The weather forecast in Corfu stayed the same for three days – thunderstorms and wind.

Gouvia Marina

On the morning of the third day, we decided to make a break for it and go to Gouvia even if we had to anchor in the bay while we got the engine pump fixed. A friend had given us the name of some agents at A1 yachting and we called them to see if they could handle our entry into Greece to save us from going into town. They came back shortly after and although the marina had told us there were no berths when we called they had managed to find one for us.

We cruised down the coast which is beautiful and green and such a change after Malta which is all brown, dry, and rocky.

Video …

Corfu was very busy with charter boats going in and out of the marina, but they were having to wait for slots in their own area and we went in and were handled almost immediately.

The engineers arrived very quickly and took the pump away to be fixed. Next, we wandered up to the office of A1 yachting and discovered that the immigration police who were in the building next door were not happy with our documents. They could not find the exit stamp for Malta but they did find the entry stamp for Italy and it was over 90 days old. According to our passports, we had been nowhere else. Here we go again. There was much discussion on the ins and outs of Schengen and the individual countries’ agreements. In the end, it came down to the fact that we should have been stamped in each country so we could count the day’s agreement separately from the Schengen days.

Of course, leaving malta they treated us as crew on a yacht. Albania had its own system and stamped papers, not passports – mainly for the yacht requirements. Then the Greek authorities were treating us as passengers but decided in the final stages we should be crew. In the end, all the documents were signed and stamped and we were legitimate.

The next day the pump came back and we were all set to leave. We picked up some fuel at the fuel dock – last visited two years ago and ago. Then we set off with a forecast that would give us 30% on a tight reach than all the rest on an easy reach to Malta at about 15kts. Sounded great. As you can see from the photo – the weather was not that warm – not the Mediterranean we were used to.

Stormy Passage

We departed down the east coast hoping for a quick trip. After passing Corfu town the wind was dead on the nose again – seems to happen to us all the time. The wind was already averaging 22kts from the South rather than SW and the sea was rough already 1-2m and short. Rather than bashing into all the way on the motor we decided to tack and motor sail to the end of Corfu.

We reached the end of Corfu late in the day and turned right slightly to track for Malta. This did not seem to help as we turned right so did the wind. The wind was hard on so we motor sailed. The forecast was ok but windy. During the night the wind increased and so did the seas. At one point we were making 3.5kts Speed over the ground – depressing.

The second afternoon we were down to 3 reefs and no genoa – or now and then a handkerchief out. Making 6.5 knots and still motor sailing as the wind was so far forward. We were running forecasts every 6 hours and decided if the wind got no better we were going to head for Syracuse and not Malta and have a rest. We were running about 6 hours on ETA.

As the evening approached the wind increased from the NW we were hand-sailing rather than on autopilot which could not see the approaching waves and we had been dropping off some of the big waves. Still doing 6.5 knots but very rough. We had a good sail for about 3 hours then night fell and we had to reduce the speed of the yacht as we could not see the waves either. The forecast was for waves bout 2m at 4 sec intervals and that was about right.

The new forecast showed us right in the red patch and it had been gusting over 40kts. There was supposed to be a calm patch at one stage but we never found it.

Syracuse

Dawn rose with our entry to Syracuse. We notified our approach into the harbour and were told to remain on the yacht and then the fun started with authorities. We had not been planning to end up in Syracuse so of course had not given them the 12 hours notice required. We wanted to get in, do the paperwork, have a rest, and clear out the next day. Not so easy. The harbour master told us what was required for the health clearance and emailed us the details. We sent the documents off to 8 email addresses!! This was by now about 8 am. Then heard no more. On querying the harbour master she told us the Health department was separate and they had no idea how long it takes. They have obviously had this problem before.

We then started to tidy up the yacht and discovered that our port Pelican Stiker wire had two broked strands. Just as well we stopped. Now looked like we would not be going to Malta and certainly not sailing. On further inspection of the yacht, we discovered that we had also cracked the area under the rear davits again. One had been mended 3 months before in Marina di Ragusa and it was not too bad but now the other was showing cracking around the base. We made the decision not to continue to Malta but to go to Marina di Ragusa and try and get the wires and damage fixed there.

We then settled in for a rest. Got up after lunch and still no emails with a clearance. Called the harbour master again and explained that we would like to leave first thing the next morning because we wanted to take the calm weather window before the next storm. She was very helpful and even suggested not getting off the boat but clearing at Pozzallo. We called them but they asked us to call Marina di Ragusa as they did not speak English well. I talked to the girls there about a marina and the situation with the authorities and that we did not need to be stuck at Pozzallo if we did leave due to the approaching storm. She got back to me and had been told that Pazzallo now comes under Syracuse so if we couldn’t get the health clearance in Syracuse it would be a problem in Pozzallo.

