4^th August 2010

After Svein had successfully filled the last two 25 litre diesel cans we waited until 14h00 and went into town to collect our bridge permit. When we arrived at the Customs we were told that we were too early and had to come back and see the Commandant between 15h00 and 17h00. As we had expected this we went off to do the last bit of shopping that was needed. We came back the the Port Police Authorities at 15h00 to be told that it was not yet time and could we please wait. As you imagine the fact that the bridge had been closed for 3 days meant that there was quite a queue building up. We waited patiently and eventually an officer appeared and was ready to go to work. We had initially been the first in the queue but a polite French man decided to pass in front of us. We believe he may still be waiting there as he presented a €200 euro note to pay a bill of €18.69 and needless to say they had no change. We then got our own permit and escaped to have a well earned drink. We met up with some Italians who were also waiting for the bridge but in the opposite direction and they gave us some useful tips about anchorages. We returned to the boat and got here ready for departure.

At 22h00 we were duly called up on the VHF and told to prepare the boat and hoise the anchor as the bridge would be opening in 15 minutes. As everybody was given the same instructions there started to be a little hustling amongst the 14 odd boats waiting to go through. Evenually the bridge opened and the commercial vessel was allowed to go through first followed, in theory, by the motor yachts and then the sailing yachts. However by this time everyone was extremely anxious to get through and ignored the instructions. So to add to the bustle came instructions from the Authorities for the sailing yachts to go through faster. We got through at 22h30 and continued on our way.

Our initial plan had been to sail (read motor) through the night but after a few hours we encountered very strong head winds that reduced our speed to 3 knots at 2000 rpm and very choppy seas. We decided to go for an anchorage and continue the next day. At 02h30 we were anchored outside the town of Larimna. A dirty oremining town but at least we did not have to look at the chimneys and were able to get a short night’s sleep in a safe anchorage.

5^th August 2010

We were up bright and early and left the anchorage to look at more pleasant surroundings. We continued to head NW under engine and inevitably had the head winds – although this time they were not so strong. We motored through the day and rounded the tip of Evia into the Orei channel in the early afternoon. We now had an East wind – straight on the nose – so we decided to make for an anchorage that was calm and in pleasant surroundings. We chose the bay of Vathikelon. We anchored in a corner and enjoyed the peace and calm. We went for a swim in the blue waters and Svein was treated to a special dinner of “gesiers” for all his hard work. In the late afternoon we were joined by a rather expensive Spanish 112ft sloop. Apparently it is one of the biggest Swan yachts built. She was elegant and had such a lot of clever features like the flush portholes in the hull and the gangway that also fitted into the hull when not in use. So tonight we are in regal company in the anchorage under the stars. We are hoping that the passage to Skepolos (the Mamma Mia island) tomorrow will bring up more luck with the winds and we can sail a little. We are slowly but surely approaching our final destination of Lesbos.

At 21h15 the crew was fed and watered and rested, the baot was ship shape so we raised the anchor and set off North for our first night passage of this journey. There was no wind and the sea was calm and apart from dodging the many tankers that were using the early part of the route we had an uneventful journey up through the south part of the Kolpos Petalion strait.

At 04h30 we approached our destination – a small protected by on the island of Evia called Voufalo. We dropped anchor and went off for some shut eye.

2^nd August 2010

The next morning Svein discovered that we had anchored next to a wreck! It was marked by a small empty plastic water bottle and consisted of a small boat that had sunk from the stern and bow was sticking up about 2m below the surface. We were lucky. Anyway we decided we did not like the anchorage that much so decided to press on.

We continued up the strait and were to be able to sail for 3 hours. It was a very tight tack to start with but then the wind gradually came round so we had a long stretch up to the town of Alverion. Here, as we rounded the corner, we had the wind at 20 kn on the nose so Perkins was brought into action again. Again the trip was peaceful until we reached the town of Ereitria where we played dodgem cars with the ferries that were plying between the town on Evia and Oropos on the mainland.

We round Ak Avlis in the early afternoon and carried on under the bridge that opens into the bay where the town of Khalkis is to be found. The area is full of very heavy industry ranging from shipyards to cement factories so, at a first glance, does not seem very inviting. We approached the quay at Khalkis so that we could register to be able to go through a small bridge that spans the town. A “friendly” Greek customs officer came and told us that the bridge would not be opening before Wednesday so could we please go and anchor. This we did and we are now anchored under a fort that overlooks the bay. We decided that we deserved a dinner out in town after completing nearly 100 NM in under 24 hours. To reach our destination in time we will probably have to do another long stretch as all the advantage has been lost by the closure of the bridge.

