Photo: Virtue ferry to Malta
We left Auckland 20:20 on April 28th 2016. We were able to check our hold luggage all the way through to Catania, Sicily which meant we would not have to retrieve it and clear customs in Rome. As we were making our way to the departure gate at Auckland International Airport, Brian was called to see the service desk and we were escorted to the secure baggage, where two items were removed from Brian’s hold luggage, deemed dangerous goods. The remainder of the flights were uneventful and after stopovers in Dubai and Rome, we arrived in Catania just before 5pm on Friday 29th April. We decided to stay at the airport hotel and get the bus to Licata the following morning.
Arriving back at the boat at lunchtime Saturday, all looked good. The boat was covered in Saharan sand, but that washed off easily the following morning. As we were slowly unpacking and checking everything, Brian exclaimed, “We have a major problem”. The hydraulic steering ram had lost all its pressure and fluid, meaning we had no means of steering the boat. Enquiries at the marina were not promising, the earliest a replacement could be received was late July, eeks! However a phone call to Malta, our next port of call and where we are getting a new radar dome and chart plotter installed (we bought them with us from home), identified Ronnie who could service the ram and get us a new one in 7-10 days. The following day, Thursday, after a two hour taxi ride to Pozzallo from Licata, we boarded the fast Virtue ferry to Valletta, Malta at 09:15, arriving at 11:00. Ronnie met us and drove us to the waterfront at Manoel Island, took the ram and we found a hotel for a couple of nights. Ronnie showed us the service kits for the ram which was encouraging as the age of our ram has seen it superseded twice, meaning the service kits are not easily found. We spent the rest of the day visiting the boatyards and marinas we are to visit and stay in when we return with the Dol. That evening we went to the local pub, joined a group of scousers and watched Liverpool defeat Villarreal 3-0 in the Europa League semi-final, now to find a place to watch the final. Ronnie had the ram fixed by the following morning, we ordered a new ram, and returned to Sicily on the 05:00 ferry Saturday morning. It was so much easier to get things done in Malta were English, although not the first language is spoken by everyone.
Back in Licata, Brian fitted and bled the ram and all looks good, hopefully it will get us to Malta and the new one will arrive in time to be fitted. We spent the rest of the week completing jobs and projects and went to the local café bar to help Bob off Bijou celebrate his birthday. That night we had rain from the south bringing with it the inevitable Saharan sand, requiring the boat to be washed down again. This is one thing we will not miss when we leave the Med.
Thursday 12th April we cleared out of Italy, planning to sail to Gozo, Malta at first light on Friday. Lynn and Dick “Wind Pony” have returned from the States and will be travelling to Malta with us.
Let the cruising season begin.