Cap’n Buck and Pippy

Xmas at Porto Turistico Marina di Ragusa

2011-12-24T22:08:00.000-08:00

It doesn't matter how you say it but Christmas really is the season of good cheer and we have had plenty of good cheer this year.

It is time to think of our family and friends far away in New Zealand and to send you all our love and wishes for a wonderful Merry Christmas with your loved ones and a very healthy year for 2012. We miss you all and you will be in our thoughts on Xmas day as we celebrate it in Paris with Richard's daughter Emily, husband Marc and Mother in Law Helen.

It is time for us to give thanks for the many blessings we have enjoyed this year, for the opportunity to be out in the world and meeting people from all walks of life.

Our time on the marina has impressed on us the goodness of people both in the cruising community and in the local community here in Marina di Ragusa whose hospitality and kindness has been extended to us in many ways large and small.

We find ourselves getting to know people who in another life we would never have had anything in common with and it is a huge blessing to realise that it is not our place to judge those with different ways, opinions or lives to ours, but to enjoy their friendship and go with the flow. We all have a right to be.

With that thought we will celebrate Xmas with Joy and Love to the World. Peace to all.

Following are some of our special 'moments' leading up to Christmas.

The music group surprises everyone one evening around 5pm as we walk around the pontoons singing Christmas Carols. Richard is known as a 'voice' around the marina, leading the carol singing with Julia from SY Fynetyme. He is an integral part of the music group and we all let our voices soar in the open air and with lots of encouragement and appreciation from the various boats.

SY Freebird is very very hospitable and provides us with some lovely cocktails made from rum and some other ingredients to warm us and carry us along the way. Pippy and Tina are right into the mood.

Catania, the Fish Market, the Opera, Mt Etna

2011-12-18T07:48:00.000-08:00

This billboard catches our eye.... 2012 is coming, enjoy every second! Sooo off we go...!

Parking nearby, we stroll through the fish market, eyes goggling at the many species on offer.

The cheeses, fruit and vegetables and other items of interest catch our eye as we stroll by.

Richard sizes up the monster turkey.

The Opera

We are lucky to be able to acquire some seats for the Opera Rigoletto, being performed in the Catania Opera House (Teatro Massimo Bellini) for 5.30 pm on 13 December. The only problem is, we hear that people here 'dress' for the opera and we realise we do not have any 'smart' clothes with us on the boat.

Teatro Massimo Bellini is the oldest Opera House in Sicily and is a grand old lady with a sumptuous decor inside.

Richard manages to borrow a jacket and black tie, and Pippy is luckily loaned some black boots by Janine from SY Orca Joss. However she still has to find something to wear so rushes off to the nearest Saturday morning market the week before the opera and has a lot of fun which turns out to be an adventure in itself.

There are clothes stalls everywhere at this market and the prices are very good. Wandering along Pippy notices one stall in particular with Sicilian women crowding around two and three deep, walking away with armfuls of garments. Being very nosey, Pippy elbows her way in and to her great pleasure finds piles and piles of designer label clothing being sold for 3 Euro a piece!

An hour and a half later and loaded down with black jacket, sparkly top, evening bag, silk pyjamas, silk dressing gown, gorgeous white woollen wrap, a second sparkly skirt if the top does not work and a black top. There is a new outdoors jacket for Richard in the mix and a couple of other things besides. Given that we had to leave our winter clothes behind in NZ, we have managed to fill a few gaps.

However, there is one slight problem. On getting everything home and having a close look Pippy discovers that her black jacket is pre-loved, and has not been cleaned. It brings with it a slightly musty smell which diminishes somewhat after being hung out in the sun and sprayed with sanitiser, but there is no time to have it dry cleaned before the opera.

Inside the theatre we have champagne in the magnificent reception room at the bar in the corner.

The rows of boxes inside make a festive sight. We are seated in one of these boxes on lovely velvet chairs and crane our necks over the balcony to see the stage below.

For a change of scenery a glance up to the ceiling is always an option.

The opera is superb, as are the surroundings. It is a truly magical experience and Pippy takes off the jacket and uses the woollen wrap around her bare shoulders and the sparkly top.

The soprano is amazing, young and beautiful, reaching high and seemingly unattainable notes with ease. The tenor (playing the Count) is stunning and we are entranced with the performance of the lead part, Rigoletto whose base baritone voice fills the theatre. It is a tragic story and very sad at the end.

(The occasional musty waft from the jacket hanging over the chair back is not a problem and merely makes Pippy smile serenely!) What a fabulous experience.

Mt Etna

Its an early start the next morning so we can drive to the 2,000 m level car park at Etna Sud and walk from there. We review the walks along the way in the guide book and decide on which one we will do. Its 7 km long and in parts traverses volcanic shale so the right tramping gear is required. Steve and Katie are well kitted out but Richard and Pippy do not have the right footwear, so plan to go part of the way then return down the same track.

We are lucky with the weather which is clear and sunny with only a light breeze, which still has an icy chill to it but we are adequately clad with several layers.

It is a couple of hours of steady uphill climbing. The track also goes down sometimes, so we lose height that we have gained, and take off our outer layers as we walk up the sheltered side of the mountain in the sunshine.

Soon we come out on to a ridge which overlooks a graphic lava valley which is the result of an eruption in 1987.

We are not alone and have a good chat to this mountain guide and his two clients. We discuss the weather as there is a bit of cloud coming in and he assures us it is quite safe to be on the mountain today, but urges extreme care once the track ends and the volcanic shale has to be traversed.

We move on and it is not long after this that the track runs out and we are picking our footsteps between sharp thorny bushes as we climb uphill over rocks and ridges. Its time for Richard and Pippy to wave goodbye to Steve and Katie who walk on up.

We turn back and make our way down. The views are breathtaking as we stop for lunch in the warm sunshine.

...and its a quick walk down the mountain again to the carpark. The last kilometer is a bit of a struggle as it is uphill again and the wind becomes cold. We have had a good walk today and enjoy a hot coffee in the cafe before getting on the road again.

Pantalica Valley of the Anapo and Cava Grande Stream

2011-12-03T08:08:00.000-08:00

It is our great good fortune to be invited by Madeline and Roy from SY Mythrill to visit this famous nature reserve, nestled in the mountains north west of Syracusa in the province of Syracuse.

We leave the marina very early on Saturday 3 December, a gorgeous sunny day, for the 2 hour drive to the start of our planned walk. We are really excited to be getting out of the Marina and into the countryside for the first time. This is just great!

There are many interesting walks, horse and mountain bike tracks in this region,with abundant bird life, trout filled streams, and interesting flora.

It is an area of deep rifts with running water at the bottom and high plateaux, and home to many important species of bird, insect and animal life.

Byzantine churches and necropolises and many prehistoric grave sites (5,000) are distributed along the steep wall of the Anapo river.

Our walk takes us from the ancient remains of a Prince's Palace on the top ridge, down to the river 1400 metres below, then back up again via a different route.

We are soon passing many cave tombs and stop to admire them as we go down towards the bottom of the gorge.

It does not seem to take long to get to the bottom where we walk along an old railway track converted into a good walkway. We soon come across some locals burning off weeds which they have cleaned up.

They invite us for coffee and we swap for some chocolate biscuits we have in our packs. We stand around as the coffee is brewed in a small pot over a gas ring, then we all have a tiny shot served in small plastic cups.

We have a lot of fun with these people and they take us to a spot on the edge of the river off the track where we see a most magnificant sight along the river.

We could almost be in New Zealand!

We continue our walk, finding an interesting small museum with many local artefacts on display and well documented information on all the species which inhabit the area including wolves.

There are many photo opportunities...

We climb back up to the top and sprawl on the stones of the Prince's Palace while we eat a late lunch, driving back home through some very interesting and picturesque old towns.

Thanks Maddy and Roy, we arrive back at the Marina feeling that we have explored one of Sicily's very special sites.

Porto Turistico Marina di Ragusa

2011-11-30T12:07:00.000-08:00

We have been here a few weeks now and are getting more familiar with our surroundings. Quite a few boat jobs are done and we are realising that we have really lucked out this time and are in a fab place for the winter.

The marina is two years old and with around 200 boats here there are a surprising number of catamarans, around 50/50 to monohulls. This is the first year so many boats have wintered over in what is normally an empty marina at this time of year.

Not unlike sportsman of the year in NZ, Porto Turistica Marina di Ragusa appears to have trumped both Turkey and Greece as one of the top marinas of choice for this year. The cruiser's network via word of mouth and email over the summer season has been very effective in spreading the news.

We are enjoying meeting a really interesting bunch of people, a cross section of American, Dutch, German and of course Brits, Welsh and Irish but no Scottish at this stage. There are four NZ boats, two of us staying over. The level of expertise and knowledge in the group is impressive and we have a 'Skipper's Debrief' every Friday at 5pm, (followed by Happy Hour, followed by dinner) where information and expertise is shared.

The marina cafe is a great spot with a room off to the side which we tend to take over for regular learning and info swap sessions.

This is not to mention watching the Rugby.... YES!!! Here we are defeating Australia...

and then.... gasp.. gasp... will we, won't we? YES!!! Defeating France... just!!

The cafe staff are friendly, no .... absolutely fabulous and lovely. Rita, Lucia, Riccardo and others. We love them and they extend an incredibly warm welcome to us, putting on cut price dinners for us to follow on from 3 x happy hour evenings each week. One particular night we are served up with a full sized ricotta, warm, for our main course. As you can see tho its not such a good photo, Steve and Richard are right into it!

Pippy goes to the yoga group outside on the main pontoon as the sun comes up three mornings a week.

We both take part in self taught Italian lessons, have joined a photography group, and until recently have been walking a lot each day.

The generous loan of two bikes from a fellow cruising boat until March next year has revolutionised our lives so we now cycle everywhere. What we had trimmed to a 6 minute walk to the nearest shower/toilet block and to the office not to mention the daily trip to the shops for bread ice cream etc, is now much faster!

It is morning as Pippy checks on our email. We have a 'Wind' USB dongle which provides us with a 3G connection on board for Euro 15 per month/10Gig. Richard is doing the breakfast dishes, Pippy has just done a big load in the marina washing machine and it is hanging around the boat despite the 25 knot wind. Every so often we check that it is still there!

Pippy has to clean off the red dust before hanging out the laundry to dry.

Mornings on the marina are very busy, kicking off at 7am with either yoga, laundry, or other early tasks, followed by the radio net at 9am which in many ways is the focal point of the day. It is an information and cruiser networking net, giving details of weather, marina issues, social activities, items for sale or giveaway, new arrivals and departures etc. Pippy is the net controller on Saturdays and here she is giving the weather forecast.

Following on from the net, Richard has just had 'man time' on the pontoon. This is when he and several other men stand with their arms crossed and their faces very serious, and talk about all sorts of man stuff. It usually takes at least half an hour at a time and sometimes extends into more than an hour. The group morphs as new arrivals join and others leave, usually because of a feminine request from a nearby companionway to 'give me a hand' with something or other! Richard starts the 'man time' group this morning because we give away our old car radio (ex boat) on the net and several hopefuls turn up at our boat. First in gets the radio but this involves Richard in quite a bit of serious discussion with arms folded!

After all these activities, we often take a 15 minute walk along the seafront promenade to the nearby town of Marina di Ragusa to stock up on bread, visit the chandlery or hardware shop, buy meat and veg etc.

This is always a lovely experience with the sea in its many different moods, sometimes totally flat calm, sometimes a raging surf beach. Richard is always ready with his camera for that special shot.

On sunny Sundays (we have quite a few), the local population come out in large numbers and promenade from town to marina, dressed up in their best clothes. The vibe is very cool, with beautifully dressed children riding bikes and scooters or throwing balls and the fragrance of expensive perfume wafting to the sound of many buona serras as we pass by.

Unfortunately our local gelato shop closed for the winter. (We later discover that the cafe right here in the marina has a gelato bar...fatal!). However there is always time for a coffee stop and a snack on one of the local delicacies usually containing a mix of tomatoes, ricotta cheese and egg plant wrapped in pastry, or closeted inside a deep fried ball of rice (Arancini). We have not yet discovered Canoli, but it won't be long. These are delicious pastry wraps (either piccolo or grosso, depending on one's appetite) filled with a sweet ricotta mixture which melts in the mouth).

Needless to say we are both looking a little 'porky' around the middle and will have to watch that! Today is a holiday here, otherwise being Tuesday, it would have been market day. The Tuesday open air market provides us with plenty of fresh local fruit and veg, fish, cheese and meat and is a lovely routine to do each week.

Pippy washes all the fruit and veg on the pontoon before it comes on board to prevent cockroach infestations.
The rotisserie chickens from here are delicious Euro 4.50 each or 3 for Euro 10. One chicken makes two meals on board.

We are very cosy on board, eat well and enjoy listening to music on spare evenings alone of which there aren't many. This is our winter home now and we are going to be very happy here we think. The weather was pretty awful for most of November but we seem to be having an Indian summer here although the nights are pretty cool.

The town of Marina di Ragusa is a 15 minute walk from the marina along the lovely waterfront promenade and most of our needs can be met with local suppliers who are very hospitable towards us. Twenty minutes on the bus from the town square takes us to a shopping mall (which Pippy soon discovers has a Zara shop) and it is a 30 minute bus ride to the large 'new' town of Ragusa and Ragusa Ibla (old town).

Built after the 1693 earthquake, in the late baroque style, Ragusa Ibla, Modica and Scicli, all nearby, have recently been declared along with a number of smaller towns in the region as UNESCO world heritage towns. We are very much looking forward to exploring the whole of Sicily and indeed, going further afield into mainland Italy for some excursions while we are here, until the end of April next year.

The marina staff are very good to us, especially Viviana who fields all of our enquiries, complaints (none) and requests for various assistance (plenty). She is an absolute wizzard and having someone like Viviana as our first contact has made our experience here so much more special. She is the darling of the liveaboard fleet and commands huge respect.

Richard slips on a metal strip inside the main gate one cold wet and windy night and falls heavily on his back, hurting himself quite a bit. Some days later, he has symptoms of a kidney infection. The marina office sends a car to pick Richard up from the pontoon, delivering us to the medical centre in town. Viviana accompanies us and translates Richard's symptoms to the doctor who does not speak English. He is back on the boat within an hour with a script for antibiotics and with instructions to report to the hospital in Ragusa for more tests if there is no improvement. He is soon back to good health again. The marina have now installed some strips to stop the slip.

Back to boat jobs, the sails are all packed away and the engine wintered. The only outstanding jobs for the new year are the installation of a watermaker - currently on its way to us, and the modification of the mast track, which has been an ongoing problem on the boat, with gaps opening up and ball bearings spilling on to the deck on several occasions when we have been sailing in heavy weather.

On arrival here we discover (as a ball bearing bounces off the deck) that we again have a gap in the track. This has as usual, opened up on a boisterous sail, this time out of Syracusa when we turned back because of the weather. It is just not acceptable to have this happening every time we get into heavy weather and we look for a solution.

(Fortunately we motored all the way to Marina di Ragusa, because we would have had problems getting the main down if we had tried to sail.)

This time the gap is high up the mast almost out of sight.

We notice that a catamaran on our pontoon has the same Z-Spars mast and track system as us, so we are able to have a close look at it. Quickly it is obvious that the track has been bolted into place at 2 m intervals all the way up the mast and there is a fitting at the top which also prevents the track from moving. We know there are minimal bolts on our mast, top and bottom only, with no fitting at the top to prevent movement, although on close inspection, there now appears to have been one there at some time in the past, but not since we have owned the boat.

A very helpful contact at Z-Spars UK has now supplied us with the bolts, screws and fittings necessary to modify our mast, plus detailed instructions (quite complicated) about how to fit everything. Richard is determined that he will go up the mast and do this job in the New Year. Pippy is reminding him that he is 72 years young and "Couldn't we just get a rigger to do it?" The jury is currently out on where we are going with this!

We cannot believe where each day flies by to, but suddenly it is the end of November and we are celebrating Thanksgiving with the American contingent here. The size of the Turkey is gobsmacking. One breast feeds ten people easily. We all take home the leftovers for another Turkey meal on board.

The remarkable thing about the lady in the orange dress (centre) and her husband immediately in front of her is that they have come from Thailand this year straight through the pirate infested waters of the Indian Ocean and the entrance to the Red Sea. They now admit they realise it was a bit lucky that they made it! They have a 39 ft Island Packet sloop and are in their mid sixties!

Syracusa, Inclement Weather and Goodbye

2011-10-12T13:18:00.000-07:00

Despite the most threatening sky we have ever seen, it is exciting to be back in Syracusa, one of the most lovely towns we have been in. We rush around getting the laundry done and filling up the larder at the local daily market so that we can get some more cruising in.

Taormina north west towards the Straights of Messina is in our sights. We spend the morning tied stern to on the town wall so that we can get our 'stuff' done, but the wind soon builds and we are on a lee shore, so we need to move back to the anchorage again.

There is some interesting small sailboat racing going on and we enjoy watching them as they fly around the harbour in the stiff breeze.

As the afternoon wears on the gale starts to howl and we watch with interest as a ship makes its way into the harbour through the heads.

In the past week the weather has turned cold and very windy at times. We have experienced some very nasty squalls going through the Grand Harbour (Syracusa not Malta) and recorded up to 42 knots as we swing and sail around on our anchor here.

The most astonishing sight is a fisherman continuing on with his work despite the wind!

Karen and Nick's time is running out. Little do we know that this is to be their last night on board.

By lunchtime the next day, Sunday 9 October, the wind has eased a litted so we leave Syracusa Harbour to sail north to Taormina, but soon find ourselves in incredibly adverse weather conditions and sea state. The wind was just tricking us and is back howling with a vengeance. We can see the cliffs of Taormina in the distance, but that is our only glimpse of an anchorage we really wanted to visit, as we turn back to Syracusa Harbour and shelter.

The weather report promises more of the same for the next few days.

So suddenly, their time on board Matelot comes to an end as we all wake up to a cold and gloomy morning on Monday and Nick and Karen decide with our encouragement, to make the most of their last week in Sicily and go overland for some sightseeing.

In a flurry of packing bags, one last lunch of gorgeous juicy sliced tomatoes in basil and olive oil, tricotta, feta, gorgonzola and one other nameless cheese served with fresh bread and prosciutto, and a last minute idiot check, they are off the boat and hurrying to catch the afternoon train to Taormina. Their departure from the boat is a bit unconventional as we touch the bow of the boat to a massive rubber ship's fender on an industrial looking wharf, and they climb over and up, then we reverse away, waving as we go.

Within an hour of their departure the wind stops and the sun comes out so we take the dinghy ashore and explore the supermarket end of town, discovering the best gelato cafe we have come across so far, fish markets and supermarkets in abundance.

The decision is unanimous to duck inside the gelato cafe. Richard has a rum Ba Ba, cut in half, heated then filled with ricotta and limone flavoured gelato, topped with smarties. He is in heaven.

Pippy is a bit more conservative in her choice. We continue to the supermarket, do a bit of a stock up in preparation for our departure for Ragusa then make our way back to Matelot loaded with stuff we didn't know we needed.

Our timing is impeccable and within minutes of climbing aboard Matelot in late afternoon fading light, we are hit by a huge squall, with freezing cold wind but no rain. The sky is absolutely clear and the wind is biting cold, sending the boat skittling around on its anchor and making it hard to stand up inside and cook dinner. We snuggle into bed for an early night. Its a quiet ship.

We are just the two of us again. Another cruising season appears to be drawing to a close a little earlier than we had hoped. We review our options as are not due into Marina di Ragusa until 1 November. However a quick phone call is all it takes to discover that the contract we have at Marina di Ragusa actually started on 1 October, so we can 'go now' if we wish.

The gale appears to be quietening but the sky still growls at us.

Given the weather conditions, that is the decision we make and the early morning of Wednesday 12 October sees us motoring our way southwards down the coast in no wind at all and calm seas. Rounding Cape Passaro, surprise surprise the wind is now on the nose. We follow the 20 metre contour which extends quite a long way out in places and arrive in Marine di Ragusa in good time.

This little guy keeps us company for a while.

The massive breakwater/sea wall is a comforting sight as the coast is very exposed to the south, both east and west. A Marinara in a rib boat meets us and leads us to our berth. The doubtful (or maybe confused?) look on his face should have alerted us. As Richard turns the boat to reverse into the channel between the pontoons he suddenly notices that we are in very shallow water - 2m in fact! That is the limit of what we draw but the depth meter suddenly goes back to 2.3m, so very slowly we continue to follow the rib, when ...Bang! We have hit something very solid! Probably a large concrete mooring block. We are out of there fast and escorted to the next pontoon where we soon have the boat made fast.

We did not really need that adrenaline rush at the end of this day. Soon we are off the boat for a quick walk around the new marina to acclimatise ourselves and locate the facilities..... Despite being modern and new, it is quite a shock to discover that it is a ten minute walk to the nearest shower and toilet block, not just for us, but for everyone. The light is fading and we are suddenly not sure if we have made the right decision. We are here for the next six months and it feels a bit daunting right now.

Oh well, tomorrow is another day and we will explore further then. After a few jobs back on the boat, its time for dinner and bed.

Gozo

2011-10-07T07:41:00.000-07:00

Lovely, colourful Gozo....Mgarr Harbour.

It is just a short passage north of Malta to the islands of Gozo and Comino. We are very keen to do the quick trip there out of curiosity mainly. The Blue Lagoon is supposed to be lovely and Gozo itself has many interesting ancient sites.

We spot a couple of fishermen having a chat along the way....

...then stop on the way to visit the famous Blue Lagoon on the almost uninhabited island of Comino. The lovely anchorage is unfortunately disturbed by the loud noise of a helicopter nearby but we soon realise that a stretcher is being lifted up the hill towards it and obviously someone is being carted off to hospital.

