Out and about in Sicily
After backtracking to Taormina we then had the wait for favourable conditions to go thru’ the Messina Straits to the Volcano Islands. This passage of water between the top of Sicily and mainland Italy is quite narrow at the nearest points being only a kilometre and half across. This is the home of the swordfish industry that has just had a resurgence in popularity. The boats have a high lookout tower for spotters to find the sleeping swordfish on the surface and then they creep up on them and spear them.
Similarities to the Gibralter Straits but on a smaller scale but never the less the tidal stream is strong and if it is against the wind there can be nasty situations particularly if the winds are strong creating whirlpools. So we sat in Taormina waiting. Matilda arrived and anchored nearby, they had done an over night trip from Crotone. We spent the next couple of days looking for gear…aren’t we always? And with no chandlery in Naxos/Taormina we all caught the train to Messina in the north. What a grubby place and no success with the shopping. We did call into the marina asking directions for a chandlery and found the nightly rate for a catamaran was €132, not the place to visit by boat. We were all hot so thought to catch a tram back to the train station, so with no ticket machine on the platform we hopped on with money in our fists. That is not how it happens, and when we wanted to pay the ticket lady all she could say was we had to pay the fine for not having tickets. Someone tried to explain for us but we just got off. Messina? Not a place we would revisit but then it has had a horrid life. Devastated and levelled in an earthquake in 1908 and bombed to pieces in WWll.
The next day we chose to go down the coast to Catania again looking for our bits. Another train trip and this time the place was a pleasant surprise. Wounderful old 18th century buildings….great markets and generally a great atmosphere for our day out. Its most famous land mark is the Roman smiling elephant made from lava with an Egyptian inscribed obelisk on its back. Not too sure what that was about, AND found a very good chandlery and got some of our requirements.
Another day out in Sicily and to top things off we have found a place that does BBQ chickens….short cut for dinner plus a couple in the freezer. The weather window for the Straits is looking like Sunday so we plan for an early start to put us at the Isolo Volcano by 1700. Of course the wind was up thru’ the strait but as soon as we had cleared land it dropped so we motor sailed all the way, dodging ferries and hydrafoils coming and going. We were welcomed to a crowed anchorage with the aroma of rotten eggs.