The good thing that came out of the conversation was that they knew an agent in Syracuse who they had used before and they might help. We then called Giorgio siracusa@luise.com at Luisa Yachtshttps://www.luise.com/italy/ and had a chat. He told us that the process was with the health department there – if we did not give 12 hours notice then they threw the file in the next day’s list so we would not get it today. Sit back and relax. In fact, we would not get it until close to lunchtime the next day – certainly not first thing in the morning. We explained our problem with the weather and trying to get away as soon as possible but it seemed nothing to do but wait.

As we were sitting on the yacht waiting we had a visit from another yacht who had been in Marina di Ragusa previously. Brad and Janet were waiting for the current weather to go through before continuing to MdR. They were good friends of Chris the Refrigeration man we had met in Malta.

The forecast for the next few days was not good as can be seen from the shots of Predict wind below. The third photo was of the gust we got in the bay the next day. It was very windy and 0.5meter swell even in the harbour. The wind got up at 4am and at 6am we got the motors on an motored into the wind to get the bridle up and then release more chain. Beside us in the anchorage, another yacht was doing the same, and ahead of us one dragged so far they had to pull their anchor right out and start again. We were in around 7m and had about 60m of chain out. We really grabbed as we let the bridle out and did not move again while we were there.

The following are some views of the harbour in Syracuse. It is a lovely old town but overshadowed by the big cruise ships. I know people love them but this one had speakers going with the exercise music and dancing most of the day and the noise was awful. It dwarfed the old town and you could see why people do not wantcruised ships in some of these old traditional towns.

Hew loved this boat below, said it really was a James Bond-style yacht – big aft deck for all the fun and games!! Plenty of room for the helicopter as well. Great name.

Other boats seen around town.

When the weather finally cleared we decided we had one afternoon to walk around town – looking at the sights as seen above, the old and the new.

Departure for Marina di Ragusa

Then next morning we decided to get up before sunrise and leave at daybreak. I think the harbour wanted us to stay. The anchor came up so far and then we found we were totally entangled in an old net that had obviously been dumped. 45 minutes later we had cut it off. the movement of the boat over the last three days as shown on the screen probably aided the entanglement. What a muddy mess!!

Finally on our way to Marina di Ragusa.

We had an uneventful trip and were happy to return to the old marina. Clean and tidy and lots of welcoming smiles. Also much warmer than Corfu and even warmer than Syracuse.

Anyway so on Friday decided to take two friends, Nick and MAddie, who we meet two years ago, and also have a Fountaine-Pajot and set off for a “sail”. Didn’t manage to leave until noon as too busy tidying up the boat to go to sea.

Maddie is very good at the “keep everything out of the sun”, says she is leading the future trend. My daughter Izi totally agrees with his dress code as her skin is as prone to sunburn as Maddie’s!!

We were all very keen to go . Left the marina, had a swim straight away as the yacht floated away on the current – a steady 0.5kt and calm.

Wind came in very light 5kts so up go the number 1 and the main and we toddle off at 2 kts!! Under sail we reached a maximum of 4 kts and after lunch and some consideration we decided that if we wanted to reach our destination before dark and on Saturday we would motor sail – typical Mediterranean.

We arrived at Isola do Capo Passero on the SE corner of Sicily around 7pm. Quite a few boats still around but as normal most left for the night and only three larger boats stayed.

Next day we had a slow start, late breakfast and swim, then decided we really needed to walk to the Torre before the hordes of people arrived. It was just so nice to be anchored out again that you did not feel like moving.

Anyway off for the hike over the island.

To the north is a tonnara, dating to the thirteenth century, now abandoned and where you can still see a number of large rusty anchors used to attach heavy nets to the bottom of the sea that led to the tuna “death chambers” in the caves in the cliffs.

In the center of the island is populated by dwarf palms which have been newly classified as a protected species.

The main structure is the 16th century fortress of Charles V, that was probably built on something that already existed and that occupied the highest part of Capo Passero. It was built to protect against pirates and has a square plan and stands, elevated, to 22 meters high. Atop this structure is a lighthouse. The entranceway faces the sea and not the land and the crest at the entrance is almost worn off.

There are very few exterior windows but a large central courtyard can be ween through the grated door. The Madonna and Baby are on the plinth.

After walking up cross country we found the path down.

I then swam back to the yacht via the caves in the cliffs. Many tiny fish (1cm-5cm) but no large ones. It was great to have a good swim.

Then, unfortunately it was time to leave. as all breeze of 5kts had come up and we wet off to sail home. Several hours and several tacks later the after a nice breeze of 10 kts and speed of around 5 kts but already 7pm we decided that reverting to motoring the rest of the way to make it before 10 back at Marina do Ragusa.

we arrived with 15minutes to spare and so got the help and a great welcome back from the ormeggiatori. Feels like we belong here!!

A lovely weekend and great to be out of the marina.

Note: This is out of sequence but blogs relating to the period in Marina do Ragusa follow shortly as will some videos when I have them sorted!!

