THE ITALIAN JOB

Thomas and Jutta Kittel push on round the bottom of Italy’s boot from Messina in Sicily opposite the toe to Manfredonia tucked under the heel’s spur on the Adriatic coast

- Thomas Kittel

PART 5: SICILY TO MANFREDONIA, VIA THE GULF OF TARANTO

We leave Messina, Sicily in a good mood on the 99th day of our Italian adventure. From now on we will be cruising along the mainland of Italy, around the toe of the boot, through the Gulf of Taranto, past the heel and up through the Adriatic Sea towards Venice. We have already put a good 2,000nm behind us and just under 1,000nm now lie ahead.

Our problem with the oil pressure sensor has not yet been resolved. We now have the spare part but it hasn’t been fitted, meaning we have to cruise on one engine. More annoying, however, is the leaking steering oil cooler because I have to empty the bucket which the cooling water is spraying into every 45mins or so.

And then it happens: full bucket in hand I lose my balance. The bucket flies through the air and I fall heavily on my side. I am struggling to breathe and my first thought is that our adventure is over. Since everyone else is on the flybridge and I’m in the engine room, no one can hear my cries for help.

After a while I manage to catch my breath and slowly start to get up. My back is in agony, as is my right elbow. I struggle back up to the flybridge and report what happened. I can barely move, even sitting hurts, so any activity other than driving is out of the question. Our guests have to step in and take on the thankless task of emptying the bucket. I still don’t know whether I have broken anything or if I am just severely bruised.