27. IT IS NOT ALWAYS PLAIN SAILING!

 27. It is not always plain sailing!

Or - Lessons learnt from a sailor. 

We are at present on a mooring buoy in the most beautiful bay called Cala Rosa. The water is clear, aquamarine and luminescent but the wind is howling as we swing on the mooring buoy in winds gusting up to 28 knots. I am jumping ahead to change to a seaman's view of the idyllic islands we are in to show it is not always plain sailing.

 

Having picked up the McWhinney's from Palermo, we headed North around Cap Galo and then across the Golfo di Castellammare to San Vito lo Capo where we anchored for the night off the town and in a splendid bay. The houses were all white washed and no more than two stories with palm trees along the front. It was very picturesque and we were tempted to go ashore but with weather changes and a need to press on we felt we would leave this for another day.

We headed for our goal - the Egadi Islands (Isole Egadi) comprising of three main islands which are inhabited; Levanzo, Marettimo, and the biggest and more sophisticated Favignana. We had to get a permit to visit the islands as it is the largest Marine Reserve in the Mediterranean and has a turtle hospital. It promotes the development of the sea grass, Posidonia Oceanica and the protection of Bluefin Tuna, Monk Seals, Dolphins, Marine Turtles and even Sharks and Mantra Rays which are found in this area. That said I have not seen any yet.

The bays are strictly policed with patrol boats checking permits regularly and we have seen many a boat protesting their innocence in not knowing but receiving a fine of 350 euros. The Italians are on holiday and there are tripper boats, and charter boats flocking to some of the bays but we have been lucky in always finding a mooring buoy quite easily. 

However mooring buoys have been a problem for Dalliance 3. The reasons are when trying to pick up a buoy in a fresh wind our bow is quite high and the buoys are not as user friendly as the buoys at Port Cros in France. There is a loop at the top to hook the buoy but the high bow turns the bow quickly so you can miss the buoy or when you get it along side near the stern (back) of the boat we have the problem of two rudders and the buoy can get jammed in one of the rudders. Yours truly had to dive in to release the buoy. The next problem on another occasion was when trying to hook the buoy and missed, two friendly Italians rowed over to help just as I was about to jump in and loop the buoy by hand (which is what I should have done as I would have been in control). No English and No Italian - communication was a disaster and the rope ended up being sucked into the bow thruster engine under the boat in the bow causing it to seize up and with the hatch door open. I had to dive down and cut the rope away to release it but the hatch door would not close. So Norman and I having read the instructions realised there was a fuse blown so we clambered under the forward bunk and found the fuse but still it did not work. A phone call to the company in Portsmouth did help by telling us there was another fuse! But where. 

We decided we had to motor slowly to Trapani on the mainland Sicily opposite the islands and a large port. For the readers who are sailors we could only travel at four knots as the hatch door of the bow thruster was stuck in the open position and we had to be very careful. The trip was also hazardous trying to dodge the car ferries, hydrofoils, passenger ferries and tripper boats. I put up the inverted cone on the flag halyard indicating an inability to manoeuvre quickly (Reg. 25) and we hoped for some good luck. We arrived in the port having radioed ahead to the marina if we could enter and if we could have a technician. Enzo arrived a cheerful fellow with red glasses and a yellow T shirt with all the names of the electrical companies he did work for - an expert. Sure enough he found the second fuse which was enormous and was for 400 Amps!!. I have never seen such a large fuse. He had a big grin when he saw we looked so relieved. Happy days!!

We are now sitting on the mooring waiting for the wind to die down. A good time to catch up on the blog. Often the wind is the sailors friend but sometimes the sailors nemesis. We also lost a gaffe as when I hooked a buoy the force was so strong the gaffe separated. We now have a wonderful new gaffe with two hooks. 

Lessons learnt:-

 1. Use strong floating rope for attaching to buoys. 

 2. Have at least two gaffes on hand.

 3. Never take the mooring buoy to the stern if you have two rudders. 

 4. Avoid using your bow thruster if you are approaching a buoy or attempting to lasso the buoy. 

5. If you have a bowsprite with an anchor suspended below the bowsprite, then the lines to the buoy may rub or catch the anchor and possibly chafe the rope in strong winds as the lines become almost horizontal. To avoid this bring the buoy close, so it is almost underneath the bowsprite then there will be no rubbing of the rope and a disconcerting sound as the anchor releases the ropes.