From Crete to Sicily

Chaniá in Crete was an enjoyable place for an unplanned stopover of six days while waiting for a weather window.  Chaniá is steeped in history and has been fought over and controlled by Romans, Byzantines, Venetians, Genoese, Turks and Egyptians. Following unification with Greece in 1913, the island was then invaded by the Germans during World War II. The harbour is where most of the city’s interesting sights are, including the old Venetian quarter, the Venetian lighthouse and the Mosque of the Janissaries (1645) which is the oldest Ottoman building on the island. Sabbaticus was berthed in the town harbour, while a picturesque location and in the heart of the city to meander around it was also outside the bars and restaurants which quickly became tiresome in the early hours of every morning. Ear plugs were a must to ensure a quieting to the nightly noise.

With time available we decided on hiking the Samariá Gorge, the longest ravine in Europe.  The gorge is a well-trodden trail that leads down a 18km course to a seaside village. The Samariá Gorge is reached via a zigzag path which drops a staggering 1,000mtrs in the first 2km of the walk.  This hike was picturesque and included ancient ruins, donkeys, ranger huts and many fresh water springs to refresh at.  At the 12km point the route squeezed between two towering rock walls, only 3mtrs apart, forming the famous Iron Gates – the narrowest part of the Gorge.  At the end of the walk we rewarded ourselves with a swim in the sea to cool off before catching the ferry then bus back to Chaniá.  Not surprisingly we all felt the effects of the hike the next day – though this did not stop Sally going for her daily swim.

After six days of the noisy bars we were all ready to depart for Sicily and left late afternoon on 29 Sep.  Our departure was perfect with the motor off after  20mins and full sails up, with dolphins on the bow. Unfortunately these conditions did not last, with a twister sighted in the distance and then thunderstorms and lightning for 4-5hrs. Unfortunately the thunderstorms, lightning and squalls became the norm for the next few days which meant sails up / sails down and engine on. Thankfully we did not encounter any illegal immigrant boats but did follow on the radio a Man Overboard rescue that was 10 miles ahead of us which was eventually called off – hopefully due to a rescue. On our last night at sea we were visited by a huge pod of dolphins that enjoyed the bow wave and then a beautiful sunset.  After 384NM and four nights at sea, we arrived in Marina di Ragusa at 0130hrs in the morning and tied up at the fuel dock pleased to finally be in Sicily with no damage to Sabbaticus or her crew.  The last task that night was to raise the NZ flag before heading to bed for a long 5 hours sleep with no chance of being disturbed for a sail change!

 

After a hearty fried breakfast we then moved Sabbaticus to her berth for the next 7 months. Leanne must have been tired as we were asked if ‘we were in distress’ as our NZ flag was hoisted upside down – a tad embarrassing for an arrival! Sally and Bata kindly offered to assist us for few days before doing some sightseeing.  With extra hands to help we tackled the big jobs of removing the main and geona sails, all haylards, lines and sheets and then cleaning the mast. Sally was also able to assist with the never ending task of polishing the stainless. Sally and Bata were then finally able to relax, get off the boat and enjoy a few days sightseeing the local area before departing. After 27 days they left Sabbaticus tanned and with a greater awareness of offshore passage-making and the inevitable boat maintenance demands of live-aboard cruisers. 

Mosque of the Janissaries in Chaniá

Sabbaticus amongst the bars in Chaniá