13th to 15th April 1999
My journey from Kefalonia back to Port Napoleon was something of an epic and is recorded briefly here.
I left Kefalonia on the 08.00 ferry from Sami to Patras, arriving about 11.00 on a very crowded journey after the Easter holidays. After some lunch and a look round the marina, I boarded the Superfast ferry at 15.00 bound for Ancona. I spent that night on the floor trying to get some sleep and the rest of the 20 hours was spent having meals or wandering round the ship. I arrived at Ancona about 13.00 the next day and made my way to the railway station. I tried to buy a ticket to Arles in France but they would only issue a ticket to the Italian/French border at Ventimiglia. After waiting a couple of hours, I boarded a train to Milan arriving around 19.00 and my connection to Ventimiglia left in just 15 minutes. This train started very crowded but by the time it had passed Genova, I had the carriage to myself. By the time the train reached the border it was about midnight and I wondered if I should look for somewhere to sleep, however, there was a French train just leaving which terminated at Cannes, so I jumped on. I didn’t have a ticket but Cannes seemed a better bet for the night. At Cannes station I was just seeking out a suitable bench at 02.00 when the station was locked up and I was shown the way onto the street. There didn’t seem to be any point in looking for a hotel at that time, since I planned to be back at the station at 06.00 so I found an old seat under a flyover to try to shelter from the rain. This was very noisy with constant traffic, so I wandered a bit further and found a spot in a multi storey car park. I made my way back to the station after 4, very uncomfortable hours and got on the first train to Arles at 06.30. This arrived at 11.00 and I then discovered that the bus to Port St Louis did not run for about 2 hours and a taxi driver wanted 200FF for the trip. The rain had stopped but it had become incredibly cold, much colder than I had expected for the South of France. I decided to start walking and after walking through the town of Arles, I made my way onto the Port St Louis road, but I was struggling in the cold with a bag over my shoulder and bags in both hands. It would have been a 20 mile walk, so I planned to hitch a lift and failing this, I could stop the bus when it caught me up. Luckily, a van driver stopped who spoke no English and my French was no better. I wondered at times if I would survive the journey, when he failed to slow down from 80 km/hr to go round the bends. I was dropped off in Port St Louis and then had a couple of miles to walk to Port Napoleon. Once on board Cayman, my first thought was to make a cup of tea, but I soon found myself unblocking the gas system. Eventually, I fell asleep on a bunk to be awoken by the arrival of Brian and Johnny Bullard at 23.00, who had travelled by air to Nice and we swopped stories of our journeys before turning in.
I had met Johnny Bullard, an old sailing friend of Brian’s, during the winter and it had generally been agreed that his assistance on the second half of the trip would be much appreciated, despite problems with catering and stowage.
16th to 22nd April
During the winter I had made an insurance claim and with some relief, the insurance company had agreed to cover the fitting of the new mast, rigging and a new Bruce anchor and chain. It seemed prudent to replace halyards and some other fittings at the same time, at my own expense. In the light of day, it became apparent that all was not well with the fitting of the new mast. The spinnaker halyard had not been led through the mast, the spinnaker pole uphaul had not been fitted, only 4 of the original mast base pulleys had been fitted and the wind speed meter was inoperative. Shackles had not been fitted to the halyards and the the spinnaker halyard, which was an expensive item, had not been replaced. On the positive side, the P-bracket had been straightened to our satisfaction. After confronting the yard manager, Nick Burton, with his estimate, he agreed that all the extra work should be done. What we didn’t appreciate was that Kevin, the yard foreman, would have to fit this in between supervising about 47 other jobs and it took the best part of a week to complete everything. Kevin also spliced the anchor warp to the new chain for 100FF, since Brian was understandably reluctant to do this after the loss of our last anchor.
During this time we all kept busy, I did some antifouling touch-ups and repainted the keel box, while Brian and Johnny replaced the static backstay with a running backstay and jammer. This system allowed much more control of mast tensioning when either running or beating. The hull was waxed and polished and Brian did some fitting and adjustment of his vane self-steering system. The new tiller, which I had fashioned from a piece of mahogany during the winter, was fitted after some final drilling. A new echo sounder was fitted and the new impellor paddle wheel was fitted, after following us round Europe last year. New clutch levers were fitted and the new engine starter motor was installed. Cayman was also craned into the water and to my amazement, the engine started immediately.
Johnny had helped out with all the jobs but he was obviously unwell, with a bronchial and ear infection, which was getting no better as we had hoped and he finally came to the decision to fly home on the 22nd. We were again faced with the prospect of two-handed sailing for the remainder of the journey.
On the move
23rd April
I settled my accounts with the captinerie and the chandlery and was pleased not to have been charged for the craning-in, but they had made some money out of us one way or another. The forecast was for a moderate south-east wind, but we felt we had been hanging around too long to delay any further and we finally left Port Napoleon at 10.30. After heading down the channel and into the Gulf du Ffos, we were faced with a southerly beat out to sea in cold and overcast conditions more reminiscent of the UK. We finally tacked east having decided that we would get no further than Friole, an island just off Marselles. We covered the last few miles in full oilskins due to the heavy rain and found a handy pontoon berth in the harbour. We wasted no time in getting below to dry out and to cook a delicious steak meal. Later in the evening the rain had stopped so we went for a walk and a couple of beers, for which we were charged an extortionate 36FF. We checked the forecast at the captinerie only to find gales forecast for the next two days and it certainly blew hard that night.
Friole24th April
We woke to find it was still blowing a gale so no chance of sailing today. We went for a walk round the very pleasant island in dry and sunny weather but the wind was gusting to force 10. Later, we fitted a keel box support and lazy jacks and had a go at the wind speed meter wiring, which had not worked since leaving Port Napoleon.
We purchased some tired looking, frozen vegetable and beef haches for dinner and settled down to a night of much calmer conditions.
25th April
Contrary to the forecast, which predicted winds unacceptably high until afternoon, we awoke to calm conditions, so got away at 09.30. As the day progressed, a light southerly built up,
but with boat speed only 3½ to 4 knots, we ended up motor-sailing to our destination of Sanary. This turned out to be a most picturesque port and we were lucky to find a berth in the crowded harbour. We were unable to find anything but a bakery open, so ate out for once and enjoyed a most acceptable plat de jour based on veal cutlets.
26th April
A visit to the captinerie showed rising winds from the east later in the day and no better tomorrow, so we resigned ourselves to a day in harbour. Having lost the weight from the fishing line, we bought a planing device in the hope of catching some fresh fish. I ran the Yamaha 8hp outboard which seemed to be smooth enough, not having been used since the canals. Following problems with the galley pump, Brian spent much time picking out silicon after an unsuccessful attempt at installing a non-return valve. We were not making much progress and we cheered ourselves up with a substantial dinner of chilli bolognaise.
27th April
A 09.30 visit to the captinerie revealed no improvement in weather prospects and after a look round the shops we found a chandler who was offering an electric galley pump and tap for 160FF , compared with 450FF for a replacement manual pump, so this was readily snapped up.
After lunch the conditions had eased, so we made a quick decision and a hasty departure. However, it was clear that it would not be sensible to leave the shelter of the bay and we motored to Iles des Embiez, which turned out to be a most attractive but expensive marina at 109FF.
