrow.
On this occasion, Scario's sea air had not quite been clear enough for us to ‘see the famous statue of Christ in Marate’ whatever exactly that was, but we were happy for it to wait until tomorrow. All in all we had experienced another simply outstanding day sailing the southern Italian Coast.
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| The waterfront at Scario viewed from our anchorage. |
AN APOLOGY
Since returning to Australia at the end of last European summer’s wanderings around the Med, we have been extremely busy, catching up with friends and family, finishing and publishing our first book, ‘Stuff it. Let’s go sailing anyway’, mounting a very successful exhibition of Karen’s artwork and buying a new boat to sail the western Pacific and South East Asia. We’re now working at finalising the story of our adventures in the Med in this blog and getting it all back to current so keep checking back for new instalments.
To stay right up to date with what we’re up to these days and see lots more photos check out and 'like' our Dreamtime Sail Facebook page at Dreamtime Sail on Facebook
To stay right up to date with what we’re up to these days and see lots more photos check out and 'like' our Dreamtime Sail Facebook page at Dreamtime Sail on Facebook
If you have only recently discovered our blog and would like to read how it all started, or work through our previous adventures, click the link to go back to our first blog entry. Stuff it. Let's just go sailing anyway. We hope you enjoy reading the previous posts to catch up on our story.
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