Return to the velcro quay

Curly on Spiros pontoon

On going back in the water we headed straight over to the Spiros pontoon. We found a nice spot to go alongside and tied up. A swedish guy on the opposite of the pontoon took our stern line as we went in and introduced himself as Crystal. It was a hive of activity on the pontoon with work being done preparing three charter boats for the coming season. Spiros called down later that day to make sure everything was ok. If we wanted electric it was 5 euros a day, if not it was free. We did not have the correct connector for the power so Spiros said he would bring a one next time he was down. Paul and Marianne followed us across ac ouple of days later and work on more jobs started in earnest.

working on the solar panels

Pauls first priority was getting his new furlex fitted. This is a very expensive bit of gear that has to be cut exactly to size to fit the boat in question. All new territory for me but I expected Paul to be totally familiar with this, so you can imagine my surprise when we said he had never fitted one before. We read through the instructions again and again then set too. It took us two days to do, with Paul making about six trips up to the top of the mast in the bosuns chair, which the rest of us at the bottom making sure he didn't come down in too big a hurry. You have two lines attached to you when you go up the mast. One main line and another 'safety' line in case the first one fails. Then you are hauled up using the winches. Anyway, after two days it was fitted. The furlex is the support for the front sail, in their case called the genoa. The furlex is connected to the front of the boat and the top of the mast. The genoa is wrapped around it and can be unfurled and furled ( wrapped or unwrapped ) by means of ropes that lead back to the cockpit. Once that was sorted it was time to start on our solar panels. We had brought two 85 watt panels from home along with a stainless steel handrail to help with the fitting but after a last minute redesign went to the chandler and bought an additional



the fitted solar panels...nice job!

handrail, along with 6 metres of 25mm stainless steel tubing. This was to be the support for the panels.  Other fittings to feed the wiring through the roof were needed as well as a load of stainless steel tube connecting brackets. An added complication was that the place where we intended running the wiring was already full to capacity so we had another teak cover plate made that was much wider and took the aditional wiring needed. This was added expense that we had not bargained for but the job had to be done right.

Another job we wanted to look at was the anchor light at the top of the mast. Our anchor light is just the normal type and when it runs all night consumes a lot of battery power. The thought was to change it to an LED that would use about a fifth of the power. However first of all we had to find out what type of bulb was in the fitting. Hence it was my turn to go up the mast in the bosuns chair. Never having done this before I was quite keen to go up, even though I am not madly fond of heights, its something that you must be able to do. With everybody briefed as to their role I started my ascent. It was quite blowy and the higher you go the more the wind pushes you around.



it looks a long way down !

When you get to the spreaders ( like arms on the mast ) you let those down below know to slow down so that you can get past them at your pace, then carry on to the top. Unfortunately the bulb was not the type we were expecting but the view was good ! I brought the bulb down with me a nd we went to the local chandlery to try and get an LED replacement. We were out of luck. A quick look on the internet informed us that they were not all that common, but found one that I would order to be delivered to home when we went back in May. The following day I returned to the top of the mast to replace the anchor light bulb and took the camera for a few souvenir piccies.

It was time for a bit of r&r so we decided to have a cruise into the Gulf of Amvrakia along with the Zilver. It was a beautiful day as we motored out followed by Paul and Marianne who had some last minute complications with their plotter. Not that they needed it but this was to act as a 'shakedown' to see if any gremlins surfaced in the boats. It was so good to be out even though there was little wind. We followed the bouyed channel into the gulf. As we motored we noticed that our voltage was ruuning high, certainly higher than I was comfortable with, and the rev counter started bouncing once we were over 1500 revs. This had happened once or twice before during last year but never as prolonged and consistent as this. We monitored everything closely and recorded the readings to discuss later. He headed for Ormos Markou, which is a large deep bay near Vonitsa, that is quite well protected. He stayed for a leisurely lunch and after about two hours looked across to Zilver, some 300 metres away, for signs of life. There was none and we did not like to call them up as the may be having a sleep or 'wild sex'. The plan had been to spend the night behind the causeway at Vonitsa so we set of, knowing that they would call us when the came back on deck. The wind had got up and we raised our mizzen and headsail. We decided to do a bit of tinkering and trimming of the sails to make sure everything flowed nicely. All went well until we attempted to take in the headsail fully. It jammed. After some discussion, cursing and head scratching it was seen that the halyard that had been used as the safety line when I went up the mast had become wrapped into the headsail, hence jammimg it tight. Bugger ! I kept Curly on a constant course while Susan led the halyard around the front of the headsail then re-attached it. Problem solved and the headsail furled smoothly again. 

"Curly Sue Curly Sue, this is Zilver , do you receive, over". Ah, Paul and Marianne have noticed we have gone. We called them back, telling them we had not wanted to disturb them and we were near the nights destination.

However after a bit of banter it was decided that we would return to the lunchtime anchorage and stay the night. That night we christened the new barbecue that we had mounted on the stern rails. I managed to beautifully carbonise everything but Susans accompaniments saved the day. Well, actually I like a bit of burnt on mine so I didn't mind. As the evening drew in the wind dropped and it was beautifully peaceful. The Gulf is very much a favourite place of both us, and Paul and Marianne. There is a true air of tranquility.   