We did a brief tour of part of the island and mingled with many tourists who were on the island for day trips. On our return, I fitted the new galley pump and enjoyed the novelty of water at the flick of a switch. For dinner, at my request Brian concocted a chicken dish with cheese sauce and rice, as a departure from meat and two veg. During washing up, the new water pump failed and was remedied by tipping the water tank. We decided this was a job for tomorrow. Brian phoned his brother and Johnny Bullard, who had arrived home okay, but was still suffering from a viral infection.
Iies de Embiez
28th April
We rose around 08.00 to find a gale blowing and little chance of improvement, so we had a brief shopping trip and got down to jobs that remained. I stripped out the water tank and attendant tubing and gave it all a thorough clean. Brian got to work on the filler pipe which was responsible for the flakes in our water. This was filled with boiling water and then a rag tied to string was pulled through it. After all this work the new pump was working well again.
In the afternoon the wind had increased to force 9 and gusting to force 10 and we had concerns about snatching of the mooring warps. We decided to make use of a pair of springs which we had found discarded in a rubbish bin at Port Napoleon. These were utilized after the purchase of three large shackles and proved a great success. We
were to make use of these mooring springs on more than one occasion in the future. The island did boast a substantial boatyard facility and we were able to shape and drill a stainless steel bracket for the new autohelm, the previous one being lost during our beaching last year. I had managed to purchase a new autohelm at the boat show for a reduced cost, after the original one stopped working during the Channel crossing. By 17.30 our jobs had been completed and we went for a walk round the island, which is owned by Paul Rickard. It was nice to escape the noise of the wind screaming in the rigging of all the moored yachts. We returned to a meal of pork, carrots, courgettes and potatoes.
Gale at Iles de Embiez29th April
We woke to much reduced winds and decided to try for Porquerolles, one of the Hyeres Islands, despite a persistent easterly wind.
We started with No 3 genoa and a reef in the mainsail but as the wind moderated the reef was shaken out and the foresail changed for No 2, the next size larger. Later, the wind strengthened again and we were making good speed , hoping to clear Cap Cecie. This was not to be and we had to put in a tack through the wind, only to spend the next few hours trying to make progress to windward. To keep as close as possible to the wind, we resorted to motor-sailing and then finally just motoring. Progress against wind and waves was painfully slow, so we resorted to the additional push of the Yamaha, until this ran out of fuel. We abandoned the plan to reach Porquerolles and headed instead for St Mandrier, across the bay from Toulon. We finally arrived at 18.30 after a miserable day, making only 22 miles progress.
We treated ourselves to a meal in town of steak, although it seemed to have had only a brief encounter with any heat and I cannot say I enjoyed it.
Porqueroles
30th April
We rose to a forecast of south to south-west but backing to variable easterly later. We could have reached Porquerolles, our intended jumping off point to Corsica, without difficulty, but would then face the prospect of possibly several days waiting for the required wind, in a place with limited facilities. We decided to stay put and get on with some more work on the boat. Brian was busy making a boom preventer out of various bits and pieces he had found, including an old extinguisher and I got on with securing the headlining in the forward cabin. Brian also tried to adjust the sail eyelets to fit the halyard shackles better, but it became clear that the shackles needed replacing with a larger size. The difference between the existing 6mm shackles and the required 8mm was a hike of 43FF and if we had realized this at Port Napoleon, we could have got the larger size fitted at no extra cost. However, this was offset by very reasonable mooring fees of just 20FF per night. While I replenished our fuel reserves and adjusted the throttle cable on the Yamaha, Brian worked on the boom preventer but soon realized that modifications were needed and this project was put on hold.
We did a major shop at the local Spar store because tomorrow was a Bank Holiday and shops would be closed. Later we had an enjoyable meal of pot roasted chicken legs, carrots, potatoes and cauliflower with a cheese sauce.
A decision was made to make further progress up the coast as far as Nice if necessary, should the current easterly wind persist. This would at least shorten the crossing to Corsica and the bearing would change from east to south-east.
While in St Mandrier, we had chatted to our next door neighbour, a guy called Jim, who was sailing single-handed through the Med in an Etap 27 called Scarlet O’Hara. Of course, I was not to know that some years later we would again, by chance, come to be moored next to each other in Poros, Kefalonia and Jim would become a friend and yearly visitor.
1st May
Brian rose before me at 07.30 for the first time in living memory and we set off with continuing easterlies with the No 1 genoa. For a while we experienced some pleasant sailing but, in a change to usual roles, I changed down to No 2 and put a reef in the mainsail as the wind increased. Then came a change down to No 3 genoa, the smallest foresail excluding the storm jib and Porquerolles became a more prudent destination, than our previously planned and more distant, La Cross. All this time we had been in the company of dozens of yachts, which had obviously erupted forth for the Bank Holiday.
The island turned out to be very attractive, but the marina was very expensive and full of visitors over on the ferry from Toulon. We enjoyed a walk, admiring the sub-tropical vegetation, to a small bay where we indulged in half an hour of
sun-bathing, while watching incoming yachts coping with sail dropping in the gusty conditions. On returning to Cayman, we again made use of the mooring springs, which proved to be a great success in providing a quiet nights mooring. I also continued my battle with the fore-cabin’s headlining.
2nd May
We left Porquerolles with a stiff easterly still blowing, bound for Cavalaire. With the No 3 genoa we were making an exhilarating 6 knots without the mainsail, so we stayed with this for a while. Again, we found ourselves sharing the channel between the mainland and the Hyeres Islands with many other yachts out for the Bank Holiday Sunday. By mid afternoon, after many sail changes, we revised our destination to Le Lavendou which was within easy striking distance, whereas Cavalaire was another 3 hours of hard beating.
We were given a berth well into the marina and right next to shops and other facilities. We even had a phone box next to the mooring! After treating ourselves to a 30FF bag of Churos (a kind of sugary pastry), we cooked a bolognaise and pasta, which proved almost too much to manage. We went to bed with full stomachs and a depressing forecast of heavy rain and F8 winds.
3rd May
Having made up our minds that we were not going anywhere, we got up late and got on with some jobs. Brian repaired the genoa clutch lever which had failed the previous day and I repaired the chart table which had accidentally been forced down and become damaged.
After lunch the rain started and Brian got on with shaping a block for the auto- helm bracket. During a spell of lighter rain we went into town to get some shopping, only to be caught in heavy rain on the way back and we reached the boat absolutely drenched. We enjoyed a rather successful meal of leftover vegetables together with mince and rice.
Brian had commitments in the UK in June and was now becoming rather pessimistic of reaching Kefalonia by the end of May, due to all the time we were losing.
4th May
Another day of rain which got heavier as the day went on. Brian did manage to put an extension piece in the foresail track, which we felt Port Napoleon had not replaced correctly and early photographs confirmed this. I managed to do some varnishing, but we were running short of jobs that could be done in the cabin, out of the rain. When the rain failed to ease off, we came to the conclusion that we had to make a visit to the supermarket and were resigned to getting wet. We stopped for a beer in the hope that the rain would ease but had to make a run for it, only to get soaked for the second time in 24 hours.
We had a light meal of soup and cauliflower cheese, having had a hot meal at lunchtime. At long last, the forecast for tomorrow was for westerly winds and we turned in early in anticipation of an early start on the leg to Corsica.
5th May
After rising early at 06.00, we set off with a following wind and goose-winged the mainsail and No 1 genoa. By 08.30 the wind had backed to south-west and the mainsail was jibed to port. I engaged the autohelm so that I could go and listen to the weather forecast on channel 80, a novel experience because we had not had the new autohelm working before.
