Malta and Gozo

Malta has been a mixture of wonderful trusting helpful people, gorgeous architecture and chaotic byzantine bureaucracy.
The pilot, written three years ago, told us to call Valetta Port Control on channel 9 from 10 miles out and predicts that they will ask us to re-call at 1 mile out. So far, so good – that’s exactly what happened. At one mile out, we called again and were directed to Msida marine (great that’s where we wanted to go) and told to moor on pontoon 0 and clear customs. Just what the pilot says.

So we entered Marsamxett harbour under the bastions of Valetta which is very impressive indeed.On to the end of the harbour to find that pontoon 0 was full and the marina wasn’t answering VHF. We found a single temporarily vacant private berth on ‘N’, moored and went into the office. The whole marina was completely full and we could only stay an hour or so – go next door to the police for entry facilities.
A very nice policeman knew absolutely nothing about entry formalities – apparently customs moved out permanently two weeks ago! We have to go to Valetta but tomorrow morning will do.

So back to the office and they direct us to berth stern to on a concrete quay at Sliema by the harbour mouth which turned out to have a dangerous swell flying along sideways. We spent an uncomfortable night and were unable to get onto teh quay to catch a bus so L & I set off in the dinghy to do the 4 miles round trip into Valetta Grand Harbour by water. We eventually tied up by some fishermen whose float we retrieved and walked another mile right under the bows of two huge cruise liners. We first came to a beautiful marble customs house but it turned out they were the HQ and we had to go where the cruise liner passengers disembark.
The customs people were plainly surprised to see us and had little idea what to do. After a lot of jabbering and phone calls they produced a sheaf of forms to fill in. One of them was a crew list which they asked us to take to the immigration police – who took us right back as they didn’t think they were supposed to do that.
After an hour it was all sorted out. The customs man told us that EU citizens on an EU registered boat with no pets and nothing to declare (like us) really didn’t need to clear in anyway – but it was ‘best’ if we did.

We got back to the boat at 11.30 and we were finally ready to take the ‘Q’ flag down and start our stay in Malta. We all agreed that we couldn’t stay where we were so we called Chris at the marina and he suggested going over to Gozo. We went, which was a really good decision. Mgarr marina is excellent: very sheltered and blow me down has a customs man who could have cleared us with none of the hassle! The pilot states (wrongly) that the customs office closes at the end of September. Well it used to – but now it stays open all year round.
We didn’t even have to pay for mooring - even though we hadn’t yet signed or paid for a winter contract and could have left at any time, they just trusted us and said it would all count as soon as we did sign.
Another sign of the good old-fashioned trust culture was that I took a can to fill with Diesel to the petrol station & told him I would be coming back several times. “No problem“, says he, “Take your time & pay when you’re done”. No two forms of ID, no pay for each one. He just assumed I was honest and would come back and pay in good time. We’ve lost that in Britain over the past 40 years and it’s really great to see it again.

We spent 2 days chilling out, doing a bit of sight-seeing in Victoria and then it was time to get back to Msida so that Hugh and Marion could catch their BA flight back to Gatwick at the ungodly hour of 0500. I called the marina and got lucky. I expected a one-night berth but they gave us one we can stay in until pontoon ’N’ frees up in about 3 weeks. At 3.15 the booked taxi turned up and off they went.
We finally took out our winter contract which cost €1100 for October to April inclusive and water, electricity, showers and toilets are all included in the price. That’s just €50 per week. Fantastic!


We’ve done a little exploring in Malta including seeing the start of the Middle Sea Race run by the Royal Malta Yacht club. No little starting pistol for them – they use a howitzer! The race goes anticlockwise round Sicily then goes down to the tiny island of Lampedusa (the most southerly part of Europe) and back to Malta taking between 3 and 7 days. Some of the 90 yachts are lean mean racing machines but a lot of them are ordinary cruisers with enthusiastic crews. It’s all a bit like a smaller and much more gruelling round the island race.
So that’s it really. We’ve made it and now we settle down to normal life until sometime in April when we set off for Greece. We will do a lot of sightseeing and a fair bit of working and just living but we don’t expect a lot of excitement. I won’t keep up this blog during the winter as I suspect it would be boring to write and even more boring to read. I’ll re-start when we set off again.
Thanks for following us so far – and join us again next year.