Very hazy, sultry warm conditions. Sunday arrival 39 deg C.

We immediately noticed that many of the roads between Catania and Marina di Ragusa have been re-sealed and many more windmills have been erected on the hills.

We arrived Sunday night and a huge amount of traffic leaving Marina di Ragusa heading north after a beautiful weekend. The town was full but almost everyone is Italian very few from other countries.

Lovely fresh fruit- nectarines, apricots, peaches, watermelons, rockmelons,. Gorgeous sweet tomatoes, cheese, prosciutto, and daily fresh bread.

Afternoon siestas and streets full of people in the evenings just wandering around.

Most people we talk to have been fully vaccinated. Italy with a population of 60m has vaccinated 49+m and achieving 540,000 per day. Sicily has 5m people and 3.9m vaccine doses have been administered.

The boatyard is looking much tidier https://www.cmrcantierenavale.com/. Unfortunately, as expected, most of the yacht work is only partially complete. Which is not unusual but disappointing. Over the last eighteen months the problem with Covid has meant that not only were there complete lockdowns but also many staff have been missing at various times. The other not unexpected issue was that the boat was filthy- mostly – the usual Saharan red dust.

The tender has had the tubes replaced and the engine fixed but the transom is not. Also, the squabs need replacing and tube covers extended. It looks unloved.

The alterations for the bunk rooms project had been done well but not finished and the squab for the new bunk had not arrived. As discovered later all the screws are zinc and not stainless and Hew had to spend a whole day of week three changing them.

The skin fittings were still being replaced this week. The new 3D printer at the boatyard has proved very handy. When some covers did not fit a modified replacement was printed.

Due to Brexit, parts from the big UK chandlery stores now not only gather VAT but also the duty and get bogged down in paperwork so all pieces are being sourced via the yard suppliers. Another improvement is the yard now has a dedicated purchaser, Antonio who also runs the 3D printer.

The Victron power monitoring gear and inverters currently undergoing a rethink as too complex for the electronics guys here. The good news is that at least we are getting some information from the new units – the bad news is the starboard battery bank is dead and needs replacing!! Maybe also the alternator.

The rigging needs replacing for insurance before we can cross the Atlantic. Unfortunately, it will take 2-3 weeks for parts, that long without a mast, and cannot be done at MdR until October. Therefore we are rethinking the rigging replacement in terms of where and when.

We had made a deposit for the deck repaint but it has not been started. The deck was repainted by the previous owner but it was a really bad job and the paint is all coming off. We have decided to leave this job until we get back to New Zealand.

On the Water at the Dockyard Week 2

Week 2 The yacht finally went into the water on Thursday and additional work that was not on the original list was also added i.e. more items were not working properly or had failed!!

We moved onboard Saturday. After two weeks ashore it was great to be back again and much much cooler.

Saturday night was a big night for Italy when they beat England for the Euro2020 Cup (delayed from last year) – the whole town was in celebration mode. All the kids were out – cars, motorbikes, electric scooters, and cycles. Electric scooters are a much bigger item here than in New Zealand – more so than electric bikes. The cruiser’s favourite Stella Bar hosted everyone again. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g1097285-d6649059-Reviews-Bar_Stella_Marina-Marina_di_Ragusa_Ragusa_Province_of_Ragusa_Sicily.html

Saturday was still a workday for us but the locals get out in all forms of sea craft – traditional or not. Good to be near the water again and see all the activity. The Marina is looking very tidy and nearly completelybooked out for the winter. https://www.portoturisticomarinadiragusa.it/

Earlier in the week, we noticed that all the cockpit roof lights were falling out and needed replacement. Job finished this Sunday.

The stove too had two burners not working and a bad arrangement of burners anyway, with the largest to the rear inner corner. Removal a Sunday evening job.

At the same time, we were listening to all the Italian RIBs coming back to the Marina with their stereos on full bass!! Some of them are so good they can even outdo Gypsy the big launch on the other side. Made us realize that we had not got the stereo going yet. There are quite a few Takacats https://www.takacat.com/ here probably because the boatyard has an agency, but we hadnt seen any before except in New Zealand.

Summary at the end of week two:

Good: lights in cockpit updated, stove updated, living on the yacht, new squabs for dingy, sails and lazy bag on board.

Awaiting: Batteries, belts, pumps, engine impellers, tender finishing

Apologies for the late post but the next to follow shortly.

