Tuesday 24 February 2015

From the Middle Sea to the Adriatic - SICILY TO MONTENEGRO, Spring 2014



FROM THE MIDDLE SEA TO THE ADRIATIC – SICILY TO MONTENEGRO
Marina di Ragusa in March



Whatever you bought, the bill was always €5!


The Main Square in MDR - behind the tree, Cafe Rosa - wonderful ice cream all year round
Tommy - a dog deeply content with his lot






The bikes are folded - we must be on our way
The wide open spaces of the Marina - the showers are really a bike ride away!




Not quite the last men standing, we departed Marina di Ragusa on 4th June at 0600, on a clear, sunny morning.  Glad we’d checked on the state of the spit extending from the breakwater which had lengthened considerably during the winter storms – another boat turning to starboard a few days earlier had come to an abrupt halt! 





We arrived in Syracuse harbour, passing the impressive walls of Ortiga, 11 hours later to be cheerfully greeted by three of Stravaigin’s winter friends.  TETAMANU especially, as we had a new compressor for their fridge, delivered after they’d left!  We’d also been awaiting a delivery which was brought kindly by Sam Bouquet to Syracuse –~  he made our new helmsman’s seat which is proving a great success – we can now see over the top of the doghouse whilst seated.   As people departed for their summer cruising, quite a bit of parcel piggy-back went on!







Unusual aubergine - a simpleway to produce gales of laughter....







We enjoyed a few days at anchor here, though remembering DEEP BLUE’s warning that the fouling is bad, didn’t linger too long. Chris was right, we had to clean a lot of muck out of the filters!

Having embarked “Don Simon”, who assessed thoroughly the merits of various wine shops in the city,  we left for Santa Maria de Leuca , on the heel of Italy, anchoring there on the 9th shortly before an extraordinary mini “twister” occurred,  tracking NW – a pink spiralling cone with 20 knots of wind.  Many local fishing boats hurried back into the harbour, but most of them only reached shelter after it had passed.

The Montenegro leg was the mixture of motoring & sailing we find hard to avoid on passage  -  we were also slowed down by a knot or so of current swinging down Eastern Italy  round the heel to the Messina Strait.  But it was good to be under way again. 

This little chap  landed on deck looking absolutely exhausted. He turned his beak up at water and crumbled biscuit, but ate a dead fly [flies were a nuisance, even out at sea] with relish.  A few more of these and he took matters under his own wings, taking off and catching them in mid-air.  An hour or so later he was looking considerably more perky. Completely unbothered by the crew, he came to the cockpit via Mike’s wrist – where he relieved himself right in the middle of the skipper’s Omega Seamaster watch…..  He left about 1830 and we hope he made it. 

We reached Bar, the most southerly port of entry in Montenegro, on the 12th. With the courteous assistance of the Harbour Master we completed the slightly convoluted paperwork in about half an hour – it involved going to four different places, but all were close together.

Note to yachtsmen – we were advised by the Fuel Dock in Porto Montenegro NOT to clear in or out in Budva – apparently they can keep you hanging around all day unless given “monetary encouragement”. 




The marina was a pretty ramshackle collection of pontoons, the more easterly of which all seemed to be run by different people, none of them to be found at 1730.  However, a friendly yachtie beckoned us alongside [slightly before the crew were ready….] and eventually someone came along & relieved us of €50.  We had a good rest, stocked up the galley [fairly basic supplies] and Simon caught up at the office.


Sveti Stefan
We  had a couple of leisurely days sailing up to the Boka Kotorska, anchoring in Sveti Stefan [the hotel is one of the iconic tourist pictures of the country and it did look lovely]  and Traste [or Bigova, depending on your charts] where we had a jolly evening ashore with our friends from Bar. Our first impressions of the coastline were tremendous – steep, imposing & tree covered.  We also noticed a sharp increase in birdsong when at anchor, compared to Sicily!



