Later the wind lowers and we leave again, stopping on the beach of the village Al Terme for the night. Here an old friend of ours, a Second World War aviator, comes to keep us company and tell us of his adventures. His father, a native of these places, used to build boats for local fishermen and he knows all the secrets of this sea. It is dawn on July 13. The sea is smooth like oil on the water and there is a light fog, which makes everything unreal.
Some wooden boats go fishing costardelle.
Slowly the rising suncancels this magic atmosphere and the reality of a shore destroyed by men becomes more and more oppressive, especially near Messina. I start feeling the famous current of the Channel, and in at Punta Secca I am forced to row with all my strength to beat it. Four hours of rowing from Al . We inquire about the tide times and we discover that it changes direction every four hours. The ever agitated waters of the Channel, the eddies and the narrowness of the passage have tormented the imagination of sailors for a long time.