6th to 12th June We began our return journey on Saturday and stopped again in milazzo on the north coast of Sicily. Its a very industrial/commercial town but once you enter past the oil refinery and the seven or eight ferries coming and going, it has a good small marina in a corner of the commercial port. It also has a very impressive castle overlooking the town. It also has the wonderful restaurant we’d been to previously! Had another great dinner there while watching the European Cup Final. Only disappointment was that Juventus lost so the atmosphere became a little subdued - otherwise I think we’d have been in the middle of some lively celebrations! On Sunday after exploring the castle (free entry on the first Sunday of every month - made it seem extra special!), we continued to Reggio Calabria again. Interesting passage through the straits (which at the narrowest point are only about a mile and a half wide). We crossed the traffic lanes after the Queen Victoria had gone through southbound. We crossed just far enough ahead of The Empress of the Seas (heading north) to get to the inshore zone on the mainland side. Safely across we found ourselves surrounded by several sword fishing boats which all changed course frequently and unpredictably at top speed as they competed for the best fishing areas. Two of the boats seemed to be having a raging argument as they drove at full speed side by side. We stayed out of the way. We then passed the Queen Elizabeth as it headed north. Finally we negotiated our way through the ferries crossing between Messina and Reggio - mostly we just slowed down to let them cross as they are almost certainly not going to slow down or alter course for us - the rules of the road seem to be simply keep out of the way. Fair enough. We moored up in one of the small marinas in Reggio. I should explain that this took 3 attempts. After calling on the VHF as we approached Reggio, the Coastguard answer to tell us to phone the marina (they gave us the phone number). We phoned and he confirmed he had a berth available for us. So we went into the marina which I’d been into on our northward journey. Only to be waved away and (it seemed) being told to moor on the outside of the marina wall. Now this made some sense as the Coastguard were moored there and there was a spare place and it was well sheltered from the swell that was coming into the marina. However, just as we managed to moor the mariners appeared again to indicate we couldn’t moor there we had to go to another small marina at the southern end of the (large) port. We moored there without difficulty. We need to learn some Italian! Reggio turned out to be much better than expected. It has a rather bad reputation - partly as this is a relatively poor region (and sailing along this coast it does look third world) but also it is reported to be a major recruiting ground for the mafia. However, there was a festival on and the place was buzzing (and absolutely stacked full - haven’t seen such bad traffic since the m25!). Lots going on so fun to walk around, especially along the wonderful promenade. But our primary goal was the Museum which has the Riace Bronze statues (c450bc) on display. These were found in 1972 just off the south coast by a scuba diver but their background is mostly unknown. However, even although we’ve seen a lot of old stones and statues in our travels, I’d say these are truly quite exceptional. Definitely worth seeing if you happen to be passing through Calabria - although that’s probably most unlikely so sadly these are probably not as well known/recognised as they should be. Would be great if they could be shown from time to time in Florence or Rome (which they were initially before Calabria decided they should be kept in Reggio). From Reggio we had a stressful trip south to Riposto as a thunderstorm developed and we had lightening striking the sea just to the north of us. We didn’t linger and were glad to get into port. The next day started bright and clear but again by the afternoon we had another thunderstorm with strong gusts of wind from almost every direction and lightening all around us. By evening as we entered the magnificent bay at Siracusa it had all cleared and we had a beautifully quiet night at anchor. We’ve always enjoyed Siracusa - great market (probably the best we’ve seen anywhere for fresh fish and vegetables), lovely cafes and restaurants and simply steeped in history. Our final stop in Sicily before crossing back to Malta was the small fishing village of Marzamemi. This is a curious place as it seems a bit down at heel and for most of the day seems asleep. However in the evening people appear from somewhere and there are lots of bars and restaurants, live music in the square, its all happening. And the restaurant we’d been recommended turned out to be fantastic. Lovely surprise in a place that you wouldn’t think from first appearances was worth even visiting. We’d planned to return to Malta at the weekend but the forecast for friday was very good while over the weekend it was expected to be strong winds and possibly head winds. So we left 0630 Friday and after a great sail, 7 or 8 knots most of the way once the wind got up, we were entering Malta’s Grand harbour by 1530. Great first few weeks of the sailing season. Hopefully more to report later. Have a great summer. Best wishes Helen and Iain