Monday, May 30, 2011

Checking out of Greece

Monday, 24 May, a historic day for Lone Star and her intrepid owners. In between sightseeing on Corfu, preparations have been underway for our first overnight sail. The dingy outboard was tucked away in the lazarette. The dingy was hoisted and secured on board. Jack lines were run on deck and safety check lists reviewed. All was done and now the day of reckoning was upon us. Time to check out of Greece. For those of you who know us or have followed us on our blog, you might remember our initiation to the Schengen Law in 2009 on the island of Simi. Since that time we have carried in reserve a special “kitty” just in case on this day of days the Greek authorities decided it was time to pay up. So off we went to clear out. First stop – Port Police to have the final stamp in our Transit Log. Second Stop – Customs which collects the Transit Log. Third Stop (and most critical) Passport Control to have our passports officially stamped as leaving Greece. Did we leave this last stop with our pockets considerably emptier or did we arrive back at the boat ready to pop the cork and celebrate. A picture can tell it all.
ON TO CROATIA!

Friday, May 27, 2011

Sailing the Ionian

Tuesday 24 May we entered the Ionian Sea where we made stops at three different islands, Ithaca, Lefkadas and Corfu, during the next week. Our first impression was how different these islands were from the Cyclades in the Aegean. Gone are the craggy, dry, windswept islands with the picturesque blue and white architecture you see in all the travel brochures and guide books. Instead the Ionian Islands are very green and fertile and the architecture appears to be a mix of both Venetian and French with a good bit of English culture thrown in – especially on Corfu. The islands closely hug the western mainland of Greece and the winds are not as strong as in the Aegean. The islands are close together with plenty of anchorages and harbors to choose from. It reminded us of sailing in the BVI.

Our first stop was in Vathi, Ithaca. We med moored in the harbor which when we came in had only a few boats but by evening there must have been close to 30 sailboats in the harbor with plenty of space for more. A special treat occurred the next morning. As a large ketch was pulling up anchor and leaving one of the folks on board was at the bow serenading the harbor on bagpipes. After Ithaca we sailed on to Lefkadas. Our destination was Vilkho Bay. Before approaching the turn into the bay we sailed past two unassuming islands, Skorpios and Skorpidhi. These unassuming islands are the very famous private islands of Aristotle Onassis. Boats can anchor off the islands, in fact one of the favored anchorages is off a small cove Jackie O preferred. However you can not venture ashore. As we came into Vilkho Bay we understood while several cruisers recommended it to us. Vilkho Bay has earned the nickname “Velcro Bay” – cruisers arrive and decide to just “stick” around. One look and you can see why - beautiful green waters with hills all around and a few tavernas on shore to in which to while away the hours. We found ourselves doing just that at the Yacht Club where we had the chance to chat up the Irish owner over a frosty cold one.

Before you get into Vilkho Bay you pass by the town of Nidri a very popular tourist spot with lots of action. But by the time you move into Vilkho the noise dies away and it is truly and tranquil spot. We only “stuck” around for one night and then motored up the Lefkadas channel to Lefkadas Town and med moored on the town quay for two nights. The channel separates the island from the mainland and on either sides of the channel are salt marshes. Lefkadas Town has an active water front and just behind it another one of those wonderful pedestrian streets with cafes and shops.

After our 2 night stay we sailed, ok mostly motored, 60nm to Corfu and took a slip at Gouvia Marina just north of the town of Corfu. With 1,200 slips, several cafes, swimming pool, and even croquet lawns and cricket pitches, not only was it one of the largest marinas we’ve ever been in, it also felt more like England than Greece! With the marina office soon closing we quickly hiked to the office to check in. While in the office who should come in – Maurice from Esperanza. Our paths had crossed once again. He invited us over for a drink that evening and we enjoyed catching up with Terry and Dr. Bob. They had also just arrived today. It was great to see them again and we think we’re destined to see them again at some point in Croatia. We filled up our time with exploring the old town of Corfu.
The old town is flanked by two Venetian Forts and in between are streets filled with shops, cafes, and museums. You had the feeling you were in Florence or Paris instead of Greece. We also rented a car for a day to explore the island. Corfu is lush and green with beautiful flowers in amazing colors everywhere. Olive and cypress trees dot the mountain sides and each harbor town has its own personality. One thing that is common among the towns – tourism. Corfu is a tourist island and all the towns have souvenir shop after souvenir shop. It’s apparent the island caters to the British as most of the signage is in English with many of the restaurants advertising “Full English Breakfast”. One advantage of this is we were able to find a British Hair Dresser to cut our hair. For once communicating how we wanted it cut was a breeze. Even with all the tourism Corfu is a beautiful place and one we will remember fondly.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Familiar Places

