Happy Winter Solstice Everybody

Equinoxes and solstices are the only calendar events that seem to matter to me anymore. Religious holidays never did, nor did all the "shopping holidays" like Xmas, Halloween, and Valentine's day.  When we still worked, long weekends were important, but now all our weekends are a week long.  Maggie and I still observe birthdays but even those lose their significance as we see more of them.

Pagans: that's what we are becoming.  The seasonal events punctuate time for us because they indirectly impact the weather and the weather tells us what we are able to do - use the weather to travel or seek shelter from it.  This year our Winter Solstice celebrations here in Sicily were special. 

Ibla di Ragusa

Merry Christmas

Louie and Molly

The cruisers living aboard their boats here in Marina di Ragusa are all very nice and a lot of fun.  So last night a few of us caught the bus to nearby Ibla di Ragusa to see how this fairy-tale town was dressed up in lights for the holidays. It was beautiful.  We had the baroque streets to ourselves as we strolled on the cobblestones.  After a drink to toast the sun's return from the Tropic of Capricorn, a snack and more strolling, we took the local bus back to the main town.  As the bus wound its way out of the valley that encircles the hilltop town, we could look back to see the town highlighted by its streetlights and Christmas decorations. 

Lighting the stove

Solstice Group

The next phase of our pagan celebration would have us gathering around a fire.  We collected some kindling on the way back to the marina from the bus stop and rendezvoused on H2OBO and lit the fire in the new wood-burning stove that I had installed the day before.  The heat from the stove and from our drinks, the faint aroma of burning wood, and our lively conversation all made for a very cozy setting and one somehow appropriate for the shortest day of the year.  I am sure it was a scene that has taken place every winter solstice stretching back to humanity's origins.

The stove has transformed life on board.  Electricity here is costly; folks are spending 4 or 5 euros a day to run small electric heaters to heat their boats, so they use them sparingly and their is always a little chill in those conditions.  But we have been collecting wood from the beach to burn in the stove and have been basking in the glorious heat without thinking about the cost.  My morning routine now consists of getting out of bed, starting a fire, and making a coffee on top of the stove with my espresso maker, while the boat warms up for Maggie when she rises from bed. 

Jessica, Ange and Branko

Ange taking the dogs for a ride

Branko trying to find his stove part

Branko driving the Ragusa train

So life is great here.  There are ample activities and attractions to keep oneself busy if you want to avoid doing chores, which I have been doing so far.  And that is why the solstice is important.  It reminds me that from now on the days will get longer, and, as the new cruising season approaches, it is time to start preparing for the new adventures in the upcoming year.

But before I get to it, I think I will just throw another log on the fire.....

Branko

Sophie, The Ships Cat

Sophie died September 12^th 2013, she was plus fifteen. It has taken me this long to write and I miss her.


When I hear 'news'(and given the option) I prefer bad first, followed with bittersweet memories and a few funny stories, to leave me smiling. So, with that in mind I have prepared as short story of Sophie.


She found us, loved Chester her dog, thought she was something other than a cat and believed she could climb anything and return to the ground by throwing herself into the air and landing, hopefully on something soft..ah but that was a long time ago, before she became - Sophie, the Ships Cat.


She had no idea.
Successfully making her way up the animal chain (in our home) to the 'proverbial' top, (our bed ) quickly found herself moved and living aboard H2OBO ...she adjusted well. As long as we were all together she was happy.
Never liking the engine noise,..but once we put the sails up and turned the motor off, she quietly lay down and sleep peacefully, a true sailor cat.


Sophie crossed the ocean, (in keeping with many a fine feline of old) an excellent first mate – keeping each of us company on our night watches, usually sitting on the chart table, and grinding her claws into the chart...and of course talking away about what she had seen and heard that day...dolphins, whales, fish and H2OBO gossip. Well the gossip was a little strange so I won't repeat...but whenever we were in some exciting circumstance, there she was, right beside us – literally. A furry bundle to hug and pet when you needed some comfort, she never said no..OK maybe sometimes she refused..but she was sooooo cute.


