Not Retreating

Faro, Portugal

For those of you who have noticed our sudden move east, rest assured we are heading south to the Canaries.  Soon!  When the weather provides us with a suitable window for the 3 day (or so) crossing.

Why then, are we in Faro?  You may well ask…  We splashed Thursday, 2 Nov just after 3pm and decided to make for Portimao to anchor rather than be wimps and seek the security of the Lagos Marina (otherwise known as Port Velcro).  We had our sea legs in mind.  So did the natural forces!  We had a bouncy ride over, reminding us that we had forgotten to stow away for Atlantic conditions, followed by a rattler of a night (shaken not stirred) on anchor given a wind against tide against swell.  Friend, KT, can attest to the delights of this experience.  On that occasion (2012), we sought relief in the Portimao Marina.  On this, we made post haste for Faro and its delightful (and calm) anchorage off Ilha da Culartra.  

The winds were strong and perfect for a brisk sail along the coast; a chance to get the bugs out and remind us why we subscribe to this boating life.  We were brought back to earth with the sighting of Faro’s notorious lagoon entrance.  Naturally, we had perfectly timed it for a challenging ride.  Imagine if you will, those (river) Bar Crossing videos…  We could have made one too but what we both really wanted to do was hide in the loo.  In truth, all we could do was hold on.  In we surfed (all 46 feet of us) as the water in the channel eddied and swirled threateningly.  Our forward momentum was brought to a sudden halt as we hit the outward current running at least 5kts.  It seemed to take forever before we actually moved forward to escape the clutches of this minor Charybdis.  

Hugs all round and lashings of wine after setting the hook, right on last light.  

On anchor - look no swell!

Our neighbours with barrier island Culatra beyond

Culatra Settlement & fishing boat harbour

Having a Swell Time

Perhaps we can make a few more small adjustments to Dangar?

Sarande, Albania to Sicily

 

Having finally severed the dock lines at Preveza Marina (with most mechanical things working), we headed north for Sarande, Albania.  Not of course without the obligatory stop at Gouvia on Corfu to fill the fridge and stock the bilges with foods most exotic to the Greek palate - yes, that would be Taco spice mix, tinned coconut milk and Lebanese bread. Not to mention fresh salmon!  It’s not Morrisons (Gibraltar) but "it’s a pretty good"!

We arrived at the Sarande dock with an increasingly nasty swell kicking in from the west.  Although we’d planned a two day stopover in this nice town, GS’s feet never touched ground.  Poor WJ3 was driven against a large concrete dock, eventually losing a guard rail in the battle.  Our fenders did a sterling job though and only one was lost in the line of duty.  Other boats on the dock also rocked and churned, so not much touring time or indeed sleep was had by anyone.  With a large hydrofoil (looking remarkably like a giant cricket) lurching and rolling behind WJ3’s stern, GS popped a travel sick pill and went to bed leaving the Capt to explore yet another variation for his next best (classic cookbook) seller, “Two Minute Noodles For The Sophisticated Crew”.  As you do when the weather’s foul…. 

So, it's goodbye to Gouvia anchorage (on Corfu)

A long last look at that amazing fortress on Corfu

Needless to say, we cut short our stay at Sarande and had to head back to Gouvia to refuel for the big trip ahead.  Just for those sceptics, we had the best day’s sailing in the Med on record (well, on our watch anyway!) for this leg.  All this jigging about meant another slight modification to Plan Z.  Forget visiting the island of Erikoussa, we and our accompanying resident boatyard spiders were now locked into taking a direct line to Sicily, with NO stops.  So we sat it out in Jumping Fish Bay (Voltau) – our favourite “isolated” anchorage in Greece – and waited for a clear weather window.

With one last stop at Jumping Fish Bay

Sunset over Voltau Cove

It was a decent trip with relatively calm seas and mild winds, more or less on the nose all the way.  Two days and two nights of motoring!  And finally, a crossing in the dark of the turbulent, messy swell kicked up by the Messina Straits.  Well, here’s hoping the bow-thruster batteries are fully recharged by now. 

Sailing companions on the way over...



Sunset over Italy.  Only a few hours or so to go now...