Buildings on the island of note are a tower built in 1618 to provide protection for those passaging between the islands (presumably from pirates) and a tiny medieval church which is rather unique.

A swim in the crystal clear waters is very welcome in the heat of the day as a storm brews in the near distance.

It is a short distance across to the island of Gozo and the sheltered harbour of Mgarr where we are able to find a berth in the marina. There are lots of wonderful photoshoot opportunities in and around this small harbour.

However, we are very mindful of the weather. Long range it looks as though there are some gales heading our way, but there is a nice weather window presenting itself on Friday for our return to Sicily. We are uncomfortable with the idea of being forced to stay longer than we want to here due to weather, or in Valetta Harbour which is untenable in a north easterly gale, and marina berths are very expensive and hard to find. Some weeks later, we are to meet up with a boat which does stay on. Their experience is hair-raising and they are lucky to be alive... more about that later.

Unfortunately Richard gets caught up in taking care of the checking out formalities here in Gozo and does not have the opportunity to see anything much ashore. However, Nick, Karen and Pippy hop on to a local bus and take a ride through very old villages into Victoria (Rabat) which is a fascinating experience. By the time we arrive, a black cloud has filled the sky and torrential rain starts to fall. It is short lived though and Gozo leaves a lasting impression of a place Richard and I should revisit given a little more time.

We depart Gozo around 5pm on Thursday and spend the night at anchor on Comino Island.

We can swim ashore in the crystal clear waters to have a drink in the bar... or,

...sit in the cockpit and enjoy the changing colour in the sky to the north west as the sun goes down.

Richard and Pippy are up and have the boat away from the anchorage at 5.30am which means motoring then motor sailing until around 11.30am when we pass Cape Passaro on the south eastern corner of Sicily.

Once the wind comes in the sailing is superb and we fly along, arriving Siracusa in good daylight.

As the sun goes down, so does the wind, but the sky looks ominous. We are about to experience some severe weather...

Malta

2011-10-05T10:10:00.000-07:00

Sunday 2 October

Depart Marzamemi 0930. Two gibes and a 5 hour Spinnaker run to Malta - then the wind drops and we motor for the last 20 miles so that we can get into Marsamxett Harbour before darkness falls

We are sure for a while that we are going to get caught in a storm on the way, but it eventually blows away to the west.

Then we sight land just as the sun starts to set....

There is plenty of shipping passing this way - up to 9 huge ships in view at any one time, laden with containers traversing east west or vice versa - a busy channel.

Fortunately there is still plenty of room for us to make passage southwards through the channel without getting in the way of these massive behemoths.

We time our arrival just on dark at 1915 hours - and it is a magnificent experience sailing into Malta at this hour.

We ohh and ahh our way in then search for a berth which is non existent. Eventually we anchor (which is better as is free... in Lazaretto Creek. Dinner on board is spiralled Syracusa sausage served with butter beans in tomato sauce... awful!

The lights of the city are all around us here. Its so magical! This is the view from our cockpit looking north east from Lazaretto Creek back out to sea, with Valetta on the right.

Obviously this is not the place to be caught in a North Easterly gale, so we are mindful of this for the duration of our stay here.

3 October 2011

We are close enough to take the dinghy across to Valetta, park it safely and explore the city.

But before we can do this, Richard is obliged to check us in so must locate customs and port police which are not where the pilot book says they are but he soon finds them in Msida Marina and completes the formalities without any problems. That done and some good provisioning by Nick and Karen and we are free to explore the city.

Suddenly conversing with shop assistants in English is not a problem and Pippy's first stop is for English Tetley tea bags - 200 of them, purchased at the English shop!

The Upper Barrakka Gardens are our first stop... From here we can look down on to Grand Harbour on the other side of Valetta.

It is a gobstopping view! This is just a tiny portion of it, showing the marina.

Then we are off to St John's Co-Cathedral, a magnificent monument to St John the Baptiste and the Knights of St John of the period 1577 when it was built straight after the Great Siege.

The seventeenth century and the new baroque style is typical of the lavish interior decorations of the Cathedral (by Italian artist Mattia Preti) which is mind boggling in its wealth and complexity. Magnificent paintings, statues in bronze and marble, golden walls of guilded angels and floral designs and floors containing hundreds of detailed marble inlaid tombstones.

We spend a long time in here, probably two hours, not sure. There is so much to see, including the famous painting by Caravaggio of the Beheading of St John.

Here is the altar:

Some cold beers are in order at the end of this afternoon of sightseeing:

Then we make our way back through the busy streets to SY Matelot....

4 October 2011

We are still anchored outside the RMYC despite having motored around a little to try to find something more tucked in.

Not to worry, we can swim here and it is very pleasant. By 0900 we are in the middle of an electrical storm with wind tailing us into the shore, with the wind settling down by 1130 when we go ashore again for some more exploring. The enclosed wooden balconies are typical of many buildings in Valetta.

Today we freewheel through the city and around the outer walls to Fort St Elmo, briefly stopping at the Grand Masters Palace,

The Carmelite Church...

St Paul's Cathedral with its stunning embroidered seats and kneelers....

We are keeping a close eye on the weather over the next few days and looking for the right opportunity to make the passage back to Sicily. It is partly because of this and also that we want to see some more of Sicily with Nick and Karen that we have planned only to be here for a few short days. We can see that Friday is going to be the day for us to sail back to Sicily before some rather unsettled fronts start moving in, so decide to spend the remainder of our time having a look at Gozo Island to the north west.

5 October Grand Harbour to Gozo via Comino and the Blue Lagoon

We take a spin around Grand Harbour after departing Marsamxett Harbour.

There is plenty to see...

The Grand Harbour Marina would be a lovely place to stay, but apart from the fact that it is full, it is also very expensive...

The reflections on this lovely still morning are very pretty...

We are chased along by a big ship and have to get out of the way as we exit the harbour...

We realise in hindsight that there is so very much to see in Malta, we will probably want to revisit this country if we can.

Marzamemi

2011-10-01T13:41:00.000-07:00

South of Syracusa (around 20 NM) and just before rounding Cape Passaro (SE Corner of Sicily) is the little fishing harbour of Marzamemi where we stop for the night. The marina is well sheltered by the substantial sea wall and with good facilities, but is a decent walk to the small and very pretty town nearby.

The fishermen from the nearby fish farm help us to secure our ropes and provide a warm welcome to us. We are a bit of a curiosity to them.

We get Matelot secured and depart for the town on foot. Here is the vista which opens up for us as we walk....

This really pretty fishing village is an unexpected treat for us...

and this....

This picturesque island sits in the middle of the small town harbour. Someone's paradise!

The town square is just gorgeous...

The photographs do not adequately show the nature of this place. It is charming, pretty and old... so old. We sit in a small alley which goes from the town square to the waterfront. We eat arancini from one of the small restaurants, delicious round and pear shaped concoctions, made of rice, filled with fish or ricotta, or something else delicious, then deep fried. At least 3 brides walk past us on their way to their weddings. We are only there for an hour, maybe two, but this is a popular destination for weddings.

We are enchanted and feel right at home here.

Finally its time to return to Matelot....Wow!

Syracusa 4 Days

2011-09-30T06:18:00.000-07:00

Tricotta cheese, tomatoes and olives from the market on board SY Matelot in Grand Harbour, Syracusa.

The anchorage in the north western corner of Grand Harbour is very safe and full of visiting yachts. The anchor takes readily into the muddy bottom and it is not long before we have a visit from Rick on board a Canadian boat who stops by for a chat in response to our friendly waves. Rick informs us that most of the boats here are headed for Ragusa for the winter. (From now on almost every boat we encounter is headed the same way.) We very quickly get the feeling that with so many people going there, it must be good, and are able to let go of some of our anxieties about committing to a marina which we have never seen, for such a long period of time.

The culture change is immediately apparent when we go ashore, parking the dinghy in a narrow canal under a bridge, right in down town Syracusa. It is a bit of a clamber getting out onto the narrow shelf!

We find a cafe which has internet and are straight into the wifi catching up on emails from home.

Just a few more steps along the same street is where we eat our first Sicilian Pizza. Just love the chairs and the simple room divider which hides the kitchen out back. The waiter is very cute!

Its dark by the time we make our way back to Matelot and we are all ready for a big sleep.

Now to the Market

Every day in downtown Syracusa, there is a produce market, where the fruit and vegetables, fish, bread, meat, cheese and you name it are available. It runs from early morning until around midday and is a huge part of the Syracusa experience for us.

The tomatoes are the reddest, sweetest, freshest tomatoes ever.

Everywhere one looks is a visual feast....stimulating the imagination to enjoy many gastronomic delicacies!

The cheese shop is the culmination of the walk along the main market street where one can sample many goodies before purchasing. In the foreground are rounds of delicious tricotta cheese, with its black, charred appearance.

The Old Town

The old town of Syracusa is a joy to wander around with its narrow alleys and ancient buildings.

The focal point of the main Piazza is the Syracusa Cathedral which is simply amazing, built over the top of ancient Greek columns, originally the Temple of Athena.

Inside the Cathedral, the crowds gather to admire the grandeur of this ancient place of worship.

Other parts of the old town are captivating but its difficult to capture the atmosphere of this charming place on camera.

Four days are hardly enough to really see Syracusa properly. The boat requires provisions and water and we have to find out how to check in to Sicily. Boat laundry has to be dropped off - luckily that one is easy as we find a superb laundry a short distance from where we park the dinghy.

In addition, as an important safety measure, a new sim card has to be purchased for the mobile phone and an internet connection for the boat to download weather forecasts and email has to be organised. It takes time (5 minutes) to research the deals available from the various providers and we settle on a deal from Wind. It involves purchasing a 'dongle' which plugs into the USB port on the computer. It runs at 14.5 mbs (megabytes per second) for a one off charge of Euro 49. It can take a sim card from any provider, but we take the promotional deal of 10 Gig per month for Euro 15 from Wind and use their sim card in the dongle. Its a pretty good offer and we have found it to be superb.

However, the Skype for some reason does not work. Will sort that later when we have time.

An unexpected problem occurs when Google notices that we are now accessing our emails from a different country. They request that we do a security check. Richard is fine but Pippy gets tripped up on the security questions as the phone number they are asking her for is old and she is not able to recall it. She is shut out of her emails which is pretty scarey. All our records and contacts are on Google. It takes 24 hours and an extensive search through old notebooks to turn up the NZ mobile phone number used when first setting up Google in 2008. Its also not that straightforward getting into the Google security settings to update them. Its a lesson learned and filed away for future reference. For some reason, Pippy is feeling quite wrung out around now. We know why Google are so security conscious as the cruising community has been hit very hard this year with 'identity theft'. Somehow the 'watchers' out there can tell when you are travelling. They can hack your email identity and then send 'help me' emails to all your contacts asking for money to be paid to get you out of jail etc. Its a scam originating in Nigeria, but horrible for those we know who it has happened to.

We (especially Pippy) recall that this is an issue each time we move from one country to another. All this 'stuff' has to be set up again. One ends up with many pin numbers, mobile phone and internet numbers etc and time has to be devoted to keeping on top of it.

On 1 October, a weather window appears which is good to passage southwards to Malta. Richard especially has not had a moment to see Syracusa, but we know we will be back here, so leave Grand Harbour, knowing that this wonderful place is still here and waiting for us to return. Malta here we come!

Syracusa at sunset:

Nick and Karen on Board to Zakynthos then Sicily

2011-09-27T10:11:00.000-07:00

Karen and Nick finally arrive after delays caused by industrial action in Athens. A day late but never mind.

Pippy gets a diagnosis from the 'one more test' which points to something not quite right in her left inner ear.

We feel happy now to sail on.

We have glorious days ... and

...flaming sunsets almost every day at the anchorage on the north western corner of Navarino Bay...

...while we wait for the right weather window to unglue ourselves from this enchanted place.

...a couple of days of stormy squalls

...magnificent walks ...

We...admire the view from Palaiokastro (the old castle) down to the wetlands, lagoon and upper harbour...

check out...the coastline looking south from Palaiokastro...

Walk around the new castle perched above Pylos township....

Finally we take a flyer out of there and sail north west towards the island of Zakynthos, finding ourselves being headed, so spend a night on the mainland at the port of Koroni. Zakynthos is a short hop the next day and before we know it we find ourselves tied up on the town wall there. We are able to check out of Greece here very easily and without undue paperwork.

The vegetables are quite amazing. These monster onions take our fancy. One onion caramelised, served with mashed potatoes and Sicilian sausages makes a delicious meal later in the week.

On Saturday 24 Sept we leave Zakynthos harbour for the small bay of Keri on the south western tip of Zakynthos island, spend the night at anchor then have an early start the next morning for a 2 day, 2 night passage to Sicily.

We leave in calm weather, motoring for the first part of the passage until we have cleared Zakynthos.

Dinner of pork fillet stuffed with prunes and wrapped in bacon, served with char grilled egg plant and fresh green beans, with potatoes tossed in olive oil and
oregano on the side... not bad for a first night feed.

All goes well until around 3am when we have our first taste of what the passage is really going to be like. We are all hands on deck for a while with lightning and thunder all around us and squalls not far off, however we manage to sail on and avoid any problems.

We share the watches with each couple doing 3 hour shifts.

Day two is gloomy and grey for most of the day but we have a good sailing breeze. We are fairly open about our destination and it varies according to the wind, from Catania to Syracusa and at times we briefly consider the boot of Italy but fairly quickly discard that idea.

We have a hitch hiker join the boat, but Karen chases it off. It tries to come back but Karen gives it another heave ho over the side when it lands on her leg, which is to come back and haunt her later. During the scariest moments to come, she is to be heard apologising to the moth for tipping it overboard. She is sure in hindsight that the pattern on its back was that of a skull!

Our second night at sea is an interesting experience. The lightning and thunder come back with a vengeance and we have forked lightning all around the near horizon on and off all night although still a good sailing breeze to take us on to our destination which is by now firmly set on Syracusa. We consider trying to sail around the bad weather, but clearly that is no longer an option. Around 11pm we realise we are directly in the path of a severe electrical storm. Because we are not able to see what squalls are coming our way, we drop all sail and motor on.

Nick then has to go for'ard to the mast to lash the main down around 10pm as we can hear the wind velocity increasing substantially and we hold our breath until he is safely back in the cockpit.

Soon the forked lightning is sizzling down all around us... (and Karen tells us later she thought she was going to die)! We hastily explain that we would probably be okay, but our electrical systems would be all taken out if we took a direct hit. We don't think it helped much! The remainder of the night is spent motoring steadily onwards keeping a good eye on the radar screen for shipping which becomes more frequent once we are approaching the Straights of Messina. The lightning continues until dawn.

Syracusa finally greets us....

Phew... a hot shower and some clean clothes will do for a start!

Mystra, Sparta and Naplion

2011-09-17T08:43:00.000-07:00

Just a small part of the ruins of Mystra with Sparti spread out on the plains below.

The drive over the mountains from Kalamata to Mystra is something amazing in itself with heartstopping switchback corners stacked vertically down the sheer drop and stretches of road which are carved underneath rocky outcrops which extend right across the road with nothing to support them on the outside. Driving under these is quite freaky. The occasional tunnel is a relief and there are a couple which are long and impressive.

Mystra

The view from the fortress at the top of the mountain.

Richard making like a defender of old... or and old defender!

The beginnings of this astonishing city date back to obscure Medieval times. It is known that the fortress on the mountain-top was built in 1249 and soon fell into the hands of the Byzantines who developed the site extending the fortifications right down the side of Mt Taygetos, dominating ancient Sparta. It is obvious this has been a place of noble residences and many churches and monasteries. At its peak, approximately 40,000 people lived here.

Inside St Sophia

The ruins, some of which are beautifully restored, tell a story of an advanced society who enjoyed art and philosophy and all the good things of life. Sadly the city was sacked and burned by a Russian and Albanian invasion in 1825 and abandoned soon after. Now it sits in its alpine environment with verdant vegetation clambering over its gaping ruins. Those buildings which have survived intact or been restored rise up in their iconic forms from a relief of cypress trees and rampant vegetation.

Remnants of past glory

Holding on for grim death

Not something someone with vertigo should be doing!

We explore the ruins for two hours, climbing down as far as the huge building which was once the centre of administration for the Byzantine Empire, and which is almost totally restored today, still wrapped in scaffold in parts. Turning to make our way uphill and back to the car, we push ourselves to climb back up in the afternoon heat, arriving feeling a little exhausted and very much in need of a cold drink, remembering at the same time that we have not yet booked a hotel. After several stops we drive to Sparti and find a hotel room. It is a very popular area.

Naplion

The next morning, although having planned to go back and see more of Mystra, we decide to carry on to Naplion which also merits some inspection. Richard drives us with his usual skill and we arrive around about 11.00 am.

View from Palamedes Fort

We are not sure if we really have time to see this city which was the capital of Greece from 1829 to 1834, so it is a whistle stop tour.

It is a very pretty town but we are drawn to the walk up to the fort we can see perched high above us. We count 1,000 steps each way and feel that we have done our exercise for the day.

Driving back to Kalamata that afternoon on the new highway, parts of which are not yet open, is a much easier option than going back via Mystra!

Pylos Palaiokastro and a slight hiccup

2011-09-15T08:39:00.000-07:00

1 September onwards…

The anchorage at the northern end of Navarinou Harbour is idyllic and the castle – Palaiokastro – beckons us from the high escarpment overlooking the large brackish inland lagoon and wetland just across the narrow bar of land from our pristine anchorage.

It strikes us as unusual that there appear to be few birds here except for the lonely white heron we spot on the golden sandy beach early one morning. Later we discover this is the most southerly wetland habitat in the Balkans, known as Dibari. It is the final European stopover for 225 bird species as they head south to the Sahara Desert for the northern winter. Of these, 79 are protected by international conventions. As if this is not special enough, also residing here is the African chameleon (under threat of extinction) and the turtle species Caretta-Caretta which also comes here to reproduce. It is good to read that the birds know about this place too!

We sit on this anchorage waiting for the right weather window to make our last leg to Zakynthos Island, north west of here, then the crossing to Sicily.

Friday 2 September

On our first morning here we wake up early and take a walk ashore before breakfast up to the entrance of the castle. It is a very rugged site but does not take long to climb up to the crumbling entrance, then back down again. We feel like walking some more so follow the sign to Nestor’s Cave skirting the lagoon under the escarpment. Soon we realise it is further than we thought so turn around and make our way back to the boat for a delicious breakfast of fresh fruit, yoghurt and oats.

It is not long after a relaxed breakfast when Pippy is sitting at the nav desk doing emails, when she has a strange episode. She glances up for a moment to find the saloon rocking about violently, then it turns on its side, then she either blanks out or closes her eyes … not sure but its pretty scarey. Half an hour later she is a bit shaken but fine again. She has lived with vertigo on and off for a couple of months now, and has seen a doctor in Turkey who prescribed some medication, but this is much worse than anything experienced before and we are not sure if it wasn’t a mini stroke. We contact our medical insurance company who suggest we go to Kalamata Hospital and get checked out. Its blowing quite hard by now and predicted to be worse later so Pippy doses up on aspirin and we elect to wait until early the next morning to take the boat into the marina and go to the hospital.

The next day, feeling like a complete fraud as she is now quite normal and well, Pippy reports her symptoms to the doctor at the hospital, and is admitted for tests to ensure there is nothing nasty causing the problem. Richard goes home alone for the next 5 nights and travels more than 3 hours each day to visit Pippy in hospital. We thought she might be in for a day or two, but not 5 days! Kalamata Hospital are very thorough in their investigations and Pippy has blood tests, cat scans, MRI scans, X-Rays and ultrasounds. She is seen by a neurologist and an ENT specialist.

BPPV is initially suggested (plenty about that on google), which the Ear Nose and Throat specialist gives her an Epley manouvre for, plus a neck brace to wear for the next four days to stop her head from moving too much. He also says he wants to see her in 10 days time, so that is the end of our plans to sail to Sicily to meet up with Emily and Marc and Karen and Nick. We reluctantly accept that we have to sort this out before moving on.

We are so fortunate to have good friends in Karen and Nick who do not mind changing their travel plans to fly to Kalamata instead of Catonia. It is also very reassuring to us to know that we have backup cew on the way. As it turns out later on, backup crew are essential on our passage from Greece to Sicily… but more about that later. In the meantime, Richard enjoys some nag free nights on the marina in Pylos which thank goodness is free of charge! He eats pork chop every night in the same restaurant while in hospital Pippy is dished up with boiled chicken for lunch and dinner each day. She is in a room with two old ladies who are both very sick and have relatives visiting and nursing care 24/7. They are so very kind to Pippy and try to communicate with her in sign language as no one speaks English.

It is the following Thursday and not until the results from the MRI are in before she is back on the boat again, albeit with an infected and swollen arm from a catheter, which was never used and left in too long. We have to see a doctor here in Pylos about that, then we go back to the anchorage in the north and hang out for four more glorious days while we count down to Pippy’s last appointment and Karen & Nick’s arrival at Kalamata.

Its beautiful here but we need a change, so on Thursday 15 Sept we hire a rental car for 3 days and plan to travel on and see some ancient sites in the Peloponnese after the hospital appt and before picking Nick and Karen up on Saturday.

We get the result of all the thorough X-Rays, ultrasounds, blood tests and MRI scans – all fine, nothing sinister going on, which is great but there is one more test we must do as the BPPV diagnosis now seems unlikely. This means waiting until Monday and the specialist urges Pippy to take the test as it might show something. Okay then, we will wait. He is very thorough and we do appreciate that.

We find the road to Mystra and drive on.

Agean to Ionian Sea

2011-09-01T04:03:00.000-07:00

After our experience with the gale we take a day to dry out all the wet clothing and to rest. The wind has now eased and we float on the crystal clear turquoise waters of Elofinisos in the sunshine, swimming ashore for a walk along the golden sand beach. It is hard to believe this is the same place as yesterday.

