Mahon, Menorca to Preveza, Greece.

 Our trip would take us to marinas and anchorages in Northern Sardinia, Northern Sicily and southern Italy and Western Greece.

Mahon Harbour

We left Isla del Rei, Menorca on Friday 26^th June, after Jeremy had been up the mast and replaced our wind instrument with the new one we’d had on board since buying it in Chichester Harbour. It was hot work in the calm of the morning. We didn’t feel we had to rush to start our journey as we were going to be at sea for two nights. We motored out of Mahon Harbour and anchored for lunch at nearby Cala S’Arenal Gran. Consequently, it was 1530 when we weighed anchor in light winds and began our journey.

We motored. Soon the wind headed us. The moon rose early and was visible before the sun sank in the west at 2100. There were very annoying noises coming from the starboard side of the cockpit. The rattle made sleeping in the stern cabin difficult. Neither of us could identify where the noise came from. It was possible to motorsail for a few hours with the mainsail and genoa flying.

 

Marina Castelsardo

At our change of watch at midnight, we were fascinated by the full moon making sparkling patterns on the sea like bright fairy lights switching on and off. Neither of us had seen this phenomenon before. It lasted for about an hour.

 

The anchorage at Baia Reporata

At first light Jeremy steered us through the Fornelli Passage on the west coast of Sardinia, where the least depths were 3 metres between rocky islets. Then I was on my own to cross the fairly quiet Torres Bay. There were a few ships going into Porta Torres, all a fair distance away – nothing to worry about, I thought. I was wrong. One of the ships was a ferry called Sara D moving at 13.2 knots and on a collision course with my port side. I had a sail flying. I was a sailing vessel. Surely, the ferry would go round my stern. I called Sara D on VHF 16 to tell them I was off their starboard bow and very close. My AIS (Automatic Identification System) gave two minutes to collision. I didn’t have time to call Jeremy up from his bed. Although, Sara D did not respond to my call, she steered hard to starboard and cleared my stern. It was a terrifying moment knowing we had only two minutes before being wiped out!

 

The beach at Baia Reporata

Two hours later we tied to the fuel berth at Marina Castelsardo and filled up with diesel. We were allocated a berth and tied up bows to a pontoon. A member of staff helped us in. The marina was great. It had everything on site e.g. showers, laundry, supermarket. We checked in and stayed two nights. Prices were reasonable at 35euros per night.

We looked for anchorages for our next stops as we knew prices for marinas would rise in July. Cala Spinosa on the north west corner of Sardinia looked sheltered from the north east winds, so we headed there on 30^th June. We set off in 6 knots of N-NE wind and a very gentle swell. Two hours later the swell was up to 1 metre and it was very rolly on board Sal Darago. There were lots of fishing pots to avoid. By 1400, we had 20-24 knots of NE wind and a rough sea with breaking waves. Cala Spinosa was not tenable. We rounded the headland and made our way to Baia Reporata. The swell decreased and the wind eased as we entered a bay with a beach ahead of us. Families were enjoying the sheltered beach, totally oblivious to the horrible conditions round the corner. We anchored as close as possible to the buoyed swimming area. Later, we were joined by two other yachts.

 

Calm weather just before the thunderstorm

The next day we left at 0710 for the inner passage of the Maddalena Archipelago. Part of this beautiful area is a national park where anchoring is not allowed. We would have to choose carefully. We had a strong wind behind us and made good progress under genoa only for most of the day. Around 10am many tourist boats, ferries, private motor yachts, sailing yachts and catamarans raced for the beaches. Some didn’t mind coming close at speed and knocking us sideways. Small speedboats zipped along. By midday it was quieter and the passage opened up giving us all more space. As we passed an island the wind shifted 180 degrees and dropped from 16 to 7knots! We furled the genoa, put the engine on and motored to Isola dei Porri, where we anchored for the night.

 

The Tower near Marina Caletta

We left at 0720 on Thursday 2^nd July and headed to Marina Caletta 26 miles away. We had emailed ahead to book a berth as many marinas and harbours can soon fill up in the summer months. We crossed a TSS (Traffic Separation Scheme) avoiding three inbound ships. During the morning the sky darkened, lightning flashed and thunder roared. Very heavy rain pounded down driven by variable winds from 3-28knots. We were both wet through and very glad we had no sails flying. It was still raining but not windy as we entered Marina Caletta and tied alongside the breakwater in front of a large catamaran. The charge for one night was 90 euros! We provisioned for two nights at sea, filled up with water, had showers and ate out at a nearby restaurant called Nouva Torres.

