The afternoon we sailed away from Messina, Sicily, allowed us to experience some very unique sights as we passed through the Strait of Messina and sailed north toward Rome. At its narrowest point, the channel between the “toe” of the boot of Italy and the island of Sicily is only about two miles wide. The currents coursing through here are strong and have been infamous among mariners for millenia. In fact, some interpret the mythical monsters of Scylla and Charybdis as representing this part of the Mediterranean. The natural whirlpool that occurs at the northern end of the strait is said to be represented by the gaping jaws of Charybdis, which Odysseus narrowly escapes in Homer’s Odyssey. Even with today’s technology and powerful ships, local pilots must come aboard to steer the large ships sailing through this treacherous waterway.

As we were departing the strait on this sunny afternoon, I spotted the pilot speedboat approaching our ship, preparing to pick up the pilot and transfer him to the next ship awaiting his expertise. Our captain had notified us as we departed Messina that the maneuver should not be missed, as he was unaware of such a transfer occurring anywhere else in the world. In most places, the pilot’s boat comes alongside the ship at somewhere between three and five knots per hour, and the seaman transfers by leaping onto a small platform protruding from the side of the larger vessel sailing at the same speed, with the process reversed when he leaves the ship. In the Strait of Messina, however, this delicate dance occurs, at the pilots’ request, at around 13 knots per hour! (The captain’s tone of voice in relaying this information made it clear that he thought these guys were certifiably crazy.) I stepped out on my verandah as the speedboat approached and watched in amazement as, just a few decks below me and just slightly forward of where I stood, the man leaped easily onto the pilot boat, gave a nonchalant wave to the cruise ship passengers applauding him from above, and ducked into the cabin. I truly would not have believed it had I not seen it for myself.

Later in the day, we steamed close by Stromboli Volcano. Located on a small island just off the Italian coast, this volcano has been in a near-continuous eruption for over 20,000 years. Three small villages on the island house less than 800 residents. The mountain seemed quiet as we approached, but with perfect timing it began to release puffs of ash and smoke as we drew even with the summit. Every few minutes, dark gray plumes would shoot skyward and then drift slowly down toward the small crater. Even without fiery spouts of lava (which are far more infrequent with this volcano), it was an entertaining show.

All in all, both the human and the natural spectacles provided a memorable conclusion to our cruise.

— Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor