Day 6 – Scrubbing the decks

Andy the Anchor & The Skipper give the deck a going over

The Skipper takes some time out

Mooring in the tranquilty of Zante harbour

Day 5 – The crew in Poros

Heading into Poros harbour on a choppy, blowy sea

Heading up hill for tea

The crew high on the hill at the Sunset taverna overlooking Poros harbour

I feel a bit sick

Feeding the bread eating fish in Disaster Bay the morning after

Day 14 – safe in Nidri

Well we made it.

After floating past the pinnacles on the west side of Paxos we headed across the open sea towards the Lefkas canal.  The Skipper let each of the crew have a go at the helm due to the uneventful weather and views from the sea.  It was a long haul, a 9.30start happily with no anchor issues saw us arrive early for the ‘on the hour’ rotating bridge controlling canal traffic around 4.30pm.

I was at the helm and was instructed by the Skipper to follow the mono hull directly ahead of us.  Keeping a good course and my eye on the depth the French crew shouted something and waved their limbs as they frantically pulled on their lines to get their jib up. We realised they had grounded their boat as we motored passed, fenders out and trying to avoid the few circling boats waiting patiently ahead. After some reverse and forward throttle the siren sounded, the bridge started turning and we made our way through.

Heading for Meganisi we squeezed Leda into a corner mooring on Vathi which was a relief as we saw 2 cats in front of us about turn as they headed towards the harbour. Some of the crew couldn’t remember our first visit 12 days ago but I assured them we had been there before.

After our second to last night in the on board bar we headed out for tea yet again where I was served 3 large, grilled octopus legs, fully intact  and slightly alarming to look at but  tasty never the less.

We headed back to the yacht and were busy making our night cap of Nescafe and ***** Metaxa and were somewhat surprised and dismayed to find that our fresh water supply had been completely exhausted.  Luckily we had bottled water but remained perplexed at where the 100 litres we had hosed on board the day before  had gone.  Quayside water is metered . . . . had someone syphoned off the whole lot? The coffees did the trick and we headed off to our bunks slightly worried about the implication of the sudden drought on our washing up and on board toilet facilities (on board toilets need a blog of their own!).

Showerless and salty we set sail for base camp Nidri at 11 this morning and stopped off in a small bay big enough for a few boats but happily we moored alone. Leda’s anchor slipped a few times as we tucked into a fried bread and spicy sausage breakfast but nothing alarming enough to make us down irons and fire up the engines.

We distributed the last of our ‘fish bread’ into the turquoise waters for our last glimpse of the snappy dough eating shoals who were surprisingly hungry in comparison to Vathi’s well fed feeders.

After breakfast the Chef and Cabin Girl took a breathy leap off the stern just so that they could say they had been in the water. The ‘toxic twins’ looked on and took pictures to document the event for our readers.

After a snooze, chat and general lol around in the hottest sun of the holiday we started the last leg of our voyage towards Nidri.  The views were spectacular on the inland sea, fluffy clouds, calm water and  mono hulls trying their sails on a windless sea.

Turning into the bay we had some trouble remembering our starting point but made our way to the Skorpios pontoon.  Richard, in full Gampy style overalls, greeted us with some stern instructions (even to the Skipper) to ensure that Leda was safely moored.  The Chef and I battled with the ‘Lazy Lines’ that we had only encountered on our departure and once on our voyage.  Safely secured, engines powered down and our last hour on Leda was upon us.

The strange case of the missing water was first in the agenda.  After some investigation it seems that ‘a really important water holding pipe’ had sprung a leak and was the culprit for jettisoning our water.  Pleased that it wasn’t error on our part with bilge pumps etc we were then asked if we would like to vacate the vessel and stay in an apartment for the evening as there has been an expectation by the owner that he would get to set sail on his boat this very evening.

After quickly packing up our luggage and the contents of the fridge I find myself updating the blog on a balcony overlooking the mountains  of Lefkas.  The balcony bar has been open for sometime and the crew are now indulging in long showers and reflecting on Disaster bay and our tales from the sea. We were promised a pool which we have but it is lacking the vital component of water but after 2 weeks on the sea who cares.

