This winter has been mostly spent aboard Deep Blue in Marina di Ragusa, with a couple of short trips back to the UK. We have decided that we are now ready for the next big adventure on the ocean waves and plan to cross the Atlantic Ocean at the end of this year, destination - the Caribbean and beyond!

Preparation for such a trip, for us, is a lengthy and time-consuming process but an important one. Staying here has enabled to do lots of research and planning. We'll explain more of the details in a future blog but for this, long-overdue one, we just wanted to show that it hasn't been all work and no play these last few months. Make a cup of tea, sit back and read on - this is quite a long one......




Christmas celebrations were fun with a candlelit carol service and sunshine on Christmas Day. A group of us got together with visiting friends, Anthony & Laurel, who had rented a villa just behind the marina and had the space! Drinks on the terrace were followed by a full-on Christmas lunch with everyone contributing to the dishes. I had made traditional mincemeat for the very first time (thank you Queen Delia for the fabulous recipe) and made the mince-pies for dessert. I put them in the oven to warm through while we ate our delicious lunch only to remember that they were still in there when we smelt the pastry burning. Sicily is a very rocky island and the burnt mince-pies fitted in very well here! In the bin they went.




At the beginning of March, it was my friend Rosemary's 70th birthday and she came over for a week- long visit. We celebrated in style with a day at the fabulous Donnafugata Spa followed by lunch and had lots of fun together. We went to Punta Secca to see the TV detective Montalbano's house, which was being revamped for the next series, ate lots of nice things and she joined in marina life to the full.




We are a truly international community here and together make our own entertainment. This year has been no exception with various groups and activities organised for anyone to join in with. Tuesday has been my favourite day of the week because I have been able to spend a whole day being truly creative. In the morning, I was a Happy Hooker, learning how to crotchet (thank you Jan for your great instruction and to everyone for their encouragement, ideas and smiles). I wanted to make a top that I had seen on the front cover of a crotchet magazine and, with Jan's expert tuition, I achieved just that and am pretty pleased with the results. Even the bits that went wrong look good!



In the afternoon, I joined the guitar group where we played, sang and had lots of fun for a couple of hours. Colin aboard Emerald, a very competent guitarist, organised three Open Mike nights over the winter and several of the guitar group members took part, including me. I had never played and sang in front of an audience before and it was a bit nerve-wracking but it was the same for all of us and as Jessica and I stood up to sing and play Jolene my nerves steadied and we had a lot of fun. It was amazing to see the progress that everyone made over the winter from some shaky performances on the first Open Mike to some pretty impressive stuff by the third one. We have been so lucky each winter to have enjoyed such varied musical talents amongst our cruising companions. A big thanks to everyone for making it happen.




Being part of an international community means that we all have our own identifying traditions and we do like to share them with others. Having enjoyed a Dutch evening just before Christmas, the British thought that a traditional Afternoon Tea would be a fun way to show-off one of our traditions. The sun shone, the tables were laid, the cakes and sandwiches made, the tea was brewing and the home-made lemonade was ready and the Union Jacks were flying as everyone arrived in their finery to join in. Anne, Nichola, Samantha, Katie and Liz had done a fantastic job of organising it of Queen Elizabeth II on the table, waving her hand to open the event! The cakes were outstanding but top prize had to go to Pete, from Argonauta, who made the most impressive looking cakes that we'd seen in a long time. If he went on cupcake challenge, he would win hands down!



We made a couple of trips back to the UK too. In January, we spent a week to visit Chris's mum, who hadn't been very well, visit friends in Norfolk and spend a day at the London Boat Show. In March, we spent nearly 3 weeks visiting friends and family and did some fun stuff together. We took our nephew, Callum, for a job interview and he got a phone call later that day offering him the job. Our nephew Adam wanted to do some cooking with Chris so they made a potato and courgette dish to go with Sunday lunch. With my sister Audra and brother-in-law Gavin, we did some hiking in the Yorkshire Dales where they live, finishing off in a local pub and we visited an Industrial Museum together, which was a great example of just how so much had changed so quickly since the Industrial Revolution. One thing that hadn't changed though was the new toy of our friend, Chris Cadman - a classic Lagonda car! Together with Chris & Paula, we felt like royalty as we were treated to a spin around the country lanes near their home. Great fun though. The weather was great during our trip and it was lovely to see the English countryside coming to life again after the winter. The spring flowers were out, the trees were starting to bud and blossom and the spring lambs could be seen in the fields.



Over the winter, we were lucky to have a local organic farmer, Andrea, come to the marina every Monday morning to sell his produce, which was always seasonal, delicious and lasted so much longer that anything bought in a supermarket. As a thank you to us for our support, he invited a group of us over to see his farm and to have lunch. Spring had arrived in Sicily too and we spent a delightful few hours finding out about how he worked his land before we were treated to a delicious lunch that he and his wife had provided. We have been totally spoilt here in Sicily with the great quality, yet inexpensive, food and wine. It is something that we shall miss dearly when we leave here. We know that already.




The end of April marks the end of the winter for many cruisers as winter contracts come to an end. To thank us for our custom, the marina office organised a Thank You Barbecue for us. They provided all the meat, drinks and dessert and we contributed side dishes. It was a beautiful, hot day and we mingled with the marina staff as they served us drinks and food. The marina was very generous with the drinks and brought along 2 barrels of lager on tap. After the BBQ, the lager stayed and a few hardy cruisers spent several hours finishing the second barrel. They were not to be seen the next day!

So, that has been our winter. This morning, many boats left to start their summer cruising but not us. We have a long journey ahead of us and can therefore take more time. We will leave here at the end of May but in the meantime there is still plenty to keep us busy aboard Deep Blue and my sister Debra and her friend Karen are coming to visit next week. After that, we've got my brother visiting from the USA. It will be his first time aboard the boat, and hopefully not the last!