We find a fairly sophisticated camping ground nestled behind the sand dunes, which accounts for the hundreds of people and beach umbrellas enjoying the beauty of this place. The notes in the pilot book, which claims it to be deserted, are very out of date.

Tomorrow we will leave and go west. Our passage will take us south west around Cape Tainaron, one of the furthest points south in Europe, then north west towards Methoni where we hope to anchor that night. As we look out in that direction after the sun has gone down, we see flashes of thunder and lightning. Looks like they are getting some rain.

We leave the anchorage in good time and have perfect sailing conditions all the way (we really needed that), thoroughly enjoying the magic of the rugged landscape of Cape Tainaron and on to Methoni.

There is a 1 knot current in our favour which pushes us along nicely. By 5pm we are closing on the island of Venetiko and make an executive decision to turn off and stop over at Koroni on the south eastern corner of the third and final peninsular making up the southern Peloppinisos.

We have sailed underneath a very different sky today. Clouds! In the distance we see huge banks of cumulus which hang over the green, lush and well wooded landscape. The air feels humid.

Rounding Ak Livadhia reveals the Venetian castle on the headland in all its ancient grandeur melded into the solid rock so well that it is hard to see which is man made and which is rock.

By the time we drop anchor in Koroni, we are underneath a very threatening looking black cloud and within a short time the first spits of rain drop on the boat. All hatches are carefully closed and checked before we go ashore for dinner, choosing a waterfront restaurant where we can keep an eye on the boat.

The storm hits bringing with it thunder lightning and pouring rain. We are aware of the strong smell of sewage being drained into the harbour and eating dinner is somewhat of a rushed experience. We pull our table back from the edge but the fragrance still lingers! The food is good and the hospitality exceptional. We are given fresh fruit to take back to the boat and the rain has now passed on.

All is quiet on Matelot as we dive early into bed and are instantly asleep.

By 7.30 am the next morning we are up and off the boat for a brisk walk up to the castle, impressive and grand it is, but soon to be compared with our next port of Methoni.

The fruit and vegetables on sale here are fresh and appetising. We buy crisp dark green broccoli, fresh bread and a large fish steak which we pay 10 Euro for, but its worth it, although a tiny portion each. No idea what type of fish it is.

And on we go, stopping at Ormos (island) Sapienza immediately south of Methoni for a secluded afternoon swim. We cannot see the bottom and do not want to get our anchor hooked so rig up the trip line and practice using it. It’s a real hassle and not very satisfactory. The buoy ends up floating too far away from the anchor and is a real hazard when we pull up the anchor as we are concerned it will get tangled with the prop. There must be a better way.

Methoni

On arrival the Turkish tower on the point of the harbour is very conspicuous. This is our view from the anchorage off the small town.

A long walk around the interior of the fortress the next day reveals it is mind boggling in its scale and complexity, which is not obvious until inside the walls. Crossing over a large, now dry, moat to get in, we find another massive inner wall. We turn left and walk along to the next gate and once through find ourselves inside a huge expanse of land which would once have been full of dwellings and infrastructure, of which only a little remains. The impression is that a lot more lies under the earth awaiting careful excavation.

The outer massive walls have been broached in more than one place by the sea, which must come pounding in during winter storms. As we walk in, a tractor and trailer loaded with large stone blocks is going out the other way and we cannot help wondering why such stones are being removed from the site – Hopefully to be prepared for restoration and returned back here? There is some restoration work going on at some of the more threatened places.

The Turkish tower on the end of the point remains pretty well intact and is accessed via a footbridge.

Once used for a prison, it is pretty forbidding inside, leaving very little to the imagination.

Back on the boat in time for lunch, we spot a really huge turtle swimming around the boat. He pops his head up a couple of times to say hello and we almost get him on camera but not quite!

The wind is perfect for us to sail on and our next destination of Pylos is only five miles up the coast. The main is hoisted while Richard pulls up the anchor and we sail off the anchorage without using the engine at all. Good that we make use of the wind because once around the corner and up the coast a little we have to motor to make our destination which is the entrance to Navarinou Harbour the site of a huge naval battle in the year 1827 which won the War of Independence for Greece.

The battle involved the Turko-Egyptian fleet which comprised 89 ships lying at anchor here with 2450 guns, being attacked by the allied fleet led by Admiral Codrington bringing 26 ships and 1270 guns. The battle apparently raged for four hours and the scene of destruction was seldom seen before...

As a result of this the small town of Pylos was rebuilt by the French and to this day retains it French charm, all be it a little down at heel in places.

We sail in past the colossal Fortress on the hillside above us and as it is time for us to check in and have our transit log stamped we pull alongside the town wall and report in to the Port Police who we find very friendly and accommodating. Matelot gets a good hose down when we fill up with water and fuel here within an hour or so of arriving.

All the washing goes off to the laundry, but comes back with our bed sheet missing which involves Pippy in making a bit of a fuss to get it back. Pippy has misgivings when she notices all of our scruffy old t-shirts beautifully ironed, then gets the bill which is 15 Euro for a very small bag! What? It has been 5 Euro everywhere else in Greece. We feel very aggrieved and ripped off then our missing sheet ends up being thrown from the concrete pier on to the boat by the guilty person and no apology.

We stay two nights on the town pier, getting to know the French family moored in front of us on a 13 m yacht with three young children under seven who are swimming like little fish off the stern of their boat.

Richard checks us out of Pylos and we motor up into the north of the Navorinou Harbour to anchor off a golden sand beach near the northern opening to the Harbour, We can see the Venetian Paliokastro Castle on the high escarpment above the boat. We will stay here and plan the final leg of our Greece cruise, north west to Zakinthos Island, from where we will launch ourselves across the Ionian Sea to italy.

Little do we know that this is to be a slightly longer stopover than we are planning on.

A Sail in a Gale

2011-08-27T03:53:00.000-07:00

Photo: 697

A gale is the least of our expectations when we leave Elafonissos at 1020 H on the morning of Friday 26 August. It is a very hot day. The weather report is easterly Force 5 (17-21 knots) on the eastern side of the Gulf of Lakonikos between Ak Maleas and Ak Tainaron, fading out to Force 2-3 (11-16 knots) on the western side of the gulf where we are heading for. In hindsight, given our experience with Windfinder weather forecasts, we should probably have added 10 knots to this forecast, but as they have been fairly spot-on lately with their predictions, we did not. In any case, what we are about to experience is due to local conditions and influences and can never be predicted.

Our chosen destination is Yithion (sometimes called Githio) where we plan to leave the boat and visit the famous site of Mystra after an overnight stay.

We have very favourable winds for the first hour or so, but suddenly the wind fills in and we are reefing the genoa (the main is already reefed) and belting across the gulf towards Yithion in white foaming water. Suddenly Pippy is filled with misgivings and suggests we just head off around Ak Tainaron and keep on going towards the west. In her words “I don’t have a good feeling about today.”

Capn Buck thinks nothing of it and we continue on having a “fabulous sail”!

As we cross the gulf where the wind is supposed to be easing, it swings to the north and increases. However we sail into a calmer patch of water further north and are reassured that soon we will be ‘out of it’.

A radio call ahead to Yithion Harbour Authority gives us confirmation that the conditions in the harbour are not excellent, but good, and they do have a place for us, so on we go. By the time we arrive at the entrance to the harbour the wind is up again and we are relieved we will soon be out of it. In spite of giving our name several times over the VHF, the female Radio Operator insists on calling us Lancelot, not Matelot. In we go looking for the promised space only to find the harbour crammed full of small local boats and rusty ‘riff raff’ who have laid moorings for themselves and left no space for visiting yachts. The ‘space’ we are offered is by the harbour entrance, already taking considerable surge from the wind and just not tenable or safe for Matelot. Just like Lancelot we grit our teeth and say a polite thanks but no thanks and turn around and head back into what is now a screaming howling wind.

Our next option is Plitra (back on the eastern side), which promises good shelter, 12 miles away. In no time we are there but the white water at the entrance and the howling gale now appear to come from a different direction, putting us on a lee shore if we sail up the harbour and attempt to anchor. We do not know this harbour, and the holding is not reported in the pilot book to be good. With the afternoon moving on into evening, Pippy makes the call (thank you Capn Buck) and we decide to go back to Elafinisos where we know we will be safe and where we have left from that morning.

It is at this time we hear our first gale warning come over on Channel 16. We are now experiencing gusts of 44 knots and with only a scrap of genoa and no main are moving along at 7.8 knots. But it is the sea, waves standing up on end, with very short troughs in between and coming at us from the port side off the land as we head back south west to Elafonnisos, which causes us most concern. .

The next two hours are really scary and certainly a salutary lesson and experience for us. We are on a beam reach with only a tiny bit of sail out. At times, strangely, there is no wind at all and we have to motor. Then we can see the wind coming across the water at us again and we brace ourselves for the it driving the great huge waves, which stand up straight and break over the top of the boat. Soon we are both soaking wet. Capn Buck fights the helm to stop us from rolling too much and takes wave after wave of horizontal water over his head. At some stage Pippy manages to change into her wet weather trousers and some dry clothes.

The final effort of rounding the point and motoring into our anchorage is when we experience the fiercest conditions. We can see it up ahead as we approach the point but have no option and must go on. Foam is streaking horizontally across the tops of the waves and the sound of the wind is hideous.

Suddenly, although clipped down, the main is threatening to escape from the lazy bag which is unzipping itself in the wind. Capn Buck has to stay at the wheel. Pippy clips herself on to the safety line and goes up to the mast to try to lash it down. Howling sheets of water are hitting the bow and slamming over the boat, and Pippy struggles to get a rope over the boom with her back to the sea, water running down inside her clothing.

At times when we are hit by gusts, Capn Buck has no option but to turn downwind away from our goal, and he comments that he has never seen anything like it … white horizontal streaks of water in a churning caldron, screaming and howling like crazy. The noise of the wind is so loud it feels like it is coming from inside our heads, then some time later once we are around the point and heading back into Elafonisos, Capn Buck has to relinquish the helm because he is frozen and shaking uncontrollably. He needs to go down below, dry off and change into his wet weather gear. It is a haven of peace and normality down below, still warm and comparatively sane!

Now head-to-wind and motoring at 2400 revs Pippy takes the helm. Its freezing cold –unbelievable, but the wind drags all the warmth from the air. We are not there yet!

We claw our way into the Bay. Pippy keeps checking the headland to see if we are moving forward because the waves are still huge and regimental in the way they stand up with incredibly short spaces between them, and the tops blow off in great white streaks. But at least we are not taking them on the side any more. The engine pushes us through and we are encouraged by the anchored yachts we can see up ahead and know it will be fine once we get there.

Closer in, the wind suddenly eases and we are immediately in comparatively flat water. Very soon the anchor goes down and we breathe a huge sigh of relief. There is a big pile of wet clothes in the cockpit and it is 2000H. We have sailed 50 NM at least on this day. Thank you Elafonnisos – you are a beautiful haven.

We have lots of hugs and a very strong ouzo each, then start the tidy up before falling into bed for an early night!

Sorry, no photos on this day, but there were other windy days.... (above and below!)

Crete to Peloppinisos

2011-08-24T03:48:00.000-07:00

24 August 2011

Arrival Elefonisos Bay

Our departure from Crete is rather low key. We quietly let go our lines and motor out of the harbour in pitch darkness at 0130H and once we have the boat settled down lay a course of 321⁰T. Our passage plan is for a distance of 100 NM and 17 hours. Our goal is Elafonisos Bay. We are leaving at this ungodly hour because we want to arrive and transit Cape Maleas in daylight, such is the fearsome reputation of this cape and stretch of water.

We have said our goodbyes to the cruisers we know in this marina especially Trevor and Susan on Little Cat who we have quite by accident caught up with here in Rethymno... and sent our Trip Report off to Matt, Nicci and Trevor on Little Cat.

We are not expecting to have any benefit from the moon as it was full 2 weeks ago, but a sliver of moon soon comes up over the horizon and bathes us in a bit of a shimmer which makes our going easier. Every two hours we plot our position on the paper chart and correct our course where necessary. The radar on board comes into its own and we spot ships (there are quite a few) from many miles away and know which direction they are heading.

As we pass by Souda Bay (NATO base) a helicopter checks us out with their spotlight, hovering in the sky off to our port side. By this time we are motor sailing with main up, but do not get enough breeze to turn off the engine until around 0900H.

The angle of the breeze pulls us further north than our course but that is okay as it is predicted to go NE later in the day which it does, so we are able to ease sheets and run off a little with better boat speed. We are well ahead of schedule averaging 6.75 knots mostly due to the breeze which has freshened considerably so that we are getting wind of 5 then 6 Beaufort and some pretty big and confused seas (2-2.5m) the closer we get to Cape Maleas, but nothing too bad and nothing over the boat.

Our friendly dolphins pay us another visit but do not hang around.

In what seems like no time at all in hindsight (for Pippy especially as she has spent the last hour asleep) we drop anchor at Elafonisos at 1715H, really thrilled to have made it in such good time (15+ hours rather then 17). It wasn’t so bad really. Eight or nine other yachts are anchored here already.

The NE wind is howling and coming in over the head of the bay. We are pleased and fall into bed for an early night with the sound of the wind bothering us not at all.

The anchor is well down on a sandy bottom and if we drag, Libya will be our first stop and we should be awake by then!

Souda Bay War Memorial

2011-08-22T04:38:00.000-07:00

We visit Souda Bay where the memorial to NZ soldiers who lost their lives during the second world war is located.

We walk amongst the graves of all the Kiwi soldiers here. Most of them died when they were well under 25 years old.....so young.

It is a beautiful and peaceful place, close to the water's edge, well cared for and obviously highly respected.

Visiting here enables us to read the history of the fierce battle which occurred here and relate it to actual places we have visited.

It is a very emotional experience for us.

It is a place of honour and remembrance which we can be proud of as New Zealanders.

Samaria Gorge and Sfakion

2011-08-18T04:48:00.000-07:00

Thursday 18 August

Samaria Gorge is rated as one of Crete’s top tourist experiences.

We can walk in from the top right through the 16 km gorge, or catch a ferry from the town of Sfakion to the bottom and walk approx 2.5 hours in then back out again to catch a later ferry back. This option is our preference.

We leave the boat early (for us) at 7.30 am after a good breakfast. The drive across the island to meet the ferry at Sfakion comprises a fast trip westwards along the National road until we turn off and take the winding road southwards across the mountains enjoying a passing panorama of fertile valleys and ruins of fortifications on hilltops until we find ourselves at the top of the range. We pause and look a long way down some very rugged and barren hillsides to the coastline below. The road, which zig-zags down the steep southern side is a very impressive engineering achievement and appears to be quite new. Richard is driving and his arms feel as though they want to continue turning corners long after we have ‘arrived’ at the port of Sfakion.

It is not until some days later that we discover this is the very port where the Allied Forces, including we understand, the 2nd New Zealand Division, were evacuated from Crete to Egypt after the German invasion in 1941. Pippy’s father may have been somewhere in amongst all this, having earlier been evacuated from mainland Greece. It is now easier to imagine the hardship faced by thousands of allied soldiers who passed through this tiny little port surrounded by this very rugged landscape.

There is plenty of time for coffee and something sweet before we board the fairly substantial ferry for Agia Roumelli where we will get off to walk the Samaria Canyon. This is a popular destination and the ferry is reasonably crowded.
The view of barren and very rugged terrain continues from the ferry....

...which stops at Loutro to let of a lot of day trippers.

We round the next headland and sight the small village of Agia Roumelli. From here we notice quite a bit more green vegetation but the rugged hillsides still tower over us from the unusually calm water below. We know we have to walk 2 km to the start of the gorge but all we see are sheer cliffs.

Once off the boat and past all the obligatory restaurants and tavernas, the pathway opens out in front of us. The walk takes us through the ruins of what would have been the ancient village here. Sad looking goats and sheep are penned up in small enclosures under the trees, but one thing they do have is plenty of water.

The gorge itself soon opens up in front of us. We make our way into the massive opening, walking over simple bridges made of half round small logs and cross rails and a stony, irregular river bed. The sides of the gorge made up of tortured twisted rock, soars higher and higher above us.

It takes around an hour criss-crossing the small stream in the boulder strewn river bed, to make it to the narrowest part known as the iron gates, 3 metres apart at the closest point and 300 m high. A cool breeze forces its way through the crack and the sun seeks the valley floor but only gets the slimmest of rays to the very bottom.

The walk is challenging for the uneven ankle breaking surfaces and the constant climbing. It is important to constantly check where the feet are going. The cliffs above appear to be leaning over further than vertical and the blue sky in places is just a crack above. At 1.00 pm we stop for lunch in a clearing and make up sandwiches from a loaf of fresh bread bought at Sfakion and cheese, tomato, cold chicken and boiled eggs, all brought from the boat.

The sounds of the wind through the trees and the cicadas – very loud in places – accompany us. The fresh clear, pale turquoise, sunlight enhanced water in the river is just a trickle compared to what it must be in the peak of its flow during the winter when the gorge is closed, but we come to a clearing where water is piped to taps where people can refill their water bottles. It is a popular rest spot under the trees.

Further up the gorge a guard stops walkers from swimming in the tempting cool stream. This water is for drinking only!

The natural beauty and grandeur of this gorge provides us with many photo opportunities.
Dried up waterfalls have left their mark from the last wet season.

In places one can only describe it as a canyon.

Pippy decides to walk slowly back down and leaves Brenda, Andy and Richard to walk on a bit further. Richard takes a tumble and grazes his leg soon after that, a salutary reminder that the uneven ground is tricky.

Once back at the beach close to where the return ferry will depart from, we plan to take a swim but oh dear, look at those boulders one has to scramble over to get to the water. Nothing deters us. We need to cool off and the crystal clear waters of the Libyan Sea are a welcome refresher.

Crete is Awesome!

2011-08-18T03:38:00.000-07:00

There is so much to see on Crete, it is difficult to know where to start, and the heat in the middle of the day makes it almost impossible to function. So much so, that we eventually leave Crete with a feeling that we have not really done it justice.

One of the most advertised and famous sites near to Iraklion is the ancient site of Knossos originally the capital of the Minoan people who lived on this island. We make a bee line for it once we have picked Andy and Brenda up from the bus station. It was the subject of a restoration in the early 1900s which we are somewhat underwhelmed by, despite the size of the site and its importance in Crete's history.

However, it provides us an opportunity to catch up with each other as we walk around and explore the site.

Soon its time to go back to the boat for an evening catchup! Its so special having these guys on board.

17 August 2011

Chania

With Andy and Brenda now on board we are in expedition mode. We plan to visit the far western part of the island today, taking in a city (Chania), a beach and an ancient site (Falasarna).

We are on the National road reasonably early (One main highway traverses the island from East to West) and make our first compulsory stop in Chania for expresso coffee Americano and a tasty sweet cheesy custardy pastry which is a local specialty, known as Bougatsa. Mmmm!!! delicious - and now we are ready to see the sights.

Chania, formerly the capital of Crete, and the island’s second largest city, is full of Venetian and Ottoman architecture and the harbour entrance is one which we would really love to come in through in Matelot.

We wander around with all the other tourists, enjoying the delightful ambience of the very lovely Old Town with its narrow picturesque streets and glimpses of the harbour.

There is still evidence of the German bombing during the 2nd World War in the scarred remains of a hotel on the harbour front, which has been left untouched it would seem, as a monument for what happened. Everywhere there are reminders of this island's recent and ancient history.

We walk under a low archway into a courtyard and find ourselves at the front door of a church. Inside there is an atmosphere of such peace it is indescribable. It is also deliciously cool.

The heat of the day is building and our desire to visit some of the western end of the island has us in the car driving westwards before too long. On past the town of Kastelli (Kisamos), to the far north western peninsular, our goal is Falasarna, but by now we are so very hot and the gorgeous beach of turquoise clear water we detour to beckons to us for a refreshing dip. Lots of Italian visitors are enjoying this spot – that’s a sign that its a good choice! The hot climb down the hill (fortunately via wooden steps) and the even hotter sand, make the swim an even more exhilarating experience on this rugged coastline.

A refreshing drinks stop on top of the hill is mandatory we are so hot and sticky, then we drive another 2 kms past simple farm buildings, where the ruins of an ancient harbour have been discovered and the excavation is in its early stages, uncovering what was apparently ruined by a massive earthquake. This is wild rugged country and dangerous seas, but was once a busy and well-constructed harbour on an important sea route. Now it is deserted. The atmosphere of grandeur still remains in the towering hills surrounding this site and the echoes of the wind. We wander around and try to reconstruct the site in our mind's eye.

We are replete and head back to Matelot for barbecue chicken, which we have left marinating in honey, garlic and soy sauce. The coals take a while to get going, but thanks to Andy we soon have a hot fire burning and the sound of sizzling accompanies our pre dinner drinks.

First Impressions of the Island of Crete

2011-08-14T06:45:00.000-07:00

Pippy spots this example of cheese made inside a goat skin in the market on day 1.

Richard is fascinated by this craftsman who makes string instruments.

Feta cheese stays on the menu....

Crete is a huge island. Our friends Andy and Brenda on SY Deep Blue have arrived on the eastern end but are having atrocious weather still and cannot get around the top to a marina. They wait it out on anchor while we explore the immediate area.

Our calm flat beach next to the marina here turns into a surf beach overnight.

The fortress on the headland close to the marina is a wonderful place to explore at sunset.

This model on the top of the wall provides Richard with a photo opportunity!

Plakias beach on the southern shore of the island south of Rethymno Harbour where we are moored, is a worth while bus excursion.

A monastery nearby is beautifully kept and we are informed that the church in Greece is 'not short of money'. We see one of the cars the priests drive and believe it.

