So our journey continues and we decide to press on and head towards the Straits of Messina. Our logic is to try and get there before the high winds begin, which are forecast for Thursday morning ( 4th of April ). This puts us in a more favourable position to decide our next course of action, which we hope will be to head through Messina and onto the Aeolian Islands. If we are held up in the Messina area we will have options to explore a bit of Sicily.

It’s 0108 as I write this and we are motoring onto Santa Maria Di Leuca, about 12 nm left to run. We have approximately 1/2 a tank of fuel left and I have suggested we pull into this marina to fuel up and get some provisions and top up our water tanks.

So that’s the plan. Sorry, no photos of this part of the passage as no infra red camera ?, but I did manage to squeeze in a shot of the sunset and our home made Pizza, that Stefano made for our evening meal.

We arrived in Santa Maria de Leuca at 0400 and promptly hit the sack and agreed to get up at 0800

Ahh what a sleep, it’s also beautiful to wake up in a new home, even if it’s only for three or four hours.

We all choose, or were given, tasks to do to make our planned departure of 1000.

Stefano went to get fresh food including steaks and vegetables.

Marta, Massimo and me, cleaned Aria, filled the tanks and then made our way to the old harbour and the the “Sailors Friend Chandlary”, to buy a spare gas bottle, which they did not have. Not surprising for Italy, so I’m told. I did however persuade Massimo to invest in some fishing gear, hopefully the investment will be repaid with a catch.

Back to Aria of off to the fuel pontoon and full tanks again. Better safe than sorry, for our long onward journey, especially as the next 12 hours or so, show limited winds.

An so off we set, on our sail for the Straits of Mesinna. As predicted, the winds are not more than 5 kts. So we settled into our trip and Stefano excelled himself with a truly wonderful lunch of steak, roasted potatoes and wonderful salads.

Not much change in wind and its now 1900 and apart from seeing a turtle, nothing else to report.

We are motor sailing at 6.9 kts in about 8 kts of wind coming from the south. But the sail is giving us a push.

We have a stowaway. A small, exhausted swallow has joined us and sought refuge. She inside Aria and has made a home for herself and finally Arba has a companion.

So we are about to settle into our night routine and will give you updates later.