Everywhere we went, Sophie came too – whether driving through Bosnia, spending a weekend in Budapest or relaxing at anchor in Bermuda..she was there. Last winter however, we thought it might be nice for her to stay on a farm in Branko's family village in Croatia. Her new family consisted of Lydia, her Mom and Dad, a farmyard, 4 cats and a dog (who had puppies) – of course Sophie loved her new dog but was concerned with those other furry things called cats...she was never too sure about those guys. Sophie loved her new life. And to prove she was a worthy house guest would help in the barns(where the family kept animal feed) killing mice/rats.


Lydia’s Mom tells of a story, of going to the barn to chase away vermin, Sophie followed her and spent the day helping get rid of said vermin, 25 at last count, in 1 hour and...all on her own. She has always been a great hunter, enjoyed the 'stalking' aspect, and usually happy with her results. Her new family was quite taken with her and appreciated her quirky personality.


Sophie had never fought, but in her old age was having adventures she never dreamed of...one day, at the farm she met up with another cat (we are told the cat was visiting with one of the other farm cats) in the yard...Sophie not happy with this intrusion put up a valiant fight and came out of the scrap with a chunk taken out of her ear...Lydia said she now looked like a pirate...and had a little swagger that was not present before.


Sophie has lived an exciting life. The boat although wonderful was a little small and looking back we both feel her time in the village was a beautiful cat experience, one that she would never have had living on the boat. Or so I hope, as I would be thoroughly disgusted and perhaps living somewhere else if rats and mice were in such abundance aboard H2OBO.


Sophie remains in our memories, in my writings and in our hearts. Yes she was just a cat, but don't they just make their mark on your life?

Mag

Road Trip

Dinner with Branko

Sophie's berth

Our Winter Home, 2013

Marina di Ragusa, Sicily

We are comfortably situated in our winter berth here in Sicily.  In fact, we have been here over three weeks.  You might wonder why we are blogging so infrequently. Well, I guess we just got lazy now that the cruising season is winding down.

The last time you heard from us we were in Crotone waiting out some big winds, and we spent about three days there.  We had a chance to visit the city and it is just the kind of city that I like.  It has a proud, ancient history, but is well past its peak in terms of glory.  There aren't enough old things still extant to make it a full-blown-UNESCO-tourist-trap, so the crowds aren't there and the citizens are glad that you have come to visit their town, but there is enough faded glory to make it pleasant if you do visit.  There are the remnants of the old walled city that have been subsumed by the evolution of the modern one and there are other relics of the past that have you wondering what things looked like when the last stone was laid to complete the structure and wishing for a time-machine.  Much of the architecture is uniformly Baroque since much of Italy, it seems, was rebuilt after a series of devastating earthquakes that rocked the Med a few hundred years ago.  Many of the cities in Italy are like this: Crotone, Brindisi, Otranto, and Catania, to name a few, and we have enjoyed visiting all of them.

Rocella Jonica

Once the wind let us venture out of the port, we got around the bottom of the toe of Italy to a marina in Roccella Jonica, where again we hid from winds and spent three days. That was the first time that we tied to a dock since leaving Dubrovnik in May.  On the southern coast of Italy there are no anchorages to shelter from southerlies, so it is fortunate that Roccella only charges 20 Euros per night.

From Roccella we motored straight to one of our favourite places - Siracusa, Sicily.  We spent about a week there strolling through the city and hanging out with our friends on Lazy Bones and Neptune II.  While there, I caught a strange bug that was going around that had me purging my innards right when we had a chance for a vigorous sail to our winter port. The next day when I was feeling better we left but the winds had diminished so that we had to motor-sail, again. The problem with coastal sailing where there is a dearth of anchorages is that you must follow a tight schedule if you hope to make port by night fall, so there is no time for leisurely sailing.

Since we have been cruising with our friends we have had a few music sessions on board Lazy Bones.  It turns out that Jeff plays guitar (and piano) and Gary plays sax (and recorder) and the two of them have been making music together along the way through the Pacific and into the Med and giving concerts in various venues.  Since I own a harmonica (note that I didn't say "play") they kindly let me join in on several occasions.  We have given two performances to date, but as yet no recording contracts have been signed. 

This marina in Ragusa is a popular wintering spot for cruisers, and there is a vibrant live-aboard community here, with people from around the world with whom to get acquainted.  A local organisation arranges excursions and various events, and, along with the lovely marina office staff, also help with any Italian translation and locating of required services. 