Finally the weather eases and we hire a car and drive to Iraklion to meet A and B off the bus from Ag Nicholas!

Let the real exploring begin...

Cap'n Cool having a Bad Day at the Office...

2011-08-10T01:37:00.000-07:00

Fortunately we are woken at 5.30am by a huge ferry berthing not far from us and are quickly up and away 20 minutes later.

We motor for an hour after leaving the beautiful little harbour of Skala Sikinos behind us in the darkness, then the bright yellow orb of the sun coming up over Ios heralds the arrival of the wind. Right after finishing breakfast and down below doing the dishes and making the bed, Pippy notes the gentle swish of the boat gliding through the water, almost sounding like wind in the treetops, and enjoys the morning sunshine coming through the galley window.

We are sailing at 6.4 knots and Capn Buck has just shaken out the reef in the main which has been there for the past week or so. We are expecting 15 knot winds today going down to 10 and becoming variable later on. Crete here we come. As usual no other yachts are in sight – we are on our own out here. By 9 am it becomes apparent that we have ideal conditions to fly our spinnaker. This will be our first hoist of the season and with only two of us on board, we must get it right. Richard goes forward to see to the foredeck while Pippy prepares the cockpit. Richard calls for the hoist when all is ready and with puny arms Pippy attempts to haul the sail up the mast, with the odd “hurry up” from Richard. (response not printable) A combination of winding and pulling soon has it in place, some adjustments to the guy and sheet and we are able to drop the genoa and let it fly.

Our speed instantly goes up a knot and a half and now we are leaving a satisfying wake in the blue sea behind us with the accompanying sound of the water now rushing past the hull. The sea state is incredibly flat for the Med. From time to time we get some small waves, but nothing much.

Suddenly around 10.30 am we are joined by a pod of dolphins which stay with us for around 20 minutes, giving us wonderful photo opportunities. This is most unusual. Normally we only see dolphins in the distance and they do not hang around. They are shy and frightened of humans. Today they really put on a show for us, leaping and diving around the boat.

Kristiana island off to port near to Santorini stays on the horizon until midday but we have long since lost sight of Sikinos, Folegandro s and Santorini.

Cap'n Cool decides it s time for a nap.

The wind now backs to the west and five hours later we drop the kite in a nice controlled drop which we are both happy with.

We sight Crete when we are around 35 miles away, but only the tallest part of it above the haze and it is not until we are around 10-15 miles off that we can start to really see details. Bali is our chosen destination where we can drop anchor and have a swim after our long sail. We arrive almost exactly 12 hours later into this picturesque bay.

Sikinos

2011-08-08T05:30:00.000-07:00

It is so typical of this life that our plans about where we are going to next have to be fluid. Probably because the weather dictates to us what is possible and fun and what is not. The Meltemi, the prevailing wind for this part of the world and this time of the year, has been a little slow to get going this year but it is now making up for lost time. Our favourite weather site www.wind finder.com (no space in the middle - put there insistently by the iPad) shows a big yellow/orange weather system spreading over the whole of the southern Agean towards the end of this week. Given that we find this forecast always a little conservative and add on 10 knots to what they are predicting, it looks like the region is in for a slamming.

The past two days in southern Paros, listening to the howling wind, that was only forecast up to the green (Beaufort 4-5) which is not as much wind as the yellow and orange forecast (B 6-7-8), is as much meltemi as we need for one week. So just because we can, and because we have some old friends visiting there as well, we have decided to sail to Crete. The weather looks better down that way.

In what was a truly wonderful sail with the wind peaking at around 20 knots, we moved the boat to the island of Sikinos this morning. There is nothing quite as good as jumping out of bed at first light, pulling up the anchor and heading out before the wind fills in for the day. There is usually time for coffee and breakfast along the way before we get busy and today is no exception.

By 10.30 am the tiny turquoise harbour of Sikinos appears around a headland. It does not look very big and the golden sandy shore appears to be lined with buoys. It is not until we get closer that we realise they are heads of people sitting in the water. It is so small it takes us a couple of tries before we get the anchor in just the right place, then Pippy goes over the side to take a look. It is well bedded into the clean White sand (don't know why the iPod always changes White to a capital letter! Too smart for it's own good and we all know that there should not be an apostrophe in its.). There are groups of little flounder nibbling at the sand around the chain as it moves. We have never seen this before.

It is beautiful here but cannot upload photos so will try to describe it. This is the only harbour on the island and the pretty village is built up the slopes on either side of the harbour. Tavernas and small shops line the shore and on the hill up the valley in the distance we got a glimpse of the White buildings of the chora or old town. Right beside us there are holiday accommodation buildings painted White with varying hues of blue on the shutters. There is "Maistrali Rooms to Let", Luca's Studio Rooms and a jumble of others. The valley floor in the middle as it opens out to the harbour is green with vegetation, and the golden sand beach on the shore line is well patronised with swimmers and day trippers.

We are sitting quietly in the cockpit when we hear the voices of two Greek women very close by. We peep over the side and there they are chattering away under the Lee of our boat. We startle them and off they go giggling back to the shore.

Aliki and more Meltemi

2011-08-07T02:28:00.000-07:00

A pirate ship anchors alongside us for a couple of days.

We are ready now to move on from Naxis and have a wonderful sail south towards our next planned destination of Milos Island group.

We shelter in the bay of Aliki at the bottom end of Paros for two days while the wind keeps howling.

Not much else to do but be a bit creative with the food on board.

Ipad2 and other frustratiing technology

2011-08-06T04:45:00.000-07:00

This Ipad is driving me crazeeeeee!

We are currently sitting out a howling meltemi on the southern end of Paros Island in a little bay called Aliki. Our sole means on Internet is via the Ipad2 which is fantastic for emails and navigation through the Navionics App, but we have yet to figure out how to connect with the flash drive on the computer so we can copy our blog writings into here.

Also, the blogger upload screen does not work on the IPad so we are stonkered for the moment on how to get our photos on to here too but will keep trying. Its pretty pathetic actually because we have some photos on the iPad which we would love to publish, but cannot get the Blogger upload screen to give us that option. We see on the on line forum lots of other people are having the same issues.

We have encountered quite a few people who are using a "Kindle" while travelling. This clever little machine somehow links into the 3G network wherever you are so you can send and receive emails without having to purchase a sim card. It works through Amazon.com and is mainly for downloading books but also does other clever things like downloading weather forecasts. Would suggest that anyone thinking of buying the ipad2 to use while travelling thinks carefully first. We find it does not have a very strong wifi card and cannot pick up wifi signals that our Mac and Samsung computers are easily getting. The Samsung notebook pc has the strongest capability of all in that respect.

The ipad2 is great once you have the sim card in it but will need to buy a new card with each country we visit. We hear that there is an international sim card on the Market from a Dutch company but that is pretty new and probably expensive.

Well better go and make lunch for Capn Buck.

Best wishes to all
First Mate Pippy

Naxos

2011-08-03T01:15:00.000-07:00

30 July 2011

We think we have really lucked out because we are free anchoring in the small harbour of Naxos Island enjoying a view up the hill to the chora and across to the Portara, the huge marble gate, a remnant of Apollo’s Temple which was never finished and which stands out on the islet of Palatia joined to Naxos by a causeway which forms one wall of the harbour. Where else in the world could we do this?

We have sailed most of the way from Paros and look forward to our next adventure, which does not necessarily include staying long on this island. First of all though, we must get fuel for the outboard. This requires us to walk around 2 miles inland to the first fuel station, but first we have to find it as we wander along a strange network of lanes with tall stone walls and even taller bamboo growing up behind the walls. Finally, sweating and gasping for our next drink, we locate the fuel station and fill up both the canisters, get them strapped on to the small trolleys we have brought with us and head back to the boat.

Mission accomplished and fresh bread located, we next set about exploring the interesting old town which is built up the side of the hill and appears to be Venetian in style. It certainly is. A maze of narrow twisting alleys keep opening out in front of us, lined with fascinating shops, restaurants and art galleries.

We soon come to the top where the Venetian Museum is located and they are advertising an August music festival with different concerts on each night. This is exciting because after the Agean Jazz concert on Paros, we are on a roll and suddenly feel we want to stay a little longer, to immerse ourselves in the culture of this island, to dig a little deeper than the surface which we see is very Italian due to its Venetian heritage.

We are very happy with this decision as the next few days roll by. On Monday 1 August we go to a piano recital by ValeryI Ismaghilov at the Venetian Museum. It is a lovely intimate affair with around 25 people attending. Samplings of local wine and liquers are available free of charge at interval. We sit looking out over the Mediterranean Sea through a red geranium plant and beyond a large black grand piano, listening to Tchaikovsky, Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Stravinsky (Russian Dance from Petrushka), and others. It is a truly lovely evening. We are enchanted.

The boat goes into the marina so that we can go further afield.

On Tuesday 2 August we hire a quad bike and go explore the interior, or what we can manage to cram into the day.

Ancient temples and monasteries are explored, then we find our way to the village of Halki and just love its ancient Venetian style. Its time for a gastronomic treat so we have cheese pies and creamy desserts then move on to the small distillery to sample the locally made liquers!

The "Fish and Olive" gallery in Halki has us drooling and wishing we could buy.

The final expedition for the day is to Plaka Beach to swim and cool off.

We truly love this island and give it a big thumbs up.

Top of the list is Nicholas who runs the marina. He is such a good man - so kind and accommodating. Thank you Nicholas. Naxos Marina is top of the list.

Santorini Island

2011-08-01T02:03:00.000-07:00

We take a day trip to Santorini Island from Naxos because the weather is too inclement for us to think about taking the boat there. In any case we are not sure if we would find a suitable anchorage on arrival.

The bus takes us right around the island then drops us in the 2 main towns to explore the shops.

Its heaps of fun shopping in Santorini.

Our ferry is the small one in the foreground and we have an interesting time getting back to Naxos in the building gale. By the time we get back to Matelot the wind is really howling but she is safe in the marina.

Out Into the Agean

2011-07-29T00:59:00.000-07:00

Sunday 24 July 2011

Its good to get away from the mainland because the heat and humidity is very disabling, but it takes us all of the morning to clear the paperwork and into the afternoon before we finally depart at around 2.30 pm. This is goodbye to Turkey as we check out for the final time.

While in the supermarket doing our last minute provisioning, we run into a young Kiwi family who are on a four month trip around Europe by campervan. With their two young sons, Tim and Lisa from Omaha were stocking up their van and looking for the next suitable place to have a swim then park for the night. They look like they are having a great time, suntanned and relaxed.

It is too late for us to expect to make much distance so we drop anchor in Posidonion Bay on Samos in the pass between mainland Turkey and Greece. It is a huge relief to jump over the side and cool off. We have another go at firing up the barbecue, with perfect conditions for it – this time using charcoal which burns fiercely but for too short a time then fades quickly. Nope – the food finally gets whipped off and into the frying pan to be finished off before we eat. We really do have to get this thing going properly. Maybe next time we will use more charcoal.

By 6.50 am we are up and away, stopping in Samos marina for a fuel top up. We are half empty but not sure how much motoring we have ahead of us. Conditions are very still with a light southerly. The wind Gods are laughing at us. They know that we have made our way so far north up the Turkish coast just so that we will be able to take advantage of the north westerly prevailing winds and now we have a southerly – almost unheard of at this time of year.

We are reluctant to pass by Pythagorian on Samos again without stopping. There is so much to see there and we could not get into the harbour last time. However we succumb to the urge to move ourselves on out into the Agean and pay for it with wind on and off all day and plenty of motoring.

We are off Fournio Island too early to stop and take the decision to keep moving on - it is such a beautiful day. Arriving in Dhenoussa at 1910h we are delighted to find our friends Uisga Beatha at anchor there.

This is one of the really nice things about this life. One minute you are on your own, then suddenly you are enjoying the company of familiar faces. We all go ashore for dinner at the local Taverna which is a very simple affair. Starters of Greek salad, cooked beans and a sort of chick pea paste – very tasty. Main course a large platter of grilled pork chops and chips. Goat was on offer but we declined on that.

Tuesday 26 July

After a mixed and not so restful night because the wind howled and we swung a lot at anchor - but our new anchor held fast – we take a lovely long walk up the hill. It is important to keep up the aerobic exercise and so very nice to finally be out in the Greek Islands at last! Some lovely photographs follow: (when we can find an internet connection that will download more than one photograph per half hour!)

The weather appears to be threatening a touch of Meltemi , the prevailing wind which can be quite strong, but maybe we have another day or so before we need to find a place to hole up. After farewells to our friends we sail south towards the scatter of islands just south east of Naxos... Koufonisia, Karos, Skhinousa and Iraklia. There are some inviting anchorages around these islands. However, it is not to be as we come out of the lee of Dhenoussa into the teeth of a very fresh southerly. Being in cruising mode these days we turn and take it on the stern and head for the northern tip of Naxos, rounding it some hours later, enjoying the company of a lone dolphin for a small part of the way. At one point we are blanketed by Naxos and have to motor, but once around the top point the southerly intensifies and suddenly the northern part of Paros – Ormos Naousis - looks very inviting. We arrive Ormos Naousis at 1900h and 50 NM later. Drop anchor in 7m of flat calm water - straight over the side into the turquoise water for a swim.

This delightful anchorage is to be our home for the next few days as we familiarise ourselves with the island.

Pippy: “Something warm and soft brushes my leg and I look down, momentarily forgetting my anxiety about my knees which are protruding further out than anything else as I ride pillion on the hired motor scooter. I glance down then realise it is the warm wind that brushes my leg and stops as we round a corner, leaving me with a feeling of something having touched me.” We are taking a day trip around the island of Paros. Fifty km and our first stop is Levkas Village high up in the hills. The Venetian influence on this island is very obvious in the tasteful, historic buildings and narrow lanes which are delightful to explore.

It is hot though, and soon we are sheltering under a spreading tree in the town square and ordering food and cool drinks.

“Golden Beach”: The intense heat is relieved only by the breeze we create as we follow the coast road, spotting some windsurfers in the distance, flying across the bay. This is the signal for us to find the next turnoff. It is time for a swim. We park the scooter, extract our heads from the hot black helmets and find a spot on the beach where we can change into our swim togs. In seconds we are stripped and changed (we would never do that in NZ!) and diving into the crystal clear turquoise water. We plunge gratefully under and feel our body temperatures dropping to something more comfortable.

What a relief!

Soon we are back on the bike and heading for the main town of Paroika to see the Holy Shrine of Panaya Ekatontapiliani of Paros, and if you can pronounce that you are doing very well. One of the oldest and best maintained Christian Temples in the whole of Greece, we are truly awed by the ancient church and surrounding buildings. It has a style and quality which is quite unique and the museum is filled with the most spectacular examples of ancient icons and garments. The interior of the church is very plain and not given to large wall murals, but a spiritual atmosphere pervades and flows through every space with its ancient memories. This is definitely the highlight of our day.

Each morning in this delightful place, we fall out of bed and over the side into the turquoise waters for several laps around the boat. The meltemi comes with one night of howling wind but our anchor is well dug in and it does not bother us.

Friday 29 July 2011

On our last day we take a 2 hour afternoon walk to the lighthouse on the north western point and branch off to the highest point which overlooks the bay below.

We think we spot our friends on Uisge Beatha anchored below and not far from us. The rugged rock faces on this hillside are broken open in places to show seams of snow white marble and sparkly material which glitters like diamonds in the hot afternoon sun. The pathway is also strewn with pebbles which glitter and sparkle as we pass by. (How we wish we could share these photographs with you)

Back on the water we catch up with our friends on Uisga Beatha (pronounced Ushka Bay) Henk, Liz, daughter and son Katy and Shaun, plus other visiting family members. Richard is invited to join in and have a go on the water skis and he proves that there are some things you never forget. Good on you Cap’n Buck.

Just to top off our time in Paros, we hear there is a jazz concern ashore later this evening. It is a bit of a mission finding the concrete landing pier in the darkness, but we manage to get ashore with torches and some determination and along the rocky pathway. Sitting down in the outside amphitheatre, we are entertained by the jazz quartet called “Agean Jazz”.

Musical instruments comprise double bass, electric guitar, trumpet, French Horn and maybe Cornet with also an electric piano.
Pippy “ I lean back against the warm welcoming rock and look up at the sky. The music wafts around me as I play a game and name each star after one of our family and/or friends. I run out of stars...we are not in the southern hemisphere”.

Patmos, Samos, Kusadasi, Cannakale, Kusudasi

2011-07-23T23:44:00.000-07:00

Our budget is tight but we still find a few Euros to purchase a new radio for the boat so that we can plug in our Ipod. Its a good price and a good brand and we make the decision to get it. However, naughty Richard also breaks out and buys a 'present' for the boat and here are his 'not sorry now' photos.

Motoring out to an anchorage near the edge of Patmos we have a little sing song up on deck and attract some swimmers to see what the racket is all about! On the song list is "Amee My girl....!"

Pippy does not sleep well on our last night in Patmos. The wind is howling and moaning all night as though all the Greek Gods are having a huge party. The forecast says we will have more wind for our sail today so perhaps a little anxiety is causing this and we all know how small anxieties are enhanced in the wee small hours of the morning. Anyway, nothing to worry about because while writing this we have had to turn on the engine to clear the top end of Arki as there is not enough wind to lift us over.

We have so many fond memories of Pip and Jess Milne on the boat on Arki Island, we sit and reminisce as we clear past the northern point and look back. We are sailing in light breezes mostly and it is delightful under the canopy of the bimini which is now strengthened with an additional bar going back to the solar panel arch. The cool sea breeze flows freely through and on some days it is possible to feel too cool. It is only when approaching land that the wind suddenly takes on the heat as though it is coming from a furnace. Needless to say we love the sailing most, passaging our home from place to place. There is a distinct absence of other yachts at sea this year. Sometimes we have to really try hard to see another sail in the distance. It doesn't seem possible that we are so close to densely populated places.

At around 10.15 am and just past Arki Island, we are astonished to first of all hear, and then see, 4 fighter jets, flying so low to the water at top speed, across our bows. They disappear off to the south and we wonder what mission or exercise they are on. It makes us realise that we have not been checking in on the news lately, so perhaps its time!

We take a brief overnight stop in Samos Harbour of Pithagorion where we get blown and howled about all night, except for a brief break when we go ashore for an hour around 9 pm. The town wall is packed with yachts racing on the Agean Regatta and they look just like boats on the Coastal Classic - after the race! We just manage to download a weather forecast and discover the NZD has been on a bit of a lift lately. The next morning we are off towards Kusadasi and back to Turkey to check out properly.

We have been blown a little off-shore on the way north from Bodrum, but it has been a lovely experience nevertheless.

It is an 8 hour bus trip, but we take one last sight seeing trip further north to visit Cannakale, Troy and Gallipoli. What an experience it is visiting Gallipoli and standing on the place where it happened. We stand there in the heat (39 degrees) and try to imagine what it would have been like for the soldiers in this battle at this time of year.

Chunuk Bair is particularly important for New Zealand because the NZ Expeditionary Force managed to capture hold it for two days, but this whole area is also a very important Turkish Memorial because it was Ataturk who led the forces who recaptured it.

Back in Kusadasi, Sunday morning and we are leaving as soon as this is published. Today we check out of Turkey for the last time and head out into the Agean for a Greek Island adventure.

Pippy makes the most of the coolness before the sun gets up and goes for a brisk walk up the hill. On her return there is a small booth on wheels parked at the marina gates with people crowding around it. Of course this calls for an investigation and it turns out that this booth is selling the 'best' simits in the whole of Turkey. Pippy finds out that they are supposed to be eaten with a special kind of cheese, so buys two plus the cheese and presents Capn Buck with his breakfast. Nothing doing he says as he gets out his Kellogs Bran Flakes, you can have both of them thanks! mmmm yummy Pippy does not mind at all, they are delicious!

The Last of the Goodbye Cruise

2011-07-18T02:19:00.000-07:00

This will have to do for photos as have given up on the time it takes to get them to load up.

The feeling of saying goodbye continues as we sail onwards, and northwards so that we can then cut out across the Agean with a good wind angle.

The Thursday market is just setting up as we wake up in Palamut so we linger until late morning, finally departing loaded with fresh fruit,olive oil, bread and vegetables and a cotton sun dress for Pippy.

On we go to wonderful Knidos for a lunch stop. This site never fails to astound and seeing it for the last time brings a special kind of appreciation for the bustling hub of a port it was in ancient times. The water here is a crisp cool swim and very refreshing. It is easy to imagine the ancient marble columns and grand nature of the surroundings as they once were. The ghosts of past civilisations are very evident here in the atmosphere.

The afternoon breeze fills in as expected and we have a fresh 25 knot breeze for our sail to Kos... nooo ... Bodrum overnight, where we anchor close to the castle as the sun goes down.

Friday morning we call in to Kos Island hoping to find a spot to stay overnight, but unfortunately the old town harbour is full and so is the Marina. Thank you to Thomas, our favourite marinara who comes to the rescue and puts us into a berth for a couple of hours while Pierre assists Richard with the fitting of a new Rocna anchor we have had couriered from Lefkas (a good Kiwi brand).

Pippy rushes off to get some Euro out of the hole in the wall and to organise a Greek sim card. She is also mysteriously spotted coming out of the ice cream shop on the waterfront with one of those cherry and yoghurt monsters which instantly melt and dribble down the side of the waffle cone!

It is so nice to be back to this familiar place with so many familiar faces. Before the two hours are up, Thomas has found us a berth so we can stay overnight which is fortuitous because we really want to catch up with Werner and Hannalore on board Zaijan and they are up on deck waving to us as we relocate the boat and take our lines as we berth. It is just like old times and even more so later on as we walk along to the Yacht Cafe for happy hour cocktails, then get ‘finished off’ with some peach schnaps on board Zaijan. Auf Wiedersein indeed ha ha!! We do hope we will meet again one day.

