Tradewinds of Emsworth II Ship’s Log: June 2018 (Page 1)
Friday 1st June 2018: A new month and a new crew - Monica joined me yesterday from her home near Toronto, via a few days in Sicily. Tradewinds has been berthed in the ancient Greek capital Nafplio for a week whilst awaiting her arrival. Readers of my 31st May Ship's Log will be aware that, because of striking airport bus drivers, I rented a car and drove to meet her at the train station in Corinth. It was a painless operation both for her and me, and by 1800 we were back in Nafplio, ready for drinks aboard Praslin my buddy's boat berthed alongside Tradewinds. After Bruce's hospitality we all went ashore for an excellent evening over dinner at one of my favourite Nafplio restaurants.
And so moving on to today - a busy first day for my new crew - I took her to the Palamidi Fortress, which overlooks Nafplio and dominates the skyline over both the new and old parts of the town. But we didn't climb the 820 steps up the cliff face to the entrance as usual, rather taking advantage of still having the rental car and driving to the back entrance instead. But she didn't escape the physical activity associated with a visit to this remarkable historical edifice, as there were plenty of steps and climbing to do once inside the fortress's grounds - there were 8 individual bastions to be visited, and we achieved 6 of them, plus the church and hidden prison cell. Nestled on the crest of a 216-metre high hill, the fortress was built by the Venetians during their second occupation of the area. The fortress was a very large and ambitious project, but was finished within a relatively short period from 1711 until 1714. It was a typical baroque fortress, apparently based on the plans of the Venetian engineers Giaxich and Lasalle. In 1715 it was captured by the Turks and remained under their control until 1822, when it was captured by the Greeks during the War of Independence.
After our visit to the fortress life returned to the more mundane, with an excursion to the Lidl Supermarket. Again, having the rental car was very beneficial and helped us get our purchases easily back to the boat. After everything had been stowed we returned the car to the rental company and walked to the old Railway Station Café for frappes (By which time Monica was gasping for her first coffee of the day).
After a light lunch on board we walked to the Nafplio Swimming Club seawater pool for a swim - the water was gorgeous and therapeutic after the rigours of the morning's activities. Monica admitted that she had had more exercise today than she had had for a long time!
In the evening at 1900 sharp the crew of Tradewinds repaired to the sailing yacht Praslin for pre dinner drinks. The conversation with Bruce varied considerably, mainly focusing on Canadian, US and European politics. We tried to sort out the woes of the world with each additional gin & tonic, although inevitably failing miserably. But we also discussed the different brands of gin and decided that, although we were drinking Lidl special gin, and some people in other places were drinking Beefeater gin, the very best (according to the resident Royal Navy representative) was Plymouth gin.
We returned to the boat via the main quayside, where there was a vintage car exhibition taking place. It was great to see, apart from others, a perfectly restored Fiat 500 (so very small), an iconic Citroën 2CV, a beautiful MGB and a clutch of Ferrari Spiders. These cars brought back memories from my childhood and early motoring life, and of my father who was an early garage owner in the City of Plymouth in the UK.
Saturday 2nd June 2018: Originally I had thought that we might leave Nafplio today, but last night I decided that another day would be appropriate to give Monica further opportunity to see Nafplio, and longer to settle in to life on board. And so we remained in town - Monica spent some time in the Saturday Farmers' Market in the morning, leaving me to enjoy my daily frappe in the old Railway Station Café, where she later joined me.
After returning the shopping on board, we went sightseeing to the Acronafplio Fortress, which is the smaller of the two Nafplio forts, made almost unnoticeable by the much more dramatic Palamidi which towers above it. But Acronafplio is an important place to visit, and the views from its ramparts are second only to the vast panoramas that we saw yesterday from Palamidi. There have been archiological excavations in parts of Acronafplio over the past 3-4 years, but little is known as to the historical discoveries. Unfortunately the Acronafplio Fortress is marred by two eyesores - two big Xenia hotels built within the walls of Acronafplia have not done it any favours. Xenias were hotels built by the Greek government under the military dictatorship of the 1960’s, and are ugly blocks of buildings plonked in the middle of extremely scenic spots. One of the two Xenia hotels within the walls of Acronafplio, the one strategically located in a very conspicuous position perched on the hill between the two sides of Nafplio is now derelict having been
Page 1 of 1 abandoned before I ever visited Nafplio in 2009. Like many other abandoned Xenia Hotels in Greece, the derelict and graffiti laden specimen in Nafplio is probably the subject of an ownership dispute, which is preventing its obliteration from the richly historicall landscape of the town.
