Expensive Sicily
23 June 2008
Brad
Question: where in the Med would you expect to find the most expensive marina that offers the least facilities in return for your hard earned mulha? (well at least in our experience and that includes the Hamble river and Palma!).
Answer: it is a little back water town on the western coast of Sicily, Marsala - the first port of call yachts making passage from Sardinia to Sicily and beyond.
74 euros a night for a marina that barely has enough depth to receive us, port-a-cabin for ablutions and a couple of plastic chairs and a picnic table for a bar.
Now either we are missing something by way of the underlying charm that this place exudes (mind you the marina is half empty), or these Sicilians are the kings of the low cost model and know they can charge it...OR perhaps there is a serious "protection" tax included and collected on our behalf and handed to the local Mafia!! We haven't worked it out yet but we are pursing the answers while downing beers in a local and trying to beat the heat by sitting as still as possible. Clearly one Aussie has been away from home too long!!
So we left Cagliari by mid morning on the 22nd and set a course for Sicily. The predominant winds in this part of the Med are from the northwest. But at the risk of sounding like a broken record, 'guess where our fair breeze was coming from?'... the south east of course and on the nose AGAIN, so we motored 90% of the 150miles passage. Winds died overnight which provide a nice comfortable platform from which to finish nearly finish the third season of Lost!
Another hot calm day today as we came into Marsala, moored up, hosed the deck and made for the internet caf� and cold beers.
A couple of extra beers are on the table tonight though due to our, or I should say Kat's, slight win over the marina. On the news that the nights mooring was going to cost 74 euros, she protested, played cute, may have even blown a kiss for all I know but she got us a discount, hence we paid only 50!!!