Monday morning required an early dive under the boat to clean the speed log impellor. That doe we set off for Sigri, still on Lesbos, heading along the south coast past the next big lagoon and Erresos, famous for womankind, courtesy of Sapho the Greek poetess whose leanings were of that inclination. It is a lovely resort we visited it by car last October I am sure it would be even lovelier in the summer but alas the wind direction would not facilitate an anchor stopover. Perhaps later in the season on our return?

It was a bit of a slog into the wind and swell, motor sailing a good part of the nine hours plus underway. We were rewarded with a lovely anchorage just South of Sigri. 46 miles under our belt that day, settled down for a swim, dinner & of course some wine!

 

Ormos Lafri  SW of Sigri, Lesbos

Tuesday was a planned longish one 50 odd miles north to the island of Limnos. At 08:00 it was calm and we feared another long motor sail, boo. However that was not to be the case and had the full rig up for most of the day with the engine being called for on entering Tarrant Cove, Ormos Moudhrou on the island of Limnos. Underway for ten and a half hours today.

      

On passage and arrival in Limnos

Well that’s the season finally underway. Yeeehah!

On 2^nd June we paid our dues and said good bye to our winter home. Our 1^st stop was Scala Loutra, Lesbos, just for a change, lol.

However the main reason was it’s only a couple of hours away and giving us a days opportunity to refit the “Lily Netting” in calm weather before our bigger passages northwards.

Last year the Meltemi (Prevailing NE / NW summer wind) arrived early so thoughts were it would be best to try and head the 200 miles NW towards the Khalkidhiki peninsula before it sets in permanently . Indeed the forecast was showing Northerlies in the near future.

Our route and planned passages are as shown roughly on the charts below,  and similarly the places we stopped are starred on the Google Map. (This is as a result of requests from our multitude of followers …. er well eh ….Fifi.

The plan was to sail NW to the next Island, Limnos and from there to the middle finger of the Khalkidhiki Peninsula. Roughly the black line from bottom right to top left ending at the red triangle.

Unfortunately dspite having the hull cleaned by a diver, the speed log was still fouled, so that would mean a dive under the boat  to clear before heading on. Hope the water has warmed up?

Lily was a wee bit stressed with the engine again but better moving about the boat. Feeling positive.

Louise’s sister Diane was off to Spain for a long week end and Louise was enjoying looking after Harry. His Birthday celebrations seem to have been a success from the pictures as you can see.

   

The only boy I know who gets two birthdays  – one with his mum and another with his auntie

She had a lovely day at our friends daughter’s wedding

 

All glammed up

      

                                                                        Looks like Shampoo to me ?

She also managed to squeeze in lunches with Karen & Carol & Ian and also met up with Fiona.

It looks like she can indeed squeeze quite a lot in – look at the size of that pizza !

Meantime back in Lesbos my boat goodies arrived and I had a few busy days fitting the new exhaust hose and monitor. I also had a further couple fitting the other side of the boat guardwire netting for Lily.

I had left a final gap (to be closed later) for her to jump onto the boat while we were still berthed in Mytilini but she decided to jump directly into the netting instead. Lucky I was there to catch her as she rebounded back towards the water , lol.

I thought cats had good eyesight ? Anyhow off came all the netting again – back to the drawing board for now, more paws for thought.

 

Heh Heh ….that sorted him out …… netting indeed !

Not Theresa, thank gawd, but the month.

It’s showery today so taking the opportunity to get the blog up to date.

My hearing test showed no improvement so it’s a bit of a waiting game hanging around for the MRI, which is tomorrow.

Louise went home yesterday for Harry’s birthday and our friend’s daughter’s wedding and got some good aerial shots of Lesbos and Thessaloniki.

  

The Marina , Harbour & the Bay we sailed to in previous blog

  Views of Thessaloniki

So it’s just me and Lily and Game of Thrones. She’s not a fan and lies on the laptop so I can’t watch it!

That’s when shes not in the lavender of course.

 

The IT Director

In the interim I have ordered more goodies from Force 4, amongst which are a replacement exhaust hose and a new toy “An exhaust temperature monitor”. Well it’s sort of necessary because I’m not entirely sure the warning lights on the ignition panel are up to scratch. My engineering prowess in utilising alternative materials now runs to sellotape, gaffa tape and string – I kid you not! Son of an engineer, me.

Louise also likes using “Navionics” on the iPad so we have rail mounts coming for that. I am hoping for a delivery in the next week so I can fit all of it before the boss returns.

