Just messing about

The end of August and we are back in Messolonghi Marina. The Ryanair flight from Stansted to the local airport near Patras is very convenient and our taxi awaited us on arrival - which is always a worry! Stratagem was not a pretty sight. Covered, yes - but everything was covered in a layer of dust and cobwebs! Yes cobwebs and even 2 months later we were still finding spiders to get rid of. Fortunately none ventured inside so I guess they must enjoy the hot sunshine.

Stratagem needed a lot of cleaning but the water flow from the metered water taps is nothing other than a joke. The purchased volume is no where near correct and the flow hardly exits the hosepipe making washing down a long and difficult process. So, not the best clean-up but it would have to do so we visited the supermarket (by taxi) and filled up again with food and booze for our autumn cruising. We were glad to get underway again and made our first passage to Vathi on the island of Ithica. The whole of this autumn was planned to just take things easy and revisit the many places we loved from our cruising here 6 years ago and hoped we would not be disappointed.

Our stay in Vathi was spectacular to say the least! Sitting there having our usual evening "sundowner" we suddenly noticed a brush fire starting up on the hillside behind us, caused we think from a BBQ some people were having at an apartment block. The speed the fire took hold was breathtaking and whilst it is easy to be critical of a lot of stupid people who grandstand these events putting themselves in danger from the flames, the fire crews worked very well in getting the fire under control and extinguished without damage to property or loss of life.

The most noticeable thing (and remember we are now towards the end of the high season) is the marked increase in the number of boats, particularly charter boats. This is no more evident than the Nidri area on Lefkas where the new jetties are lined with dozens of charter yachts and the anchorages are crowded beyond belief. That said, if you keep away from the routes of the charter flotilla fleets then peaceful anchorages are still possible. Take for example Meganissi which is always a popular spot. Our cruising had taken us to Skorpios (Onassis's island) where we intended a lunch stop on one side and a night at anchor on the other. Neither were possible a) because of the swarming wasps but b) the anchorages were simply full! So off we went to Meganissi - not to the well worn anchorages used by every man and his dog but into the south end of the anchorage just to the east of Vathi where we had a night on our own after 2 yachts left following there lunchtime swim. We returned again a couple of weeks later and again had the place to ourselves whilst adjacent anchorages remained very busy indeed.

We found similar seclusion over on on Kastos. Here, the little harbour at Kastos was full and the adjacent anchorages - the usual charter boats heading for the tavernas in the evening. As the weather was settled we found an anchorage to ourselves down towards the southwest tip of the island. A little swell crept into the anchorage but the silence was deafening!

Not all our cruise was seeking out secluded anchorages but socialising with friends also in the area, much to the detriment of my liver again! We met and spent many days with Alan and Sue aboard their beautiful Discovery 55, Ticketeeboo enjoying good food, wine and conversation - not to forget the help Alan always freely gives in helping solve my problems on Stratagem (more of that later).

In Sivota on Lefkas we met up with Mike and Jo on their Legend 45, Harriette coincident with Mike's birthday. That of course meant a party starting on Harriette and finishing with a meal in Stavros's restaurant. Also there was Pete on his boat, and who was also a previous Kemer resident a few years ago.

Later we came across Colin and Shirley on their lovely Malo, Silent Wings for similar ruination of diet and liver function! We had arranged a "meet" with them but when we came across them (unexpectedly) they were sailing up the channel between Ithica and Kefalonia and we were admiring the yacht catching us on our port quarter - we were motorsailing at the time (shame on us) only to find when they got close it was indeed Silent Wings (see photo). Whilst it prompted us to stop the engine and give chase under sail, it was too late, this being the signal for the wind to disappear somewhere else!

 

This autumn proved to be one of the longest settled spells we have experienced this time of year. The Greek summer had been hot so the water was warm and the air temperatures remained high. All things have to come to an end and the weather forecasts all showed a deterioration in the weather with thunderstorms and high winds. Now you might think us crazy after last autumn's storm in Vlikho Bay on Lefkas - and on the anniversary of that particular storm which caused so much havoc and sadly, loss of life, for us to head for the same bay for shelter, but that is exactly what we did. We have always found the (virtually) landlocked bay to be a safe haven where you can set your anchor in about 5 or 6 metres with as much chain that takes your fancy (in our case about 55 metres) and weather the storm without any significant swell or waves. The forecast was right and when it came it lasted a few days providing for some, difficulties with anchors dragging. Since changing our main anchor 6 years ago for a 30 kg Spade anchor we have had no such problems - thank goodness!