After lunch it was time for the crew of Tradewinds to go swimming! It was 34°C this afternoon in Nafplio and a dip in the ocean was essential to our survival - actually our timing at the pool was perfect because all the locals had disappeared for their siesta, leaving the water free for we two sailors! And not only was it great to have the water to ourselves, but we were able to have unhindered and unobserved use of the fresh water showers using our shower gel! We were clean again! A red letter day indeed!
In the late afternoon after returning from our swim pI gave Monica a safety briefing for her time on board, followed by a familiarisation of the boat and its parts. I also taught her how to tie a clove hitch, arguably the most important and frequently used knot that she will be expected to use during her time aboard. Monica is an intelligent and attentive student and learns quickly - I'm sure after we start our sailing she'll continue to strive to be a very competent crew and eventually in the future, a qualified Captain.
There were no 1900 G&Ts aboard Praslin this evening, because Bruce was preparing to drive to Athens International Airport to meet his Czech girlfriend Eva, who will sail with him for the next week or so. The crew of Tradewinds therefore headed off ashore for dinner without Bruce - we were fine Bruce - nothing for you to have worried about!
But dinner wasn't a fantastic experience - we chose a restaurant that I had not previously used and were disappointed. The food was only luke warm, the WiFi was mostly not working, the service was slow and they didn't take credit cards! Anyone reading this intending to visit Nafplio, take my advice and don't eat at the Liatero Restaurant - it's in a good location close to Constitution Square, is tastefully decorated and looks good, but isn't!
Sunday 3rd June 2018: We made a leisurely start from Nafplio at 0845 this morning - it was a calm and windless morning as it had been overnight, and the Argolic Gulf was equally as placid. No wind meant no sails for Tradewinds - we motored the 10 miles to the Port of Astros taking just 2 hours, berthing on the floating pontoon close to the beach and town. The pontoon was free from other boats on our arrival, making me think that the rules had changed since last year and perhaps the Port Police or local authority would come to require us to move onto the main quayside as soon as they noticed we were there. We therefore made a hasty departure from the boat to the Wet Seaside Bar for frappes. Astros was busy with Greek holidaymakers, but we had no problem finding a table at the cafe.
The weather forecast for the afternoon made grim reading, with rain and thunder and lightning predicted from 1400 onwards. We therefore decided on a quick lunch ashore, and to bring forward our sightseeing. We both enjoyed a pork gyros for lunch and shared a bottle of Fix, before heading off to the high ground.
And so, after lunch, we climbed Nissi Hill to visit the medieval Frankish fortress that dominates and overlooks both the old and new parts of town - The "Castle of Paralio Astros" was built in 1256 by Gillaume de Villardhuin who originally called it "Castello della estella". In its naturally dominant position, it not unsurprisingly slowly developed into a powerful defensive complex, with a significant role in various armed conflicts, not an uncommon phenomenon during those times. Although most of the fortress was in ruins, the outer wall was almost completely intact, as were a couple of the inner buildings. The views from the fortress were quite spectacular in all directions, to the west towards the Peloponnese high ground were orchards of olive and other fruit trees, to the north the Argolic Gulf stretched out towards the mainland and Nafplio, and to the east and south there were seemingly vast expanses of ocean towards the island of Spetses, south along the Peloponnese coastline and beyond.
On returning to the boat we quickly prepared to go for our daily swim - the expected dark clouds were in the distance, but in town and over the beach it was still sunny and warm. By the time we got into the water the usual afternoon strong southerly wind had perked up making the water quite choppy - not ideal for swimming, but not so bad that it prevented us from diving in. We didn't spend long in the water and after our beach showers returned on board - by then the dark clouds had arrived and it became cooler, dropping to just 25°C. But the rain didn't arrive and although we heard one clap of thunder in the distance, neither did the stormy conditions. It proved perfect conditions for a siesta!
