Sail Destiny

      Now that the holidays are over and the New Year has begun, we are settled into our cozy apartment in Missoula, Montana, monitoring the weather on two continents and once again wondering “what were we thinking” when we decided to spend the winter months in chilly Montana.

      Although having a traditional “White Christmas” with family was wonderful, the New Year brought a weather pattern that included balmy temperatures (40 and approaching 50 F.) and not enough mountain snow for good skiing. . .that is, until 48 hours ago.

     A fierce Pacific storm came barreling down from the NW depositing record snowfall in Seattle and Portland, and burying Missoula in 15 inches of new snow. 

     Just days ago the mountains surrounding Missoula were golden brown against the bright blue winter sky—not the usual winter landscape.

Mountains surrounding Missoula have been bare

The mountains are now covered with snow. . .

and icy mountain streams meander through the frosty landscape.

      Missoulians are a hearty bunch, and quite accustomed to dealing with snow.  Nothing keeps them inside.

Whether a solitary stroll through the snow. . .

clearing the sidewalks with man's best friend. . .

picnic, anyone?

     The good news is the great skiing.  Kent skiied in two feet of powder at the local mountain, aptly called “Snow Bowl” yesterday and assuming that the sun comes out in the next couple days I will hit the slopes too.  For now, I’ll enjoy the scenery and try to stay warm.

Enough snow already!

     Destiny is secure in her winter home of Marina di Ragusa where the temperature is approaching 60 F. and with any luck our cruising compatriots are enjoying sunshine while we wallow in snow.

      In a mere 42 days Kent will be on his way back to Sicily and Jolie and I will follow two weeks later.  Truth be told, we can’t wait to get back.

Jolie is ready to be "sea dog" again instead of "snow dog"

      We are planning to head west this summer and be in the warm waters of the Caribbean this time next year.  Places to see and things to do. . .that is what the adventure is all about.  It promises to be a good year.

Celebrating a uniquely American holiday, like Thanksgiving, abroad is never the same as being home for the holiday.  No Thanksgiving Day Parade to watch on TV or hometown high school football rivalries to settle. In fact, no football at all—thankfully–sorry I couldn’t resist.

Thanksgiving in a foreign country requires more pre-planning that we are accustomed to in the States.  Not only don’t they have Butterball turkeys, they don’t sell turkeys in supermarkets, except for an occasional breast. Whole turkeys come from turkey farms, and the one we enjoyed was still gobbling two days before Kent said “grace” over it.

Kent and Bill, a Canadian cruiser who is married to an American, headed the effort to find our turkey and then find a place to cook it.  Galley ovens are not designed to accommodate whole turkeys.  We hoped to gather a sizeable group to share this special meal and locating a restaurant in Marina di Ragusa that would be willing to roast a whole turkey was the next challenge. 

As we walked to the seaside restaurant for dinner, we were thankful that it hadn't rained.

On the seafront promenade at Marina di Ragusa there is a lovely restaurant, Shosholoza, with a private dining room and a chef that was up to the challenge of making a traditional American Thanksgiving meal.  Bill put together a proposed menu with the help of Google translate and he and Kent negotiated all the details.  The chef asked us to provide some recipes for stuffing and selected the one with prosciutto and Italian sausage for our bird. 

The elegant dining room at Shosholoza included model ships. . .making us feel at home.

We had expected a group of about 20 and specified two birds of 7 kilos each, thinking that smaller birds would be more tender than one large bird for a group that size.  It turns out that turkeys are eaten in Sicily primarily at Christmas and the birds available now were very large or too small.  Our chef selected a 17 kilo bird (just under 40 lbs.) straight from the farm to our dining table—and it was without a doubt the most succulent turkey we have ever eaten.  The chef told us he wasn’t sure the bird would fit in his oven and his contingency plan included using a larger oven at the local church–it did fit, but just barely. 

We had never seen such a big turkey!

Our multi-course Thanksgiving extravaganza started with prosecco toasts in the restaurant bar/lounge.  