Italian driving –

Much has been said about this topic but our thoughts are these. Italians:

• always pull over and give room for you to pass
• pass you at double the speed you are doing
• generally ignore all speed limits and all speed cameras
• never indicate even if they have asked you to follow them
• pay attention to the different parking areas marked on the roads in the main towns i.e. non colour, pink, yellow, blue
• park anywhere anyhow if the roads are not marked: nose only, forwards, backwards, in the direction of travel , in the opposite direction, parcelled ion the road

Italian Design

• Being at the beach everyone is very casual and you do not see as much as you do in the towns but every now and then something catches your eye and you think it is really great. Even the simple espresso machine
• 
• Long dresses are in for women here in the summer and they are very elegant, also log wide soft flowing trousers.But then there are also the short dresses and very high heels – sorry I missed the stilettos in this photo
• 

Food

• absolutely prefer fresh and local in all foods
• the tomatoes at this time of year are fabulous as are the aubergines, capsicums and peaches
• they love pizzas
• they love fresh bread and often feel it thoroughly in the supermarket to make sure it is fresh
• sea food is really good if you get it fresh, but when they offer you a plate for fresh fish to chose from, look at the eyes and choose carefully, some are not as fresh as others
• the little family local stores that are not part of a chain are often have a deli and are often better than the supermarkets for fresh fruit, dried meat cut and bread and they have all sorts of items you might need that we would not normally associate with such as store e.g. gas bottles and fittings etc

Recylcing, Rubbish and Sewerage

• supermarkets only sell self composting bags or re-useable carry bags
• households have a system of 5 rubbish bins: paper/cardboard, glass, plastic, compostable and finally unsorted(the rest). In the compostable bin you need to put your scraps in compostable bags(only) before they go in the bin and you can buy these from the supermarket. They collected on different days of the week and are all small bins – very efficient
• The bad side is that around the marina the users are not as fastidious and there is always too much rubbish and not collected often enough – results in hot smelly garbage wafting around the area. “Eau di summer”
• The other side that has still not been fixed is the smell of sewerage in some places – old town.
• Marina do Ragusa is luck as there is a huge amount of artesian water that flows into the sea here so despite being so arid there is a fairly steady supply. The sea even feels cold around the beach where is comes out and there is a big outlet in the marina that washes the marina out continuously.

Street Cleaning

• these come through every night and sweep the streets – often with a person on the side walk as well
• but they never pull out any of the weeds which is a great pity as it detracts from the clean streets

Cars

• most are small to get through all the little streets and alleyways, some are very small

Gardens and Public Planting

• very few houses / apartment blocks have good gardens. Mostly just a few plants growing out of bare soil.
• the most common plants in Marina di Ragusa are a mixture of local such as Oleanders and many Fijian red Hibiscus and NZ Pohutukawa  – surprisingly .
• some motorways have Oleanders in the centre strips in colours of white, pink, red and make a very colourful display as you are driving down them
• 

 Heat and siestas and eating

• Everyone still has an afternoon siesta and it is a great idea – too hot to do anything outside in the middle of the day
• Great to be able to eat at 1100pm unlike NZ
• Boat yard is one of the few places that works 8-5 no break.
• The beaches are packed and more volley ball nets have gone up
• 
• 

Differences

• Windmills have multiplied and are seen on every ridge and on the outskirts of lots of towns, but some very hasty days with the dust from the south.
• 
• Solar panels are on most buildings and you can buy electricity programs to suit the amount you generate – some of them are useage limited.
• There has been a lot of work done on the main roads ato be ready for an influx of tourists – the work is still going on.
• 
• Budgy smugglers and shorts are still in for the boys but the girls are now nearly all in thongs!!
• 
• Most people / nearly all are vaccinated
• Masks are everywhere and worn every time you go inside a building or public transport.
• You can get colour coordinated mask to match your dress/shirts etc
• The boat yard has really improved/ modernised and tidied with a 3D printer now as part of the equipment
• Very often the menus are in bar codes on place mats

In Summary – Summer in Marina do Ragusa seems to be going very well, full of Italians with very few overseas people, assisted by a “go local” campaign similar New Zealand which will make up for a long hard lockdown last year.Everyone is hoping there will be no major change – unlike other parts of Europe.

Note: I will add to this page with photos as items pop up.

Departed at 1815L motored most of the way to Syracusa with little to see. Best was sunset passing the Straits of Messina with Etna in the background.

Sunset over Messina Straits and Mt Etna

Arrived Syracuse about 35 hours later at 0615L and anchored then fell asleep for several hours.

Di and Pete went into town to explore while Hew and I went off to get the Costitutio. For a change the office was tidy and organised and only took an hour during which I had to handwrite a crew arrival list which I had already typed out with identical information but not an identical form …..

Then we went back to the boat to sort out a few jobs. All met up and went for a la passeggiata (the evening stroll around town) and then dinner. Lovely evening and a great change from the day we were here last year which was cold and windy. But weather is definitely getting cooler.

Hew feeling cold and colourful

Lovely old buildings that we walked past and we also wandered up the canal in the dingy to look around.

The Paintings on the roof in every room tell a story

Next morning Di and Pete were dropped off to get a rental car and view Sicily before heading to Spain. The steps on the canal were filthy and close by the best hotel in Syracuse – so sad for a tourist town.