Saturday morning is busy with no time for hangovers and lots of last minute little jobs to be done – cannot recall what they were now as we have moved on and now find ourselves in magical Patmos and its Monday morning!

The sailing is superb – all uphill at the moment with a brisk and very long sail on Saturday, when we finally give up on our goal of making it into Emporio on the western side of Kalymnos, and stop to anchor overnight in southern Leros. We choose the inside route and that is our mistake. Maybe if we had motored and gone outside Kalymnos we would have been tucked up into Emporio earlier. As it is, the wind howls around us and Richard is on anchor watch until 11pm when it all quietens down. Our new Rocna is doing the trick.

Saturday brings a magical 18 knot north westerly and as Patmos approaches we enjoy sandwiches made with Prosciuttu from Italy, Cheese from Turkey and fresh bread from Greece.

From now on we are in ‘new’ territory. Patmos is gorgeous. We are anchored and reversed on to the town wall. Yesterday we explored the chora on top of the hill which is delightful. Maybe we will go back today and try to see the monastery and museum which was closed yesterday.

It is hot again - very hot and the weather forecast is threatening a big bit of wind on the way.

Teapots and Palamatbuku

2011-07-13T09:44:00.000-07:00

Nothing tastes quite as good as that first cup of tea in the morning on board Matelot, especially since the purchase of a Turkish white porcelain teapot. It took quite a bit of thought to decide on this teapot. Not too big or too small, not too tall or too short or fat or thin. It was the second choice before another more contemporary model, but on being told she would have to buy 12, Pippy settled for the more traditional shape of the second choice. The Turkish porcelain is white, solid and somehow comforting. Whilst one has to treat it with reasonable respect, it does not chip easily.

It takes real discipline though, to drink it while it is hot and steaming fresh from the pot. This morning it was cold by the time yesterday’s shorts and shirt were hung out to dry – they took a full frontal hit from a wave over the boat. They will be dry in 20 minutes in the 9.30am already roasting, morning sun. Yes, we did rather sleep in this morning – such a sound and untroubled sleep – delicious!

Then there was the broken (off the deck and lying in the gunnel) dorade to repair and screw back into place. It was knocked off its perch by a flapping genoa sheet. We are astounded by the flimsy fixings and put a note on our maintenance list to modify these two deck vents.

Yesterday’s passage from Marmaris to Simi starts at 5.55am, with us motoring out through the narrow entrance, looking backwards to say farewell forever to this familiar place. The engine sounds great as she hums along. We do wonder how the boat will sail with the added stainless steel arch and solar panels and look forward to the day ahead, our first of this year’s cruising.

Dirsek is our destination, north of Bozburun. We have heard it is a truly lovely spot. By around 1.30pm the small harbour opens up in front of us – blue blue water and rocky ground with ancient olive trees growing close to the water’s edge. We swing at anchor for 3 hours but decide the holding does not reassure us enough here as the afternoon north westerly blow begins to push its way into the bay. Many boats are anchored and tied stern-to ashore but we decide to more on to Pethi on Simi Island where we can be sure of an anchorage with flat water.

A very boisterous sail awaits us and Matelot does not feel any different according to Richard. In fact if anything, she is sailing better than before due to adjustments made to the rig.

Suddenly we are back in time to 2008/2009 and it feels like no time at all has passed in between. Our time in NZ happened in another life... how strange.

Just over one hour later as we motor in to Pethi we spot SY Fabiola and are invited by Alistair and Pam for ‘drinks’ at 6 pm, where we are introduced to Chris and Elaine on SY Pacific Blue, and Bruno and Judy on ‘Ginny’. The meeting and networking has begun again.
By 8.30 pm we have to make a hasty departure as the wind is up with fierce gusts coming over the hill. Several boats have dragged their anchors. One heart-stopping moment earlier we watch helplessly as a large out of control yacht flies towards SY Ginny while its sole occupant frantically tries to get the engine going. Just in time he motors away. Now SY Matelot looks as though she is on the move so we get back on board, re-anchor and settle down to dinner with Richard on anchor watch and the gusts screaming through.

By 10pm all is quiet and calm again... its been a busy day!

Today Wed 13 July, its difficult to imagine more perfect conditions. We have motored out through the north passage from Simi Island and set sails for another favourite spot, Palamutbuku. We are slipping along on a beam reach, very flat sea and gentle breeze... wonderful. Richard is writing up the log while Pippy enjoys the luxury of writing. Lunch of egg, cheese and tomato lettuce sandwiches glued together with home made humus, on village flat bread, awaits us when our appetite calls. The fridge is packed full of good food and cold beer.

Palamutbuku slowly draws closer.

...and here we are in this magical place again. We do love it. We speculate that one day it will be the site of a huge marina, but at this stage it is still the unspoilt fishing village, popular resort for Turkish people in the summer.

On arrival, within a short time, a woman arrives offering items for sale. Pippy stocks up on dried oregano, sage (for tea), chamomile flowers and tea, mint and bay leaves.

It is hot... so very hot. We swim and Richard sleeps while Pippy potters. At 6.30 pm we start to talk about going for a walk to see our old friend Altan at Merhaba Restaurant. We sit outside under the trees on the water's edge and enjoy a cold ....? yes you got it "water". Before we know it we are feeling hungry and we order some food. Altan wants to know how Richard wants his steak. Quickly Richard quips back.... "Medium rare like you Altan" there is a moment of pause and Altan replies... "I am well done Richard...!" It is a true 'you had to be there moment'.

We must close this blog now and send love and thoughts to all of our family and friends in NZ. We miss you and think of you every day. We want to share our joy with you. xxxx

Our last night in Marmaris

2011-07-11T11:52:00.001-07:00

Photos to follow....

Goodbye to Paul, Sima and Alexander on Leander... for now - we hope to see you again soon!

On Wednesday 6 July we depart Marmaris Yacht Marina and have been anchored just outside the marina waiting for one courier from NZ and one letter from the UK while we attend to a few small last minute jobs and build up the provisions on the boat. It has been much more pleasant out here on anchor... the marina is just too stifling hot. It has seemed like a holiday actually. We have slept in late and spent time reading and swimming. Its been lovely actually.

The new barbecue is christened... It doesn't taste that good so we need a bit of practice on this front.

Tonight we eat a simple pasta dinner out on deck, savouring the warm wind blowing through the cockpit from the north west. We watch the skyline turn from pink to black as the sun goes down. It has been 39 degrees in Marmaris today and we have spent the morning in town literally gasping and dodging from one air conditioned space to another. We catch the worker's ferry from the marina at 8.30am, determined that today we will'extract' our mail and get moving.

Beginning at the post office, Pippy knows the way to the mail sorting room... up the stairs, around a few corners, nobody stopping us, and we find ourselves at the counter sorting through the pile of mail for the marina and finding the one we are looking for... yayyy. A great start. Next is the courier company. We walk the streets asking, asking, until finally we find the agent for DHL in Marmaris. It is surreal as we quote the tracking number and the Clerk reaches into a basket behind his desk (filled with other packages) and pulls out our one. We can't help wondering how long it was going to sit there for, but pretty quickly move on.

Just one more thing. Pippy had a little woopsie with the computer yesterday and had to do a full 'recovery' on the C Drive. Now we need to reload our virus software so visit the tech specialists in town for assistance and a checkover. We leave there about an hour later with a 100% bill of health and head for the boat, stopping to stock up on some last minute provisions on the way at the huge Tansas supermarket.

The Dolmish is baking hot inside and we are grateful 30 mins later to jump into the dinghy to return to Matelot. It is at least 10 degrees cooler on Matelot at anchor and a swim is always an option.

Later this afternoon we visit the laundry ashore, and swim in the pool while we wait for the wash to be ready. A cold beer up on the foredeck at 6.30 pm while the washing dries tastes wonderful as we watch the sun head westwards!

Slowly it sinks in that we are leaving this place which has been so much a part of our lives. Richard says it is 'Day 37' since we arrived here and it is not hard to believe it!

Tomorrow morning first light we leave this anchorage and start on our journey westwards. We plan to be in the achorage of Dirsek 47 miles away, by this time tomorrow.

Now That we are Floating Again

2011-06-27T08:28:00.000-07:00

What an idyllic sight Richard has captured in this photo. We are the first boat on the right with the sun covers over the blue hull.

But by now we are getting very tired and have got a bit grumpy with each other, until we discover that a wet dish cloth, thrown straight and fast, is a great diffuser.

After much agonising and consideration, we decide to instal solar panels on a stainless steel arch across the stern of Matelot.

We visit the Sanayi to check on progress and find our work well on the way around the corner in the alley.

The Sanayi is two Dolmish rides away from Yacht Marine and is a collection of industrial workshops where anything at all can be fabricated, repaired or altered somewhat. It is where all sailors in Marmaris go to get their work done if possible.

The Kaglioglu Team are the best in the business but are hard negotiators. (that's a stranger getting the treatment in the pic)

And here they are on our boat installing the arch!

AC-DC Marine take care of all our electric and electronic requirements. They are a team of two, Yunus and Erhan, young men who have set up in business for themselves. They come highly recommended and see to it that our new alternator, additional batteries and upgraded charger, solar panels and regulators, and Raymarine nav equipment is all fully functional.

Here they installing sat phone aerial on the arch.

And work and business all done, we have tea with Yunus and say goodbye:

There are plenty of jobs to do as we seem to be pushing a log uphill to be able to leave the marina.

Washing winter cover.....

Getting more money from the cash machine....Richard's job now that Pippy has lost her cash point card!

Socialising....that beer is going to taste good!

Checking the rig, making repairs and installing LED masthead light. In fact the whole boat is changed over to LED lights.

Matelot is now a 'green' boat! Solar panels are pushing out the power so we can disconnect from shore power.

Three New Holes in the Bottom of the Boat!

2011-06-22T05:54:00.000-07:00

The Topsides:

Despite having covered the blue gel coat with side curtains during last summer, the white chalky oxidation is very bad and we can clearly see the previous name of the boat on the bow where it has 'come back' with a vengeance.

We spend the whole of our first weekend on the boat cutting and polishing the topsides by hand. We are up at 5 am to beat the heat and work until 7pm each day. By the end of the weekend we are happy with our work and drop the curtain/covers as still have to apply wax. On Monday morning with arms aching and feeling tired, Pippy takes the cover off to find the previous name is still showing really badly and the white patchy chalking is still obvious. We decide we must need more muscle so Richard buys a professional polishing machine from the marina shop. He gets stuck in with it but his arms are a bit tired for some reason and we decide to leave it for the next day.

We have spied a young Turkish boy working on a boat the same colour as ours across the yard and he is getting amazing results without much apparent effort. We find out what polish he is using and go buy some - still not a great result. By Tuesday he tells us he has "finished" his boat and for an agreed sum will be happy to do Matelot. We accept with huge relief. Kennar has to sort out his "insurance" so he can work for us and much to our consternation, disappears for a couple more days. Its not looking very hopeful but one day he pops up again and gets stuck in with the polishing machine. He makes light work of the topsides and we are suddenly transformed from night to day!

Kennar is young and strong and is our life saver on a difficult task!

Our launch date of Friday 17 June is looming closer but now we have to acknowledge we are not going to be ready. We put off our return to the water until Monday 20 June.

How many degrees of separation? Alistair and Pam on SY Fabiola invite us on board for a drink. Richard and Alistair discover they have mutual friends in NZ!

Matelot gets a present - her name on the bow with attitude! We have seen the 'other' name off this time. ...and we are Finished!...... Matelot has been thoroughly cleaned off underneath, given a coat of something with a long name, then 3 coats of navy blue antifoul plus an additional fourth coat all around the waterline. Her boot top has a new coat of a very hard antifoul which can be cleaned off without taking it all off at once. It is grey and smart. We are satisfied that we have done our best for her and are ready to launch.

Wow....!

Some last minute decisions are made and three holes get drilled in the bottom of the boat for future installations.

More Holes and last chance to get it right before we go in the water!

Jes drills the hole for the sea cock for the future watermaker.

Three hours before launching Yunis comes on board and fits a ground plate for an SSB radio. This requires two more holes. Its quite hard to watch the drill going in and looking through to daylight below!

Its Monday 20 June we wait all day for the crane to come for us. In the end we give up in frustration and duck across the yard for a quick swim off the platform opposite. Just as we hit the water we hear the crane moving again and sure enough it is coming for us. We will probably look back on this launching in years to come as our most traumatic ever.

Pippy is up the ladder quickly throwing on some clothes and grabbing the camera.

The noise from under the boat and the feeling of it being jerked around is pretty graphic and the hammers bash out all the wedges holding up the poles around the steel cradle. Matelot shudders as each hammer blow hits then eventually settles into her cradle. When the posts come off the damage is heartbreaking. In every place where there was a post, the paint has been scraped back to the epoxy coats we put on in Slovenia 3 years ago. There are 6-8 patches of damage down each side of the boat.

Richard runs around with a roller and tray of antifoul He tries to repair some of the damage but it is only ever going to be one to two coats in the 15 - 20 minutes we are allowed, whereas before there were 4 or 5.

We are stunned as this has never happened to us before.

We have the engineer on the boat as we are lowered into the water. This is to make sure that work done on the engine at time of layup is all okay. She floats - thank goodness and starts first turn of the key... wonderful. We are held up waiting for a berth in the marina while the crew disappear off for half an hour. The engineer disappears too. When the time comes to follow the Marinara Richard puts the gear shift forward.... nothing happens! He pushes it a bit further and THWACK! We hear the propellor crack open. That does not sound quite right. Once we are settled in the Engineer comes back and works on the 'mechanical clutch' for some time before things sound normal again.

Phew! Richard looks a little drained over his evening beer today.

Malicious Scam

2011-06-19T23:18:00.000-07:00

A quick note regarding some people we know who have just had a horrible experience.

Their server in the UK was hacked, their emails diverted, and every contact was sent a message saying they had been mugged in Madrid and needed financial help to get out. The message was: Please send money to this account etc..... We are aware that a lot of people would recognise this instantly as a scam, but just in case we just wanted to say that WE WILL NEVER ASK FOR HELP IN THIS WAY. We would hate to think of people receiving email messages like this while we are blissfully unaware as we sail along - rest assured that we are fine and will have other ways to get in contact if we are ever in dire straights.

The source of the hacker was tracked to Lagos, Nigeria. The problem was very difficult to fix, but now seems to be sorted. Our friends were devastated by the fallout from it. We heard of another person who was back-packing in Asia and did not find out for 3 months as it was that long before he tried to access his emails. In the meantime, quite a few people had been worried into sending money.

Phew!

Love to all xxxx Capn Buck and Pippy

Marmaris - and Back on the Boat at Last!

2011-06-09T12:37:00.000-07:00

The photo on the left is the day we arrive with our bags still on the ground. One week later things have changed a little. We have tied the side curtains to the boat next door to get some shade from the blistering sun as we work through the day. Our sense of exhaustion some days is like nothing we recall we have ever experienced before, but have probably forgotten that we felt this way the last time we worked underneath the boat.

On 5 June our journey to Marmaris from Istanbul starts at 4.45 am with our wake up call for the taxi to the airport at 5.30 am. A comical (in hindsight) situation develops as the taxi does not come and the hotel owner appears to have remembered our wake-up call but forgotten to book the taxi. Don't worry he says, your bed is still available tonight! Not what we want to hear. .... At the airport we go through two security checks before boarding. This time we check all our luggage through including back packs and pay the excess baggage fee of $60.00 willingly. Almost no time later, we are circling over Bodrum and see the Med sparkling below us. We have booked a car to take us through to Marmaris and are getting very excited to be so close to our second home again.

Unfortunately our car has not turned up and we watch the free Atlas Jet buses depart for Bodrum town, leaving us at the mercy of the rank of taxi drivers circling like crows in the now deserted airport. One hour later our car appears with apologies for having been waiting at the international airport for us by mistake! The car is comfortable though, air conditioned and roomy, and we gratefully pile in for the two hour drive to our destination. All the familiar landscape passes by - some new roads have been built. We are sooooo excited!

On arrival in Yacht Marin Marmaris, we almost drive right past Matelot as she is tightly jammed in between two large boats in an otherwise nearly empty expanse of concrete which is usually chock a block with boats. In a bit of a daze which goes on for 2-3 days we re-acquaint ourselves with our floating home. She is in very good condition despite having been left for so long. The winter cover has been removed and Jes Holman has been on board and given her a thorough wash down. We can see from odd patches of dirt that she has been covered in deep layers of dust. She rapidly becomes a work zone, with a rolling moving scene of jobs going on.

Pippy enjoys cake and yoghurt for breakfast one day!

The supermarket has improved since we were last here. We buy filled rolls for less than NZD2 each for lunches, the selection of bread is wonderful and there is plenty of f and veg to choose from too.

Today is bottom cleaning day as we take off the old antifoul with wet and dry sandpaper and copious amounts of water, ending up blue from head to foot ourselves in the process.

Richard is so happy as he manually scrapes all the old antifoul off the boot top...***!

Richard has developed a time line and a list of jobs with our deadline of launch date on 17 June. We have acquainted ourselves with the new WestMarine Store in Marmaris and spent enough there to justify a lift back to the boat with all our purchases.

We have an amazing catchup with our old friends Andy and Brenda on Deep Blue. They come into Yacht Marin 2 days after we arrive! Seems like no time has passed since we last saw them.

Each day we take a break in the heat of the afternoon and swim in the really lovely pool here.

Tomorrow we will take a swim in the sea instead. It is taking a little while to adjust to the heat which is absolutely baking with the boat getting much hotter inside while out on the hard stand. It is like crawling into an oven to go to sleep at night - then the mosquitoes pile in for their share of the action. We have purchased a plug in mosquito repeller, but it does not slow them down at all. Tonight we have put a net over our hatch to try to help a bit. Cooking on board without a plug-hole is an interesting experience. The system is... pile up the dishes until there is a bagful and then lower them over the stern and take them on a trolley to the hand wash area and deal to them. The monster Ikea shopping bag has proved very useful for lowering the dishes down to the ground on their way. Oh did we forget to say that we came across a huge Ikea store in Istanbul and Pippy purchased new stainless steel pots - the galley slave will be happy now.

We quickly discover that it is very inexpensive to eat in the restaurant here at under NZD20 for a main course, and even better to go to the Workers Cafetaria where you don't even have to get changed and can eat a huge meal for under NZD10.

A shower and cold beer at the end of each day is a life saver!

Istanbul Revisited

2011-05-31T23:47:00.000-07:00

Taste of Turkey: Have re-acquainted ourselves with Lentil Soup served with slice of lemon and bread, Shishkebab, wonderful Ayran - the salty yoghurt type drink of Turkey, and.... Baklava in all shapes and sizes... delicious!

The displays of fresh fruit and veg are mouth watering. We breakfast each day on fresh strawberries and other fruit with creamy yoghurt.

Our hotel is in the Sultahnamet district close to the Blue Mosque. One of the minarets can be seen in this photo of a street scene nearby.

Day 3 and we are still in a bit of a daze, catching up on emails in the dining room of our hotel which is on the top floor of the building overlooking the Sea of Marmara. Sounds very glam but in fact we have humble 2-3 star, tiny room backing on to a railway line. From there we look out on to ancient ruins of a crumbling city wall sprouting weeds and wildflowers, which appears to run right along the waterfront. Quite pretty in a very decadent way as one glances down to the courtyard below to the pile of doggie dooh and shambolic makings of a fence, then beyond to a veggie garden with a pile of old metal beds thrown haphazardly to one side.

We both agree our trip over here was the best we have ever done, contributed to mainly by the stopover in Singapore and the 9 hour crash/sleep which we had in the Transit Hotel there. The usual dramas of travelling visited us. The credit card which grew legs, got up and walked from where it should have been put, to finally being found in the shopping bag with the item last purchased. This discovered on takeoff from Singapore so Pippy manages to while away the first hour of the flight freaking out, searching through bags, and composing an email to the bank stopping the card, before it is finally found! The camera pulls a similar trick, burrowing its way to the very bottom of a carry bag then hiding in amongst a t-shirt.

On arrival we dump our bags on arrival here in Istanbul, shower, change, enjoy a sumptuous Turkish breakfast on the top floor, then head out for the adventure of finding Ofuk the Dental Surgeon who is expecting Pippy at 2.00pm. He has new premises on the Asian side of Istanbul - an area we have not visited before.

It is easy to locate the "ferryboat" to cross the Bosphorus, to jump on a Dolmush (Little yellow bus) to Cekmekoy about half an hour into the suburbs on the Asian side. However, locating Ufuk's new premises is another matter and it takes us the best part of an hour wandering dusty and cracked streets, before we track him down near to where we had started looking. His new premises are state of the art and treatment starts with a radiogram - Pippy standing with her head in a machine which moves in a circle around her head while playing music! It is 3 hours later when we finally leave and Pippy will be going back each day until all the work is done.

Here is the lowdown from Pippy:

Five of my old crowns have been removed to be replaced with new zirconium ones later in the week plus one new crown centre front. Yesterday temp crowns installed and amalgam fillings taken out and replaced with new white ones. Also will finally get a proper crown on the implant done in 2008. Yesterday had wisdom tooth taken out. We will be much poorer for this experience, but we look on it as insurance as I was a walking time bomb with dental issues and one which we would not want going off mid Atlantic.

Last Cruise 2009 Boo Hoo!....

2009-11-23T07:20:00.000-08:00

Kos Harbour in the early evening...

Kos waterfront - the view from where we are moored.

We leave Kos Island on Wednesday 21 October and sail the 5 miles across the passage to Turgutreis in Turkey where we check ourselves and the boat in to Turkey, purchase our Transit Log for the boat and have our passports stamped. It is sad to say farewell to all of our friends on Kos Island - especially Sophie who has been so good to us

Sophie with Sipporo

- who we have got to know over the time we have been around here. Who knows when we will be back?

