Aisling I
18 July 2016 | Genoa
11 July 2016 | Genoa Italy
04 July 2016 | Genoa
02 July 2016 | Genoa
25 June 2016 | Porto Azzurro Elba
11 April 2016 | Marina di Ragusa
21 March 2016 | Halifax
01 March 2016
14 January 2016
30 September 2015
25 September 2015 | Crotone Italy
18 September 2015 | Erikoussa
10 September 2015 | Preveza
10 September 2015 | Preveza
24 July 2015 | Preveza
20 July 2015 | Varko Bay
13 July 2015 | Vlicho Bay
09 July 2015
03 July 2015 | Preveza Greece
21 June 2015
Update from Marina di Ragusa
24 May 2013 | Marina di Ragusa
Bonnie
Finally, we've found a little time to write an update. It's been over a month since we arrived in Sicily, still hyperventilating after a particularly frenzied departure from Halifax. We'd had some exciting news shortly before our departure- our daughter Katherine and her boyfriend Martin announced their engagement! Hosting a celebration for over fifty people at our house just six days before we left home may have been a bit ambitious, but it was well worth the effort.
On the other hand, having a new heating system installed during our last week at home was just plan stressful. We flew away from Halifax a mere ten hours after the installers flipped the "on" switch on our new propane furnace, and our flight landed in Palermo just hours before Lufthansa's pilots staged a company-wide strike. As they say, "Timing is everything"!
We spent our first night in Sicily at the Himera Polis Hotel in Termini Imerese, between Palermo and Cefalu. The hotel is situated just around the corner from the ancient (circa 600 BC) Greek site of Himera. In 480 BC, this was the site of a huge battle between Greeks and Carthaginians. The decisive Greek victory led the Carthaginian Hamilcar to literally "go out in a blaze" by throwing himself on the funeral pyre of his dead soldiers. All went well for the Greeks of Himera for the next 70 years, until Hannibal took his revenge by destroying the town. When Hannibal set out to destroy a place he tended to be pretty thorough with the job, so there's nothing much left to see here now other than the remains of the Greek "Temple of Victory". Still, the few remaining pillars of the temple made a pretty sight when we turned the corner from the highway just after dark. After getting settled in our room, we headed down the road for a delicious and typically Sicilian meal at the ristorante/pizzeria Ron e Salvo. Early the next morning we headed off for a quick tour of Cefalu.
Cefalu is a charming town, and the main draw is the impressive cathedral, whose massive mosaic of Christ Pantocrator (Christ the Almighty) is truly unforgettable.
By noon, we were on the road to Marina di Ragusa. At the boat, we had just enough time to drop our bags and make our bed before heading up the hill for cruisers' music night at the bakery! It was great fun to see so many of our friends all in one place, and what a surprise to discover that our friend Sandra had taught herself how to play the guitar during the winter!
The next couple of weeks were a blur of cleaning, boat tasks and working by day and social activities by night. With so many boats preparing to depart, there were numerous social gatherings and "farewell' parties. Highlights in our social calendar were a party for Canadians hosted by Joel and Ceu onboard "Life, Part 2", a marvelous dinner at "Il Consiglio di Sicilia" in Donnalucata with Bill and Karen Foss and their friend Diana (Détente) and a party onboard Finalemente with Ni and Krissy.
On May 2nd, we picked up our friends Hans and Dani at the Catania airport, and drove to Giarre, where we had reserved rooms at the Etna Hotel. As we drove through Giarre looking for the hotel, everything looked especially grimy. We were starting to get a bit worried until we realized that the "dirt" covering everything was actually ash from Mt. Etna! The volcano has been very active this year, and the paths and grass at the Etna Hotel were covered with tiny pebbles of pumice that crunched under our feet as we walked.
At the front desk, the manager showed us a video of the ash raining down the previous week, the ash (or should I say pumice?) sounding like hail as it hit the ground. People here seem to view this as a bit of a nuisance rather than anything to be particularly alarmed about. Do they realize that 12,000 people died when Etna erupted in 1669?
Our hotel rooms were so spacious that we initially assumed we were all intended to stay in Hans and Dani's room, which was actually a suite with two bedrooms and one bath. Our room turned out to be equally as nice, but who wants to hang around inside when there's a view of Mt. Etna from the pool?
We pulled a few pool chairs in a circle, shared a bottle of wine and got caught up with Hans and Dani's news of their visit to Venice and their cruise to Croatia. Then we continued on to dinner in the hotel restaurant, where the food was good but the ambience was even better. It was a great start to a great week!
There's lots more to tell, so we'll try to catch up with more postings next week. We should have some time to write, because Aisling will remain at the dock until at least the end of the month. That's when our marina contract ends, but, more importantly, we're waiting for our new life raft to be delivered, new batteries to be installed and a new wind generator to arrive. Even if we didn't have work to be done, it's unlikely we'd be leaving in a hurry anyway. The weather has been very unsettled. On several days, the wind has been ferocious, with gusts as high as 50 knots...not exactly ideal cruising conditions! Ciao for now!
On the other hand, having a new heating system installed during our last week at home was just plan stressful. We flew away from Halifax a mere ten hours after the installers flipped the "on" switch on our new propane furnace, and our flight landed in Palermo just hours before Lufthansa's pilots staged a company-wide strike. As they say, "Timing is everything"!