We ended our day in the Ippokeros Restaurant for dinner. This has always been a favourite restaurant of mine and today's dinner didn't disappoint. The good service and fast WiFi were a bonus to the great food from this attractive waterfront restaurant in Astros. A fine evening after a great day in this totally Greek
Page 2 of 2 holiday resort on the east coast of the Peloponnese mainland.
Monday 4th June 2018: A fabulous day sailing today - we slipped from Astros at 0745 and headed out into a windless Argolic Gulf under a clear sky. We motored for just over an hour and then stopped the engine - a light breeze from the north gave us a maximum speed of 3 knots before petering out an hour later. We were then in the doldrums for about 40 minutes before the daily southeasterly arrived, rising to about 18 knots and giving us up to 6.5 knots of boat speed for the remainder of the day's voyage. We enjoyed some very pleasant sailing this afternoon - Tradewinds performed perfectly whilst beating to windward with a full genoa and half mainsail. Eventually we fetched the entrance to the large natural harbour at Porto Cheli, entered the port and spent a little time checking the availability of berths on the town quayside. There were none!
It was a good day for my crew Monica too - although she had sailed on other sailboats before, she had no previous experience on the wheel. Today's sea and wind conditions were ideal for her to learn and gain some experience - initially she was steering a zig-zag course and over-correcting the minor course changes needed to keep the boat "on the wind" during the long tacks, but gradually she improved and by trial & error managed fairly quickly to steer a more accurate and constant course.
Finding no available spaces on the quayside we anchored instead, in 3m of water towards the western shore of the harbour, sufficiently distant from other boats, but close enough to the shoreline to make rowing the dinghy ashore tenable. But first my new Zodiac dinghy had to be commissioned and launched from the foredeck before we could go anywhere!
We rowed ashore at just before 2000 - it was a giggle fitting Monica and myself into the 230cm dinghy, together with our shore going necessities and a bag of garbage! But we reached the shore unscathed and landed on a hidden-from-the-road destination on a narrow strip of shingly beach - it was a further laugh getting us and our stuff out onto the beach, and finding a tree trunk to lock the dinghy to! Anyway, we were soon walking the road into town, ready for a well-earned beer and dinner. It was a very pleasant evening, but I was tired and exhausted from the rigours of first-time hard sailing this season.
The crew of Tradewinds were back aboard by just before 2200, unscathed and still dry from the dinghy ride. It was a beautifully quiet and calm evening and nice to sit on deck to unwind from the day before succumbing to my cabin and total sleep!
Tuesday 5th June 2018: I awoke early this morning, but didn't venture outside until about 0730. It was another beautiful day that greeted me on deck, with a clear blue sky and mirror like sea. Sitting eating breakfast on deck was a delight and bode well for the day ahead. Life was and is good.
We weighed anchor at 0820 this morning, after Monica had finished he coffee and I my fruit and cornflakes. It was windless as we departed the harbour, pausing briefly to chat to my friend George aboard his catamaran Spartel moored in inlet near the church on the entrance to Porto Cheli.
Although there was a light headwind through the Spetses Channel, it was about 30 minutes before there was sufficient wind in which to sail. But when the new wind arrived it was also light, so our progress through the Dokos-mainland gap and on to Ermioni wasn't exactly spectacular. But it was a pleasant enough ride, arriving into an inner berth in the Port of Ermioni at just after midday. It didn't take us long to secure Tradewinds and head ashore for a beer and a gyros for lunch at one of the cafés close to the boat.
It was a very warm afternoon - we sat on deck under the bimini in the light breeze, not having the energy or inclination to do anything other than nothing!
In the evening we went ashore to the Restaurant Ganossis (which claims to be the oldest restaurant in the Saronic Gulf). It was the first time I had been in that restaurant since 2009, when I celebrated the birthday of my American crew Pam. I had known Pam since meeting her on the island of Jost Van Dyke in the Caribbean British Virgin Islands in about 2007. Since then I have sailed with her twice and stayed at her home in Baltimore in Maryland in the United States on three occasions.
