Our 15 Year Odyssey

Prior to our current journey, which started in July 2020, we first set sail in ZigZag from the UK heading for the Mediterranean back in 2008.

When we eventually reached Spain and spent the winter at the marina of Almerimar we read the stories of Homer, first the Illiad and then the Odyssey. It became apparent whilst reading about Odysseus’s 10 year sailing adventure, that along our intended route across the Med we would encounter many of the places that feature in this partly mythical poem.

So in this week’s blog I’m passing you over to our guest writer, Paul, who will explain how the paths of Odysseus and ourselves have crossed in a 15 year somewhat reverse Odyssey:

I often wondered as I read the original story how on earth it could take somebody 10 years to sail such a relatively short distance from Troy to Ithaca. Now, 15 years later we have finally made it to Troy and I have to admit he did rather well. I can only console myself with thoughts that the challenges of living in the 21st century are still as difficult as those faced in the 12th century BC if only a little less captivating and not quite yet ready to become the basis of an epic poem. Oh, and we didn’t lose 11 ships with crew along the way.

After departing Almerimar in May 2009 we first explored the beautiful Balearic islands with their many welcoming anchorages for sailboats. When we eventually moved on our next stop was the spectacular port of Bonafacio, on the very Southern tip of Corsica.

This unique natural harbour with its perfect dog leg entrance through sheer cliffs is credited by many with being the home of the Laestrygonians, a race of man eating giants encountered by Odysseus and his orignal fleet of twelve ships.

After an initial encounter with the giants in which two men are eaten alive, Odysseus and his remaining men try to flee the harbour that is enclosed on all sides by a ring of high cliffs with just a narrow channel as an escape route. The giants pelt the boats with huge stones and only Odysseus’s ship escapes. It is easy to imagine those giants raining down boulders from the cliff tops as you sail in through the narrow entrance.

Our journey then took us on to Sardinia and across to the islands of Ischia and Capri in the bay of Naples, before turning along the Amalfi Coast. As you approach the picture perfect town of Positano you have to sail past the rocky islets of Sirenussae. On a windless, misty and sultry day we readily conjured up images of tired and weary sailors being lured on to those rocks by the enchanting singing of the sirens from Greek mythology. To be true to our quest we plugged our ears with beeswax to prevent this unhappy outcome.

As you head due South from the Amalfi Coast you will encounter a group of active volcanic islands laying just 20 miles off the coast of Sicily. The most famous of these islands being Stromboli (Lighthouse of the Mediterranean). Since antiquity these islands were known to be ruled by Aeolus, the king of the winds. It was he who took pity on Odysseus with his remaining ship mates and granted them power over the winds to propel them home to Ithaca.

Travelling the remaining 20 miles to the north east corner of Sicily you then have to navigate the infamous Straits of Messina. Home in ancient times to the six headed monster Scylla and the deadly whirlpool Charybdis. These days the whirlpool has been tamed by the massive earthquake of 1908 which completely reshaped the seabed (the coast around Messina sunk by 19 inches). Modern charts also enabled us to escape the clutches of Scylla’s many shoals and rocks on the toe of Italy which used to claim so many boats.

We were just left with negotiating the remaining strong currents, which for the Med are still significant but well documented, and then the more modern obstacles of many high speed ferries and the passarella boats specially adapted for catching swordfish. These extraordinary vessels are equipped with 20 metre high birds nests, to lookout for the breeding pairs of swordfish taking a rest near the surface, and then a gravity defying bow sprit of some 30 metres which allows the harpoonist to creep up on the unsuspecting creatures.

There is a further often romanticised story of how the fishermen will first target the bigger female fish, as the male is then known to hang around doing everything he can to rescue his mate, making it an easy second catch. Whereas the female (possibly pregnant) fish is wired to scarper at the first sign of trouble.

Once clear of the perils of Messina we only briefly stopped off on the coast of Sicily itself, calling in to the beautiful anchorage of Taormina. Perhaps subconsciously the reputation of this islands man eating Cyclops, Polyphemus, kept us on the boat for our stay here. Or maybe, it had something to do with back in 2009, its more recent and very real problems with organised crime and words of caution to any visitors.

Either way we have revisited this fascinating island many times and indeed spent two winters here with Ziggy. It is without doubt now our favourite place in the Mediterranean, where we can attest to a very warm welcome for any visitor and that the first sight of Mount Etna, the mythical home of the Cyclops, is something we always look forward to.

In his final adventure before returning to Ithaca, Odysseus was washed ashore on the island of Scherie, known in Greek mythology as home of the Phaeacians. Many scholers identify Corfu as this utopian land. It was here that Odysseus won the trust of the Phaeacian rulers who eventually agreed to transport him home on one of their unique mind reading AI ships.

On our first arrival at Corfu, at the end of a dry and hot summer, I was naively expecting to find a classic barren and brown Greek Island besieged by Lager louts. So we were very pleasantly surprised by its green and fertile appearance and then again by the wonderful combination of Venetian, French and Victorian architecture in its capital. We have now enjoyed visiting the island a number of times over the years, but unfortunately have yet to track down the makers of the Phaeacian ships to fit an upgrade to Ziggy.

The beautiful small island of Ithaca is located in the middle of the Ionian group of islands, just east of Cephalonia and close to the mainland. It is where the faithful Penelope spent a total of 20 years waiting patiently for Odysseus to return from the Trojan wars, and where Odysseus arrived just in time to save her, and his inheritance, from an increasingly rowdy and hostile group of suitors for her remarriage. Thankfully, with the help of his father and son plus his patron god Athena, Odysseus wins through and they all live happily for the rest of their days.

We reached Ithaca ourselves at the end of our travels in 2009, it was here that we made the decision to run our ship ashore in the modern sense (secure in a metal stand at a local boatyard). Our two year journey from the UK was at an end and a return to our home land was needed to seriously replenish the cruising kitty before we could continue.

Our new journey began in 2020 and is well documented in our blog (thanks to our master scribe Sue) but it was a special moment when we finally got the chance during our tour of Turkey to visit the ancient site of Troy.

Odysseus spent 10 years participating with great honour in the siege of Troy and he is credited with the idea of a Trojan horse and of leading the hand picked team that entered the city inside this cunning device? All of this happening before he even started his long journey home.

As we walked in to the remains of this mythical city it felt like a chapter had been completed and now it is time to set our sights again on some distant shore. That decision is still to be made but for the moment there is a feeling of some achievement and next week Sue will be back to deliver a full review of our visit to Troy.