The Talent and the Mermettes

...and then there's me

Our winter will be spent on some boat maintenance and improvement jobs, visiting a few interesting places, and being visited by friends.  And just having fun.  But today it's going to be 24°C and sunny so we will likely go for a swim. 

Somebody pass the lotus petals, please.

Branko

Update From Italy

After a lovely week in Montenegro, we got the forecast we were waiting for, bought duty-free fuel and cast off. When we motored the 8 miles out of the bay there was no wind, so we kept motoring -150 miles to Otranto, Italy. That took 30 hours, but at least we didn't have any wind against us.

The last time we had been to Otranto, Maggie had a look around and liked it, but I never got off the boat, so it was something new for me. She was right.  It's a very old city enclosed by ancient fortifications and a moat, and it is situated beside a harbour with sandy beaches.  The harbour has a sand bottom, so the holding is good, but the anchorage is open to the east and swells come in and can make things rolly.  This time we spent 5 nights at anchor with only one rolly night.

It's a small town so we were starting to get antsy to leave.  Again, we got a good forecast.  We cheered and weighed anchor to head south to Santa Maria di Leuca.  This time, though, it was 15 to 20 knots on the nose, so we turned back to Otranto for one more night.  Superstitiously, we promised never again to cheer leaving a port for fear of offending the local gods.  Fortunately, the next day when we tried again we made the 25 mile trip motor-sailing.  There we re-united with Lazy Bones and Neptune II, who were sailing over from Corfu. You may recall that we were all together in Montenegro but parted ways when we discovered that we needed to have a "boat stamp"in order to buy duty-free fuel, which we subsequently procured when H2OBO stayed behind.

One night in Leuca and we set off to cross the 70-mile-wide Bay of Taranto with a forecast for 10 to 20 knots on the beam.  This time that was exactly what we got, and it turned out to be the best day of sailing that we have had so far.

We raised anchor, set our sails, shut off the engine, set our course for Crotone and made between 6 and 8.5 knots the whole way.  It was exhilarating and makes up for a whole season's worth of motoring.  At 8.5 knots we reefed some sail.  Rather than let our Cape Horn wind pilot have all the fun, Maggie and I hand-steered the whole time - 10.5 hours.

Crotone was the destination because it had a good harbour where we could sit out the high winds that were forecasted for the next day.  And that's how it stands. We are all safely anchored here sitting out the winds.  Tonight we are having the birthday party for Maggie on board Lazy Bones that we were supposed to have in Corfu.  Tomorrow we will venture in to town to have a look. It will still be windy, and we might get a little wet in the dinghy ride over there, but we live to explore new places.

Branko

Kathy's Vacation

Lunch in Pula, Croatia

Hello, Kathy from Toronto here. I've just had a another fantastic and totally relaxing holiday with Maggie & Branko, who are so laid back and fun, you can't help but have a most enjoyable holiday.

We had twenty-four days on the boat together. First off was island-hopping around Croatia, followed by sailing to Venice for a week's stay, then back to Croatia. The weather was ideal in Croatia—hot, sunny and breezy, without the humidity I'm used to back in TO. Venice was so hot, we pretty much lived in our swimsuits; I even slept in mine. In Croatia, we were often surrounded by nude sailors, mostly Germans and Austrians, who believed the best way to beat the heat was to avoid the swimsuit altogether, which naturally caused some immature tittering on our part.

Thatsabiggacone Kathy!

Anchored in Croatia

Zadar piano player

Kathy and Maggie

Kathy and Mirco, gondola ride

Bike riding, Punta Sabioni

Sunset over Venice

Swim dancing in Croatia

Croatia

Sailing to Venice

Croatia is beautiful, with every island having unique offerings, but almost without exception, all offering a great setting for swimming and exploring. I love swimming in the sea because the buoyant salt water allows you to swim way further and longer than any lake water. Maggie, being my holiday fitness guru, had me doing water exercises too, and I lost about 7-8 pounds just from swimming—bonus!

Mostly we sailed or motored in the mornings, anchored before lunchtime, and then had the rest of the day or a couple days to explore, swim, and play. The only island we didn't like we dubbed Wasp Island. There were a couple of times where we ended up anchoring in a beach that had DJ's spinning loud techno until the not-so-wee hours. One night, we turned in around eleven, then got up around midnight and watched movies till 4:00am; and it was still so loud the boat was thumping, even though we were anchored a good distance from shore.

