Sailing with the Treleavens

Arriving here on the 20th May we are put between a Japanese and German boat and being the innocent party its all about whose electric point is whose. These people have been here too long and territories are drawn, Ian stakes his claim and comes down stairs mumbling about who won the war.

From Hammamet we up anchor and sail to El Kantaoui, a marina full of yachts with great facilities and beautiful surroundings. Its tourism at its best but we enjoy a little luxury, very different to what we have had on this trip. We have 3 nights here; the only problem with this place is that's its 8km to Sousse to get some supplies.

In Monastir a lot of ' winter over boats' are still here because of the late summer and now we are holed up here waiting for the wind to change direction. Malta is our next stop 190 miles away where friends Nick and Michele Smail are joining us for a week. Nick is an old school friend, dinghy crew of Ian's and they are looking forward to the 400 mile sail from Malta to Crete.

The De Torres and ourselves hire cars and taxis and take day trips visiting inland Tunisia. Visiting Kairouan, the spiritual centre with its magnificent 8th century mosque, the oldest in Africa. It's very hot inland and its only May. The Arab Summit is on as we visit Tunis and Carthage; the very historic Punic city totally destroyed by the Romans, flags and flowers line the streets. We pass the Presidential Palace and visit the neighboring marina Sid Bi Bou which seems to be booked out most of the year.

Tunisia is an Islamic state but not fundamentalist like a lot of Arab countries and women have rights. Everyone speaks French as well as Arabic and all children are educated. The coastal area is certainly more advanced with wealth and tourist hotels but inland it can get very basic, dusty and millions of olive trees.

Another day we visit El Jem inland 70kms to see the Coliseum built by the Romans in 238 AD, the most impressive amphitheatre in the Arab world and second most preserved to Rome. The museum is built around the recently discovered roman villas. They have not been looted over time and are really well preserved. This small village is surrounded by the never ending olive trees that are neatly spaced and in perfect rows. Thank you Swanny for keeping us up to date with the score of the Super 12 final and we are soon in our own stadium, only ours has history of Gladiators and Lions. Is there any difference? Now used for Operas in the summer, it's nice just to wonder everywhere with very few tourists.

As we continue to see Tunisia I am the designated loo paper holder. I could tell you a lot about loos but some things are worth forgetting.

Howard and Valmai have now left us and we decide to take a train to Tunis, stay a night, and see the Bardo Museum, famous for the largest collection of Roman mosaics in the world. This is fantastic, telling the stories of centuries of an illustrious past. As for Tunis its dirty, rubbish everywhere but the people are well dressed and very happy, friendly and no sign of crime. The Medina the old walled town we pass in a taxi and that's enough. Our night in Tunis we find a traditional local restaurant with a live band playing their own folklore and full of ambience. We soon get into the Arabian music and enjoy watching the locals enjoying themselves.

For lunch I take Ian into an Islamic Restaurant not of his choose as there is no beer but I am determined to have a Tunisian meal. We have 4 courses - Tunisian salad, chili veg couscous, fish or chicken with chips and cream caramel .All for $4 each and it was delicious. Our best takeaway was a bag of hand cut chips cooked in olive oil and sprinkled with onion, parsley and small olives -$1.00. The boat is starting to smell like a fresh herbs and spices shop and I am looking forward to cooking with them.

Our plan is to winter the boat over here as its cheap and out of the EU which suits us and means we can return to warm weather rather than the cold of Croatia. We didn't know what to expect in Tunisia and have been pleasantly surprised with yachts being welcomed and the few marinas are excellent. We believe this undiscovered paradise for yachties will be the next Croatia.

Next time we would love to take a safari trip to the desert and visit the island of Djerba where the brochure refers it to the Polynesia of the Med.

Ian is looking forward to bacon and eggs in Malta as pork is non existent in this Muslim country.

It’s the 16h May and we are crossing with spinnaker up, blue sky a chill in the air and cross to Tunisia. Our plan was to have a stopover at the island of Pantelleria but now that the yellow spinnaker is up and doing a steady 8 knots, we will keep going and go 80 miles today in search of that Mediterranean summer.

In Palermo, and having had the boat sit in stagnant water for 3 days can’t imagine what it smells like in summer, we are all onboard, and Ian can’t wait to get out. We sail west to Castellamare for the birthday dinner, a small fishing village waiting for summer to arrive. We actually wondered at first what we had come into. On the dock were lots of army uniformed men and peasant dressed women, shots ring out and everyone running everywhere. Turns out to be a movie about the Mafia.

It’s a hit and miss restaurant called Mucinera and turns out to be one of the best meals of seafood we have had to date, especially the marinated swordfish, squid antipasto and sun dried tomato prawns.             .

We woke to a brilliant day and motor to Scopello, the most photographed place in Sicily. The water is ice crystal clear and very scenic with its old tuna factory, interesting cactus covered rocks, very deep water and village on the hill surrounded by wildflowers. In summer people flock here to swim and we can see why, but no one is swimming off our boat today.

The wind gets up and we have an uncomfortable sail to S.Vito lo Capo and stay the night. Famous for its cous cous and Moorish town, it is also waiting for summer. We move early the next morning for Trapani, Mike enjoys the helm and Howard recovers from the cous cous. We are seeing very few boats, and they are trying very hard to get more tourism on this side of Sicily, but they have a lot to learn about welcoming you. It・s now pontoons and no facilities for boats at Rivera prices so most of the time we find a space on the harbour wall and it’s free.