We departed for the last leg back to Marina Di Ragusa motor sailing into the wind 15-20kts for the first half then gradually declining wind for the last part.

Capo Murro di Porco

Arrived at 1730 feeling tired and salty. Entry seems even more silted up and now has buoys marking the main channel at the entrance. Cheerful welcome on the radio and parked next to an Australian yacht Katherine owners Lee and Andrew, friends of Rob and Virginia’s.

Quick tidy, early dinner and early night all jobs left for the next day.

Put the sails on Tuesday morning with the help of the new crew – hard work. The sea trial for all the new instruments was a fail as all the screens blanked – software bug…!!!. Back to the marina for an upgrade. By now it was too late to head off to Malta.

Wednesday lovely morning but lots of software and line problems and then our instrument man Pietro had to accompany his daughter to a play in the old Greek amphitheatre in Syracuse so gone for the day at lunch time. Lovely day so we decided to go out and do our own sea trial. Went for a light sail and a swim. Very pleasant and all seemed well except for already identified instrument faults. But we felt great.

Back to the marina where Christine and I tried to sort out a long-standing issue with the gennika furler while Alan and Hew tried to sort out the engine instruments and speed transducer. We succeeded but the boys had to change the connection unit for the instruments and they were still not entirely right.

Thursday dawns windy and more software programming – finally good to go by lunch time. Not as nice a day as Wednesday but more wind so set sail with overcast skies and 15kts. Sails were up and we were off, instruments all looked good and then our starboard bilge alarm went off. Much running around and floor board lifting and discovered that two minor problems- float switch was jammed by a hose and so alarms was going but not bilge pump. After much investigation it appears tp be same issue we had last year. At some stage in the yachts history some “not so bright spark” had disconnected the  fridge/freezer drains and decided they would be fine emptying into the bilges. Very difficult to fix as on the other side of the keel and behind and under the fridges. Anyway, once the bulge pump and bucket were out the water was soon gone and on we continued.Christine and Alan took the helm for most of the day while Hew and I had a nap.

Arrived at Malta around 8pm in time for sunset. Very welcoming feeling with the old fort and bangers and fire crackers going off in the evening. 4 other yachts already anchored outside the water polo club in Marsamxett harbour. As we were manoeuvring into anchoring position discovered the windlass not working- no power-we had had the same problem at MdR on the hard when we were marking the chain but had replaced a relay and thought it was all fixed……. but not so. More scrambling down hatches and behind switch boards for a temporary fix. Finally anchored and relaxed.

Friday morning was chandlery shopping for Hew and I, but another fail – it was a public holiday…. grrrr. Latest toy boats in Malta are the Eco Donuts below with the solar powered electric engines.

Alan and Christine had gone off to view the fort and old town so we retired back to the yacht for a relax and read.

By the time they got back Alan decided to cool down with a swim. Small boat in the background is for sale for USD18m.

Too late to really leave so we decided to make use of the restaurant at the yacht club which is excellent and had a lovely meal. 

Saturday we rose early and set off at 6am for Gozo the northern island to some recommended bays. Here are some photos on the way up the coast . Motored all the way as not enough wind. The only others up were the fishermen. Here are some photos of the sites along the coast. Note the graffiti on the foreshore.

Also many hotels along the foreshore and especially any beaches or good rock ledges.

Between the beaches and the low hills are many magnificent cliffs and caves

Also similarly to Sardinia and Corsica a collection of watch towers all along the coast. Many of these have their own names.

Finally we reached the northern tip of Malta and now crossed over to Gozo. We did not stop at the main town of Mgarr as we had been given some directions to continue to Dwejra Bay, so here are just some passing photos of the town and the very large Cathedral.

Again many interesting formations on the cliffs around the coast.

Dwejra Bay was so magnificant that it needed its own post.

Well after three long flights – two on Singapore and one on Ryan Air I arrived into Comiso on a beautiful clear Friday. The flight from Rome to Comiso had been great – over all the islands we had sailed through in 2018, then coming into Comiso you could see back to Licarta and all the market gardens around Comiso town

Unfortunately the weather did not last long and the afternoon turned windy and grey which continued into Saturday and Sunday. Back in Marina di Ragusa there is little activity still and it takes some time to get back into the rhythm of the town. This time we are staying in a flat near to the centre of the town so easy walk to the centre. Patisserie close by is very good.

Yacht not in the water still and Hew tired after three weeks of working on it and/or trying to get the yard to work on it !! So just hanging around for the weekend catching up on sleep. Sunday afternoon shops closed so catching up on all the paperwork.

Left early for Pozzallo to clear customs then continue to Malta. Weather very foggy less than 5 k visibility not a great way to start the first trip. Thank goodness for charts and mobile apps like Navionics.