One of my favorite spots was Losinj. It was memorable for me because it was my very first time snorkeling, and I caught on without embarrassing myself too much. At night, there was this strange, gentle snapping sound outside, coming from the clams feeding in the water under the boat. It was nice being lulled to sleep by this unexpected and unique music—much better than the loud techno coming from those crazy young'uns.

The one place in Croatia where we couldn't swim was Pula, as it is a large, somewhat industrial harbor. But Pula is a lovely city, with a beautiful 2,000-year-old Roman amphitheater just off the water—beautifully lit at night—and a great shopping area which is interspersed with some cool ancient sites. The amphitheater is a functioning outdoor arena, and we just narrowly missed an opportunity to see Leonard Cohen there.

Our sail to Venice was pure magic. A night sail with nothing but the stars, a full moon and a calm sea. A rare and exceptional experience.

As Branko mentioned, Venice is on the west side of a lagoon and we anchored at a little beach on the east side of the lagoon, not realizing how much this choice would enhance our Venetian experience. We were anchored off a long narrow arm of land, between two towns—Treporti to the north and Punta Sabbiani to the south. It was a fifteen-minute walk down to the local ferries in Punta Sabbiani, and then an hour ferry ride to Venice. We bought ferry passes for the week, and I lost mine on the first day—fifty euro later! So to the west, Venice, and some gorgeous sunsets on the lagoon. To the east, farms, vineyards and summer homes, and then a long beautiful beach on the sea, near the town of Cá Savio. Maggie and I rented bicycles and I rode to the beach four times that week to swim in the sea and admire the Venetian bods (in their swimsuits). Everyone is so naturally fit there. I took a different route to the beach every time because it was so scenic, I wanted to see as much as I could.

One day near the beginning of our time in Venice, on a nice, sunny day, we were sitting by the ferries in Punta Sabbiani, eating pizza on a patio, when a storm suddenly came up out of nowhere. Maggie & Branko sprang up and said we had to hurry back to the boat because the hatches were open. I thought they were crazy and panicking for nothing, as the storm didn't look like it would go that way. We ran almost a kilometer, sped over in the dinghy and got on to the boat just in time to shut the hatches before the rain poured down, or it would have been soaking wet beds that night. Talk about well-developed weather senses—those water hobos know their stuff!

Kathy and Maggie, snorkeling!

Kathy, snorkeling.  Yahoo!

Branko and Kathy, first night

Kathy working on the boat

Kathy sewing her new dress

Still working!!!

And this is my berth and laundry

Croatian anchorage

There is a gondola club at the beach where we anchored, the Treporti Canottieri, consisting of a group of locals who were charming and hospitable. Whenever we passed by on our way to the ferry, we'd be invited to stop for a glass of wine, which they had on tap, and some conversation consisting of lots of charade-type hand motioning. Some of the guys from this club were training for the annual Regata Storica, a major Venetian competition held every September, and they'd row by on their gondolas several times a day. I've been looking for the results to see how they did, but so far the results aren't posted, in English anyways.

This is where we met the beautiful Mirco, who had Maggie and me totally enchanted all week. Mirco is a retired engineer, and a handsome, fit, multi-lingual, insightful soul. He loved to recite his beautiful poetry (in English and Venetian)—which he told us was often inspired by lying in his backyard and staring at the stars. He also had us hooked simply by reading us his recipes (in English and Venetian), and singing us his favorite songs - Imagine, and Blowin' In The Wind (just in English). Mirco is a man of the water, but his wife, Ana, isn't into the water at all, so when she gamely hopped into the dinghy and joined us on the boat for dinner, I think it was because she was totally enchanted with Branko. Ana didn't speak English, so there was plenty more charades, as we had also been invited to their place twice. Somehow we made it work and became fast friends. I have a feeling we'll see them again. I really hope so.

Gondola boys, looking at Kathy

Venice was a thrill, and, as Branko mentioned, fills your imagination with the history of centuries past. We didn't take the traditional gondola ride, but Maggie and I had a private gondola ride from Mirco, grinning like schoolgirls the whole time. Burano and Murano are two islands nearby, both like mini-Venices, with lovely little main streets on canals. Burano is all brightly colored houses, and their main business is lace, so there are many pretty things to look at. Murano is known for glass-blowing, and there are dozens of shops filled with beautiful and unique glass merchandise. This town takes chandeliers to a whole new level, very modern and elegant, as well as every other form of glass decor imaginable. You could spend a week there, browsing through the shops, and not see it all. M&B's friends from Lazy Bones met a third-generation glass-blower, and got a private tour. He told them he was making a chandelier for a yacht. This incredible chandelier will be made of carbon fiber with speakers embedded in it. How cool.