On Friday 20 May, with a newly fixed fresh water pump and a visit to the Acropolis checked off the list, we left Zea Marina in Piraeus and continued our journey west. Now we were in familiar waters and retracing our 2009 path. Once again we transited the Corinth Canal this time heading west. As we transited with three cargo ships and 2 other sail boats it was just as thrilling as the first time.

A bonus feature this time was the addition of bungee jumping from one of the bridges. As the last of the boats passed they were in full operation with screams echoing off the canal walls. As we were transiting we also heard Esperanza calling the Canal Tower so we knew they were not far behind us. Once thru the canal we headed for the north side of Corinth Bay and by 1800 we were anchored in Vathi Bay, sundowners in hand and steaks sizzling on the grill. We were glad our 60nm day was over.

The next day we left Vathi Bay which we had renamed Jelly Fish Bay because of the dozens of strange looking jelly fish that were floating in the water. Translucent socks with red eyes, they surrounded the boat anxiously anticipating some unsuspecting sailor to dive in! That afternoon we pulled into one of our favorite harbors in Greece – Galaxidhi. It was just as charming as we remembered and we decided to stay for two days instead of just overnight. Galaxidhi is an excellent place to leave the boat while visiting the ruins of Delphi which is what we did in 2009. This time we decided to spend our extra day hiking in the surrounding countryside. That first afternoon as we were finishing a late lunch at one of the harbor side tavernas who should pull in beside us – Esperanza, our paths crossing once again. We chatted them up and they had also decided to stay for two days with plans of taking in Delphi the next. As we were finishing dinner the second evening in another quaint taverna Dr Bob, John and Brad came in and we joined them for an after dinner drink. As the evening continued at it was becoming apparent the men were starting to solve the world’s problems Jan left them to their own devices and smartly went back to the boat. Sometime later Craig made his way back to the boat sure that all problems had been solved and quite possibly new ones created!

In Galaxidhi we captured an amazing picture of Lone Star in the harbor. If you look closely at the mountains in the background – there’s still snow on the peaks! No wonder we’re not swimming yet. The next day, Monday 24 May, we retraced our route thru Corinth Gulf, under the Rion Bridge with Esperanza to our starboard and into the Gulf of Patras. We had a great downwind sail and at 1627 pulled into another familiar place – Messolonghi Marina. We returned not because the setting was idyllic nor the town quaint and the marina outstanding. We returned because it was in the right place, at the end of a 53nm sail, and out of curiosity. When we stopped in 2009 the marina, a Dutch/Greek partnership, was just a work in progress with great plans for the future. At that time there was one new dock, several old ones none with power, water, electricity or lazy lines. One building was complete and it was serving as the office with plans to eventually be a café/bar. But there was no charge.

Fast forward to 2011. Several new docks with facilities were now present. A two story office was now complete as well as bathrooms. The original café/bar building was there but still not open and instead of free the cost was 40 euros. Work continues, slowly, as is the Greek way and the plans are ambitious. We wish them well. There seems to be close knit group of cruisers who wintered at the marina. In fact we met Katherine and Craig Briggs, Seven Seas Commodores, who had wintered their boat Sangaris, an Amel Santorin, in the marina. Katherine and Craig have been sailing Sangaris for 12 years and have sailed as far as the Galapagos and had just finished two years in Croatia. They were preparing Sangaris for the voyage east thru Greece and on to Turkey. We enjoyed a visit on board their boat and later that evening Esperanza and Sangaris joined us on board Lone Star for sundowners, appetizers and the trading of sailing adventures and information sharing. Such is the life of cruisers. The next day as we sailed into the Ionian we said our goodbyes over the VHF to Esperanza as we were off to different islands.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

The Peloponnisos and Diversion Number Two

Friday the 13th turned out to bring good luck, not bad. We had a bow thruster that worked perfectly and with favorable winds we weighed anchor at 0900 and pointed Lone Star west toward the Peloponnisos Peninsula. We had an overnight stop on the island of Kythnos which is just the opposite of cosmopolitan Emoupolis on Syros – tiny, dusty and quiet but with a quaint charm. After a brief overnight stay we continued on, anxious to get to our destination – the Peloponnese Island of Hydra just off the mainland coast. With a relaxing sail, of course assisted at times with the motor, we found ourselves at the entrance to Hydra harbor.