Etna

Etna is huge – 10,910 feet high and 40Km wide at the base. We first saw it looming behind other mountains from Milazzo on the north coast. The two recommended places to start a trip to the craters are Riposto and Catani. We chose the former as the mooring prospects looked much better,
Getting up there is quite a challenge. There seems to be no public transport up to the start of the cable car so we had to hire a car in the port and drive for two
hours. The trip from there was €53.00 each and worth every penny.
As we went climbed from the car to the start of the cable car, we were surrounded by thousands of ladybirds – crawling on everything, flying around, and many of them crushed under foot. Very odd and I have no idea what they were doing up there.

The cable is very efficient and whisked us up to 2000 meters followed by another 1000M climb in a 4-wheel drive bus. At the refuge we picked up a guide who spoke Italianbut very little English. Luckily he spoke French and I was able to translate for the others.



The first thing we saw was the destroyed refuge from the 1971 eruption. It erupts irregularly but frequently and has been grumbling all this year so trips to the 4 main craters were out of the question.





We tramped around the craters that did all the damage in 1991 seeing gas, steam and sulphur all in a crumbling lunar landscape.








At one point our guide dug a 6 inch hole in the mointain side and pulled out pebbles that were almost too hot to touch!










At the end of the trip, the clouds which had been shrouding the tip of the mountain cleared a bit and we were able to see the summit smoking.
Altogether a very memorable experience.

Sicily East coast

We went down the East coast fairly quickly as we wanted to take advantage of the settled weather to cross to Malta. Also with no reservations allowed, we wanted to ensure our place in the queue for a winter berth.

Having passed the mythological Scilla and Charybdis whirlpools without even seeing a ripple, we bypassed Messina as it is pretty ugly and the Marina is reputed to be expensive and uncomfortable. Instead, we went to Reggio Calabria which is our one and only stop on the Italian Mainland.


Reggio is not exactly a tourist resort - the only view was of some concrete flats, a railway station and a motorway. The marina was safe, reasonably priced and friendly with water and electricity provided. We, like Rod Heikel, drank the water and came to no harm.



On Wednesday we went to Riposto which is a good starting point for a trip to Etna. We were hoping for a gentle sail of 25 miles with a nice E4 wind. In the event we had a southerly head wind all the way and after a lovely long tack right across the straight, realised that it would be after dark before we got there and hoisted the iron topsail. Pity! The pilot is not enthusiastic about the place so we weren’t expecting much. In the even it was the best marine we had seen since Trapani. The new breakwater is complete. The shelter is excellent and so is the service and facilities. Water and electricity included and all for €32 (would have been €52 in season). Riposto itself is a nice little town with very good provisions including excellent fish shops and market.
Next day we went up Etna.....


On the Friday we set off for a gentle potter to Acireale. Unfortunately, there was almost no wind and we had no choice but to motor. We got there at 3.00 only to find that the promised moorings and pontoons had gone and the only spaces were taken by fishing boats so we went 10 miles further south to Acitrezza. Mooring was basic but easy - anchor then back up to the high concrete quay and tie up (just like Greece). The harbour was a bit dirty but quite acceptable for a night and nobody turned up for a fee so the price was right!


Saturday was a long hop of 33 miles to Syracuse. As we left the harbour there was a nice tail wind so we put up the Spinnaker only to have the wind die 10 minutes later and not re-appear all day. We had high hopes of Syracuse as the largest Greek city in the ancient world outside Athens and the home of Archimedes. For us it didn’t live up to its promise. The town quay was closed and we anchored with no trouble. Getting the dinghy ashore was a nightmare though. The charted place was now a customs quay and we eventually found some steps right by the police compound and under the bows of a large trawler. There was only ine very rusty ring that already had 4 boats tied to it. We had a long dusty walk into town and found it pleasant but sprawling.

The Cathedral in the piazza was stunning but there was little sign of the ancient Greek heritage other than a decrepit ruin of a temple to Apollo. Perhaps we were unlucky and we never found any tourist information.

