Övervintra med segelbåt på Sicilien – livet i en marina

Writer: Anki Palerby Hjelmqwist

It's easy to acclimatise to life in a harbour if you like people, exploring and socialising. Marina di Ragusa - the very sheltered harbour in southern Sicily we eventually chose - is large, with around 700 berths, and probably around 100 of these are live aboards. There are various interest groups in the harbour and regular pub nights and everything is smoothly communicated in a common facebook group.

Immediately we joined an exercise group that does tabata (interval) training on the main pier two mornings a week and also a walking group, with the same frequency of activity. Eventually, paddle games and an Italian course were added, and the most fascinating thing of all is that all activities organised by someone connected to the port are free! You simply invite your harbour friends to do what you are good at.

Through the different activity groups we quickly got to know different groups of wonderful people and through the walks (always in different destinations, where we usually went by car) we also got to know the island better and enjoy the magically beautiful landscape, in different seasons.

We have picked wild asparagus, eaten sun-ripened, indescribably delicious oranges, smelled flowering almond trees, crossed streams barefoot, learnt which flowers are edible, picked thyme and rosemary along the path, and eaten our picnic sandwiches with miles of views of mountains and valleys, sometimes in the company of donkeys, horses or cows.

The winter in southern Sicily is not very warm but I have always been able to walk in shorts and a tank top, and sometimes a windbreaker has been worn. My fellow hikers of other nationalities laughed at me when they dressed much warmer, but I can compare the coldest days to an extremely normal Swedish summer day.

Temperatures did drop at night for a few months, but instead of using the heater on board, we switched on a dehumidifier (which also generates some heat) in the evening and used an electric blanket in bed and that was enough. Around our harbour is the driest place on the island, which meant that we very rarely had to stay on board due to rain and storms.

I have also been amazed at how helpful everyone is to each other in general in a harbour. If you need a tool you do not have on board, you write in the group and ask if there is someone who has one to lend and suddenly someone is standing by your boat with the tool in his fist and a big smile. If you don't know where to find what you're looking for, throw the question out to the group and there's always someone who's been in the harbour longer who has tips on where to look.

The days in the winter harbour are filled with fixed activities and happenings / fun some mischievous marina neighbour (or myself!) initiates, mixed with oceans of time you can manage as you wish. It is much easier to both connect with and get to know new people in the harbour than at home, as everyone has more time and freedom to invest in new relationships.

In general, I also believe that sailors are a curious race that likes to make contact. If you meet someone you like, you simply invite them over for a coffee, a drink or a dinner to get to know each other better, and always having a short walk back to your dock makes it so much easier.

Anki & Janne, a winter evening on board the Grodan

When we learned early on that the airport in Catania rents out cars for almost no money at all during the winter (as there is no parking space for all rental cars), it resulted in us going there every three weeks to change the rental car and thus having a car all winter season! This gave us endless freedom to hitchhike, but also to explore new places on our own and run errands in neighbouring villages and towns without having to puzzle with bus times.

If I previously thought that marine life in winter could be really cosy, the reality exceeded my expectations a thousand times over! We have also made many new friends in the process.

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Anki Palerby Hjelmqwist

Anki is a freelance writer, author and digital life coach who loves travelling. She has lived in various countries, such as Lebanon, Poland, Egypt and Morocco, and later in life became a full-time long-distance sailor (despite her recurring seasickness!), after meeting her husband Janne. With their boat Lazy Frog, they have sailed from Sweden down the Atlantic coast, across to the Canary Islands and Madeira, and are currently in the Mediterranean, in Sicily. Join her on her adventures, both on land and at sea!