We spend one very expensive (50 Euro) night on the marina but make good use of the facilities. We get all the boat laundry done, enjoy lovely hot showers, and also have a recurring problem on the mast fixed (we hope!). That length of track on the mast has opened up again and spilled some more ball bearings. It happens on the way over from Kos, but we don’t think we have lost many ball bearings this time and are able to get a good technician up the mast to fix the problem at the top which appears to be a loose fitting. He does it for free too, which is an added bonus.

The next day, we leave Turgutreis Marina in fairly fresh conditions around 3pm. We fly along the Turkish coast, cross half way back to Kos and then opt to do a “go about tack” instead of a gybe which would have been a bit difficult with just two of us on board. The tack is still a bit hairy with the short and steep sea state and 25 knots. As we come around 255 degrees, the bow goes under, we get a good bit of dousing over the decks and have a busy few minutes getting the boat settled down again. We make our way to Bodrum where we anchor for the night off the castle. It takes us 3 tries to get our anchor to set in the weedy bottom but we finally succeed as the sun goes down (and so does the wind).

The sight of the sun going down over the castle is very special and we remind ourselves how lucky we are to be doing this.

23 October 2009
Bodrum - Castle Island, Gulf of Gokova
39.05 NM

We leave Bodrum at first light as we have a long way to go and because there is no wind, we motor all day in brilliant sunshine and clear blue skies right up to the head of the Gulf of Gokova . We are heading for Castle Island on the north-western side of the Datca Peninsular – to cruise in an area we have not visited before.

We anchor in a place between Castle Island and Snake Island. (Orta Adasi and Setir Adasi in Turkish). This is a very special place where Cleopatra created a beach for Mark Antony to bathe in, bringing the sand all the way from Egypt (as legend has it).

The sun goes down causing amazing light effects on the huge mountains of the Turkish coast to the north, which drop straight down into the sea - they change from brown to mauve and blue and pink as we watch. The wind has been fresh for an hour or two but has died with the sun going down. We are the only boat here and there are ancient ruins and islands all around us. It is very beautiful. Again… we are so lucky. The only sounds are the birds putting themselves to bed nearby and the sound of the water lapping on the shore. Zero wind.

Unfortunately, we are woken at midnight with the sound of freshening wind (as always from the opposite direction) and we have a fairly nervous night from then on. We put the chart plotter anchor alarm on, but still wake up hourly to check that we are in the same place. There is not much room for us to travel if the anchor lets go.

At first light with the wind still gusting close to 20 knots into the anchorage, we move around the corner to the bay where there is some shelter and more room to swing. Soon after we arrive, the sun comes up and the wind drops and we are anchored off a lovely beach in still clear water. A loaf day follows as we swim and sleep in the autumn sunshine. It is so still and quiet here in this sleepy place, but a little sad as there is a huge disused holiday resort in amongst the trees along one end of the beach. It has an air of dereliction which is unfortunately, typically Turkish. Perhaps they did not pay their tax, or upset the local politics. Who knows?

25 October 2009

Today we move on to another lovely place called Karacasogut (pronounced Karagasud). It is a natural harbour in beautiful forested surroundings with a large island at the entrance protecting the harbour. As I write I can hear the many geese and ducks in the bay making a huge racket. A cow is mooing not far away and the air is very still, hot and loaded. Large fish are jumping all around us. We think we will get some rain tonight. We are tied up to a pontoon made of hand cut logs. It is very rustic.

Mooring Med style???

On another pontoon next to us there are a lot of long term liveaboards who have made the pontoon into a bit of a junkyard with all their stuff spread all over the pontoon. At the end there is a little open sided shack with “China Town” painted on the boards. It looks like someone's sitting room.

Chinatown Karacasogut style!

The promised rain has not arrived by the next morning but we hear there is a storm coming so we hang in for another night and are very cosy while it blows and rains itself out. We use the internet signal at the marina “office” to do a bit of blogging and it is good to start to catch up.

Pippy purchases a real pumpkin (pumpkin soup for lunch) and lettuce from the local store (they go and cut it while she waits) and cannot believe the giant size of it! Later on we also acquire some freshly picked green beans to take with us plus another pumpkin.

27 October 2009

The sun looks like it is coming out, so we take walk up the valley, thinking of our friends Andy and Brenda on Deep Blue who wintered here last year. It is quickly apparent that this is a very fertile place where vegetables are grown in abundance and the bee hives are hard at work. The people here are Turkish country folk and very kind and friendly. We buy some local honey and carry our prize back to Matelot.

A little later in the day, we leave KaracaSogut in brilliant sunshine as the locals kill an octopus they have just caught off the beach. It is amazing how the weather can change the way a place looks. The landscape is sparkling all around us!

English Harbour

We take an easy little potter 5 NM to the south west along the coast to English Harbour. This area is named after the English Special Boat Squadron who used it as a base during the closing stages of the war in the Eastern Agean (1944). As we write we are anchored right in the middle of this gorgeous place, which would normally be crowded. We have it to ourselves except for a gullet which has just nosed in and turned on its generator….blow it. We are surrounded with wooded slopes and the light is fading over a sky mixed with clouds and patches of blue. The bird song sounds very similar to NZ. The forecast looks very settled so we will risk it once again and anchor out here rather than tie up to the pontoons by the restaurants across the harbour in the eastern inlet. There is plenty of room for us to swing.

The air is still and calm and we have an uneventful night and good sleep, departing early the next day in zero wind for our next stop somewhere in Yedi Adalari (Seven Islands) a chain of small islands off the coast.

There are several protected inlets to choose from, where anchorages are very pretty. We initially go for North Cove and tie stern-to on to some trees around the corner. However, after sitting there for a couple of hours, we decide we would like to explore further (just because we can!) and move on to East Creek which we find we much prefer as it seems more sheltered from the wind which appears to have some south west in it. We once again tie stern-to a fair way up into the inlet. We have the pick of places to go as there are no other boats up this far. We are in stunningly beautiful surroundings, ringed with protecting land except for the opening into the inlet. The tiny kingfishers, quite unlike the NZ variety, but recognisable from the flash of bright blue as they fly by, are busy fishing the deeply forested shore line. Around 5.30pm we have a short squall with wind on the starboard side and all halyards rattling, but it is short lived and the darkness closes in on us anchored in still water.

29 October 2009 - Yedi Adalari (East Creek)

We wake in the morning to one of the most picturesque surroundings we have experienced in our cruising so far. The still water is shrouded in mist as the sun lights up the eastern sky from below the horizon. We are up early and row further up the inlet to discover a hidden part to it. Around a small wooded headland a couple of wooden fishing boats are moored on a shoreline massed with tall reeds.

Spectacular East Creek on a Beautiful Morning....!

We take many photographs as we row around this lovely place then return to the boat for breakfast and swimming, before deciding it is unfortunately time to head out.

Eight people in a leaky boat!!!!

We have thoroughly enjoyed our visit to this part of the Datca Peninsular, but today we have a long sail ahead of us with our goal of Kormen, 33.85 NM away. It is time to get ourselves back into the main cruising route and turned towards Marmaris. Wind on the nose means we have a brisk sail and many tacks, but we are enjoying the feeling of freedom and still not many other boats around.

We share the helm...

By 4.30 pm and many tacks later with the sun just going down behind the surrounding high hills, we tie up to the wall at Kormen, on the northern side of the peninsular opposite Datca. It has a fish restaurant right on the pier, so we lash out and go out for dinner. At TKL60 per kilo for fish the dinner is not inexpensive but it is well cooked and delicious. The local cats are a nuisance and repeatedly try to get on the boat so we spring ourselves out from the wall before we go to bed. The wind is up and it looks like a brisk sail tomorrow.

Pippy takes the local bus into Datca the next morning and needs a taxi to get back with the load of provisions, especially lots of lovely Turkish yoghurt, fruit and veg. It is good to have food on the boat again and we throw it down below and get away as soon as possible as conditions are fairly fresh. We want to get free of the Datca Peninsular today.

30 October 2009 Kormen - Nisyros 26.45 NM

... At times we cross the shipping lanes..

We have another big sail today, (partially on the wind then cracked sheets) to arrive in Nisyros Harbour around 2.30pm.

It takes us a good two hours to get the boat settled. There are few people around and only one other yacht. The cross wind catches us and blows us away sideways and three attempts later we finally get tied on to the wall. The shallowness of the harbour prevents Richard from getting the boat into a good position to reverse from and we are not lying straight to the wall. We put on several springs and try to pull ourselves straight on against the wind. Eventually we are (sort of) satisfied, but exhausted. It is by then getting dark and foreboding. There is something quite nervous about being one of the few boats in a harbour, which is usually crowded. The wind howls all night, quietening down around dawn.

We have planned to sail from Nisyros (after staying a couple of nights) to Tilos, Khalki and then Rhodes on our way back to Marmaris. We have decided overnight that we will not stay on in Nisyros, but instead head for Kardamena for some more provisions. It is a short trip and much more sheltered from the fresh northerly in the small harbour. It is good to go ashore and stock up on some more much needed items (muesli to name one!). Many of the shops are closing down today as it is the end of the season. The town has an empty feel about it and seems strange without the throngs of mostly English tourists. Once again, we are the only yacht here! A quick look at the weather forecast and the high wind coming over the next week gives us pause for thought. Several people warn us of bad weather coming.

We realise that we have to get out of this harbour and make some distance towards Marmaris as there is a fierce southerly due in a couple of days, (We have seen what a southerly does here and it is not pretty.) In the short term the wind numbers are high but from the north so that should blow us where we want to go. The forecast for Kos seems to be much worse than further east, ie Datca and Rhodes.

1 November 2009
Kardamena - Panormitis
38 NM

We are up very early and want to get away before the wind freshens. By 7.30 am we are running out of Kardamena, putting some miles on our passage back to Marmaris.

Once we get away from the shadow of the high Kos mountain range, we have an exhilarating downhill run with top speeds of 10 knots with reefed main and genoa. We both feel happy that we have made the move. For a while we think that we might sail on to Rhodes, but we turn off for Simi at the last minute. The thought of calm water and a good anchorage is too tempting, knowing what weather we have in store over the next few days. As it turns out it is the best decision we could have made. We anchor around 12.30 pm in time for lunch.

Tonight we are tucked up in Panormitis Harbour on the south western end of Simi and the conditions are foul. Every so often we get hit by a gust of wind coming over the high hills to our north. There is almost a silence before you hear it coming, as though the wind gods are sucking in their breath. It is impossible to describe the sound of the gusts gathering themselves and then hurtling towards us. The gust hits the boat with a loud thwang and we sail around on our anchor in all directions. Fortunately the holding is good, we are in flat water and our anchor is well dug in. Overnight winds are forecast to be around 30 knots, but this is conservative and we get gusts closer to 40 through most of the night, the next day and the following night. It is cold – we have our feather sleeping bags out. Winter is here. For once we are with other yachts – five of us tucked up in here.

We spend the day chatting to some of the other cruisers in the anchorage and whiling away the hours. We are undecided about whether to go to Simi Harbour for one last look, or just head straight for Rhodes. After two nights of howling gusts and swinging in Panormitis, Rhodes wins and we sail out of Panormitis Harbour on the morning of Tuesday 3 November. Conditions seem to be taking a bit of a break, but we know that on Tuesday night the rough weather is coming in again for a screaming crescendo and we think the shelter will be better in Rhodes.

We have a wonderful 22 NM sail to Rhodes in brilliant sunshine with wind on our starboard aft quarter. What could be better?

Rhodes - Mandraki Harbour entrance...

Arriving in Rhodes Harbour, we find very little space available and sit in the middle pondering our options until we see someone waving to us from the wall. It is Trevor and Susan from the catamaran "Little Kat". Trevor knows Rhodes Harbour and we take his advice, mooring between a gorgeous Swan 65 ft yacht to port and a really large motor launch to starboard. We are just two spaces in from the harbour entrance so there is a fair bit of wash with boats coming and going. Both of the boats each side of us already have two anchors out in preparation for the coming storm. We lay out 50 meters of chain, then pull ourselves well out from the wall. It is a trick getting off the boat, leaping over the gap from the passarelle. It takes a while to get the boat set up with springs on both sides, but it is just as well. As the afternoon passes, the storm builds first of all blowing on our port bow, then veering over to the starboard side. We are quite well sheltered by the huge boat on that side, but the spring still does its work through the night. It is so good to be securely tied up after two nights of skittling around on anchor. We sleep well despite the noise of the storm, thunder and lightning etc. The next few days see us jobbling around quite vigorously, but our anchor holds us well out from the wall and we are secure.

We stay in Rhodes for 4 nights and enjoy every moment. The people all around us are very friendly. There is a bit of drama as a young (fairly attractive) girl (possibly in her 20s) arrives in the harbour in an old beaten up steel yacht with sails torn and rigging in shreds. The anchor winch does not work and despite having someone on the bow to help, ends up side on to the wall as she tries to reverse the boat stern to. She claims her ex boyfriend has sold her the boat which subsequently went aground. Two fishermen hauled her free for the princely sum of Euro 2,000. The storm blew her from Turkey to Rhodes and here she is! She has two dogs on board and one of them has just given birth to 9 puppies!! They have not been off the boat for 7 days! She has no money since having to pay to have the boat hauled off the sandbank. We all feel very sorry for her but are so happy she is not our daughter!! Of course once she settles in, there are lots of gallant men hanging around offering to help her out in any way they can.

As far as sight seeing is concerned, we enjoy wandering through the old city, but most of all, Pippy really enjoys walking the 'shops' here and takes a couple of 'time out' trips to the shops on her own. There is a special circuit which takes in Zara, Mango, United Colors of Benetton and a few others. A little money changes hands and we are all very happy!

Thanks to Trevor and Susan, we are treated to a fabulous roast chicken dinner on board Little Kat, with all the trimmings and vegetables, plus two types of gravy, then the next evening they organise a very rustic barbecue on the 'beach' at Rhodes Harbour entrance which includes some fresh octopus. We see the big octopus hanging around the wall and the next thing we know, a fisherman has hooked it out on to the concrete and it is being made ready for dinner! We have also paid a visit to the wonderful butcher and enjoy fresh chicken sausages and meat patties with the seafood.

Barbecue on the "beach" at Mandraki Harbour entrance...

All in all is a very nice ending to our last cruise.

Saturday 7 November 2009
Rhodes to Marmaris
22.9 NM

Time waits for no man and before we know it, it is time to leave Rhodes. We are due in Marmaris and look forward to our final sail of the season. We say our goodbyes and try to get our anchor up... to no avail... It is firmly hooked on the bottom. So it is one last swim for Richard as he goes over the side to deploy the 'anchor thief' in the 5 meters of murky water, with plenty of willing helpers on board including Trevor and the crew from the Swan super yacht. We are soon free to go and say our goodbyes all over again.

The wind is initially fresh and we have a good sail under reefed main and genoa, but it is not long before we are shaking the reefs out. The closer we get to Turkey, the less wind there is, until finally we put the genoa away and motor sail, arriving at Marmaris Yacht Marina around 2.30pm. It is hard to believe we won't be leaving here for some time now. We are both feeling a bit subdued at the prospect but know we won't get much sympathy on that score!

Hello Juliet 68. Here we will stay until we haul out on 9 December.

Storm brewing over Yachtmarina Marmaris.

6.00 am peeping at the sunrise from under our winter cover in Marmaris.

Sensational!!!

2009-11-15T10:22:00.000-08:00

Simi Harbour at its very best...!

5 October 2009

To meet Rod and Fi we moor right on the ferry wharf, one of Kos Island’s best kept secrets this summer. We know we can go here free of charge. It is a newly repaired section of wharf, which was destroyed by a southerly storm last year. Water is laid on but no power. Rod and Fi arrive right on time at 4.30am and they are suitably impressed when we walk them across the wharf and step on board SY Matelot, parked as we are right outside the castle walls.

Ouzo all round on board SY Matelot as we welcome the new arrivals!

A quick stock up and we are off for a look at the island of Leros north of here and the lovely town of Pandelli with its castle on top of the hill.

There is very little wind so we motor all the way, then drop anchor outside the small harbour where the swimming is gorgeous off the boat.

...Pandelli Castle beckons from the hilltop....

Cap’n Buck ferries the crew ashore for some exploring while Pippy takes care of herself and the boat.

The afternoon’s entertainment consists of the local fishermen working their nets right inside the harbour and all around SY Matelot, and later on we all go ashore again ...

for a slap up dinner at Zorba’s right on the beach where the food is exceptionally good and the company even better.

6 October 2009

Our return to Kos Island the next day is a bit more boisterous as the prevailing north westerly has kicked in and we romp our way back downhill. The sailing is fun and we stop for a quick (hair raising) peep into the tiny harbour of Vathi on the eastern side of Kalymnos. After an aborted attempt to tie up Med style to the harbour wall in a very confined space (just not worth the hassle in the fresh wind), we carry on to Kos and back on to our spot on the ferry terminal. Deb and Greg leave us tomorrow so we make the most of our last night on board with them. No meal with the Cooks would be complete without gastronomic flavours and we realise it is the lure of the ice cream shop which has brought us back here, as after dinner we all take a short walk and......

like children in a candy store, try to decide what we will have.

In the end most of us go for the ice cream but some of us have still not had enough Baklava!!

Wednesday 7 October

It is just too hard to sit on the wall on such a lovely day, so we opt to sail the 17NM around to Kardamena for a last swim and a quick taxi ride to the airport.

The boys enjoy their lunch....

...Deb enjoys one last swim....

Sadly we all say farewell around 5pm. It has been great having you on board D and G – come back again some day!

We have fun provisioning SY Matelot for our next adventure, and (just because we can!) eat a tasty dinner at the Blue Note Café. We are just about regulars here now!

Thursday 8 October

On the way to Nisyros....

We are up early on SY Matelot as our adventure awaits us. Sailing out towards Nisyros we stop for the obligatory Dom Perignon dip before heading on to Nisyros Harbour - to the sound of our latest Nisyros music - and organising our scooters for the next day and a half.

We eat a quick lunch on board and then are on to the scooters heading out to our favourite Black Pearl Beach and a swim in the dark waters. There is just time to also visit the village of Emporio, wandering again through the old stone village first and then on to the inhabited side afterwards, a site which we never get tired of. Dinner at Aphrodite is its usual superb standard of food and bonhomie. We love the custom in Greece where the waiter (and in this case our host) sits down at the table with us to discuss what our menu choices are going to be. (The next morning we see him again - working on a building site in Mandraki!)

Friday 9 October

Mandraki Village is our destination this morning and we are up and away early by SY Matelot standards, exploring with Rod and Fi our favourite haunts, the museum with its many fascinating exhibits dating back to before 7th century BC, the monastery, the shops (numerous) and the castle. On from here (the scooters know their own way) up the winding road to Nikkei, the village high up on the edge of the crater, where Rod and Fi take in the Volcanological Museum and we stop for (a late) lunch.

By now the word "Sensational!" is cropping up fairly regularly!....

On our way back from here we turn left over the crater edge, plunging down the steep road inside the crater, to see the steam vents in good form today possibly due to the recent rain. (An active sleeping volcano, with the last eruption 15,000 years ago.) The sun is going down and the light is fading slightly, making for amazing colours and rapidly cooling temperatures.

By the time we have taken in the crater, we are ready to get back to the boat and enjoy hot showers and a long cold beer. The weather is warm and balmy here at water level and we eat a late dinner on board SY Matelot.

Saturday 10 October

Fascinating Tilos Island, due east of Nisyros, is our destination today. Although it is a small island (63 sq km), it is of interest because it is a specially protected area. ("SPA" which basically means the locals can’t shoot the bird life and put it into a pie.) This is due to some important flora and bird species which live here namely, Bonelli’s Eagle, Elonora’s Falcon and the Mediterranean Shag. There have been hordes of shooters with their dogs on the neighbouring island of Nisyros and we are told they are shooting crow, partridge and anything else basically that moves.

Remains of dwarf elephants have also been found in a cave on Tilos island, but excavation on this site is still in progress and not yet open to the public.

We arrive in Livadia Harbour (the main port of the island) around 1.00 pm. Pippy (successfully) practises reversing Matelot stern-to and we soon have the sun covers up as it is very warm. It is a short walk around the waterfront to our favourite Med style swim in front of the Ilirock Hotel. We clamber in over the rocks. The buoyant water is warm and crystal clear almost like swimming in turquoise jelly. Amazingly, we are almost the only ones here and the beach umbrellas are all packed away. Rod fishes a Nike hat out of the bushes, which has washed up on the beach and Cap’n Buck instantly souvenirs it!

Capn Nike Buck...!

A fun dinner out follows when we sit on the waterfront and enjoy the balmy evening and very good food, preceded by drinks sitting in an old boat on the shore. The local silversmith is open and Fi and Pippy do some retail therapy. The designs are original and interesting.

Wonderful Tilos Island....

We are looking forward to tomorrow when we will take the coach (which only goes on Sunday) across the island to visit the stunning Byzantine Monastery of Pandeleimonas.

Sunday Morning

We drive across this lovely island enjoying spectacular views from high up to the sea stretching away into the distance.

The monastery chapel is really special with ancient frescoes covering the ceiling and many fascinating icons. It is not hard to imagine the time in the past when this monastery was powerful and wealthy and even printed its own money. Today it is virtually deserted except for the caretaker and staff who cater for the tourists.

It is a place of great beauty and peace, set high up overlooking the sea, with tall trees growing all around and a natural spring cascading down the hillside.

We are back on board Matelot in time to sail across to the southern end of Simi and the anchorage of Panormitis with its gorgeous bell tower and monastery on the shore line. The night is calm and we relax into the wonderful ambience all around us, but do not linger the next morning as have more places to see.

