Passage South
By Trevor and Sue Rowe
We were back!
We said we would be and we were! On October 23rd 2021, we drove to Portsmouth to board Island Sky, our hearts in our mouths, Boris and covid threatening! We did our LFT before we left Yorkshire, in the dark of a winter’s morning. Driving through the first black hour of a 4 hour trip, as dawn broke and the sun came up we began to feel we were going to make it, after nearly 2 years of waiting!
Arriving in Portsmouth to the car hire drop off; after the helpful staff checked us in, took our money and then drove us to the port, we felt we had made it! We took one look at the Noble Caledonia welcoming personnel, kept our fingers crossed our LFTs were correct and submitted ourselves, with trepidation, to another LFT. We waited, worrying until the results and our negative smileys arrived!
We were on our way!
We watched Portsmouth Harbour receding into the dusk, with a sail away drink in hand, we 80+ passengers and NC had done it! The Passage South had begun, where would it go and where would it end? Did it matter, we were on our way and free of UK ties.
That first two nights, as Island Sky butted through the stormy English Channel and then across the infamous Bay of Biscay, she proved her sturdiness. We didn’t care, we were on the high seas! As the seas calmed and the sun came out, we saw Spain on the horizon and began to look forward to our first port and to seeing Santiago. On arriving in Santiago de Compostela, whether by foot or bus, we knew exactly how those pilgrims felt on their knees in the square. Arrival after the journey was wonderful.
We sailed on to Portugal and to taste Vino Verde, Port and eventually Madeira! We saw silver altars in Spain, painted altars in Portugal and bodegas and wineries in both! Local food and wine wonderful as usual.
Across part of the Atlantic to Madeira, firstly to the sandy beaches of Porto Santo, and on to Funchal and Blandy’s wines, gardens, cable cars, scary slides, and to walking along lavadas. Three days of relaxation and warm sunshine, and ports where we were smaller than the local ferries.
Onwards to the Canaries where we were supposed to visit La Palma but a volcano thought otherwise! We went to El Hierro and La Gomera, where we swam in the sea, the Atlantic no less, and bathed in the sun! We walked in the rain forest and stood on the glass balcony above the 1000 foot drop!
On Tenerife, Mount Teide appearing out of the clouds and volcanic landscapes testifying to the magma still pouring from La Palma.
On eastwards, where Casablanca refused to allow us to dock, did we intrepid voyagers care? No! There are more ports and more sights to see. On to the Med, where Gibraltar rose out of the dawn and Africa receded behind us. The whole day we had to walk around ‘the rock’ was an eye opener. Childhood memories, of school and swimming club, Apes and the Atlas Mountains from the bedroom window, came flooding back. Finding the old school and been warmly greeted, proved how childhood perceptions of size and space are illusions! This bit of Britain, with M and S, post boxes and helmeted police, made one feel at home!
We traveled on, from tales of Nelson in Gib, to stories of ‘Boney’ in Corsica. Via surprising Malaga, rainy Majorca, pretty Menorca and to ancient stone villages in Sardinia, and student demonstrations in Sicily! Smoking Etna was stunning, appearing in the rosy dawn light capped in snow. The volcanoes on this trip certainly lived up to their reputations!
Now Greece was in our sights, sadly not the transit of the Corinth Canal, as it had a landslide but to Olympia, the iconic birth place of sporting prowess, Sparta, Mystras, Mycenae and the Corinth canal from above, colourful Knossos and finally the wonders of Athens, The Acropolis and museum. We ended in Cyprus, ready for other trip!
Thank you to all for an unforgettable 36 days, our fantastic Captain, Jorgen Cardestig, the officers and all the wonderful, happy crew, Hotel Manager and cruise staff, the passengers and new friends we made, and mostly to Noble Caledonia for believing they and we could make it safely.
We did. Here’s to our next trip.