We turned into the Boka Kotorska – the gulf of Kotor – on the 16th.  This inland sea comprises most of Montenegro’s sailing waters and they are doing their best to turn it into a top end (or at least LARGE yacht) destination.  The most commonly heard language appeared to be Russian, and boat nationality was a complete guessing game, as most of them fly Red Ensigns or the Stars & Stripes! 
Submarine Pen - one of many


We went bows to in Herceg Novi – Simon had a plane to catch in Dubrovnik [22km] the next morning – and went ashore for a good meal [although, if in Montenegro, beware the sheer amount of meat they are obliged to put on your plate! We think portions must be state controlled, so share a main course] during which there was a torrential rainstorm – under the street lights the only person missing was Gene Kelly!  The restaurant quickly transferred us inside.  (Little did we know that this was a precursor for this season in the Adriatic).

Stradioti



Vin Santo - going bows to for a lovely dinner!
There aren’t many places to anchor in the Boka – it’s all very deep – but there’s a great spot South of the island of Stradioti where we holed up for a few days while Mike installed our new solar panel [the original one was de-laminating] – which included a beastly soldering job above his head during which he found just how hopeless his iron was and ended up doing it with the hot knife.  Anyway, he managed it and certainly improved our generating capacity. **
Vin Santo - welcoming & exceptionally good food                        Barbecue table - made by Mike last winter
1/4 mile from Stradioti we found an exceptional restaurant where we could go bows to and step ashore for dinner - and fill up with water

(**Of all the “renewables” we have, the Duogen in towed mode – you take the wind blades off, attach a propeller and swing it into the water – is by far the most effective.  The only thing you have to watch is that it can pick up  plastic bags or fishing net which require some gymnastics to remove).



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Kotor


Kotor City
We sailed up to Kotor, at the head of the innermost “loch”, an exceptional fortified town, totally surrounded by a wall which is built on nearly vertical rock for much of its length.  Brand new pontoons with power, water and new stern lines have been installed – we were grateful for these when a Bora – an Adriatic speciality -  came hurtling down the hillside in the night.  35 knots of wind directly astern for about an hour.  (When you visit, go ashore early – or out of season – to avoid the cruise ship passengers clogging up the narrow streets – and climb to the top of the wall before it gets too hot.  We found it sad that more than once a magnificent view in the Boka was hidden by one of these tower block ships  – could they not stay further out and ferry people in?)

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The city wall at night

There’s a pretty good  market right on the shore here – and supermarkets a little further in.    Delighted to be hailed by NYCTEA, cruising in company with another boat.  Danielle is the determined lady who wrestled with my SSB in winter.

(Sorry about the fussy images - camera battery problems made me resort to Google Images)

Ferry at the entrance to Kotor "loch"










Oh dear - out of all proportion





 Before leaving [we looked into the Superyacht Marina at Tivat and felt very small!] we took on duty free fuel at Porto Montenegro [Book a couple of days in advance by as they get very busy.  But it’s worth pressing politely if they say they are full, and also turning up early – we went alongside an hour before our allotted time.    It was the cleanest and most efficient fuel dock we have ever experienced.  They pride themselves ~ and indeed are obliged by the harbour authorities ~  on not spilling a drop of diesel, will deliver at exactly the rate you request, stopping & starting as many times as you wish.  You have to check out of the country immediately afterwards, but it’s worth it!  The formalities can be done from the fuel dock, and just the skipper or owner is taken to police & customs].



As Stravaigin left the Boka,  the military history was highly evident, with forts on the Croatian and Montenegran sides of the narrow entrance.  We met few people who believed that the Balkans were better as separate countries - only a customs official and her friend.  She also hoped that Scotland would gain independence "Because I am in love with Mel Gibson" .  She was a tall girl, so I pointed out that not only is he Australian, but also very short....     Political debate, eh?  


 Onwards to Croatia!

Thursday 24 July 2014

The Best Laid Plans

For my belated 70th birthday present to Mike:

  • Rent a car for 24 hours
  • Drive in a leisurely fashion across Sicily to Palermo, allowing 6 hours for 275 km to get to
  • Teatro Massimo in Palermo,
    world  famous for the building and its acoustics [and for the fact that The Godfather was shot on the steps] for the 1830 performance of Mozart’s Don Giovanni , before which we would identify a good restaurant, admire the building and the well dressed opera goers, have a glass of wine & some antipasti and stroll into our seats

    The ceiling.....
  • Enjoy a wonderful dinner, sleep well and drive gently back the next morning.

