MORE EAST WIND, MAKE AGREEMENT WITH MARINA OFFICE AND NEW TOILET PUMP - Days 35 and 36

MORE EAST WIND, MAKE AGREEMENT WITH MARINA OFFICE AND NEW TOILET PUMP - 29 & 30 May, Days 35 and 36

Tuesday. The stress of the Parsun motor situation and the fear of large costs to pay to the Marina for staying past the end of May have drained my energy and it was hard on Tuesday, despite the new Yamaha having been ordered on Monday, to find my usual energy and enthusiasm even though the full moon was present for us. We made another visit to Bricoman, Ragusa for small things we needed, but arrived too late at Hyblagas to get the camping gas bottle refilled, then missed the exit and drove an extra 14 km as my mind was elsewhere.

Anita on the other hand was experiencing high energy with the full moon and strong East wind. 

Living on a boat or with our camper, we are close to nature and often outside. Full moon is a magical time and we love to see the dark full moon rise from the East around the time the sun sets, or a little later. When there is a fixed reference point like a building, or here in the marina many yacht masts, the passage of the moon can be observed by the naked eye. Full moon is truly a miracle of nature and was a major influence on life before “civilization” sanitized us and kept us in our homes and offices feeling little connection.

Wednesday.  I awoke with restored energy and enthusiasm, while it was Anita feeling drained today but she has worked really hard in cleaning and organising our small floating home. I went to the marina office to negotiate a deal for the enforced stay past our 8 month dates and was satisfied with the result. The boatyard can’t see my problem when what I expect in one week does not happen in three weeks. That is why we are not ready to leave by the end of May.

Many of our wintering neighbours from Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand left after the basic 7 months winter deal to the end of April. Others are leaving daily, as weather permits, some like us having paid for May too.

Today I was in full flow dealing with one job after another and even to my surprise was able to buy a replacement pump assembly for our marine toilet and fit it without outside assistance. We were amazed how clogged up the leaking pump was. Had it been in a house we would said it was almost blocked by lime scale / calcium. Here it is seawater but the effect was similar. What a pleasure that we no longer have a leaking hand pump and can look forward to a summer of dry floor in the “heads”.

We also cleaned the life jackets and harnesses and Anita now has her own, knows where it is and how to use it. It will be important as we start on our 300 nautical mile journey to Greece.

Tomorrow would have been the perfect day to leave with more favourable winds but I will monitor the forecast as some adverse winds are forecast for later next week but the situation can change.

BIG JOB TO REMOVE CABLE and KISSES WITH YAMAHA DEALER -Days 33 & 34

BIG JOB TO REMOVE CABLE and KISSES WITH YAMAHA DEALER  - 27 & 28 May (Days  33 / 34)

Sunday was calm. The marina is like an aquarium. Our fish lie at the surface enjoying the sun, and we watch them interact with each other.

 I was leaving the throttle cable until Monday but David Christy said remove the old one and see if the bicycle dealer / rental man just outside the marina can make a new one. It was impossible to free the cable without removing a number of engine parts which is not a good idea for me, nor could I release one end as everything seems to have welded itself together at the connection on the tiller arm. David came over to take a look and was surprised by the poor state of the motor which he says is mostly due to these Chinese copies of better engines using inferior materials. It did not help that I had not greased the point, or that the dealer in Malta who had started it up on Friday had not added any lubrication either. A helpful dealer would be more positive about such things.

We discussed tactics and even if we could get a simple cable made it could take 10 hours of work to get it fitted and functioning, and still the concerns of the boatyard mechanic who David knows and trusts could lead to finding more problems.

I made the decision to pick up the process of buying a Yamaha here in Ragusa which we had researched last week.

On Monday morning I went with Corrado to Ragusa to visit his good friend Giovanni Cataldi and I was impressed with his thirty years of knowledge and experience with the Yamaha brand.

When I bought the Parsun 9.8 in June 2016 I had to compromise to fit the financial budget. It did not have electric start or battery charging by alternator and is a Chinese copy brand to save money.  The dealer assured me that Yamaha parts can be used, but at the first part failure I find that this is untrue (even if some are compatible). Standard outboard motors of this size are designed to propel open boats of 4m or 5m length at speeds of perhaps 15 to 20 knots. Sailing boats are larger and heavier and motor at perhaps six knots, and need larger propeller and more torque.