With its close proximity to Athens Hydra is an extremely popular tourist destination. No cars are allowed on the island – transportation is on foot or by donkey. We had heard the harbor can be very crowded but we ventured in and very quickly left. Boats were rafted up two and three deep taking up almost the entire harbor with barely enough room to turn around. No way! We elected to sail further down the island and anchor out for the night. Plans were to return the next morning and wait outside the harbor entrance for boats to leave and then come in for the day. Well as so often happens in cruising, what you plan for is not what happens. While at anchorage Jan noticed the fresh water pump was staying on longer than usual. As afternoon turned into early evening it became obvious that the pump was working harder and longer. An inspection confirmed that we had a rapidly developing problem. The pump was getting ready to fail and no matter how much water you have in your tanks – no pump, no water.

Bottles were quickly filled with reserve water. We have amply spares on Lone Star but one thing we did not have was a fresh water pump maintenance kit. We made the decision that we would only see Hydra Town from a distance and that we needed to get to a location that Amel could quickly and easily ship the necessary kit to. From where we were that was Athens. Diversion two under way. We had not planned on stopping in Athens but now it was obvious we would need to. Since it was Sunday and the Amel offices were closed we decided to first continue to our originally planned stop after Hydra, the island of Poros. The earliest anything would happen would be Monday with hopefully and overnight shipment to Athens. Poros is also a popular tourist destination and home to the Greek Maritime Academy. We arrived at 1310 and med moored along the town quay. The first thing we noticed were dozens if not 100’s of young cadets in uniform on the quay and in the restaurants with family, friends and girlfriends. We don’t know if it was a special family weekend or just your average Sunday on Poros when school is in session but it made for enjoyable people watching.
We felt we had a good plan with the water pump had enough water in reserve to take care of our needs if it failed completely. Even with the issue unresolved we enjoyed our time on Poros. Lunches local tavernas, walks and hikes around the island. Monday morning the Amel After Sales Department, which is outstanding, received our emergency email and quickly put together the parts we needed for an overnight delivery. We made arrangements for the package to be sent to Zea Marina and with confirmed reservations all we had to worry about, other than the pump failing, was the package arriving. We arrived at Zea Marina 1313 Tuesday afternoon and as we were greeted by the mariner who would escort us to our slip he welcomed us with music to our ears, “We have your reservation and your package is waiting for you in the office”. Good music indeed!

We ended up spending 3 nights at the marina. It turns out the problem was because the retaining piece that keeps the seal in place had broken and the spring it was supposed to be holding back was causing the key to the impeller to slip in and out. It was a wonder the pump worked at all. Craig successfully replaced the broken parts and we now have a spare maintenance kit on board. Since he was on a roll Craig also replaced the raw water pump for the AC units. The original one had developed a leak and Amel had sent a replacement, but Craig just got around to replacing it. While that was going on Jan spent time adding to the boat provisions. We also enjoyed a change of pace – a Chinese Dinner out and Kentucky Fried Chicken on board. Yep the Colonel is in Athens right across the street from the marina.

Diversion Two turned out positive for more than just a successful repair. We spent our final day at the marina by taking the train to Athens and had the chance to see the Acropolis. We also had the good fortune to be tied up next to Esperanza in the marina and to become acquainted with the owners, guest and crew. Maurice Raynor, a fine English gentleman, was on board awaiting the arrival of his American wife Terry and friend “Doctor Bob” from California. Also on board were Scottish Captain John Tunn and Mate Brad from South Africa. A regular United Nations on board that boat! We enjoyed sharing information and as it turned out our itineraries were similar. Perhaps we will see them again as our journey continues.