We did manage to fit one side of the safety netting which was a pig of a job , still needs a bit of tidying up and then it’s on to the other side which requires some “paws” for thought as this is the side our third crew member jumps off ???

 

We had a brief visit from Bob and Andrea on Dorado on their transit northwards, and as usual we had a few good nights. Bob lent me his collection of films & TV series so we shouldn’t be short of viewing material next winter.

 

Saturday night Gyros in “Katy Wynettes”

The Greek Cruising Tax is now operational but is causing all types of problems. The web site crashed the 1^st night and was shut down over the week end. We were lucky in that I have registered and got my bit of paper pay-in slip that should allow me to pay at the bank. I say should, as some people are being turned away unable to pay as they (the banks) refuse or are unable to process the transaction, I will maybe try this week

The reason we stayed put the southerlies continued which would have been perfect for heading North if I didn’t have all my “appointments” but this meant our planned mini cruise route changed. Scala Loutra is just inside the smaller of the two lagoons on Lesbos so we decided to set off to explore it on Wednesday.

Lily was a bit better today we even sailed for most of the 4 hours or so during which she kipped below – so it looks like getting her used to the engine will be the challenge.

In the mid afternoon we headed back to a secluded bay just north of Scala Loutra for lunch at anchor and just decided to stay the night as the dreich and windy day had turned into a lovely settled evening.

   

Geras bay North of Scala Loutra afternoon & evening

     

A 360 of it  the morning after before we set off, lovely

Next day we returned to Scala Loutra and went “up the hill” to Loutra village a walk of about half an hour. Lily was a star even to the extent of nosing around & getting in the way when we’re trying to retrieve the anchor! So I am hopeful that once we get going for real things will eventually be OK on the cat front. First steps as the wee Chinaman said.

The return journey a small islet with as usual a church

 

“Locker Lil” preventing me raising the anchor.

Scala Loutra anchorage in the evening with just goats for company

Sunday saw an early start, well unusually for me at least. We had decided it would be best to “trick “Lily on her maiden voyage. If we let her off the boat as usual there was a chance she would not return for hours so I was up sneaking around getting the boat ready to cast off.

It was fairly calm so Louise stayed below with Lily and I started the engine which caused her to bolt for cover under the chart table; the cat on the other hand was fine.

It’s only about 12 miles around to Scala Loutra but it was into the wind and it threw up a bit off chop. There was a bit of meowing and she was definitely a wee bit anxious as she cowered under the coach roof watching the water. We took it easy and didn’t use the big white flappy things, perhaps that would’ve just been a wee bit too much on the first outing.

  

The entrance to Kolpos Yeras

We arrived at 11:45 and Lily settled down for a sleep, probably as a result of using up all that nervous energy.

  

Approaching Scala Loutra

Monday & Tuesday we stayed put only going ashore for a farewell lunch with Nicolas. He will be heading back south down to the Dodecanese to meet his sister and other visitors this summer, and hopefully, as mentioned earlier we plan to go North and maybe, but only maybe Turkey.

 

The brand new dinghy and view from taverna

    

Followed by Ouzo in the sun

   

The inner bay for wee fishing boats and return journey

My birthday was on a dreich April 9^th. It didn’t stop us going out for lunch though. We went back to one of the best tavernas in Epano Skala, the historical port of Mytilini. During the meal I was “convinced” by Louise & Nicolas to go and see about my ear.

    

The local brandy was very good

We had expected to leave early April and had paid our berthing dues accordingly.

However the medical gremlins had set in again! ……. Why is it always at the start of the season? Achilles in Lagos, Tooth in Syracuse, now Ear in Lesvos.

I had gone deaf in my left ear and after two weeks or so of antibiotics there was no change so off I went to a local ENT specialist who diagnosed 75% hearing loss and recommended hospitalisation for 3 days intravenous cortisone which might or might not work. It turned out to be 6 days with no improvement. Albeit I can now turn a deaf ear to Louise when it suits.

  

Admission day and my pet hate “Needles”

After a complete battery of tests the next proposal is an MRI scan of my inner ear which I cannot get until the 16^th May.

Louise will have to go back alone to Scotland for a wedding that we were both looking forward to. She has now had to get connecting flights to and from Thessalonica in the north of Greece where we had expected to be in May!

In the interim therefore we have extended our Mytilini Marina berthing contract until the end of May but will have a shakedown “mini cruise” around Lesvos for 6 days in the interim. It will hopefully let Lily become accustomed to life at sea and the engine which she doesn’t like.