Havcat designer Lars Oudrup and catamaran designer friend Richard Woods whom I have known for years both advised me this month to go for a high thrust model.

The deal was struck with Giovanni to include fitting onto the boat and I paid the whole price on my credit card to avoid the need to go inland again just to pay.  In Sicily it is important to understand that who you know and personal connection are most important. Thanks to Corrado this element was in the mix for me.

There are 12 models of Yamaha 9.9 High Thrust alone and none are regular sale items so the motor has been ordered, with necessary extras for tiller start and steering, and alternator. I can’t understand how electric start motors don’t have an alternator as standard.

Giovanni invited us for coffee at the nearby petro station, after which we parted with the kiss on both cheeks which is very common in Italy between men.

It is most unlikely that it will be received in Sicily from the Yamaha Europe HQ and fitted in time to leave on Friday I June so I have to try to negotiate with the marina over staying extra days, hopefully not at the daily visitor rate after 8 months here.

The decision is made and we will have the best motor for the planned trip to Greece.

THE OUTBOARD MOTOR SAGA AND A FEW BUSY HOURS IN MALTA – 25 May / Day 32

THE OUTBOARD MOTOR SAGA AND A FEW BUSY HOURS IN MALTA – 25 May / Day 32

To set the scene for readers who missed to story so far my 9.8 hp Parsun outboard was taken to the Marina di Ragusa boatyard over a month ago for a service. I had asked for it to be ready after a week and was told that should be possible. It was not until three weeks later that they finally (under pressure) tried to start the motor and I was asked to attend as there was a “serious” problem. Being less than two years old and under warranty the next week was spent trying to see if the boatyard could be authorised to open the motor to inspect the problem, the nearest Parsun dealers being Safe Sea in Malta who supplied it and a southern Italian dealer in Napoli, almost 800 km away.

The pressure for me is to be ready to leave the marina by the end of May or face high daily costs for waiting for a solution. I decided to take the motor by car on Friday to the ferry to Malta (cost 202 euros) to take it to the dealer, not expecting to get it mended in time if there was a major problem, perhaps 8 days delivery of parts, and a busy dealer as people want their boats ready for summer.

I spent much of Wednesday and Thursday, with help from catamaran owner David Christy, looking at options to buy a new motor from UK (better prices) or from Sicily and got as far as trying to order a Yamaha which at the last minute I found did not have the tiller arm and rotating  throttle  which I need, then a Honda which was not even in Honda UK stock and would have to come from Europe, all in all it would take three weeks.

Thus thwarted (as Universe has better plan) I collected the Parsun from the boatyard on Thursday afternoon to be ready to leave early on Friday. The early morning was beautiful and I drove along the coast to Pozzallo with almost no traffic, except a couple of high speed Italians and a few very elderly Fiat 500s going very slowly. 

The crossing was calm, only delayed as the ferry had to wait inside the harbour as a naval ship docked, carrying African asylum seekers who like many others had been picked up at sea.

Sailing friends Andrea and Jenny were at the dockside in Valletta to meet me and give me things they need on their boat in Ragusa, as they will fly back with hand baggage.

Then after typical crawling Malta traffic I picked up mail and dropped off the motor, being greeting with the usual “attitude” of the business owner who never likes dealing with problems.

In Sicily we cannot find certain items to buy so I flowed from one shop to another trying to buy the items on my list, and was mostly successful. For example oats (for porridge) are my daily habit and I did not find one shop selling them here in Sicily. I managed to buy 7 kilos to keep us going. Also I bought delicious Maltese strawberries with much more taste that the more expensive and less tasty Sicilian ones.

Walking to Holland & Barrett (St Julians) I received a call from Matthew to come to collect the motor. I was not expecting to return with it and after H&B I drove there using Tom Tom gps as navigating the unstructured road system, and heavy traffic of Malta can waste a long time if the short cuts are not known.

Matthew said he had started the motor without problem and run for about 6 minutes. Some oil smoke came out (probably from transit handling) then stopped. He ran again for 10 minutes and there was no oil leak, which MdR said there was, and the cooling water was coming out properly. He did not start it up in front of me but the motor was warm so I put it into the car and went to the last two shops before boarding the ferry for another calm crossing.

