Richard10002
Well-known member
It\'s raining in Sicily - Ash not Water!!!
Came into Ripost marina yesterday pm to top up with fuel and water, wash the boat, and get some provisions and a bit of R & R.
Woke up at about 3am this morning and went on deck for a smoke, (no pun intended <g>) - every now and then there was what sounded like a clap of thunder and I looked up to see Mt. Etna erupting! Ultimately no big deal but, at the time, I thought my time was up!
To the naked eye it was just a red glow in the distance but, got the binoculars out, and it was/is the real deal ... red hot fountains and big rocks being thrown high in the sky, then falling to the ground and rolling down the hillside .... and this was happening every few seconds.
Anyway... there didnt seem to be any panic from the locals, no mad rush for their boats, and no alarms, so I thought it couldnt be too serious, and I also thought I was in the best place for a quick escape. nevertheless, I did a quick google and discovered that this has been happening off and on forever - apparently, Etna is a "friendly" volcano, and has only had about 74 deaths properly attributed to it ever... so I slept soundly after watching the show for a while.
The thunder claps carried on throughout today, and life went on. Washed the boat this afternoon as planned. Went shopping then, on the way back, it felt like rain. Looked up and, sure enough, a big black cloud.... but it wasnt wet - it was ash!! Called into a cafe for some respite and to see if it stopped, which it did after a while.
Got back to the boat and it's covered in crunchy ash, so I got the hose out and started washing it off, which was working fine, until it started raining ash again.... Given up, battened down the hatches, and hope it stops so that I can wash it off before leaving for Syracusa on Thursday.
What a bloody mess, but what an amazing experience!!
Came into Ripost marina yesterday pm to top up with fuel and water, wash the boat, and get some provisions and a bit of R & R.
Woke up at about 3am this morning and went on deck for a smoke, (no pun intended <g>) - every now and then there was what sounded like a clap of thunder and I looked up to see Mt. Etna erupting! Ultimately no big deal but, at the time, I thought my time was up!
To the naked eye it was just a red glow in the distance but, got the binoculars out, and it was/is the real deal ... red hot fountains and big rocks being thrown high in the sky, then falling to the ground and rolling down the hillside .... and this was happening every few seconds.
Anyway... there didnt seem to be any panic from the locals, no mad rush for their boats, and no alarms, so I thought it couldnt be too serious, and I also thought I was in the best place for a quick escape. nevertheless, I did a quick google and discovered that this has been happening off and on forever - apparently, Etna is a "friendly" volcano, and has only had about 74 deaths properly attributed to it ever... so I slept soundly after watching the show for a while.
The thunder claps carried on throughout today, and life went on. Washed the boat this afternoon as planned. Went shopping then, on the way back, it felt like rain. Looked up and, sure enough, a big black cloud.... but it wasnt wet - it was ash!! Called into a cafe for some respite and to see if it stopped, which it did after a while.
Got back to the boat and it's covered in crunchy ash, so I got the hose out and started washing it off, which was working fine, until it started raining ash again.... Given up, battened down the hatches, and hope it stops so that I can wash it off before leaving for Syracusa on Thursday.
What a bloody mess, but what an amazing experience!!