The sunset promises to be good.

Day 13 – we’re off to Lefkas

An early start for us this morning as we  make our way back to the beginning which it has to be said seems like a long time time ago. It is strange how being on a boat that is largely away from land confuses ones sense of time and location.

We have actually managed to get the Skipper up and dressed at 8.30 ready to tackle the tangled anchor issue we have with the broke boat which has now been fixed. 30 Euros well spent on welding!

Another lovely sunset last night

The sun is out, there is a condensation in the cabin and Lakka is coming to life. Rod Heikell’s is being consulted once more about a suitable destination for the day and we think we’ll be heading down.

Yesterday was a low key day for fixing and pottering.  Two of the crew set off on a walk around the island having hand written the route without the services of an on board printer.  Some lovely views were seen and a spectacular white cliffed bay spotted on the west of the island that we plan to sail past this morning.

We’ve had a good connection here for the last few days, I am posting this now just before we head off as base camp Nidri maybe our next log on point.

Rest assured readers that we are all safe and well and plan to make it home with only a bruised little finger nail and a host of limb bruises.

Engines have just started.

Day 11/12 – Lakka on Paxos

11.20 local time. 

We made it over to Paxos yesterday after a 6 hour motor from Preveza which saw us riding high on a rough sea.  I am glad to say that I have overcome my sea sickness and can happily bounce around the deck with the best of them now.

We’re moored up in a delighful little village called Lakka which is being spruced up with new pavements and white wash ready for the summer season.

The Skipper has been busy dismantling a fellow Dutch Skippers gear lever mechanism this morning which was the cause of a frantic half hour last night requiring all hands on deck and involving at least 3 yachts.  I’ll try to relay the scene.  I know I have still to tell the tale of Preveza and Disaster bay I know but this story takes prescedence.

We moored up with no problems, stocked up with provisions and opened the bar as is the routine we have quickly fallen into after at day at sea.  The clouds headed in and it turned into jumper weather but we still saw a great sunset before we headed out for a traditional Greek tea. As we sat below wind snaping plastic we could hear the rain pour in and see the dampness creeping down the cobbles.

We finished our small and sweet complimentary glass of what looked like prune juice and tasted like cough mixture and decided to cross the road for a night cap in the adjacent bar.  A Metaxa coffee for me and some suprisingly serious world issues type talk took over the crew. Not longer after our arrival, feeling tired and full we left. The Skipper and Cabin Girl ran ahead through the now heavy rain to open up Leda’s doors. 

We were 10 paces behind and as we appeared from the brightly lit street into the wet darkness of the quayside there were people in wet weather gear everywhere  . . . .  and on our boat and we immediately wondered what we had done assuming the guys appearing from the bow of our boat were of some authority.  It turns out they were from one of the 4 Russian boats moored along from us and they were busy fending off the mono hull that had been blow in from the bay and which was now uncomfortably close to our bow and over our anchor line.

The wind was blowing, the rain was pouring, the sea was bouncing us every where. We then realised that their anchor was down and had caught across another line and in an effort to speed the boat to safety the gear mechanism had broken which meant that they had no means of controlling their yacht.

Our crew pretty much had a torch a piece (our previous adventures had equipped us well for this very moment, torches, ropes, adrenalin) and were all out on deck.  To save Leda’s bow from a bashing the Skipper suggested to newly formed rescue party that we move our yacht along to the quay to enable the broken boat to slide in beside us.

Ropes were lashed across 3 hulls and the broken boat was secure once more. The rest of it is a bit of a dark and soggy blur now but I can recall the Cabin Girl shriek with delighted suprise that someone 3 hulls away had a pretty serious video camera pointed our way and was recording the whole event (maybe we’ll become a YouTube phenomena in a few weeks).

No injuries were incurred I am pleased to say and the crew congratulated one another on a co-ordinated approach to the rescue mission.

Day 9/10 – Well!

