Solidarity with our British cruising friends

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/queens-speech-2016-state-opening-of-parliament-jokes_uk_573c4a00e4b03f08843ddc40

It is rare that I would make a post of this nature, but I was infuriated by the lopsidedness of the reporting in this Huffington post article and had to voice my support for the monarchy. Afterall, hasn't it shown us all over the centuries that if we are born into it we can have and do whatever we would like to, no matter how ill-equipped we are to handle it.

In the jingoistic article, if you look closely at the photograph, I'm sure you will agree that the Queen's ermine cape is one she had worn before. That's what I call tightening one's belt!

Pip-pip, cheerio and all that rot,
Branko

P.S. She is my queen, too!

Arrival in Cavtat

Cavtat
May 17, 2016

Despite our best laid plans to check in to Lastovo and avoid Cavtat, here we are. We left Otranto with a tail wind and ended up sailing the whole way. We got into some squally weather half way. Most of them missed us and we saw them pass by in the distance, but we were hove-to and ready for the one that hit us in the evening before dark. We don't have an anemometer, so I can't tell you the wind speed, but they were pretty high. We were heeled over to 45 degrees with just our cutter sail up and the sea was all foam and spindrift. Ten minutes of that, followed by some heavy rain, and it was over.

We didn't want to speculate on or experience getting hit with one of those squalls with a lot of sail up and, since the forecast contained gale warnings for the seas ahead, we kept moving along at 4 knots under reduced jib and cutter with our trusted Cape Horn wind pilot steering a downwind course under a half moon. The winds were light until morning when the breeze freshened and carried us towards Croatia at a quicker pace.

Twenty miles away, we started the engine because we needed to run the watermaker and refill our tanks. We would arrive in the evening in Cavtat on the Sunday and would have two options to check in since the customs office would be closed: go to Gruz where the office is open twenty four hours or anchor under a Q flag and check in to Cavtat in the morning.  Gruz was a further ten miles and the same again to the nearest anchorage, which was back in Cavtat, so we decided to make for Cavtat. I had taken the precaution of making a radio call to the Croatian coast guard to obtain permission to execute our plan and received it.

Once in Cavtat we nosed into the small cove where the customs office is to look at the possibility of staying on the customs dock since we were checking in in the morning. It was open, but were warned by some dude with a Port Authority badge who said we would likely be chased off by the police, so we went around to Tiha Bay and anchored. My instinct was to ignore him and do it anyway, but I was just too tired to follow through.

The forecast had us anticipating a Bura that night, one of the strong north easterly winds that prevail all along the coast, so I laid out the appropriate scope on our anchor. We were in 15 feet of water, so 5 times 15 is .... 45! (Did I mention that I was tired?). When the winds came at 04:00, amazingly, our anchor held in what I reckon were winds in the 30 knot range, and we rode them like that for about an hour or so. But when the winds increased again our poor 33 kg. Rocna unplugged and we found ourselves dragging across the bay. Now comes the kind of mistake that can sink your ship.

The night before, Wylie and Rosy made a pee on their poop mat, as is their nightly routine. This poop mat is a piece of artificial grass on a 10 foot tether so that we can just throw it over-board when it is soiled. Normally I leave it tied to the center cleat where it is harmlessly rinsed by the sea overnight. This night, however, feeling tired and lazy, I left it hanging off the stern cleat. As you may have guessed, when we started to drag, the engine was started and the poop mat fouled (no pun intended) the prop. Fortunately, we were still barely able to make headway into the high winds and reset our anchor - this time with a hundred feet of rode. While we sat with the engine running waiting to see if we would drag again, I reversed the prop a few times to clear it, confident that our line cutter would handle the mess.

Well, we were fine after that and the Bura died out suddenly as though it was simply switched off. We weighed anchor for by now the customs office was open and we headed out for the cove. We realised that the prop had cleared as we steamed to the customs dock. Once there, we dropped anchor for a med mooring and threw a line to one of those badge wearing dudes who passed it through a Kevlar loop in the cement. This is a nefarious plan to ensure that crew on incoming vessels don't have a cleat they can lasso and, therefore, require assistance from said dudes. Once ashore, I was informed that the fee for service rendered was 100 kunas, or about 20 Canadian dollars. I forcefully replied that it was ludicrous that I should have to pay to tie up to a dock so that I could then pay again to enter the country. And I proceeded to the customs office, where everything went swimmingly.