At 14.45 we sighted a yacht a few miles to our north and Brian made contact on the radio. Her French skipper spoke excellent English and was able to confirm tomorrow’s forecast was south to south-east F3. The situation was rather embarrassing after he asked for our call sign and neither of us knew what it was, having just used the name ‘Cayman’ in the past. After checking my license, Brian called him back to confirm it was MYY 12, so that the French skipper could enter the sighting in his log. A little later, while listening to the Italian forecast on channel 68, a gale warning was given for the Ligurian Sea and we hoped this stayed well to the north of us, since there was no hiding place.
Our first cooked meals on passage, consisted of cup-a-soups prepared by Brian and a vegetarian bolognaise prepared by myself. As the evening drew on, our southerly F4-5 persisted and we creamed along at 6 knots. In view of the consistent wind, we decided to leave the No1 genoa up during the night.
6th May
Brian took the first watch from midnight to 03.00. With full sail it seemed more like a speedboat leaving a trail of phosphorescence in our wake. Brian’s watch started with a clear sky and he was able to steer with Cassiopeia on the port beam, but after getting my head down for just 20 minutes, I was called up to the cockpit. He was concerned by a light which kept a worryingly constant angle on our starboard bow. A constant angle indicates a possible collision course, but at last the angle began to open and a super tanker passed within 400 yards. Later, I was again woken when Brian asked me to switch on the deck lights to make us more visible, because of a light off our bow. When I got on deck, I pointed out to Brian that he was looking at the rising moon!
I took over the watch at 03.00 and had an uneventful but exciting sail until 05.30 when the wind that had carried us so far began to ease and left us with about 17 miles to motor to the tantalizingly visible Cap Corse, at the northern tip of Corsica. Once round the Cape we still had a further 5 miles into the port of Macinaggio. We entered the port at 15.30, having taken 10 hours to crawl these last few miles while the previous 135 miles had been covered in just 23 hours.
Macinaggio, CorsicaAs soon as we arrived, Brian dragged me off the boat for a beer when all I wanted was to sleep. After a bit of shopping, I got my much deserved sleep while Brian did some work on the self-steering vane.
We had an enjoyable steak meal, after which I did some re-fuelling and pumped out the bilges, while Brian went off for a walk round the port to look at boats.
Cayman at Macinaggino
7th May
I got up at 07.00 to find a light south-east blowing. I had a cold shower, for which I had to pay 10FF, so I warned Brian not to bother. We left port at 10.15 and beat south along the coast until the wind died and we were forced to gather in the sails. In a sea that looked like a mill pond, we motored on a bearing of 110° towards the island of Elba, our destination being the harbour in the Golfo de Campo. Without much else to do, we fixed a rope and shock cord to the tiller and managed to get a reasonable set-up that looked after itself, with a small adjustment about every 5 minutes. Brian did some more work on the wind vane steering and fitted a cleat to the mast to tidy the lazy jacks. We also ceremoniously lowered the very tattered French flag and raised a new Italian one. A courtesy flag for the currently visited country is flown on the starboard side of the crosstrees.
Soon after sighting Elba, we were able to raise the No 1 genoa but the wind was soon on the nose so it came down again. The last few miles were painfully slow and we had to abandon our intended destination in favour of a small bay at Fetovaia. We entered the sheltered bay and with the keel raised, ran straight up to the beach, much to the surprise of some moored yachts nearby. We found ourselves in the company of some Brits on a catamaran which was bound for the UK.
We went ashore and after a walk round the village, found a hotel where two Becks beers cost us 12,000 lire (about £5), our most expensive beer yet. We returned to the boat for a simple but ample meal of Chilli Con Carne and rice and turned in early.
Isola Elba8th May
I was awoken at 06.00 by the thump of the bow hitting the beach. Overnight a slight swell had got up and the ronde anchors on the beach had pulled out. We pulled the boat back on the kedge and re-secured the ronde anchors and then went back to bed for an hour. On leaving the bay at 08.30, we managed to foul the prop on a mooring line and I had an early swim to disentangle it. Our intention was to head for the Italian mainland due east, because the wind would not allow a more southerly course.
We followed the south coast of Elba for about 5 miles when there was a loud bang and I immediately realized that the forestay had parted from the mast. There was a danger that the mast could come down, so I steered to a course with the wind behind us to avoid any extra strain on the mast. We tensioned the second halyard to act as a temporary forestay, carefully lowered the forestay complete with sail and secured it along the length of the safety rail. Luckily, this had happened when we were within sight of Golfo di Campo and we limped into port to work out what had happened. Once moored safely to the harbour wall, we removed the sail, re-hoisted the forestay and I winched Brian up the mast, he being the lighter of the two of us. Once at the top, Brian discovered a retaining pin half way out, distortion in the retaining plates and no sign of a securing split pin. I hoisted the small vice up the mast with the main halyard and Brian used this to squeeze the retaining plates back into place. After nearly an hour of working in an extremely uncomfortable position at the mast top and with the boat swaying in the swell, Brian had managed to secure the forestay pin with a new split-pin. Another problem we had discovered earlier, was that the engine battery was flat, so hand starting had been necessary and there was no charging facility in the harbour.
We went shopping for supplies and also managed to buy phone cards so that we could make phone calls home to report progress. Some time was spent composing a letter to Nick Burton at Port Napoleon, to complain about the shoddy workmanship in either leaving out a vital split pin, or not splaying the ends, which could have led to a catastrophic failure of the mast and rigging. We had a meal of pork cutlets and also made further use of the mooring springs, to try to ease the motion caused by the considerable swell in the harbour.
9th May
After a creaky night we discovered that two of the mooring lines had frayed on the harbour wall and the damaged section would have to be cut out. We set off at 09.00 to cover a relatively short distance to Castiglione on the Italian mainland, because the wind would only allow us to make a heading of 080°. Up to F6 winds were forecast and we raised the No2 genoa to enjoy some good sailing once clear of the coast of Elba. However, the wind died away and we reverted to motor-sailing to maintain a reasonable speed. Brian tried out his vane steering but with disappointing results in the light wind and was resigned to making further adjustments.
On arrival at Castiglione yacht basin, we were directed with great efficiency to a space between other yachts, with barely 6 inches to spare. We went in stern first which required some accurate manoeuvring, something Cayman was not very good at doing. Without a gangplank, this required some acrobatics to get ashore.
We walked into town, but because it was Sunday, were unable to purchase either meat or margarine, but we did manage to get some salami for dinner. We were able to get some welcome charge into the batteries at the mooring, but there were no shower facilities.
10th May
The day dawned sunny with a light westerly which would allow us to make a heading of 160° down the coast. Before leaving at 10.00, Brian tried unsuccessfully to get a shower at a local hotel, while I replaced a faulty switch on the galley pump. After leaving the marina, we had to negotiate a short length of canal before entering the sea. I kept over to starboard, this being the ‘rule of the road’, but unfortunately I found a shallow area. We came to an abrupt stop which almost sent Brian headfirst into the cabin. We managed to reverse off without difficulty even with the keel still lowered and headed for the other side of the canal, as directed by a fisherman on the bank.
We started by motor-sailing with main and No1, but by late morning the wind had strengthened and we were able to switch off the engine and maintain 4 knots.
At 14.00 we listened to channel 68, which gives a forecast in Italian and English 24 hours a day. We had to make a decision whether to put into Port Ercole or continue through the night, but with a forecast F3 south-east, we decided on the former. We enjoyed an excellent afternoon of sailing in F4 westerlies, but the wind died with some 14 miles still to go.
