The section of deck over our companionway hatch developed a soft patch in the middle. Not sure why, it wasn't damp. Anyway we took it off and from underneath drilled holes into the dalsa core. Then I filled it with special penetrating epoxy resin. The resin soaked right through so now it's stronger than ever.
0 Comments
We have left the islands for a change of scene and headed over to the mainland, a big trip all of 3 miles. We have been to a few mainland anchorages and they are generally pretty nice. This one has a sandy bottom, very clear water and the water is refreshingly cool.
Actually the weather is getting cooler now, only around 30 in the day and dropping to low 20s at night. At this rate we might have to start wearing cloths again. I did a blog post a week or so ago and it seems to have disappeared somewhere. Shame as I said loads of insightful and yet humorous things. I can't quite remember what they were exactly but I remember it was very good. Here are the photos that went with it. Just remember this is a bit out of order in the trip.
Today we dragged our anchor for the first time since we have had AG. We anchored in a little harbour at the bottom of Lefkas called Sivota. When we arrived it was southerly so we anchored accordingly. In the afternoon it came up strong from the north. We swung around and held for a while but the the anchor broke free and we were off down the harbour. We jumped to all stations and soon had things under control, until we tried to get the anchor up, it was stuck. We had hooked the chain of a big catamaran and could not get free. At 23 meters deep it was too deep for me to dive down. The catamaran owner tried to help but no luck. So I had to go off to the harbour to find a diver to go down.
So with help from a diver we eventually got free and re-anchored. All the while with very strong winds blowing us close to an unhappy catamaran owner. About a 3 hour adventure from start to finish. In the end the only damage was to our wallet, 150 euros for the diver and his mate (he was Italian). As the sun sets the wind is dying away. We will be moving on tomorrow. We have been buddy boating with Jim, Deb and Ita for a couple of weeks and it has been great fun. But now they have headed off towards Athens via the Corinth Canal. Bye guys, we miss you already.
We ran out of data half way through our monthly plan so the blogs went on hold for a bit. But we are now on a new month so here goes. We are just wandering about in the Ionian enjoying a slower pace and chillaxing. And now for some photos:
Sailing in the Mediterranean is very similar to sailing in the Marlborough Sounds. If you are not fortunate enough to come from New Zealand and therefore do not know where the Marlborough Sounds are then well that is quite sad.
When you sail across to Cook Strait and into the Marlborough Sounds the first thing you normally do is take down your sails and put on your motor. This is because in the Sounds the wind is very variable. One minute you have a head wind, go around the corner and you have a tail wind or no wind or two winds having an argument. That is what sailing in the Med is like and like the Sounds most people here go about with sails furled and motor going (not us mind you, except sometimes). Also like the Sounds there are lots of great places to explore and things to see. So if you want the Med sailing experience but you are stuck in NZ go to the Sounds in the Christmas holidays when it is very hot and very crowded. And if you have some Spanish, Greek, Italian or French friends invite them along for a bit of extra atmosphere. We are having a couple of days in a little harbour called Eufemia on the island of Cephalonia. Very exciting yesterday, it rained! And not just rain we had a big thunder storm with lots of wind, lightening and all. The effect was very pleasant as it cooled things down. Also got to give the deck a rare fresh water wash. We have been working our way through the Ionian islands and have just spent a few days in Zakinthos, the southern most island. This is where Amanda spent some time in her younger days so it was fun to revisit old haunts. We hired a car for a couple of days so saw the whole island
|
Archives
October 2019
CategoriesWelcomeCheck out what we have been up to lately. Most of it is even true. |