The End of the Season.

Sicily, Italy

With just two weeks left, we looked at our options. We wanted a bit of relaxation and a bit of touring, so we decided to sail along the south coast of Sicily, to the west corner and the Egadi Islands.

On our way to the Egadi Islands we stopped for the night in the Sciacca – a harbor full of fishing trawlers

There’s not a lot in the south, but the northwest is full of historic towns, impressive ruins and beautiful landscape. The Egadis are casual, with crystal clear turquoise bays, reminiscent of the Caribbean. It was the perfect combination for our final cruising days.

Cala Rossi Favignana Island – 5 miles west of Sicily

Sailboats racing between Favignana and Levanzo

While walking around the island we came across a giant orange, serving juice in the middle of nowhere

Marsala

Marsala’s main square – the town is best know for is “Marsala” wine

Florio winery has been in continuous operations since 1832

Marsala wine is mostly used in cooking, and is driven in tankers from the vineyards to the port.

Trapani

We were welcomed to Trapani by the 40-foot catamarans from the Extreme Sailing Series, racing just outside the harbor

View from the dock in Trapani – the cranes are for lifting boats out of the water

Erice

Erice was short bus, then taxi ride from Trapani. Despite some bad weather the views from the town were spectacular.

Punta del Saraceno and Capo San Vito to the north east

Castles built by the Normans atop the ancient Temple of Venus

Segesta

Ruins of the Roman theatre built in 409 BC

Doric temple built in the late 5th century BC

On our last day, we had just a few hours to get to the marina. There was no wind, so we motored slowly, we weren’t in any hurry. We were sad to see the cruising season come to an end. It was a great six months, probably our best yet, not sure if that is because we were in the Med, or because we’ve just gotten better at cruising. As we came closer to our port, the wind picked up. We contemplated putting the sails up and just continuing on. But there was weather on the way and we had a lot of work to do to get Berkeley East ready for winter. So, reluctantly, we turned BE into the harbor. As we were backing her into the berth, Berkeley East actually resisted, and we struggled to get her docked. It was almost as if she was saying no, I don’t want it to end.

We spent the next two weeks washing, waxing, polishing, pickling, changing, cleaning, draining, defrosting, organizing, purging, packing, planning, to make Berkeley East comfortable for the winter. It might not sound like much to detail a boat, but to borrow a sentiment from a fellow cruiser “When was the last time you washed and waxed the outside of your house?” And 54 feet might not sound like much, but multiply that by two sides, add 16 feet of beam, a coach house, five feet of freeboard, a stern, a 20-foot boom, a 73-foot mast, 110 feet of stainless, all encrusted in salt water, residue, grim and grime, then do it from a dingy while hanging on as other boats speed by. And don’t forget five lockers full of gear, throw in four sails, 30 lines, two inflatable kayaks, an 11-foot dinghy, not to mention the cabin, etc., etc. When we were done, we were hunched over and missing fingernails, but BE looked really pretty.

As we locked the companionway behind us and made one last check of the dock lines, we began planning our return in spring, and the beginning of another, hopefully very exciting, year in the Med.

On the way to the airport, we made stops in Ragusa and Mt Etna.

Regusa Ibla – the lower and older part of Regusa

Mount Etna – the largest active Volcano in Europe

On our way up Mount Etna