We woke to a north wind funneling down from the Strait of Messina, so our Zodiac departure at the ancient harbor of Naxos Giardinia proved to be especially exciting. As we began the short but breathtaking drive from the port up to the historic resort jewel of Taormina, Sea Cloud weighed anchor to head north to meet us later in the port of Messina. By the time we returned in the afternoon, we had enjoyed a gorgeous Sunday morning taking in the beauty of Taormina and then an unforgettable lunch at the Castello degli Schiavi of “Godfather” fame. Sea Cloud, however, had muscled against the wind and currents of the strait into the Port of Messina. Once back aboard, we launched again into the whirlpools and tidal rips, lucky to see some of the traditional swordfish passarella boats with their high crow’s nests and awkwardly long bowsprits as we entered the Tyrrhenian Sea.