Our final week together started with a smooth motoring across the sea back to Croatia, and a couple of dolphin sightings. It was good to get back, to be able to jump off the boat and swim; Venice had been really hot.

Maggie and Kathy, Rialto bridge

Branko and a lovely Italian lady

Is that real Kathy asks herself?

Colourful Burano

Rialto bridge

Add caption

For the last few days, we were anchored in Banjole with two other boats. On Lazy Bones there was Jeff and Gayle from California, whom M&B first met in Hvar , and their friends from Australia, Venessa and Gary, with their two sweet kids, Elliot and Marina, on Neptune II. Two nights before I came home, Gayle & Jeff had a party on their boat to celebrate Venessa's birthday. The whole party was live music—Gary on the sax and recorder, Venessa and Jeff on guitar and vocals, and Branko on harmonica. Mag did vocals, Gayle worked the tambourine, and the Tahitian maracas were passed around, even finding their way between Branko's toes—what rhythm! Marina, who's eight, and has only ever lived on their boat, even got in on the action with plastic knives, and those serrated edges sounded pretty cool. All in all, it was an awesome night, and a perfect cap to my holiday.

Playing the walnut

The next day, Maggie, perhaps feeling left out of the instrumental part of the evening, dug out a little doo-hicky she had gotten in Indonesia many years earlier. It was half a walnut with six holes drilled through it, and glued on to a thin flat piece of wood. I have a video of her playing it, and it's hilarious.

Maggie and Branko had a bet—did the Rolling Stones do 'Just My Imagination'? Branko said yes, Maggie said no. The loser had to sing it and post it on YouTube. So in the near future there will be a youtube video of … Maggie doing Mick doing the Temptations. Still waiting, Maggie Moo! Actually, Mag, you have a choice. You can youtube yourself singing 'Just My Imagination', or playing the walnut.

The Bahamas, Spain, Croatia, Venice…these are places I got to see from a unique perspective. It's all about the memories you make with your friends, and the new friends you make along the way, and I have chalked up plenty of great memories, met some terrific people, both locals and sailors, and I look forward to my next adventure, in southern Italy perhaps. Maggie and Branko—grazie, grazie, grazie, and hvala, hvala, hvala!!!

Crossing Over to Italy

We are in the middle of the Adriatic, on our way to Italy. I promised Maggie a cruise to Italy for her birthday today.

Cruising in Croatia

Tivat, Montenegro

As we lie at anchor in Kotor Bay, Montenegro, we naturally compare the sights to those of Croatia. We left Croatia a few days ago and, already, there are things that we miss and things that we don't.

The scenery is beautiful. Mountains line almost the entire coastline with over 1300 islands dispersed along it, set into clear waters. Forest covers most of the terrain and some of the land is given over to agriculture, mostly wineries and olive groves on mountain-side terraces that are outlined by stone walls. Croatia has a small population, only 4.4 million, so one is left with the impression of not being crowded; no wilderness but rather land left empty.

The history in Croatia is ancient and is reflected in Greek, Illyrian, and Roman ruins that can still be seen. But it is not a country that was forgotten by time, perhaps due to the turbulent passage of empires through the Balkans, because each regime that controlled the land and the sea assimilated rather than destroyed the achievements of the preceding one. The result is a beautiful landscape of charming cities and villages isolated by nature itself. The towns – like Dubrovnik, Korcula, Trogir, Primosten, Ston, Lastovo - are utterly charming, having been shaped by the need for defence and the flourish of empires at their peak who sought to hold their hard won territory. Built of stone with the labour of generations the old ones crowd an island or sit on a hilltop or hide in a valley. Each one is beautiful and there are so many.

