Back to Work

Mike slept like a rock but not me. At first being on a town quay is kind of fun. You are right smack in the middle of town, everyone is walking by talking and laughing, you have all of the sounds from the bars and restaurants. Well, the fun has passed. Last night was hot and loud. Even though we were sleeping in the v-berth, the furthest point possible from the sidewalk, it sounded like everyone was right on top of my head. And the wind scoop seemed like it was just funneling all of the sound down. And then I woke up with the beginning signs of a cold. So today was my day to do nothing except work on writing and posting the blog which was a constant battle. Our computer battery has died so anytime the very temperamental adapter/plug gets jostled, at the slightest, the computer turns off which is especially frustrating if you haven’t saved anything in awhile. And it was also a fight with our internet connection and a couple of phone calls to Vodaphone. Mike’s battle today was the electricity. He ended up buying about 200 more feet of cable, making a splitter and bypassing the Italian’s objections and plugging us both in right at the source. But then funky stuff started happening with our breaker panel. It’s a good think Mike has been able to line up an electrician to come tomorrow. Mike also had luck in finding a sail rigger to come by tomorrow as well. The evening consisted of yet another gyro, a little more walking around the delightful town and then back home to watch a movie and take advantage of our power. While in Galaxidi, we bought ‘Inception’ from a guy selling DVDs on the beach. It’s either hit or miss for the quality. Well, this time was a miss but we couldn’t turn it off because it was so intriguing. So while trying to make out the fuzzy images, looking past the shadows of heads in the audience and the huge Greek subtitles and holding our speaker up to our ears we watched the entire thing. Not sure how much we understood or got but know that it is a movie we will have to see again!

Levkas Town

During the night, Mike made his way on deck to sleep in the cooler air. And thankfully woke up feeling much better than yesterday. We both found ourselves anxious to get to Levkas so pulled anchor at 10am and reached the canal an hour or so later. The canal was dredged in between Levkas Island and the mainland and cuts right through the salt marshes. At times it felt like we could have been in southeast Asia.

We were happy when we were able to turn into the harbour and leave the narrow and shallow canal, especially when we saw electrical/water boxes on the quay and could avoid the 65 euro a night at the marina. After getting tied up we plugged in but nothing was happening. We then discovered that the only working plug ins are at the fuel station (all 3 of them) which is about 300 feet down the quay. Mike attempted to sweet talk an Italian man into letting us share his connection but was denied. A bit of a bummer because we were both really looking forward to electricity - for fans, the computer, to run the shop vac and tools to get some work done. Also for water so we could wash off the once white decks which are now a grayish-brown in color. And water so we can have some decent drinking water in our tanks. The water that we filled our tanks with in Galaxidi is a bit hard to swallow, even for Mike which is saying something. After getting settled, we started to explore town to find the chandleries, a laundry, a good place for a gyro. And I found that we need to break down and buy some water in plastic bottles after realizing that I am not keeping myself hydrated after getting really dizzy on the walk through town. Again, since it was siesta, our only luck was finding an open laundry at the marina. After walking all the way back to the boat, grabbing all of our washables (clothes, sheets, blankets, towels) and lugging them back to the marina we got to pay 15 euro for one load! The most expensive and sweat inducing laundry ever. At least the cute little lady crammed the washers full and we were able to get away with 3 loads! But the result of clean laundry will be so worth it! We then returned to the boat and started to clean the cabin. We shook out all of the cushions, we swept, wiped, mopped! And I will never complain about cleaning the bathroom at home. For some reason, marine bathrooms get funky really fast. And we even found a nice woman to donate Lucca’s dump truck, swim raft and beach toys to. But no taker for the adult diapers…those ended up in the dumpster! After getting work done, again thanks to our neighbors, we found the nearby hotel with a swimming pool…and showers. As long as you order a beverage you are free to swim and shower all you want! The pool was cool and shaded, the drinks were cold and the shower was hot! It was the first real shower (and real shampoo, I am finally rejoicing in my mane of hair simply because I am lucky that I don’t have to wash it that often) I had in about 3 weeks and the first hot shower in longer than that. It’s amazing how different the air feels against your skin when you are clean and not sweat and salt encrusted!

A tourist company I was be hesistant to use.

For the evening we took a walk around town and came upon surprise after surprise. At first glimpse, the town appeared to be a bit industrial and run down but then revealed so much more. Another entire waterfront with more trendy cafes, an abandoned community center which looked like a teenager’s paradise, a walking promenade lined with shops and restaurants and then shooting off were tiny alleys which wound through charming homes (old and new) with beautiful gardens and courtyards. For dinner we tried another gyro shop, then walked some more, were forced to make decisions at an amazing bakery, stopped off to watch part of a soccer game (Suarez again!) and then finally back home. Oh, but now we are lamenting no electricity, this boat is hot.