Ermioni (Ancient Hermione) can be divided into three sections. The commercial Limani port and harbour is located on the Northern side, with the lively Mandrakia on the Southern side of the peninsula. At the Eastern end of the town, is the archaeological pine-cladded forest area called the Bisti. Here one can enjoy leisurely walks at any time of the day, as there is plenty of shade, and visit the 5th Cen. BC temple of Poseidon (or maybe Athena), and other ancient Byzantine and medieval remains. You can also swim in the clear blue sea
Page 3 of 3 from the rocky coves along the Southern side of the Bisti, which overlook the islands of Dokos and Hydra. There are no beaches in Ermioni, apart from a very small stretch of shingle-sand close to the Bisti, where some local residents and the crew of Tradewinds go to enjoy their swim. The sea surrounds the town from three sides.
Wednesday 6th June 2018: After a quiet night berthed stern-to on the quayside in Ermioni the crew of Tradewinds faced the world at just after 0800. It was another beautiful morning with a clear sky rising temperatures, eventually to peak during the afternoon at 34°C. After due deliberation we repaired ashore to Maria's Restaurant for our daily fix of frappe and WiFi. Later we walked around Ermioni's tail (the Bisti) and stopped for a swim at my usual little beach on the south western side of the peninsula.
After our swim we continued our walk around the remainder of the pine tree covered path of Bisti to the Mandraki side of town, where we had lunch at Michalis's Restaurant. This was my usual destination for lunch in Ermioni and is the only place I eat the Greek traditional dish Mousaka. We were greeted by Michalis the owner - in a way I am always surprised to see him still in business, because of the very few customers I ever see in his establishment. Unfortunately not all of his food is very appetising, as was the case with the "beef steak saganaki" chosen by Monica today. Against stiff competition from other restaurants on both sides of Ermioni he definitely needs to raise his game to remain in business.
We returned to Tradewinds via the remains of the Temple of Poseidon (depending on where information is sourced it could be the Temple of Athena?) situated in the heart of the Bisti Peninsula - we dwelled some minutes there sitting on a park bench in the centre of the temple's footprint, savouring the quietness and imagining the history associated with such an ancient and sacred place.
We spent the rest of the afternoon resting on deck - occasionally there was a cooling breeze, but mainly it felt very warm. Temperatures remained high until about 2000, normal at this time of the year, when the sun finally sinks below the distant hills to the west.
Early in the evening we fed fresh water into the two tanks on board - the water was not metered so it was not known how much was embarked, but it must have been in excess of 150 litres, as this was the first top up since the boat was launched two weeks ago. Unfortunately the contents gauge no longer operates.
Having had our main meal of the day at lunchtime we only ate lightly in the evening, but followed by an ice cream each from the Drougas Bakery.
Thursday 7th June 2018: After getting fresh bread and a Frappe for Monica from Drougas Bakery we slipped from Ermioni and headed east through the Hydra Channel. There was no wind, the sea was like a mirror and the sky clear and blue, but with a light haze. And so it remained through the 13 mile channel and afterward after we had rounded the headland and completed our 20 mile Voyage into Poros. Arriving off Poros Town from the west is always a thrill - the beautiful little town, built amphitheatrically with two-storey whitewashed or bright coloured Neoclassical buildings opens out to provide an unforgettable panorama.
We berthed Tradewinds stern-to by the Skipper Café in Poros at 1230 - there was no-one around to take our mooring lines, so my crew had to hop across to the quayside to do the honours! After everything was done it didn't take us long to get ashore and under the shade of the Skipper Café, parasols where, in my case, I was soon sinking a bottle of Fix (and a second one)!
We returned on board for a late lunch on deck - cucumbers, tomatoes, feta cheese, boiled egg, salami, peppers, tzatziki, olive oil, Oregano and fresh bread! A feast indeed.
Later in the afternoon we walked to the beach for a very welcoming swim. On the way to the beach the road passed the Greek Naval Academy - Poros was the site of the first naval base in modern Greece, established in 1827 during the Greek War of Independence. Most of the activities of Poros naval base were moved to Salamis Naval Base in Piraeus in 1881,but the Poros establishmen is still used by the Hellenic Navy as a training centre for naval officers.