Instead of a late afternoon arrival, we ended up berthing shortly after 21.00. A look round the marina revealed no showers or toilets but we did manage to purchase some wine and beer. The forecast for tomorrow was F3 north-east, so we turned in with the hope of some decent sailing.
11th May
The day dawned sunny with a light southerly breeze, however, the harbour office was closed, the showers still locked and the fuel pontoon was unmanned. Brian suggested we motor the short distance to the adjacent marina of Cala di Galera. This turned out to be an impressive place where we filled up with fuel, had excellent hot showers and used an air line to pump up all our fenders. We had previously ruled this out as an overnight stop due to the high charges suggested in the Italian Pilot.
We finally set off close hauled on No2 and a bearing of 125° bound for Civitivechia. By 11.30 our boat speed had dropped to 3 knots so we changed up to No1 genoa with a very efficient sail change, helped by the third crew member, Albert the auto-helm. By 15.40 we had made 25 miles and were making 5½ to 6 knots, so we decided to carry on to the next port of Santa Marinella and we secured a bottle of beer over the stern, to toast our arrival with chilled beer. However, the wind backed and it was decided that tacking to the new destination would mean a late arrival, so back to the original plan.
Civitivechia is the main port for Rome and the harbour turned out to be very intimidating for a small yacht, having to avoid the manoeuvring of no less than three very large ferries. We finally tied up in the inner harbour at 18.30 with the help of the local omeggliatori (a co-operative that leases the moorings).
A visit to the very busy town found all our needs except fruit and veg. A steak meal washed down with plenty of wine, went down very well, on returning to the boat.
12th May
We woke early, but without being disturbed by the departure of some three dozen trawlers, as had been expected. We were away early at 08.00 with No1 genoa, but then found we could not clear the headland 5 miles to the south, in the unfavourable southerly wind.
With the wind against us, we had only made 6 miles by midday, so abandoned the plan to reach Fiumicino and headed into Santa Marinella. With the afternoon on our hands, I got down to a bilge cleanout while Brian repaired the leech-line adjusters on genoas 1 and 2. A visit into town revealed a larger place than expected and after much searching we found a supermarket which did not open until 19.00, so we went for beer while we waited. We were joined by a friendly Dutch lady, who we had first met in the harbour and we had a interesting conversation about our trip and about what she was doing in Italy. She was an artist and we were shown her modernistic artwork which she had with her and was trying to sell to book publishers.
After a major shop at the supermarket, I rang Sheila to ask her to fax a copy of the boat insurance, which I had inadvertently left behind. This was the first marina that had asked for this documentation, although they usually asked to see the registration certificate.
Brian cooked an excellent chicken stir fry and we went to bed with a good south-west blowing, promising better mileage tomorrow.
13th May
We got away at 08.15 but the forecast southwest F3 was more like F2. This backed to south and was on the nose so we took the sails down and continued to motor. By 10.00 the wind now veered and we raised No 1 genoa. About this time our peace was shattered by the arrival of a RIB, the occupants of which, told us we were in a firing zone and were in danger of being sunk! We immediately tacked seaward to get the required 6 miles clearance, but had to motor-sail to make any progress. As soon as we were 6 miles from the coast we turned south and made an excellent 5 knots. While Brian had a snooze, I took the helm and passed through some large anchored oil drums and it crossed my mind that these may have been targets for the firing range!
About mid-afternoon we were joined by a finch, who sat on the companionway hatch, no doubt resting for the 6 mile journey back to land. We soon passed the oil tanks and platforms associated with the port of Fiumicino and given the good progress we considered the possibility of sailing through the night, so at 18.30 Brian cooked a stir fry. After dinner, the wind had dropped and we motored for about an hour, but then the breeze freshened and we sailed on into the gathering dusk. Later in the evening, the wind again died and we motored once more leaving a phosphorescent trail behind us. The nearest port was Anzio, so it was decided this was a better option, than to have to keep motoring. This was the first time we had attempted to go into a port in darkness and the Italian Pilot warned of shallows off the headland and the hazard of the Roman harbour of Tiberius. We continued in a wide arc until the harbour lights gave the correct transit bearing for safe entry. We managed to clear a shallow sand bar at the entrance, but it was rather worrying when the echo sounder showed a clearance of less than a metre. Anzio was the location of a famous 2nd world war battle as well as being an important Roman port.
We tied up at 02.00 and made Cayman secure to a ramshackle pontoon. In stepping off the boat, Brian dropped his Italian adapter plug into the water and, in his tired state, became extremely upset.
14th May
Brian woke early, unusually beating me
to make a cup of tea. His first task was to dive for his lost adapter and I was very surprised when he surfaced with it from the muddy bottom. A stiff south-easterly had established itself with a heavy swell out to sea, so another day’s progress would be lost.
We had a successful shopping trip and managed to purchase some materials to modify the mainsheet traveller. After a beans on toast lunch, we did a tour of the Roman harbour and also found somewhere that would receive a fax of the boat insurance, because we had been unable to arrange this at the last port of call.
During the day, we had managed to trip the power supply to the jetty, when our power line had parted and the live end had dropped into the sea. It was decided that we couldn’t risk this happening again, so a new 10 metres length of cable was purchased. Dinner was a mince, veg and pasta creation by Brian, after which, I went to collect my fax.
15th May
We were up and away by 08.00 but with no wind, we motored until 11.00 and while Brian was sleeping, I set the mainsail in response to a light breeze. Brian appeared from below, to raise the No 1 genoa and the wind continued to strengthen to the point where we thought we might get a night passage to Isola Ischia. By lunchtime the wind had increased still further until it was necessary to reduce sail to No 2 and a reef in the main. However, the wind direction would not allow us to clear Point di Circeo and we had to put a couple of tacks in, which considerably slowed our progress.
Brian was still complaining about the small scale chart, which had no indication of major landmarks, in particular a 1700 feet mini volcano which we had to navigate round. I had to agree that this should have been shown, but I had made a decision to use small scale charts in conjunction with the excellent Italian Pilot, to save considerable expense. Also, I had anticipated doing longer passages out to sea, with the help of a crew of three, rather than hugging the coast as we had been doing.
Brian spent much of the day fashioning a device out of plywood, to automatically lead the foresail into the luff track. We had seen such a thing made of plastic in a chandlers, but thought £10 was a bit steep for a piece of plastic. A test seemed to prove that it worked well and Brian was quite pleased that his time had been well spent.
By the time we cleared the point, the wind had died, so we motored into the marina at Circeo at 17.30 and moored the boat with the assistance of an omeggliatori, who boarded us and took charge.
We walked up a steep hill to find a charming town, with breathtaking views over the surrounding coastline. We had some delicious ice cream, did some shopping and then stopped for a beer in a restaurant, where we met three English people. They lived and worked in Rome and we spent an interesting half an hour in conversation. We had been unable to buy any meat, so on our return to the boat, we settled for tinned beef and potatoes.
We were disappointed that there were no showers at the marina, although the Pilot had indicated that there was. Brian continued his deliberations on modifications for the vane steering and came to the conclusion that the cord control lines should be replaced by a cycle brake cable, to give more precise control.