Predicting Weather – An Ancient Skill

Weather and winds have long since provoked tales; some quite mysterious and others founded in truths.  Homer tells us that Odysseus (a mere 300nm from his home on Ithica) was blown off course near Cape Maleas for more than ten years.  Athenian General Themistocles used the force of strong north winds to gain victory over 400 Persian ships at Salamis in 480 BC.  Not to mention Octavian’s (Augustus Caesar) victory in 31 BC against Cleopatra & Mark Antony right here in our very own neighbourhood of Aktio (formerly Actium).  Even today, winds in Tarifa, Spain (think Pillars of Hercules) are considered very good for windsurfing or very bad, triggering dramatically high suicide rates, or so we heard.

So, with an hour to spare after a rather too enjoyable breakfast at the Athens Centre Square Hotel, we decided that it was worth a walk to see if the Tower of the Winds had been unveiled following 2 years of extensive restoration works.  Although sited in the Roman Agora precinct, the marble tower dates back to the 1^st c BC, and is thought to have been built by a Macedonian astronomer from Kyrrhos as a horologion or time piece.  Think how useful that is in sailing terms, especially for sailors who, in the not so distant past, used sextants!  This amazing octagonal construction stands over 12m tall with an 8m girth.  It was once bedecked with a bronze wind vane, Triton with a metal rod in his hand of course, and had a spring-fed water clock attached.  Its decorated faces afforded use as a compass**, sundial and  informant of seasonal weather predictions.  The ancients had a great respect for predictions….

The tower’s relief carvings, eight grumpy Ai Areides (or Windy Ones), is quite something.  We had hoped to meet Mr Meltemi in order to lodge our various complaints.  Instead we met Boreas, known for a violent temper and cold north winds that bring on winter.  Boreas blows rather too heartily into a conch shell (does this mean a gusting wind?) and as he is sometimes depicted with snakes for feet, we decided to leave well enough alone. 

Vaguely wondering if Mediterranean Wind Gods are ever truly appeased, we left before our not-so-pious thoughts were noted and we became singled out as future fodder for Mt Olympus’s Gusty Games.  We’ll just take it on the nose, like Odysseus.  Catch you in ten years!!

This is Kaikais - a dark NE wind with hailstones in his shield

** A true compass was not heard of until more than 1000 years later. 

Demons & Angels

Athens, Greece.  2-3 Jun 2016

Demons:  Apologies if you think this is going to be an action packed, Dan Brown-style adventure.  Well, it nearly was…but not quite.  Our day of landing in Athens went without a hitch (well, in the usual Greek style) until we alighted the subway at Monastiraki.  With hands full, we waited for most other passengers to take the steep elevator up to the Square above.  As the Cap’n moved on, he was instantly surrounded by 3 young men.  Having his wits about him, he turned with this back (and back pack) to the wall and made a point of glaring at these men.  The First Mate, now separated from the Cap’n and surrounded by two young women, was pushed by one into the side of the escalator.  The tell-tale bag over her hand was a give- away, and GS smartly moved a step or two down, trying not to trip over her suitcase.  The crowd, and our pick-pocketing gang, disappeared like a flash at the top.  We quickly assessed any damages.  The Cap’n made it without any interference or loss, and although GS’s handbag had been unzipped, that section contained only flight socks, tissues and reading glasses….not the stuff of criminal dreams – thankfully!  Still, in all our time travelling we had only encountered one other pick-pocket (Marrakech, Morocco), and certainly not a brazen gang.  We felt rather shattered and made for the hotel roof-top bar (with that amazing view of the Acropolis) to drown our sorrows with a Mythos beer or two.

Angels: The first gold star goes to the camera lens that should have accompanied us last year!  The second goes to our Hotel Manager for suggesting that we take a taxi to Kifissou Street Coach Station (rather than subway (not again!) and local bus).  An even bigger gold star goes to our honest taxi driver who charged a reasonable & metered fare to get us there.  We easily made the 12 noon bus to Preveza (a six hour & €40 ride) with a gold star driver who kindly let us off at the Aktio Marina road.  We arrived in time for a yet another gold star welcome and dinner (plus necessary refreshing beers) at our favourite water-side taverna.  The Other Woman welcomed us back and informs us she is rather keen to slip into something blue and refreshing for yet another season of adventures.