We wanted to get to Malta so instead of trying Siracuse on a Sunday we had a leisurely breakfast and then motored down to Porto Palo on the corner of Sicily ready for the long crossing on Monday. During this voyage we came across several packages floating in the sea. They were very buoyant , about 80*50*30cm and all trussed up in polythene with string. We thought they were flotsam and ignored them. We also thought we spotted a flare a mile away (lots of white smoke, no light) and diverted to see if someone was in trouble. In the event, a RIB (now disappearing over the horizon) had dropped a lighted land firework in the sea and buggered off! Nice joke which wasted ½ an hour for us. It’s just lucky we didn’t call out the coastguard.
Porto Palo is much bigger than I expected from the chart. The eastern harbour is choked with permanent moorings for small boats and the quay is full of huge trawlers. Nevertheless, there is plenty of room to anchor and the holding was good on the third try.
We rose at 0400 and were out of the harbour by 0445 – still dark – as we wanted to finish the 55 miles to Malta before the customs shuts at 1700. We had to maintain 5Knots so we motored at first. The wind came up at 8.30 and we sailed under Spinnaker for a couple of hours till it died again and we motored the rest. On the way, we spotted something that looked as if it might be An inflatable and diverted again. In the event it was another of those packages but coloured grey with orange ends and a sticky-up white number 35. And we started seeing more – lots more. In the end, curiosity got the better of us and we went to pull one out to see what it was – only to find that it had a large sea anchor attached and a long line that disappeared into the depths. It is some kind of deep-water fishing device. Given the number of these things we saw (over 30 in 2 days) ther must be thousands of these things out there in deep water. They seem like a new and very unpleasant hazard for yachtsmen – particularly at night.


From noon we could see Malta approaching. Valetta was an impressive sight as it loomed out of the sunshine! At 1600, we sailed into Msida marina and, having failed to raise them on VHF moored at a private berth to talk to them and clear customs. In the event- the customs office is now closed permanently and we had to go to Valetta next day! We couldn’t stay where we were so we were directed to an awful mooring on the seaward side near the mouth of Sliema creek. There were pickup buoys and rings to tie up to on the quay – but a vicious swell rushed along the quay trying to trap any unwary dinghy underneath a concrete ledge. Very nasty!

Aeolian Isles

The Aeolian islands are really worth a visit. In addition to Stromboli which I have always wanted to see, there are several other large islands – all different and interesting. Unfortunately, the weather was distinctly variable and many of the islands seem to go out of their way to make visiting by yacht difficult and expensive.
We started with a 7 hour passage from St Agata to Vulcano which has one of the two active volcanoes in the islands and the only really good anchorages. The scenery as you approach is spectacular with great red and black cliffs revealing cross sections of old lava and ash flows. We saw a tripper boat go up to a cave and decided to give it a go ourselves.

It was almost large enough for Rosa to get into – mast and all. With deep blue water underneath. Lindsay spotted what looked like rubbish in the water – but it turned out to be floating pumice. We caught few pieces in our net.

The anchorage is spectacular with the volcano brooding and smoking above, black sand all around and huge pillars of basalt rising out of the water. We took the dinghy ashore and found a pleasant though very touristy village. We would have liked to spend longer but Stromboli was a must and was a long way to go with only two days spare before a big storm was due to come through.


We left early the next day planning to go around Stromboli at night. We would need a place to moor afterwards and there is no decent shelter on Stromboli so we spied out Panarea on the way – putting an anchoring site and 2 mooring buoys on the GPS. We also noted that the tiny quay was not viable as it was being repaired and the small remaining space was either used for fishing boats or hydrofoils. We got to NE Stromboli ant 6.00 and anchored in very deep and open water for dinner. As the sun set we went off slowly anticlockwise and got to the site where you can see the fireworks in the dark. It is too dim for photography from a moving boat so it’s all in our hear=d. The mountain obliged with three eruptions throwing glowing rocks and lava high into the air which then tumbled down the side of the crater. Truly worth a visit if you ever get the chance!
We got to Panarea at 2300. The anchorage looked uninviting as a couple of small day boats were now moored close to where we would swing so we picked up one of the buoys and had a lumpy but safe night. Mike went in to see the sights so we settled down to breakfast – only to be accosted by a rude young man in a disreputable blue fishing boat demanding €20.00 He had no identification and would give to receipt so we thought he was probably on-the-take. In the end I decided to pay for a quiet life. Thinking about it, I should have insisted on taking a photo of him accepting the money but at the time, I just handed it over. 10 minutes later there was a shout from the neighbouring power boat and a sleepy naked bloke emerged wrapping a towel around himself. He shouted that it was his mooring and demanded payment! I told him we’d paid the bloke in the blue boat. He wasn't happy and I really kicked myself for not taking that picture. I gave him a cheery wave and cast off and I suspect we came under the category of too much trouble to chase. Not a place we will be going back to though.

With a storm forecast the next day, we headed for Lipari (the capital) and picked up a nice pontoon mooring for two days. It wasn't cheap but the ormegiattore (who is the spitting image of Elton John) was very friendly and helpful and provided water, electricity and even WiFi.