At Pozzallo we firstly had to tie to a small private marina as we couldn’t get into the main marina. EU 70 for 2 hours. Then went to find customs – it should have been the Carabinieri but we didn’t know that. Found customs and a very officious person who “made a meal” out of the process. Four hours later we had our clearance after he had called every department in Sicily and got the Carabinieri to come over and agree he could stamp the document. Then he told us he would drop us back to inspect the boat but in fact what he wanted was to see the owners cabin and  get a photograph of himself in the salon area!!!! Unbelievable.

There are two ferrys a day at Pozzallo from Malta and little else and they have 5 departments at the port for those clearing the country or coming in – too much bureaucracy and as one person said to me “they fight over who can stamp what”. We finally got out of there and motored to Malta with very little wind. Arrived on dark anchored outside the water polo club and close to the Royal Malta Yacht Club. Great to see so many people just swimming off the rocks – all the surrounding area marked off by buoys.

The biggest surprise was that we saw a yacht we recognised. This belonged to the Irish Aussie who had sold us the catamaran.  As soon as they saw us they were across in the dingy with beers. There then followed a discussion of all the problems we had had and how they never realised any of these parts that we had fixed were faulty or failed!!!! Believe it or not!! But as the night got longer it became apparent that the story kept changing from “it never happened “, changed to “sometimes happened”, or “didn’t really matter”, or “can’t you just live with it”, or “not too bad enough to fix” or “didn’t really use it” etc etc. On the issues we had had trying to get a departure clearance from Pozzallo  – we discovered he still did not have a Costituto for his new yacht and intended to clear into Sicily through Augusta but had been told he had to go to Pozzallo to get it anyway. At this stage we decided we would probably be safer clearing into a different port on our return.

Thursday

First thing in the morning we set off to find immigration and customs. It was great to speak English or a mixture of English , Maltese, Italian and French.  After several vague answers we asked the Marina office and they sent us to the right place which we had missed by only a few meters in a previous attempt because a local had sent us somewhere else.  The Customs and Immigration (Polizia and Guardia Costiera) were two great guys who could not see why the Italians were making such a big issue out of it since we should have just been treated the same as everyone else under the Schengen agreement. Anyway, they stamped a whole heap of forms for us so the Italians would have what they needed and said we could clear on Sunday- which was when we intended to leave.

The Marina office also gave us a quote for a berth which was EU 270 per night – this was the first of many high berth prices we were to be quoted. We felt we really needed a berth to fix all the problems we still had on the boat so decided to ask the RMYC since the commodore had suggested they might have a couple we could use. They were really helpful and friendly and offered us one for EU90 which we took for two nights but then extended for a third.  The staff and the handyman who helped with the marina were all great. It was so pleasant to have helpful friendly people who actually got something done. 

Late afternoon we set off on the never-ending hunt for boat parts with some good directions and an easy trip by boat. Surprise, surprise we found a whole boating and yachting area filled with every type of boat shop you could wish for.  This was heaven after Sicily and we ended up buying 3 salt water pumps (2 for the fridges and one for the deck wash) and a muffler – even though we had ordered them in MdR for our return. We decided while we could get spares we would as there was no guarantee the parts would be in MdR when we got back. We were very wary after the last two months.

Malta was also interesting in that they kept a normal English day as in 0900 to 1700 so after Sicily and the siesta period we had to readjust our operating times!!

Friday

Hew went to talk to the Nanni agents about the salt water pump on the port engine which was not operating correctly and the agent agreed to fix it then, while Hew was there. Very informative and helpful person. Seems that Mata does understand that now means now – not next week or next month. Hew spent all day working on the boat and putting the pumps in.  Valletta town has all sorts of festas. They say there is one for every day of the week and they all have to have fireworks( pretty lights and very noisy ones with no lights) . This racket goes on every day and it is apparently above international recommended noise levels . There is a saying that there is 3t65 churches in Malta so there is a festa every day and sometimes they all have them at once so they compete to make the most noise. Houses are decorated and streets shut.  

Saturday: More work on the yacht. We were also invited for a prize giving at the yacht club for the Marina di Ragusa – Valletta race and so went along. I was amazed only four boats took part but there were prizes for every person on every boat. Very generous sponsor who happened to to own a large family chandlery.

Sunday:  Decided to cycle around the town. Went up to the old fortified town of Valletta – very interesting. Huge amount of military history and great museum. You can see both harbours and the whole town from on top of the fort. Amazing view. Under the Order of Saint Johns who ruled there for many years the crusaders were really just pirates(bucaneers). A very colourful and interesting history.

We returned by 1500 and I went back to clear customs – no one was there, even though we had been told they would be. So  we would have to leave the next day.

Hew working on the boat again and had been out to see the sponsor for the yacht race to source some more parts.

Monday :

More pumps – this time the high pressure water maker pump – either a fix or a new one  but at the time hew went to get it fixed or buy a new one he had also organized the refrigeration engineer to come and look at the big fridges art 1100.

