July 19th, 2012

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Thursday July 19 in Porto Empedocle

Thursday, July 19th, 2012

This is the third time that I attempted to make it to Tunisia and failed once again. When I was fifteen I hitchhiked from Holland to Italy and had wanted to cross from Italy to Tunis. My pocketbook and passport were stolen near Pisa. I had to return. When I was 17 I booked on a ferry from Naples to Tunis and when I got to Palermo they told me that is as far as the ride went. This time it was the wrong wind direction. I left Valetta at 7 a.m. and at 7 p.m. I could still clearly see the western most island of Malta, Gozo. I had managed to put 31.5 miles between Valetta by tacking against the wind, an average of 2 1/2 nautical miles per hour… I took the next tack towards Sicily and then the wind went more west, then to south west, then nothing and then it came in from the south east in the morning.

I arrived into Porto Empedocle at 3 p.m. Not much of a town but there is an old settlement near here I might check out. From here I plan to round the S.W. corner of Sicily and head north to  and Corsica. I am glad I saw Malta but I am sort of burnt out on the Med. It is a beautiful part of the world and a cradle of European history but I do not think much of it as a sailing/cruising sea. The wind changes, strength, direction, confused seas just wore me down. I am looking forward to the river/canal trip through France and getting back to Amsterdam.

I am at anchor in this port town. I have not found anything to take a picture of. I changed the oil. I had over filled the oil the last time and I hope that this might reduce the high temperature the engine runs at. The engine bilge is a salt mine. The little water that drips from the packing gland just evaporates and leaves solid salt. I never had that problem with the Renault.