We loaded our tidy clothes into the car exactly on time and set off.  An hour later, outside Gela, I said “what’s that noise?”  - “Just what I was wondering” – with that, the car ground to a halt, on a hill.  We called the hire agent who unhelpfully shouted “Push! Push!” at me – we had already understood it was a Toyota and would not start unless the clutch was depressed.  I called back a second time to no avail, so rang the excellent  Antonio of RAVI in Marina di Ragusa [who, we learned later, was painting his kitchen & performed the whole exchange with the phone wedged to his ear while he continued with his roller] & explained.  He made some calls & promised a replacement would be there in 30 minutes.    Well, even if it was an hour, it wouldn’t be too bad – we’d still make it.

We ate our lunch on the hot, windy hillside, being bombarded by hundreds of tiny black flies that made straight for our ears [the car, of course, being an oven]. [Another good reason for my habitual bandana – and Mike’s large cotton hanky – soon wrapped round our heads]

Three hours later, long after we had finished our water, the replacement car arrived.  By which time we had progressed through “well, we might not have time to shower & change” to “if we are really lucky we might make the second half”.

Not pausing to see if the recovery vehicle had managed to load our broken Toyota (we didn’t care – sorry) we shot off.  Fangio, aka Michael Stewart, at the wheel.  Fortunately the dashboard was shaped so the passenger couldn’t see the speedometer.  So the passenger sat, trying not to cling on to her seatbelt, exclaiming breathlessly “My goodness, what stunning landscape!!”  “Gosh, that’s an old aquaduct!”  “Oh, look, this is where they crossed two rivers!”  “No wonder General Patten chose this route” as the various features of this famous old road shot past at little less than the speed of light. 

Arrival on the outskirts of Palermo slowed us down, as we hit the peak of the rush hour.  (You have to understand, the rush hour in Palermo lasts from about 0600 to 2200).  We saw not a single local car without either missing wing mirrors, scraped doors, dented fenders or beaten in lights.  And then there were the scooters
– a two second pause in the traffic – perhaps because of a small prang at a roundabout, of which we saw three in half an hour – and about 40 of these surge forward, weaving in and out of the smallest gaps.

We found our way to our hotel [naturally on the second floor with a wonky lift], got directions to their nearby car park, left the car,  dived into to our room, flung ourselves in the shower, dressed and practically ran to the theatre.  There were, indeed, elegant Italians, enjoying a slow and cooling glass of wine in the interval, but I was a woman with a mission – and a voucher to be exchanged for tickets upon our early arrival.  A smartly dressed attendant informed me the box office was closed, so I couldn’t pick up our tickets.  Trying hard not to cry, I stuttered about a broken down car.  He smiled, told me to stay right there and spoke to his superior.  The voucher did not give any seat numbers, but they found us two excellent places in the stalls.  It was clear that they were all extremely proud of Massimo and would do anything to help those who wished to attend – Ticketmaster, take note!

So we managed to enjoy the second half, despite thirst & tiredness, and the theatre is, indeed, absolutely magnificent. 

The attendants in frock coats



We had a less than average supper in a tourist alley & fell into bed.

However, Antonio made it clear that A. the hire would be free and B. we didn’t have to be back till late afternoon.  So after breakfast, still removing small black flies from our ears,  we took a different, equally magnificent road back, arriving at the South coast in Agrigento, finally seeing the Temples close to which we had originally seen from the sea.


Heigh ho.  I went to see Antonio the next day, and he told me he had a problem.  We had returned the second car [delivered grubby, ½ a tank of fuel, passenger window didn’t work] without filling up the tank and the company wished to charge us €50 - €30 for the fuel and €20 for “service”…..  I spluttered “SERVICE???”.  He said “leave it with me”.  Mike and I agreed we would not see him out of pocket and would pay for the fuel, but were sincerely disinclined to fork out for the latter.    However, when we went  to tell him this, he said it was fine, there would be no further charges.  I don’t know if he absorbed it or told the car hire company where to go, but we are most  grateful.


Next year, Mike is getting a pair of socks or a chart of the Greek Islands…..