Monday

After a quick swim we head for another top spot on the eastern side, which we have inadvertently been calling Nonou Bay, when in fact it is Thessalona. We know from past experience that it is better to be here in the morning and then move on as the afternoon breezes can make it uncomfortable.

Thessalona does not disappoint and we are fascinated by the abundant bird life around the tall cliffs as we lounge in the sunshine and calm waters. It is good that we move on before 1.00pm and get ourselves into Simi, because the harbour is almost full and a charter fleet is expected to arrive at any time.

The remainder of the afternoon is spent either watching or helping people who have “anchor issues”.

Honestly this harbour is a challenge. It is so narrow that anchors from boats on the other side are constantly pulling up and getting tangled in the yachts moored on the opposite side. The gullets are the worst problem as they lay their huge anchors right across the deep harbour. Laid moorings would solve this problem instantly.

Tuesday

The next morning we decide Matelot is safely anchored far enough off the wall, so we all take a walk into the old town of Simi, heading straight back up the hill behind us.

It is a fascinating walk and the many old and lovely buildings, some in a complete state of disrepair are a testament to the age and history of this island. In one place the buildings are extremely badly damaged, and a local person explains that they were hit by a bomb in the war. Walking through these streets is an architectural and pictorial treat.

We even see Pethi Harbour in the distance.

High up on the hillside, we catch a glimpse of Matelot in the harbour far below and Fi comments that there is another yacht parked at a funny angle near to her. We make our way quickly back down through the maze of streets only to find that a charter boat has fouled our anchor, and has its chain wrapped chain right across the bow. It is lying alongside the quay beside us. Matelot’s stern is rubbing up against the concrete wall (luckily our large fender is preventing any damage). We jump on board and motor off the wall but can’t go far as our anchor is trapped under the offending boat, and there does not appear to be anyone on board who is prepared to do anything about it. We sit there helplessly in mid harbour, waiting for something to happen. A half hour later, the occupants appear and pull up their anchor and leave, allowing us to depart. We then discover a bent stanchion and some damage where the boat has obviously dragged alongside our port side, so we follow them to where they anchor. They look a little surprised and somewhat guilty but don’t speak any English! We let them know we will be making a claim against their charter company.

All in a day’s work! It is a great shame as we were enjoying Simi and had planned to stay another night, but the wind is gusting through and we decide to move on.

We find a secure anchorage in Pethi Harbour, over the hill from Simi - our third try at setting the anchor is finally successful! Fi and Pippy head back over the hill to Simi on the bus for some unfinished business and desert the ship until after dark. The boys are happy though.

Wednesday

We are now keeping a close eye on the weather forecast as a gale force southerly is coming our way in a couple of days. We decide we will just have time to stop at Palamutbuku for one night before running back to Kos Marina for shelter. However, on arrival we find the tiny harbour is packed out except for one fairly shallow and rocky space on the south east corner. The Marinara beckons us in and Cap’n Buck decides to give it a go as the option is to anchor outside the harbour. It is really dicey running the gauntlet between sharp rocks and up against another boat.

We make it in and manage to tie on to the boat next to us plus a large boat 3 x over from us so that our bow will not swing on to the rocks which are less than a meter off our starboard side.

Palamutbuku is its usual peaceful beautiful self, but our visit is a little tense and no-one sleeps very well. Fortunately the wind dies completely overnight, but we are up before 7.00am the next morning to beat the breeze coming in. We slip out of our tight spot very gingerly with great crew work letting off all the important ropes as we go.

This means we can have a breakfast stop at lovely Knidos. Unfortunately, temperatures are dropping a bit and the wind is getting fresh so by late morning we decide it is time to exit and make our way quickly back to Kos Marina.

We are Racing!

We happen to exit Knidos harbour with two other much larger boats. A Beneteau 47.3 and a Beneteau 50 or 54, we don’t know which because surprisingly, we leave them behind very quickly. However, it is not too long before we realise that the 47.3 has taken up the challenge. Hard not to notice, as they sail down on us as we draw close to them, preventing us from passing them to leeward.

The race is then on. Rod and Richard are all over the boat trimming sails, as Pippy helms under instruction from Richard. Eventually the 47.3 slides around 100m in front of us, and we think we might have lost the struggle against their longer water line, however hope is restored as they begin to haul out their gennaker.

Richard and Rod, enthralled by the possible chance of getting the massive masthead spinnaker flying, get busy up for’ard setting it all up. Pippy in the meantime speeds up the boat by sailing up slightly and over the top of the 47.3, (who by now has their genniker hoisted). This gets us better positioned for a downhill run, but we hold off with the hoist as we notice a wind line up ahead. We get up to it as quickly as we can. The excitement on board Matelot as the wind line turns out to be coming ahead, is palpable. Matelot puts on a spurt and we are soon flying past the 47.3 who is struggling with a very shy gennaker which wraps itself around their forestay. Yeeeehaaaaa!

We make it back to Kos Marina about half a mile in front and feel exhilarated by the whole experience and a fun day out despite the fact that the spinnaker did not get an airing after all. Later on we go for a walk and make ourselves known to the crew on the 47.3 who have gone on into the harbour. They are gutted to have been beaten by a 411! The skipper says “Oh no… I was sure we should have beaten you!” It makes for a good laugh and some fun carmarderie.

Back on the boat after a delicious Souvlaki dinner at a local restaurant, the southerly starts to blow and we are grateful to be tied on and well inside the marina. Our friend Sophie has made sure we are safely tucked up. The gale builds overnight and really howls. Rod and Fi take the ferry to Bodrum for the day as we attend to some on board tasks. The gale is forecast to peak around mid afternoon and by then the spray is hitting the haul out area in great phoomfs, which smash skyward in big clouds of spray.

We are a little anxious that the ferry may not have been able to make the trip back from Bodrum, but soon Rod and Fi return loaded with Turkish goodies, as well as a new Greek Flag, much needed as we have shredded the old one.

We have caught up with the charter boat which damaged us when we find it is based right here in Kos Marina. But Richard's mind is soon taken off this when Pierre invites him to sail in the Bodrum Race Week, starting Monday, on a rather sexy very new X-Yacht which he and Greg Cook had decided was their pick of all the yachts in Kos Marina. It turns out that girls are not invited and Pippy can't believe her ears when Richard turns down this magnificent opportunity for some special racing. What a Guy! We do everything we can to find a way to enter in Matelot, but it is too difficult as she is not rated for IRC and it would be a major getting this done at the last minute.

These ice creams are a very popular treat! Some people just can't leave them alone....!

All this is going on as we enjoy our last two Sensational!!! days of Rod and Fi's company. The weather dictates that we must stay in the marina until Sunday morning when we plan to hire a car but this plan is short lived as none of us have international drivers licenses and we are therefore not allowed! Instead we take a relaxed stroll through Kos Town, explore some of the many ancient ruins and find some new places we do not already know about.

The Roman amphitheatre has been restored underneath and is an interesting place to visit....These archways led to shops.

Before we know it we are waving our friends (and last visitors for this season) Rod and Fi goodbye.

We return to Matelot with our memories of a truly wonderful sailing season. Matelot's bulkheads have absorbed the carmarderie, the fun and the laughter, and we will carry it with us for ever.

We turn now towards Turkey, our last cruise along the northern parts of the Datca Peninsular and then back to Marmaris.

Just the Four of Us

2009-11-07T09:30:00.000-08:00

28 Sept 09 sees an early farewell to Fran and Mike at 5.30 am and a bit of a sleep in for the oldies. The hot showers at Kos Marina get a workout pretty early on.

How wonderful it is to have a helping hand on the boat as Greg replaces the rusting screws in the passarelle (boarding plank) for stainless steel ones in between hoisting Richard up the mast.

Deb and Pippy have a wonderful time ....

....doing laundry....

...shopping for provisions...

29 Sept sees us heading out of the marina after a leisurely start. We are making for Astipalea which we reckon is very similar to sailing to Gt Barrier from Auckland, certainly a similar distance.

(The circle of islands from Kos south form our equivalent of the Hauraki Gulf, ie Nisyros, Tilos, Khalkhi and Rhodes, Turkey being the mainland.)

Astipalea is on the edge of the major wind funnel, which comprises the central part of the Agean and the winds there are usually fresh and northerly at this time of year. However, we see on the forecast that a southerly is due in a couple of days and this will give us a chance to explore the northern more remote side of the island as well. Great! Off we go.

We have been a bit slow in getting going this morning and as we lay through between Kalymnos to starboard and Kos to port, we change course for Kalymnos to spend a night and check it out – just because we can. We revel in the freedom of being able to change our mind and our destination at whim.

We blame Deb who is on the helm!

Unfortunately the harbour is a little full and we have difficulty finding a berth. A large superyacht (classic) is taking up enough space for 3 yachts with their springs and will not move their lines to allow us in. Pippy gets into trouble with the Capn for saying “Up Yours” which is actually very restrained under the circumstances. A chat on the VHF to the Harbourmaster gets us permission to berth in the space reserved for Coast Guard and we finally get alongside after lots of in and out action.

The price we pay for occupying Coast Guard spot is that the skipper has to stay on the boat, so Greg and Deb pop off for a walk and discover a delightful township.

After dark the Capn slips out with us and we all enjoy a huge over-indulgence in Baclava (nut free Baklava for the Skipper) in a café so close to the street we have to move over to let the cars go by.

A walk the next morning in the opposite direction finds a beach where we all enjoy an early swim then real coffee on our way back to the boat before departing Kalymnos.

Astipalea 30 September 2009

We promise D and G a deserted anchorage tonight in the bay of Agrilithi, only to find we are in the company of 3 other yachts, all tucked in sheltering from the NW wind.

Deb and Greg are soon in the dinghy (ready?) go ashore to explore the deserted landscape.

...ancient ruins....

...the old olive grove has some life in it yet...

....and we enjoy a convivial evening on board with exceptionally good food.

The main harbour of Skala is our destination the next morning and we leave early to ensure we can get a berth as our last experience here was that it tended to be crowded. We need not have worried. As we sail in under the shadow of the Chora and ancient Castle, we find that we are in company with two other boats and there is plenty of room on the wall. We spend the day exploring the steep climb to the castle, the castle itself, pork or chicken gyros for lunch in the village of windmills high up on the ridge, an afternoon swim in the sheltered harbour and a special treat of dinner out on the beach.

Skala is looking her best despite the fact that the tourists appear to have mostly gone home.

2 October 2009 - Friday

Today we plan to sail to the remote north-western tip of Astipalaea, and spend the night in the sheltered bay of Panormos. This is uncharted territory for SY Matelot. The wind is forecast to be SE up to 25 knots from 3.00 am to all day on Saturday.

Friday morning dawns calm and clear as we motor out of Skala and follow the inhospitable coastline north. The rocky barren hills plunging straight down into the sea are punctured by a couple of steep to valleys with small settlements on the shore line. The vivid blue sky frames it all with an intensity which is almost surreal.

Two hours later we drop anchor in the south western bay looking ashore to the ruins of a stone village, once home to people of this island and within the broken remains of the village, the old chapel, still standing.

A shore party of Deb Greg and Richard sadly discover one of the surrounding bays littered metres deep with rubbish possibly blown in here by prevailing winds.

The simple chapel has an intact altar, icons and candles for use by visitors, plus a broom.

Deb lights a candle and sweeps the floor.

These small chapels are everywhere in Greece. Unfortunately most of them are locked because of the treasures they contain which have been stolen in some instances. However, many of them are open and are places of such peace and grace, it is a privilege to visit, quietly contemplate, light a candle and send thoughts and prayers to loved ones in distant places.

The stark beauty and magic of this anchorage is amplified when darkness falls over the still water and the full moon comes up over the top of the nearby ridge to our east, lighting up the enclosed natural harbour and sending its reflection like a comforting hand across the water to us in the fading light. We eat delicious roast chicken with Greek potatoes outside in the cockpit. The air is still, the water silvery calm, the sound of occasional goat bells echoes from the hills. The magic of this place surrounds us.

We are four people in a yacht in a deserted wilderness, our only companions a colony of grey herons with a lone white heron in their flock and the ghosts of previous inhabitants.

Just before we turn in for the night we notice car lights on the ridge above us. We watch as they wind down towards us and stop on the shore not far from us. There is something unsettling about this new arrival. We watch in the moonlight as we make out two people who after a while, trek up to the chapel then return to their car, taking something back to the chapel with them. We figure they are spending the night in the chapel and settle down ourselves, stowing the dinghy up across the stern to repel any boarders!

By midnight, the wind is gusting up to 18 knots over the hills and by dawn it is more like 25 knots. We are on anchor watch for the remainder of the night as Matelot swings perilously close to the rocky shore during the fierce gusts.

At first light we note that the people have emerged from the chapel and appear to have a flat tyre. We cannot help them as we are tailing into shallow water and we must be on the move again, this time towards the completely enclosed harbour of Vathi on the NE tip of the island. It is a one hour spray covered, wet ride across the exposed northern bay, around a reef in the middle and then through the very narrow entrance into Vathi Harbour where we anchor in lovely sheltered water. Breakfast is especially tasty this morning before we contemplate a walk ashore to explore the rather untidy looking settlement here.

Repeated whistling from the shore grabs Pippy’s attention first of all (wonder why!) and we see some people beckoning to us. Can’t be…. We don’t know anyone here? Yes we do – it is Anne and Stuart from SY Susanne who were so good to us one stormy night in Corinth in October last year. We are all now many miles from Corinth and find ourselves in the same unlikely place again. Greg and Richard soon have the OB on the dinghy and bring them on to SY Matelot for a nice catch up before we all go our separate ways again.

...Pethi is a sheltered anchorage....

Both boats depart Vathi at 8.00am quite by accident at the same time the next morning, and once again, we are waving goodbye to SY Susanne as she sails one way, and we sail the other. We are heading back to Kos Island to rendezvous with Rod and Fi Marler.

However, not before we stop for a turquoise swim in the lovely anchorage of Pserimos Island, 5 miles out of Kos. The wind is a little fresh but the swimming is divine.

Captain Slow on the Wheel: Video

2009-10-27T07:44:00.000-07:00

Matelot gliding upwind: Video

2009-10-27T07:41:00.000-07:00

Cookies and Claytons

2009-10-26T09:53:00.000-07:00

Michael photographer extreme!!

Cap'n Buck breaking the world free diving record.... Yeah right!"

Our handsome Cap'n Buck in his element!

We have 5 days with 6 people, (Deb and Greg Cook and Michael and Fran Clayton) on board and then continue on with Deb and Greg for a further two and a half weeks.

Unfortunately we have to sort out the problem with the cars on our main sail track and the first day is spent attending to this delicate and fiddly job. It takes all three boys all day and it is with huge relief that we head out on the morning of Thursday 24 September for the start of our holiday.

The first part of our cruise takes in a repeat visit to our favourite island of Nisyros with a stop for the newly tagged (by Fran) Dom Perignon Dip at Yiali! Michael has the latest Canon camera with an additional casing, which is designed for underwater photography, so we now have some amazing underwater shots taken here. We have so often said how great it would be to record this underwater experience, so are very thrilled.

Fran the beautiful Mermaid captured on film for our memories.

Who is eating who? Octopus V Michael..at Aphrodite Restaurant on Nisyros... What a great place to eat!

This time in Nisyros we visit Mandraki in the morning. Michael and Richard spend ages building their own tuna lure in the fishing shop. They use lots of gear and start to get a little worried about the price.... 6 Euro later and its not a problem! Do we catch any fish? ....

Stopping for coffee we check out the photographic studio on the waterfront and purchase some local music, which is haunting and lovely. The Archeological Museum and the Monastery are closed in the afternoon, so we have never seen inside them. They are truly impressive. We then have a chance encounter with an English resident of the island who kindly points the way for us to walk for 20 minutes uphill through the terraced grassy slopes above Mandraki to the Greek Castle. So off we go, to discover a fantastic example of a castle built with massive stones and amazing skill, dating back to well BC. Many of our best experiences are the result of serendipity like this.

Climbing up and discovering the Greek Castle above Mandraki...

We possibly linger a little too long, but Mandraki is a nice place to linger in.

Again the scooter riding all over Nisyros...

By the time we return to the boat the storm clouds are building and rain is threatening. We have still not covered the other attractions ie the Black Pearl Beach, Emporios and Nikkei, plus the crater. Richard leads the team and off they go. Pippy bails and gets some dinner started which is a good thing as everyone returns a few hours later, having seen most of it on a whistle stop tour but in the end been stalled by the freezing cold wind on the approaches to Nikkei, high up on the edge of the crater.

Dinner on board is a fun and raucous evening where the other boats on the pier must wonder what we are up to, such is the laughter emanating from SY Matelot.

Cap'n Buck getting the treatment....

Many quips from Cheeky Boy... (You had to be there!)

...and much later...!

We must move on and lay a course the next morning for the Datca Peninsular and a compulsory stopover at the ancient city of Knidos on the very end. A NW breeze provides great sailing and we soon drop anchor in the harbour, where the ancient amphitheatre provides a backdrop for lunch....

.... a bit of snorkelling and more underwater photography.

Palamutbuku is our destination for an overnight stop and we are just in time to bag one of the last available spaces with lazy lines on the northern side.

The girls discuss the finer points of mooring Med style

This charming and peaceful place, with its waterfront lined with Tamarisk trees and beach of uniform smooth round stones, is always a great place to visit.

Altan at Merhaba Restaurant was a bit off his peak on this night as his wife who helps him in the restaurant, had taken the night off to go to a family wedding.

We think Fran managed to console him a little.

27 September 2009

Sadly, we have to say goodbye to Fran and Michael and intend to sail back to Kardamena today so they can catch their flight the next morning. Conditions look fresh so we start the day with two reefs in the main and are soon tacking out towards Nisyros in 25 knots. Before long the wind appears to swing into the west so we are hopeful of laying Kardamena (on the south eatern side) easily.

This plan is short lived as we close towards Kos Island and the wind screams over the high peaks, making it more practical to sail further but lay in to Kos Marina (North Eastern end). We are now in conditions gusting 38 knots and sail on port tack well over towards Bodrum before we can tack over and head for Kos Marina.

The final and fantastic sailing back to Kos with Michael clinging to the foredeck taking a video of the action! Phew it was good to see him safely back in the cockpit!

Deb screaming “This is fantastic!! Isn’t it fantastic? Can’t believe we are here!...as we smash our way through steep seas in close to 40 knots!......The look on Greg’s face as he helms us powering into the wind and waves.

SY Matelot performs really well in the conditions and is still averaging 7 knots with 2 reefs and a well rolled genoa.

Kos Marina is a welcome destination with helping hands to get us into our berth in the gale and hot showers all round.

A great five days and some wonderful lifetime memories have been forged. Our only regret is that everyone declined our challenge in the game of “Take Two” knowing we had been coached by the all time greats Jess and Pippa!

Matelot now heads out with just the four of us on board looking for some more adventure!

Preview .....

2009-10-20T04:56:00.001-07:00

Sorry folks....Huge Frustrations ensue today as Pippy spends hours trying to upload photographs. Due to poor internet facilities which keep cutting off, updating the blog has been a bit of an impossible task. However, here is a preview of what is to come. Some fab underwater photographs and also a video or two!.....Courtesy of Michael Clayton.

Tomorrow we leave Greece for Turkey and are not sure when next we will have a good connection.

Great to hear from you Cowrie of Cowes.

Matelot signing out for now....xxx

Cruising with Emily

2009-09-22T03:33:00.000-07:00

We are so excited that Emily - our first family member to visit us on SY Matelot, is arriving on 13 September for a 10 day visit.

Emily comes loaded with goodies and fab items for the boat!

We head out for Nisyros the morning after our rendezvous in Kardamena, stopping on the way for the obligatory champagne swim at Yiali.

A treasured piece of Yiali pumice floats by amongst the bubbles...

On to Palu where we find our old friends Werner and Hannalore from SY Zaijian. We have not seen them since last December and we enjoy a catchup over drinks.

It is Emily’s sense of glee and adventure which has us hiring scooters the next day to explore the island although Pippy is way outside her comfort zone especially when expected to ‘lean in to the corners’. “Eeeeeha! I’m loving this, but I’m scared!!”

We see Nisyros through different eyes as we follow the narrow winding road high up to Emporious and Nikkei. A quick glance as we round a corner reveals the hazy blue sea far down below wrapping itself around Yiali and Strongoli and reaching out to the land masses of Kos Island and mainland Turkey. Small white handkerchief shapes identify the sailing yachts criss-crossing this stretch of azure blue sea. High up on the ridge we explore these ancient villages, in between turning downhill, wind rushing past our ears, to take a look at the crater itself.

Back in Palu it is hot and we are going to find the special beach we have heard about at the end of the road on the south eastern side of the island and take a swim. Several parked scooters reveal the start of the walk around the headland, which is like a massive slice of cake showing many stratas of volcanic material laid down over the island’s long and explosive history.

The layers go on and on...

The (Black Pearl) beach (named by us) appears below us as we round a corner and soon we are swimming in the dark water. The black ‘sand’ comprises fine multicoloured granules of rock ground small and smooth in gorgeous dark colours of black through to red,.. Small fish gather around our feet as we disturb the ocean floor and the sun tries to inject some golden light into the water but only the strongest rays make yellow geometric patterns on the bottom and they are quickly absorbed into the darkness.

Emily swims a long way out but soon returns, perhaps unsettled by the feeling of mystery which hangs in the air here where the eons of time are recorded in the many layers of rock and ash on the cliffs, perhaps worried about what is sharing the dark water with her.

It is getting late in the day and we still have not visited Mandraki the main town on the island. We explore the town and climb up into the Monastery in time to see the light fade over the roof tops before scootering back in the darkness to Pali harbour and SY Matelot. Pippy at least is relieved to get off the bike at last!