We had free access to the kitchen to see how the dinner was progressing and to admire the bird.  The only thing the chef needed some help with was the turkey gravy, but he understood “roux” and the gravy was excellent. 

Kent consults with the chef on making turkey gravy. . .

while I checked out the mashed potatoes.

After starters of pumpkin soup and ravioli with tomato sauce, Kent gave a non-denominational “grace” that included some historical references to the first Thanksgiving and then it was time to carve turkey.

The master carver checks his equipment. . .

and finally the bird arrives. . .

Click here for U-Tube link of turkey carving http://youtu.be/VZlDAk2s_Us

The only disappointment was the cranberry sauce—there wasn’t any.  Well, there was sauce, but it was blueberry sauce—it appears that there is no word in the Italian language for cranberry and Google translate used the next best thing which was “blueberry”. 

Roasted turkey stuffed with proscuitto & Italian sausage, with mashed potatoes, turkey gravy, carrots, green beans & roasted pumpkin.

It wasn’t a total loss, however, as the faux cranberry sauce was excellent on the ricotta pie for dessert—another Sicilian twist for the meal.  Of course, we also had apple and pumpkin pies.

Ricotta pie with blueberry sauce and whipped cream in a can. . .oh boy, oh boy.

All in all, this was a memorable Thanksgiving, made all the more so because of the wonderful friends we shared it with—our group had Americans of course, but we were outnumbered by British, Canadian, German and Irish yachties.

Our multi-national group

What is Thanksgiving without leftovers–Kent and Bill negotiated that as well.

Hot turkey sandwiches the next day.

Thanksgiving is more than turkey and stuffing.  It is a celebration of life.  .  .for which we are thankful everyday.

The ancient town of Modica in southern Sicily was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2002 because of its baroque art and architecture dating to the late 1700’s. 

St. Giorgio Cathedral dominates Modica's skyline

Modica also happens to be the chocolate capital of Sicily.  So it stands to reason that when they have a fall festival, it celebrates those two important aspects of the town’s history—hence the name “Chocobarocco” for the annual festival that takes place in late October each year and concludes on November 1st which is “All Saints Day”—an Italian national holiday.

We left Marina di Ragusa with several cruising friends on a sunny Saturday to see Modica and enjoy the festival.  This required a bus trip to Ragusa and then another to Modica, which took us through some of the southern Sicily countryside.

We were quite surprised to find that the southernmost coast of Sicily is quite flat, and predominantly rolling agricultural land.  There are thousands of acres under cultivation, and many of those covered by green houses. 

The town of Modica sits  inland at an elevation of 1,000 ft. above sea level   where the topography is hilly.  It has an upper section with steep stairs and narrow streets that crawl up the hillside and buildings that all seem to be at angles.  The lower section of the town follows the winding path of an old river bed–now a paved street called Corso Umberto I.  In 1693 there was an earthquake that destroyed much of the town and resulted in its being rebuilt both in the valley as well as on the hillside in the baroque style of that time.  The places of interest include numerous palazzos, museums and the Teatro Garibaldi where some of the festival events take place.

Baroque architecture with gargoyles. . .

tall windows and balconies. . .

and ornate arches are seen throughout Modica.

There are 29 churches in the town according the the turistica map, many of them elaborately decorated with ornate statuary.

One of many statues of saints adorning Chiesa di San Pietro

Chocoarocco takes place well after most tourists have abandoned the region and is a seasonal festival enjoyed primarily by Italians.  The timing in late fall probably takes into consideration the necessity of cooler temperatures so the chocolate doesn’t melt.

School children get history lessons along with chocolate. . .

and colorful balloons.

One of the most important baroque structures in Modica is the Cathedral of St. George (St. Giorgio in Italian) which has a tower and dome that are visible throughout the town.  Over 250 steps lead from the main street of the lower town, Corso Umberto I, to the Cathedral which looms overhead as you trudge upward.