Pure Relaxation

Mike woke up being congested and coughing. Initially, I think he was hoping to push on to Lefkada so we could start working on the boat. But it didn’t make much for me to convince him to find a quiet anchorage close by and spend the day taking care of himself. After poking our head into the popular bays around the island and seeing how crowded they were (and not wanting to expend the energy taking lines to shore) we decided to take the advice of our neighbors and head to Nidri on Lefkada. And on our path were the islands of Skorpios and Skorpidhi, the private twin islands which are owned by the Onassis family. I found it really exciting and spent the entire time peering through the binoculars trying to make out the grounds and houses which you could catch a glimpse of here and there.

We then entered Nidri and it was a zoo! Boats anchored on both sides of the entrance, endless rows of piers with boats, boats coming and going.



We then ended up in a very sheltered large bay where we found a bit of privacy at the far end. Mike spent the day reading and napping and awoke feeling a bit better. I swam and simply relaxed. In the late afternoon we were really happy that we didn’t chose to anchor closer to the taverna because it quickly filled up with charter boats that did not appear to know how to anchor. But good evening entertainment as we sat on the deck, sipping retsina and enjoying the beautiful sunset. And the day did Mike good, he was happy we didn’t push on to Levkas and we both found ourselves really enjoying this ‘boat life’. After dinner we got in the dinghy and Mike rowed while he serenaded me with the Doobie Brothers and Neil Young. We watched the full moon rise over the hill and then I took a quick swim in the moon light before heading to bed. Now today is what we have dreamed of. If only there could be more of it but we will take what I can get.

Meganisi

That was the best night’s sleep in a long time. Just before dawn, I stuck my head out of the hatch just to take a look around. The lighting was so beautiful and everything was so quiet. But bed called me back and we had a slow morning of waking up. The only distraction was the holding tank. Everything seemed to be working well with our new tank while the Pereras were on board. But for the past several days it has been giving off a pretty rancid smell whenever it is used. Actually an unbearable smell. Mike thought it might be the vent or maybe there was a leak somewhere. We couldn’t find a leak but then Mike investigated the vent on the outside of the hull. And guess what? It was covered with blue painters tape left over from a couple of months ago! But Mike also found the inside of the vent to be clogged with dirt and rust from all of the work that was done in the head. Luckily a very easy fix for a problem you couldn’t ignore. Around 10am we headed for the island of Meganisi. It was a beautiful day and perfect for sailing. And we took advantage of the calm weather and short mileage day to finally play around with the sails and figure out what needs to be done. Mike took off the rest of the reefing lines and the main sail went up fairly smoothly by pulling it up from the mast. The tracks did stick a bit but Mike discovered that it is due to the battens putting pressure on the tracks and causing them to push too far in. The sail also dropped nicely when the halyard was released at the mast. It appears that our new rigging system may be causing a bit of friction and making the raising and lowering a tad more difficult. We just need to get somewhere to have a rigger come take a look at things. We also pulled out the new-ish genoa and our lines are just a bit shy in length but that is an easy fix. As we got closer and closer to Meganisi the water became full of sail boats. We have not seen that many boats since leaving Marmaris Bay. While going up the passage in between Lefkada and Meganisi it looked like Duck Dodge on Lake Union! And from what we have seen, the Ionian is beautiful. The islands are green and ringed by electric blue-turquoise water with the barren mountains on the mainland framing them. We took a bit of a detour and headed closer to the coast to check out a cave that is rumored to have been the hiding place of a Greek submarine during the Second World War.


But since we needed provisions in a bad way, we went into Spartakhori and went bows- to on a quay with mooring lines belonging to a taverna. I appreciated not having to deal with the anchor and mostly appreciated having to eat our obligatory dinner at the taverna! After getting settled, we stopped by the beach for a quick swim before making the walk up the hill into the town. It felt so good to stretch the legs after not doing a lot of walking the past several days. And the walk was so enjoyable with the shade and scent from the pine, cypress and olive trees. Once we made it up the hill, we discovered that the shops were still closed for siesta so pasted the time by peering over the edge and down onto the docks across from ours. We found ourselves being really happy that they had turned us away because boats were getting knocked around on the shaky docks. The wind had picked up and was causing a bit of chaos as a dozen charter boats were making their way back in and trying to get moored. It felt good to look across the small harbour and see Independence tied up securely and barely swaying in the breeze. After a delightful walk through the small streets and picking up some groceries, we found ourselves getting really hungry and stopped at a café where we had the best Retsina and tzatziki ever! Then it was back to the boat and making it to the taverna before the onslaught of charter boats arrived for their dinner reservations. We sat as close to the water as possible and watched the waves hit the restaurant dock/floor and almost wash over our feet. The only bummer is that Mike feels a cold coming on and I can tell he is getting anxious to get somewhere to begin the next (much shorter) work phase.

