Tradewinds of Emsworth II Ship’s Log: July 2016 (Page 1) Friday 1st July 2016: The start of a new month sees Tradewinds berthed on the quayside in Livadhiou on the island of Serifos,one of the Greek islands of the Cyclades group. Tradewinds slipped from the quayside in Livadhiou, Nisos Serifos at 0820 this morning, after the fresh water tanks had been topped off and I had done some shopping. We sailed in a northwesterly direction, eventually fetching a berth on the outer wall of the Fishing boat Harbour at Ermoupolis, on the island of Syros. This wasn't to the entire satisfaction of my crew who stated that she didn't like the place and demanded that we move on somewhere else, or she would leave in two days time! It was an offer I could not refuse, so asked her to leave immediately, which she did. We had not been getting on too well for some time, so it was a relief to have the boat to myself again and not have to continue walking on broken glass! After she departed I did a quick shopping expedition to the Lidl supermarket across the road from the harbour, returned on board, slipped the dockside and proceeded to sea. It was a pleasant downwind sail from Ermoupolis to the small harbour of Finikas, on the southern coast of Syros, where I anchored for the night at 1915. Moving from Ermoupolis this evening saves me almost 10 miles off my sail to Kea or beyond tomorrow. My intention is to join up with my buddy Bruce, who is currently berthed in Astros. The Meltemi is expected on Monday, so I hope to be there by then! The start of this new month finds me depressed because of the departure of Judith, but also elated because the difficult situation that had prevailed on board for the past couple of weeks came to an end. I now have a little less than 4 weeks to get Tradewinds back to the coast, to relax, fix a few problems on the boat and prepare for my next guest. In the meantime at the Finikas anchorage I enjoyed a quiet and hassle free evening. Saturday 2nd July 2016: Tradewinds was the perfect place to be last night - quiet, peaceful, gently rocking and with a slight breeze to stop it feeling too warm. I slept like a log after my long day on the wheel yesterday. The Autopilot is still giving trouble, particularly when there are strong winds or a sea running, so I have to be on the wheel continuously (my crew refuses to take the wheel except for brief moments to allow me to visit the bathroom). Fixing it is a top priority job for when I can find time, although before turning in last night I did clean the electrical connections in case there were some dry joints. That seemed to help because today I was able to use the system for much of the day. I awoke early, so decided to weigh anchor at 0530 and start out on what was to be a very long day. It proved to be so - sailing for the first 7 hours was excellent with good winds (20 knots but with gusts to 28 knots) and boat speeds occasionally over 8 knots. When about 20 miles from the mainland coast the winds started to drop and eventually started being problematical - from then it was some of the time motoring over a glassy sea, but occasionally sailing half heartedly at slow speeds taking advantage of whatever breeze sprung up. It was frustrating not to be able to continue at high speed as earlier. But that wasn't the end of my frustrations today - I had planned to anchor for the night in Mandrake (the first possible anchorage after crossing from the Cyclades and across the Saronic Gulf), a Bay on the coast of Hydra, but it was full! I then had to motor a further 90 minutes to the anchorage at Dokos, an uninhabited island further west along the Hydra Channel. I was relieved to eventually anchor at 2145, after 76 miles and 16hrs 15mins at sea! It was a a day of contemplation and reflection at sea, with plenty of time to analyse what went wrong between my last crew and me, and to rejoice at the many wonderful places visited, some for the first time. As far as Judith is concerned, she was probably a bad choice, made too hastily without the research I normally do before accepting a new crew. From the start when she objected to me playing music whilst at sea I should have recognised that here was a person used to getting her own way, and was unlikely to blend with my mixture of compromise, working together and providing each other with good and stimulating company. Perhaps the things that interested her didn't interest me, or vice versa, but we never seemed to engage in fruitful conversation. In fact there were lengthy periods of silence, particularly at sea when it appeared that she was critical of my cruising methods or sailing ability! We were obviously not a partnership meant to be, so it's good that her tenure on board has ended. I am relieved that she has gone, feel much more relaxed aboard my own boat (which is my home) and can now play my music whenever I want! As far as places visited are concerned - I loved the freedom of sailing the islands again and exploring new places, and the challenges presented by the rougher seas and higher winds. I enjoyed exploring each of the places we visited, but it would have been so much more fulfilling had I had company to share my experiences (Judith didn't accompany me on most of my sightseeing or walks). In a way I felt robbed! It was infinitely more rewarding two years ago during my extensive islands circumnavigation of the Cyclades, Dodecanese and Eastern Sporades Islands with Wenying (from China), and later around the coastal areas first with Beth and later Sheila. Those were halcyon days that I shall never forget. I'll be back to the islands later this season with Sheila who is returning for another spell on board, and again next year. Sunday 3rd July 2016: I slept soundly after my very long day yesterday, but was awake by 0700, and weighed anchor 30 minutes later to sail to the Pelopponese coastal town of Astros, where I planned to meet up with my buddy Bruce. The winds were forecasted light today, so even though Astros was only just over 30 miles away, I expected not to be there until late afternoon. At sea it was very relaxing, and I spent much of the time keeping in touch with friends both in the UK and the United States using Facebook Messenger. The winds did pick up from the south later in the afternoon, but although relatively light compared to those experienced over the past month, were from a favourable direction most of the way. There were hardly any other boats on the ocean, and Bruce kept me briefed on berth availability for my arrival in Astros - it was good to be able to prepare mooring line and fender positions before arrival. I berthed in Astros at 1600 and was soon sitting on the deck of Bruce's boat drinking a beer and sharing our experiences of the past few weeks since we departed Kilada in opposite directions at the beginning of the season. In the evening we went ashore together for dinner, and a couple more beers! It's good to be back. Monday 4th July 2016: Happy Independence Day to all my American friends, including Anita in North Carolina, Leticia in Redwood City, California, Charlie in Sacremento, California, Gloria & Bob in Lake St Louis, Missouri, Scott, Chris & Marshallyn in Dallas, Texas, Miles in Houston, Texas, Joanna in Manitou Springs, Colorado, Trish in New York City, Betsy in Gaithersburg, Maryland, Pam, Sonja and Debbie in Baltimore, Maryland, Bob in Atlanta, Georgia, Evelyn in Asheville, North Carolina, Liz in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Sherry somewhere sailing, Peter and Sharon in Grand Cayman (or Florida), Philip & Sharon in Wickford, Rhode Island, Su-Mei in Maryland, Nhu in Ocean City, Maryland, May & Hector in Salisbury, Maryland, Joie & Kris in New Jersey, and my many American potential crew from Findacrew. My sincere apologies to anyone I have left off this list. It was a happy day for me too! I didn't wake until 0930 this morning, my body taking charge of my brain ensuring that I got sufficient sleep after the exertions and pressures of the past few days. Although I was comfortable with the distance sailed and often rough sea conditions encountered, physically it took its toll on me, as the constant requirement to be in control of the boat whilst it ploughed its way through the ever changing ocean for almost 110 nautical miles over two days was a 100% physically and mentally consuming activity. Today I feel totally revived. And today was a fulfilling day too - I did a few important jobs on the boat after breakfast, went with Bruce to the "Wet Seaside Bar" for WiFi and Frappe, and then for a swim from the beach, all before a late lunch on board. I relaxed during the afternoon, but later went ashore with my buddy for dinner - last night I had a pizza (it was my first dinner for 3 days), but this evening it was back to the humble yet inexpensive and enjoyable Gyros.