16th May
We got away by 08.00 with no wind, so had to motor for an hour. Then a light north-easterly justified raising the mainsail and No 1, but with the wind from the stern remaining steady,
it was decided to raise the spinnaker. This gave some refreshing sailing at 6 to 7 knots until 13.00, when it became too hard to handle in the freshening wind. As soon as it was put away we had to put a reef in the main and continued with this set-up, giving 5 to 6 knots while we had lunch. We continued on a bearing of 130° toward Ischia and again raised the spinnaker for about 30 minutes, until I decided that it needed too much concentration to avoid it wrapping round the forestay.
By 18.00, Cassamicciola on Isola Ischia was just 7 miles away, when the wind died, as usual when a port was in sight! We finally motored in, to tie up at 20.00, after being ushered away from our original choice of mooring. In doing so, we inadvertently went between some marker buoys which marked shallow water and we found ourselves temporarily aground, until we found the deeper water.
Isola Ischia
The town was full of crazy Italian drivers and almost immediately we witnessed an accident when a scooter rider and passenger were hit by a car, not to mention several other close shaves. It was Sunday, so the shops were closed, but we found a promising supermarket to visit the next day. We contemplated a meal ashore, but could not understand the menu boards outside restaurants, so we opted for tinned chicken and veg on board. I went to bed early, but Brian went off to phone his brother and also managed to find some showers.
17th May
After I had a shower and we re-provisioned at the excellent supermarket, we set off with a light south-easterly. The breeze showed no sign of freshening, so we motored the 17 miles to Capri in a mind-numbing 7 hours.
approaching Isola Capri
On arrival we were directed to a berth which suffered wash from the frequent Approaching Isola Capri ferry traffic and also we didn’t have an adapter for the large, heavy duty electric socket. I presented myself at the port office and was asked for 40,000 lire (about £14) and I was annoyed that we were charged so much for such a poor berth. We looked at other available berths in the harbour and found better shelter, close to showers and toilets and with the right size sockets. We pointed this out, quite forcefully, to the officials and they agreed, rather reluctantly I thought, that we could move.
By now it was 18.30 and there was just enough time to catch the funicular railway up to the main town. The town was barred to traffic and was a virtual maze of alleyways, shops and picturesque houses. The high location also gave excellent views over the island, the harbour and the surrounding sea.
We followed the alleyways to see the south side of the island, but Brian became totally disorientated and took considerable convincing that we were looking south and not north. We returned along more alleyways and steps to the harbour and cooked an excellent meal consisting of thick vegetable soup, followed by roast chicken with roast and boiled potatoes, carrots and cauliflower, followed by fresh strawberries we had bought in the town.
18th May
We woke to an unpromising forecast and gusty winds, so elected to stay put for the day. I got down to checking the impellor and scrubbing the deck while Brian went to hand wash his sleeping bag.
We then decided to explore the amazing footpath up the cliff face to Ana Capri. This consisted of hundreds of steps and gave some excellent views over the island and sea. We mingled with crowds of tourists and had a lunch of pizza and a beer. My souvenir of the island was a waste bin for the cabin, to replace the carrier bags we had used until now and we also bought some steak for dinner.
The harbour from Ana Capri
Near the harbour we found a scooter shop and managed to purchase a brake cable which Brian considered to be ideal for the vane steering, its’ main attraction being a solid inner wire, which would both push and pull.
Capri Harbour
We cooked our steak together with vegetables and finished off with the rest of the strawberries.
19th May
We set off at 08.30 on a bearing of 110° bound for Agripoli. The forecast was for F4 south-east and we raised the sails in response to a breath of wind from astern. This proved to be short lived and the sails went up and down like a yo-yo. The engine battery was low and insufficient to turn the engine so Brian volunteered to start it on the handle. Having not quite mastered the technique, he managed to sprain his thumb in the process.
I was puzzled by our continued northerly track each time I checked the GPS position and we came to the conclusion this was the result of a 0.5 knot current following the Italian coastline. We also had to make allowance for a 1½° E magnetic variation which had been zero when we were in the South of France.
We reached Agripoli at 19.30 in dull conditions and rain threatening, after spending 9 hours of the day with the engine running. While I got on with investigating the starter fault and preparing the soup (not at the same time), Brian went for a walk into town. On his return we had a mince and veg dinner, after which we both went into town and found some decent supermarkets and numerous other useful shops. Brian stopped on the way back to phone his brother, so I went back to the boat to do the washing up and I also managed to trace the starter fault to an arcing HT lead.
20th May
The immediate forecast was for F5 wind and strengthening, so we were not going anywhere today. We decided to visit the ancient Greek settlement of Paestrum, but by the time we had found the bus stop, we had missed the bus and the next was not due until 13.00. We did some shopping and purchased vegetables and meat at an excellent market. It had occurred to me that Port Napoleon had not replaced the stay protectors, so we set about finding some ducting that could be used, but without success.
PaestrumAfter a lunch of beans on toast, Brian got on with making fittings for the wind vane steering while I went into town to try to track down a converter for the gas regulator so that we could convert to Italian gas. I had brought three Calor gas cylinders from the UK, two of which had now been used and disposed of. We calculated that the last cylinder could run out before reaching Greece. After considerable searching, I found a gas supplier, but was forced to purchase both a new cylinder and a new regulator. Meanwhile, Brian had made friends with a British couple, John and June, who were bound for Corfu in their 28 foot Westerly, called Gentle Breeze.
Brian produced an excellent pot roasted rolled steak joint with potatoes, carrots and gravy followed by melon swamped in sugar. The disappointment of the evening was continuing high winds forecast for tomorrow.
21st May
We were up by 08.00 to be faced with a westerly F6 and a gale warning, so we had to find something to occupy us today. We breakfasted to the sound of torrential rain but this soon cleared and it was decided that we would visit Paestrum today. We caught the 10.45 bus in the company of a German group of sailors who had berthed nearby, the previous evening.
The site, said to be the finest of its kind in Italy, comprised three temples, an amphitheatre and numerous other remains spread over a vast area. We latched onto a guided group, but when Brian asked a question we were firmly informed that this was an exclusive group and we were not welcome, so we continued alone.
We returned on the 13.00 bus to lunch on board, after which I started to fit some stay protectors, while Brian fitted parts of his vane steering to the rudder. Later, I remembered that I had intended to move to a cheaper mooring on the harbour wall and Brian had to remove the parts that he had fitted so that we could use the rudder. However, on inspection of the mooring we realized that it was subject to heavy swell, so it was agreed to stay put, despite a charge of 30,000 lire (about £10).
We had a mince, mixed veg and pasta meal and started on a new flagon of wine, which I had purchased in the afternoon.
22nd May
After a night of thunderstorms, we woke to a forecast of F5+ winds, so yet another frustrating day would be lost. Brian managed to borrow a jigsaw (not the cardboard kind) from an American neighbour and a lightning visit to town produced some stainless steel screws for the finishing touches to the cable operated vane steering. We also bought some steak for today’s dinner.
The heavens opened later in the morning and we were confined to the shelter of the cabin. After our usual lunch of bread, cheese and boiled egg, we visited our Westerly neighbours for a convivial chat over a beer or two. They were planning to leave their boat, in Corfu for the winter and then work south to other Greek islands next year, so we exchanged telephone numbers in case they visited Kefalonia. When the sun came out, Brian was able to complete the fitting of the vane steering and was optimistic of a successful trial when we had the opportunity.
We then took up the invitation of Alastair and Annabel, the professional skipper and partner of a sumptuous 63 foot yacht called Nesaii, with all the mod cons one could think of. We had drinks and nibbles in the enormous cockpit in the company of an American couple from a 45 foot, steel-hulled Nantucket and a second American couple, the wife specializing in weather forecasts using SSB radio.
