on the cliffside overlooking the harbour
Mo, as is her way, discovered water in the bilges. The greater part was in the tray underneath the engine, and it was slightly brown. Mo decided it was salty, and the only explanation we could come up with was that it was raw water from the cooling system, but when running the engine there was no sign. We dried it up and resolved to monitor the situation. As we needed some supplies, mainly beer, and needed to get on to the internet we sailed under jib alone down to Patitiri, where we found space to anchor in the harbour. Having accomplished the shopping, we went out to the taverna, where I could nerd. We treated ourselves to lunch. Afterwards we set off for Steni Vala. Dave helmed, beating to windward, and put up a creditable performance beating a ketch that was well ahead of us to start with. Bill and Angie were there to greet us, and with some difficulty (as we had relatively short warps out) we went astern onto the rocks, as the harbour was full. Bill did the hard work, swimming out to take the ropes, but was duly rewarded with a beer. Later we went up to Angie's for supper, consisting of the delicious left overs from the lobster spaghetti that they had taken from the restaurant the previous evening.
The next day we sailed from Steni Valla to Skopelos, again under jib alone, making for a leisurely and comfortable sail. We moored up stern to the quay. Dave spent some time sunbathing on the rocks forming the breakwater. In the evening we walked up through the old town, past the churches, and enjoyed a drink at a cafe/bar in the evening sun. We walked back to the boat, cleaned up, and went out to find a restaurant. The town was very busy, with lots of eating and drinking establishments.
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| Mo and Dave on the walk up by the old churches on the cliffside overlooking the harbour | Claiming our just reward for the effort |
We sailed around the north coast of Skopelos, then south west to Skiathos. Initially the wind was quite brisk as we tacked out of the harbour entrance, but gradually became lighter so that we eventually shook out our reef. We were able to fetch the course on the first leg, the wind being northerly and so easier than the previous week. On arrival in Skiathos, we anchored opposite the town on the east side of the bay, south of the moorings. (Unfortunately this is directly opposite the noisy establishments.). We swam, sunbathed, enjoyed a drink, then when it was cool went ashore. Dave bought some presents, and we then returned to El Greco which again proved to be good food and good value.
The following day Dave topped up his tan without any protection, so that he went faintly pink underneath the tan. After lunch we set off for the airport, learning on the way that there was some problem at Gatwick. Dave's flight came in about an hour and a half late, so we killed some of it at the taverna opposite the terminal building. Unfortunately this was not the end of the problem, as the chaos resulting from an emergency landing meant that there was a long wait for a slot, and the plane sat waiting on the tarmac taking off more than 4 hours late.
The next day, Saturday, much of the morning was spent trying to sort out our property management in Bicester. Then after lunch, we resolved to look at the water problem, as Mo had detected a recurrence under the floor by the fridge. This time there was no water under the engine, but some further aft as well as in all the usual places. It also tasted fairly fresh, albeit brown in colour. The first suspect was the calorifier, but having dried it all up, we discovered it was coming from the aft locker, under the freezer. After emptying the locker and dismantling the wooden covers of the housing for the water pumps and eberspacher heater, the source of the leak was found to be the pressure accumulator unit. Made of plastic, this had a hairline crack in the bottom. This was quickly fixed with super glue and re-inforced with glass cloth. We had resolved the mystery brown stain in the freezer, the water problem and the pump cycling in one hit. All that remains is to re-assemble and re-stow when the wood has dried out a bit.
As we were relaxing in self congratulation, after having a swim, a guy dropped by to warn us that there was a F6/7 forecast, and we would not be in a good spot. We downloaded a grib file, that showed no sign whatsoever of strong winds, with a maximum of 15 knots. We tidied up a bit, but decided to stay put. This was a bad decision. Going to bed relatively sober, we were attacked by mosquitoes. The air was still, and we had to rig the fan. Then as usual, the horrible cacophony started ashore around 2200. In the end, I gave up trying to sleep around 0500, and decided to use my internet time. The music had not stopped as it became light, and suddenly the wind started to get up. We got the sun covers and wind scoop down, as gradually the wind built. Finally, after a particularly strong gust, the anchor was out and we were off, with the rocky shore beside us uncomfortably close. Manoeuvering under the conditions was particularly difficult. Mo recovered the anchor eventually, with its usual ball of mud and weed, so that it had to dangle from the bow. We eventually got the anchor clear and re-anchored in Ormos Siferi, the bay to the west of the town, off the beach. It had been a close shave. USGrib still shows no sign of any wind, but Poseidon, the Greek weather service, does.
The wind continued well into the afternoon, mostly F5/6, but with gusts into F7 and even F8. We had plenty of room, so laid out a lot of chain, and stayed put, although we had to maintain an anchor watch while we each in turn tried unsuccessfully to sleep. With the covers off, and the bimini (that had threatened to take off overboard), there was no respite from the heat and sun, despite the wind. When eventually the wind died, there remained a swell coming in to the bay from SE, so we moved ourselves into a corner of the bay, close under Akra Plakes. We re-assembled and re-stowed the cockpit locker, and even fixed a vent plate over a new ventilation hole in the locker side. We had been 'not drinking' but felt that an exception should be made. Mercifully we had a quiet night, no cacophony audible as we were separated by a cliff and much of the town.
The following morning we moved back to join the boats anchored in the harbour off the charter pontoon, where we would be handy to the water tap by the bus stop. We ran three loads, then stopped for lunch. The rest of the week passed by, punctuated by the need to keep in touch with Finders Keepers, the new property management agents for the house in Bicester. Forms needed printing out, filling in, and scanning to send back. We spent the nights in the bay. One day we returned to the harbour, and took off for a walk, empowered by a free map given to us by the accomodation kiosk. We walked around the old port, up the hill to the cliff overlooking the bay we had been anchoring in. We found the church at the top of the hill, and walked along the cliff top until we came to the cemetry overlooking our 'spot'. From there, we walked back to the harbour through the town, visiting the church on the top of the hill with a great view overlooking the harbour. After lunch we set off to find the large supermarket, on the road out towards the airport. This proved to be a little disappointing, and although it had the space for a greater range of stock, including 'Brit' food, the offerings seemed expensive. We returned to the harbour once again for more water runs, and on the fourth almost filled the tanks. The previous day Mo had done a lot of the washing that we thought might go to a service laundrette by hand, but being very parsimonious with the hard-won water. Friday saw us going ashore on the beach to explore the local supermarkets. We did not buy, but instead walked back along the 'ring' road towards town. We picked up some fruit and vegetables, and then walked into 'town' for more cash and some phone top-ups. We failed to find the butcher's shop, but returned with bread and toilet rolls for lunch on board.