We’ve had a pleaseant and quite eventful time since we last posted.  We’ve seen some turtles, dolphins, octopus, starfish, tons of fish that like bread.  Seen blue caves and another big enough to hide a submarine. Seen some windy seas and eerie calm.  We’ve also had some anchor issues, 4 ropes off the stern, rediculously long days at sea and a dark and adrenalined late evening that was a shivery, shouty, wet and windy culmination to a very long voyage as we landed in ‘Disaster Bay’. Fortunately the boat is in one piece which is more than can be said for the crew.

In summary:

Thursday – Fiskhardo to Poros

Friday – Poros to Zante town harbour

Saturday – Zante to Ay. Andreous bay on the south coast of Ithaka (affectionately known now as Disaster bay)

Sunday – Stayed put in Disaster bay (aka Disco bay)

Monday – Ay Andreous to Spartakhori

Tuesday – Spartakhori to Preveza (Disaster bay 2)

Wednesday – We’re arguing about it now whilst sitting on Leda drinking cooking wine and eating what remains of our snack rations.

Pictures and personal perspectives to follow.

Day 4 – Kioni to Fiskardo

It rained at 2am but the sun was on it’s way up at 8.30 am when I did a milk run for our morning cuppa. By 9.30 am the moorings were almost clear ready for today’s new arrivals.

After some considerable debate last night about todays activities our destination was still unclear this morning. After several cups of tea and more faffing around with the charts we headed our of the bay on our way to Fiskardo on the north east of Cephalonia.

Approaching Fiskardo

We got the sails up on the open water and made a nifty 8 knotts on wind power with only a touch of sea sickness for me today. After yesterdays high winds and being blown around the deck we retireved the brand new life jackets from the hold.

Heading past the light house into the harbour the moornings were, it seemed, plentiful until the two guys fixing the pontoon shouted
“No!” . . . . standing at the bow I asked where we could moore only to met with shrugged shoulders. A fellow Skipper came across as we circled the bay and informed us of the imminent re-location of the two pontoons so we headed to a clear spot on the right hand side of the bay.

Now masters of stern to, the crew made a handy arrival, securing Leda to the quayside in a slightly nervy 1.6m of the water.
Lunch was consumed 5 steps away with a bottle of Amstel followed by a welcome snooze onboard whilst the Skipper did further faffiing with ropes and fenders.

It is now 7.30 as I write, boats are still heading into the harbour and the pontoon looks like it has now been fixed. The cloud is coming down and there is a chill in the air. The on board bar is now open.

Poros on the south west of Cephalonia is our destination a blowy 22 Nm away.

I note here thar it has been slighlty trickier than imagined to get Internet access so we keep a record to up date as and when we can onboard batteries permitting.

Day 3 – Vathi to Kioni

The Skipper was up early making the crew a hot cuppa to get our engines started.

Vathi from Meganisi

We headed out of Vathi aiming for Kionin on Ithaca, a small ‘gem’ of a village according to Rod Heikell. On route we moored in a small bay to test our anchoring skills and make sure that the dingy and engine were in working order. Having put down the anchor Ted has his first and breath takingly chilly swim.

Breath taking, literally

We could see fish at the stern and throwing bread crumbs to the water they shot to the surface to snatch their lunch.
Heading out of the bay after a boiled egg breakfast we searched for the wind.  Progress was slow and the engines helped us make our way south.  The wind picked up, the sales filled and we had our first taste of real sailing making a speedy and slightly unnerving wind powered 9 knots. As we got closer to Vathi the sea got rougher and as the cat went side onto the waves the sea sickness hit me.

The main sail came down in very rough conditions and Ted had difficulty keeping his grip on the mast. We pressed on my eyes firmly fixed on the horizon which I had been told would my queasiness.

Sails are up!

All was calm in Kioni harbour and although the moorings were tight and the wind was blowing the vessel off course the crew pulled together and made stern to look like a sinch. We nailed it!

[Kioni harbour]

Glad to be out of the wind we broke out the Mythos and recounted the days tales before a shower and a honey & pork stew tea.