MALTA - a trip down memory lane in March

As Mike’s memorable time here in the Royal Navy was in the 1960’s, first in HMS Ashton, 108th Mine Sweeping Squadron and later  in the  Med Fleet Clearance Diving Team  - during which time there had been much water-ski-ing, carousing  and general enjoyment, I was naturally a bit nervous about going back and spoiling all his recollections and also not too sure what I would make of Malta myself.

             Note for visitors from Sicily.  The bus from Ragusa stops a good distance from
            the ferry port, for some illogical reason – if you aren’t a good walker at the
            moment, get a cab from the bus stop!!  By the time we realised that  
            oh, about 1km along there” was a gross underestimate, it was too late.


I wasn’t prepared for Grand Harbour as we approached in the ferry after dark [I know, the name was a hint] – it really is magnificent.  The taxi ride to our hotel in Sliema was disorientating for Mike – familiarity followed by confusion as landmarks jostled with new roads & buildings.  We picked up our Fiat Uno [a bargain at £25 for 3 days!] at the Phoenecia Hotel – the opening of its swimming pool attended by Mike & reported as a “wild evening” -  in Valletta and made our way round the Bastions until we were close to Victoria Gate – and Mike’s  old office!  The buildings were unchanged.
 
It’s now a government department and the ladies were fascinated to learn that their visitor had been Flag Lieutenant to Rear Admiral Dudley Davenport whose office now houses the Minister of Finance. 






The Lascaris War Rooms close by, accessed by a tunnel which Mike used to walk down to work when Flag Lieutenant.  Here Eisenhower co-ordinated the Sicily landings with Admiral Cunningham & Generals Patten & Montgomery ~ the Generals  loathed each other! 



 Our guide was the son of one of those who excavated the rock to form the Rooms and he was a mine of historical information.  
Patten & Monty landed on two different beaches, near Gela and Syracuse respectively, the Brits making their way up the coast, Patten using the Roman Road straight across the island to Palermo, both forces then heading for Messina[If any real historians are reading this, please forgive!].  This formed a pincer movement on the Germans who were on Etna and became the blueprint for the Normandy landings.


The Rooms, hewn from solid rock



The picture on the right was
an interesting find, showing Italian Navy Human Torpedoes.  There was one particular attack on Malta which was unsuccessful.  In 1966 a sports diver reported he had seen a large torpedo shaped object in the entrance to Marxamasett - it transpired this was the nose of a "chariot" which contained the high explosive with which to attack  R N Vessels in harbour.   (They would detach this nose under the target ship and set a delayed action detonator before retreating on the "chariot" - brave men).  Mike was given the task of lifting and counter-mining it further off shore when, apparently the shock wave registered [faintly] in Sicily!  Not long after this exercise, Mike was in La Spezia with the Italian Navy Mine Counter Measures Group ~ it transpired that the Captain of this unit was the young wartime Lieutenant who had had to abandon the attack and surrender after swimming ashore onto St. Elmo Point.  He was exceptionally proud of his attempt and thrilled to learn the outcome.





The former RN diving centre in Manoel Island is abandoned – but still recognisable.

As expected, the bays where Mike and his colleagues had so much fun
The Dragonara Casino - those were the days!!
are now towered over by pretty ugly hotel & apartment developments, but we still had a couple of great days’ driving, going up to Mdina


and then over to Gozo on the ferry [taking the car at the last minute, for a princely €20 – very glad we did], where the citadel is just as impressive and not quite so touristy.
The Blue Grotto in Gozo - nowadays only accessible by tripper boat - there's one holding about 12 visitors under the arch, which gives you an idea of its size

Children enjoying the fountains which spout in time to classical music outside the palace
 [I think it was Tales of Hoffman when we were there]

Tax collectors - ever with us
Despite the many visitors, Valletta is still magnificent – history just pouring out of every corner [we spent a couple of hours in the extraordinary Armoury which was in the Palace]. The British influence is still strong and we were made most welcome everywhere.
Battery


 It’s a unique island, the British influence still firmly felt, certainly on this side of the Island and we were made most welcome.

Typical enclosed balconies


Garrie - now a tourist transport, formerly the regular "taxi"
 Wonderful honey coloured stonework at the Palace

 A restaurant  in one of those cellars, which we happened across - and stumbled out of, replete & content just in time to catch the ferry back!

Towards the bastions from the ferry (sadly through a salty window)


It was a tremendous few days for us both.