We left Milazzo at 06.40hrs as we had around 20 miles to do before reaching the Straits. With a wind force of 1 we weren’t going anywhere by sail so the motors again got a workout. Apart from dodging a tanker that decided to up anchor and play chase across Milazzo bay with us, it was a straightforward (pun intended) trip to the mouth of the feared Straits.
This has always been an important waterway as it cuts off the many miles around Sicily but has always been feared by seamen for its strong currents and the powerful winds that blow down off the nearby slopes. This is where the Odyssey has Odysseus battling the six headed monster ‘Scilla’ who lived on the cliffs and plucked sailors from their ships and ‘Charybdis’ a giant whirlpool that swallowed ships whole. Our reading suggests that the Straits were more fearsome in the past as an earthquake in 1783 is said to have changed the topography and calmed the worst of the whirlpool. Even so it’s a stretch of water to treat seriously as the tides are strong and if the wind is also strong and against them you can get very nasty seas.
As you enter the Straits in calm weather you see the unusual swordfish boats that work here in the summer. Apparently the swordfish at this time of the year sleep or rest on the surface and these boats have the helmsmen on top of a mast structure around 15-20m up in the air and often then a similar sized bowsprit so they can sneak up on the fish and harpoon them. We saw three of these strange boats as we entered the area though no activity suggested they caught anything.
Swordfish fishing boat in the Straits
The passage was somewhat of an anti-climax as the wind was light and we seem to have got the tides right with only a knot or so to help us through the narrowest part. We made sure to call ‘Messina Traffic’ on channel 10 when we were a mile or so away (you get fined if you don’t) and they took simple details from us (length/crew number/departed from/destination) before asking us to monitor channels 10 & 16 as we passed through. There was no wind, no shipping other than a couple of large motor yachts and no six-headed monsters. Even the whirlpool was having an off-day with slight surface disturbances but nothing significant. Chris was a bit disappointed after all things he’d read but Carolyn thought that was a good deal!
The day continued quietly as the wind refused to appear, we saw 7 knots for about 10 minutes in the afternoon and otherwise never got out of F2. Our only issue was that our port engine started to make squeaking noises, this is worrying as the starboard engine did this 2 years ago and we ended up having to replace the coolant pump after making a large donation to Volvo Penta for the part. We dropped the revs on port and finished the trip to Taormina without incident.
Once things had cooled down Chris was able to inspect the coolant pump which he had been monitoring and the bearing does seem to move more than it should – an indication that we probably have a failure en-route! Cue internet search for Volvo Penta dealers.
Main Photo: The Straits open up to starboard as we approach