Corinth Canal - from on high.  A road-side perspective

(For those interested in travelling from Athens to Preveza by coach, the service is excellent, the coaches modern and rest stop near the Rion Andirion Bridge clean and well serviced.  Coaches leave Athens for Preveza at the Kifissou Station, stand number 10, at 0730, 1200, 1330, 1700 & 2000.  This timetable seems to be incredibly difficult to find.  Buy your tickets, with allocated seat, at the inside ticket office; entrance near the taxi stand/local bus stop area. 

From Athens (near the main markets), our taxi, including a decent tip, cost less than €10; but make sure the meter is running – no excuses & walk away from aggressive drivers.  Otherwise, catch the subway to Omonia Square, walk down Konstantinou to Menandrou (on the left).  The #51 bus going to Kifissou stops at the intersection of Menandrou & Zinono.  Easy if you don’t have a lot of luggage to manage.) 

So, now you have the essential traveller’s guide necessary to “experience” Athens… 

A Word of Warning

Yes, a virus alert! 

Please be aware that someone has duplicated our blog and clicking any links or Google redirections to this duplication, including accepting cookies (an EU requirement which seems to make this authentic) causes a virus to be downloaded.  

Blogger does not carry viruses.  So, PLEASE, please make sure you keep your virus software up-to-date AND use our proper blog address....

The link you should mark as your favourite is http://windjammer3.blogspot.com   Any others should be TOTALLY ignored.

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED....

I haff some good news.  And I haff some bad news... 

The Tempest & Furies

A room with a View

Athens, Greece

So, here we are sitting in a room in Athens with a fabulous view of the Acropolis.  Jetlagged, GS is weeping into her beer.  The scenery, spectacular as it is, cannot be photographed.  Well, not yet anyway. 

Some may recall that GS celebrated a significant birthday with the purchase of a DSLR.  Working on the principle that it can’t be much more complex than a point and shoot, she left discovering its technicalities until - well, the very last minute. 

So Cap’n I Told You So left her to her hissy fit, but not before providing a sedative (a beer or two and a few youtube videos) to assist in working out this complex little device.  Hmmm.

That's better...up on the hotel rooftop & bar (for sedatives only, naturally!)

Our next scenario is a balcony with a view of Santorini to die for.  GS has managed a few digital basics but is not happy with her wide-angle lens.  Even her phone offers better shots and a panorama option as well…  This folks then, is the blonde moment.  The camera came with three lenses and GS, in an effort to save weighty luggage, left one behind.  Yep, you guessed it - the wide angle.  Another hissy fit ensues and the Cap’n leaves the room again but not so discretely, wondering if said camera will learn to fly over the edge of Santorini’s caldera.

Just calming my nerves, my dear

Eruptions are not new to Santorini.  It is the site of one of the largest volcanic events in human history, (1650 BC).  This famously ended Minoan civilization, the remains of which are now being excavated at various points around the island; or rather what remains of it.  Santorini’s extensively photographed (well, by some any way!) white and blue villages perch along and over the volcano’s steep rim.  It’s all rather delightful but somehow our trusty Cap’n can see that life ahead will not be all wine & roses unless the camera issue is solved…and soon!

The white village of Firostefani crests the caldera

Ratus Sparticus

Preveza, Greece

Here we are, tied to the Aktio dock, unsuspecting....

It was the middle of a dark night.  The Cap’n had gotten up to check on mooring lines.  He thought he’d heard the pitter-patter of little feet scurrying about the dock.  Now, there staring at him, nose to nose, thought the OPEN galley hatch (onboard even!) was Ratus Sparticus!

Having been engrossed in stories of the Battle of Thermopylae*, our Captain’s first thought was to reach for an implement of destruction (probably my best kitchen knife – eeeuuuw!).  However, he resorted to a sudden ninja cut & thrust punch.  Ratus learned to fly, though sadly not to swim, then made a hasty retreat from the dock into his boatyard hideaway. 

You can’t say we hadn’t been warned.  Rats are known to run up mooring lines and our fabric clad fenders make perfect treads.  Along with wafting remnants of dinner, it was an invitation clearly too good to miss.  (Although the Cap’n reckons they should have gone for the French boat behind us, being better cooks & all!)

Still, we are now replete with various instruments of defence and mooring lines glistening with an array of plastic bottles. GS wants to go back to Kusadasi for the black cat that tried to adopt us.  It was a close call, hopefully not to be repeated…

 

(* In 480BC, Spartans hold off Xerxes’ Army (Persians) in the Battle of Thermopylae, against all odds.)