3^rd Auguat 2010

We have explored the town whilst we are waiting and Svein is in the process of filling up with diesel. A difficult process as he has to take the cans into town one by one in order to have them filled. We need to ensure that we have enough fuel to get us to Lesbos, if we are unable to sail all the way, and the prospects of finding diesel further up the strait are quite remote.

Tomorrow, between 15h00 and 17h00, we will go and register with the port police so that we can get through the bridge and we should be leaving Khalkis somewhere after midnight as they only open the bridge in the evening so as to disrupt the traffic as little as possible!! How many boats will be going through is not sure but several turned up yesterday and more today so it should be an interesting procedure.

At 08h00 we were up and ready to go in the water. The harbour staff eventually arrived at 10h00. They lifted the boat in the slings and Svein was able to antifoul the support spots and under the keel (after he had scrapped off the mussel farm!). At 11h15 we were in the water and ready to leave the boatyeard. We made our way out of the slip and headed East. It was very hot, even on the water, so around 14h00 we stopped on the little island of Fleas to have a swim and to revisit old haunts. This is a spot we found in 1994 on our first visit to Greece. It had not changed and we were able to anchor and have a swim. After a brief stop we continued on our waywere able to sail for about an hour but after that the wind changed to SE and then E so we had it on the nose and had to motor. We rounded the point of Souminon around 16h00 with quite a number of other boats. We then had a choice of heading North towards Lavrion or heading over to Kea. We chose the latter and in strengthening winds and choppy seas we came into Kea late evening. We anchored in coal bunker bay just at the wind dropped. We had a quick meal and went to bed as we were both tired from a full day out in the fresh air.

1^st August 2010

This morning we launched the dinghy and headed into Korissia in search of supplies and diesel. As far as the diesel was concerned we were very lucky as there was a motor yacht refuelling and the diesel lorry agreed to supply us also. It turned out to be at a very reasonable price as well. In the meantime Caryn went in search of a supermarket and bakery. She found an “AB” and was able to stock up on liquids, as the stock was seriously depleted, and some food. We are now ready to venture further North into the Eviva channel. On returning to the boat we had a well deserved swim once we had put away the shopping and then treated ourselves to a lunch of “foie gras”. This was some of the stock that we had brought with us from France last year. It was really appreciated as we sat on deck in the sunshine savouring it. We will wait until the north wind has died down this evening and then do a night passage into the channel.

Bright and early we set out for Asprakis boatyard to haul out the boat. After a short but very bumpy and windy trip round to the North of the island we were in the travel lift at 10h00. The lift out went well and after a pressure wash we were chocked up and in place on land by 11h30. The Greeks can be efficient. We organised the work to be done, hired a scooter and by 16h00 we had painted the first coat of anti fouling. We both then enjoyed a good shower on land (our first since we had left Mesolonghi). Another first was that we connected to land power for the first time since our departure. The solar panels and wind generator supply all our needs but to boot up the main computer takes a little too much power so whilst we are here we will do the work that we have been putting off.

The next morning Svein put on the second coat of anti-fouling before he went into Aegina to get our lift out permit from the port police. Whilst he was in town Caryn caught up with the washing and on his return set to scrubbing down the dinghy in preparation for the revamping. During this time Svein worked on repairing the top sides and sprucing them up with some paint. As the temperature was steadily rising and it was very hard working in the current heat we took a break and went off for a deserved swim. On our return Svein began to repair our spare water pump (you never know) and then proceeded to work on the dinghy by giving it two coats of primer and then the first coat of Coelan. The dinghy is now bright yellow (to match the anchor). Tomorrow the next coats will go on. All in all a great deal of work done in a very short time.

30^th July 2010

We rigged up a shade to cover the dinghy so that we could carry on painting in the heat and sun. Over the course of the day 2 more coats of Coelan were put on. It really makes a difference and hopefully will extend its lifespan. Late afternoon a French boat that we had seen in Aegina harbour came to the boatyard for their liftout. They will be spending the winter there. After a discussion it was decided that they would take over our scotter hire so the owner and Svein drove into town together. The first stop was the port pollice so that we could get an exit stamp and the French could complete their formalities. Too much for a Friday afternoon so they must go back the next day. They then visited the scooter rental and Svein also had a quick session on internet to send out some urgent emails. They got back to the harbour to discover that all our papers had been left in the port police so Svein quickly returned to get them back.

