Friday 30th May

We had dinner and then went for a walk in the backstreets of Preveza and found a really nice cafe called the Art Cafe after the paintings on the wall I suppose, the DJ, Chris was playing really good songs and after a few beers we got chatting. To cut a short story shorter he suggested I go back and get my guitar and play so I did. We ended up swapping songs and singing until 2:45 when Sam and I retired a little squiffy to the boat. A great way of shutting out the beat from the local cafe! We have swapped phone numbers as he wants us to return so next time he can get his guitar as well. They were supplying Sam with free shorts as they said this was making him clap the beat better.

We collected the sail next morning, 40 euros for the repair and then fitted it back on the boat and gfood news was that the Port Police were not going to charge us mooring fees on the town quay as we are under 10 metres in length.

We set sail south as the weather forecast to the north was poor, glad we went south as it poured with rain, we had thunder and lightning and for a while I was sailing by dead reckoning on the compass as I couldn't see anything! We got very wet and moored up in Lefkas Town once we had cleared the swing bridge on the entrance to the Lefkas Canal and had a hot cup of tea and got dry.

There were more birds about probably because of the approaching bad weather and we saw lots of Manx Shearwaters, no where near the thousands Sam and I saw whilst fishing of the west coast of Scotland last year.

Once we had warmed up again we set off south and sailed down the canal in to the South Ionian and hoisted the spinnaker and had a play for a few hours. Great fun as quite a stiff breeze and we got up to 6.5 knots at times. Later in the afternoon the wind increased in speed and we had to put a reef in the main and genoa and were still hitting 6 knots.

The rain finally stopped late afternoon but we kept our oilies on as it was quite cold, not sure if the next picture shows it but there was a cracking rainbow behind Sam.

We got into Sivota at half past nine just as it was getting dark having sailed nearly 25 miles and made for the pub where we dined on fish starter and Mousaka in the oldest fish restaurant in Sivota and very nice it was too. Followed by a hot shower where I was able to wash my shorts and tea shirts in the run off as they have been getting increasingly difficult to catch each morning and put on! We retired to the boat where after the late night last night and sail both slept like logs and it was quiet on the quay, apart from a Skops owl hooting like a car alarm going off in the distance.

Today we just had a short hop south to Ithica where we have moored up for the night in Kioni, it's funny but we are no more than 10 metres from the spot where Viv and I moored up 2 years ago

Wednesday 29th

Quiet day in Preveza today as we managed to find a sail mender to stitch up the genoa and hopefully have it ready to collect at ten tomorrow so we can be off again.

We have had to revise our plans though as it looks like it is going to get quite windy for a few days tail end of the week with possibility of thunderstorms, so we have decided to sail back down into the south Ionian and head for Ithica rather than continue up to Corfu. We can sail around Ithica until the weather calms down next week then head up towards Corfu again with luck.

It did give us a chance though to take down the main sail and wash it on the quay side giving the locals in the bar something to look at over their beers. We must be parked up outside the noisiest place in Greece as the music that constant beat type stuff went on till 2:30 when it changed to Greek songs that went on till well past 3:00 am when I feel asleep again!!!

Tuesday 28th May

Sam with the tow engineers who fixed the oil light problem

George arrived Monday and tested the boat, it appears to be charging alright from the dynamo but the battery was shot, just died of old age so Sam had to buy a new one. George couldn't find anything wrong with the electrics so it looked like we had an oil problem. George phoned Nidri Marine Engineers who turned up an hour later and traced the problem to a faulty gasket on the oil pump, removed the pump, cleaned it and fixed the gasket. They and George were very reasonable and efficient so would recommend them again.

Once fixed we slipped anchor and motored out into the channel towards Maganissi where we played with the Spinnaker for an hour or so until the wind died. Then we motored across to Spartakhori on Maganissi for the night.

Babis the restaurant owner was his usual self direction yachts in to berth and then sitting in his bar watching the bay. It was nice that he remembered me from when Viv and I had sailed here 2 years ago and asked where the boat was now.

After quaffing a few ice cold Methos on the beach we retired to the boat and cooked tea over a nice bottle of luke warm local rose that Sam thought was red when he picked it up! He looks pleased with himself not sure if it was the rose wine or no massive bill for the boat.

Babis and me the following morning.

We decided we would head for Corfu as I haven't been there before and there looks to be interesting places to explore. It's about 60 miles north so will take a day or two to get there. We had a decent wind heading towards the Lefkas canal as can be seen from the picture below, nice and relaxing!

We didn't tack through the canal though like Viv and I did last time and managed to catch the 3.00 pm opening of the bridge.

Once through the bridge the wind picked up with a decent swell and white caps so we reefed the main and genoa and set off across open water heading north. Unfortunately about 4 miles north of Preveza the sacraficial strip on the back edge of the genoa started to peel off where the thread has rotted in the sun. So we turned around and headed back to Preveza to fix it.