St. Giorgio Cathedral

On this sunny Saturday, not everyone was attending the Chocolate Festival, Some were attending a wedding at the cathedral.  There is something about weddings that draws a crowd, whether you know the happy couple or not.  Perhaps its a universal fascination with the pagentry or shared joy at the prospect of a “happy ever after” ending.

The interior of St. Giorgio. . . .

awaits the bridal party. . .

while musicians tune up in the organ loft.

Finally the bride arrives. . .

and is greeted by her guests on the cathedral steps.

As we toured the church before the ceremony I saw a printed program for the wedding, and made a silent wish that “Davide and Danielle” would have their happy ending. 

First we enjoyed the architecture, and then it was time to savor the chocolate.

The most famous of all the chocolate shops in Modica is Antica Dolceris Bonajuto which first opened its doors in 1880 off a small alley on Corso Umberto.   Walking through the doors of this shop is like stepping back in time to the late 1800′s.  The shop has beautiful glass doored cases that display chocolate like it is expensive jewelry.  The wood is rich mahogany, and the lighting soft like a museum.  People seem to speak in soft voices as they make their selections from the confectionary treats displayed.

Antica Dolceria Bonajuto is just off Corso Umberto

The kitchen is visible through an open door and window, where the white coated chocolatiers do their magic using the same methods and ingredients that Aztec Indians perfected in Mexico thousands of years ago. 

The heady aroma of chocolate wafts from the kitchen.

The result is chocolate that is very rich in flavor with a slightly grainy texture from the sugar in the cocoa not being totally dissolved.  The higher the cocoa content, the more grainy the texture.  This chocolate melts on the tongue with a burst of flavor that makes milk chocolate seem bland by comparison.  The chocolate is flavored with vanilla, orange and interestingly pepper.  The chocolate with pepper has a particularly interesting sweet tanginess.

Even more amazing than the taste, and we did a lot of tasting as we worked our way down the street, stopping at tent after tent, were the amazing shapes and designs that the chocolate masters presented. 

Chocolate as far as you can see. . .

and lots of samples.

White chocolate cheese shapes were so realistic it caused a double take to confirm that we hadn’t stumbled into a cheese purveyor among the chocolate tents. 

Chocolate salami, anyone?

There were flowers, and tools, and even designer shoes—all edible.  Making chocolate tasty is one thing, but making it into intricate shapes is an art.

Chocolate flowers seem common. . .

and truffles conventional. . .

when compared to chocolate designer shoes--at 15 euros each!

Chocobarocco, celebrates the art of chocolate and Modica’s baroque heritage.  There are concerts, tastings and chocolate sculptures for the public.  There are lectures (in Italian of course) and  trade booths for chocolatiers.  Modica exudes a festival atmosphere and chocolate scents the air.

Is there such as thing as too much chocolate?  After Chocobarocco, the answer was a resounding “yes!”  Fortunately, feeling of being overwhelmed by the taste and smell of chocolate passes quickly–I’m nibbling some dark chocolate laced with almonds right now. 

It's always time for chocolate in Modica!

After dropping Spencer, Molly and EB in Salerno on September 28th, we headed back south toward Destiny’s winter home at Porto Turistico Marina di Ragusa.  By the time we reached there on October 5th we had covered just about 1,000 NM in less than a month and had been both north and south in the Straits of Messina.

Our first sunset in Marina di Ragusa. . ."Red sky at night, sailor's delight"

Along the way we revisited Marina Stella del Sud (translation “Star of the Sea”) in Vibo Valentia, where I stocked up on wonderful meat from the butcher that had been closed for vacation on our way north.  We also made good use of the new facilities at the marina to clear up the backlog of laundry that accumulates when you have guests on board for a week.

After a couple lay days (boat speak for we stayed in one place) in Vibo Valentia, we did a 72 NM passage to Taormina, Sicily and actually had favorable winds and currents to sail south through the Straits of Messina.

In the Straits tide & current are not all you have to worry about.

Taormina, with its view of Mt. Etna, proved to be a rolly anchorage this time of year, and the moorings we had expected from our last stay there were no where to be seen, possibly due to the time of year. 