Bright an early Svein proceeded to change the toilet pump that had started to play up seriously. Caryn woke up to find the toilet in pieces so the only solution was to stay out of the way and go for a long swim in the crystal clear water. Everything was eventually put back together and we now have a properly working toilet! We eventually left the anchorage late morning and started motoring towards Aegina (our destination for the day). The wind blew up but unfortunately was very fickle so we were only able to sail for an hour. We motorsailed past Poros and arrived in Aegina around 17h00. There was room in the harbour but as luck would have it the wind blew up from the North making it very difficult to anchor. After several attempts , where we were consistently blown off track, we found a spot where we were able to moor. Sortly after settling in we had a visit from the harbour authorities and for the first time since we set out we had to pay a mooring fee (€11,77) that consisted of an arrival fee and a mooring fee. “If you stay longer it will be cheaper tomorrow”. Svein had spent several months in Aegina in 2006 refurbishing a boat for a Norwegian friend so he was anxious to contact old friends and see the changes in the town. We wandered around the streets and he found his marks – there have been very little changes since his last visit. We dined in the restaurant that he always used and where he was remembered. The next day he wandered off to see the local chandler (who also remembered him) to order some additional products for the Coelan system that we have used on the deck. We now want to use it on the dinghy and some other equipment on the boat. We then shopping and found a present for the latest addition to the Vigne family – Arthur who arrived on 21st July and was born in Kalamata. Svein bought some bits and pieces from the chandler so that he is not idle whilst we wait for the delivery of the Coelan products – hopefully on 27th but all depends on the current strikes in Athens. Nobody knows how long they are going to last!!!!!! After a lunch in town and a snooze and a very brief rain shower Svein installed the new hour counter for the engine. He also replaced the broken buzzer and key on the engine and installed a new switch to enable us to remote control the anchor wince from the cockpit. Whilst mooring we discovered that the remote control button to lower the chain was not working.Everything is now installed and working. An invasion of Dutch charter boats arrived during a strong gust of wind so it was fun and games to get them moored. Two were moored near us but the rest (6 in all) dropped their anchors over ours and then backed into a nearby quay. We are convinced that we will have problems tomorrow when they leave. After a very early start to the day – we were up at 5am to lay out another anchor as ours was dragging (thanks to the charter boats) – we went into town and faced the post office. This was very efficient, clean and quick. So with our package posted we hired a quad and went on a tour of the island. Svein met up with old friends on the North of the island where he had worked previously and we enjoyed a good lunch in Souvavli. We even visited some old ruins as the photos will attest. It is not in our habits to visit old stones but this monument was well worth the trip. It is the sanctuary of Aphaia above the headland of Ayia Marina on a hill offering a spectacular view of the sea, and as the guide book says ”worship on the site goes back to prehistoric times around 1300BC when it a was associated with a female fertility deity as is clear from the finds brought to light by arcgaeoligical excavations”. Aphaia, the daughter of Zeus and Karme, fled to Aegina and hid in a cave to avoid the attentions Minos who was in love with her. She was only worshipped on Aegina. We finished off the tour by visiting Agia Marina. A horrible place that was no longer the deserted town that Svein knew but had become a busy holiday resort with lots of noisy hotels and a beach full of parasols and sunbathing beds. On our return to the boat we discovered that the charter boats had gone but inevitably had pulled up our two anchors. There was no choice but to change moorings which we proceeded to do whilst the wind was calm. Hopefully in our new spot we will be well away from the charter boats as we are tucked in among locals. We collected our products despite all the strikes in Athens and Caryn treated herself to a visit to the beauty parlour. We have also had a serious change of plan. Tomorrow we go to the North of the island to take the boat out for a serious clean of the underside and to antifoul her. In fact we have had such a good offer from the shipyard that it is too good to refuse and it will also save us money in the long run as we will save on fuel for the next stage of our trip. We should be there for a small week which also coincides with a bad weather front coming over the area where we would have been sailing so instead of being holed up in a harbour waiting for it to pass we will put it to good use and work on the boat.