Below are some time based pictures of her since adoption in October 2018 to date. She remained boat bound for a while but then discovered the freedom of the marina and is away for hours, if not a full day at a time, in the lavender beds only to return for food and a quick hello. She has fallen in the water once and came running back soaked only to be showered by again by us.

 

I like this boat can I come along ?  (28th Oct 2018)

 

Ok –  so is all of this mine now ? (4th Nov 2018)

 

First outing in Marina (12th Nov 2018)

I’m soo glad they drink wine. (19th Nov  2018)

Think you’ve made a mistake here (5th Dec 2018)

 

Cat who got the cream & and  I’m hiding (23rd Dec 2018)

  

Of course you know this is my boat now (25th Jan 2019)

 

Just me posing for Dimitri  (26th Apl 2019)

Paul & Lorraine of Freya arrived in Lesvos and are taking out an annual contact at the Marina we had a lunch with them before  Lorraine headed back to the UK for a week. No doubt we will catch up again throughout this coming season.

 

And a farewell lasagne on Camira for Nicolas along with his Japanese Whisky which was very good although I needed a few tastes just to make sure of the quality.

  

And so ends the blog for 2018-19 with a nice April day in the main harbour Mytilini.

 

Bye for now  ………………..

The weather at long last is starting to improve. We have returned the two heaters we had borrowed from Nicolas. (At times we had 4 heaters going!). He arrives back soon from wintering in France.

Louise had managed a few winter runs, but not regularly. Now physical training can commence again including exercises on the pontoon, much to the amusement of passersby and Lily who joins in.

   

The 13^th March is Louise’s birthday and we went out to celebrate. On our return at about midnight we found a tiny kitten in the middle of the road, which thankfully was deserted at that time. She was meowing pitifully for (presumably) her mother. We waited around 40 minutes well out of the way watching ….but no mother. We took her back to the boat and tried to give her some water and then wrapped her up in a warm towel and took her back and left her secure under a hedge very near to where we found her. She was now sleeping, hopefully mother would arrive soon.

In the morning I cycled back along to find she had gone , the owner of the hedge advised she was OK, all done with sign language and pidgin Greek . However, a wee while later Louise went past again and met a German girl apparently searching for her. She explained the night before’s adventure and helped look for her. She was eventually found in a nearby Taverna with a lot of old men having their morning coffee.

She has now seen a vet and been adopted by the German girl and is named “Elpida” which is Greek for hope.

 

We finally took the plunge and replaced our wind instrument which hasn’t worked since the Atlantic. We bought the Clipper and hopefully it will last a while. There seem to be varying reviews but thats the way with all wind instruments. It’s currently whizzing around perfectly – maybe too perfectly! – It seems our little hand held instrument was showing 10 knots difference down here at deck level!

Better revisit the log entries? lol.

 

New Clipper showing a windy day in the marina.

 

The pontoons parting company and my good plank being used to prop them up !!!

The winter has been unseasonably cold.

The locals say have they haven’t had such a bad winter since 1995. The marina itself was very safe, albeit a couple of the pontoons parted during a particularly wild night, but the marina staff were quick to remedy. The biggest problem was condensation – it was very wet & humid and, at times, we were unable to open the hatches. Simply cooking or boiling the kettle had the windows dripping.

Today as a result of the Brexit fiasco I applied for my Irish Passport. As I was born born in Northern Ireland I am entitled to an Eire one.

 

We believe that the boat itself will be OK as we have the original purchase invoice and it looks like it will satisfy the VAT issues on leaving so long as we can prove by a marina receipt or similar that we are in Europe on Brexit day.

So in summary: I will be Irish, the cat Greek, the boat deemed European, so just leaves the problem of a new wife…………..

Gordon & Louise perhaps after Brexit and unable to return to Blighty. Well would you want to any way ?

Lily has settled in well and the lovely Vet Myrsini who is also a homeopathic practitioner reckons she can help with my cat allergy.

So I have had my interview and been given a lengthy form with all sorts of medical history and lifestyle questions to complete. It does ask some interesting personal stuff e.g. How are my stools? How do I feel when I have a stool? Do I have erection issues? are amongst the more notable, though for the life of me I cannot see the connection with a skin rash, lol.

I duly completed this and handed it in

Currently awaiting feedback and magic pill.

But I think Myrsini is thinking about arsenic ,lol

Myrsini roping me in to collect plastic bottle tops

    

Ferry terminal breakwater

 

Mini statue of Liberty & castle in background

Marina Yacht Club Bar & Restaurant from Camira