Note: large quantities of useful plastic bottles as "rat fender-offerers"

Not a line was spared the "treatment"

Fast Lane

Miss WJ3 schmoozing in the Portimao Marina...

Portimao, Portugal

Having said we’re close to the end of our stay WE decided, in true last-minute-decision fashion, to further investigate over-wintering options.  Not many people haul out here at this time of the year and there’s no winterising to speak of.  We’d come across quite a few long-term marina residents who simply take a berth (cheaply) for 6 to 9 months and then haul out over summer when prices are exorbitant.  So we’ve temporarily docked at Portimao Marina, hired a teeny, tiny car and hit the motorway (without a map) to investigate all Algarve’s storage options. 

That of course offers opportunity to mention Portuguese drivers, most of whom are ex-rally participants.  Even though the motorway limit is 120kph, there’s nothing like being passed at the speed of light….  And it always happens just as you decide to overtake the only slow driver on the road.  Exciting stuff – no wonder they run from wild bulls for sport!

Arade River, fishing boat & seagulls with beach/tourist enclave beyond

One other lesson for foreign drivers is to encourage their navigators to develop a rich and vigorous vocabulary of sign language.  Police, on seeing said foreign driver skid across lanes at a busy roundabout (or something equally naughty), will naturally feel sorry for him and consider navigator’s nag punishment enough.  Worth a try – we think it worked for us…

It’s just as well we’ve had plenty of practice driving the Algarve motorways as we had to make a quick, late night trip to Lisbon.  BW is now fully qualified to pen best-seller, “101 Creative Ways to Miss Your Flight”.  I’m sure he will be only too willing to explain this whole ordeal once he has regained his sense of humour.  He may never travel again, never with TAP and certainly not with a bag brimful of surfboards!! (Sadly, no photographic evidence exists.)  Just as well he did his sea survival training before departure......

On Air and Legal

Drat!  The Boy beat me….by one question.  Personally, I blame the battery questions.  I did study chemistry in year 10 but I’ve long since graduated to the ranks of the “non-mechanical”.  I couldn’t even ring the NRMA for help…the exam is very strict. No open books, no phoning friends and we didn’t even have the same exam papers! 

You see, aren't they just so very interesting?

Our car battery happens to be one of those new-fangled ones that doesn’t need to be tampered with. (Do you think I’m silly?)  All I know about it is that it’s under the bonnet, somewhere.  That did not help with my exam.  Not to worry, the Crew & I both passed and now we are licensed.   I’m sure the US Coast Guard is waiting in nervous anticipation…

All at Sea

Well, you were promised gory photos of our recent Sea Survival adventure.  Winds howled and waves rocked us in our little life raft.  Sharks surrounded us, waiting to pick off a juicy snack. 

Lifting into the Liferaft

Hmmmm…maybe not!  We were all at sea in the Warringah Aquatic Centre diving pool. Gerry Fitzgerald from Offshore Maritime Training Australia took no prisoners however and we were all expected to hold our own.  This was not as easy as it seemed, dressed to the nines in a full kit of wet weather gear, boots, life vests and harnesses.  Our first “swim” determined whether we naturally floated or would sink to the bottom like a lead weight.  GS bobbed like a cork, the Crew needed to be scraped off the pool floor and the Cap’n tried to hide his embarrassment.

Righting the Liferaft

We were all too wet and too busy to take photos so Gerry kindly let me use some of his stock.  You’ll be pleased to know that we are now all certified.  The Cap’n is still not sure we’ll cut the mustard…. So we have to go back for more training (radar, radio & first aid now) and then we’re under threat of several man overboard drills when we get back to the Chesapeake.

Up to Date... Finally!

Anyone champing at the bit to see photos from 2010, Chesapeake to Maine, will have no excuse not to look up the link (Previous Passages with WJ3 2008 - 2010).  They're done at last.  Enjoy the browse...... 

This is classic Maine sailing - wooden boats, lobster pots & rocky landscapes.

We have our sea survival course coming up this weekend.  This will not make for pretty photos, especially GS gracefully leaping into a life-raft (not).  A few sharks in the pool might help as a motivator.  There will be a full report to follow, unless it's way too embarrassing.