A Reason to Celebrate

Isola Vulcano, Aeolian Islands, Italy

Having reached the Aeolian Islands was celebration enough, but our best excuse for a night on the town was the Captain’s birthday.  Given that we had not climbed the volcano or bathed in the sulphur mud baths (said to be completely restorative.  Sure!), GS had a few entertaining ideas for the day.  

We settled however, for a visit to the small supermarket and a fish dinner at the King of Fish, right on the bay and directly under that smoking, smelly furnace.  Most visitors to Vulcano appear to be day trippers; there’s a huge fleet of ferries always on the move making the small port somewhat swelly.  Their departure also meant that we were able to have a perfectly placed table and good service.  We finished up with a lemon gelato at the dock and a moonlight dinghy ride across the bay. 

Early next morning, all provisioned up and with improved weather conditions to boot, we headed off for the west coast of Italy.  Not before a struggle to free the anchor though, which had managed to wrap itself around large rocks and grumpily refused to budge!  Just as Cap’n Diver Dan threatened to launch the hookah unit (diving without tanks), it freed up.  So, with wafts of an overheated anchor winch filling the bay and calm conditions returning on board, we left for another long day of motoring

WJ3 at anchor under Vulcano's rim

This small group of islands is steeped in mythology.  They are known as home to Aeolius, god of the winds who gave Odysseus a bag of contrary winds whilst Vulcano is the home and forge of Vulcan. Stromboli is said to be the ancient lighthouse of the Med, guiding sailors to the Messina Straits, and on to battle with Scylla and Charydbis.  Whilst there is some derision placed on those endlessly quoting Homer (& that would be me), it is just so fascinating that here before us are landmarks that inspired even the earliest of voyagers.

Seen on of a school wall in Gozo: 

"We cannot change the wind
But we can adjust the sails"

Or just turn on the X@!%!! motor. Again!” the Cap’n muttered….

Early morning Stromboli dressed in cloud with its smoking plume at top

Flight from Messina Strait

Navy Training Ship in Syracuse Harbour

Isola Vulcano, Aeolian Islands, Italy

The time came to push on from Syracuse.  The stillness over the marina in the early morning was matched only by strong winds and swell (not forecast of course!) outside the heads.  GS did well to rally but ensured the bucket was within arm’s reach.  So we bashed and crashed our way north hoping that conditions would settle as we neared the protection of Italy’s big toe.  Let’s just say that not a lot of people were making this their chosen direction. 

Looking up & up for Taormina

Mt Etna, sultry in her cloud cover

After not much discussion and even less headway, we decided to call it quits and made for one of the few anchorages on this coast, Naxos, and set the hook in lovely sand (GS is SO over a glutinous, muddy anchor & chain) under the cliffs of famous Taormina.  Taormina perches high on the side of a cliff with amazing views over the Straits and some wonderfully green, if not steep, hilly, country.  We decided we didn’t need either another climb or to see more Baroque architecture (or churches) despite D.H. Lawrence having lived there, so our water view “up” would be just fine.  Besides that, we sat with an entrancing view of Mt Etna (possibly very clear because of the evil winds that day).  So we swam in quite cold waters and tried to eat a little after our bucketing ride – let’s just say waistlines are diminishing!

Charybdis in action

We left again in the early morning to escape the onset of strong winds and had a wonderful glide (under the iron horse) until we hit the Strait exit, where strong north-westerlies and an adverse current set up a challenging experience for "little” boats.  Cap’n Undertow skilfully guided us inshore (oh, so close) so we managed to lessen its effects; at one stage WJ3 was showing 7.3kts and only actually doing (speed over ground) 3.7kts.  We skirted Charybdis, watching the autopilot struggle against the pull from strong whirlpools & eddies and kept a wary eye on darting swordfishing boats.  

You can just see the man at the end of the very long bowsprit

Driver and lookouts up in the crows nest

Driven like a Grand Prix Maserati – all speed and testosterone - these souped up and amazingly agile craft dash and dart after their quarry, sleeping swordfish.   Pity the swordfish that are skewered with a trident (possibly Neptune’s own) and any naive tourist who potters in their path.  That of course was us!  Just as we thought we had escaped the worst of the rat race, we had a boat (at speed) on our clacker, just a tad too close for comfort.   An international incident (and a  broken boat) was averted but not before the high-riding skipper left us with a much, much-too-close bowsprit salute as a final reminder of who really owns these waters… 

Then it was on with more bashing into the wind – for several hours – to our next anchorage, Isola Vulcano.  Again, we were the only ones mad enough to keep up the grind.  Just on dusk, we settled into a very busy and exceptionally deep anchorage under the cloud capped and smoking rim of Vulcano.  The air is fragrant with the smell of sulphur gases and the bay rocks and rolls to the comings and goings of a vast number of commercial craft, but we didn’t care.  With the anchor set, we scoffed the last of our (almost hard tack) provisions and fell asleep, rocking in the swell, dreaming of the little whale (a pilot whale?) we saw heading for a tasty fish supper at the Straits.  “Watch out for those crazy men with harpoons!” GS called after his wake.