 

We got stuck in Vlikho on maintenance issues. Our trusty Evinrude outboard developed a water leak from a cover on the engine casing necessitating ordering spares from the UK, the supplier promising  "express delivery", the spares to be sent to the Vlikho Yacht Club. Those spares took 3 weeks to arrive but at least got our outboard back in commission. The other issue which Alan (Ticketeeboo) helped me with was leaks in the pressurised domestic water system. This was in fact 2 leaks which happened simultaneously but not connected. The first was the pressure relief valve on the calorifier which on removal was suffering from the residue from hard water. Immersion in kettle de-scaler cured that problem and so I thought that was that. Not so. We still could hear the pressure pump going off when the system was not in use - a sure fire sign something is wrong - plus - Sandra was convinced she could hear water running somewhere in the aft cabin! After much head scratching and poking around in cupboards and under floors I found that indeed it was running from a cold water pipe buried in the internal structure of the hull! Oh Beneteau, how I love your construction methods! The only answer was to cut the pipe at both ends and route another pressure feed from the pump. An awkward job and problematic in getting watertight joints, mainly due to poor quality jubilee clips purchased in Nidri.

 

At the end of October we went into Lefkas marina for a few days and thoroughly enjoyed being in the town again. We wintered here 6 years ago and whilst there have been some changes on the marina side of the town with a new road and some Government buildings, the town remains exactly how we remembered it. A superb meal (2 actually) at Ey Zin (means eat well in Greek) where we also met up again with Mike and Jo.

 

It was time to make our way northwards towards Corfu where we had arranged to winter Stratagem. There has been much written on web sites about the navigation marks being out of position in the north end of the Lefkas canal so we navigated very slowly keeping to the centre of the channel as we saw it. The depths were certainly low in parts with only a metre under the keel but thankfully we passed through safely and headed for Paxos. Our first stop was the delightful anchorage/harbour of Mongonisi where we anchored with only one other yacht. Another virtually landlocked harbour, both beautiful and peaceful. It doesn't get much better than this!

 Our next passage was no more than a couple of miles to Gaieos where we anchored outside the southern entrance (the entrance itself is too shallow to enter, although we could have gone up to the north entrance) with the intention of staying the night. I was not happy with the location, although we have anchored overnight here in the past and so we went into the harbour for supplies and some of the best olive oil in these parts. The harbour was deserted but we got what we wanted.

 

On we proceeded to Lakka at the north end of Paxos where we anchored in the beautiful clear water on sand.Great for swimming but to get out of the swell we moved further in where the holding is also good in the weed over sand and spent a few days just chilling out. Our relaxation was interrupted by a bad weather forecast giving thunderstorms for a week in the area  starting in a few days time so we continued on our way, firstly to Mourtos over on the mainland which is always a good spot a nice sunset, and then up to Gouvia marina on Corfu where we arrived at lunchtime in glorious sunshine and windless conditions.

 

After checking in we decided it would be best to take advantage of the present weather and get the sails off whilst they were dry. That proved to be a good decision. The following day we took off the bimini and erected the winter cockpit tent in advance of the coming rain and thunderstorms. Another good decision as when these storms moved in the rain was torrential.

 

With coming in early we now had 3 weeks instead of 2 to prepare Stratagem for the winter, and fortunately as it turned out we progressed with that work with some vigour. We have also met up with a delightful couple, Gill and Will on It's a Doddle, a Jeanneau 36. Will does some maintenance work on yachts through the winter and has agreed to add Stratagem to his list. It is also comforting to know someone will be looking out for Stratagem whilst she is on the hard over the winter.

 

Then came a problem (for me) with a nasty ear infection which needed help at the new if chaotic Corfu hospital. Having refused admission and as an outpatient not succeeding in solving the infection there was no alternative but to get back home a.s.a.p. The office were helpful in arranging to have Stratagem lifted the next day and we were lucky to be able to rearrange our flights for the following day back to the UK. Because we had advanced the laying-up work very quickly we were able to leave Stratagem on the hard knowing she is prepared for the coming winter................

Accross the Aegean

April 2012 and I am back on board Stratagem to do the annual fit out together with the repairs to the stern which was damaged in January. I have brought a full case loaded with spares, so there is a lot to do. Initially, a quick clean up and checks of engine, batteries and seacocks before being lifted out the following day. The battery check showed a completely dead starter battery for the generator which I suspected at the end of last season, so a new one was quickly ordered and replaced.

The work in polishing the (blue) hull gets ever harder each year and I am now convinced that it is time to have her painted - but not this year! I was unable to get the shine I achieved last year but she looks good nonetheless and with her stern repaired and the antifoul re-done we were back in the water within about 10 days. In the meantime I stayed in a hotel and enjoyed the "all-inclusive" arrangements.