The Ionian!

It was Mike who couldn’t sleep last night. He was up at 1:30am due to the winds picking up but was able to fall back asleep when they seemed to have let up in the early morning. Around 8am we told ourselves we would sleep for a little bit longer (and even considered staying one more day) but then the winds picked up again. By 9am it was blowing even harder (consistant 20-25 knots) and some rollers started to come in so we decided to make way. The first couple of hours were pretty bumpy with some swell and 20-25 knot winds with gusts up to 35 knots. There were bunch of rollers which were knocking us around and causing books and other odds and ends to go flying off the shelves (yeah, this would not have been fun with Lucca). But once we passed the bridge at Patras the seas were calmer but the wind was still blowing around 20-30 knots right behind us and pushing us along. I even saw our GPS read 8.9knots!
We had thoughts about going to a little town, Missalonghi, but we were making such good time we pressed on to the Ionian. We also decided to forgo the busy harbour on Ithaca and decided to anchor off of Nisas Petalas, an island off the mainland, for the night. We pulled in little before sunset, and it seemed so peaceful and calm after the past couple of days. We went for a swim, made some dinner and were in bed (the v-berth is now our new bedroom) at 7pm where we enjoyed to breeze while reading and drinking some cinnamon wine from Galaxidi. And I finally found some time to look through our pilot book and Lonely Planet to read up about the Ionian and some of the places where we may want to go. There are so many amazing places to see and it is too bad that we have to race through it. But we need to spend several days to a week in either Lefkada or Corfu to have some work done on our main sail along with some other things that have popped up. And we want to leave Corfu around the first of September to give ourselves about 10 days to get to the west coast of Italy where we will me meeting up with Mike’s dad and step-mother. But all of that later, right now it is just enjoying our cozy and relaxing evening as we are GENTLY being rocked by the water and curling up under a sheet and a thin blanket. Heaven.

Still in Navpaktos

So much for a peaceful night’s sleep. The huge motor yacht that was anchored a bit too close for comfort had me worried most of the night for fear of us swinging into each other. I admit that this was most likely an unnecessary worry but I don’t think my nerves had enough time to quite dissipate yet. It was also really, really loud. Between the wind scoops getting blown around, the wind generator starting and stopping and the disco music blasting until 6am (it’s amazing how sound travels over water), it was hard to fall asleep. It wasn’t until Mike was up and awake that I was finally able to let myself relax and sleep. Yesterday we had thoughts about leaving today but found ourselves just too tired and the thought of doing nothing was too appealing. So after I finally got out of bed around 11am, Mike dinghied me back to the harbour so I could run into town to pick up some groceries. And even though we had a good hold, the winds had picked up and the water was a bit bouncy so Mike felt more comfortable staying with the boat. After a quick re-supply, I walked back to the entrance of the harbour and flagged Mike down so he could come pick me up. And then we could just relax, or try to relax. I spent the day writing the blog while Mike read in the cockpit. Although I think he had his eyes on our position and the wind indicator more than the book. The winds were only blowing 14-16 knots with gusts up to 20-25 but it just wasn’t a very sheltered anchorage. And of course we anchored just outside the harbour entrance so there was the wall looming in the background. In the late afternoon, the forecast called for the winds to increase overnight but once these big rollers starting to come in and hit us broadside (it was getting a bit uncomfortable), we decided to move down the beach. At 6:30pm we pulled anchor and found a much more protected spot where the winds and seas were much calmer. Hopefully the sandman will make a visit tonight.

