Motor Boat & Yachting - January 2016 UK

PRESTIGE 500S

BREAKING BAD

NIGEL PICKIN, Port Hamble, UK

MBY ’SFLEET

NORDHAVN 46

ENVOY

LAURIE CRANFIELD, the Med

AQUASTAR EXPLORER 67

ROMA

BOB THOMAS, Port Solent, UK

PRESTIGE 500S

BREAKING BAD

NIGEL PICKIN, Port Hamble, UK

FAIRLINE SQUADRON 78

MATCH II

JOHN WOLF, Antibes, France

BÉNÉTEAU SWIFT TRAWLER 34

BLUE’S AWAY

JACK HAINES, Marina de Portimão, Portugal

DUCHY 27

ALCHEMY

PHYLLIS ROCK, Yarmouth, UK

PRINCESS 67

JENNY WREN

MIKE ROTHERY, Sant Carles Marina, Spain

CORVETTE 320

FALCONET

DAVID MORRISON, Chichester Harbour, UK

SELENE 47

HIGH FLYER

TESSA TENNANT, Lymington, UK

WINDY 37

SEVO

HARRY METCALFE, Port Saint Jean,

France

BAVARIA VIRTESS 42 COUPE

SOLENT BEAUTY

PAUL THOMAS, Southampton Town

Quay Marina, UK

GREENLINE 33

SOLAR WAVE

DAVID ALLEN, Rossiters Quay, UK

NEXTMONTH

CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH

ISABEL II

HUGO ANDREAE, Poole, UK

En route to

Portsmouth for a

winter refi t

Six months on

• how is living
  on board going?

We’ve often read that Sicily is endowed

with a unique blend of European,

Middle-Eastern and North African

culture and we’re dying to see it for

ourselves. Settled since about 735BC

and invaded successively by Greeks,

Romans, Arabs, Normans and Spanish,

its tumultuous history makes it a

fascinating cruising destination for

culture vultures like us.

As we cruise across a glassy calm

sea leaving the toe of Italy’s boot

astern and entering the Strait of

Messina, Sicily gradually emerges from

the hazy horizon and we soon spot the

dominating snow-covered peak of

Europe’s tallest volcano, Mt Etna.

We plan to spend about four months

exploring this largest of the

Mediterranean islands (roughly the

size of Wales), and our arrival proves

more dramatic than expected. We

notice an approaching squall and soon

encounter 30 knot winds and steep

breaking seas, an indication of the

conditions we’ll soon find to be quite

common here.

For the first few days we anchor off

the town of Giardini Naxos, below the

enchanting hilltop medieval village of

Taormina – playground of the rich and

famous where narrow cobbled streets

are now lined with expensive shops

and trendy cafes. Enterprising street

hawkers amuse us when they quickly

replace sun hats with umbrellas during

a passing shower.

With Envoy safely berthed in a

marina at Catania we take a tour of Mt

Etna with our passionate driver

Sebastiano showing us the mountain

villages, vineyards, olive groves and

orchards set among the fertile volcanic

soils. It’s too dangerous to visit the

3,323 metre summit, but we reach

2,000 metres, where despite the sunny

day it’s a chilly 5ºC. Mt Etna’s slopes

are home to a quarter of Sicily’s five

million plus population and her

changing moods have had a big

impact; a violent eruption with a mile-

wide lava stream largely destroyed

Catania in 1669, and there are still

about 25 eruptions each year with

some resulting in loss of life and

property damage.

A MARKET TO TOP ALL OTHERS

Catania’s La Pescheria is the most

exciting market we’ve ever visited – a

gastronomic delight where locals treat

shopping as a pleasure, not a chore.

Mayhem assaults our senses – the

bellowing of vendors advertising their

wares; the chopping of fish fillets; the

chink of ice and splashes of water cast

over fish to keep them glistening and

moist; the angry yell of an accidentally-

splashed elderly lady dressed in

traditional black; the good-natured

bargaining between sellers and buyers;

the aroma of dozens of fish varieties,

fresh breads, cheeses and cured

meats; live octopuses slithering across

Size up Sicily

Italy’s largest island is everything our explorers

wished for, and much more

NORDHAVN 46

the stalls; a kaleidoscope of colours set

in an atmospheric spider’s web of

cobbled lanes straight from a movie

set. We see so many varieties of fish

including some large tuna and

swordfish that we wonder why our

fishing has been so unsuccessful.

Next stop is Syracuse, a major city

by the 4th century BC, and once one of

the most powerful in the Med.

Archimedes was born here in 287BC,

and lived until he was accidentally

killed during a Roman invasion.

Syracuse’s Grand Harbour is sheltered

in most conditions and an ideal base to

explore Ortygia Island’s magnificent

Old Town and cathedrals.

We cruise past Cape Passero to the

south coast’s Porto Empedocle from

where it’s only a short bus ride to the

Valley of the Temples. During the 6th to

4 th centuries BC five Doric temples

were built here close to the ancient city

of Akragas. We’re particularly impressed

by the Temple of Concord built about

430BC and converted to a Christian

Basilica during the 6th century, which

explains its remarkable appearance.

We plan to spend several weeks

exploring the Egadi Islands off Sicily’s

north-west coast and head to the

largest, Favignana Island, about five

miles long and roughly the shape of a

butterfly. On its southern coast we find

a delightful anchorage called Lido

Burrone where several small sandy

coves with crystal-clear water lie

between rocky headlands and the

imposing fortress of Santa Caterina

towers 300 metres above.

A stark reminder that

Mount Etna is very much

still an active volcano

Envoy sits peacefully at

anchor in the shadow of

La Rocca, at Cefalu

Top tips from real boat owners in the MBY fl eet

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