Anchored under a smoking Isola Vulcano

Food Faking

Isola Vulcano, Aeolian Islands

We’ve all been there haven’t we?  Tourist food and travellers’ fast foods!  At least you mostly know what you are in for.  When you order the famous local “slow cooked” speciality and receive pan fried pork pieces, doused in carton mushroom cream sauce and garnished with a couple of hard dried figs, well, you know you’ve been had.  We’ve been lucky so far though and enjoyed quite a few encouraging local dining experiences.  

Are you sure you asked for pizza?

We thought we’d found the perfect spot to celebrate another of the Ancient Mariner’s (many) birthdays.  The setting was right – on the water’s edge, with a little dinghy dock.  Bruce took us to the door, almost.  The place was busy and the food looked good.  Little did we know we were in for a “Faulty Towers does Sicily” experience.

The harbour looked so inviting!

We were slow to be seated, hardly surprising given the restaurant’s popularity.  However, even then, things started to go awry.  Our table, in a prime spot overlooking the water, had apparently been reserved and we had to move.  The Cap’n grumbled.  A grovelling maître-d found us another table – down in the take-away pizza area but none-the-less with a water view.  And then we waited, and waited and waited.

Birthday Boy

To compensate for this neglect we were suddenly surrounded by imperious waiters, offered discounts on our meal (we hadn’t even ordered yet!) and proffered plates of appetisers as tempting “typical Sicilian starters” to keep the boiling Cap’n happy.  We weren’t offered a menu but rather told what we were to eat.  This charade had something to do with translating Italian to English (we think).  The Cap’n steamed.  Finally, out of the chaos, our order was settled and we asked for a glass of wine.  Then we waited. 

 
The appetiser and entrée arrived at the same time, plonked on the table. Eventually, our mains arrived, first separately, then finally together (after waiting) but when the Cap’n asked for another glass of wine – we waited again.  Giving up, we called for the bill.  It arrived with promptness not previously experienced.  We paid up and left.  They could wait for a tip….

We suspect a waiter is still running round tables trying to find who ordered that glass of wine.

And there's even a free beach here too!
But only the worst & hardest area to access...

Under Volcano's Brow

Isola Vulcano, Islands

We made Palermo at the break of dawn two days later and took a slow dawdle along the coast looking for a suitable anchorage.  Let me tell you, they are few and far between.  Palermo Harbour, another huge concrete jungle, simmered in a heat haze on a breathless morning.  Sitting in a marina (if we could find space) didn’t seem quite what we had hoped for, so we kept WJ3’s nose pointing east.  At last Cefalu!   With room in a tiny anchorage – even better!  Doesn’t anyone anchor in Sicily? 

Cefalu - city side

Whilst Cefalu’s medieval town beckoned us (it was a bit of a walk from the harbour) we noted it for “sometime later” and, after a decent sleep to get over our last “leg’, we hot-footed it off to the Aeolian Islands for cleaner water, sulphurous air and beneficial hot mud pools.  Good for the health, particularly arthritis.  Sure… 

WJ3 alone in Maestro Minico anchorage, Isola Vulcano

WJ3 is parked right under the brow of Gran Cratere, a smokin’, ash covered, still active volcano.  The island of Vulcano is home to four craters in all, and was described by Homer* as the workshop of Greek God, Hephaestus.  Hephaestus, God of fire, made his home in nearby Mount Etna. This island however, is named after the Roman God of fire and metal forging, Vulcan.  Are you keeping up with me? 

Meeting Mr Vulcan at the sulphur pools
"Where did you get those shorts?"asked my Mum...oh-oh! 

Meanwhile the anchorage is so nice, we’ve settled down to a few days of rest rather than try for a round the islands “race”.  Stromboli will have to wait too.  It’s been added to the later list.  The Cap’n is now happily paddling about, snorkelling here and there in deep water so clear it’s hard to believe.  There isn’t much life in Med waters but at least what there is has been left alone to someday “stock the pond”. 

People pay to coat themselves in this... We made a quick decision not to take a steep in this healing muddy slush.

*Now lads, I am not talking Simpson here. Homer was a Greek poet and wrote at least two well- known works; the Odyssey (Ulysses’ voyages) and the Iliad (Trojan War).  These works are credited with being the oldest examples of Western literature. 

From:  Cefalu, Sicily Lat/Long: 38:02.239N 14:02.125E Date/Time: 18/07/13: 1015
To: Vulcano, Aeolian Islands Lat/Long: 38:24.897N 14:56.739E  Date/Time: 18/07/13: 1900
Time Taken: 49nm (8.5hrs) Distance (this year): 1420nm (227.5hrs)
Distance Total (since 2008): 12245nm   Weather: NW to E best 10-12kts; fine & hot
Fastest Speed: 6.9kts; more dolphins and a sulphurous odour as the mountains fume…