All went well with completing the maintenance work on Stratagem, and relaunching her ready for Sandra arriving on 19th April. Polishing the hull was tough but well worth the effort and she gleamed as she did when she was much younger! Photos never fully show the result but this one taken with a mobile phone gives the idea.
The work at the chart-table was also completed - the hole left by the GPS filled with a direct replacement (Furuno) and the old chartplotter replaced with the Navtex unit. All very successful and neat, if I do say so myself!
Re-commissioning took another week, but at last the time came to leave. Our intentions were to leave Kemer for good this time, but no, we decided we will return later in the year for a "last" winter! And so the die is cast for this years cruising.....
The cruise up the Turkish coast incorporated the usual stops at Kekova, Kastelorizon, Fethye and Bozburun where we crossed to Symi to check into Greece. With our cruising permit suitably stamped we proceeded to Kos, where we haven't been for some time and met up with Alan and Sue on Ticketeeboo. We met them again a few days later in the delightful anchorage of Xerokambos on the southern end of Leros. At this point we did the last damage to our liver before parting company and going our separate ways!
We sailed northwards in lumpy sea conditions to Patmos where we anchored off the town out of the way of other boats which use the quay there. Little has changed since our last visit and we enjoyed our stay, safe in the knowledge of good holding should the weather deteriorate. The town was quiet and this was repeated on the subsequent islands we visited - a combination of people tightening their (financial) "belt", riots in Athens (?) and even the worsening political situation in the Eastern Med. What is also noticeable is the higher cost of food and drink. Not only have prices (in Greece) gone up sharply but the poor exchange rate between the £Sterling and the Euro also compounds the problem.
On leaving Pat
mos we were heading for a couple of islands not previously visited. The first, Lipsi, is a short sail (or mot oring in our case - in calm winds) eastwards to the harbour of Leipsoi. On arrival we found blustery winds inside the harbour and nowhere to anchor safely although plenty of quay room if that is what one is looking for - but not for us. We had read of a good anchorage to the east and so we carried on, and glad we did as we found ourselves in a delightful anchorage of crystal clear waters and entirely to ourselves. Even the taverna on the shore was not yet open!Next stop was Agothonisi (a small island to the south of Samos), where we were also visiting for the first time. There is just enough space for a couple of yachts to anchor without getting in the way of the quay - again in crystal clear water and good holding, although (lack of) scope might be a problem if it blew a bit! The harbour police are vigilant about where yachts anchor insisting the quay is completely clear for boats to tie up without difficulty. The shoreside village is a delight and has a choice of restaurants to try. Still relatively early in the season, the evenings were cool but not too cool to sit out for eating at the restaurant with a perfect view of the harbour.
At this point we decided against going any further north as we had promised ourselves a few days in the Bozburun area against a deadline of getting Stratagem to Marmaris for the summer. So that's what we did and spent a week in Bozburun just "chilling out" spending time with other friends who were also doing the same thing.
Every cruise has its problems and ours was once again - the generator!! Only rebuilt in October last year and only used since then for a handful of hours, the cylinder head gasket was blowing, evidenced by oil leaking at the gasket. Fearing potential damage from water ingress via the failed gasket into the cylinders the generator was mothballed. Fortunately the solar panels were giving us ample power for our needs. Blues Yachting, who did the rebuild agreed to join us in Marmaris to do the repair which they did without question despite the necessary work being much more extensive than just a gasket change (e.g. new cylinder block, piton and rings!). Let's hope it lasts longer this time!
With Stratagem laid up for the summer, including covers to protect her from the fierce summer sun, we returned home to the UK to resume life there. No doubt the garden will be high on the list of jobs to be done............................
