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KW22 2001

03.06. - 09.06.2001

We're traveling all night, but unfortunately our progress is rather slow. The wind is not in our favor. Heading straight towards us again, and that means: motor-cruising!
As if that is not enough, we also encountered nasty waves and heavy seas. And that all night long.
In italian waters we are greeted by a school of playful dolphins and we spot more all the time.
We can't travel according to our planed route. Due to the adverse conditions of last night our progress was slow and the weatherforecast announces winds of 30-40 knots on the coast and up to 60 knots on open sea for the coming night.
So we dock in Mola di Bari in the afternoon.
A jetty, a fishing harbor, the place where we want to wait until the worst is over.
After only 4 1/2 hours of sleep this night also comes to an abrupt end.
The announced 40 knots and heavy seas throw us out of our bunks.
That goes on until 8 am and then even our anchor can't withstand those forces any longer and slipps.
We bring ourselves back into position and anchor again.
Using the motor to relieve the anchor from a little tension we juggle around a lot - an that until 3 pm.
This has been going on for 12 hours now and no end in sight.
Only after midnight do we drop anchor again for the last time and then we can f i n a l l y go back to sleep.

It is Tuesday morning and at 8 am we weigh anchor and leave Mola di Bari - and again we've got a long way to go.
Once again travelling throughout the night we set course for St. Maria de Leuca. 118 nm.
On the way we meet this and that: lost in a dream, a lonely moonfish glides past us. A fish that is rarely seen, even though it occurs worldwide.
Shortly after that we get a visitor from above. The Guarda di Finanza (italian revenue office) is hovering over us in their helicopter. They inspect us closely and in such a way that Tom gets showered with seawater thrown up by the rotor blade turbulences.
But the best thing: we're sailing!
In fine weather with great wind we sail through the whole day and the whole night. Along the Gulf of Taranto we sail over waters-depths of up to 2300 m. Under a full moon through the Strait of Otranto and in the morning we see the sun rise over the albanian mountains.
On the way we met Fishing boats, huge freighters, ferries and , not to be forgotten, the brightly lit dance boats, the cruise ships.

We put in the harbour of St. Marina de Leuca on Wednesday morning and docked.
St. Marina de Leuca is, so to say, the heel of the italian boot and also the border between the Adriatic and Ionic sea.
After clearing we first enjoy a long breakfast.
Then a little sleeping and cleaning up, and SILVER BLUE also is in desperate need of a shower.
After a good italian wood-fire pizza we get into our bunks early, so that we're fit for our next leg.

Thursday morning at exactly 9 am we cast of and are on our way to Taormina / Sicily. And again we are planning on travelling all night and the whole next day.
In the meantime we worked a little on our crew shift-plan, which was necessary and is very important on such legs. Now we take turns being on guard fairly regularly.
Today we also have nice weather and good wind, except for a few hours. We sailed for 11 hours and with the genaker we, at times, did up to 8 knots. Not bad, is it?
But in the evening the wind unfortunately fails us. So we have no choice but to use the diesel-foresail and we motor-cruise through the night.
Even though the moon rose rather late its shine still guided us through the night. 5.15 am and we're setting the foresail and mainsail with a reff. Hooraay! Turn off the engine. For three hours we can sail nicely then it's over again. Now and again we can set sail for one or two hours, but nothing steady.
In the afternoon, the wind and waves come directly towards us, so strong that we have to change our route to prevent having to go against them all the time. In the meantime we planned a new route. We're not heading for Toarmina any more, we wouldn't get there before 2-3 am.
Unfortunately there are relatively few harbors along the coast, not to mention bays. So we decide to continue travelling.
By 10.35 pm it's pitch black. Then the moon rises over the horizon, in a deep red, like a ball of fire.
Travelling at night means: be alert, keep your eyes open. The huge freighters and ferries cruising along, tend to get closer very quickly. Of course, radar helps a lot, but you need to keep an eye on those giants, or as we call them by now "fat barrels", and avoid them and give way.
Along the eastern coast of Calabria we sail around Capo Spartivento and Capo dell'Armi and directly into the Straight of Messina. Friday, midnight, our course 305°, entering the Straight of Messina.
Ashore ... seas of light!! Very beautiful to look at, but it makes seeing those "fat barrels" much more difficult, especially to determine what course they're on. Thanks for radar!
And now, changing of guard, Tom's got the next shift.

Around 2.30 am a red glow surrounds the mountains in the Southwest. But that isn't a "normal" light, no, that is the vulcano Aetna. With binoculars we can see clearly how the reddish orange columns of smoke rise from the crater. For almost 3 hours we keep on watching this fascinating natural phenomenon and it seems that the sea of red lava surrounding the crater is expanding. The air is filled with smoke, but only on looking back you can see how much smoke is actually lying on the water and over the island.
We're in the middle of the Straight of Messina and that really means: be on guard. There's a lot of traffic, especially ferry boats. Amazing!
On top of that, the existing current stopped and now we're going against the current - we have to do a lot of navigating.
Weaving through the ferries we hold our course nicely, leaving Messina behind us and we're already in the Tyrrenian Sea. Sailing past dozens of little fishing boats and large freighters, waiting for a pilot to guide them through. We set course to Tindari.
But that's another 30 nm away, meaning that we'll probably arrive there in the early afternoon.

On our way to Tindari we sight something special.
Swordfish-fishers, or rather swordfish-hunters!
In June the swordfish wanders from North to West through the Straight of Messina, therefore you can see those fishers in their special boats off the coast of Sicily.
The way this fish is caught is unique. It is said, that the swordfish sleeps during the day and floats almost motionless just below the water surface, so that the boats can approach almost unnoticed, until the fish can be harpooned.
The fishers set out in motorized boats with extremely high masts carrying a kind of basket, in which up to three people can stand and look out for the fish.

The boats bow is almost longer than its hull. This is where the harpoonist stands with his almost 3m long harpoons. As soon as the outlook spots a swordfish the hunt is on, and nothing else matters. The man at the wheel won't even be distracted by large freighters, he'll only have eyes for the fish.

We have one more cape to surround, then we'll be heading straight towards Tindari.
Tindari has a beautiful, quiet bay with a sand beach and is relatively protected.
Just the right place for us to take a little break.
Tindari is a very famous place of pilgrimmage, with a monastery standing on the cliffs right above the bay. Pilgrims come here from all over Sicily, since the monastery holds the miraculous shrine of the "Black Madonna".
Arriving in Tindari on Saturday, 1.30 pm, the anchor chains drop to the bottom of the sea.
Anchored - and that's it for today and for this week.

We end the day with a delicious meal. Tunafish with potatoes and carrots, spiced with salt, pepper, herbs of the Provence and olive oil, is popped into the oven for 30 minutes at 200°C. Jummy, jummy, jummy!
Ok, that was a little culinary insight for you from our on-board kitchen!

Imagine all, that this new week has brought us ... see you again in a week: same time, same place! So long.