Upon my return to H2obo, I was greeted by two more badged dudes who not impolitely wondered at my reticence to pay their fee. For my part, I listened to their arguments concerning the need to follow Croatian laws once in Croatia and read their Port Authority signs and their badges, and asked some pertinent questions. I restated my position, in Croatian, as to the absurdity of their enterprise and that I still refused to pay. I had also tried to give a twenty kuna note to the badge man that initially took our lines as a tip, but he refused it, so back into my pocket it went. At that point, the head badge man made the grandiose gesture of offering to pay my fee for me, which I accepted, printed himself a receipt, reached into his cash purse and handed over 100 kunas to the badge man that originally took our lines. I thanked him heartily, shared a joke with another one of the 'staff', boarded H2obo and cast off.

Later Maggie and I pondered the absurdity of this incident. Imagine walking into a butcher shop, ordering a piece of meat, indignantly decrying the high price, refusing to pay and walking off with the goods.  I am pretty sure the butcher wouldn't pay my bill. So what happened and why did I get away with it at the customs dock? We are not sure and don't really care. It's all part of the game of 'fleece the tourists' and you need to know the rules.

Notwithstanding all the above here we are and we love it.

Branko

Easter Italian Style

Happy Easter Tree!

 Do you remember, as a kid, saying " Hey Pasquali!"

I grew up in Toronto, between the Junction area and Bloor West Village.  It was normal to hear Italian, Maltese, Polish, Ukraine, Latvian and Lithuanian spoken.   Most of my friends were born in another country and their parents only spoke their native tongue to us kids.  I quickly learned  if food was being served at a friends house, or someone was in trouble with their parents and unfortunately when it was time for bed.   Parents never changed their language for me,  they knew I'd figure out what they were saying or go hungry or perhaps, I might just go home. Regardless though of language or nationality not one parent let me go hungry.

Years later here I am in Italy and word memories come back to me; like pasquali, muncha, casa, capeche.   Unfortunately, as a child (and adult) I did not understand everything.  Similar to the words of a song I thought I knew,  turns out I was just talking (singing) gibberish.  Glad I fought the urge to list Italian and Lithuanian as spoken languages on my resume.

Easter in Italian is Pasqua, which got me thinking about pasquali,  a word I used frequently as a child when greeting my friends (along with some hand movement I thought meant "what's up?")   Pasqua means Easter and likely my hand gestures meant something impolite.   

Pasquali is actually a masculine name, but that does not let me off the hook for all those women I called Pasquali.

The sisters and their Mum

Ciccio and his Easter bunny

Lisa and Ilario

On Easter Sunday we were invited to feast at Larry's with his family and entourage.  You might remember these lovely people from our Christmas post (yes it was only moments ago) Larry, his wife Lisa, her family of sisters and husbands, mothers, in-laws, friends, sons, co-workers and us Canadians.

I think he sees her

The hug ensues

View from the balcony

Delicious food;
First course, cheeses, olives, picked eggplant and fresh bread, and wine.
Second and third were a blur,  spaghetti with lamb pieces, quickly followed by traditional lasgna (becamel creme, prosciutto,  peas and lasgna noodles) and wine.
Fourth?  must have been the plate of lamb chunks and peas, yes wine too.
Fifth,  a pork roast with bread, plus wine.
I think there was a sixth but by then I was full.

