Saturday 18th June saw us up very early for what it may seem just a wee jaunt of only four hours / 20 miles, but foul weather was expected later with accompanying high winds. In addition we thought to arrive just after 09:00 the reason twofold: firstly, if space was limited there may be more of a chance of people leaving around then, and secondly it gave us the option of sailing 60 miles south to Lesvos, not ideal given the forecast.
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Off we go then: 05:00
It’s dark just before dawn.
We have 20 knots of wind on the quay.
Engine on and all ok.
Steaming light on? – Yes, check.
Navigation lights on? – Yes, check – but the ones I had “fixed” are still flashing like a 70’s disco. Oh well it’ll be light in a wee while.
Anchor up without any issues, and heading out.
Autopilot on? – Yes, check
We are just outside the inner harbour breakwater.
“Beep, beep, beep” alarm!
Immediately I think it’s the engine overheating due to our wee oil leak and I have let the levels drop too far causing the oil pressure alarm to trigger, an immediate engine shut down job.
“Quick we need to hoist the sails” which can I say I was quite impressed with. We did in jig time and switched the engine off.
Phew! Now just to sail out of here?
“Beep, beep, beep” alarm!
What the ##@@
“Ok you sail the boat & I’ll have a look”
Is it the depth alarm set at night on anchor I’d forgotten to switch off? – No.
Is it the separate exhaust temperature alarm? – No.
Head scratching and then we both saw it at once “Peggy” our trusted autopilot had been “disengaged “- and was letting us know. To this day neither Peggy, the Skipper nor the Mate have owned up, lol.
Definitely coffee time! Then set up the fishing rods.
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Just over three hours later we were approaching the entrance to Moudhros Bay where we turn in, but still an hour to go to the harbour. It shallows here and we thought this might be the place to catch a fish.
Now in 10 years we have, Louise that is, caught only one fish, a small tuna near Poros. Me – only a seagull!! which made me to give up for a while and highly amused Nikolas our French pal.
I used to fish a bit at Largs when I was a school boy. We would get the “Blue Train” from Glasgow Central and go out on the boats that would leave from the beach front at Largs; the sea between the Cumbraes & Largs was teeming with Cod & Mackeral in those days. I wouldn’t call myself an avid angler, but it was with a bit of nostalgia I realised my old boat rod I was using now was at least 50 odd years old!
That must’ve done it “fish on the line” and panic all round……
“Who’s going to kill it?”
“Who’s going to gut it?”
…… and all before we have landed the bloody thing!
Anyhow the deadly deed done by me, Louise cleaned, filleted and cooked lovely wee tuna for tea.
Only the 2nd fish in 10 years
When we reached Moudhros at 09:15 there was plenty of space, thankfully, as the wind was a steady 29 knots and rising in the harbour , probably more outside.
The rest of this post is a composite of before Louise leaving for Scotland on the following Tuesday and after.
The ever necessary laundry was done in the black bucket (the one the fish had been in, lol) on the quayside.
Who said this lifestyle was glamorous?
Shortly thereafter the bilges in my cabin were unexplicably flooded. Someone? had left the platform shower on when replacing it ! A lovely hot two hour job emptying & drying my bilges.
We do like Moudhros, it’s quiet, attractive, has all the shops & tavernas you would need and appears successful with Lily as well. Result!
In my preferred berth, now, on the lee (sheltered) side after the storm.
We had 60 knot winds tilting the boat at 45 dgrees and those fenders were squashed flat & the only thing between Camira and concrete. I had Lily’s carry bag & my passport etc. looked out in case I had to leave the boat. Worst night I have ever had on the boat ! Ever !
All calm now & OK
Lily would sometimes head for the rocks in the breakwater and a “search party“ would go out to try to coerce her back – in the end “the search party” gave up!
The search party giving up
In the evenings you get some spectacular views at sunset across the bay.
Harbourside at dusk
and heading up to the town ……
One of my “watering” holes.
& the church
Louise headed to the airport on the evening of 22nd June full to the brim of two carafes of wine we had with an early tea in the taverna. The wee waiter in there has taken a shine to us and has sent across free carafes on a number of occasions.
This is “Jan the Man” and his boat – the only other yacht with anyone aboard in the harbour.
He was Dutch, a wee bit eccentric, and I think a bit lonely. He was waiting on his wife & friends to join him and they had been delayed a while.
He would pad round each morning in a pair of old grey “Y fronts” that had seen better days, take off his sandals and come aboard at a drop of a hat, looking for conversation.
It would put ye aff yer bilt egg in the morning.
Now, being an antisocial bugger, I like company but not 24/7 . I agreed to dinner on his boat one night, and very nice of him to ask as well. I was to make salad as I explained my culinary skills were limited, very limited. Dinner turned out to be white beans in a cheesy sauce Mmmmm. I had taken a couple of bottles of Retsina as well as my salad so all in all a success. He’s in his 70’s and it turns out his hero is Einstein, no faulting him there. The conversation of the night went along the lines of “Do you know the smallest particle, Gordon? “ Well I do, so we got on fine in a sort of eccentric way.
Another day he scurried round to advise he had been doing his (meagre) laundry when his favourite underpants disappeared in a gust of wind into the harbour (Gawd knows what the favourites were like!) and he had to strip off, dive in and retrieve them – he then found himself naked and unable to climb out and not really wanting to call for Greek assistance as they sort of frown on that sort of naked cavorting. Anyhow he managed to scramble out to tell the tale. lol, what a man.
A few minor boaty maintenance tasks were completed.
I sold my old solar panel & controller I had kept just in case the new set up was insufficient (which it wasn’t). Louise will be happy her view out the back of the boat will be less obstructed now, as is Jan. I helped him install it on his boat; you can see it tilted on his frame in the picture of his boat above, bye bye SP & thanks for all your photons ( Sorry still in Einstein mode).
This is Lily’s plush sun awning.
Its our old Avon Dinghy bag supported between the baby stay & mast. As you can see it has an integral hammock as yet untested but the shade itself is a big success and can stay in place even while sailing. Oh dear ! I can hear my old skipper Kevin sucking his teeth, back in Ireland , from here lol.
The big monster bag immediately in front of the spray hood is our new dinghy & bag
CORS
I found some fisherman’s netting, cut it to size and replaced my old, now green with algae, tee-shirt with it. Lily’s new plush Cat Overboard Recover System – It’s an Irish system. CORS .
I went for a walk one day to free up my knee. Lemnos is very fertile and as I was admiring the view I didn’t see the snake skin in front of me, when I did , I thought it was alive, rubber pants job!
Hissing Sid no more
I visited the Military Cemetery for those killed in the Gallipoli campaign. The war graves commission, rightly, keep these places immaculate. A very sobering & sad place but at the same time very serene.
Some very poignant inscriptions.
I left with Eric Bogle songs (Flowers of the Forrest / Green Fields of France playing in my head) .
On a happier note my pals Billy & Jayne sent me pictures of their new boat “Dignity” back in Scotland.
What a beauty Eh ?
