"When a storm with frightening winds surprises you at sea, there's nothing you can do . What happened in the sinking of the sailing ship Bayesian in Sicily I experienced when I was 10 years old, luckily our boat didn't capsize."
Michele Troia, 86, the dean of the fishermen of Civitanova Marche , in the province of Macerata, who escaped death at sea at least twice, not only when he was a child, but also as an adult, on the route between Tunisia and Sardinia, told ANSA about this.
Troia, originally from Puglia and now retired, spent 70 years of his life sailing the Mediterranean seas, from the Adriatic to the Tyrrhenian, until reaching the coasts of North Africa . He braved storms and tempests and "many times I feared for my life", says Michele, originally from Visso - in Puglia - and retired for a few years.
"When I was 10 years old, I was just starting out in my career - he recalls - and I was caught in an incredible storm that tore the sail off the boat, making it fly away. We reached the coast, carried by the currents."
Among the worst moments was also «a strong mistral wind that hit us between Tunisia and Sardinia: it took us three hours more to reach Cagliari. The sea had become white due to the wind».
Today the theme of bad weather is closely linked to climate change, with increasingly hot summers and the phenomenon of mucilage. "It has happened in the past, but not like this year," says Michele, "even though the fishermen who go out to sea continue to tell me that the sea there is always beautiful."
As for the dangers of the sea, the old fisherman has clear ideas: «In certain cases, those on the boat can do nothing, they are at the mercy of the waves and all they can do is hope that the vessel holds up and doesn't sink».
(Online Union)