Friday, May 13, 2011

Bow Thruster Woes and the Island of Siros

We said our goodbyes to Nita and Stacey as they headed off to the Athens ferry. We then made preparations to leave Paroikia Harbor and head west for the island of Serifos. Plans were to reach mainland Greece and the Peloponnesus Peninsula within a few days. Instruments on – check; Nobeltec up and running – check; engine on – check; bow thruster down – check; bow thruster working – “Jan we might have a problem” – no check. At first check the bow thruster worked only in one direction. A second try it worked but suspiciously. We continued to lift the anchor which came up clean and as we made our way out of the cramped harbor the bow thruster quit working all together. Once we were clear of the harbor and out in the bay Craig started trouble shooting the problem. At first we thought the emergency breaker may have tripped but that was not the case. Further testing and replacing the fuse proved unsuccessful.

Craig determined the problem had to be with the solenoid. At this point we went over our options and decided Serifos was not a good choice for us. The pilot book indicated very limited if any boat services and the island did not have daily ferry service to Athens in case we needed to have something shipped to us. However 28nm due north was the island of Syros, the “capital” of the Cyclades, with numerous boat yards, chandleries and daily ferry service to Athens. It was time for a diversion. It was a 4 hour uncomfortable sail with winds and waves on the beam, increasing and clocking to directly on the nose. During the ride we discussed docking possibilities. Without a bow thruster our mobility would be limited. Lone Star has a rudder that is hung on a skeg and does not back well at all without assistance from the thruster. A med mooring would be next to impossible. Instead, we needed tie up alongside. Of course as we entered the Ermoupolis harbor the winds were increasing with gusts in the low 20’s. The town harbor was out of question so we headed across the bay to “Marina Sirou”. The pilot book stated the basic marina structure was complete. That is barely correct. There are pontoons. But as the case is in so many Greek marinas, work has stopped and nothing else is complete. There were a number of boats tied off to the pontoons, but we did manage to find one spot we thought we could maneuver into. With the winds working against us and the bow thruster not working at all, it took three men on shore helping with the lines but we managed to get Lone Star secured to the dock. By the time all was said and done the winds were approaching 30 knots blowing us on to the dock; we had every fender and ball out and were double tied on all points. Now the real work started – figuring out how to get the bow thruster repaired. Turns out that Side Power, the bow thruster manufacturer, had an office in Athens. The receptionist/manager turned out to be a life saver. Turns out Side Power has an electrician on Syros they recommend. Several calls to the electrician resulted in no answer. The next morning we made contact however the gentleman spoke no English and our Greek amounts to hello and thank you. Side Power in Athens took over and within a few hours we had a call from someone who did speak English and set up the appointment for that afternoon. The electrician (still no English) arrived at the appointed time and after inspection called the Athens office which acted as interpreter and informed us it was the solenoid. The Athens office said they would have a new part shipped via the morning fast ferry the next day. The next morning at 10:30 the electrician was back and after much gesturing we realized the part was in and he wanted Craig to go with him to pick up the part so we could pay for it. Off they went to who knows where but they were back in ½ hour and within a couple of hours we were hearing the beautiful sounds of a perfectly working bow thruster!

The meltimi was still screaming into the bay so we stayed put that day and the next morning decided to motor over to the town harbor and med moor since we had been stuck out in the boon docks for 3 days. We were glad we did. Emoupolis feels like the capital of the Cyclades and is its largest town. It has an active harbor front and just behind the harbor is a wonderful pedestrian shopping area with marble lined streets, cafes and parks. There are many 18th century ship owner mansions, classical buildings and an enormous church on top a hill. It’s definitely a different feeling from the small island villages. But, all in all, it was a great last day and a wonderful end a trying time on an island.

Thursday, May 12, 2011

Don't feel sorry for them... ... ... ... It is the life they have chosen

But first, our trip began on April 27, when we boarded the first leg of our flight to Newark, and from there boarded another flight to Athens. We had the great fortune of flying first class both going and coming back home (a result of saving my Continental miles since I was probably about 5 years old……oh wait, there was no Continental back then. Now I’m really aging myself). Don’t think it took Stacey quite as long. I just knew I would be saving them for the trip of a lifetime. Dare I mention, this trip also coincided with mine and Stacey’s first anniversary? Guess there’s nothing left to do but go to Disneyworld for our second. Ok, back to the trip. We spent 4 days in Athens where we were in a great hotel downtown with a view of the Temple of Zeus from our room. And we could easily see The Acropolis and Parthenon from our hotel’s rooftop, which was also a restaurant/bar.