It is foolish to generalize about “the people” of any country. One must keep a proper perspective when, nevertheless, one is trying to say something about the people in Croatia. This is a newly minted sovereign nation which only existed briefly in the prior centuries and was forged during that time by wars among foreign nations and overlords. The country is adapting to self-governance, shrugging off communist minded inertia, integration with the EU, and an economy in tatters; the people are a long way from well off. And yet, the wealthiest tourists of the world cruise these waters in their mega (and mini) yachts flaunting that which the locals can barely dream of having. This naturally leads to a degree of resentment and greed among the citizens. But these are well-known phenomena in tourist destinations throughout the world, so, again, it's a matter of perspective.

In fact, the worst things about Croatia are the overabundance of tourists; particularly the cruisers. Certainly, the vast fleet of charter boaters are to be wary of for their lack of experience and skill, but, they, at least, are humble and willing to take the sage advice of a more seasoned mariner. We truly fear those cruisers from the neighboring countries who have their own boats who also lack experience and skill, but now are too proud to admit, as owners, they are clueless in anchoring, navigation, regulations and courtesy and to take any advice whatsoever. And they are legion.

We came, barely, to Croatia expecting the worst in terms of bureaucracy, greed, corruption, and expense, and nowhere were those expectations met. To be sure there were traces of it here and there, but where in the world is there not? We have lived in Croatia for just over a year and we didn't see nearly all of it, nor would we were we here for another few years. The country deserves more time, but the world is a big place and time, for us, is not unlimited.

Branko

The H2OBOs Have Left The Country

We have bid a sad farewell to Croatia today and are currently at anchor in Montenegro.  We are on a pitstop too pick up duty free fuel and to give our friends on Lazy Bones and Neptune II a chance to see the beauty of Kotor Bay.  More later.

Branko

Alone Again in Dalmatia

Uvala Parzine, Croatia

Our friend Kathy left a few days ago.  She was the fourth, and last for a while, in our string of guests this summer.  We loved having our visitors this year because it made us really appreciate our voyage through Dalmatia and Venice.  But it is nice to have the boat to ourselves again.

Maggie enjoying all the space on-board

Well, we are not exactly alone, we are buddy-boating with our American friends Jeff and Gayle on Lazy Bones.  And for a short while we were in the company of our Australian friends on Neptune II.  Nevertheless, it is just Maggie and me on board with a couple of months to cruise the central and southern islands of  Croatia.  Our only constraint is that we plan on ending the cruising season late in October in Ragusa, Sicily.  Until then we have no other schedule and a free rein to see the sights.

With Gayle and Jeff on Susak

Pretty flowers

Just to distinguish this from paradise, there are dozens of boats from Italy, Austria, Germany, and Slovenia and they don't necessarily know what they are doing when it comes to safe and courteous anchoring practices.  At least it keeps us from eating too many lotus petals.

Branko

Venice From Off the Beaten Path

Often, but not so often that we take it for granted, Maggie and I have an exceptional experience that yields memories that will stay with us always.  Our visit to Venice is one of those times.

Venice itself is a fantastic and utterly unique place.  Here you can still feel the presence of the wealthy merchants that ruled a magnificent empire that stretched the length of the Adriatic to the Orient and controlled it all with a vast navy and a network of fortified cities that include Dubrovnik.  Canals instead of streets, gondolas instead of cars, and Gothic and Renaissance architecture crowding every canal produce an atmosphere only pictures can adequately describe, so have a look at the dozens of pictures in our gallery to see what I am talking about.  But that is not what stands out for me.

 

Our new friends from the Canottieri Treporti have made our trip unforgettable. As I mentioned, we anchored in front of a beach belonging to this sporting gondola club.  It all began when we asked if we could leave our dinghy on their beach while we went to shore.  We had asked at the nearby marina but they wanted to charge us 14 euros to leave the dinghy for half a day.  After beaching the dinghy, we soon introduced ourselves to some of the members and before we knew it we were touring the boat hangars and drinking wine.  Since then one member, Mirco, has been aboard to share some wine and some of his poetry. He even took the girls for a gondola ride. We have also been to his home to meet his wife, Ana, and their two pets Luna and Penelope.  We had a lovely outdoor supper that Ana prepared, more poetry by Mirco and we were truly taken by the warmth and friendliness of this beautiful couple.

We connect with people along the way and make a fast friendship not knowing if we will meet again, but we always do hope so, as with Mirco and Ana.    Perhaps this winter in Sicily? Quallunque sara sara.

Branko