 

Back in the water and I spent the following week fitting all the spare parts and new equipment I had shipped from the UK. Fitting the new VHF antenna was easy but the cable down the mast was something else. During the process of replacing the old cable with the new I let both slip and the old cable disappeared down the mast with no mouse line to pull down the new cable. After many hours of trying to get a new line down the mast, and dismantling the headlining inside the boat to get a better view below decks I realised that the cable duct fitted inside the mast did not line up with the duct through the deck plug and down to the bottom of the keel-stepped spar! An email to Z-Spars in France received the confirmation that indeed that is the case and is done that way to help prevent water getting below. They nicely told me I had a problem!! Fortunately a know a man who could help, and that is my good friend Alan from the yacht Ticketeeboo who was due in a few days later. His ideas (with a little input from me) and shear doggedness on his part (he never gives up!) we managed to complete the exercise. How? Well we dropped the mouse-line down the mast until it hit the plug above deck and via a drain hole in the mast pulled the line to the outside. I then "pushed" a separate line from below, attached to a wire, and Alan also collected that line through the hole in the mast. After tying both together we were able to manipulate the line through the offset cable duct giving us a continuous line from top to bottom. The new VHF cable could then be drawn down the mast in the usual way, this time with a spare mouse-line also attached. Job done!

One success story was the replacement of the solar panel regulator for a MTTP type and whilst I do not fully understand how it works, what I can say is that it has transformed the efficiency of the solar panels. The 4 stage charger circuitry is superb and I am now seeing anything between 10 and 14 amps charging out of 215 watts of solar panels through the middle of the day. For the first time since I had the solar panels fitted nearly 6 years ago I now have a surplus of power!

Sandra arrived on 28th April and after getting food and drink aboard we got under way for our return passage across the Aegean to Messolonghi. Our first job was to get to Gocek to have our liferaft reserviced as it had not been done properly, and then to Bozburun to formally check out of Turkey. A trip into Symi enabled us to then check into Greece and so continue our passage knowing we were legal to do so. We sailed (or do I mean motored?) over 600 miles to Messolonghi via the Corinth Canal taking in the islands of Leros, Paros, Kithnos, then Korfos on the Peloponnise - through the Corinth Canal and stopping at , Galaxhidi and Trizonia and finally into the marina at Messolonghi. The weather en route was cool for the time of year - some rain - and some heavy winds at times, "on the nose" of course!! We were delayed in Paros, Kithnos, Galaxhidi and Trizonia with strong westerly winds, the strongest occurring whilst we were at anchor outside the harbour in Galaxhidi when we had gusts of 45 knots, fortunately only for a short time. At the same time, our friend Alan (a-la mast helper) who was sailing his Discovery 55 single handed around the Peloponnise to the Ionian was having a torrid time sailing in these dreadful conditions and suffered damage to his yacht. Better him than me!!

We have very fond memories of Trizonia from when we visited 6 years ago - an unfinished marina in a superb setting and a most delightful little harbourside village. We managed to get alongside on the outside of the first concrete jetty facing the prevailing wind with (the wind) just off the starboard bow keeping us nicely off the rough concrete.




The marina (which of course is free) is now cluttered with what appear to be abandoned yachts, some of which now look to be beyond economic repair, and there is even a sunken yacht in the middle which has been there for the last couple of years and which no-one has come to claim or take responsibility. A pity really. These boats should be removed as they take up valuable space and hopefully when Greece sorts out its financial problems perhaps the marina may get finished? It is a valuable resource for the island of Trizonia which is not presently providing an income for the community.

The marina at Messolonghi is not yet finished and there is much to do. The completed facilities e.g. office, shower blocks, laundry, shop, chandlery and cafe bar are good quality, spoilt only by the poorly laid concrete "roads" and hard standing areas. Perhaps they will eventually tidy these up? It is a long walk into town which itself is a lovely place with all services catered for. The berths are good and the general views from the marina are very pretty. We are happy to have left Stratagem there for our summer break back home.

Before leaving we cellebrated the Queen's Jubillee by dressing ship which you can just make out on the photograph (Stratagem is the left blue hulled yacht with her foredeck under the summer cover). A number of other British yachts arround us joined in and soon there were plenty of flags flying!


And so another cruise comes to an end and it is off home for the summer and some house maintenance! Fortunately there is an airport reasonably close by to the west of Patras, about an hour or so from Messolonghi by taxi. It would seem that there are only flights using Ryanair from this tiny airport, but at least they fly direct to Stansted. Couldn't be better!

Ouch!!

A new year and a short visit to Kemer to spend a couple of weeks on board Stratagem and do some maintenance work mixed with some socialising with friends who are also on board their yachts. After the usual journey via Thomas Cook and mad taxi driver we arrived at the marina in plenty of time for "happy hour". But shock horror(!) we found Stratagem has been damaged at the transom with an area of gelcoat scraped to the extent that the underlying glass is exposed! As the yacht was too far away from the concrete pontoon we sought the marina's help to get on board. Only then did we find out that there had been a very severe storm the previous day and that the bow line (as provided by the marina) had failed. The marina were quick to acknowledge their liability and undertook to execute the repair at their cost. This took the "sting" out of the situation. The repair will take place when Stratagem is lifted out of the water in April.

The visit was worthwhile in that the worklist was successfully completed but the weather was much wetter than we expected - perhaps that is how the work got completed? The next stage is fitting out time in April when I will come out in advance of Sandra to prepare Stratagem for the coming season.