Lipari town is great! Lots of provisions, cafes and everything you would expect in a thriving little town. The graveyard is fascinating and the Citadel is impressive. It houses a beautiful cathedral and an excellent museum which is very informative about the vulcanology and history of the islands. The history is very rich and goes right back to Neolithic times when they were the only source of Obsidian in the Western Med, through Greeks, Romans, Moors, pirates crusaders and others.
Finally we had a very lumpy sail over to Milazzo to drop off Mike & Linda and pick up Hugh and Marion.

Northern Sicily

The trip accross was long and fairly lumpy. We had a nice beam wind most of the way though so we were able to sail and keep the average speed close to 5 Knots most of the way. There were no incidents. There were squalls around but we led a charmed life and got lightly rained on just once and didn’t get punched by any heavy squall winds. I did the shift from midnight till dawn and got all the way through my first Jon Grisham novel on Lindsay’s iPod. A wonderful invention – mad the long boring night pass fairly quickly.
Shortly after dawn we got our first glimpse of the Egadi Islands just to the west of Sicily. It took until 1.00 to get to them. We had intended to moor there but found that the pontoon had been taken up for the winter. Knowing that all the mooring hardware would still be down there, thirsting for our anchor, we decided to go straight on to Trapani on the mainland and got there at 5.00.
As we motored down to the marina in the deepest part of the harbour, a man on a pontoon waved us in. I thought the layout must have changed and in we went. It subsequently turned out that it was a new marina and the original one is still there further down. It was a happy occurrence though. They are both teh same price (€50 for us) but the new one, called Cantiere Navale, was one of the best places we have stayed. It has all facilities – including excellent security, friendly staff, a free washing machine, free electricity, free WiFi and potable water. There is even a nice little seating area with coke & coffee machines and chairs. We stayed two days.
From Trapani, we had only 4 days to get close to the Aeolian islands and pick up Mike and Linda so it was days of long passages and short stops. The forecast was fairly rainy and unsettled and the north coast of Sicily is very mountainous and steep-to so there are not many places to stop anyway. We decided to put as many miles behind us as quickly as possible in case of bad weather later.


We stopped at Femina, Cefalu and St. Agata Militello. As we approached Femina from the West, we went between the island and the mainland over an area charted as 5M. A fisherman shouted at us that it was only 2 Meters and I had some difficulty explaining that we draw less than one. In the event, the depth got down to only 1.5M in one place with rocks below – so if you’re following us and not in a Southerly – round the island would be much more sensible!
Femina was a nice little fishing port. The pilot says that mooring is from the quay – but this isn’t true. It is completely choked with fishing boats. There is a pontoon round to the right run by an Ormegiatore. No English spoken and no receipts given despite a great deal of form filling and bureaucracy.




Cefalu was lovely – a real Gem. We were sorry not to be able to spend a day or so there. It has winding medieval streets which seem to be perfectly preserved and the Cathedral is stunning.A huge, very plain nave with a huge ancient freso behind the alter. The walk from the port to the town takes about 20 minutes but very pleasant. There is a well hidden footpath that goes right down by the sea.
St Agata is now providing good shelter as the mole has been extended and hooks around. Helm Yachting (part of Kiriakoulis) runs a charter business from here and provides a really excellent service for their modest fees. At weekends though, the pontoon is likely to be full of charter boats so weekday arrival is a good idea. They provide a free taxi service to a local supermarket and to a local restaurant.
An excellent fish shop lives on the se front on the way from the quay to the town. The lady in there is very friendly and speaks excellent French.
Mike and Linda arrived by train in the afternoon. We stayed overnight and then set off to see the volcanoes in the Aeolian islands.....




.... And back to Milazzo to drop Linda and Mike and pick up Marion and Hugh.
The place is a complete Rip-Off. It was the most expensive marina we've been to anywhere - €60 for a 10 Meter boat in the off season and with pretty much the poorest facilities. It'a just a few pontoons in a corner of a busy commercial port. Ptrovisionas are a real expedition - although the fish when you find it is excellent. The marina has only one combined toilet + shower for each sex and those are dirty and with no thought to how you stow your clothes without them getting soaked. The queues in the morning have to be seen to be believed! Electricity and water are extra and metered (meanly). No intenet of course. We won't be going back there ever!

The journey along the final stretch of the north coast is bland and surprisingly long until you get to the Straights. We were expecting a rough ride but compared to Husrt Narrows it is a pussy-cat. We pulled into Reggio Calabria a couple of hours later poised to tackle the east coast.