We arrived in Greece in early April and now are approaching nearly three months of cruising.
Josephine has been excellent and we have had few problems and have been able to achieve a lot in this short space of time.
We have logged nearly 600 NM. and re visited many places as well as discovering new harbors and anchorages.
We sailed to the Cyclades Islands which lived up to their "Breezy" reputation. It was really nice to return to the harbors and be greeted with "hello Josephine and welcome back" !
For the whole of April and well into May we were struck by how quiet everywhere was with very few boats around. It would seem that all the adverse publicity to do with migrants and airplanes disappearing from the sky's is having a very UN NECESSARY effect on Greece's tourist industry
We have avoided going across to the East where all the problems were, but speaking to boats who have recently returned they have seen little or no problems in recent times. Certainly there are no Migrant issues in the areas that we have visited.
From The Cyclades we made the long passage across to Poros and the Saronic gulf. This is an excellent cruising area and well worth visiting with generally kinder and more predictable winds and many wonderful harbors to visit. The jewel in the crown is definitely Navpilon. This wonderful and highly picturesque old fortified city is an essential port of call for any one cruising in this area. We also discovered that it also has excellent dentists!!
WEATHER. The weather has been good with lots of sunshine and pleasant breezes. What has been unusual has been that the winds have been predominately from the South. One of the main problems with this is that they carry with them "Red Dust". The dust is carried airborne from the African continent and covers everything and gets into everywhere. Whilst at anchor in Ermoni the nearby island of Idra, normally visible for 25/30 NM when at sea, and now only 5 NM away was invisible.
We estimated that due to the dust visibility was down to 2 or 3 miles!
A MAJOR DECISION. After much thought and deliberation we have reserved a full time 12 month berth in Olympic marina. The reasoning behind our decision is that we can now leave the boat in a safe place and return home for a few weeks in Mid Summer to avoid the heat and also if we wish we can make visits in the winter. Apart from these obvious advantages it also made sound economic sense.
NEVER GO TO SEA WITHOUT A PIECE OF STRING ! The first picture of this post showing a Greek chapel is obscured by a criss cross of string. To cut a long story short we had to remove our mainsail for a little maintenance. Whilst I have been sailing for many years and removed countless mainsails in my time this was the first time I had ever removed a " In mast furling " mainsail. The procedure was relatively strait forward. However what I had not realized was that the foil inside the mast that holds the sail is unsecured at the top. Once the sail is removed this 14 meter plus extrusion is free to move and CLANG as it wishes. After a few minutes of this constant noise we had definitely become THE NOISY NEIGHBORS FROM HELL!!
However my habit of never throwing away a piece of string came to the rescue.The block which takes the head of the sail to the top of the mast was taken two thirds of the way up with the string attached and pulled very tightly. End of problem and a lesson learnt.
We are now back in Poros awaiting the arrival of Ann and Jim who arrive on Thursday 9th June for ten days. Ironically they seem to have bought their Scottish weather with them. We have been roasting in sunshine for so long, but on the day of their arrival in Greece the heavens have opened with torrential rain and thunder and lightning!
The forecast is good.
Thanks for viewing and we hope you find our posts interesting.
RAY & MANDY
Poros 37.31N x 23.25E
Josephine has been excellent and we have had few problems and have been able to achieve a lot in this short space of time.
We have logged nearly 600 NM. and re visited many places as well as discovering new harbors and anchorages.
 |
| AT ANCHOR IN KEA. (note the bits of string) |
For the whole of April and well into May we were struck by how quiet everywhere was with very few boats around. It would seem that all the adverse publicity to do with migrants and airplanes disappearing from the sky's is having a very UN NECESSARY effect on Greece's tourist industry
We have avoided going across to the East where all the problems were, but speaking to boats who have recently returned they have seen little or no problems in recent times. Certainly there are no Migrant issues in the areas that we have visited.
 |
| A CRUISE LINER ENTERING NAVPILO |
From The Cyclades we made the long passage across to Poros and the Saronic gulf. This is an excellent cruising area and well worth visiting with generally kinder and more predictable winds and many wonderful harbors to visit. The jewel in the crown is definitely Navpilon. This wonderful and highly picturesque old fortified city is an essential port of call for any one cruising in this area. We also discovered that it also has excellent dentists!!
WEATHER. The weather has been good with lots of sunshine and pleasant breezes. What has been unusual has been that the winds have been predominately from the South. One of the main problems with this is that they carry with them "Red Dust". The dust is carried airborne from the African continent and covers everything and gets into everywhere. Whilst at anchor in Ermoni the nearby island of Idra, normally visible for 25/30 NM when at sea, and now only 5 NM away was invisible.
We estimated that due to the dust visibility was down to 2 or 3 miles!
A MAJOR DECISION. After much thought and deliberation we have reserved a full time 12 month berth in Olympic marina. The reasoning behind our decision is that we can now leave the boat in a safe place and return home for a few weeks in Mid Summer to avoid the heat and also if we wish we can make visits in the winter. Apart from these obvious advantages it also made sound economic sense.
 |
| POROS |
NEVER GO TO SEA WITHOUT A PIECE OF STRING ! The first picture of this post showing a Greek chapel is obscured by a criss cross of string. To cut a long story short we had to remove our mainsail for a little maintenance. Whilst I have been sailing for many years and removed countless mainsails in my time this was the first time I had ever removed a " In mast furling " mainsail. The procedure was relatively strait forward. However what I had not realized was that the foil inside the mast that holds the sail is unsecured at the top. Once the sail is removed this 14 meter plus extrusion is free to move and CLANG as it wishes. After a few minutes of this constant noise we had definitely become THE NOISY NEIGHBORS FROM HELL!!
However my habit of never throwing away a piece of string came to the rescue.The block which takes the head of the sail to the top of the mast was taken two thirds of the way up with the string attached and pulled very tightly. End of problem and a lesson learnt.
 |
| ASTROUS. ANOTHER EMPTY QUAY TO OURSELVES |
The forecast is good.
Thanks for viewing and we hope you find our posts interesting.
RAY & MANDY
Poros 37.31N x 23.25E