On Saturday morning Steve and David, British boat owners at MdR helped me to carry the motor from the car, onto the boat and locate onto the transom. I connected the fuel pipe and turned the throttle control on the tiller handle. It was so easy to move that I though Matthew must have lubricated it, but knowing he had done nothing I looked closer to see the throttle cable had broken. Could this have happened as we carried the motor?

I could start the motor with the top cover off and move the throttle inside the casing, and at third pull the motor started.

So the interesting thing is how Italian technicians felt there was a serious problem, giving me days of stress, while the dealer, despite his “attitude” could start it easily. Does he have magic hands or perhaps the Universe did not want us to spend our summer cash flow on a motor we don’t need and there was magical intervention. For a few years I have felt the guiding hand at times and have asked Universe for support or abundance when needed. Thank you is all I can say, and I am sure a new cable is a small price to pay to be away on time from the Marina, hopefully on Thursday.

STRESS TIME May 23 / 24 (Days 30 & 31)

STRESS TIME May 23 / 24 (Days 30 & 31)

Instead of enjoying the last few days at the marina with everything ready and waiting for the right weather to sail I have booked a day return with car to Malta (202 euros) and am checking out new outboard engine options (which will more than blow the summer cruising budget) and timing to get one shipped here as UK prices plus shipping are thought to be better than local prices. With local help I am checking here too.

I tried to order from two UK sources today, each having a problem, like having wrong specification (found out at the last moment), or not being in stock.  I can’t see us leaving by 1 June (we are paid up to the end of May – that was 8 months) and asking the marina if I might have a few free days if necessary did not get a good response. In April I took in the Parsun outboard for service to the marina boatyard, asked if it can be ready in a week, and was told it should be. There was then in my opinion a two week delay after that week before they tried to start up the motor and found the “serious” problem. In my mind without that delay there would be no stress and pressure now and I could relax and order the best option to get us out of here and start cruising.

Mostly we eat delicious food at home, mostly vegetarian.

Occasionally we buy a piece of pizza out somewhere. On Wednesday evening after a late walk we tried for the first time the recommended Imperial Restaurant in the town Piazza. 

We can’t eat a whole pizza each so shared one which was delicious, including a pumpkin sauce. At 8 euros it is good value.  Add two glasses of wine at 3 euros so we expect to pay 14 euros. I had forgotten from my 2005 circumnavigation of Sicily that in Sicily, and perhaps in mainland Italy too,  a cover charge is added. Usually some bread and water are given. The waiter asked if we wanted water, and not wanting to buy a bottle we declined. I don’t know if it was part of the service charge of 2 euros each or not.  Two euros to sit at a table for an hour is not much but this adds up over time especially for the children boats which wintered here.

So all contributions especially towards motor welcome, thank you Universe. Perhaps we will earn from blogging one day !

I MUST TAKE THE PARSUN MOTOR TO MALTA FOR THE WARRANTY CLAIM

With just a week to go before we want to sail, and one week since the engine was started at the boatyard and the big problem was seen I am finally advised that only a Parsun dealer can start warranty work so I must take the car specially to Malta by ferry to take the outboard to the dealer there.

It is busy time of year of course as boats return to the water for the summer so even if he can get the parts and get it fixed it is not going to happen within two weeks for sure, and perhaps more and I will have to make another ferry crossing to Malta to collect it. Virtue Ferries Malta to Sicily are expensive.

I am considering the option to buy a new outboard with proven record like Yamaha or Honda, and get one shipped from UK where prices will be more keen, especially as the British Pound buys so few euros since the Brexit madness. One can be sold later. If we have to remain in the marina waiting we will be paying summer prices and still not enjoying the long summer cruise.

It is calm as I write I the evening but it was another windy day, despite only 11 knots forecast, and there has been the constant screaming sounds through the rigging of multiple boats which gets tiring after a time. The catamaran in the photo was anchored outside the marine in a most uncomfortable swell. Eventually the wind came round to the North so their night should be ok as the swell dies down.

EVENING STROLL IN MARINA di RAGUSA

EVENING STROLL - Weekend 19 / 20 May, days 26 & 27.