We walked to the clock tower in the evening to watch the sunset - not such of a red sky tonight but nevertheless beautiful as the sun finally sunk behind "Our Lady of Poros" in the western hillsides (Our Lady of Poros is a imaginary lady reclining in the hills to the west of the town - the topography seems to outline her face, her bosom and knees! My local friend Elisabeth describes her as always sleepy, dreaming of otherworldly realms, perhaps hypnotized and meditating deeply, her ears still filled with the melodies of
Page 4 of 4 ancient lands, and always bathed in the most beautiful sunsets!). The beautiful neoclassical, light blue painted clock tower was built in 1927 and stands on the highest point of the town.
After returning to sea level we walked the Poros waterfront, stopping at the Sailor Restaurant for dinner. Monica enjoyed fresh fish but commented that it had been overcooked! A pleasant evening, and it was good to be back in Poros for the first time this season.
Friday 8th June 2018: A quiet and warm night, and the first night that I've not needed a blanket! Things are hotting up!
The crew of Tradewinds started the day by taking bundles of clothes, sheets, towels, etc to Suzie's Laundry - unfortunately although we were there at 0815 she had not showed up even by almost 0900! Luckily one of her staff arrived to get things moving and we were able to start our walk of the day, up many steps through the maze of backstreets to the little church that overlooks the town and clock tower, and Galatas across the narrow channel on the mainland. From there the walk continued east along the ridge of the smaller of the two Poros Islands until reaching another small church, itself in a prominent position overlooking the eastern approaches (where we sailed yesterday) and Bourtzi Island with its Venetian Fortress (c1828) ruins. I have done this walk on numerous occasions and never tire of seeing the spectacular views, not only to the south over the town and channel towards the mainland, but also to the north towards the larger of the two Poros Islands and beyond over the Saronic Gulf.
On return to sea level it was time for frappes, this time in the Clock Tower Café, a centrally located establishment with good WiFi and coffee, but also somewhere to people watch!
After lunch on board we spent the afternoon in true Mediterranean style, having a siesta and going nowhere! It was time to recharge our batteries after a busy few days. Later in the afternoon we walked to the beach for our daily swim, followed by a shower. In the evening went to one of the Gyros Cafes for dinner, and enjoyed Ouzo on deck after returning on board.
Saturday 9th June 2018: After frappe in Skipper Café and doing some shopping we slipped Tradewinds from her berth in Poros and proceeded to sea at 1130. The winds were light but sufficient for sailing, so we went on an excursion to the opposite end of Limin Poros and back again, dropping the anchor at 1325 in Ormos Neorion. This little cruise was to give Monica some practice on the wheel and to learn learn how to tack and gybe the boat. The anchorage was a pleasant place to stay - with little wind Tradewinds swung peacefully in the calm waters of the harbour. Later in the afternoon both Monica and I went for a swim.
On leaving Poros the anchor winch gave problems - the chain kept clinging to the gypsy rather than feeding down into the anchor locker. Luckily I had the spare Fleming to rectify the problem, and fitted it earlier in the afternoon after lunch.
We remained at anchor throughout the evening and into the night. Whilst using WiFi before leaving Poros I had managed to download the newly released movie "The Mercy", which we watched on deck after the sun had set. The true story of the lone sailor Donald Crowhurst, it told the events of his entry into the first ever single handed non stop round the world yacht race in 1967. A tragic story indeed.
Sunday 10th June 2018: It was a quiet and calm night at anchor overnight, with Tradewinds never moving far away from her anchor in the 8-10 knots north-northwesterly breeze. I had the anchor alarm App on my phone switched on and set to a redius of 40m, but it never woke me from my deep sleep. I ventured onto deck at just before 0800 - it was a beautifully sunny morning already up to 26°C, and a wonderfully blue sea, with a hint of "white horses".
We weighed anchor at 1045 and headed west through the Limin Poros towards the exit of the almost landlocked stretch of water between the island of Poros and the mainland. By the time we were underway the wind had all but disappeared - anyway we had not intended to sail to Methana our next destination. The wind remained light throughout our time at sea and we arrived precisely at 1200, the time we had given the Harbourmaster as our time of arrival. She directed us to a berth in the port and provided us with two lazy lines to secure our bow. Soon we were settled in the port and off ashore for lunch.