At dusk there was only one other boat anchored under Taormina. . .

but by morning we had lots of company.

At this point we were anxious to get to Marina di Ragusa where our contract commenced October 1st.  Having visited Taormina in the past, we opted to push on to Siracusa the next day.  Siracusa is approximately 50 NM south on the east coast of Sicily.

A fortress sits at the entrance to Siracusa's harbor. . .

and trees line the town quay. . .

where cruise ships dock. . .

We fell in love with the large protected harbor at Siracusa, its Old Town, Fortress and farmer’s market.  We purchased swordfish for dinner that was probably caught in the Straits that day and local barrel wine sold in plastic bottles. 

Swordfish doesn't get any fresher!

At the Siracusa fish market there are lots of options. . .but we didn't always recognize them.

F.LLI BURGIO at Piazza Cesare Battisti sold molto bene vino & formaggio.

Having done a couple of long passages on consecutive days, we spent an extra day in Siracusa and enjoyed lunch at a little restaurant in the Old Town.

Archimedes Restaurant was up a tiny street in the Old Town.

We spent some time wandering about the town.

Siracusa has tree lined boulevards. . .

and ornate architecture.

Anchored in the harbor were several boats heading to Marina di Ragusa for the winter. Sailing yachts LuLu, Feisty, Matilda, Mystique and Destiny made five US flag vessels anchored in the harbor at one time.  This is a rather unusual occurrence for the Med.  More often than not when we see a US flag it is an EU imposter evading local taxes.

Siracusa Sunset

Siracusa was the final stop before we reached Marina di Ragusa on October 5th.

Marina di Ragusa is a beachside town on the southeastern Sicilian coast.  In Italy, the word “marina” denotes a town on the beach, not necessarily a port for docking boats.  In most cases “Porto Turistico” designates a port that can accommodate visiting yachts—hence we are in Porto Turistico Marina di Ragusa.

The marina(with a small “m”)is only open for its second season and the number of boats wintering here has grown because they are offering phenomenal rates, especially for in-water mooring. 

The population of Marina di Ragusa, like many waterfront vacation destinations, explodes during the summer months.  We are told that from June through September the beach is cheek to jowl with vacationers, but this time of year only a few hearty souls are to be seen—still in bikinis nevertheless.  The Italians love the Sicilian sun, and so do we.

There is a wide pedestrian promenade along the white sand beach that stretches the length of the town. 

The beach at Marina di Ragusa. . .

is bordered by a wide, paved promenade. . .

perfect for biking.

A 5 min. bike ride from the marina along the promenade brings you to the tree lined town square where tourists and locals mingle to sip robust Italian coffee and savor treats from the gelato shops and patisseries.  

The days are a pleasant mid-70’s and evenings cool to the low 60’s making for perfect sleeping weather.  However, the sun doesn’t always shine in Sicily and this time of year it is common to have a couple days of rain and high winds scattered between the sunshiny days.

This is not looking good.

I volunteered to prepare a contact list for cruisers in the marina for the winter season and can therefore give the following information concerning the makeup of the cruising community.  USA flag vessels-16. UK-16; NZ-5; SWE-1; Denmark-1; NL-4; Iceland-1; GR-2; AU-2.  And this is just the English speaking boats which does not include others from France, Italy and elsewhere who have  not participated in the list.

We have a Cruiser’s Net on VHF 72 at 9 a.m. Monday through Saturday when information on everything from weather to social activities is shared.  On Monday, Wednesday and Friday there is yoga on the dock–nice if you can get up that early, and a walking group at the same time daily.  This is a very energetic group that also enjoys a weekly Happy Hour.

On October 8th we celebrated Kent’s birthday with a little surprise celebration pulled off with much help from friends. 

Kent's friends helped surprise him for his birthday. . .

which included lots of Prosecco. . .that's an empty bottle under his arm.

