I once visited Altavilla, near Porticello where the yacht sank. The sea is tricky round there. It has emotions. It can be calm and passive without a care in the world and then quickly change to anger and avengeful.
One day I was swimming in that area and I felt a gentle tug at my leg. A caress. I dived to investigate. It was an underwater vertex pulling at my leg. I wasted no time and swam back as fast as I could back to land. I liked to wear large flippers when swimming and I was lucky that day I had them on. Otherwise that water vertex, swirling round so fast would have pulled me down to my watery grave. The flippers gave me just enough of an edge to escape it's seductive pull.
An hour later I heard sirens and found out at lunch that a young man had been drowned near to where I saw the water vertex. They said he was a beautiful young man and the women were so sad. I sat there quitely thinking that my many years of being bullied instead of pampered have given me more strenght then him and I gave silent thanks to Jesus our Sweet Lord for saving me.
I've near swam in the sea since then. I won't even go into a swimming pool. I've learnt my lesson. The sea is a harsh mistress. The news clip says a fisherman saw a water spout above the water hit the yacht. It's possible. They form under the water too.
DISCLAIMER
I was in Sicily to look at the temples from the ancient Greek colonies. When I was working I would take holidays and travel to places off the normal tourist trail. Once, in Catania, again in Siclily, I saw many strange things and I was cursed by Gypsies but that's another story.
www.bbc.co.uk