The Easter parade wove through town and passed below Larry's balcony which provided a great aerial view.    The parade started at the church that sits high up on the hill beside the Norman castle.  There were 3 floats, one with a statue of Mary,  one with Jesus and one of Joseph.   The floats are carried on the shoulders of men wearing blue satin capes.   The idea is that Mary wanders around town looking for Jesus, he in turn wanders looking for her.  Joseph is also meandering but I never got an explanation for what role he played in this production.   At noon Mary and Jesus end up in the same street, by accident? and they run (I mean run not jog) to hug each other.  The men in capes run towards each other and the statues hug, as well as any statue can, then they (men and statues) turn to run in opposite directions then, turn back and run again at each other; crowds cheering and the statues hug once again.   At this point all calms down and the procession becomes an orderly line of blue caped men, bands, statues, priests and cheering crowds that travel through the town.

Surprisingly shops were open Good Friday and Easter Sunday but Easter Monday everything was closed.  This played havoc with my shopping schedule.  

Easter Monday is a traditional BBQ/picnic day regardless of weather and everyone it seemed were outside enjoying the day.  So in keeping with this tradition we decided to have a BBQ here in the marina.  

Toe tapping music

Tracy entertaining the men

The small group of cruisers had finished the Easter BBQ early afternoon and sat looking at each other.   Surely everyone was thinking the same as me " now what? " Suddenly a car pulled up and out jumped David's dad,  Rocco's nephew, a large jolly man and two other guys, can't remember names except for Rocco's nephew, Pepe.    

Pepe brings out a guitar and starts playing and singing Calabrian folk music.  Which included intricate hand gestures.   Only in Italy can someone sing, play and tell a story using their hands at the same time.  

The music is toe tapping, similar to gypsy, east coast Canada, fun folk music, which made me feel like dancing and laughing.   

The name of the music is Tartanella and in speaking with a friend she emailed me this information

 "there is an old Dean Martin tune "that's amore" and there is a line that goes "hearts will play tippy-tippy-Tay, tippy-tippy-Tay like a gay tarantella".  I wondered why he would sing about happy spiders?"

Tarantella is a dance that requires great energy. And gay here has the old fashioned meaning of cheerful and lively. 

The dance was supposedly an antidote to the sometimes fatal sting of the Tarantula spider, the constant dancing acting to hold off the soporific effects of the spider venom. So if you didn't dance a Tarantella after being bitten you would slip into a coma and die. 

The above 2 paragraphs I copied from a site. Seemed that everyone regardless of age can dance this lively jig and sing all the words, properly.  

Mag

Start of the Cruising Season 2016

Branko and Ilario

Otranto, May 2016

After a wonderful winter in Roccella Ionica (and we'll be back again this winter), and having done some work, finally, we were all set to get started on our sixth cruising season.

Unfortunately we would have to haul the boat out in Crotone to replace a broken seacock for the toilet, which was stuck in the closed position and meant that we couldn't use our toilet.  This was the second Buck Algonquin seacock that failed within seven years. I bought Groco bronze ones as replacements.

Sailing from Crotone

Crotone yard

We had a lovely forecast for a seventy mile downwind sail, but instead motored in no wind. Two days on the hard saw the jobs done and visits with friends we'd met in previous years, which made for a rewarding stay. A special thanks to our friends Rick and Barb on Far Out for smuggling in some North American cotton boxer briefs and replacement fan blades. I don't know how European men can stand to keep their twig and berries wrapped in synthetic material all the time.

Going to the beach (bow)

Our friend Ilario from Roccella has joined us for a few weeks as we make our way to Croatia for another season to see the bits we never saw the first time. He has made sure that we are well stocked with food and booze and is hogging all the sun on the deck. Beware of Italians serving something called a Negroni (consists of Campari, Martini, and gin)! We set off in the direction of the heel of Italy making for either Corfu or the Adriatic, depending on the winds when we got there.

The sailing made up for the motoring to Crotone, and more. It was a gentle beam reach all the way using our wind pilot to steer the course.

Wylie is always curious but gentle

Lovely little bird

We were visited by beautiful little sea swallows (I think) and I finally caught my first fish, a tuna, after five years of dragging lures in the Mediterranean. It was big enough to feed the five of us two meals - the first night underway and the second night BBQ'd while at anchor in Otranto.

First fish since Bahamas

We thanked him

And now we sit at anchor in Otranto waiting to go to Vieste, Italy, which is a long day sail from Lastovo, Croatia, where we will check in to avoid the disaster that is Cavtat. If you enter Croatia from anywhere south of Bari, you will be fined if you don't check in at Cavtat.

