Ionian Sea Passage; the conclusion

The Ionian Sea (Greek: Ιόνιο Πέλαγος), the Sea south of the Adriatic, is bound by Calabria and Sicily to the west, and the west coast of Greece to the east.  The deepest point in the Mediterranean Sea the Calypso deep (5,267 meters) is located in the Ionian Sea at 36°34′N 21°8′E. The Ionian Sea is one of the most seismically active regions in the world as three tectonic plates meet in the area between the islands Cephalonia, Ithaca and Zante.  The island of Cephalonia lies to the east of a fault where the African plate meets the European and the Aegean plates.  The major Ionian Islands are collectively known as the Seven Islands (Greek: Επτανησα) and belong to Greece.  Starting from the north are Kerkyra (Corfu), Paxi, Lefkada, Cephalonia, Ithaca, and Zakynthos (Zante) and Kythera.  I always considered the Ionian to be a small sea but this is not the case as the distance from Sicily to city of Patras in Peloponnese is 300 nautical miles.  The distance was approximately equal to our two longest previous passages in the Balearic and Tyrrhenian Seas. 

The crossing of the Ionian was arduous because we struggled with a storm and also we fought opposite winds to our destination.  The whistling in the stays is testimony of winds over 30 knots.  Because of opposite winds we elected to forgo Ithaca and continue towards the gulf and port of Patras in the northwest corner of Peloponnese. 

We were tired and elated when we landed in that city’s marina.  Because of the strenuous sailing during the three-day passage, none of us ate or drank even water.  When we tied at the dock tired and dehydrated, I felt like fainting so I had to lie on ground.   Luckily Alexandra my brother’s wife was there and offered me potato chips (salted) and a coke that brought me back to life! 

In the Land of the Cyclops

In Odyssey the Cyclops, (Ancient Greek: Κύκλωπες), are giants, each one having a single eye on their forehead.  The Cyclops lived in the eastern part of Sicily, in the region in between the cities of Catania and Taormina, where Mount Aetna is located.

Another location that contends as the land of the Cyclops, is the island of Serifos, in the Cycladitic archipelago.    

Legend has it that the caves and prehistoric dwellings found on Serifos are where the giants lived and kept their herds.  

Upon arrival to the land of Cyclops, Odysseus noted a fire and together with some of his men went to investigate.  They found a giant cave full of lambs and cheeses. They help themselves to the food until the cave's occupant, a Cyclop named Polyphemus led his flock in and sealed the entrance to the cave. Finding themselves trapped, Odysseus appeals to Polyphemus to honor Zeus and respect the rights of a guest.    

The Cyclop laughs, picks up two of Odysseus' men, and kills and devours them. Faced with such overwhelming force, Odysseus decides to trick Polyphemus by telling the Cyclop his name is 'Nobody' and offering him wine. Odysseus' real plan is to get the Cyclop drunk.  

This he accomplishes rather quickly; and while the monster sleeps, Odysseus and his men jam a red-hot pole from the fire into his sole eye. Polyphemus screams in pain, attracting the other Cyclops from nearby caves who are concerned. But when his neighbors ask him if someone is attacking him, Polyphemus screams 'Nobody"! “Nobody is attacking me!” thus the confused Cyclops depart. 

Odysseus and his men then escape the cave by clinging to the bottom of Polyphemus' sheep as the now blind Cyclop herds them out in the morning.

Yet Odysseus is too cocky. Having escaped Polyphemous, he cries out his name “I am Ulysses the King of Ithaca” so that Polymphemous might tell the other Cyclops who had blinded him. The furious giant attempts to sink their boat by throwing huge boulders at it. However, the giant was unsuccessful. At this point Ulysses and his crew start on their journey back home to Ithaca.  Unbeknown to Odysseus, Polyphemus is a son of Poseidon, the god of the sea. Poseidon now knows Odysseus' name, and he will make him pay for blinding his son. For a sailor, there is no worse God to anger than Poseidon.  

The boulders can be found off the east coast of Sicily near the charming village of AciTrezza which is located in between the towns of Catania and Taormina.  In addition to Homer many authors in antiquity such as Pliny have described the Cyclopean Rocks or Isole dei Cyclopi.  It was from the Rocks of Cyclops from where we started the last of the three major crossings on our way back home.