36:43.99N 15:07.24E

There’s definitely a power play going on now there’s only two of us on the boat. After all when the skipper is asleep someone has to helm the boat. She who’s in charge of everything has suddenly decided that sailing the boat isn’t so difficult after all and now there’s no stopping her. So along with planning and organising all the provisions,  keeping on top of the laundry, cooking the meals, cleaning, navigating, preparing mooring warps and fenders, laying and recovering anchors, identifying stars, checking weather reports and going up the mast – she’s now trimming the sails, setting the course and using the engine to best advantage! Every time I come back on watch the sail plan has been changed, we’re heading in a different direction if that gets the best out of the wind and the motor is either on or off depending on what’s required. Phenomenal! She’s come a long way from getting her competent crew certificate back in Scotland in August 2003. At this rate the skipper will soon be relegated to scraping the barnacles off the bottom of the hull and changing the engine oil.

So it’s a relief to know that there’s still the odd occasion when a bit more experience is helpful.

We were running along the notorious South coast of Sicily which has lots of shallow water which gets very rough whenever the wind gets up. While the skipper was asleep one night she who’s in charge of everything successfully avoided both the Adventure Bank and the Terrible Bank – two of the more treacherous areas off that coast. Next day we were both looking at the latest weather report which said – “sea area Melita - force 5 locally 6 soon 6 locally 7in the north”. We of course were in the north of the area. The sea was getting bigger by the minute and we’d just finished dinner. It was getting dark. Pat was getting a little agitated at this weather news but bravely faced her demons and volunteered to do the first watch before the sea got too big. Skipper went to bed. The sea was messy and the boat was uncomfortable. Just before midnight Pat yelled “I can’t find two buoys marked on the chart – help – I don’t want to run into them. They’re called nautiphones and they’re round here somewhere”.

Skipper came on deck. It was like daylight – we were about half a mile from an oil rig which was lit up like Harrod’s at Christmas, complete with flare stack burning merrily. It was enormous and towering above us. About a mile further on there was an even bigger rig which was where crew arrived by helicopter before being transferred across to the production rig. All the stars had disappeared because of the intense light pollution.

Skipper went below and drilled down on the electronic chart to see how to identify these elusive buoys. All became suddenly clear. A quick look at the rigs confirmed all. “I don’t think you need to worry about missing the buoys” said skipper. “Can you see those tiny flashing lights amongst all the other lights on the rigs. They’re flashing morse code letter U. The rigs are the two buoys you’re looking for. They’re probably the two biggest buoys you’re ever likely to see!” Pat went to bed exhausted after a demanding and frightening shift but relieved that all was ok and we had a good laugh about the elusive buoys the next day.

Skipper had learned morse code when he first did his yachtmaster theory 35 years ago! Sometimes you can’t beat experience. Perhaps there’s still a space for the skipper on this boat after all.

In the morning we rounded the south east corner of Sicily and checked into Marzamemi marina. Gales and thunderstorms were forecast so we were playing the waiting game again before the 3 day passage across the Ionian to Greece. But we’d beaten the south coast of Sicily thanks mainly to she who’s in charge of everything.