Trapani and Marsala are great solid stone cities of palaces, cathedrals, museums and marble roads and foot paths. The three girls take a bus and visit Erice, a 12th century stone village with beautifully laid medieval narrow lanes high in the mountain where the Castle of Venus is. It’s foggy up here and swirling fog makes it very airy. You can’t start to imagine the history that has passed this place that is so inaccessible.

Mike and Di leave us and we sail out to the island of Favignana renowned for its tuna fishing and beautiful bays of turquoise coloured water. Turns out to be too shallow for us to stay so we sail for Marsala passing the ever photografted bay of Cala Rossa. Another month and anchoring would be a must with clear blue water, caves and coves from the days of quarrering.

On the stone wall at Marsala we stay 2 nights and sample a few Marsala sweet wines and some not so sweet. Here one can admire the Phoenician Ship (2 BC) found only in 1970 in a bay near by.

Tunisia
What a fantastic breath of fresh air Tunisia is. Arriving at Kelbia a port of entry, papers were a bit of a drag (2 hours) but very friendly officers and soon we have our visas. Up early to the sound of 100,s of fishermen coming in from the night catch and selling there fish. This place is alive and colourful, nice to get away from the ever ending under renovation of Italy and Sicily. The old stone of Italy is now replaced by all white painted Arabian houses and white sand beaches for miles.  The market is on, you won’t a chicken sir? as the live bird is held up side down. Fresh food in abundance but only what’s in season and local, but we are soon back at the boat without the bird. The people are so friendly even to the point no more haggling about the price, which had become very tiresome in Italy.

Coffee in a cafe is Tunisian style, black and  fantastic and I am the only women in the cafe. A bit scary as they can’t take there eyes off my blonde hair. I think Howard and Ian are taking offers. I must remember to wear my hat tomorrow.

We stop to watch fisherman on the back of their boat eating sardines they are cooking on a make do BBQ, and they ask us to join them. Sitting on fishing nets we are passed by a very black hand, fresh BBQ sardines and they are simply delicious. Leaving a bottle of Australian wine left by Mike and Di we appreciate there generosity.

Once again we are spoilt and under spinnaker once again down the coast 70 miles to El Kantoui on the legendry  Barbary Coast, home of the pirates of old. Thankfully the only pirates are wooden figurines on the tourist pirate ships. We pass beautiful white towns, some new ,some old, with there minuets and sandy beaches.

We are now in El Kantoui in a beautiful marina and summer is here.
 

Cefalu has been a wonderful stop over for a few days. Another storm went through at 50 knots and starting to wonder why we came down here. It's a very late summer but does look better next week. Have I said that before?

Ants in his pants Max hires a car, as this is all to slow for him, for five days and the first day we all go inland to Gangi 100 km up in the mountains and 1154 metres high, I think the snow just melted. Getting Ian to leave the boat for one day is amazing but he soon forgets and enjoys the country as it's very like NZ, very green and about to burst into flower. The very old medieval villages of stone sit perched on pecks and ridges and are a splendid sight. Here I have read about a 16th century monastery high in the mountains that serves fantastic Sicilian food. At Gangivecchio we enjoy a no menu lunch of 6 courses of pastries, pasta, risotto, wild roast pork and fig tart, local wine and mandarincello. Our favorite was the pear, gorgonzola cheese and pistachio nut risotto.

One day in a car is enough for Ian and myself, and now enjoying a few days on our own while Max drives every inch of Sicily.

A charter boat with the Maori name Hauraki is in the marina so the ever curious Ian investigates and the Polish people on board are only too pleased to find out how to pronounce the name. Still don't know how a charter boat out of Italy register in Greece sailing in Sicilian waters gets its name. Anyway a few days later late at night during the last blow a may-day was heard and turned out to be a very well pronounced "Hauraki". The rescue boat left flashing all lights and later both returned. Thanking Ian the next day they were again soon on there way. Its fantastic that the Italian authorities have the resources available too go to the rescue of any boat in difficulties especially some European charterers with little experience.

Cefalu nestled under a big rock; we loved for its restaurants, shopping and ice-cream in a brioche. The ever present cobble narrow lanes with its dripping washing, fiats and dog shit. With cheap marina fees we are reluctant to leave but have to get to Palermo to meet friends arriving. Howard and Valmai De Torres are with us for 3 weeks and Michael and Di Quaife for 5 days.

We have read very different reports about Palermo from rats, dirty, mafia and wantonly dressed women. We are going in make our own judgment. Not sure which one of us is going to check out the women. There are two sports here, one is soccer and the other bag snatching from vespers. Hold over shoulder bags away from the traffic we are told.

Deciding on the marina right in the old centre is almost not a good idea. I am not allowed to tell you too much but its very crowded and tight to get in with everyone's mooring lines everywhere. We chop up a few and finally get in. The water is stagnate and smelly and our skin stings from retrieving the laid lines, but we get to know our new neighbours in the local yacht club and things are looking up.

Palermo at this time of the year couldn't have been better as it does get very hot. It's Sunday and at the end of our dock is the Palermo" Portabella" style antique market. We enjoy the atmosphere with the locals; walk the marble stone streets and archectically historical city. Ian has everything tide around my neck; no vesper is going to get our things, just my head.

Despite what we have been told we have thoroughly enjoy our visit and a neighboring yacht has bought us from their farm organic virgin olive oil, not one bottle but a box full.

Our plan now is to sail the North West coast and west coast to Malsala (yes, the sweet wine, have a few) and sail to Tunisia.

Last night we had fireworks in the bay they must have known it's my birthday today. I am hoping for a good night out in Palermo tonight. Tomorrow we leave and the weather is great at last.