There followed an interesting exchange of reminiscences from folk who had sailed
the world, the Nantucket being three quarters of the way into a circumnavigation. We felt suitably humbled.
Knowing our limited facilities and the lack of showers in the marina, Alastair was kind enough to allow us the use of a shower on board, a choice of four en-suite!
We then provided him with information on the ports we had visited to the north, as he explained, with such a large vessel it is wise to do some forward planning. He also did a hard sell on persuading us to visit Pompei with some enticing photographs, but with a fair forecast for tomorrow, we couldn’t linger any longer. We finally left the spacious comfort to cook a steak dinner in more confined conditions.
Alastair & Anabel aboard Nesaii
23rd May
At last, the forecast was set fair with a westerly F3, as we followed John and June in their Westerly Merlin out of the harbour. They quickly got a mile between us, as we put up No 2 and had a reef in the main, in the fresh breeze. We stayed on channel 6 to keep in radio contact, but by the afternoon we were too far apart for acceptable reception.
As the wind eased, our sail changes were reef out, No 1 up and then spinnaker for most of the afternoon. We also ran the engine to keep up a speed of 5 knots. During the afternoon, we had a sharp shower after the sky clouded over and the spinnaker came down in anticipation of a wind increase. We carried on for a while with mainsail only until the rain eased and then raised No 2, which gave us some exciting sailing until the gunwhale dipped into the water and we dropped the main. We continued with genoa only, but still managed 5+ knots.
Eventually, we turned towards Scario and into the wind, so continued on motor only, to berth alongside Gentle Breeze at 19.30 having covered a good 50 miles. John and June had arrived some 1½ hours earlier, although it has to be said that Gentle Breeze was fitted with a 18hp diesel compared with our 7hp. We had a chicken dinner out of a tin and turned in early in anticipation of a big push south tomorrow.
Cayman and Gentle Breeze at Scario
24th May
We set off before 08.00 in hot pursuit of John and June, bound for Centraro, 37 miles on a bearing of 126°. Once clear of the harbour we found the forecast of north-west F4 was currently south F1, so after optimistically raising the sails, they were brought down again and we carried on under engine only.
At 12.15 boredom was relieved by a school of pilot whales, the first of which I had mistaken for a passing log. We had not had the opportunity to restock the galley, so lunch consisted of stale bread and cheese, well past it’s sell-by date. While I was on the helm, Brian passed the time cleaning the galley area and other small jobs. We were able to motor-sail during the day but by 14.30 the wind had died away and we were reduced to motoring again with 15 miles still to cover.
We had decided to curtail our radio watch with Gentle Breeze, when Brian had read in the manual that full gain on ‘receive’ was consuming 0.8 amps. We had not been able to get a battery charge last night and there was little prospect for tonight, so we couldn’t risk any more battery drain.
Since we had little to do, we were able to admire the spectacular coastline with a mountain range as a backdrop, rising to a peak of 1,780 metres (5,838 feet). During the afternoon, still motoring, Brian got so bored that he prepared the potatoes and runner beans for this evening’s dinner.
We eventually arrived in Centraro at 19.30 some 2 hours after Gentle Breeze. Brian immediately went to the shops and managed to get some pork chops but the mini-market was closed, so no bread or fruit for this evening or lunch tomorrow. Brian noticed that the polypropylene rope holding our stern to the kedge anchor was floating on the surface and he resolved to find something less vulnerable.
25th May
Brian rose at 04.30 and got the kettle on, while I followed a short time later. After breakfast we got the boat prepared for an early getaway. Not surprisingly, we were the first to leave the harbour at 05.20 and we were greeted by a moderate easterly breeze, so we raised the No 1 genoa but continued to motor. While I was on the helm, Brian busied himself with stowing the kedge anchor, adjusting the bolt on the cabin door and doing the washing up. This took us up to 08.30 with 10 miles on the log, when Gentle Breeze caught us up with their superior engine power. We called them on the radio and agreed that we would have to come off radio watch, having had no battery charge for two days. It was agreed that our destination would be Vibo Valentia.
We continued on a heading of 164° and after lunch Brian took the helm with a freshening wind that allowed us to turn off the engine for the first time in two days. There followed some excellent sailing on a broad reach with boat speed up to 6 knots. We finally arrived at Vibo Valentia at 18.00 with two rival pontoons beckoning us in. We settled on the one where John was berthed and were welcomed by very helpful marina staff.
Brian’s priority was to visit the shops while I tidied the boat. On his return, he had to be winched up the mast again to tighten a loose radio antenna. All that was needed was to tighten a retaining screw, but another black mark for Port Napoleon. We were able to get a shower and I did some clothes washing by hand in a sink. I cooked a cod, veg and rice meal and after clearing up we got to bed following a good day, having covered 60 miles.
26th May
After some shopping and topping up the diesel, we cast off at a leisurely 10.00. We started well, on a beat for the first headland with No 1, but it became clear that we wouldn’t make it, so we were faced with motoring into the wind. While we had no sailing advantage, Gentle Breeze caught us up and proceeded to disappear over the horizon.
Tropea
Having done some shopping earlier, lunch was back to our usual bread, cheese, hard boiled egg and fruit. We passed Tropea, a beautiful little town perched on top of a rocky cliff.
By 14.30 we had come round onto a heading due south, so were able to hoist the No 1 genoa and motor sail at 4 to 5 knots. We rounded Ponta Valicana at 15.30 with a light wind from the north-west, so the sails came down and we hoisted the spinnaker, which carried us along at a relaxing 4 knots. Brian did some sunbathing on the foredeck and we treated ourselves to some peanuts washed down with beer cooled in the sea.
SpinakerIt was a surprise to see Gentle Breeze, who was struggling in the
‘gentle breeze’ with a goose-wing set-up and we actually started catching her, but as usual, the wind died away by 18.00 and we spent the next 2½ hours motoring into Bagnara Calabra.
Dinner was a mince, mixed veg and pasta concoction garnished with a little jar of chilli peppers in oil, which had been a present from the marina at Vibo Valentia. The result was about as hot as a vindaloo curry and needed copious amounts of Italian wine to wash it down. Having berthed in a fishing harbour, Gentle Breeze being the only other yacht, we hoped that we wouldn’t be disturbed by the fishing boats all around us, when they went out early in the morning.
27th May
Brian was up at 07.00, having been woken by the fishing boats from 04.00 but I had slept through the noise. We were away by 07.45 and as we left I realized that the strange looking boats we had seen the day before were, in fact, sword fishing
boats. These strange looking craft had a lookout platform at the top of a high mast and an enormous bowsprit almost twice the length of the boat. We assumed someone keeps a watch from the lookout platform and a man on the end of the bowsprit spears the fish as the boat passes over it.
No wind, so we motored toward the Strait of Mesina keeping to the Italian mainland coast. There is a traffic separation scheme within the Strait but this was for larger craft and we had been advised by Alastair to keep to the mainland side. There is also a tidal flow through the Strait which can result in a current of up to 6 knots and this produces eddies and very disturbed water. If we picked the wrong time to go through, we could actually end up going backwards! We knew the times based on high water at Gibraltar, but wherever we had been, we had been unable to obtain the high water times, so this was something of a gamble.
Approaching the Strait of Mesina As it was, we were carried through with the current at what seemed to be a high speed, judging by passing scenery. The boat’s log only told us speed through the water and not speed over the
ground. The Strait was a stressful experience and I worried about our poor engine power as we were carried along by the current, trying to avoid the whirlpools around us. On top of this we had to keep a lookout and dodge the frequent large ferries between Reggio di Calabria and Messina.
