After 3 days in Catania I managed to finalize the last stages of prep: the maps, the food and the boat. I have also been spending some time with Francesco and his friends and family, getting to know not only them but also sicilian cuisine and delicious home made wine :). Francesco’s mum made sure that I don’t lack anything, especially food on my plate ❤️. It has been so lovely, I got a bit worried if I will actually go paddling! But since the kayak has arrived after traveling 2500km (the car had to be modified to fit it for the journey!) I have no other choice then to start the trip :).
In the morning we head out to Capo Mulini, a bit north from Catania with a good launching beach. When I’m almost done packing, Francesco pulls out a small bottle of champagne out of thin air to christen the brand new boat. What a way to start the trip!
Francesco, Giorgio, Gianfranco and his friend are waving me off. From now on they will be my support crew on land during my circumnav. They already suggested they will come and see me somewhere along the way. Can’t wait!
I finally get on the water and soon enough I disappear around the corner. It’s only me now, and that’s when I realized I’m actually doing it.
Sicilian coastline can be heavily populated which makes it challenging to find a good camping spot away from a town. I land after 28km stretch finding a place for my tent near a dried up river bed, among some bushes. My first night happens to be Valentine’s Day, Friday…and so the night goes, filled with 4x4s, couples’ conversations and laughter. It gets quiet at around 3 am as I finally fall asleep.
The second day has a bit of roughness to it, for obvious reasons…late start and wind in the face – I feel a little bit out of it for the whole day. It all feels like hard work against the wind, so I decide to camp at the only available spot near by – and official campsite. Feeling a bit down, haven’t done much progress I cheer myself up thinking of the hot shower I’ll take as soon as I’m done setting up the tent.
I get my token that buys me 4 precious minutes of hot water. I stand in the shower, ready, so I don’t loose a single second, a single drop of that goodness. I put the token in, here it comes!
…Comes. Out. Cold. For a whole minute I wait, very patiently, for the situation to change…and finally. There it is! I get in, soap, shampoo, all in, foaming away…
You know where this is going, right? The water stopped. After 2 minutes total time, I have nothing else left, then a broken promise of a hot shower and heavily foamed hair. Oh life, full of surprises and scenes from low budget comedies…and there I go, washing off that doubtful pleasure in a sink.
There are better days ahead of me, including Messina Strait, which deserves its own post, coming soon 🙂