Meanwhile I went to immigration and customs but had to come back as one of the guys was off on holiday – his partner was surprised that he hadn’t been there on Sunday for me. He then kindly offered to give me a lift into the main office at the commercial port on the other harbour at 11. So the fridge man was left on the boat muttering that they were all right and H<Ew hadnt returned.!!!

I returned to customs and was duly given a lift over to the main customs and immigration building and all docs were signed and we were given 24 hours to leave.  They also told me that effectively ships masters and crews could stay in the EU for years as long as they were living on the boats they crewed.  The official was very interesting as his hobby was World War II motorcycles and Land Drovers and knew a lot of the history of the area.

When both Hew and I got back to the boat we decided to vacate the marina and anchor for the night then leave early in the  morning so we could make the trip in one day on Tuesday. Since we were doing that we took the boat out for a sea trial and to swing the wind vane and the compass which had not been reading correctly on the way over. We returned and anchored in the same place as we had on the first night all packed up to leave early.

Tuesday

We headed to Licata to avoid Pozzallo. the trip was longer but we thought there was  less likely to be hassles for the Costituto. The trip took all day and was mostly motoring due to lack of wind. About an hour out we were wending our way through trawlers and fish farms and the wind was slowly getting up so we decided to roll out the gennaker. In the middle of the process the steering failed – (one of the few systems we had not checked) – the yacht did a 90 degree turn to the left, the gennaker on the way out lost pressure and the reefing line tangled around the drum. I initially thought we had caught something a net or line but no the autopilot had let go since the pressure on the steering was too high. Dropped the gennaker as couldn’t roll it in or out and manually steered slowly into the port at Licata – Marina di Cala Del Sole. Thank goodness we had some left.

We arrived and  tied up outside the Marina office with the help of a french couple along side and two marina staff.  Hew went off to the chandlery (again) to get some hydraulic fluid and I went off to the marina office for the paperwork. After paying the cost to stay I asked about the Costituto and they were really helpful and called the customs(Guardia Costiera) for us and they agreed to see us that night since we wanted to leave early in the morning. Brilliant. Very good and helpful officials.

The  marina was not very full but very nice surrounds and we had a drink at the marina bar which had a  nice wine and a really nice free antipasto plate. We then ate  at the pizzeria next door. Meet one of the local English sailors who over-winters and he was really positive about the area and marina so had a good chat. Interestingly it is a working fishing village and not really a tourist village so a very different feel to Marina di Ragusa.

[See image gallery at kiwiflyingfish.com]

Tuesday: Wednesday: Thursday: Snails Pace

The engines were finally serviced on Tuesday, and process inched along Wednesday and Thursday with the hull was slowly getting finally finished between too much sun and too much wind. We washed the boat down and stocked up hoping for Thursday afternoon but no such luck.

Friday: Frustration

No sign of the sail makers again despite several promises of sails. Finally they said no go before the weekend as a big weekend and too much to do!!!

Lunch time came and went as a Friday lunch became a party – barbecued Tuna, and shrimps and Prosecco. We were invited and really enjoyed the food but work was non existent for several hours. Seems like we are now part of the scenery – I am not sure this is a good idea!!

Put the yacht in the water late Friday (much too late).

Great relief to finally be in the water but…. firstly the water pump on the port engine would not get going.

Got towed around the corner from the drop in point and tied to the yard dock. Not a quick fix and any hope of leaving first thing in the morning for a short cruise around in the weekend was looking dim. 

About 2000 they gave up and said they would fix it first thing Monday. Hew and I were resigned to having dinner on the boat in the yard but at least in the water. Had a shower and then the grey water pump alarm went off – not pumping out properly . Up go the floor boards again and the alternative manual pump was used. Had dinner and went to bed felling exhausted. 2230 the bilge pump alarms went off. Up go the floor boards again. The boat was leaking from the transducers in the port hull under the forward cabin floors – change from plug to a transducer seemed to decrease the leak but not entirely. Checked all the bilges and the aft port had a slow leak around the stern gland – so some quick engine run and flexing of the rudder seemed to stem the flow. Similarly the starboard stern gland was also leaking but much worse, same treatment and the leaks decreased. Also slight leak from the aft starboard cabin and around the fridges. All these multitude of slow leaks made for a restless night. The boat had just been on the hard too long!

Saturday: no work

All the problems discussed with the boat builder and the yard manager. No sign of any action as everyone was involved in the regatta in some way. We gave up trying to get anything done and used the RIB to tow two of the staff out to the race course and watched for a while . Flat calm and at 3.30 finally a 5kt breeze, but faded shortly after and towed them back to the marina. Took out the Yard Sales Manager as well to watch the process.

