A Winter's Tale

There is a very good reason why you only haul out every couple of years and do maintenance and refits on a boat....the wallet couldn't handle a greater frequency! But as with all assets of value, we had scheduled a haul out and had budgeted for it and so the shock was lessoned a wee bit. We had a bottom job done, some seacocks replaced, rudder repairs, engine service and various other bits and bobs. Doesn't sound like much really now that I say it, but nothing on a boat is simple! Malta took great care of us and the wait was worth it. The work done was of excellent standard and Malta is just a beautiful place to visit so there was no loss for us at all. A win win.

Malta is such an interesting and historic place. There are ancient temples that predate Stonehenge; stories of conquest and tragedy; the intrigue and secrecy of the Maltese Knights and then the modern history of world wars. The Maltese people are truly resilient and tough but incredibly welcoming and friendly. Real 'islanders' in every sense of the word. We enjoyed our time wandering the streets of Valletta as well as getting to enjoy the start of the Middle Sea Race. It was a real privilege to be able to watch this start from the gun battery in the Grand Harbour. Its quite surreal to be standing on a fortified wall built in the mid 1500s watching a yacht race with some of the most cutting edge technology. Some of these vessels are just awesome to watch and their speed is mind boggling.

The weather was not so kind though and we had several delays in transitting from Malta to Sicily. We had hurricanes and contrary winds, along with flooding rains. We were beginning to think we would have to find a winter berth in Malta! But finally the weather gods granted us a small window and with a fresh Inelsamo, we made the short passage from Valletta to Licata in Sicily. We had a great sail and everything worked well and as it should. Then in the last hour before entering the marina, the winds picked up and tossed us around a bit. Did some damage to our sail bag (or Lazy Jack). With the winds smacking us from the south, and a dead bow thruster, it proved rather exciting to try and bring Inelsamo into her winter home. I made two attempts before finally, with the aid of my captain, some lovely marina crew and French guys, locking her in place. Then we were able to rest and celebrate what has been a very long two year journey to get here. PreCovid, Sicily was to be our jump off point for our Greek Odyssey with Michelle and Quentin so it was a little bittersweet to step ashore knowing the world is now a different place and our Greek Odyssey will have to wait for another time.

Licata, our winter home, is located on the south coast of Sicily on the mouth of the Salsa River, the largest and longest river in Sicily. Its an ancient city having been founded in 282 BCE and was throughout its history a wealthy place. That is sadly not the case today. It served as an Allied landing point during the invasion of Sicily in WW2. The war damage and the downturn in the sulphur market (for which it was famous), resulted in economic decline. These days the city is important for its artistic works, tourism and fishing.

Interestingly, the crazy weather has followed us and we have seen weather here that neither of us have ever experienced - not in Australia, the US or the UK! This week, within seconds of each other, three tornadoes hit the city. One was a direct hit on the Marina. We understand that twelve tornadoes have crossed the land here in the last few weeks. Locals are in no doubt about the unusual and freakish nature of the weather. Like Australia, significant loss has been seen for farmers across the island and flooding has done untold damage to many ancient cities. But without a doubt, the locals here too are resilient and relaxed about the challenges!

Anyway, this is home now for a few months so we look forward to sharing some photos and stories!