The peninsula of Méthana with its two steep volcanic slopes is actually a volcano that emerged from the sea. It is part of the northwesternmost arc of Aegean islands of which the active volcanic areas are Methana, Milos, Santorini and Nisyros. The peninsula boasts approximately 32 volcanoes, which have laid dormant for many centuries, although still with the possibility of eruptions in the future. The last eruption was an
Page 5 of 5 underwater occasion in 1700.
Later in the evening went ashore for dinner, first meeting up with my good friends Wendy and Ian and their house guests. My friends are British but have lived in Greece for almost 9 years. Their home is in Ag Geórgios at the northern tip of the Methana Peninsula, a very small settlement with just one taverna, no shops, a church and a permanent population of only 5 people! They have chosen a very quiet place to live, but have a constant flow of friends and family visiting them during the summer months. As always when I visit Methana it was a fun and entertaining evening and it was great to see my good friends again.
It was a very warm night in the Port of Méthana and the smell from the sulphur springs unusually pungent - hydrogen sulphide is neither poisonous or dangerous, but smells of the "stink bombs" we used to throw as children!
Monday 11th June 2018: I went ashore to pay the harbour dues at just after 0800 this morning, having topped up the fresh water tanks and washed down the decks. I found the Harbourmaster (the appropriately named) Marina outside the port sweeping the approach road, which is presumably one of her duties as a local government employee. It was not the first time I have seen her undertaking this onourous task.
We slipped from Méthana at 0850 and motored the 6 nautical miles back to Poros, taking a berth as usual by the Skipper Café. Mooring the boat wasn't the easiest of tasks in the strong cross winds, but eventually with some manoeuvring inwards and outwards we finally got our lines across to the shore. The cross wind however continued to blow strongly, necessitating the rigging of a line from midships to the shore - this checked the sideways aspect of the boat, but as always everything depended on the anchor holding well, and at that stage I was not sure if it had fully dug into the seabed.
Soon after berthing we were able to take on diesel from a mini road tanker - the price of crude oil is high at the moment and was reflected by the highest price I have ever paid (€1.40 per litre) since arriving in the Mediterranean 14 years ago. We also went to the supermarket to purchase bottled drinking water - in the past 12 days the crew of Tradewinds have consumed about 30 litres - a lower average than usual.
Later in the afternoon after I had been to the beach for a swim I had a stroke of luck - one of the boats berthed alongside the floating pontoon departed, leaving a space large enough for Tradewinds to take. I had a mad scramble bringing the passerelle in, shifting fenders, rigging mooring lines and so on, and moved out from the quayside onto the available space on the floating pontoon. It had to be done quickly otherwise another arriving boat might have snapped up the space before I had got there! Later in the afternoon the sailing yacht Praslin arrived and rated alongside Tradewinds. Bruce has had his Czech girlfriend Eva on board for the past 10 days and it was pure coincidence that he should arrive in Poros on the same day as me.
My crew Monica decided yesterday that she would leave Tradewinds today. She has not been well over the past few days and judged that life aboard was not suited to her - her comfort zone was in Sicily where she lived for 20 years and that is where she really wanted to be. And so she took the 1330 car ferry from Poros to Piraeus today, never to return. I noted yesterday that she suspended her profile on the crewing website Findacrew, where we originally came into contact. During her time on board I had done my best to accommodate her aspirations and had spent considerable time and effort teaching her the basics of sailing and navigation theory, as well as giving her practical experience on the wheel. It was therefore a disappointment that she chose to leave - Despite being let down by her and leaving me with no crew for the next two weeks I have no hard feelings and wish her the best in the future. Thanks Monica for buying me lunch before your departure.
It was back into normal routine for me in the early evening - an invitation to Praslin for G&Ts. But I didn't go ashore with Eva and Bruce for dinner - Eva leaves tomorrow so I didn't want to encroach into their final evening together, especially as they won't be seeing each other again for some time. Instead I cooked myself an easy dinner and had an early night.
Tuesday 12th June 2018: It was a calm and peaceful night and despite Tradewinds being berthed alongside in a potentially noisy place, I slept well and was not woken by the return of the crew of Praslin crossing my deck, or any other of the many boats moored further out on the floating pontoon. The new day dawned windless and calm with a clear and bright sky, and a temperature of 24°C when I checked at 063, but as the morning wore on the northerly wind became stronger.