Evening sun on Otranto

thank you Mr. Fish

Otranto from the anchorage

Otranto is a favourite spot because it offers so much, but soon it will be time to move on. We wait for the winds to carry us north and east.

Ciao,
Branko

Christmas in Rocella

The Family!

For Christmas we were invited to our friend Larry's festivities. 

Larry was born in Thunder Bay,Canada but are from Roccella Jonica.   His family moved to Canada in the 60s, had their children ( Larry and 2 brothers) and moved back to Roccella when Larry was 3.    He kept up his English, as did his mother and brothers.   The family owns a huge villa in town here and its split up;  with cousins, his mom, brothers and children all living together but in completely different/separate apartments.   Not like slum landlord apts:-)  but beautiful places,  built out of this old villa, views of the sea, the castles, stone balconies with old Roman busts and situated around the corner from the main plaza square....very lovely.  

Back to Christmas.
Larry picked us up Christmas day around noon, off we went to another town called Siderno,  his wife's family lives there and that is where we were to have Christmas dinner and boxing day lunch. 
Not just the family is invited but cousins, in laws, friends and Canadians are all welcome.  We had never met anyone but Larry,  yet his entire family made us feel like we were old comfortable friends.  It did not matter that we spoke limited Italian and them no English (ok besides Larry, his son and brother in law spoke and understood enough English to make everybody comfortable) we had a fantastic time. 

Just like in the movies,  15 people all talking and laughing at once,  eating plate after plate of food and drinking wine regardless of age:-)   Each plate had one item on it,  for instance there were 2 lasagna ( I couldn't tell the difference) and each were served separately because you could not mix them.   Pickled vegetables, cold meats, cheese and bread,  Lasagna, 3 kinds of meat ( rabbit, pork and goat), then a big bowl of fresh fennel is passes around to chew on,  salad and 2nd helpings of anything.   Then desserts, tiramisu,  4 layered creme cake, grappa, liqueurs, cassata cake and opening of presents.

Lisa and Mom

Santa handing out gifts

The presents were distributed just the same as when we were  kids.   A Santa ( the brother in law, who has a carnival business was the Santa, he was hilarious,  we could just see him working the Italian crowds) picked a present from under the tree, read out who it was for and from, made comments as to what it might be, a joke or 2 and then everyone watched and waited for the gift to be opened, looked at and sometimes put on. 
We got gifts too,  how nice for us and totally unexpected.  Bath stuff (soap and cream, which is great since we buy the cheapest or use soap from the bathrooms soap dispenser..sometimes) wine and fantastic pickled vegetables, like eggplant, olives and mushrooms, plus a pesto made of sundried tomatoes, capers and mushrooms, yum!

Tombola cards

Italians here, play Tombola on Christmas.   Bingo for us English folk but play for money, each card costs 50 cents and the winners get money from the pot.   Lots of fun, laughing, money to be made and it doesn't matter how many people play as there is always room for more.
Boxing day we again went to Siderno and did the entire thing again but with no presents:-)

Branko and his chestnuts

Besides Larry's festivities we ( the Swiss couple, the American guy and us) celebrated 1 Sunday in advent, having brunch, drinking wine, playing Mexican train and bolles on the beach.

 The winter solstice,  Dec 21st we made a bonfire on the beach;  watched the sunset, roasted Italian sausages, drank wine ate roasting marshmallows (unbelievable but found marshmallows but no candy canes) fun and nice to finally celebrate the solstice in some pagan style.

Happy Winter Solstice!

On New years eve we rode our borrowed bikes to Roccella, along the beach boardwalk to celebrate with Larry and the usual suspects.  Basically more fun, food and drinks. We had a view from his balconies to watch all the fireworks.

Next day, new years day we were back to Larry's for more eating, drinking and a few rounds of Bingo.

Just beginning to recuperate, mostly from all the food, as we drank sparingly, no room for liquids.

The very (belated) best wishes for you this new year.