Just before Reggio, a light north-westerly sprang up and we were able to raise the spinnaker, but this only lasted an hour or so, when the wind backed to the beam and the spinnaker had to come down.
One other worry I had was the inability to get a GPS fix for the last couple of days. I suspected that the U.S. military had de-sensitized the GPS satellites while the Bosnian crisis persisted. While we had been following the coast and able to spot landmarks this didn’t matter, but it was a concern that we would have great difficulty crossing the Ionian Sea. We started to consider using the RDF (radio direction finder) to locate radio stations, but we only knew the theory and had not tried it in practice.
By 12.00 the wind had come round to southerly, so the spinnaker was packed away and No 1 genoa hanked on, ready for a change of course round the ‘toe’ of Italy to Saline Jorniche. At 14.00, after Brian had been busy looking up the RDF beacon locations and morse codes, I had another look at the GPS and managed to get a country screen. This showed that the default country was Afganistan, so maybe this was the reason for the problem. After setting it on Italy, it was back to its old self, much to our relief.
With just 4 miles to go, the wind was insufficient to hoist No 1, so we continued on motor and mainsail. About this time, Gentle Breeze appeared to our stern and gained on us steadily. By the time we reached the harbour, it became a neck and neck race round the harbour wall, with Brian pretending to fight them off with the boathook. After mooring up, Brian went for a swim in the clear water, while I changed the engine oil ready for the Ionian. I must have drawn the short straw!
Our walk into the local village proved to be something of an epic, since it was much further than the 2 km mentioned in the Italian Pilot. On the far side of the harbour we stopped to chat to a Dutch couple in their yacht. We asked why they had moored away from the facilities and were told that they didn’t trust the marina operators. In fact, the marina had been built with EEC funds but never properly finished because all the officials involved had embezzled cash and were serving jail terms! We were short of cash, so we had to borrow 2000 lire from John, who we met in the village shop. There was no bank, so I was forced to jog 5 kms to the next town and then back, to get money from a cash point, to be able to buy fuel. Having walked and jogged about 18 kms in hot weather, I looked forward to a shower on my return. Unfortunately, both showers and toilets were locked and I had to settle for a swim to cool down.
Over a cup of tea, we had a pleasant chat with John until he succumbed to the mosquitoes and then we settled for a simple meal of tinned beef and rice. I was anxious to phone Sheila because we were likely to be at sea for the next three days. But neither of us had enough units left on our phone cards to make an international call.
Brian realized that his camera was missing and we turned the boat upside down looking for it and he was still looking when I went to bed. Earlier, while I was sat in the cockpit, three guys had walked along the pontoon past the boat. We had exchanged greetings and they wished us a good trip to Greece and I just assumed that John had told them our destination. All was to become clear later.
28th May
Brian was up at 06.00 and began another search for his camera and I later did a complete search of the forward cabin. We couldn’t bring ourselves to accept that it had been stolen because other items of value, such as the GPS, were clearly visible and hadn’t been touched.
We were anxious to get away but desperately needed diesel from the fuel pump at the end of the quay which was locked. I found out who was responsible and went off to find him in a nearby factory. The factory, like the harbour, was unused and unfinished and I got the feeling that this whole enterprise was not a great success story for the Italian government. I eventually got the diesel cans topped up and managed to phone Sheila, after discovering that the phone would take coins.
We said our goodbyes to John and June and motored out of the harbour at 10.00 to be confronted by an easterly breeze bang on the nose, so it was motoring at a leisurely 4 knots. Brian got some sleep in the morning, having had a bad night worrying about his camera. The sea was like a millpond, so I lashed the tiller so that I could leave it for brief periods to relieve the boredom. I didn’t dare use the autohelm because battery power would have to be reserved for navigation lights at night.
Brian prepared dinner early and we had an enjoyable Mexican chilli with veg, eaten at the table in the cockpit, as the last of the Italian coast slipped away. We had followed the coast all day but now on a bearing of 90°, we headed for an empty sea.
Brian took the 22.00 to 02.00 watch and I was to do 02.00 to 06.00. I had got my head down for about an hour when Brian called me on deck to see a school of about a dozen dolphins, which were all around us. Unfortunately, it was too dark for any photographs, but we watched in awe for some time until they disappeared as quickly as they had arrived. It seemed that I had just got to sleep when Brian called me on deck again to see a UFO! He described a bright light which flashed rhythmically and moved so fast that it’s change of position was almost instantaneous. I must admit that I didn’t see anything, being half asleep. We later realized that what Brian had seen must have seen was the flashing light of an aircraft and it’s change of position could be explained by the motion of the boat, without any other objects to relate to.
Once back in my berth, I was kept awake by the sound of Brian walking up and down the deck. I couldn’t understand what he was doing but by that stage, I didn’t care to know. It seems that the dolphins had returned and Brian was having to walk from the bows every five minutes or so, to put the tiller back on track.
Compared with Brian’s, my watch was fairly uneventful, although the dolphins returned briefly at 05.30. Brian failed to appear at 06.00 so I left him to sleep for another hour. During this time an aircraft carrier and destroyer passed by at about a mile distance. When Brian appeared at 07.00, a helicopter headed towards us, no doubt from one of the ships. We were given a wave by those on board and they headed off in another direction. We assumed that the ships were part of the Bosnian task force and perhaps they had come to see what flag we were flying.
29th May
After breakfast we were treated to another wildlife display when a shoal of tuna joined us and showed off some high speed swimming. It is difficult to convey their grace, beauty and power when we usually think of tuna as steaks in tins.
Daylight had brought a fresh north-east breeze and we were able to sail at 5½ knots without the engine, the first time for 22 hours. However, it was not to last and by 11.00 we were back to motoring again.
By 16.00 I couldn’t keep my eyes open any more after losing so much sleep the night before and I retired to my bed. Brian had not been on the helm long when two ships appeared over the horizon to the north-east. These eventually resolved into a heavily armed frigate with a twin rotor helicopter on the stern deck and linked by an umbilical cord to a fuel carrier. I did not complain when Brian woke me to watch them pass by at a range of 400 metres. The frigate then turned to the north back to Bosnia and the fuel carrier continued westwards. We were left to cross their considerable wake at right angles to avoid too much rocking.
The main and No1 were raised in response to a light northerly breeze, but this steadily veered to the east, so they both came down again. Brian took the early watch again but after night had fallen for a while, he was concerned to find our navigation lights fading. By the time he handed over to me at 02.00 we had no lights, so it was just as well we had the Ionian sea to ourselves. Some lights did appear to our stern, but luckily passed far to our port side. I was able to get the No 1 genoa up during my watch, but our boat speed was not sufficient to dispense with the engine.
30th May
By dawn I had raised the main and we were achieving 5 knots but the engine was kept running to maintain the speed. Brian’s first job on getting up, was to disconnect the engine battery, ready to reconnect it to the lights later. This battery was still showing a healthy 13 volts. The auxiliary battery was left in place to support the log reading, with a small charge going in from the wind generator.
Amazingly, our shoal of tuna were still with us and must have covered about 100 miles by now. We had tried to catch one on a hook and line but then changed our minds, since they were becoming old friends. Occasionally, we heard a thud when one collided with the underside, but we never could work out the attraction of following us for such a great distance. I am not sure when they departed, but it was probably later in the day, when our attention was diverted as the wind increased.
