56 Hours at Sea: Crossing from Greece to Sicily & Catching Our First Tuna || Sailing SV GOAT ep 80

This week aboard SV GOAT, we pushed ourselves and our boat through one of the longest and most memorable passages of our journey so far: a 56-hour, 190nm offshore crossing from Kefalonia, Greece to Taormina, Sicily. The Mediterranean showed us all its moods. At times, the sea was calm, the winds too light to sail, forcing us to motor across flat water. Then, suddenly, storms rolled through, with 28 knots of wind and 2-meter waves, keeping us alert and on edge. We crossed shipping lanes full of bulk carriers and tankers, carefully plotting our course to stay safe amid the endless traffic of the Mediterranean’s commercial arteries. And then came a first for us—something that every cruiser dreams of: we caught our first-ever fish at sea, not one but two bigeye tunas. The thrill of feeling the line go tight, of battling to bring them aboard, and finally preparing fresh tuna on our own boat—it turned a grueling passage into an unforgettable one. After more than two days at sea, land appeared on the horizon. Rising above the Sicilian coast, the silhouette of Mount Etna welcomed us to Taormina, a town as rich in history as it is in beauty. Taormina has been a jewel of the Mediterranean for millennia. Founded by the ancient Greeks in the 4th century BC, it became a thriving Roman city and still boasts one of the most spectacular ancient theatres in the world, perched on the hillside with views of Etna and the Ionian Sea. Over the centuries, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, and Spanish rulers all left their mark, making Sicily a crossroads of cultures, cuisines, and histories. For sailors, crossing from Greece to Sicily has always been a legendary passage. These waters connect the eastern and western Mediterranean, a route taken by traders, explorers, and warriors for thousands of years. From ancient Greek merchants sailing wine and olive oil, to Roman fleets patrolling their empire, to modern cruisers like us—this crossing is part of a timeless maritime tradition. Arriving in Sicily felt like stepping into another chapter of the Mediterranean story—where every anchorage carries echoes of history, and every landfall is both a destination and a reminder of the journeys that came before. IN THIS EPISODE: – A 56-hour offshore passage from Kefalonia to Sicily – Storms with 28 knots of wind and 2m waves – Navigating busy shipping lanes across the Ionian Sea – Catching our first-ever bigeye tunas at sea – Arrival in Taormina, Sicily—history, culture, and the shadow of Mount Etna FOLLOW OUR JOURNEY: Instagram Sailing & Tech: @sailing_svgoat Instagram Lifestyle: @nobodysride Facebook: Sailing SV GOAT #SailingSVGOAT #SailingLife #CrossingToSicily #BigeyeTuna #Taormina #MountEtna #SailingCouple #OffshorePassage #SailingAdventure #BluewaterSailing #MediterraneanSailing #SicilyHistory #GreekToSicily