In Menorca we waited for stable weather for the 230 miles sail to Malfatano in the South of Sardinia. The Tramontana wind blows from the South of France in South Easterly direction along the coast of Sardinia and on to Sicily. Too much wind and the swell gets uncomfortable. Too less and the sailing is boring and takes too long. With an SOG of 6 kts we require about 40 hours.
On Aug 2nd @ 10.00 pm we weighed anchor and left with a full moon. 36 Hours later we were anchored in the bay of Malfatano, going straight to sleep after what turned out to be a perfect sail.
A few hours into our sail, at sunrise, we were visited by a buzzard, a bird of prey that is certainly NOT at home on the water. He/she must have been blown off course, or was simply lost. After about an hour the bird left, without touching the water we tried to give it.
The bay where we anchored is largely uninhabited. There is a fish farm at the far end. To the left is a small restaurant that only operates during summer season to cater for the beach visitors. Two B is the white catamaran in the middle of the picture.
It was that beach restaurant where we celebrated our successful crossing. The restaurant only served a “dish of the day” which was surprisingly good. Probably the reason why the guests selected this restaurant for what turned out to be a family dinner.
The next day we took a hike up the hills surrounding the bay and had a look at the “Torre di Capo Malfatano”.
This tower is a “nurage” of which more than 7000 can be found in the Sardinian landscape and are a symbol of Sardinia and its distinctive culture, the Nuragic civilization between 1900 BC up to the Roman colonisation 250 BC. No historical records have been found as to the purpose of these structures.
On Aug 7 @ 06.00 am we weighed anchor and set sail to Favignana island, just West of Sicily. 35 Hours and 180 miles later we dropped anchor at Punta Longa after again a very pleasant voyage.
The small village is very laid back, has a tiny “marina” where we could safely leave our dinghy, has no grocery store, but has a very cozy and buzzy Kiosk that we had to visit of course. (click to enlarge).
In 1874, Ignazio Florio Sr. purchased the island of Favignana and the whole archipelago of the Aegadian Islands in order to expand the tuna business started by his family. He invested heavily in a tuna canning factory bringing much needed employ to the islands. His statue stands in the town square.
The main town Favignana was a 15 min bicycle ride from our anchorage, so off we went to visit the factory, now a museum.
Every year the tuna migrate from the Atlantic to their spawning grounds in the Mediterranean. In doing so they passed these Aegadian islands where they were caught in giant fish traps.
The freshly caught fish were brought to the factory where the first step was to hang them by the tail, cut the gills and drain out the blood, before being sliced up and sorted. Different parts of the fish produce different quality of meat.
The next step was to cook the fish in giant wood fired cooking tubs.
The tin cans were produced on site. So far all the jobs were done by men. Also note how many men are smoking!
The actual canning work was done by women. It was of vital importance that no air was trapped inside the cans. Women were more precise in their work than the men!! The cans were topped off with olive oil before receiving their lid.
The giant nets used for the fishing traps had to be retrieved at the end of the season for repair and to prevent them becoming a habitat for all kinds of marine growth. During the retrieval process all kind of historical artefacts would be brought up like this bronze ram that was fitted on Roman and Carthagean battle ships, to hole and sink the enemies’ ships.
In its heydays the factory processed 40,000 tuna per season. It where less then 500 the year it closed. The island’s economy now depends on tourism and many residents leave the island at the end of the season.
For the coming few days the wind would shift 180 degrees and increase in strength. We moved the boat to Cala Rossa that is a popular swimming area. Many day-boats come from Sicily mainland and return at sunset.
On Aug 15, 09.30 am we moved on, daysailing along the South coast of Sicily. 10 Hours later we arrived at Sciacca, our first anchorage in Sicily mainland. It was an easy leisurely sail under spinaker only.
We anchored under the cliff with on top the Therme building. The volcanic activity underneath the town gives rise to the (healing) thermal springs, first discovered by the Greeks who carved the seats out of the stone and etched into the rocks the names of the ailments that might be cured in each seat.
At first the town makes a bit of a neglected impression but the brightly coloured stairs are leading up to a rather attractive town centre.
Aug 17 at 09.30 am we left for a leisurely downwind sail to Licata and at 07.00 pm we dropped our anchor on the East side of the harbour mole close to the Salso River mouth. We stayed for only one night.