We spent our first night in Sicily at the Himera Polis Hotel in Termini Imerese, between Palermo and Cefalu. The hotel is situated just around the corner from the ancient (circa 600 BC) Greek site of Himera. In 480 BC, this was the site of a huge battle between Greeks and Carthaginians. The decisive Greek victory led the Carthaginian Hamilcar to literally "go out in a blaze" by throwing himself on the funeral pyre of his dead soldiers. All went well for the Greeks of Himera for the next 70 years, until Hannibal took his revenge by destroying the town. When Hannibal set out to destroy a place he tended to be pretty thorough with the job, so there's nothing much left to see here now other than the remains of the Greek "Temple of Victory". Still, the few remaining pillars of the temple made a pretty sight when we turned the corner from the highway just after dark. After getting settled in our room, we headed down the road for a delicious and typically Sicilian meal at the ristorante/pizzeria Ron e Salvo. Early the next morning we headed off for a quick tour of Cefalu.
Cefalu is a charming town, and the main draw is the impressive cathedral, whose massive mosaic of Christ Pantocrator (Christ the Almighty) is truly unforgettable.
By noon, we were on the road to Marina di Ragusa. At the boat, we had just enough time to drop our bags and make our bed before heading up the hill for cruisers' music night at the bakery! It was great fun to see so many of our friends all in one place, and what a surprise to discover that our friend Sandra had taught herself how to play the guitar during the winter!
The next couple of weeks were a blur of cleaning, boat tasks and working by day and social activities by night. With so many boats preparing to depart, there were numerous social gatherings and "farewell' parties. Highlights in our social calendar were a party for Canadians hosted by Joel and Ceu onboard "Life, Part 2", a marvelous dinner at "Il Consiglio di Sicilia" in Donnalucata with Bill and Karen Foss and their friend Diana (Détente) and a party onboard Finalemente with Ni and Krissy.
On May 2nd, we picked up our friends Hans and Dani at the Catania airport, and drove to Giarre, where we had reserved rooms at the Etna Hotel. As we drove through Giarre looking for the hotel, everything looked especially grimy. We were starting to get a bit worried until we realized that the "dirt" covering everything was actually ash from Mt. Etna! The volcano has been very active this year, and the paths and grass at the Etna Hotel were covered with tiny pebbles of pumice that crunched under our feet as we walked.
At the front desk, the manager showed us a video of the ash raining down the previous week, the ash (or should I say pumice?) sounding like hail as it hit the ground. People here seem to view this as a bit of a nuisance rather than anything to be particularly alarmed about. Do they realize that 12,000 people died when Etna erupted in 1669?
Our hotel rooms were so spacious that we initially assumed we were all intended to stay in Hans and Dani's room, which was actually a suite with two bedrooms and one bath. Our room turned out to be equally as nice, but who wants to hang around inside when there's a view of Mt. Etna from the pool?
We pulled a few pool chairs in a circle, shared a bottle of wine and got caught up with Hans and Dani's news of their visit to Venice and their cruise to Croatia. Then we continued on to dinner in the hotel restaurant, where the food was good but the ambience was even better. It was a great start to a great week!
There's lots more to tell, so we'll try to catch up with more postings next week. We should have some time to write, because Aisling will remain at the dock until at least the end of the month. That's when our marina contract ends, but, more importantly, we're waiting for our new life raft to be delivered, new batteries to be installed and a new wind generator to arrive. Even if we didn't have work to be done, it's unlikely we'd be leaving in a hurry anyway. The weather has been very unsettled. On several days, the wind has been ferocious, with gusts as high as 50 knots...not exactly ideal cruising conditions! Ciao for now!
Comments
| Vessel Name: | Aisling I |
| Vessel Make/Model: | Slocum 43 |
| Hailing Port: | Halifax, NS, Canada |
| Crew: | Rick and Bonnie Salsman |
| About: | |
| Extra: | |
| Social: |
|
Aisling I's Photos - Aisling I (Main)
Photos 1 to 7 of 7 |
1 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
1 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
During the winter, we babysat Murphy Brown (a lovely poodle that belongs to our friends Wally and Martha) for 10 days. I had some fun capturing her in some of her favourite spots!
8 Photos
Created 16 May 2012
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Pics of Aisling at anchor, up top and down below.
23 Photos
Created 2 November 2008
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
About Aisling 1
Who: Rick and Bonnie Salsman
Port: Halifax, NS, Canada
Quick Links
- Miscellaneous
- Greece-other
- Croatia and Montenegro 2012
- Sicily 2011-2014
- Italy (Mainland) 2012
- Weather and Technical
- Turkey
- Greece-Aegean
- Syracuse 2009
- Tunisia
- Malta
- Greece Ionian & Gulf of Corinth
- Sicily 2008
- Corsica and Sardinia
- Southern France
- Transatlantic part 2-Azores to Baiona
- Azores 2007
- South Spain & Balearics-2008
- South Spain & Gibraltar 2007
- Portugal 2007
- Atlantic Spain
- Transatlantic part 1-Halifax to Azores
- Previous Trips
- pre departure
- Show All Posts
SailBlogs Friends