Some photos of the lovely beach side promenade and town square of Marina di Ragusa.

Pizza, pasta, other Italian specialities and of course Sicilian ice cream are everywhere. After work and siesta on Saturday we did some late food shopping and enjoyed an ice cream on a beach looking at the sea.

Meet the various ducks who live in the Marina (known here as Porto Turistico, Marina being a coastal place not a boat place, as in Spanish).In total there are about 6.

Each day we need to relax. Anita was doing yoga on the pontoon with the black storm approaching and lightening. She did not finish before the rain started. We went into the boat but it did not last long. 

The next crochet project is also taking place, an off the shoulder top to keep upper body from constant exposure to dangerous sun rays. She follows YouTube videos but has no pattern so it is fun to see her trying it for size every few rows.

We follow wind and weather forecasts from windy.com and windfinder.com. The forecasts from the latter seem often to underestimate the actual wind and gusts in the marina. Our flower pots have been blowing over from the cactus / basil garden. On Sunday afternoon there was a lull in the “moderate’ East wind. Actually it was more than moderate today. A few minutes later it sarted blowing lightly from the West and a few minutes later the wind was making music throughout the Marina in the rigging as it increased in intensity. Perhaps the centre of low pressure passed right over us, or a weather front passed?

CANVAS ARTS and MORE EAST WINDS, Days 24 and 25

CANVAS ARTS and MORE EAST WINDS May 17 & 18, Days 24 & 25

After the 11 hour day including 4 hours of driving on Wednesday we needed to take Thursday slowly, but we did more jobs, maintenance, cleaning and organising. The final job was heavy duty sewing of replacement plastic hooks and eyes to the sail cover using tradition sail maker’s art with large needle and sail maker’s palm to pass the heavy duty thread through the plastic and the canvas. Hard work but job done !!

It was a pleasure to prepare the bed with new summer weight duvet, duvet cover and pillow cases from Ikea. Many boat owners take older bedding from home to the boat, as I have done over the years. How nice to buy something new for a change specially to use on the boat.

More low pressure systems are moving across the Mediterranean in a north easterly direction passing south and east of Malta bringing us and Malta strong East and NE winds. This is not ideal weather for sailing to the Northern Ionian along the Italian “heel” so we are happy that they pass while we continue preparations and wait for the motor to be fixed. The expected gale force gust did not materialise today.

This fish is BIG. The Mafia boss fish I think. They love to shelter in the shadow under boats.

Still no solution to the motor repair under the warrantee yet. I went twice to the boatyard office today, also contacted the Parsun dealer in Malta who was able to tell me the nearest one in Italy, almost 800 km away. Apparently to get a warrantee claim started a Parsun dealer must inspect the motor. The yard manager will call the Southern Italy dealer to discuss on Monday. Will I have to drive to Napoli, or take a ferry to Malta just to get a dealer to look at it? I hope not. I really regret not buying a Honda or Yamaha with their strong dealer networks. It is all down to money. I would have had to pay about double for an electric start from these trusted brands, which I did not have at the time.

SERIOUS MOTOR PROBLEM and a TRIP TO IKEA

SERIOUS MOTOR PROBLEM and a TRIP TO IKEA – May 14 to 16, Days 21 to 23

Being some rain on Monday we took the key of the Marina’s meeting room to sit in comfort and space and use the wifi to catch up with some work, like promoting our Conscious Sailing Holiday Thailand February 2019. The boatyard manager was in the office so I asked confirmation that the serviced motor would indeed be delivered to the boat this week as advised. He said that I should come to the yard as there is a serious problem. After their lunch break I went and was shown the motor running briefly then stopping with oil leaking from the general area of cylinder head, gasket and piston rings. The Chinese Parsun outboard is less than two years old so I obtained a copy of the invoice so that permission can be given to deal with this problem under the warantee. The yard had the motor already three weeks without looking at it, and we need to leave the marina by the end of May so this is now a worry.

More work on the boat continued on Tuesday, plus some yoga.

On Wednesday we took Maltese friends Jenny and Andrea the two hours to Catania airport giving us the opportunity to visit the Ikea store. 

