Catania, Italy

On anchor in the wide bay of Roccella Ionica, in the post-storm swell we rolled. This was probably our rolliest anchorage yet, and as we attempted sleep in our V-berth we got tossed around and over each other continuously. We couldn’t stop laughing at the doll-like motions imposed on us, and definitely couldn’t get any sleep, so at 4am we brushed our teeth and shut the hatches, at 05:05 we were already en route to Catania.

The leg lasted 15 hours, our longest to date. Just after sunrise we turned off the engine and put up the Genoa. Cameron was napping on the cockpit bench and the world was very quiet. Suddenly I heard a sound like a strong pair of lungs giving out a sigh. A few minutes later and a fin appeared - a dolphin! 

The next 8 hours were on the beautiful and quiet side, crossing the Ionian in a more or less straight line, flat sea, the occasional boat passing us by, a wave to our fellow sailors from across the water. Read, snack, wave, read.

Around the 9th hour it all began to feel, for lack of other words… boring, and unlike when driving long distances, one cannot simply make a pit stop and to stretch the legs, the boat must go on. At twilight a red dragonfly hitched a hike with us for a bit. 

When we entered the port of Catania (no anchoring in that area unfortunately) at dark and quietly motored to our berth, we awed at the many fishing vessels rushing out on their night shifts and at the steel giants docked around us, casting menacing shadows through their many storeys, like arriving at Philip K. Dick's imagined Los Angeles.

The next morning, we split for a bit, Cameron had to attend to some boring matter and I, without any phone data, cycled behind until I lost sight of him and myself in the city. Catania in the morning was just the right temperature and just the right density for exploring. After borrowing some internet from a local cafe we reunited, both thrilled with the revelation of Catania we shared our impressions so far: it is like a post-apocalyptic Berlin, or like Tel Aviv if it were actually in Europe. It is definitely what two urbanites like ourselves consider worth visiting.

Past the Chiosco Bellini Garden and through the gigantic Mercato di Piazza Carlo Alberto, we then stopped for a deli lunch of local cheeses, vegetables and flavoured soda.
The rest of the day was not so glamorous, we cycled all the way to the other side of town, with all that encompasses. The purpose of this trip was shopping for boat stuff, the conclusion was - never go shopping unless you must, for shopping at any other shop other than a chandlery is a mind-numbing, tiresome, wasteful experience. We got back to the boat covered in dirt, sweat and the gazes of Catania’s poorest. At least twice we received smiles accompanied by eye rolls at us cycling in those areas with our obvious tourist look, stopping to take a photo of a rickety building here and there.

The second day we committed to just being tourists, waiting for the afternoon heat to break and then cycling to the Castello Ursino and up Via Crociferi. We sampled some more of the delicious Sicilian food, consisting of small bites of spicy, sour and sweet, and then headed home to get some rest for the sail the next day. After a slow morning coffee and breakfast waiting for the wind to fill in, we cruised out of the huge port past the unloading container ships and started the 8 hour beat upwind to Syracusa.