We hoped to get away by 8:30
this morning, but it went to 8:45.
I guess that was not too bad.
The weather is lovely, but we do notice that the barometer is going
down. We are not sure how we will
be able to proceed after today.
We start out with the sails
up and the genoa poled out. The
wind is blowing a 4 almost directly behind us, but we are hardly moving. After two hours of going at just under
4 knots we decide that if we are to get to Syracuse by lunch time, we will have
to put the engine on. So on it
goes (which meant taking in the fishing line). For a while we are motor sailing, but eventually the wind
drops more and the sails are contributing nothing. So to make our timetable we press on just using the
engine. One more problem has
arisen. The rev counter on the
engine has packed up. It isn’t
crucial, but we will have to have it seen to. We hope it is just a loose wire.
We come into Syracuse and it
is a lovely sight. It is my
favourite city in Sicily. So I am
looking forward to our stay. I
won’t mind if we get weather bound here.
We get to the Marina called Marina Yachting where we stayed last year. They start to direct us to a berth on
the outside of the wind break and we ask to go inside, which they are happy for
us to do. Not only that, but we
get an alongside berth. It’s a
long time since we moored this way.
But that is the end of the good news. The marina has been devastated by something. Half of the pontoons are broken and not
connected to anything and are in effect islands. We are not on one of those, but the connection of our
pontoon to the next is two fender boards roped together and bridging a two
meter gap. But there is worse that
that. The three meter gap between
the main outer pontoon and the office has no bridge and they have rigged what
looks like a passerelle that is between three and four meters long! That is what you have to walk over
every time you want to go to the office or toilet block. But the worst is that the bridge to the
land has gone! Instead you have to
climb down into an old and fairly unstable fibre glass boat, pull yourself over
the water with a rope and climb out again! My sojourn in Syracuse has just lost all its lustre. I am really distraught. I was hoping to go out to a nice
dinner, but I am unwilling to do the boat bit across to the land at night. Also I really can’t see staying here
tomorrow to go to the market, which I was so looking forward to. This is particularly so as the weather
may deteriorate on Saturday or Sunday and I don’t want to be stuck here with
these access problems in bad weather.
So we will leave tomorrow.
We do try to salvage
something of the trip. I make it
over to the land on the boat, with some difficulty and we find a supermarket to
buy a few things to keep us going for the next few days. To cheer ourselves up we stop at a café
we went to several times last year and I have a coffee granita and R has an ice
cream. As we are walking back to
the boat R decides that he would like to try to buy a new summer jumper at the
shop where he bought his very bright wool one ten years ago. And guess what, he finds one he really
likes, so at great extravagance he buys it. Now I feel like looking at a very snazzy white blouse I saw
in one of the windows. So we go
back to the shop and I buy that one.
Not as extravagant as R, but a little splurge. So we are feeling a bit better as we get back to the boat,
managing without mishap to navigate the boat and plank with all our shopping. At least it is a pretty spot.
Back on board we contact the
other English boat that is across the way from us. It is a Najad from Hamble. The owners are Ren (for Renold)
and Angela and they have a friend, Lisa with them. We invite them aboard for drinks and have a pleasant hour or
so with them. They too are headed
for the Ionian in the next week or two, so we might see them again. While they are on board an Austrian
couple come by. We find out that
they are the owners of the Southerly 35RS which is here and which we saw when
we were last here in October.
Dinner on board. Not one of my successes. I tried to make a dried mushroom sauce
to go with mushroom ravioli, but the mushrooms are very tough despite soaking
them for over an hour! Also the
pasta is old and although technically in date, I find some spots of mould on
some. I throw those out, but I am
unconvinced about eating it. So
far no ill effects, but…
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