Envoy is currently in Gouvia Marina, Corfu as a storm is due to pass over the area.
Our last post describes the Aeolian Islands – here is a map showing them
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Our friends Doug and Mary were keen to visit Taormina, so we decided to leave Envoy in the Marina di Portorosa on Sicily’s north-east coast and travel there by car. This marina is particularly expensive at 135 Euros (NZ$211) per night, but there’s not much alternative offering good shelter in this area. Sadly the once grand marina complex is poorly maintained as evidenced by faded paint, plaster falling off buildings, pot-holed roads and vacant shops in the arcade. The marina is built around a canal system with many quality houses fronting the canals.
The sheltered Portorosa Marina is built around canals
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I was on the quayside alongside Envoy’s passarelle when the paving stone I was standing on collapsed underneath me giving my left foot some nasty cuts and bruises. Fortunately nothing was broken but my foot was still sore two weeks later. This seems to be a regular occurrence as we notice many of the paving stones have been replaced.
From the marina we drove by rental car to stay one night in Taormina – a great town already mentioned in previous blogs.
Doug and Mary were flying out of Palermo the same day as Diane’s sister, Sharron, and her husband, Doug, were flying in, so we drove to Palermo and stayed one night there, enjoying a great night out with Doug and Mary on their last night, and then collected Sharron and Doug.
Back at Marina di Portorosa we had a rapidly rising north-west wind and approaching rain – not the greatest welcome for our new family guests. Sharron was also still recovering from a broken kneecap and it was with some difficulty she managed to walk across our passarelle and climb down into Envoy’s cockpit. The wind caused a surge to build up in the harbour and even with additional spring lines deployed Envoy moved backwards and forwards in her berth, making for a slightly uncomfortable night. The seas outside the marina had built up to nearly two metres, breaking across the three to four metre deep harbour entrance and making departure impossible for the next few days, so once again we hired a rental car for some touring inland and to the nearby coastal town of Milazzo. Spending so much time aboard we enjoy occasionally getting away from the sea, boats and marinas into the mountains.
Mountain village of Nuvarra
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Three days later conditions looked okay to depart so we left our berth and refueled at the diesel pumps for just the second time this year, taking on 800 litres. However the attendant warned us against leaving so we deferred to local knowledge and spent a further night in the marina. I could imagine deciding to leave regardless of local advice, having some type of accident – “I told you so!” The next day the seas calmed to less than half a metre and we set off early for a 70 mile cruise through the Strait of Messina to Taormina.
Map of Strait of Messina
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Because the Strait is only about a mile wide at its northern end and often has considerable traffic you’re required to call “Messina VST” before entering the Strait and provide your vessel details and destination. It was quiet for us though, and we only saw one huge container ship and about six ferries.
We had to alter course to stay clear of this huge container ship
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Conditions were calm but the Strait has swirling currents making an extra sharp watch essential. Historically the Strait had huge whirlpools and the largest, known as Charybdis, was dangerous to ships. An earthquake in 1783 altered the sea bottom and the whirlpools are no longer dangerous except to very small boats. Arriving back at Taormina completed our 15 week circumnavigation of Sicily.
Map of Sicily’s east coast shows many of the places we've mentioned
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TECHNICAL – During our cruise to Taormina the Robertson autopilot’s motor failed. Fortunately we have two autopilots so simply switched to the Simrad unit until we can get the other repaired, probably in Corfu. The led display on my portable infra-red thermometer has also failed and will need to be replaced. I use this for monitoring operating temperatures of pumps, alternators etc.
Ditto our Radio Shack wireless thermometer enabling us to check the outside temperature from the pilothouse. Home in New Zealand you’d be able to replace these easily, but not so here.
ENVOY LOG – as at 5/9/14 we’d spent 150 days aboard and cruised 1,376 miles for 250 engine hours.
Our last post describes the Aeolian Islands – here is a map showing them
Our friends Doug and Mary were keen to visit Taormina, so we decided to leave Envoy in the Marina di Portorosa on Sicily’s north-east coast and travel there by car. This marina is particularly expensive at 135 Euros (NZ$211) per night, but there’s not much alternative offering good shelter in this area. Sadly the once grand marina complex is poorly maintained as evidenced by faded paint, plaster falling off buildings, pot-holed roads and vacant shops in the arcade. The marina is built around a canal system with many quality houses fronting the canals.
The sheltered Portorosa Marina is built around canals
I was on the quayside alongside Envoy’s passarelle when the paving stone I was standing on collapsed underneath me giving my left foot some nasty cuts and bruises. Fortunately nothing was broken but my foot was still sore two weeks later. This seems to be a regular occurrence as we notice many of the paving stones have been replaced.
From the marina we drove by rental car to stay one night in Taormina – a great town already mentioned in previous blogs.
Doug and Mary were flying out of Palermo the same day as Diane’s sister, Sharron, and her husband, Doug, were flying in, so we drove to Palermo and stayed one night there, enjoying a great night out with Doug and Mary on their last night, and then collected Sharron and Doug.
Back at Marina di Portorosa we had a rapidly rising north-west wind and approaching rain – not the greatest welcome for our new family guests. Sharron was also still recovering from a broken kneecap and it was with some difficulty she managed to walk across our passarelle and climb down into Envoy’s cockpit. The wind caused a surge to build up in the harbour and even with additional spring lines deployed Envoy moved backwards and forwards in her berth, making for a slightly uncomfortable night. The seas outside the marina had built up to nearly two metres, breaking across the three to four metre deep harbour entrance and making departure impossible for the next few days, so once again we hired a rental car for some touring inland and to the nearby coastal town of Milazzo. Spending so much time aboard we enjoy occasionally getting away from the sea, boats and marinas into the mountains.
Mountain village of Nuvarra
Three days later conditions looked okay to depart so we left our berth and refueled at the diesel pumps for just the second time this year, taking on 800 litres. However the attendant warned us against leaving so we deferred to local knowledge and spent a further night in the marina. I could imagine deciding to leave regardless of local advice, having some type of accident – “I told you so!” The next day the seas calmed to less than half a metre and we set off early for a 70 mile cruise through the Strait of Messina to Taormina.
Map of Strait of Messina
Because the Strait is only about a mile wide at its northern end and often has considerable traffic you’re required to call “Messina VST” before entering the Strait and provide your vessel details and destination. It was quiet for us though, and we only saw one huge container ship and about six ferries.
We had to alter course to stay clear of this huge container ship
Conditions were calm but the Strait has swirling currents making an extra sharp watch essential. Historically the Strait had huge whirlpools and the largest, known as Charybdis, was dangerous to ships. An earthquake in 1783 altered the sea bottom and the whirlpools are no longer dangerous except to very small boats. Arriving back at Taormina completed our 15 week circumnavigation of Sicily.
Map of Sicily’s east coast shows many of the places we've mentioned
TECHNICAL – During our cruise to Taormina the Robertson autopilot’s motor failed. Fortunately we have two autopilots so simply switched to the Simrad unit until we can get the other repaired, probably in Corfu. The led display on my portable infra-red thermometer has also failed and will need to be replaced. I use this for monitoring operating temperatures of pumps, alternators etc.
Ditto our Radio Shack wireless thermometer enabling us to check the outside temperature from the pilothouse. Home in New Zealand you’d be able to replace these easily, but not so here.
ENVOY LOG – as at 5/9/14 we’d spent 150 days aboard and cruised 1,376 miles for 250 engine hours.
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