It was really hard to find from the nearby airport despite being visible from the North South autostrada. Whilst modern car GPS can find stores, my old Tom Tom cannot and was no help. From the car park without cloud we could see the 3000m plus volcano Mt Etna, see photo.

SUNDAY IN SICILA , ITALIA - Day 20

SUNDAY IN SICILA , ITALIA - May 13, Day 20

Sunday starts calm and sunny, voices carry from the land from many cyclists who take their early morning ride and seem to talk all the time to each other, not forgetting of course the body gestures which Italians are well known for. There are good facilities for cyclists and signs here show distant places on the cycle network. Italy hosts one of the annual classic Tours, the Giro d”Italia, and team colours are worn by many of the leisure cyclists. The Italian language comprises many long words and like the Spanish (I used to live in Spain) they all like to speak at the same time !! Actually words are not even needed for some things as they can convey many emotions with body language alone, and everyone understands it.

Our boat is not large enough to carry cycles otherwise we would surely enjoy regular cycling on these tracks and almost empty roads.

Walking past a café to the Marina’s shower block the lovely smell of fresh coffee is in the air. We are not addicted to coffee but enjoy one occasionally. Our Maltese friends advise to go early to the Stella Bar where fresh croissants are served, still hot, and if desired you can ask for a fill of custard inside.

Yesterday afternoon our sailing community at the Marina organised a BBQ. We rarely eat meat so were not attracted and anyway we were still working on the boat into the afternoon, then using the laundrette. It was not advertised but there was also live music which we could hear from the boat. That always attracts us and sometimes we dance, but as the evening went on and more wine and beer were consumed it sounded more like a drunken party. Later we observed one local musician who seems to show up anywhere there is drinking or music, staggering home in less than a straight line.

This blog started as Spiritual World Traveller Blog but this year I renamed it Conscious World Traveller Blog reflecting a shift in my own path. We still enjoy an occasional drink but we observe the “have more drinks and get louder” habits of many of the community. Nothing wrong with that but it is not “Conscious”. We would prefer to meet and chat in smaller groups. I will write more in later blogs about what we mean be “Conscious”. It is not snobbish. It reflects the progress we make on our life and Spiritual path. By Spiritual I do not mean Religious.

After our hard labours of the week we decided to spend a couple of hours at the beach of the “Riserva” which was really special. More about that later. Anita is an artist and feels at home amongst the driftwood. She selects a few pieces to incorporate into art and a few stones to paint. Our recent life style has made it difficult to paint canvas so Anita has been experimenting with crochet and wore her first creation, the yellow bikini, on the beach.

Anita and Jenny had agreed to make a meal together and arriving at Grand d’Artagnan just after five we found the work done. We enjoyed the last sun in the cockpit together with Jenny and Andrea..

BACKACHE FROM HARD WORK BUT WE GET RESULTS – May 11 & 12

BACKACHE FROM HARD WORK BUT WE GET RESULTS – May 11 & 12, Days 18 & 19

We have worked hard physically this week from improving and organising interior spaces, much cleaning, painting, and a multitude of jobs on deck too. We need to stretch backwards often to ease the pain from working in confined spaces or lifting weights.

The weather during the week was good but quite windy in afternoons and feeling cold in the wind but the weekend is almost calm so sails were going up around the marina for attention. That is not possible in stronger winds. I patched a few tiny holes with sail repair tape to avoid greater damage. The mainsail is over 20 years old but still sets well.

We are now ready to release a first photo of our improved and tidy living space !!

Of course the boatyard did not service the outboard motor in the expected timescale so I need to chase them again next week.

One of the pleasures of living in Italy is the food. We squeeze fresh orange juice each morning and will write more about food and drink we enjoy another time. See our Basil plant.

MY YEARS OF SAILING and ANITA GOES UP THE MAST

MY YEARS OF SAILING and ANITA GOES UP THE MAST - May 10, Day 17

Today we did some outside work including attaching a flag halyard and new lazy jacks for securing the mainsail. It was Anita’s first opportunity to sit in the bosun’s chair and go up the mast, which she enjoyed. Thanks to John who appeared from no-where and gave some help.