As much as we are enjoying the comraderie of our fellow cruisers, we have decided (mostly me, truthfully) that living in a marina for three months is a little too sedate for our taste.  Besides, we miss family and some of the creature comforts (a real bed and bathtub for example) that await us in our cozy little apartment in Missoula, Montana.  There is also the added benefit of seeing old friends.  So as of December 1st we are ”Coming to America” as the song goes.  Destiny will stay in the water here in Marina di Ragusa, where Kent would very much like to have a video camera feed to the States to keep an eye on her.  I expect that the boat will survive the winter just fine. . .but I’m not sure about Kent.

Marina di Ragusa Sunrise

More Sicilian sun to come.  CIAO!

As much as we love being in the Med, we envy our European cruising friends who are just hours and a time zone away from family and friends who regularly visit them. In prior years, my mother who turned 85 in July has visited us—first in the Caribbean, then in Italy and Greece in consecutive years. Every year we go further east and the trip becomes longer—sadly, too long for her to visit this year.

The blog is our way of sharing our adventure with family and friends, but we much prefer to have them on board to see first hand why we love what we’re doing. We were very excited when Kent’s son, Spencer, wife Molly and granddaughter Elizabeth (affectionately called EB) were able to meet us on the Amalfi coast this fall as part of a whirlwind trip to Europe.

EB told everyone she met that she was "four and three quarters". . .is she cute or what!

Spencer had sailed on Destiny on our shakedown cruise for the Marblehead to Halifax Race in June, 2007, along with brother Ty, but Molly and Elizabeth had never been on board.  Working our tempermental vacuflush head was one of the challenges they faced.  Both were troopers, however, when it came to adapting to life on the water–”one hand for you, and one for the boat” was a frequently heard refrain throughout their visit.

Seeing Amalfi, Positano and Capri through fresh eyes, including those of a soon-to-be five year-old made revisiting these places a totally new experience.   We did more swimming, explored caves and played games–being a kid is fun.

There was a lot of energy on Destiny generated by a curious, active child and her equally active parents.  Days started early for EB who dragged one of her parents to the beach for a swim or to search for sea glass.

EB loved jumping off the boat. . .

and collecting sea glass at the beach in Amalfi.

Then about the time that Grampy and I were getting up they were back for breakfast.   Active kids eat all the time.  We no more than finished breakfast than she was ready for a mid-morning snack.

Clean bowl!

EB befriended Julio who runs the dock in Amalfi. . .we think she had a crush on him.  Can’t say that I blame her. . .he is kinda cute!

Julio took EB fishing in his dinghy. . .

and caught the only fish of the trip. . .if you look closely you can see it.

Along with the fun, like kayaking,  there were boat chores.

EB went kayaking with her Mom off Positano. . .

and swabbed decks with her Dad.

In Capri we anchored at Marina Piccolo on the south coast, where there are numerous caves to explore–fun for adults and kids. 

EB and Grampy went exploring in caves. . .

and took the dinghy through a cave to this hidden beach in Capri.

EB liked Capri's caves.

When Grampy went to check the anchor, EB wanted to see how it was done.  She’ll be a fine sailor one day, according to Grampy.

Thumbs up means its perfect!

There was occasional “quiet time”. . .but it didn’t last long.

Quiet time for a computer game. . .

or drawing pictures in her vacation journal.

There was too much to see and do—like taking the helm.

EB liked to take the wheel. . .with the help of the autopilot. . .

and just hang out on the bow.

Toward the end of their stay we had early birthday celebrations for EB and Grampy, with birthday melon on “topsy-turvy” day.

Italian birthday candles. . .

a HELLO KITTY t-shirt from Capri. . .

and sparklers topped off the birthday celebration.

And then the week was over, and for a few days after they left, Destiny felt like the life had been sucked out of the air. It was too quiet. . .there was no luggage to step over or crayons to pick up.  And no giggles from an adorable kid.

Ah, but the memories we made are worth the sadness that accompanies saying “goodbye” when the time comes. We had planned to stay in Sicily and winter on the boat. Now I’m not so sure we can forgo returning to the States for a “family fix’. There is something comforting about being in the same hemisphere as my Mom, Kent’s children and especially EB and grandson Nate.