Sailing to Byzantium - 7

Computer generated chart for the north west Sicily

At 0000 hours I commenced my watch on 25^th April. There was very little to see in a very dark sky. There was no moon and any light that might have been provided by stars was diminished by a thin layer of high level of cloud. We had been threading our way through the islands, yet had not seen land at any time just a clear horizon with the odd distant ship crossing it. Before I came on watch the wind had showed signs of building and the engine was shut down so Fenix was sailing away under her own power reaching along on starboard tack. Within half an hour the wind was decreasing and we required the engine to maintain a high average speed and continue our progress east. The engine started, and as I checked the transom for water I noticed more smoke than usual and went to shut the engine down. There were a number of possible problems but we would not know for sure until a chance arose for a thorough inspection. We resolved to sailing at speeds of just over 5 knots negotiating the ships, liners and inquisitive fishing vessels as we went.

Approaching the Sicilian coastline close hauled

My next watch began at 8 a.m. The wind built steadily through the early morning and the direction changed to the east. We were now sailing upwind and had not made enough easting to avoid the predicted easterlies. This was not all bad news, because soon after coming on deck we decided to tack and close the land. Sailing close hauled, or on the wind, Fenix requires good concentration and is very rewarding once you get into your groove. By early morning the north west of Sicily was in view and our new course advanced Fenix towards this spectacularly rugged coastline. 

We decided to take the opportunity to anchor up and take a closer look at the engine and make a decision based upon the options which were available. The course towards land was not laying Palermo and we decided to sail into the small Baia di Carini and anchor. This little bay was fully protected from the easterly wind by an island, a promontory and a range of mountains further to the east marking the approaches to the Bay of Palermo, namely Cabo Gallo and Mountes Gallo and Pellegrini. We anchored in 10 meters of clear blue water and while Steve and Moritz poked around the engine, I stepped over the side for a swim and cleaned the waterline.

Baia Di Carini and Cabo Gallo

The prognosis was not good and we needed to get to a major port and access to a marine engineering workshop. Palermo was closest but Messina would bring us closer to the half way point. There was other information now available to us as we had updated our weather files from the internet. A sirocco was forecast in the region with winds predicted to reach 35 knots from the south by Monday 27^th April. Messina is no place to arrive with a suspect engine so we chose to sail the remaining 12 miles to Palermo.

The pilot books do not paint a pretty picture of Palermo and after having had a chance to read their comments we were not looking forward to arriving there. It is the capital of Sicily and is a very big port which would have the skills and resources to assist us but reading the pilot book would not inspire one to intentionally visit the city. We arrived around 1930 hours docking on the fuel berth and were met by a group of people on the dock all offering a hand to tie up.

A view of the commercial port to the north of Palermo harbour with Monte Pellegrino in the background

Two became three, and three quickly became twelve. Everybody there was keen to give input, some offered translation services and others made magnificent gestures by the waving of their hands, others were simply keen to meet us, chat about the boat and our trip. When we mentioned the engine was problematic we were assured an engineer would be with the boat by 900 a.m. Monday morning. Everything, and anything, that could have been done for us was done. Asa token of our appreciation, we presented a bottle of our very best Lambrusco to the main man on the dock and this gesture was very quickly returned by a formal presentation of two bottles of wine, one red at room temperature and one white, which was chilled and ready to go. The Sicilians, it was clear, would not be out done on any front, and in particular hospitality.

A view of the port to the south and the city of Palermo

Saturday had been a very long day for us all and we were all very tired on Sunday. Some light exercise in the form of a walk around this historic city before lunch brought about a short revival in our energy levels. I decided to make a cake. There were quite a few apples on board and I prepared the batter or sponge mix while Steve peeled the apples (number to be limited as he saw fit). For added interest and flavour I decided to use the roughly ground Mallorcan almonds which I purchased for the yachts stores prior to our departure. I also decided to make it look like an apple sponge cake form the north of Italy and use a springform tin. The batter was simple enough and straightforward, but Steve had decided to chunk and chop the apples instead of opting for fine slice, which would have been used in the cake from northern Italy. He also decided to limit himself to five apples. I would have used two or three, however he is an expert on apple pies and puddings and so I bowed to his superior experience.

The result was excellent. The sponge was not too moist and crusty brown all around. A slice of cake could only be admired for a short period; the large chunks and slices of apple marbled and supported the sponge. For Proper Eve’s Pudding we used the following: 150 grams of sugar, 150 grams of butter, 60 grams of coarsely ground almonds, 110 grams of sugar, three eggs, a little vanilla essence and five apples. The cake should have been photographed while cooling on deck in Palermo harbour, one of few mistakes I have made on this trip, as it was almost entirely eaten in one sitting.

Weather file for noon Monday 27th April

Monday morning commenced early with the arrival of the sirocco wind, which was forecasted on Saturday. We are now sitting in this very sheltered harbour being blasted by gusts of in excess of 50 knots. Extra shorelines were sent form the shore yesterday evening and now all shore lines, and lines to other yachts, are bracing us in these violent conditions. The wind is whipping up a spray as the gusts hurtle down the harbour. The winds may not abate until Wednesday and certainly our engine may not be operational before then either.