Zilver on anchor



Susan and Marianne picking mussels







Curlys mizzen keeps her 'head to wind'

 





local fisherman in the gulf

 The following day we all went ashore and picked a bucket of mussels from along the waterline. We only took the decent sized ones though and left the smaller ones to fatten up. We had noticed the previous evening that there were a lot of pigs and piglets roaming wild on the shoreline and there was evidence of where they had been digging and forraging for food. We decided to rename the bay 'The Bay of Pigs'. After a pleasant morning along the shoreline we headed back to the boats to lift the anchors. We headed back to Preveza for a late afternoon mussel lunch. On the way back we again monitored all the instruments. Everything was behaving exactly as it should. Mmmm, this was going to have to be investigated when we got back.

Once back at Preveza we could look at things a bit more closely. I decided the problem must stem from the alternator. A local contractor I already knew called Michael, who is east german, came round on my request with a colleague of his. A greek called......yes, Spiros. So we now have Spiros the pontoon and Spiros the mechanic. Spiros the mechanic is huge, about 6'6" and the same across the shoulders with a big curly mop of black hair. We discussed the excess voltage and rev counter bouncing, but whilst doing so Spiros mentioned the fuel seepage on the top of our engine. "Yes, we know, its from the injectors that were supposed to be done last year in Corfu". It was arranged for Spiros to call back in a couple of days and investigate the injectors further. The folowing day Paul and I decided to attack the alternator and remove it for further investigation. I had decided I wanted it bench testing and had checked with Christos the auto electrician if he had the necessary gear. He did, so I told him to expect us later that day. It was actually quite complicated removing the alternator as it had the ADVERC battery management system wiried into it. We made a plan of all the wire connections and photographed them as well. Then, with the alternator removed took it to see Christos. We took one look and announced  he was an agent for the type of parts required and would check it thoroughly. The following day we picked it up with new diodes and a new voltage regulator fitted. Feeling rather chipper we returned to the boat to re-fit it. Whilst struggling in the confines of the engine compartment I got a message on my phone to contact my brother, Gordon. When I did it was tragic news. My brother in law, Bob, had died suddenly during the night. We were all a bit stunned and poor Paul obviously felt a bit awkward. Once I was fully furnished with the situation I said we would be back in touch. We would obviously have to go home earlier than we had intended. Back to the job in hand......refitting the alternator. It all went smoothly and soon it was done. Thanks once again Paul.   

Work, rest and play

Work began on getting Curly ready to go back into the water, although we did not have a date booked we were hoping for the beginning of April. There were a few priority jobs. Fit a new bowthruster, fit solar panels, clean her from bow to stern and clean her topsides ( the bit from the toerail down to the waterline ), as well as a host of smaller jobs.



Fitting the new hull anode



We had tried to arrange an apartment to stay in for a couple of weeks that we would have shared with Paul, Marianne and Meis the dog as, for them, getting Meis up and down from the boat when its out the water is a bit tiresome. It involves a large bag that Meis dutifully climbs into and is then hauled up from the ground, or lowered as the case may be. Anyway, our efforts to sort this before the crew of Zilver arrived from Holland failed after a number of property viewings with our trusty travel agent cum real estate agent Jenny. Never mind, up and down the ladder it was, good exercise we told ourselves and it was good just to be on Curly again. While we were wandering back through the boatyard I noticed a car parked beside Rosanda, Iain and Bridgets boat from South Africa. We went along and saw a ladder propped up. " Hello Rosanda, anyone aboard" we shouted. There was a muffled reply and a clatter inside before Iain popped up covered in grease, oil and god knows what else. "Hi guys, I'm just trying to fix the girls toilet". Mmmm, maybe I shouldn't have hastily shook his hand on seeing him. You may, or may not remember that Iain, Bridget and the girls were the ones that had the scary experience off Italy last year when they were trying to get to Malta. Well, after getting back to Greece and hauling the boat they left, and returned to their home for a rest .......in Libya !!! Yes, they are south african but Iain works or worked for an oil company in Libya. We invited him round for a cuppa and a crack. I think he was glad of the company as he had been there for two weeks and he said the weather had been awful and the place, dead. Next day we drove to Levkas with Iain as guide. He told us a place were he had got fixed up with greek internet PAYG with a company called Cosmote. We followed suit. 50 euros for the dongle and two weeks access then two 10 euro scratch cards to top up to a month. we get 3G or 4 weeks for 40 euros whichever comes first. Yes, I know its expensive but it means we can skype the girls instead of phoning and we always will have access to the weather forecast. How on earth did those fellas Cook, Nelson and Drake manage to sail everywhere without the internet, it must have been hell. Iain was nervously waiting for a reply to a job application and when he got the good news that he was succesful we decided to go out and celebrate. We asked him where he fancied and he said he had seen a traditional place on the road to Levkas that he fancied. "We'll go there then". We drove and we duly pulled up outside the place with no name......or food !! Only four toothless old greek guys playing cards and smoking like it was going out of fashion. None of your poncey No smoking indoors rules here, it was like a thick fog inside. We left and drove to Preveza where we took him to Di Papas taverna. Its not really called that, its just our nickname for it. I'm not sure if Yannis remembered us from last year but he made us very welcome. I think non locals are still a rarity at this time of year.Its a traditional greek taverna with no menu. You are invited into the kitchen to choose what you would like. Neither is there a price list but it never works out pricey. We had a pleasant evening with Iain entertaining us with stories of their escape from Libya. He left for his new job in London late the following evening and we awaited the dutch invasion. A text at 0730 the following morning announced" THE DUTCH HAVE LANDED, ETA 30 MINS". 30minutes later a silver Merc appeared with Marianne hanging out the window waving. Kalimera, kalimera !!! ( good morning good morning )

It was a wonderful reunion and they came onboard, up the ladder to be treated to eggy bread for breakfast. It was great to see them again and a chance to catch up on things. They had en eventful journey from Holland. They had intended staying in the Alps on the way down with friends and doing some skiing, but the wiper motor packed up in torrential rain and they could not get it fixed for two days as a public holiday had been announced, forcing them to spend two nights in the car outside of Macdonalds which they used for the loo. They could not get into a hotel as they would not accept dogs and they could not leave Meis in the car as she would have set the alarm off, and they dare not switch it off as the car was full to overflowing with gear. Hence, sleep in the car.



good to see you

 We made plans about the work we had to complete and which jobs we needed each others help with. My list for needing Pauls help was substantial, whereas his list was only really to help him fix a new furlex (the support for the genoa-front sail) which is secured to the front of the boat and to the top of the mast.

the new bowthruster

I was concerned about getting our bowthruster fitted, and having partly disassembled it last year was confident(ish) that I could do the first part myself. I was expecting problems loosening the fittings that were below the waterline but they came off surprisingly easily. The bowthruster ( if I have not explained earlier) is a propellor that is located in a tunnel at the bow ( front ) of the boat. The tunnel goes across the front of the boat so that the prop inside can thrust ( push ) to both port and starboard ( left and right ). This makes mooring in certain conditions ( cross winds, strong tides or currents ) significantly easier. This is a through hull fitting so the seals must be good, note....MUST be good !! Above the prop is the gearbox which actually goes through the skin of the boat, and above that is the electric motor which powers it all. That is connected to the battery bank. It took a day to remove the old one and fit the new, but that was not including the wiring in which I knew was going to be tricky. It was and took us a day to do which included a couple of phone calls to Mike Ingram at Osmotech in Southampton to verify a couple of points.

Paul and Marianne were also busy on their boat Zilver. They even make applying the antifoul look like fun. We caught them doing this strange  dance when we called round for coffee. Note Pauls dutch orange overalls...very patriotic !!

One evening we fancied a break and decided to go for pitta giros in Preveza town. This is fast food greek style. Kebab style meat, chicken or pork, wrapped inside a pitta bread with salad, tsaziki and chips. Nosteemos ( delicious ). We went back to our old haunt and were greeted like long lost friends. Most greek restaurants/food outlets do not allow dogs in and we had Meis. Here it was no problem, they cleared a table at one side of the room where the owner was sitting with his grandson and friends and beckoned us to sit there. The owners grandson was obviously learning to play the clarinet and sat with his grandad playing. He was very good and it added to the atmosphere.They immediately brought a dish of water for Meis which was very thoughtful. We had a nice meal, but lashed out on a plate giros which is very filling. Susan had Souvlaki which is meat on skewers off the grill with salad. Complimentary ouzo to finish a good night and we returned to our boats tired but happy.



View into The Gulf of Amvrakia

At night in the boatyard the sound of the toads croaking in the marshlands nearby is extremely loud but also pleasantly peaceful. That sounds contradictory I know but it is true. In the mornings our first sight when we got up was into the Gulf of Amvrakia or Gulf of Amnesia as somebody told me they called it. The gulf is certainly a peaceful place and we were looking forward to sailing there soon.
Preperations for launching Curly were almost complete and we booked a date with the yard. We asked for a lunchtime slot so that we could leave the boat in the sling to check she was watertight after the bowthruster work, while the staff had their lunch. Once all was well the slings would come off and we would motor across to Preveza. We had spoken to our contact Spiros who said it was no problem mooring in the unfinished marina as long as we let him know the day before so he could shuffle any charter boats around.

making friends in Arta

Before launching though, we decided to have a sightseeing trip to Arta. A large town inland that the waiter on the ferry told us about. We set of early, well about 10ish really but thats early if your on greek time. The drive there was very pleasant and passed the ancient city of Nicopolis which was built by the emperor Octavius to celebrate his victory in battle over Anthony. It took about an hour to get to Arta and after parking up got out to get our bearings. A passing greek guy saw us and stopped in the middle of the road and asked if he could help us. We had no map so the answer was a resounding YES. He was brilliant. He told us all the places to go and in what order we should do them. Drew a small map then pointed us in the right direction for the first stop. The ancient Byzantine church. Paul and Marianne managed to get chatting to a passing german lady who lived in Arta but was delighted to be able to converse in her native tongue. Yes, obviously P&M speak german too. The church was incredible. As I said it was Byzantine and built around 1290. The pillars were precarious to say the least, and the paintings amazing. There was certainly an atmosphere inside. We made a donation towards the upkeep but were told that all donations go instead to help the towns poor. No problem with that then.

Byzantine church in Arta

Our next stop was the bridge of Arta of which the locals are immensely proud. It was the ancient entrance to the city.
According to chronicler of Epirus Panayiotis Aravantinos, the bridge was constructed during Ancient Roman times. However, according to some traditions it was built when Arta became capital of the Despotate of Epirus, possibly under Michael II Ducas (1230-1271). Other alleged construction dates vary from 1602 to 1606. Seraphim, the Archbishop of Arta, has noted that the bridge was built, according to some tradition, by an Artan grocer.

According to the folk lore, every day 60 apprentices and 45 craftsmen or masons, under the leadership of the Head Builder, tried to build a bridge, but its foundations would collapse each night. Finally a bird with a human voice informed the Head Builder that in order for the bridge to remain standing, he must sacrifice his wife. As the wife is being killed, being built in the foundations of the construction, she utters curses that conclude with blessings. A charming story !!




Nicopolis city walls



On our way back to Preveza we stopped at the ancient city of Nicopolis which I mentioned earlier. The original city was, as I said, built by the roman emperor Octavius around 28BC but over the centuries the city was the scene of much conflict and later fell into disrepair until a new, smaller city was built on the same site by the Byzantines. It is spread over a huge area.We walked through the eastern gateway and came across the ampi-theatre. Unfortunately it was gated and locked. We then saw a shepherd in a field guarding his flock, honestly. He was a bit concerned about Meis the dog attacking his sheep but when we persuaded him Meis was old and gentle he came across and through sign 

follow that shepherd !!



the trusty shepherd

language beckoned us to follow him to find a way into the ampi-theatre. And show us he did. A hole in the fence. " In you go" he said in greek sign language. It was truly amazing. There were tunnels under the banks of seats which you could still go through. This was were the actors would approach the stage and make surprise entrances. Marianne and I gave recitals to our mesmerised audienc of Paul, Susan and Meis. If you want to find out more about Arta or Nicopolis just check it out on Wikepedia. It was a cracking day out.



Mariannes spellbinding performance

 Well, back at Cleopatra boatyard, launch day arrived. Last minute preparations complete and the guys came round to move her, then launch her. Everything went smoothly and she was soon hanging in the water supported by the slings of the travel lift. As planned the guys went off for lunch while we, me, Susan, Paul and Marianne ferreted around the boat checking all was ok. After about ten miutes a minute trickle of water appeared near to the bowthruster housing. Uhoh.....I dried it and watched. Nothing. Mmmm....not happy about this tho'. We started the engine and tested the bowthruster to port and starboard. "STOP" was the cry from the bowthruster locker. "WATER". The pressure of water generated by the thruster had forced more water through a hole into the boat. Not a lot of water mind you, in fact very little, but water all the same. "She'll have to come out". I went to find Aris, the head guy for the travel lift and told him the bad news. He simply shrugged his shoulders " It is no problem to me" he said. Curly came out the water and went back into a cradle.

Next morning Paul and I set to trying to find the problem. Our first thoughts were correct. The metal guards at the end of the tunnel. One screw had come through into the locker and despite being sikaflexed (marine type mastic glue) in there was a minute hole were seepage had got in. A couple of hours sorted it out. Susan then gave it a good hosepipe test with positive results. "Lets hope thats sorted it ". The next day was relaunch 2. This time all went well. Aris told me that we should not feel to bad about it. He had recently but a much larger vessel in, actually a trip boat, that had six holes in it when launched. " Your boat is only 11 tons, no problem, that boat was 250 tons, big problem". It made me feel better. With the slings slipped out and the engine running, we set off for the short hop across the channel to the Spiros pontoon. Yes, in the water again at last !! 







Return to Curly Sue

The mouth of the Tyne

After a prolonged stay in the UK on March 14th we set off to return to Curly. We were driving. We had bought a VW Passat estate for the sole purpose of the journey and our route was to be to Newcastle, ferry to Amsterdam, then drive south through Europe ( Holland, Belguim, Luxemburg, France then Italy ) to Ancona in Italy, then a ferry across to Igoumenitsa in Greece. Then about an hours drive to Preveza where Curly had spent the winter. Never having been on a car ferry before it was all new and exciting for us. Leaving the River Tyne was great as we stood on deck pointing out places we new as we sailed down the river. Our trip across to Holland was pleasant and it was nice to feel the motion of the sea again. We docked at Ijumieden at 0830am and we drove off the ship onto 'the wrong side of the road'. Miss Tom Tom consulted and headlight thingeys fitted we set off. The Passat immediately proved to be a worthwhile buy. It was loaded to the gunnels with all kinds of everything. A portable generator, two big solar panels, a large barbecue, a 2metre long motorcycle ramp ( to be made into a passarelle/boarding plank ), sewing machine, 2 large boxes a groupage, halogen oven, everything except a fondue set in fact but it still went like the wind and returned 50mpg. Our first stop was at Nancy in France where we stayed in a Campnile travel lodge. I parked the car outside the window so I could keep an eye on it. Next day we set of and decided to take the 'quiet french toll roads'. Huh, as if. I think the whole of France had decided to go south that day and we were soon on nose to tail traffic, crawling at a snails pace. Now for those who are bothering to read this, that discounts Susan to start with, and actually know their way through Europe ( thats you cousin Malcolm for one ) you must accept that our route may seem strange but we were guided by Miss Tom Tom the whole way. The service areas were absolutely packed out on the way south, what on earth was going on, where was everybody going. The huge mountains of the Alps appeared and we kept offering our credit card at each toll. Ker-ching !! Then through the tunnels, KER-CHING !!! It was about 5.30pm when we emerged from The Frejus Tunnel ( The where, I hear you all cry, Why did you go that way !! ) after another eyewatering 36 euro removal from my dwinding funds. Italy. It was snowing. "We'll have to find somewhere to say" so we drove off  the autostrada onto a place called Bardonecchia. It started to snow more heavily as we trawled the streets with Miss TT totally lost. On finding the tourist info, Susan went in while I fended off the parking warden brandishing a book of tickets. My God is there no escape. Susan emerged with directions to a hotel which took half an hour to find. We checked in with the very pleasant Italian owner. We were put in the Snow White room, compete with large snow white keyfob and Snow White herself standing 2 feet tall outside the door. Susan reminded me of Mae West saying " I used to be Snow White, but I drifted ". Oh well, that sounds promising, I thought. Bardonecchia, if thats the correct spelling, which I doubt is a pleasant Italian ski resort and were currently hosting a large snowboarding competition. After a pleasant evening and a meal in the hotel restaurant of all things Italian, like veal cheeks, we retired to our lumpy bed hoping that the seven dwarfs weren't suddenly going to burst in with a chorus of Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it off to work we go.

Our Alpine refuge

The next morning we set off again, and rejoined tthe autostrada as they snow continued to fall. After another couple of series of tunnels ( and tolls ) the snow turned to rain, heavy rain as we cut through Italy towards Ancona. We decided to get as close to Ancona as we could so that the following day we didn't have to far to drive to the ferry, jst in case we got lost or some other problem occured. We ended up in a east coast town of Fanu where we found a pleasant hotel with a secure car park. We managed to skype the girls from there ( Hoy, you lot wot 'aven't got skype, get it, its brill, and free. video calls for free ). We had a leisurely strat to the following day and meandered along the coast road to Ancona. It took a bit longer than we thought but we were still there in plenty of time. Ancona is a very busy port with a very busy and not unpleasant town but we didn't have a lot of time to look around. We got our place in the quque then went for a wander and a bite to eat. We returned as boarding was about to commence. Now in comparison to the well oiled wheels of the DFDS boarding this was chaos. With much flaying of arms and shouting, then more flaying of arms and people running around the car decks, yes this was a greek ferry, no mistaking. We settled down for a beer in the lounge and got chatting to a nice english couple who were returning to their home in Greece. At Nafplion to be precise, which was the first capital of Greece, prior to Athens, following their independence from the Turks. Not a lot of people know that you know ( except you cousin Malcolm, cos you lived in Greece ). Dinner in the restaurant that night was entertaining. We were engaged in conversation by another english couple, the lady of which was three sheets to the wind, and was going around the tables drinking the complimentary grappa that other diners didn't want. We were then befriended by the waiter who insisted we must visit his home town of Arta which was close to Preveza. We promised we would, so he gave us an extra bottle of complimetary olive oil to seal our friendship. The following morning chaos returned for disemabarkation, however it was swft if nothing else. We were on Greek soil......hurrah, Miss TT decided she didn't know her way around Greece and went on strike.....boo, I missed the turn for Preveza.....bugger, but after an illegal u-turn ( I've got the hang of this greek driving already ) we were back on track and watched the ferry leave port en route for Patras.

It was a wonderful feeling to be back in Greece. It was a pleasant temperature and as we drove down the very quiet coast road towards Preveza we kept stopping to take in the views. We headed straight to the boatyard which is actually at Aktio, just to confuse things, not Preveza,a dn you have to drive through a tunnel under the channel to get to it ( toll 3 euros ). We were greeted by the girl in the boatyard then went to see Curly. We tentatively uncovered her but she seemed fine. Inside she was dry as a bone with no sign of mould or squatting livestock ( mice rats etc ) thank goodness. After a couple of hours sorting out ( that was just the start ) we popped back across through the tunnel ( 3 euros ) to Preveza to see Jenny our travel agent and get some shopping in. Jenny is a very nice Greek lady with an overwhelming liking for all things feline. She adopts all the stray kittens in the neighbourhood and they hang around her office to be fed.......then pee !!! phew...... Anyway, Jenny is lovely and we like her a lot.

We then returned for our first night back on the good ship 'Curly Sue'. We slept well our first night back on board, allbeit she was not in the water and woke up the following day to greek sunshine.

End of the season approaches

We set off early morning from Gouvia at the end of October. It was very atmospheric, with mist lying low on the land and a small pod of dolphins playing in the shallows off the point. It was quite still with the sun rising over the mountains of the mainland. It was just beautiful. We had a fantastic motor sail down to Preveza with the sea to ourselves. The winds were light, as predicted in the forecast, but was predicted to change the following day with big winds and heavy rain, hence our decision to go and get straight to Preveza. It had rung Sprios the day before to ask if it was ok for us to go inside the unfinished marina at Preveza where we would be alongside. It would be much easier to do any preperations for lift out to the boat there. He said it was ok, so that was the plan. It was bright sunshine but chilly on the way down.









The original Curly Sue

and Andy too

                                          







As we slipped past Sivota it seemed eerily quiet in comparison to when we passed through about a month earlier. The season had well and truly ended. We saw only two other yachts on our trip to Preveza, one of which followed us up the channel. We motored up Preveza channel against a two knot current which was flowing out of the Gulf of Amvrakia which we had visited what seemed like ages ago. We were just starting to lose the light as we approached Preveza and there were three yachts alongside on the town quay in comparison to thirty or more when we had left. We passed them and found a place on one of the pontoons behind a couple of fishing boats then gave Spiros a ring to let him know we were there. He was out taking students on a sailing lesson and said he would call and see us when he came in, which he did. So this was it, last stop before Curly comes out of the water for the winter. We had quite a few little jobs to do, just getting sorted out for the winter. The genoa came off ( front sail ) and we packed all the sails away in their bags.

Unfortunately Susans knees were giving her real grief that painkillers and anti-inflamatory pills only partially helped. We walked into town to the bus station to buy our tickets to Athens but as Susan was struggling so much it took ages, about 45 minutes each way. Still, the weather was beautiful and warm with bright blue skies. We had already booked the boat to be lifted out on Friday 5th November. For the rest of the week we just enjoyed the weather which was marvellous and polished the boat from bow to stern. In the evenings it was dark quite early so we settled down to a game of scrabble and a drink before dinner about 7.30pm then a game of chess after dinner. Susan is the scrabble champ and I have the title for chess. On day when we were busy we were surprised to see Mark and Angie that we had met in Sivota walking down the pontoon. They were having a day out and just happened to be nosing around the boats.



On Friday morning we set off in plenty of time to go across to Cleopatra marina. Not that its a long way, about 10 minutes across the channel. We hailed them as we approached and were waved in. They were busy lifting a large trip boat out which was causing them a few problems. Well, more than a few actually.

in the cradle

Our 9am lift out became 1015 and she wasn't settled in her cradle until after noon. We stayed on her for two nights with Susan struggling up and down the ladder then moved into a room in the office complex for Sunday night. It was still lovely weather over the weekend but come Monday morning it changed and as we set off for Athens it was pouring with rain. " the sky was crying, the streets were full of tears". We felt sad to be leaving Curly behind.



Curly with her winter cover on



A very wet October in Corfu

We left Preveza on 3rd October and headed north to get to Corfu for Rebecca, Chris and Oliver arriving on the 5th. We intended to anchor at Two Rock Bay ( no prizes for guessing why its called that ) but when we arrived decided to move on as the southerlies were blowing straight in. We didn't have to go far to Ormos Fanari which was a fantastic enclosed bay backed by a nice beach. It was very quiet, with only two other yachts in for the night. The following day we dinghied ashore and went for a walk. There is a river runs into the bay which it is possible to navigate up, providing your draft ( depth of boat ) is OK. I decided not to risk it. It was a nice town but very quiet and seemed a little sad really. We moved on from there to Sivota/ Mourtos which is a pleasant harbour and tourist town with a number of anchorages close by. We went into the harbour and moored stern to. We had a nice night there before an early start to get to Corfu. We considered going into the private yacht club at Corfu town but when we went in the swell was considerable and would have meant a bumpy night, so we pressed on to Gouvia Marina. This was a good decision because the next day the monsoons started. It lashed down like nobodies business !!

the supa safe paddling pool

moored in Kassiopi

Chris showing Oliver the ropes

Rebecca and Chris and Oli arrived as scheduled. We met them at the airport, it was so nice to see them again. First out their suitcase on the boat was a blowup paddling pool for Oliver. Handy hint from Dave and Sue of  Scath. He could sit in that in the wheelhouse or saloon and play safely to his hearts content. It worked a treat, as did Susans idea of using his reins to strap him in the seat in the wheelhouse. That night we took them to the Telesilla hotel for a meal. We were greeted in great style by Michael ( who for some reason I keep calling Denis ) who made a great fuss of us and especially Oliver. He even made sure the Greek dancing was a little more reserved so as not to disturb him. Next day we set of to Kassiopi at the north of the island. The forecast was fair for two days so we had to make the most of it. We had a lovely cruise up there and moored against the breakwater at the entrance to the harbour, making sure we were clear of the rocks and ballast under the water that could damage our sterngear. Kassiopi was very pleasant and we had a bite to eat overlooking the harbour and 'Curly' before going for a pleasant walk around the headland. While we were eating a stray fender bobbed its way across the harbour straight to me so I gave it a good home back on Curly. Makes up for one we lost a while back.  We ate on board that night, then next morning, after another sortie into town, and me stunning Susan by buying a rug, we set off back to Gouvia. We had lunch at anchor in a bay on the way and Bex and Chris went for a play in the dinghy. We made a full day of the trip back. Next day the rains returned with a passion. We managed to get out for a few hours on Wednesday when we anchored off one of the islands near Corfu Town. Rebecca and Chris tried their hand at fishing with the rod they had kindly bought us in Kassiopi. Beccy caught one and Chris nearly did, but it fell off just as he was bringing it in. We moved to a more comfortable berth inside the marina on our return as it was bouncy on the first one and we were worried that it may disturb Oli. Unfortunately the week was over before we knew it. I'm afraid it was a damp squib. Susan and I felt awful that they had come all that way for it to be so dissappointing weather wise. We saw them off at the airport with the rain still hammering down and returned to the boat feeling very flat.

the last breakfast

To add insult to injury when we went out for a trip one day, during a break in the monsoon, we decided to empty the holding tank. Susan went below to do the manual pump out. A short time later I heard a loud cry of  " SH!T"........Susan shouted for help. The diaphgram on the pump had split and sprayed liquid sh!t liberally around the front cabin. She managed to clear the rest of the tank by keeping her finger in the hole..yuck. Once back in the marina, fortunately the mess was easy to clean up and we had a sweet smelling boat again after not too long. Then it was just a matter of getting a new one to fit which we did a few days later. Oh well, it could have been worse!
While at Gouvia we had the engine serviced and a new engine mount fitted and also, a new bimini designed and made by Gordy the Kiwi ( steelwork ) and Astrid the dutch lady ( canvas ). We were very pleased with the outcome and will mean that we can have shelter from the sun and put our mizzen sail up at the same time. We saw quite a bit of our friend Duncan after Bex and co left. He very kindly gave us a hand to take our main and mizzen sail down. Duncans wife Julia was back in the UK. However when she returned we all went out together for a meal. That was our last night in Gouvia and the following day we set off to return to Preveza where the boat was due to come out the water.

A long stay in Preveza

moored in Spiros marina, Preveza

Paul & Marianne in their new car

frying my freshly caught fish

I am aware that this blog is turning more and more into a social diary, for which I apologise. However it is probably going to carry on in pretty much the same vein. As we approached Preveza town quay we were met by Denis and Sadie in their almost supersonic dinghy, blimey could it shift !! They pointed where they and Scath were then zoomed off to block anybody else sneaking in next to them, and keep it for us. There was a strong current across the quay and a brisk wind which made the stern to manouvre a bit tricky. A few blasts on the bowthruster was required but as we neared the quay I thought I detected a change in the tone of the thruster. Anyway, safely all tied up, I mentioned this. Susan thought it was because we were usung the thruster and the anchor winch at the same time which is a huge draw of power from the batteries. Everyone agreed, so I was satisfied that more knowledgable people thought it was fine. That night we had drinks on Scath and a goodbye supper on Graceful as Denis and Sadie were leaving the following day. Their boat was coming out the water at Cleopatra marina and they returned to England. It was a great night, a good curry and too much alcofroll. The following day a lady came along the quay and gave us a parking ticket - actually it was a polite invite to visit the Port Police to register with them. Dave and Sue, Susan and myself wandered along later that day and after searching for half an hour finally found the office tucked up a back street three floors up. We squeezed into an already crowded office with two very attrative greek damsels feverishly shuffling copies of peoples boat papers, insurances, passports back and forth. "When did you arrive", " yesterday". "When you leave", "Maybe tomorrow". "Maybe tomorrow ? ", "No, tomorrow". "OK, 13 euros". I was then directed into an inner office and told to sit at a desk. A very smartly dressed port policeman was busy writing up the previous occupant of my seat. He got up and left the office, returned, then repeated it again. A casually dressed presumably policeman engaged me in conversation. "Where you been", Where you going", "where you live in England". The smart cop comes back and addresses me " Captain, where you come from", "Gouvia" I reply, lying, but thinking this was the safest option. "OK, where you going?". "I'm not sure yet". "Oh, Levkas, Corfu, Vonitsa, where ? ". "Erm, I don't know, we'll be anchoring in bays". "Oh, what will I put". The casual cop is still constantly bombarding questions. "Quiet", smart cop shouts at casual cop, " I cannot concentrate". Susan, Sue and Dave outside can hear all this going on and thinking I'm being interrogated, but in fact it was all fair relaxed.  Smart cop has an idea " I know, I put the Ionian Sea ". "Yes, that seems good" agrees casual cop. I nod my agreement. He writes an entry in our DEKPA log. "Now go and see lady at counter to pay 0.88 cents" he directs. We shake hands, and say goodbye to casual cop. " Have a nice trip " he says. I then return to the reception area, much to Susans relief and wait a bit longer to pay my 0.88 euros. Dave takes my place with smart cop, casual cop. Half an hour later, the entertainment over and we all went into town for a coffee. We have come to the conclusion that it is all just a job creation scheme. Nothing is computerised, everything is paper copies and is beaurocracy gone mad. There must have been fifteen staff crammed into the offices, most of them standing talking and drinking coffee. Scath set off later that day to go down the south Ionian. We wandered along to see Paul and Marianne. Paul brought his portable generator along and hooked us up with it to charge our batteries right up. It took four hours. Meanwhile he told us about their problem with their mast. The mast is keel stepped, which means it goes through the deck and down to the keel of the boat where it is supported by a large piece of timber and secured in place. Well, the timber, which was oak, had rotted and broken, meaning the mast was now unstable. Oh dear, that is a problem. He was making enquiries to try and find a crane that could lift the mast, while he effected the repair below. He was waiting for a piece of teak to arrive from Levkas to do the job. Finding the crane was the problem. None of the boatyards seemed very keen on the job. The following night the wind got up and things on the town quay got pretty uncomfortable. We were up most of the night as there was a large steel yacht with nobody on board threatening to drag its anchor. The next day we wandered up to the unfinished marina in the harbour to see if we could find a couple of berths there that would offer more protection. I rang Spiros, who unofficially runs it. He agreed for us to go so we moved both Curly And Zilver up there immediately before anybody else nabbed to berths. This was luxury, moored alongside. However, the downside was that my suspicions about the bowthruster were confirmed. It had packed up. I can only asume that it was due to the 'wrap' we got in Cleopatra, but the bottom line was, its goosed. Paul promised to help me fix it. We hoped it was just the drive pin that had sheared, in which case we may be able to do the repair from inside. The next day it was chucking it down with rain, but we had decided to try and sort the thruster. Paul came along to the boat ( they are only next door ) and we stripped it down. Unfortunately its the one manual I do not have so we had both tried to source one on the net, with limited success. Things were not going well, so I looked on the YBW Forum and found the name of a guy in the UK that is supposed to be good with bowthrusters. It was Saturday lunchtime, but I rang the mobile number on the forum and Nick answered. He was very helpful and knowledgable. We had already checked a lot of what he said but he gave a few more pointers and said to ring back anytime. We had to check it out below the waterline so Paul donned his wetsuit and bottles and went in. I got just as wet above the water, as it was still tipping down. Then we noticed oil seeping into the water every time the prop was turned. I rang Nick again. Bad news, the gearbox is knackered. The girls returned from shopping, sopping. Paul came out the water and I was depressed. Bugger and blast, or Godverdomme ( Dutch for God dammit ). Oh well, we'll carry on without it and sort it when we take the boat out the water. Dinner on Zilver that night of carrot soup, cous cous and dutch style meatballs, and pear tart and hilarious company was a good tonic. Marianne has a recipe book in which she enters other peoples recipes. She already had Curly Sues indian Cauliflower in it. Next morning I delivered Andys 'Eggy yum yum bread' to them for breakfast. It met with approval and went in the book. Here in Greece a transport strike is starting to tell and diesel is becoming scarce. Cleopatra marina has run dry so we when a guy came down the pontoon asking if we needed any I decided to top up as I had been running the engine to keep the batteries charged. I also spoke to Spiros who hooked us into the leccy for a charge of 5euros a day. Up till then we were not paying anything. We are happy with this deal and Spiros seems a good guy. As mentioned earlier, Preveza is a really good town. Lots of shops, both touristy and real ones, so you can hunt around them for all sorts of things. There is also a proliferation of 'chinese shops' which stock almost everything. If you go in you always come out with something..........like super sticky rodent catching mats, fly-papers, bras ( not for me ) torches etc etc. There are also so many restaurants that I defy anybody to ever visit them all. We tended to go to anes away from the waterfront, ticked away up alleyways. One that Paul and Marianne introduced us to ( Waoa ) did not have menus. When you were ready to eat, after ordering drinks, you go into the kitchen and see what they have cooking that night and choose there. This may sound weird, but they did a cabbage in lemon sauce starter that was utterly gorgeous. Having said that we do not eat very often. Another option is the Giros bar. Fast, takeaway or sit in food. Pitta Giros which is meat off the spit, salad,chips and tzatziki wrapped inside a pitta bread. Its lovely and was only 2 euros. Another time we went shopping with Paul, Marianne and Mice and bought 4 big dorada fish which Paul barbecued that night. Beautiful. The strike is beginning to bit though and a lot of the bigger supermarkets shelves are almost empty due to no deliveries. We went into one and watched staff rearranging empty boxes on the shelves so it was neat.
One morning I decided to try and catch fish, first cast and got a tiddler, but that was that. Still, I fried it and had it for lunch much to Susans amusement.
Zilvers mast problem was causing P & M much concern. However Paul came and told us that his friends Hans and Anya were going to drive down from Holland in a car that they had bought on behalf of Paul and Marianne, and Hans would help to do the job without a crane. Hans used to own a boatyard in Holland and was a boatbuilder. Good to have friends like that. They arrived a few days later in a Volvo 440 and Paul and Hans set to with the mast job. They used ropes and winches to raise the mast gradually only a few inches then were able to get out the rotten timber. Then over the next two days replaced the timber, in stages with new teak. It was very impressive what they did, but I cannot describe it adequetly, but to lift a mast of that size whilst still afloat is impressive.
We have had a great and longer than planned stay in Preveza but time is pushing on and Rebecca, Chris and Oliver are flying out to Corfu to see us, so we are going to head up there and get into Gouvia in readiness for their arrival. Pictures to follow.......................

The Gulf of Amvrakia



At anchor in the gulf



We left Preveza mid morning and headed into the gulf. It is known as the inland sea. Paul and Marianne had told us about a place where they had anchored and seen turtles and beaver rats ( like beavers but with a long tail ).It was on the north west corner where a river runs into the gulf.It was a gentle motor there, past the site of the ancient city of Nikoplis which was built to commemorate Octavious's victory over Anthony. Some of the massive walls were visble from the sea but it is very spread out and better visited by land. We anchored about 400 metres offshore in about 5 metres of water. The water here is green and not very inviting. Who knows what lurks below !! Next morning we got up early and took the dinghy close in. There was a strong current flowing out of the river mouth so we motored gently up  the reed lined river. One beaver rat made a brief appearance then disappeared into the reeds. So far up the river we cut the engine and drifted back down. It was beautifully quiet but nothing else popped up. Once back at the mouth we paddled gently along the shoreline, me doing my best David

 Attenborough impressions. Another beaver rat appeared and swam right past us, they are about a metre long. Then we heard a big sploosh behind us. We stopped paddling and sat still. A huge ray swept through the water under our dinghy. Wow, that wa special. There is also a lot of birdlife. Pelicans, herons, terns and others that I do not know the names of. This is a special place, so tranquil. we loved it.



the river



beaver rat



We went ashore and watched the lagoon which is over the other side of the shore. It was teeming with birds.We returned to 'Curly' for brekky, then lifted the anchor to head for the opposite end of the gulf 18 miles away. The wind got up in the afternoon and we had a gentle sail, yes sail to Menidhion. After a peaceful night at anchor and a brief look at the unremarkable town we headed for Vonitsa. We had already decided that we really liked the gulf and that it was much more than we thought it would be, but en route we had the company of a large pod of dolphins playing around the boat just to add to the overall impression. First night at Vonitsa we anchored around the back of a large wooded headland but moved onto the quay early next morning when there was still room. There are a lot of liveaboards here that never seem to move off the quay so you have to grab a place when you can. 

Vonitsa waterfront

Vonitsa is a really pleasant town. The waterfront has restaurants and bars and a clean pebble beach but behind that is a vibrant working town. We are told that there are problems with gypsies there but we did not experience any problems. While we were sitting having lunch we say Dave and Sue on Scath come into the harbour. We squeezed them in just along from us, the last spot ! What a nice surprise. We went out for dinner with them that night and caught up on things. Both they and us where heading for Preveza to coincide with Denis and Sadie, whose boat was coming out the water there for the winter. Next day we walked up to the venetian castle that sits above the town and took in the views of the gulf and the shallow lagoon at the back of the town. Photos do not do it justice. Mind you, the mossies here are vicious buggers !! We bumped into Barry Neilson, the owner of Sailing Holidays who we had done two flotilla holidays with. He was in with a flotilla himself after taking part in the Ionian Regatta. Next morning we left the gulf and headed to Preveza town quay, only 8 miles away, to meet up with Dave and Sue on Scath and Denis and Sadie on Graceful. As we approached the quay Denis and Sadie met us in the rib and saved us a spot next to Scath. It was good to see them again. They had been down in the south Ionian catching up with friends since we last saw them at Lakka. But there was another nice surprise in store. As we came in we saw Zilver, Paul and Mariannes boat moored on the quay, well, we wouldn't be short of company here.