What a Day

Where do I start? This was such a stressful and emotional day. I could tell the winds had picked up in the early morning and at first, Mike said all looked well. But then he started to question the hold of our anchor. And wouldn’t you know it, the winds were non-prevailing, from the east, and blowing us further into the harbor and closer the fleet of tiny fishing boats. With each gust I became more and more anxious, especially after hearing Mike’s thoughts on us trying to pull anchor and reset. His fear and reality was that as we brought up the anchor and were pulled out of our slip, the wind would push us alongside into the fishing boats and we wouldn’t be able to maneuver ourselves off. Great. All of this on top of the Pereras leaving and already being anxious about the goodbye. And if you don’t know this about me, I am terrible about goodbyes. They can cause me great distress and there is lots of crying. Needless to say, I was a wreck all morning. The plans were to walk up to the castle but we didn’t feel comfortable with leaving the boat which didn’t make it a fun last day for the Pereras. After a lot of talk about what our options were…sit and wait it out, call the Port Police for help, go for it and see what happens, Mike had the idea to tie a line from our bow which went past the boat next to us and to a cleat on the quay. And this did help get our bow pointed better and keep us from blowing further over. My biggest concern was if the winds picked up it would only be more difficult to get out. Since my anxiety wasn’t decreasing as time went on we went for Plan B. We thought that maybe our anchor chain wasn’t pulled tight enough (we had pulled it up earlier, but it may well have shifted) since we had set it to the west. But we should be ready to abandon our spot if we tried to pull it up and it wasn’t holding. So with all hands on deck (and Lucca watching a DVD) we turned on the engine. And wouldn’t you know it, the anchor snugged up nice and tight after pulling in about 10 more feet (this effectively reduced our scope to about 2:1. Not ideal. Not by a long shot.). But with the anchor tight and the line from the bow holding us it at least let me relax for the rest of the time the Pereras were on board. Well, again, except for the looming good bye and the incredible emotions of being home sick. After failed attempts to get Lucca to nap, we headed to the beach and tried to enjoy our time together but I think we were all a bit tired. And then it was time for the Pereras to shower and do some final packing before the walk to the bus station. But not before ‘the diaper picture’. How could we resist! And talk about comic relief!

It was then quite the group effort to get everyone to the bus station. I have no idea how those guys made it through Athens without at least 4 more hands (or having a pick pocketer succeed!). Very impressive. But then came the teary good bye (well, at least from me) and getting the very sweet note Shan wrote to us on back of Lucca’s kitten post card. Friends (…family) - despite the heat, the ups and downs and maybe not fulfilling our expectations of the Greek sailing vacation, we are so happy to have had you on board. You will forever be a part of our adventure and our memories of this time which is priceless. We love you and already miss you.
But the drama doesn’t stop here. We made our way back to the boat and I was drained. We sat in the cockpit and I was trying to decompress with some wine and could feel my eyes getting heavy. But at the same time, I wanted to get out of that harbour so bad! All day I just wanted to get out of that harbour! After another sail boat came in and seeing how our spring line was taking up most of the quay, we decided to make some moves. Especially since it was an hour from dark and Mike had looked at a weather forecast which only called for increasing easterlies over night and in the morning. So after Mike informed our new neighbor and a not so happy fisherman of our plan, we started. We would use a spring line from the bow cleat to the dock and back to our mid-ship cleat to keep us from being blown sideways while we pulled anchor. Mike would be on the line slowly releasing it to let us move forward and then when we were free, he would motor us out while I pulled in the line to angle us up wind and out of the harbour. At least that was the plan. Except for the windlass fuse tripping, Mike having to tie off the line to go below to reset the fuse, and then coming back up to start again, it was all going pretty well. That is until we hooked the not so happy fisherman’s mooring line with our anchor. Thank god for the spring line because it seemed to be holding us in a safe place while we could figure out what to do. And there was really only one option…for Mike to dive into the poop-infested waters (yes, literally). And don’t forget, we are providing great entertainment to the very curious café patrons who have their eyes glued on us from all around the harbour. So there goes Mike diving in with a line to help pull the fisherman’s mooring line off our anchor (as he is yelling and trying to keep his boat in place). After Mike crawled up the anchor chain to get back on the boat, it took a bit of wrangling (and our new neighbor telling Mike he would have to jump in again, which he was doing everything to avoid) but it worked! A quick tug on the bow line turned us, and then I hauled the line in while Mike held position, and we were free! It felt so good to motor out of that place! We got outside of the harbour entrance and anchored off the beach with a really good hold, thank god. Then we were truly able to decompress and relax with a little food and a beer. The only thing that made us a bit uncomfortable was a huge motor yacht that decided to anchor a little too close for comfort. But lesson learned today-Just because you can get fit into a harbour doesn’t mean you should! Now off to bed in the V-berth with thoughts of good sleep.
And I just have to say how proud I am of Mike. Despite his own doubts, at times, about his skill or being able to handle situations on this boat, I saw nothing but absolute capability today. He handled the situation with thought, speed, efficacy and strength while remaining calm and gracious through out. Mike, I will sail anywhere with you.

Mike trying to hand the 'not so happy fisherman' a beer as he motored past

He refused but was very pleasant

Hangin' with the big boys