Aug 18, 11.00 am we left heading further East to Pozzallo. Along the way we passed several oil platforms and we passed Punta Secca with its prominent lighthouse. Note the 16th century Torre Scalambri to the left.
We dropped our anchor in the lee of the East mole well away from the port entrance, however soon thereafter a pilot boat approached and the crew ordered us to anchor further away from the port entrance. After agreeing on a location we re-anchored.
According to our radar range marker we were 300+m away from the shoreline, well over the required 200m applicable to beaches and 100m applicable elsewhere, but………..after an hour or so port police arrived ordering us to re-anchor further out. The new location agreed with the police was almost half a mile out!! We know it never pays to argue with officials, so we obliged, but we didn’t feel welcome.
Luckily the harbour mole extends 1km into the sea and there was little swell. We moved on the next morning.
To the Medieval seafarers Pozzallo was known for its fresh water wells hence the defences by Torre Cabrera 15th century to the right.
19 Aug morning we had to wait a bit for the wind to pick up and on 11.30 am we set sail to Siracusa on the East coast of Sicily island.
Siracuse was founded by the ancient Greeks 2700 years ago. It was one of the major powers of the Mediterranean world and equalled Athens in size 500 B.C. It later became part of the Roman empire and briefly (663-669) served as the capital of the Byzantine empire after the Western Roman empire collapsed.
Ortigia island is the historical center of Siracuse and currently the tourist hotspot of the city. It is connected with two bridges to the main land.
We anchored in Grand Harbour, a huge protected bay and natural harbour. There were two Norwegian cruise ships moored in the bay and talking to the Filipino crew revealed that the ships were taken out of service due to COVID. A skeleton crew was left behind to keep the ships’ systems in working order.
The Greek mathematician Archimedes was born in Siracuse. He proved a range of geometrical theorems, invented the screw pump and introduced compound pulleys. He used parabolic mirrors to set fire to the enemies’ ships sails and thanks to the Archimedes principle we understand how ships float. He was killed by a Roman soldier during the siege of Siracusa 212 B.C. despite orders to capture the genius alive.
Every morning, except Sundays there is an open air fresh market in the old town of Ortigia, with an abundance of produce. Located opposite the temple of Apollo, or what is left of it, it is easy to find. The temple was converted to a Byzantine church, to a Muslim mosque, and then to a church again (during Norman occupation).
The Fountain of Arethusa is a fresh water fountain in the historical centre of the city. According to Greek mythology, the fountain is the place where the nymph Arethusa, the patron figure of ancient Syracuse, returned to earth’s surface after escaping from her undersea home in Arcadia.
This is also the location where an Iberian captain named Moeriscus, decided to let the Romans in during the siege of Siracusa, thus betraying the city in an attempt to save his own life.
There are two more fountains worth mentioning. The first one is the fountain of Diana, built to honour the Roman goddess Diana (Artemis for Greek). It depicts the return of the Nymph Arethusa to Earths’ surface. The second one is “Fontana degli Schiavi” or Fountain of the slaves, a fresh water well / basin built outside the city walls, and it was exactly what the name says it was.
All those fountains made us thirsty and what better location to enjoy a drink than in the shade of a medieval church.
The Cathedral of Siracusa stands at the site of the Greek Temple of Athena, built in the 5th century BC. The temple had six columns on the short sides and 14 on the long sides.
The present cathedral was constructed by Saint Bishop Zosimo of Syracuse in the 7th century. The battered columns of the original temple were incorporated in the walls of the current church. They can be seen inside and out. The building was converted into a mosque in 878, then converted back when Norman Roger I of Sicily retook the city in 1085.
The church of Saint Lucia can also be found in Piazza Duomo. Saint Lucia is the patron saint of Siracusa. The church and monastery were utterly destroyed during the 1693 earthquake. Immediately the nuns started rebuilding it, and it was completed 12 years later (1705).
We took advantage of the large number of good and affordable restaurants and went a couple of times for dinner.
It was a balmy night, too warm to head back to the boat for some sleep. Sipping a cocktail and watching the crowd is definitely more fun.
We stayed 6 days in this lovely place and secure harbour before moving on. That is subject for a different blog post. Thank you for reading our story. We hope you enjoyed it.
Liza and Frits.