The next day we passage across to Palamutbuku on the Datca Peninsular to rendezvous with our friends Andy and Brenda from SY Deep Blue.

It is a lively catchup over dinner at Merhaba Restaurant and we enjoy meeting Brenda’s parents who are sailing with them despite the fact that Brenda’s father is suffering from a troublesome hip replacement. We do not yet realise how troublesome… It is always lovely to visit this remote Turkish village and it does not disappoint this time.

The north west breeze the next day allows Deep Blue to fly their spinnaker so they outsail us across to Panormitis on the SW end of Simi where we raft up and plan to eat dinner together on board Matelot. Panormitis (Monastery Bay) is a wonderful natural harbour surrounded by hills. It is also impossible to get any VHF reception in here as we later discover when trying to call up some emergency medical assistance for Brenda’s father who dislocates his hip while sitting in the cockpit of Deep Blue. With father strapped in the cockpit we wave a sad and anxious goodbye to Deep Blue as they leave for Rhodes, arriving around midnight where a waiting ambulance takes him to hospital for treatment.

This is the last we see of Deep Blue....

Father is back on board the next day and eventually makes it back home to the UK safely. We eat dinner alone and turn in early.

Our next plan is to show one of our favourite places on Simi (Nanou Bay) to Emily. It is an amazing place where massively high cliffs plunge straight down into the tiny valley below where there is a chapel almost on the water’s edge and some trees. Dark green pine trees grow vertically straight out of the cliff face in places and – impossibly - half way up the high incline someone has painted a flag – a blue background with a pale yellow cross. The water is crystal clear turquoise blue and warm and sometimes when we visit here we see lots of friendly fish.

We later discover this bay is in fact called Thessalona...

Today there is room for us to anchor off the beach in a very light on-shore breeze… hardly any wind at all. We are lulled into a false sense of security as we relax and swim in the sunshine. However we do not leave the boat and just as well, because after an hour or so and in a matter of seconds the breeze freshens and we decide it is time to leave as the anchor stretches out and the beach seems suddenly very close. Richard starts the engine, then moves the throttle into gear… into gear…into gear… nothing happens. The engage button is jammed in the hole! Moments seem much longer as Pippy dives for the cockpit locker where the spray can of CRC is stored just as Richard manages to wriggle the button free and the boat is able to move forward. That was a bit of a tense moment!

Simi Harbour is our next stopover and we find ourselves a good spot before the afternoon entertainment starts. It is not long before a Swan 50 footer has their anchor pulled up and we see the sole crew member on board trying unsuccessfully to re-anchor the boat alone. Richard volunteers to help and enjoys the experience of reversing the large yacht back into place then blithely rows himself back to Matelot and vaults up on to the bow like a 20 year old.

It is around this time that we meet up with Rob and Sarah from SY Serafina, a lovely 45ft Naijad, who we met in Antipaxos (in the Ionian Sea) this time last year and have not seen since. Rob and Sarah are standing in our cockpit when Richard does his trick and are slightly impressed when Emily blows his cover and tells them how old he really is! A really nice catch up follows that evening on board Serafina. This cruise is turning out to be quite a social experience.

We wave goodbye to Serafina early the next morning and lay our course from Simi back to Kardamena on the south eastern side of Kos. The weather is due to worsen and we get away very early to make good headway before the wind fills in. We sail and motor in calm water and light winds all the way across to the ancient harbour of Knidos where we stop for a swim and lunch. Unfortunately we dally a little too long and by the time we nose our way out of here and around the cliffs, the wind has freshened considerably. We have two reefs in the main but are instantly hit by repeated catabatic blasts from the cliffs nearby and Matelot rounds up into the gusts. Soon we are clear and sailing in 37 knots right on the nose but our passage from here to Kardamena of 18.5 NM turns out to be a bit of a marathon. It is difficult to lay into Kardamena in the NW gale so we get as close as we can then pull down the reefed sails. The main is stuck and won’t come down and this is a problem we don’t really need. With a bit of brute force Richard manages to pull it down and we motor the remainder of the way. With the engine powered up to 2200 revs we make less than 4 knots into the wind and waves, which we slam into repeatedly. Arriving in Kardamena at 5.30 pm we are all saturated in salt water and make good use of the plentiful water on the quay.

Emily has been a true daughter of Richard Buchanan and actually appears to have enjoyed the sailing today. Good on you Emily!

As we hose the boat down we notice several metal ball bearings rolling about the decks. We track them back to the ‘cars’, which slide the main sail up and down the mast. There is a screw missing from the track and a gap has opened up, spilling the ball bearings out. This could be a major problem.

The next 24 hours are really full-on as we take a fun day trip to Bodrum where the shopping turns out to be fairly tempting.

The fish market on the waterfront at Bodrum.

We must now prepare to say goodbye to Emily and welcome the Cook and Clayton families on board by 9.30am the day after.

Skipper and First Mate Down but not out!...Featuring How to Kill a Cockroach!

2009-09-02T00:16:00.001-07:00

The photo is a big blurry but this is the monastery at Palomitis

When are we going to realise that there are limits to what people of our age should be doing? Never we hope! However some things that happen this week give us pause for thought.

We find that life on board can be a bid sedentary at times, so after saying goodbye to Terry and Diana we head for Palomitis Bay (we call it Monastery Bay) and anchor in the sheltered waters, promising ourselves a catchup on our personal fitness. Every day we swim, increasing the distance each day.

On Sunday 30 August we both have huge swims at Palomitis, then a one and a half hour walk up and over the hill, then a 5 hour sail in the afternoon. You would think we would know better! However, after our walk we decide it is time to head out for our next stop Nisos Tilos. We are feeling strong, fit and well.

Once we are clear of the land, the sea state increases to 2-3 metres with the occasional bigger set and we have wind of 25 knots apparent. We are sailing on the wind towards our destination 25 miles away and have one reef in the main and the genoa rolled up to slightly less than 50%.

The boat loves it and so do we, although Pippy does suggest a couple of times that we take another reef in the main and we have it set up and ready to go. Actually it is the sea state which makes it hard with the typical Med steep and very short sea. Any less sail and the waves will knock us back too much - we need to power through it. We roll the genoa in and out a few times and fortunately we only have to tack twice in 5 hours but that does it. Pippy takes her turn on the helm as we lay across and Richard grinds during tacks and genoa adjustments. To her horror Pippy glances over during one tack and sees him standing up like a cowboy over the winch. "Richard! For goodness sake sit down or you will get catapaulted over the side!" (The thought of having to do a man overboard in these seas does not appeal!) "I can't sit down and get the right angle over the winch - the fenders are in the way!" yells Richard. Fortunately that is our last tack and we can lay in to our destination, but we will have to find another place for the fenders to give a proper angle for the winchman (or woman!) when sailing in these conditions.

Richard wakes up the next morning with his right arm throbbing. He thinks he has damaged it with too much grinding. We are moored stern to in the town of Livhardia on Tilos and the sun is hot so we hurry to get our sun covers up to keep the boat cool. It is while we are doing this, bending down and hooking things at funny angles, that Pippy suddenly gets shooting pain in her middle back and difficulty breathing. She sits very still while Richard administers Nurofen to both of us. What a pair of old crocks! After some relaxation, some stretching and time for the Nurofen to kick in, Pippy comes right, but Richard's arm is painful. We put it in a sling and that seems to help take the weight off it. Three days later and it is on the mend but still a problem.

While we are moored stern to on the town wall in Livadia, we suddenly start seeing cockroaches, blatant cheeky cockroaches which pop out in broad daylight and waltze across the deck in front of us. One of them crawls up from under the steering quadrant and Pippy swats at it but misses and it disappears from sight again. Armed with a can of residual cockroach spray we unscrew the quadrant cover and give it a good dose of spray. The bilges get treated too. Unfortunately Pippy leaves the tool box at the bottom of the companionway and then falls over it backwards on her way down. Just winded, nothing broken, but we are having quite a week and try not to imagine what would happen if we were both truly incapacitated.

More internet research and a further determined spray of the bilges down below sees a cockroach stumble on to the galley bench in front of Pippy's eyes. Not wanting to let this one get away she uses her guaranteed fail-safe method of eradication, a clenched fist and that is the end of that blighter!

We are staying here for a couple of days and 'taking a break'. There is a fab walk along the waterfront of this beautiful town and lots of crystal clear water to swim in. We catch the bus to Eristos a long sandy swathe of beach with no buildings on the shore and barren hills all around. Tomorrow, Friday we will probably leave here and anchor out for a few nights.

Life's a beach....

Capn Buck and Pippy signing out for now!

Champagne Cruise

2009-08-27T23:05:00.000-07:00

Matelot has a new Silver Fern Flag courtesy of Terry and Diana Beckett... Thanks very much! We are now very visible Kiwis and start to see the results immediately as people call by to say hello.

Nanou bay on Simi Island, one of the many magical places we visit...

We meet up with Diana and Terry Beckett at Kos Marina on Wednesday 19 August. We are looking forward to showing them our latest Greek Island ‘discovery’ of Nisiros. Nisiros does not get a very red hot review in the Heikell Pilot book but we have to say we are very impressed with this lovely island. So are lots of other yachtsmen as we later discover.

We are quite nervous as we know that one of our guests is prone to seasickness, but the weather gods are smiling on us and the forecast is for calm conditions for most of the week ahead.

We sail out of Kos and manage to keep our sails up for around half an hour until we round the north eastern corner when the wind dies and we drop sails and motor. We have 22 miles to go and the wind fills in around one hour out of Nisos Yali which itself is 3 miles NW of Nisiros. We are taking Diana and Terry for a “turquoise champagne swim” in the thermal waters off the coast of this island which is the most recent centre of volcanic activity in the area between Kos Island and Nisiros.

We soon see the quarry part of N. Yali come into view and admire the ‘tuff’ shapes on the cliffs to our starboard. This material is volcanic in nature and similar in structure to the ‘tuff’ seen in Cappadocia. A private company mines the island for minerals and there is a large loading gantry built out into the bay, but somehow even this does not deter from the beauty and uniqueness of this place. We find our champagne swim without too much difficulty and dive and play on the venting bubbles.

Around 4.30pm we call in to Nisiros to confirm our booking in the harbour only to find that it is full up. A charter fleet has arrived and there is no room at the inn. Not taking ‘no’ for an answer we arrive and circle in a predatory manner inside the harbour, eyes peeled for an opportunity. The only chance we see is alongside a 40 ft Bavaria moored alongside the concrete pier. Off we go. He is not happy and tries to repel us. We do not take no for an answer as he is taking up space for 3 boats and we must have a calm place to spend the night. (Our seasick guest has suffered a little today.) Eventually he backs down and we tie up alongside for a peaceful night. We are very respectful Kiwis and do not attempt to climb over his immaculate boat to go ashore. Soon the wind gets up but we are on still water. We sleep soundly.

The new day dawns and we grab the first free space which becomes available as boats start to leave for the day. We are backed in to the town quay and tied up by 8.30am and confirm our rental car booking for the day ahead when we will explore Nisiros. From the wonderful village of Emporia on the edge of the crater, with its unspoilt very ancient ruins and picturesque ‘newer’ village (still very old and quintessentially Greek), to the volcano crater, the fantastic Volcanological Museum in the village of Nikia - which covers in fantastic detail the volcanic activity over the whole of the Agean Sea, (not just Nisiros) - and then on to Mandraki where we are disappointed to find the Monastery and the Museums closed at 3pm. This island’s beginnings go back into the mists of time and there is plenty of evidence of this. We end the day with a feeling of having done something very special.

Volcanic crater on Nisiros Island

Ruins going back into time near to Emporio on Nisiros Island.

We have previously foraged for ripe figs on the side of the road here (they are currently drying on the boat ready for fig and ginger jam) and today we enjoy with our lunch the local delicacy of pickled caper leaves (sprigs actually). Later, while we are visiting the Monastery and the old walls of the castle in Mandraki we recognise the caper plants tumbling over the old rock walls. They are laden with fat green caper berries and Pippy picks some to take back to Matelot for pickling. Unfortunately they turn out to be full of worms and hence perhaps the reason why only the leaves are used here!

Friday 21 August dawns calm and clear so we set a passage plan for the south-western anchorage of Panomitis on the island of Simi some 33 NM away. However, despite a forecast for light winds, we get more than that accompanied by a rolling sea. It is not long before the seasick problem rears its unpleasant head so we change course for Palamutbuku, much closer, on the end of the Datca Peninsular. The rolling sea at this angle is side on and gets worse the closer we get to land. We make a decision to cut the day’s passage even shorter and head straight into the sea towards the ancient harbour of Knidos very close by. This turns out to be a good decision and very soon we drop anchor in close view of the ancient stone ampitheatre. The ruins of the important ancient city of Knidos cover an area of several square kilometres. It is a wonderful area to walk around with plenty to see. The harbour is full of day-trippers, but later in the day it empties out and we go alongside the pontoon for a very peaceful and pleasant evening including dinner out at the restaurant. We realise we may not make it to Simi, but it does not matter.

We make our next passage plan for Palamutbuku and creep quietly along the coast the next morning, stopping to swim in an idyllic bay along the way.

It is very hot in Palamutbuku Harbour, so we wrap the sun covers across the back of the bimini and spend the afternoon hopping across the sea wall and swimming off the sandy beach. Later we walk along the waterfront where we find some of the locals processing the almond crop.

The fresh fat almonds are selling for 30 Turkish Lira for a kilo, and there is plenty of local olive oil for sale as well.

We eat dinner right on the beach at Merhaba Restaurant being hosted by Altan. As always, the food is excellent.

Altan is a charming and gracious host.

This is becoming a place of many memories for us.

The exceptionally calm conditions tempt us to try for Simi again today, Sunday 23 August. For those people who suffer from sea-sickness, it takes a lot of courage and trust to come on board a sailing yacht for a holiday. We are aware of this and do not wish to inflict the discomfort of this on our friends. We all hold our breath as we head out, but we have no problems on the trip across to Simi, some 25 NM away and the all round protection of Panomitis (we call it Monastery Bay) provides us with a calm anchorage, despite the many wasps which come to investigate once we get out the drinks and food!

We love the location. It is a fertile looking area, with lots of trees covering the slopes. The old monastery is a spectacular building with an ornate bell tower, which is lit up at night and so very pretty. The museum and interior of the monastery is a must see with many interesting exhibits to view.

We climb the hill behind the monastery and look back over the bell tower out to the harbour entrance.

Inside the monastery the floor is a visually disturbing zig zag pattern. The chapel is the most beautiful we have ever seen with ancient friezes on the ceiling.

We have heard that there is a bus in the morning to Simi town and the trip is an interesting one to take, so we are ashore early ready to go. It proves to be a fantastic trip winding up to the highest parts of the island and providing us with stunning views along the way. Before we know it we are in Simi town and enjoying walking around the winding streets in the old village close to the castle. Later in the day and back on board Matelot we take a quick cooling swim then head out to investigate the anchorages along the eastern side of the island. We initially check out the anchorage on the islet of Seskli to the south, but it appears a bit wild and woolly (perhaps another time) as the afternoon breeze has come in and is blowing in there. Our first attempt at anchoring in the bay of Faneromeni is a disaster as the anchor will not set so we keep heading north, eventually finding a magical anchorage for the night in Marathouda Bay where we squeeze in between two other yachts, taking the last place for the night.

We cannot decide which is our favourite meal of the day. Diana and Terry about to eat lunch on board Matelot.

The goats are our entertainment here as they come rushing in from all directions, goat bells ringing. It seems to be something they do just before darkness falls. The sound of the goat bells signals the sinking sun. Later, after dark we swim in the warm sea surrounded by sparkling phosphorescence.

Tuesday 25 August dawns and we have a visitor. A local fisherman from Pethi has been fishing overnight and had a fuel leak. Unable to use his winch to wind in his nets he has had to do it by hand and is pretty exhausted. (The small pile of fish which is a result of all his labour is astonishing) Someone has towed him into this bay where he wants to tie alongside and call his son who is the Harbourmaster at Simi Harbour. After some hot coffee and a short wait, he is sorted and we head north again, this time looking for a place to spend a few hours before going into the harbour of Pethi for the night.

Richard is inspired to try an arty shot...bow roller into blue water...

We are stunned by the loveliness of our next stop of Nanou Bay where we moor stern to in the absolutely crystal clear turquoise water, with a backdrop of massive cliffs rising up above us. Half way up the sheer rock face we can see that someone has painted a Greek Flag. How on earth did they get up there? It must have been done by abseiling from the top. We spend the next few hours here, marvelling at the loveliness and swimming, swimming, swimming. The water entices us over and over again.

Diana gets the record for the most swims!

There are a few fish but they are not that excited about the bread we throw to them. We are one of many day-tripper boats, the last one to arrive being a large gullet which lays its chain over ours. We have to ask them to move later so that we can leave.

Pethi Harbour does not get a great writeup in the Heikell Pilot Book. The holding is not reputed to be that good. However, we find it works for us and enjoy a walk ashore where there are lots of fascinating old buildings.

Richard muscling in!...

The locals are very friendly and we bump into our fisherman friend again. We are happy to be anchored in here as it is quite breezy tonight.

Our fisherman friend and his boat.

Our final morning on this cruise dawns, and we feel as though we have covered a lot of ground. We make one last breakfast swim stop at Ay Marina, a tiny bay between Pethi and Simi Harbours.

Last swim stop...

Once again the water entices us and we enjoy a couple of hours here before heading in to Simi Harbour to do the anchor dance. We choose the least busy time of day and squeeze in between two boats. It is hot and breathless and we break out all of our sun covers, getting them in place as quickly as we can. The hussle-bussle of downtown Simi envelops us for the next few hours. We eat delicious sole for dinner at a local restaurant and wander around enjoying the night time ambience. We don’t exactly have a quiet night, with our next door neighbours leaving at around 3.30am and taking ages to get their anchor up. Before we know it we are walking along the quay with Di and Terry and their bags, where they will catch the ferry back to Kos, fly to Athens then back to NZ. Thank you for visiting us – we have loved having you on board.

We stay on in Simi for another night before making our next passage plan for the island of Nisos Tilos. We have not been there yet but hear it is good. Our Silver Fern flag has done the trick again and we have a visit from NZ friends Peter and Barbara Brandley on SY Musketele. They call in for a chat and we exchange cruising notes. It is good to catch up. It is very hot so we take our pillows out into the cockpit and fall asleep, despite the fact that there are people walking by only a couple of meters away! The endless motor scooters going by eventually wake us up. Richard goes down below about 1.30 am, Pippy much later around 4.00 am.

This is Capn Buck and Pippy signing out for now on Thursday 27 August. We have caught up with some emails and phone calls and as usual, do not know when we will next be able to get on line. Our love goes out to all our family and friends.

Our next visitors will be Emily and Marc who we rendezvous with in Kos on Thursday 10 September.

Nisos Nisiros

2009-08-20T08:54:00.000-07:00

This lovely old chapel is one of many on the island.

Our time on Astypalaea (several different spellings) draws suddenly to a close on Friday 14 August. We have downloaded a weather forecast the previous evening and got together with Bodil and Ole, (Danish friends from the Rally last year who we have by chance bumped into here on this island!). B and O are heading across the Agean for their haulout on the Pelopinnisos Peninsular and we are heading back east towards Kos Island.

It seems that tomorrow is the ideal weather window to leave behind this windy, but lovely island. We say farewell for about the third time as they have planned to leave before, but this time we think they will definitely go and so should we.

We have taken a bus trip and seen as much as we can, stopped for a swim at Maltezana, walked each morning up through the steep and charming streets to the top of the hill above the harbour at Skala Astypalaea and made good use of the good internet connection at the café on the waterfront.

As we pull out of our berth our neighbours who have come from Nisos Nisiros tell us it is their favourite Greek Island so far, so we lay a course for Nisiros, 40 NM to the south east on the way to Kos. We skim across there easily in a 15 knot breeze on the aft quarter. It is one of those magic sails we have from time to time with a following sea, which gets under the stern and swishes us along with a soft sighing sound. Matelot goes with the flow, dipping into the hollows and rolling over the crests of the waves. She is like a great white bird on the blue blue sea.

Six hours later we are laying the north-western end of the volcanic island of Nisiros in a freshening breeze with quite a big sea behind us now. We haul up into the lee of the island of Nisos Yiali close by to pull our sails down. We understand this is a quarry and not a desirable stopping off point, so are a bit surprised when we spot the inviting turquoise waters at the shore line. We can see the huge scars of the quarry in the backdrop. We are hankering after a refreshing swim, so decide a closer investigation is called for and soon drop anchor in around 7 metres of crystal clear water on a sandy bottom.

Minutes later we are over the side with masks and snorkels on. To our great surprise and delight, we find ourselves swimming is what appears to be a huge glass of champagne, with effervescent bubbles rising up from the sandy bottom. There are hundreds of vents in the sandy ocean floor and the bubbles rise to the surface in myriad ribbons of light. We would love to have an underwater camera to capture this image – it is like a fairyland scene as the ribbons of crystal bubbles bend and sway with the current. We dive and roll over and watch the phenomenon from underneath lying over the vents and floating to the surface on top of the bubbles. They appear to be mineral water vents as we can smell the sulphur in the water.

Eventually we drag ourselves away from this magic place and as the light starts to fade make our way two miles across to the harbour of Palon on Nisiros, hoping there will be a berth for us as we have lingered a little too long. We are met by Dimitris who directs us to the last place, alongside a rusting wreck at the harbour entrance… Phew what a day! We wander ashore and stop in the popular looking Aphrodite Restaurant where we are to enjoy the best Moussaka ever for dinner. The servings are so generous we take home our leftovers for later on. We give this delightful place a resounding ten out of ten.

We end up squashed between a rusting old wreck and an old timer belonging to some people we met in Alanya. They have a lovely doggie who is most welcome on our boat!