Sunday: Sailing another yacht

Invited to go sailing with the crew we towed out the day before. Luckily on a slightly bigger boat . Finally got some wind about 1500 and managed to get around a shortened course but did not cross the finish line. Hew and I thought we were doing 1 loop with the finish after the mark – as apparently did quite a few others but finish was just before the mark!! Second race good start for the little boat and we finished the second leg. Went to prize giving in the local bar with the boys and found we had got second prize in Division B  which they insisted we keep for the yacht!!!!  To top it off we meet the Commodore and his wife from the Royal Malta Yacht Club and got invited to drop in if we went to Malta which we told them we had planned for Monday!!

Monday: We waved goodbye to the Malta boats as they had a race in the morning back to Malta – wishing we were with them. Sailmakers who were supposed to turn up first thing in the morning arrived at 1600 without the new main halyard, or the spinnaker, or various other pieces. Took 2 hours to rig up the main and some mouse lines for new reefing slots,  and they  said would be back at 1200 Tuesday!! The yard meanwhile was busy working firstly on the port engine, then discovered the generator was leaking badly – not a small leak they had thought and they had to order a new muffler. Next we found that the large fridge/freezer saltwater pumps were not going so we had to order 3 more salt water pumps.

Tuesday : Sailmakers finally arrived in the morning with the new halyard and reefing lines. By the time they finished it was after lunch so we decided it was best to leave until the next morning. Even though we had many items unfinished it was pointless waiting in MdR for parts to arrive and we may as well get our other problem sorted out – the Costituto – which meant we had to go to Pozzallo to leave Sicily and then to Malta and back. A major sea trial.

Tuesday: Rain, lightening and thunder and the same Wednesday but cleared in the afternoon.

Wednesday: I took the rental car back to Catania airport (2 hours away) and then caught the buses back. Really regretted not having my car here to run on these speed unlimited roads!!!!

Hew meantime had been given an account(by the boat yard) for all the work and was told we could not go in the water until it was paid . Problem is none of the jobs have been finished either, and at the current rate will not be done by Friday.  Some discussion ensured about the amount of work done, or lack of it, followed by some reduction accordingly.  Hew was given a long history of the yard and the mess they are currently in. No money to do anything , no overtime or their own maintenance, due to the dire financial problems they have. They are  currently being run by the bank who is trying to sell the marina and boatyard but will have to keep some shares as no one will pay what is owed to them.

TV on the boat is now working , but the TV which is retractable was  stuck in the up position for two days then suddenly decided tit could retract again????!

The RIB motor is also operating after changing out all the old petrol. We went out for a quick swim at the end of the day – you guessed it -it was only me swimming and I almost didn’t as the water seemed full of jelly fish – not little ones but two huge varieties. One was all browny green, not pretty and the other white with a purple/blue stripe both the same size. Here is a photo of the Rhizostoma pulmo (SCYPHOZOA) Common name: Barrel jellyfish Umbrella diameter: up to 40 cm. The photo is copyright of OCEANA Juan Cuetos. The mediterranean has an apparent problem of too many jelly fish as they have expanded to fill the gap left by overfishing. It will be interesting to see how they are on the rest of our travels as we didn’t see much sign of jelly fish last year when sailing in Greece.

Thursday:  Bow thruster is now in but they have found a relay is not working – no spares here so ordered and delivery expected next week.  Engine  maintenance not complete – promise for Friday. Gel coat done. One lot of antifoul done. Inside port aft divider under floor fixed  – it was floating separate from the hull.

Friday : Apart from out problems one of the big charter yachts hit the ground hard and has broken the keelson so all hands were dragged out to help them. I didn’t get a look inside but Hew saw some photos and a huge amount of damage to the floor and furnishings and yet you cant see anything on the outside. Surprise  surprise everyone worked in the weekend.

Our boat was lifted to shift props and enable those parts to be gel coated and antifouled. One coat of  antifoul was finished and some patches on the hulls above the water line completed. We shifted out of the accommodation and onto the boat- on the hard still. Plugged in the shore power but that for some reason does not seem to work – no 220v power for the weekend – grrrrrr

Saturday: Second antifoul coat was completed and the tape for the water line added. I have sorted out all the sheets and ropes but we have little idea of how the boat was rigged  and lots of the fittings that are here have been broken, bent or cracked and so have had to be thrown out. I am not sure why they were ever kept????

Sunday: Hew and I had a big clean up of the yacht, put most things that have been laying around the cockpit away. Tied down both spare anchors and stowed all the spares under the floor boards up in the port forward area. It now looks like a boat and not a boys  shed.

I took a couple of hours out and went to the beach – very hot and crowded – then on into town to get a data card and when I got back we got our onboard wifi operational. We now have a network on board and contact with the outside world. 

Since the car has gone the bicycles are really getting a hammering – well worth the purchase and I am not sure what we would have done without them.  Interestingly the saddle bags being so low it means you hardly notice them, except for the weight when they are both full.

Sunday was a lovely evening and we had first dinner on the aft deck under candle light (unfortunately no table cloth). 

In summary we are inching towards getting afloat but deadline has shifted again. It is great to be aboard but it would be much better if we were afloat.