 

The Cathedral, Cefalu

We had 20knots of wind when we left La Caletta at 1120 the next day. The waves were short giving us a bouncy ride. With one reef in the mainsail and half the genoa flying we sailed for six and a half hours with the Hydrovane steering. In the evening the wind died down as forecast and we motored the rest of the way to Marina Cefalu. The starter motor developed am intermittent fault. Sometimes it would not start the engine. This was a worry. Fortunately, all went well. The nights were calm with the moon shining brightly. The days were hot, sunny and sweaty. We left Sardinia behind. On the second night we passed the island of Ustica and we could see the lights of Sicily ahead. We were able to sail for the last four hours of the passage giving the engine a rest. Would it start when we needed it?

 

Traditional, narrow streets in Cefalu

We called Marina Cefalu on the VHF radio as we approached. As before, we had previously emailed and booked a berth for two nights. It was very rolly and bouncy in the marina, which was exposed to easterly winds. The winds were light but the swell was big. The pontoon we were to tie to bows in was lifting and tilting. The member of staff was having difficulty standing. He managed to tie our bow lines on and Jeremy pulled up the rear mooring as we pitched and rolled. I could not get off the boat at all and Jeremy nearly injured himself in doing so. There were no toilets or showers. A free shuttle bus into town was included in the price of 85 euros per night. Fortunately, the next day was calmer. We caught the shuttle bus to a laundry in town, bought provisions, admired the traditional narrow streets, visited the ornate cathedral and ate out at a restaurant near the marina.

 

Leaving Isola di Vulcano

Our next anchorage was at Isola di Vulcano off a hamlet called Gelso. It was calm and peaceful. Just what we needed. It was hot with daytime temperatures reaching 35C. We left the next day, Wednesday 8^th July and headed for the Messina Straits, a narrow passage between Sicily and mainland Italy, steeped in legends of wicked spirits of the sea and monsters of the mountains, causing whirlpools and downdrafts that would sink ships and pluck sailors from their boats. Fortunately, it was calm and quiet for us, apart from the tankers, bulk carries and container ships that we had to avoid. There was a TSS to cross in order to be on the mainland side and three huge ships bearing down on the entrance to the northern TSS.

 

Mount Etna at sunset

Having survived that challenge, we enjoyed motoring south until the afternoon winds started to blow at 20 knots, aided by katabatic gusts from the mountains. We needed to fill up with diesel, so we pulled into the harbour at Reggio di Calabria. It’s a ferry port and a ferry was coming out, but once it had passed, we made our way to the yacht harbour and tied to the fuel berth. This was not easy as it was situated in the right angle of a stone harbour with walls on two sides and moored boats close to what should have been an exit. After filling up and paying the bill, the staff member disappeared. We were pinned to the fuel berth with gusty winds blowing and tried to work out how we could get out. Sal Darago’s anchor hit the wall when we went forward and the gear stuck in reverse when we went backwards. Crunch! We hit the wall with the corner of the stern.

 

The castle at La Castella

Once we were out of that dreadful place, we checked the damage. One bent anchor pin and quite a lot of wood shaved off the rubbing strake on the rear corner. Considering that we have a Hydrovane mounted on the rear and boarding ladders, we were relieved that they were untouched. Down below, there was no ingress of water. Phew! We continued our journey around the toe of Italy. It was a mix of strong winds and light winds with 22 knots off cliffs and headlands becoming 7 knots on the other side. At sunset Mount Etna looked stunning in the distance behind us. Ahead, there were many fishing pots to avoid. Take note, UK fishermen, these were lit at night with flashing, red, green and blue lights!

 

Natural beach, La Castella

We anchored the following afternoon off an undeveloped (i.e. no beach umbrellas or banana boats) beach about a mile from La Castella in southern Italy. We stayed for two nights and visited the castle and the town for sightseeng and provisions. We were caught out by the siesta and reached the supermarket just after it had closed for the afternoon. By chance, good fortune, or prayer the last afternoon bus arrived and it was going close to Lidl, which was open but maybe 10 or 15 miles away. Not only was the bus free, a young woman on board spoke good English and translated our plight to the bus driver. He phoned his friend, who was a taxi driver, and we had a taxi waiting to take us back to La Castella after we had done our shopping. The kindness of local people never ceases to amaze us on our travels.

 

Preveza Anchorage, Greece

On Saturday 11^th July, we left La Castella at 0715 and started our overnight passage to Preveza in Greece. Apart from the engine not starting at first and the bow navigation lights also not working at sunset, the passage was a mix of motorsailing and slow sailing. It took Jeremy an hour and a half to fix the bow light. An Algerian warship gave us cause for concern. It passed ahead of us, then circled quietly behind us and came within 200 metres! Then it went on its way and so did we, relieved that it left us alone. In the afternoon, we anchored off Preveza. We put our clocks forward an our to Greek Summer Time. We were here. We’d made it to Greece.