We decided that we were now close enough to Greece to add another hour to our watches and we changed the Italian courtesy flag for a Greek one. By 15.30 the main and genoa were doing so little, we decided to take them down and with the lightest of breezes over the stern, we hoisted the spinnaker. This proved very worthwhile and we were able to turn off the engine for the first time in 28 hours. We were creaming along at 6 knots and between 16.00 and 17.00 our distance covered was greater that the previous 2 hours.
During our voyage across the Ionian we had taken GPS fixes every 2 hours and plotted this position on the chart. We were troubled by a continual drift northwards and put this down to a current, since it could not be attributed to the wind. A correction was made and we started to see an improvement in our heading.
Brian cooked a meal of soup and then curry, but before we started, the spinnaker had to come down due to a rising wind. By the end of dinner, No 3 genoa and a reef in the mainsail was the order of the day, with a brisk F4 northerly, driving us along at 5 to 6 knots.
At 20.10 we sighted land at last, but in view of the strong wind and forthcoming darkness, I decided that anchoring off Katelios would not be advisable, so we set a course for Lixouri for a quiet nights sleep. After seeing hardly any traffic for 3 days, we were now in the coastal shipping lane and had to dodge some large cargo vessels as best we could.
As darkness fell, we started to try to identify the coastal light patterns from the chart and eventually recognized the light at Akra Ortholithia on the Lixouri peninsular and also the light on Nisos Vardhianoi. We made slow progress into Argostoli Bay and eventually into Lixouri harbour at 00.30 and tied bows-to, with the kedge anchor over the stern
I phoned Sheila to confirm our arrival, we had a celebratory glass of wine to toast our safe passage and then to a well earned bed. We had covered 240 miles in 62 hours and had the engine running for 55 hours.
31st May
After an excellent nights sleep, we were having breakfast, when a white-suited harbour official arrived. Apparently, he had watched our arrival in the early hours and asked me to accompany him to the harbour office with my documents. After filling in a form with boat details, time of arrival and ultimate destination, I was asked to pay 500 drachmas (only £1). I had a large wallet and had different currencies in different compartments, but no matter how many times I checked, there were no drachmas. I immediately realized that our Italian thieves had searched my bag and found the wallet and money. However, they had been very discriminating, as if it was almost a joke to them and had only taken the drachmas and the camera. This explained how they knew our destination was Greece. I explained to the official what had happened and he accepted 300 drachmas in small change. On returning to the boat, I announced to Brian what had happened to his camera and that I was minus 40,000 drachmas.
After phoning Sheila with our E.T.A. we left Lixouri at 10.00. Once out of Argostoli Bay the wind was quite fresh from the stern, so we started off goose-winging with the main and No2, but it seemed an ideal opportunity to raise the spinnaker. Before we could deploy it the wind had come right round to the bow, no doubt due to local land influences, so we left the main up and used the engine. With another change in the wind and an adjustment to our course as we passed the airport, the spinnaker was hoisted and the main came down. Then the wind died completely, so we were reduced to motoring and all this before lunchtime. I mixed up some fuel for the small outboard and we put the dinghy together and trailed it astern, in preparation for arrival at Katelios. This would be the first time either the dinghy or the 2hp Yamaha had been used this year.
Approaching Katelios
After a lunch of stale bread and sweaty cheese washed down with red wine, we were able to raise the mainsail and No 1. In my hurry to get home, I even kept the engine running despite the log showing a speed of 6 knots.
We reached Katelios at 15.30 and anchored in the bay some 300 metres off the beach in 2.7 metres of water. I was concerned about leaving Cayman on the main anchor in the strong breeze and Brian agreed to stay on board with the engine running. Having reached Katelios successfully, we still had a further disaster to contend with. I had got in the dinghy and was attempting to start the engine when I was caught by an awkward wave and was tipped into the sea. Getting wet didn’t matter but the dinghy was flipped over so that the top half of the engine was submerged. We eventually righted the dinghy, baled it out and I rowed to the beach to be met by a friend who gave me a lift on his motorbike. I arrived at Hercules bar to be greeted by Sheila, Vikki, Janet, Sue and other friends, although in my wet and disheveled state, I must have looked as if I had just been rescued from a shipwreck.
After some time greeting everyone, I remembered Brian was waiting on Cayman and I went out with Yeorgos to fetch him. We came back to enjoy a large cold beer, Brian retrieved the dinghy and we went home to Thiramona, leaving Cayman anchored overnight. I enjoyed a wonderful shower, the first for a week, an excellent meal at Medusa taverna and a good night’s sleep, in a real bed, on dry land.
We reached Katelios at 15.30 and anchored in the bay some 300 metres off the beach in 2.7 metres of water. I was concerned about leaving Cayman on the main anchor in the strong breeze and Brian agreed to stay on board with the engine running. Having reached Katelios successfully, we still had a further disaster to contend with. I had got in the dinghy and was attempting to start the engine when I was caught by an awkward wave and was tipped into the sea. Getting wet didn’t matter but the dinghy was flipped over so that the top half of the engine was submerged. We eventually righted the dinghy, baled it out and I rowed to the beach to be met by a friend who gave me a lift on his motorbike. I arrived at Hercules bar to be greeted by Sheila, Vikki, Janet, Sue and other friends, although in my wet and disheveled state, I must have looked as if I had just been rescued from a shipwreck.
After some time greeting everyone, I remembered Brian was waiting on Cayman and I went out with Yeorgos to fetch him. We came back to enjoy a large cold beer, Brian retrieved the dinghy and we went home to Thiramona, leaving Cayman anchored overnight. I enjoyed a wonderful shower, the first for a week, an excellent meal at Medusa taverna and a good night’s sleep, in a real bed, on dry land.
1st June
During a leisurely morning, we brought Cayman to her permanent mooring behind the breakwater, with the help of Yeorgos, who showed us the channel in between the rocky reefs. We spent the afternoon securing Cayman to the breakwater by the bows and by a stern warp to a stake on the beach.
Brian did finish the self-steering vane, but not until we had reached our destination, which rather defeated the object. I would now be using the auto-helm, with more facilities for re-charging the batteries but it did give him a project to occupy his mind during our journey.
And so ended the voyage of Cayman, having covered over 2000 miles, in a total of 11 weeks.
Home mooring Katelios harbour
A few nautical terms used in this journal
Crosstrees: Arms extending out from the mast to support mast stays.
Cunningham Hole: An eye in the sail used to improve the set of the sail.
Genoa: A foresail set on the forestay. Cayman has a large No1 extending behind the mast, a middle sized No 2 and a smaller No3, plus a storm jib, which has thankfully, not had to be used.
GPS: Global positioning system. Gives a latitude and longitude accurate to about 10 metres anywhere in the world.
Gunwhale: Pronounced ‘gunall’ is the part of a vessel where hull meets deck.
Halyard: A rope used for raising the sails.
Kedge anchor: A spare anchor often used from the stern.
Leach: The trailing edge of a sail.
Log: Electronic device measuring speed and distance.
Port: Left side of a vessel looking forward.
Sheet: A rope used for controlling the sail.
Starboard: Right side of a vessel facing forward.
Reef: To reduce the area of mainsail as wind strengthens.
Spinnaker: Large balloon-like sail, set at the bows in a following wind.
Roger Steven
http://www.evolutionyachts.info/
Guilvenic
Canal Lateral
Moissac
Sete
