Newsflash... we've had a cracking sail, lasting 2 glorious hours!!!

Although a week earlier than planned we feel ready to move onto Marina di Ragusa (MdiR) for the winter, to settle into a place that we can call 'home' for the next 6-7 months. We've actually reached a point where we don't want to have to check the weather forecast daily, to decide whether or not to stay or move on or to go ashore. The search for supermarkets, laundrette, fuel etc has also become exhausting and surprisingly there is only so much 'culture' and 'sightseeing' that we can do before the head becomes all fuzzy. After obtaining permission from Siracusa Harbour Master to leave we departed from the anchorage bringing quite a chunk of the seabed onboard. Each chain link was solid with mud - a really messy job this time but there's no doubt that it's very secure holding.

With 60 miles to go until we reach Marina di Ragusa we scheduled an overnight stop at Porto Palo, 30 miles along the coast as good shelter can be found behind two moles but in places the ground is reported to be foul. "Wilson" (our anchor buoy/trip line) was ready to be deployed but after a quick check of the area we managed to find a sandy spot clear of any debris so he wasn't needed after all... and no need to shout "where's Wilson" the following morning! ;-). One night at Porto Palo was enough as the swell found its way in so we departed early to find a decent wind on our beam and we were able to sit back to enjoy two hours of sailing with both the genoa and mainsail out before we ended up motoring.

The entrance to MdiR is badly silted so it was necessary for us to radio in once we neared the marina. A dory came out to meet us and provided instructions to stay as close as possible to the port-side breakwater before he guided us to our berth and assisted with the rope work.

Total distance this season: 1096.13 nautical miles