We hired our driver that picked us up from the airport to take us our first full day to the Corinth Canal, Mycean ruins, and a town that is supposedly known as the ancient capital of Greece before Athens. Can’t remember or spell the name. All I know is it was beautiful. We had a great late lunch at one of the harbor cafes. We wanted fish, so they bring you inside and start opening drawers of different fresh fish so you can make your selection.

The Greek salads are amazing as are the Greek wines. Go figure. I don’t think we ordered a meal, except maybe breakfast, that didn’t include the famous Greek salad and yes, wine. Well, you have to set your limits somewhere. The next day was our visit to the Acropolis/Parthenon. Absolutely thought I was going to die on the walk up. Only stopped to rest one time though and once there, the view was incredible. You could see all of Athens, the mountains and the beautiful Aegean Sea, just like on the postcards. We decided to forego the Acropolis Museum. After spending the previous day looking at lots of ruins and statues with no heads, seeing it all again kinda lost its “wow” factor.

Alas, I think my favorite part of Athens was the quaint and winding streets (called the Plaka area) filled with sidewalk cafes and lots of shopping. We spent one entire day just shopping, stopping at a café for tapas and wine, trying as many Greek foods and wines as we could and so on. There’s even an area much like a flea market that’s just open on Sundays where you can buy just about anything. We found a really cool antique looking, brass nautical compass that had Capt. Craig’s and first mate Jan’s name on it. We made sure to get a picture of him acting like he knew how to use it.

In celebration of our anniversary I wanted to get a waffle at one of the cafes we had seen the previous day. We walked around looking for the perfect souvenir and anniversary present that spoke Greece to me. After much looking, I settled on a beautiful Greek Key ring (the Greek Key means long life) that my dear sweet husband bought for me. He’s the best.

Monday morning and time to go meet Jan and Craig. We boarded a high speed ferry that took us to Naxos. Let me say that I have quite a tendency to motion sickness, so Jan had encouraged me to be sure to put on one of those patches that you wear behind your ear that keep you from getting sick. Well, for me anyway, the motion sickness would have been better than the side effects it gave me. It made my throat so dry I couldn’t find enough water to drink, which still didn’t help and it made me dizzy (no comment, those of you who know me well) and somewhat nauseated. So, they told me to take it off and in a couple of hours I was all better. No more patches for me. As we made our way off the ferry, we saw two very familiar smiling faces there to welcome us to the Greek Isles and the island of Naxos, known for their potatoes.

Our hosts’ couldn’t have made us feel more welcome and what can I say about “Lone Star”, in a word, gorgeous.
Now that’s what I call a toy boat. The rest of the island experience is pretty well documented in Jan and Craig’s blog of our visit. I think the highlight was being given the opportunity to take the wheel for quite a while on our sail from Naxos to Paros. Craig and Jan are great teachers and although I was a little tentative initially, I really began to get the hang of it and felt quite comfortable. All in all, we loved the Greek wine, delighted in many tastes of the delicious food and saw sights that will never be forgotten. We leave behind two very special friends, but take with us precious memories not possible except for them and their gracious hospitality. Thank you dear friends.

Fair winds y’all; we’ll see ya in the fall.