From time to time I will write more than what happened in the day. Here for example is a very small summary of my sailing, sometimes life was with boat and sometimes without boat. My first sailing experience was on the three masted topsail schooner, Malcolm Miller, in a Tall Ships Race just after I turned 16. It was also my first visit of many to Scandanavia.  After that great adventure, which was also great teamwork, I realised that sailing is a lifestyle which I enjoyed and I joined the sailing club at school to learn to sail 12’ dinghies on a narrow river in Worcestershire. Many other experiences followed including a trip to Alderney on the TS Royalist, a week with the Ocean Youth Club and later a week doing my Yacht-master practical course and assessment with the island Sailing Club of Salcombe. I have also sailed in USA (Cape Cod to Brooklyn), Thailand and Seychelles.

I raced GP14 dinghies including experiencing the back half of the fleet in National Championships where 180 boats were racing in one fleet. I have done mono-hull sailing including a RORC Race Cowes – Dinard, passage Dartmouth to Gibraltar (Moody 30) and in the same boat the 1983 AZAB (Falmouth to Azores and Back Two handed race) of 1200 nautical miles each way and navigation by dead reckoning and daily sextant noon sights.

Multihulls were my real interest and I immersed into reading everything possible about them and their voyages. My first at age 25 was the mini ocean cruiser, 26’ Heavenly Twins and others  followed. I sailed a Crowther Buccaneer 28 trimaran for eleven years and in 2000 bought  from a friend Apataki, the Danish production Havcat 27 catamaran, which I sailed from UK to Mar Menor, Spain in 2001. In 2004 I sailed her to Sardinia and onto Malta. She was based there until I took the winter berthing contract at Marina di Ragusa in Sicily last October.

DOWN TO WORK May 6 to 9, Days 13 – 16

DOWN TO WORK May 6 to 9, Days 13 – 16

It is time to tackle those interior decoration jobs like head lining and covering exposed hull construction where old carpet used to be.  I really think boats should be finished more in a practical way, and of course headlining falls away after some years as the foam backing disintegrates. I have already dealt with most of this but a few areas still need attention and offend my artistic partner who wants to create a beautiful space to live in. By Monday afternoon replacement pieces were cut to the complex curves of the boat and I opened the tin of contact adhesive to find it empty. The small Chandlery shop near the marina was still open but only had 125 ml tubes and I wanted to buy 1000 ml. The 125 ml was almost the same price that I had paid in Malta for the large tin but with the galley in chaos I bought a tube and just had enough glue to fix two pieces.

I don’t know of a hardware shop in Marina di Ragusa so we had to drive 18 miles on Tuesday morning to Bricomat on the Ragusa Iblea shopping mall area.

We arrived back too late for the Tuesday market but salvaged a few unsold fruits left by the vendors.

After wintering ashore in a boatyard in Malta for 13 years it is a pleasure to do such work in a clean environment like a marina as we live on board.

On Wednesday we progressed and things are looking better.

The live aboard community here are really a community, and we joined the “happy Hour” at the nearby Stella Bar on Tuesday evening to chat with some of our neighbours.

WE HEAR THE FISH May 4 & 5, Days 11 and 12.

WE HEAR THE FISH May 4 & 5, Days 11 and 12.

By Friday morning the wind was down to the top end of Force 4, and still the music in the rigging around the marina continued, albeit with a different tune. By evening it was calm, Saturday morning too and the only sounds we heard from inside the boat were the fish feeding from the growth on the hull.

The new secondary anchor system was stowed away for both easier anchoring in deeper water, and in lighter winds, as well as back up in case we have to let go the main anchor if it is trapped under rocks or a cable.

We discussed the strong emotions of Anita like feeling the need for more space, and wanting a fixed home, through the Scorpio Full moon (of transformation, accepting what is and facing the fears and anxieties) and through the gales (strong winds affect many people especially those sensitive to changing energies).

The boat looked bright against the still dark sky of Friday afternoon.

On Saturday we visited the ancient town of Scicli with our Maltese friends Andrea and Jenny, which was fascinating with the narrow streets, also baroque buildings. The Town was rebuilt after a devastating earthquake some 500 years ago.. 

Afterwards we went for some boat and personal shopping to Bricoman, Decathlon and the small Iblea shopping mall (Galeria) outside Ragusa.

By evening we were tired and were ready to sleep.