After more than two weeks of completely benign weather, the forecast was predicting Force 7 winds (30+ knots) for Monday. This (naturally) was the very day that we needed to take the boat down the coast to Pozzallo to be hauled at the Scala boatyard. Unfortunately, sailing to Pozzallo on Sunday evening before the wind piped up wasn't an option, since the yard didn't have room for us at their dock. We decided to wait until Monday morning to make our decision.

On Sunday, I overheard Rick discussing our dilemma with our starboard neighbor Chuck from "Cyan" (who was eagerly awaiting our departure so he could launch his dinghy and wax the side of his boat). "But didn't you sail across the Atlantic to get here?" asked Chuck, and I immediately knew that my fate was sealed. Chuck and his wife Lynn are fearless...they even sailed through the Gulf of Aden in 2011, just days before the boat Quest was taken by Somali pirates. You may have read their articles in Cruising World magazine last year.

Since the wind was forecast to increase during the morning, an early departure was essential. We were on deck (literally) at 06:15 on Monday morning, and called the on-duty marinaro to give us a hand with our exit. In winds that were already gusting to 20 knots, but fortunately from the west, Rick managed to reverse out of our slip without giving Chuck more than his wax job to worry about. The next hurdle was clearing "Wraith", the steel-hulled boat tied just opposite us on "E" pontoon. Wraith had just been re-launched after several months on the hard, having sustained damage to her bow in a collision with a tanker off the coast of Malta. Of all the boats in the marina, this would definitely have been the worst one to hit (not only because it would have completely demoralized the owners, but also because we clearly would have gotten the worst of it in a collision with a boat that could survive a direct hit from a tanker moving at speed). We high-fived as we motored past the breakwater, then concentrated on avoiding the sand bar off the point. It would be a rough ride, but at least it would be fast.

In spite of the thick growth on the hull, we arrived at the entrance to the port in Pozzallo at 08.45, just as the ferry from Malta was docking. As we motored toward the Scala boatyard, Rick commented that the ferry's engines were still running. Fortunately, the churning in the water seemed to stop moments later. "Good" he said, "they've turned them off", but as we approached the pontoon in what seemed to be calm waters, Aisling was suddenly grabbed by the remnants of the current and thrown forcefully against an unprotected edge of the dock. "It's OK" said Giovanni, the boatyard owner's son, who had taken our lines. But actually, it wasn't. Rick groaned as he examined a nasty puncture wound in Aisling's fiberglass.

Next, we received some surprising news. Apparently, Aisling had grown during the winter! Giovanni went into the office, appeared with a long cloth tape measure, and held it in the air near Aisling's stern while his colleague held the other end of the tape measure in the air near the bow. Between them, the tape measure drooped in a long arc. "This boat is 13.6 meters long" Giovanni proclaimed. "Our papers say that it is 12.4 meters", I said. "The papers don't matter" he pointed to the tape "this boat is 13.6 meters".

Now, we do realize that Aisling's actual length overall (LOA) is slightly more than the 12.4 meters that is recognized in her official registration, but she is definitely not longer than 13 meters. This was a critical point, since the charge bands increase with each meter of length. Moving to the next charge band would cost us roughly another 160 euros. We got out our own tape, measured the boat ourselves and came up with 12.9 metres (which coincidentally is the exact LOA shown in the manufacturer's brochure). Rick went to the office and explained the problem to Giovanni's sister Maria (who speaks excellent English). Both arrived back at the dock (Maria in 3-inch espadrilles, her hair whipping wildly around her face in the wind) and the boat was measured again. "It is 13.6 metres" said Giovanni. He had apparently included the Monitor wind-vane in the measurement, which to me didn't seem like a reasonable way to calculate a price for applying paint to the bottom of a boat. However, having been previously warned to say nothing, I managed to bite my tongue. "OK" said Rick, "I'll pay the price. I just want a good job". We were completely over a barrel, since sailing back to Marina di Ragusa in a 30 knot headwind was not an option and we'd already committed to renting an apartment in Pozzallo for the week.

But I started to warm up to them when the boat was pulled out of the water. The yard is clearly a top-notch operation, with modern equipment and good safety practices. Best of all, when Aisling was settled on the stands, a portable staircase was rolled up to her side. Not a ladder, an actual staircase, with a handrail! Luxury! I almost wished we were staying aboard.

Well, not really. The next afternoon, it was blowing so hard that the boat was shaking on the cradle, and the wind instrument was showing over 40 knots in the gusts. The yard is also a long hike from the town, and while Rick has preferred to spend most of his days on the boat, I've been enjoying the change of scenery in Pozzallo. In contrast to Marina di Ragusa, which is mainly a resort town, Pozzallo is an authentic, vibrant Sicilian town. Our apartment is lovely, with a sweeping view of the sea and enough room to host a party for about 40 people. It's quite a change compared to living in a space where we barely have enough room to swing a cat! (not that I ever would...) We're right in front of a nice beach, and everything we could ever need is within walking distance. The bakery has delicious bread and there's a wonderful fruit and vegetable shop called "Non Solo Frutta" just around the corner. A cappuccino at the cafe down the street only costs 1.20 euro. One morning, the barista wouldn't let me pay for the croissant that I had with my coffee. I'm still trying to figure out why!

Early yesterday morning, Katherine and her friend Leah arrived in Catania on the ferry from Naples. We were up at 5:00 and waiting for them at the dock at 8 a.m. Then we headed straight for Taormina, which is at the top of most of the "must see" lists for Sicily, and for good reason. It is a delightful, touristy village perched on a mountainside just north of Mt Etna. The view from the Greek theatre was so incredible that it exceeded all our expectations! We hope to tell you more about it later, and post some photos.

The boatyard has already finished all the work on Aisling, and we were pleasantly surprised when they gave us a price reduction on the final invoice and did not charge us for repairing the damage to the fibreglass, (although Aisling was left with a bright white bruise on her portside flank). By noon today, Aisling had been relaunched and Rick and I were on our way to Marina di Ragusa, while Katherine and Leah went off on the bus to explore Modica. We've certainly been treated well by the Scala yard, and would definitely recommend them. Maria was even kind enough to meet us at the dock in Marina di Ragusa and drive us back to Pozzallo, where we will be staying in our apartment until Monday.

At the moment, all four of us are hunkered down in front of various electronic devices in the living room. We have a new wifi router that allows us to connect multiple devices to the internet, yet is small enough to fit in your pocket. On the other hand, this may not exactly the best way to experience Sicily! I assure you, this is just a temporary situation. Tonight, we'll try out a local restaurant in Pozzallo. Tomorrow we're off to the the flower festival in Noto. Ciao!