J + 6 : Don Juan Day in Messina

Sunrise over the Straits of Messina at 6.55 am

At 5 am this morning, Captain Mario started the engine. We wanted to get to the Straits of Messina before the wind picked up. Today's plan was to visit Scilla Castle on the Calabrian side, then anchor for lunch at Capo Pelore, Sicily's most eastern point and to sail after lunch to Messina at 3 pm, right on time for our walk through town. We made good progress. By 9 am we reached the Straits, announced our position to traffic control and lined up to take our place in the queue. The passage was uneventful. No swirls, no choppy waters.

Water Spout in Front of the Scilla Rock at 9.45 am. Scilla tried

to catch us but we escaped with no harm done

Time to take course on Scilla castle where according to the Odyssey, a monster preys on unsuspecting sailers, picking them from their boats and devouring them alive. On the other side of the Straits was Charybdis, another sea monster, creating whirlpools to suck boats to the bottom of the sea. We arrived before Scilla at 9.45 am. Everything looked fine until we detected a rain squal approaching in a curious way. As we turned, we noticed how a water spout was forming, quickly whipping up the sea. Even more curious, the water spout was following us. Am sure this was an optical solution. But a water spout chasing our boat makes a far better story! Scilla was trying to catch and swallow us. Luckily, the "My Lotty" was faster. We reached the Sicilian shores safely where Charybdis was sleeping!

Entering Messina Harbour. The Artillery Fort of St Salvador is

just behind the modern Ferry arriving from Reggio di Calabria

After lunch it was time to sail to Messina. The Marina del Nettuno, where we booked a place, is just opposite Fort Saint Salvador, the castle which protected Messina's harbour since the 16th century. Our arrival reminded me of Messina's annual festival of Don Juan of Austria. In 1571, he assembled between July and August a fleet with ships from Venice, Genoa, Spain and the Papal State to relieve the besieged Venetian town of Famagusta in Cyprus. The 210 galleys, 6 galeasses and 25 other great ships must have been quite a sight in Messina's harbour. In Total, Don Juan commanded a force with 80'000 men with 1'800 heavy guns. Messina was packed to the brim.

This year, the reenactment Fleet arrived on 8 August in the Port of Messina

The fleet could not sail immediately. Don Juan, the son of Charles V and brother of he Spanish King Philip II, had to reconcile the different interest of his coalition. Venice wanted a quick war to get Cyprus back without jeopardising its century old trading relationship with Turkey. The Spanish and the Pope wanted to clear the Ottoman from the Mediterranean once and for all. Genua, at that point a vassal of Spain, aimed to please the Spanish without risking its privately owned fleet of 25 galleys. Messina was a beehive of activities. The individual commanders invited each other to mutual dinners, paraded through the streets to their head quarters, invited grandees to receptions and did backroom deals. By end of August, the battle plan was finally agreed - and had to be changed again. Famagusta had fallen in August 1571.

"Don Juan of Austria" thanking Town Officials for their Hospitality on 8 August 2026

On 15 September, the mighty fleet finally lifted anchors and left Messina under the cheers of its inhabitants. It was late in the sailing season. Many doubted that there would be a battle. By mid October, sailing in the Mediterranean usually stoped. But on 7th October, the two fleets met at the entrance of the Gulf of Corinth. After a day of bloody fighting, 40 Turkish galleys were destroyed and 150 captured. The losses were staggering. 22'000 Christian and 35'000 Turkish casualties. The battle stoped Turkey's further expansion into the western Mediterranean but Cyprus was never recovered and stayed in Otroman hands. Don Juan returned to Messina on 1 November 1571. The Christian victory was celebrated in every church with a special mass.

About 200'000 men on both sides fought in the Battle of Lepanto in 1571

Today, the town celebrated the arrival of the Christian fleets with a historic naval procession. In early August, the training ship of the Italian Navy leads a flotilla of vessels into Messina harbour. Everybody with a boat participates. From the Guardia di Finanza to the private individual owning a sail boat. Once arrived, the people - all dressed in fancyful renaissance costumes and accompanied by drummers and flag waivers - parade from the port to the Palazzo Zanca. Here they are received by town officials, present their credentials and thank the town for hosting them. For a few hours, Messina turns into the capital of the Renaissance World it was during the summer of 1571.

Today, big Cruise Ships dominate Messina's Harbour. Wonder whether any of their Guests knows what happened in this Town in 1571

It is one of the moments when the town is super busy. Messina today is mainly an administrative center and transportation hub. Ferries to the mainland come and go every half hours. There are usually two or three large cruise ships in the port. The visits of Taormina start from here - the line of coaches can be quite long. For us, it is making the "My Lotty" ready for week 2, say goodbye to the crew of week 1 and wait for the next group of sailors which we will take into the Tyrrhenian, visit the Aeolian islands and bring them to Salerno at the Amalfi coast.

"My Lotty" waiting for the next Crew to arrive