Monday, May 9, 2011

Hotel Lone Star

On May 2 we welcomed our first guests Nita and Stacey Horne from Kingwood on board. They arrived by high speed ferry from Athens and after lunch on board and unpacking we were off to explore the Kastro (old Venitian castle) of Naxos. Being the intrepid explorers that we are we kept looking for the castle and an entrance only to finally be told by a shopkeeper that we were actually already within the castle walls. Oh well, with that accomplished it was back down to the harbor in search of the perfect taverna for an afternoon thirst quencher. The next morning we picked up a rental car and headed off to explore the island. With Craig’s expert driving, Nita’s front seat navigation pointing out that the street we were on was now ending in a flight of stairs and Stacey and Jan handling the back seat map deciphering we had a successful day with only a few mishaps, turnarounds and backups. Naxos is the largest island in the Cyclades chain and Mt. Zeus at 1004m is the highest peak. Naxos is more fertile that the other Cyclades and is famous for its potatoes, olives, grapes and figs. The inland is dotted with several marble quarries, beautiful vistas and numerous picturesque mountain villages. We stopped at Halki, in the heart of the island and followed the delicious smells to the village square and Yianni’s Taverna where we enjoyed a lunch of Greek salad, grilled meats and pitchers of Rose Wine. After lunch we toured the Vallindras Distillery which produces the local liqueur, Kitron, the old fashioned way. Kitron is made from the citron which apparently is barely edible in the raw state but quite tasty as a liqueur.
We were then on our way back down from the mountains via the coast with a stop to dip our toes in the Aegean, still way to cold to get any deeper. That evening back on board Lone Star we celebrated Nita and Stacey’s 1st anniversary with cake and champagne. We also had a visit by Nickoli, the harbor master, who shared tales of the sea with us. Nickoli and Craig had really bonded during our 5 days on Naxos. The next day we left Naxos and headed out in the Aegean for a two hour sail to Paros. Nita and Stacey both had the chance to man the helm and before long we were anchored off a small beach christened Craig’s beach close to the town of Naousa for an evening on the hook and under the stars. The following morning after Stacey, an avid fisherman, inventoried the on board gear, the guys were off in the dingy for some fishing while the ladies hung out on board. After the guys arrived back empty handed, after all this is the Med, we pulled up anchor and sailed around the corner to the main town Paroikia and took the last spot in the inner harbor which was a good thing because the weather forecast was predicting the arrival of meltimi winds the next day. The meltimi winds blow predominately from the northeast with winds up to gale force levels in the central Aegean, which is where we were, but usually do not start until late June which it wasn’t. In 2009 when we waited out the meltimi on Paros and it looked like that was going to happen again. But Paros is one of our favorite islands and not a bad place to be stranded. By the next day the winds were blowing constantly at 30 knots and boats were heading into the harbor for safety and rafting up.
Because of the weather and ferry schedule this was Nita and Stacey’s last island before heading back to Athens. We found plenty to occupy the time with – exploring the twisty, turning village roads, shopping, eating good food and drinking yummy Greek wine. The highlight was touring the Pangia Ekatondapyliani, a church dating from 326 AD. Stacey had been telling us the entire time on board that, regardless of the cold waters, one of his goals was to go swimming in the Aegean. And on the last day, with the meltimi finally gone, he finally made good on his promise. It was a great week with Nita and Stacey. We were able to show them how hard cruising is – sailing, anchoring under the stars, visiting beautiful islands. At least they didn’t have to experience any boat repairs. Monday morning we said our goodbyes as they left the boat for the ferry back to Athens and we pulled up anchor to head for Serifos. A great week!

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Tex Mex in the Greek Islands!

Can this be true? When reading Lonely Planet's section on Naxos we found out their favorite restaurant was Picasso which they claimed served excellent fajitas and margaritas. Well as any Texan will tell you, a week without Tex Mex is a week without sunshine. Being true Texans we had to put the restaurant to our rigorous standards. We had two opportunities in 2009 while crossing the Med to try so called Tex Mex Restaurants and both came up very short so our expectations were not high.
We found our way to Picasso's for dinner and first up were the margaritas, chips and salsa. Excellent! Then on to the beef fajitas with all the trimmings. Excellent!! Picasso's can hold it's own to any Mexican restaurant back home. Surly the owner must be from or had lived in Texas. Turns out our table was next to the owners, Debbie and Stratos. We had a nice conversation and learned that Debbie was actually from Canada and Stratos was Greek. They met in Canada and moved to Naxos to enjoy the "idyllic" Greek island lifestyle. They opened the restaurant back in 96, hired a chef trained in Santa Fe and have been serving great food ever since. So if you're in the neighborhood and are missing Tex Mex....

Monday, May 2, 2011

Naxos

We found a great end spot in the harbor at Naxos and have cleaned up the boat in anticipation of the arrival of Nita and Stacey Horn, our first guests of the season. We are having a difficult time, however, with how expensive it is to keep our boat at the dock in the harbor. Nicholi, the dock master, said he had to charge us 3 euros a day ($4.35) for electricity and that seemed reasonable. We then asked what the charge would be for for the boat. He shrugged his shoulders and said the boat is free. We think free is good so are planning to stay 6 days before moving on.