Sardinia to Sicily 37:47.23N 012:26.49E
Tioram 4
Tina & Tony
Fri 22 Oct 2010 20:40
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Sardinia to Sicily.
A small window of opportunity came in the weather, so
on 5th Oct ,09.20hrs we slipped our warps from the marina in Cagliari and
motored into the Golfo di Cagliari. The sea state was not great after the strong
winds had passed through so we had a moderate swell, some mist and dreaded
drizzle--- just enough to keep us wet !
We set a course for Sicily and began motor sailing into a
10 knot true headwind.
The wind increased as the day progressed and veered
(clockwise) to allow us to turn off the engine at 1300 hrs and to
sail in 17 knots true.
On the afternoon we had two visits from dolphins as we
sailed along but by 1900hrs, the wind dropped to 6 knots.t. and we were
motor sailing again (engine plus large main sail).
Incredibly we saw a mountain range on Sardinia for up
60 miles out--- not possible we hear you say--- normally only 30 miles at sea.
However, it was a distinct double headed ridge which we had seen from the
beginning of the trip and despite all the cloud formations changing, the ridge
in the same location stayed constant until we lost sight of it in the
sunset.
The wind deceased overnight with cloud cover, moonless and
hey ho---slight rain.
During the night we had 2 AIS contacts (tankers)
which passed by safely. The AIS is a great piece of kit---Advanced
Identification System. It works by picking up a VHF radio signal transmitted
from ships and yachts and works with GPS to give us the position of
ships in relation to us, their heading, speed of approach, size, type of
vessel, destination, name and more importantly their CPA or closest point
of approach---- in other words--- just how close they will pass to
us.
Generally 600ft--1000ft tankers adjust their course when
they pick us up on radar but occasionally we have to radio them to make sure
they have seen us. The AIS allows us to radio ships by name without the usual
----'ship at position ----- we are yacht at position ahead or to port or a
heading/ bearing ---- etc etc' You can imagine that having large
tankers steaming onto you at speed when you are sailing can be a little
unnerving. Thankfully the AIS plus radar cuts out a lot of anxiety.
So on that basis you can imagine how a French gentleman
must have felt on the same night crossing obviously facing a large tanker.
We heard a conversation which went a little like this--------- ' I y-am calling
the vessel ahead of me---- do you see me ?' pause------------ I am the leetle
sa-iling boat, you see me??-------------pause----- I y-am the LEETLE,
LEETLE sailing boat---- you SEE ME ????
Neither vessel showed on our 24 mile radar so we were
unable to see how close they got------ a few moments later we heard an Asian
sounding voice ---'ok , ok I see you, no problem.
We hope the Frenchman had an easier watch from then on
till day break.
By 05.30 hrs on 6th we were still motor sailing into a 13
knot t headwind but with a decreasing sea state. On two different occasions in
the early hours both Tony and I smelt the strong and distinct scent of
sand and spice-- the wind direction was coming straight from
Tunisia.
We called 'Land ho' at 10.36 hrs, still motor sailing,
passing a group of pilot whales gathered on the surface as we neared the Island
of Marettino, a small island of three situated off the West coast of Sicily. We
didn't even know they were there until we checked the charts for the
passage. They looked impressive and worth a visit in the future.
By 17.00hrs we moored in the marina at Marsala in Sicily.
The guys from the old and new marina's called to us to use their marina,
obviously needing the business out of season. We chose the four month old
new marina and moored to the dock. There started the negotiations for the
nightly price. The port area and surrounding decaying buildings felt very like
Tunisia.
Marsala is one of the closest points on Sicily to Tunisia.
The Sicilian marina guy whisked us off in his car to go to the 'office'.
We drove through derelict buildings and warehouses, the area had shades of
'Beirut'-- and thoughts of 'just where are we going', passed through our
minds.........
We arrived at a boat workshop, negotiated our nightly fee
to less than half the original quote, had a friendly chat followed by a
gift of 6 bottles of Sicilian wine and were then driven back to the
marina----phew.
In fact, despite the run down port area with its 'bombed'
feel, the town of Marsala is a delight. We found an old square, cathedral,
coffee cafes and a great restaurant for lunch were we ate delicious home cooked
Sicilian food. The owner took great pleasure in describing the local dishes of
cous cous with fish and marinated/ slow cooked vegetables. His wife is the
chef, a family affair and a real inexpensive treat.
We also found great shops for bread and fruit
and veg. The Sicilians take such pleasure and pride in their food as Italians
do. The grocer wanted us to try the fruit before buying and we had to kindly say
no thank you to the stream of different fruits presented to us---prickly pears
etc.
The thing we most enjoyed about Marsala was the people who
were helpful and had time for us. It is a place off the tourist radar and whilst
very small was nice for a short visit.
We stayed for two nights and then made a dash along the
coast to Sciacca---- a short trip of 37 miles between two weather
systems to shorten the distance to Malta.
Photographs--
Marsala Town
'Fruit and Veg', Sicilian style.
Love to all
Tina and Tony x x
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