My earliest thoughts of the day were with my first granddaughter Jessica, who celebrated her 27th birthday
Page 6 of 6 today. She lives near Derby in the UK and works as a Producer for the local radio station BBC Radio Derby. She has fantastic relationships with her mother, sister, two nephews and other family, her army of friends stemming back to schooldays, and very importantly with her boyfriend Jono. May she have a wonderful day today and for many more birthdays in the future.
And so starts a period of waiting for my next crew to join - I'll probably remain in Poros for the 11 days involved, taking advantage of my safe and secure position moored on the Poros floating pontoon, and of the fantastic atmosphere in this charming little Greek island town.
In the morning I walked to Spiros's Yacht Chandlery to purchase a fender (it cost €23), to replace one that had been terminally damaged when protecting the hull of Tradewinds from the quayside when being tossed around in the wake of a catamaran high-speed ferry a few days ago. I then went to the Skipper Café for my daily frappe and WiFi session.
I met up with Bruce in the afternoon (Eva had departed on the 1130 ferry to Piraeus) and walked to the beach for a swim. In the evening we had a pizza at the Colona Restaurant before returning to the Morso Bar for mataxas (Greek Brandy) and a deep political discussion! Our discussions focused on the extraordinary Kim Jong-un / Trump meeting today in Singapore, and of course the ongoing UK debacle of Brexit. It was a lively debate agreeing and disagreeing on many related issues, but in good-nature and friendliness.
Wednesday 13th June 2018: A routine day for me here in Poros today. It was a warm and sunny day, and I went as usual to the Skipper Café for frappe in the morning, followed by a little shopping before returning on board for lunch. In the afternoon I went with Bruce to the beach for a swim and later ashore with him for dinner. Early in the afternoon we moved his boat onto the floating pontoon ahead of Tradewinds.
Thursday 14th June 2018: On this day I remembered with affection Linda from Nova Scotia in Canada, whose birthday it was today. She was sailing with me this time last year aboard Tradewinds in Greece, and was so much fun and a wonderfully gorgeous person. I'm really hoping that she'll be able to join me again next year, or even during the fall or winter whilst I am in Spain. Bruce and I raised our glasses and drank a toast to Linda over dinner this evening. Unfortunately the picture that the waitress took was lost when she managed to crash my phone!
This morning I dived my arms through the tiny access port from the bathroom into the engine compartment in search of the fresh water hose that has been leaking engine coolant into the bilge. Before I could find the defect I noticed that the mild steel bracket that adjusts the alternator drive belt tension had snapped. This of course was a significant defect that needed immediate repair,so I removed it to take ashore to have it welded.
But this morning I decided that it was time that I got my old dinghy cover modified to fit my new dinghy - it was onto the ferry to Galatas and a walk to see Michalis and Danielle at their Kalypso workshop a couple of kilometres outside town. It was Michalis's birthday, so I was treated to a sticky bun and much needed drinking water, before agreeing the way ahead for the dinghy. I'll be delivering it to them tomorrow. Whilst at Kalypso I also got Michalis to weld the alternator bracket.
On return to Tradewinds I fitted the repaired alternator bracket and carried out a successful test run of the engine. Then lunch, a short siesta, and off for a well-earned and much-needed swim. Today the wind was light and the sea very calm - ideal swimming weather. But it was very warm too, with the afternoon temperature rising to 36°C. Being in the sea was bliss.
Early in the evening a strong wind blew over Poros for about 45 minutes - it was very strong and whipped up the sea, causing most boats on the quaysides and floating pontoon to rock and roll, and some anchors to drag. Half a dozen boats abandoned the quayside and went out into the harbour for safety. But the mini storm disappeared as quickly as it had arrived - first the wind dropped and within an hour the sea had returned to calmness!
Later in the evening I repaired to the sailing yacht Praslin at 1900 for pre dinner G&Ts, followed by a light dinner ashore of savoury pancakes in the Skipper Café. Bruce disappeared back on board his boat fairly early, but I remained in the Café to use WiFi.
Please go to Page 2 of the June 2018 Ship's Logs.
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