A friend from Norway

This beginning of November 2012 we had here, in South-East Sicily, our friend Margitta from Norway. A nice and good almond cake arrived intact from the far North of Europe, just in time for an afternoon tea.
On friday She joined us for a paddling trip with a couple of families with children, visiting Sicily from UK. We paddled along the coastline and lava formations of Catania and Acicastello reaching the cliffs of Acireale.
After two days we were in the South, exploring the coastline of Sampieri and Marina di Modica. The weather has been fantastic and warm, as well the water temperature that invited all the paddlers for a final rolling session, even if all of us were only wearing T-shirts and swimming suites!

On Friday Margitta join us with the group from UK, paddling along the coastline of Etna volcano.

 

On Sunday we go for a morning paddling, launching from our base in Sampieri.

Questo inizio di Novembre 2012 abbiamo avuto qui nel Sud-Est della Sicilia la nostra amica Margitta dalla Norvegia. Un simpatico e buono dolce alle mandorle è arrivato intatto dal lontano Nord d'Europa, appena in tempo per un tea pomeridiano.
Il venerdì Margitta si è unita a noi, al seguito di una coppia di famiglie inglesi con bambini in visita nella Sicilia.  Abbiamo pagaiato lungo la costa lavica di Catania e Acicastello, fino alle scogliere della Timpa di Acireale. Dopo due giorni ci siamo spostati a Sud, ad esplorare la costa di Sampieri e Marina di Modica. Il clima è stato fantastico e caldo, così come la temperatura dell'acqua, che ha invitato tutti ad una sessione finale di rolling, anche se indossavamo solo magliette e costumi da bagno!

August 1st, Full Moon Paddling.

 This August 2012 starts with a wonderful full moon and we want to celebrate the moment with a night paddling. Since the temperature is around 35° C during the day, a paddling in the night seems the right option, above all if at the end there will be a cold beer, a pizza and good music, just few meters from the kayak rack!

From Israel to Aeolian Islands.

The last week was dedicated to a tour of the Aeolian Islands with a group coming from Israel, guided by Rami Gil. All of them were very good paddlers but, since the weather was so good, they were not able to show their ability on the waves! The heat was the most challenging thing to deal with, reaching over 35°C during the central hours of the day. 

We paddled around the island of Vulcano on the first day, than we explored the west coast of Lipari and crossed to Salina, where an almond-and-coffe granita was waiting for us! In Santa Marina we discovered with pleasure a new swimming pool in the Arcangelo's houses. 

On the following day we loaded the kayaks on the ferry for Panarea. Here we paddled around all the small rocks on the east side of the island (Dattilo, Lisca Bianca and Lisca Nera) to continue with the circumnavigation of the entire island.

For the next day we touched Basiluzzo island, on the route to Stromboli. We made the crossing in four hours, not without a break and the swimming in the 1000 meters deep waters, tasting a yellow melon...

Stromboli welcomed us with so strong eruptions that the Civil Protection closed the way to the craters, but the show was ensured even from the safety distance of the Osservatorio in Labronzo Point, eating a good pizza and a drinking a glass of sweet Malvasia.

 More pictures on this link: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.4022667656862.2157783.1586599875&type=1

Linosa Island discovery

Linosa is a small volcanic island lost in the Sicilian Channel. The circumnavigation of the island is of only 10 km but its coastline is so rugged and varied that you could circumnavigate it several times always finding a new spot. The sea is crystal clear and clean, calling for continuous refreshing dips. At night you can hear the call of the Cory's Shearwater, while during the day gulls and hawks scream incessantly.
Caves and volcanoes are the other main attraction of Linosa, and together with the flora and fauna (endemic and very particular), form a mix that can enchain you to the small island for several weeks...

Linosa è una piccola isola vulcanica, sperduta nel Canale di Sicilia. Il periplo dell'isola è di soli 10 km ma le sue coste sono così frastagliate e varie che la si potrebbe circumnavigare diverse volte scoprendo sempre nuovi angoli. Il mare, limpidissimo e pulito, invita a continui tuffi rinfrescanti. Di notte si sente il richiamo della Berta maggiore, mentre di giorno i gabbiani e i falchi lanciano il loro verso incessantemente.Grotte e vulcani sono l'altra principale attrattiva di Linosa, ed insieme alla fauna ed alla flora molto particolare ed endemica, formano un mix capace di incatenare alla piccola isola per più settimane...