We are currently in a bar across the bay from Cleopatra Marina where Viv and I started our adventures and where Sam and I were due to start ours, small world!

Sunday 25 May

The crane arriving ready to lift Bryher Rose into the water, unfortunately in doing so it smashed the mast head light, bent to wind indicator and broke one of the lazy jack lines for dropping the sail easily.

As a result Sam had to go up the mast in the Bosun's Chair and see what damage had been done, looks like the mast light will need completely replacing so he will have to go up again as we haven't got a spare or replacement yet. Whilst he was up there he re-threaded the lazy jack line that had been broken that I had made a replacement for. We were helped by Barry who was moored up next to us and had a neat little gadget for getting up the mast. It fits over one of the halyards and has a cleat that grips the rope. So as you go up you pull it up behind you and then can stand on it as the cleats grip whilst the halyard attached to the Bosun's Chair is pulled up. Much less hassle than winching all the way up in the chair and it appears safer too!

Just before we had tea I spotted something in the water nearby and realized it was in distress and in danger of drowning. So I jumped in the tender and quickly rowed to the rescue and fished out a female sparrow who was freezing clod and soaked and flopping about. She was so shattered that when I first got hold of her she just sat on my finger shivering looking at me. I wrapped her in a paper towel and blew her dry and when she started to try and bite me having recovered I let her go and she promptly disappeared into one of the waterfront restaurants.

Barry had a very appropriate cartoon relevant to Sam's exploits up the mast earlier.

We ended up moving the boat late evening as it was dragging the anchor in the swell from the passing ferries. Last night when we moored up we were afforded some shelter as we were alongside another boat but that moved this morning. We started to drift but reset the mooring lines and the boat appeared steady but when the wind got up late afternoon she dragged and hit the quay. Not much damage but we will need to do a bit of glass fibre repair to the bow tomorrow. I think Sam is considering swapping the stern anchor as well for something like a decent Danforth with a bit more holding capabilities. What with that, the engineer coming to look at the alternator to see if it is charging the battery and the need to maybe buy a spare battery if the one we swapped is shot it could be an expensive day. The joys of boat ownership! Some good news though a boat moved off the other side of the quay so we quickly swapped places for a more sheltered berth alongside instead of bow to.

Saturday 25th May

Bryher Rose gets her feet wet again at long last when a huge crane arrived and lifted her off the hard into the sea watched by an enthusiastic crowd of locals.
As we were getting ready to sail off we could see two large Eagles on the mountain behind us flying above a couple of seagulls.

The happy skipper, not quite so many butterflies in his tummy now his baby is back in the sea.

Relaxing with a cup of tea on the sail across from Paleros to Nidri on Lefkas.

Me on the helm

The boys enjoy a glass of Methos in Nidri after the maiden voyage. Not a bad sail about 11 miles in all but wind was all over the place droping to nothing and swinging around. We had a brief hiccup when the battery packed up and we couldn't start the engine but Sam just changed batteries and that got us going again. Looks like the alternator may have gone so not sure if we can sail to Sivota tomorrow and get it fixed there or if we have to stay in Nidri until Monday to get it fixed.
We are currently moored up in a small group of other boats on the town quay at Nidri, seems quite a friendly lot but could be subject to a bit of swell from the prevailing wind and ferries, it will be a bit of a change from being on dry land.

Friday 24th May the day before launch day.

Sam busy painting a waterline stripe on the boat whilst I keep him entertained setting the right rhythm for him get his brush stroking to.

It's funny but as the week has worn on the locals now wave and beep their horns as they pass and word has gotten out into the village that the Brits are playing guitar and singing in the mornings. Quite few people have stopped and chatted as result. I even took the guitar down to Dyonasis and played there the other night over a couple of beers.

These are the German couple who have been painting their boat ready to launch it this weekend from the same yard as us. They seemed very nice and came for a drink of the local wine that the Greek lads in the yard gave us, we have been given another one and half litres since the last time.

The Greek Fisherman who has been painting his boat at the other end of the yard launched it this evening but as they pushed it down the slip way the wheel came off so we helped jack it up so it could be pushed in. By the time we got into the village this evening word was already all around about how we had helped.

The chap in the boat was the one who gave us the first bottle of wine for the coffee we gave him. The tractor driver just got chatting one evening and came back with another bottle.

Sam, Tasos and Me outside Tomorrow Restaurant where we ate tonight after a hard day packing the boat and a trip over to Lefkas to register the boat with the Port Police prior to launch tomorrow all being well.

Thursday 22nd May

A Stork nesting on the telegraph wires in Vonitsa, loads of Sparrows were nesting below it as well.

Shower arrangements are a bit primitive but if you fill the hose and leave it for a while in the sun the first bit out is red hot before it goes cold.

Wednesday 21st May

 Got up early this morning and headed into the village to find somewhere open as the lentil soup I’d made for tea last night was having the desired effect if not a little too pressing for comfort!

Came back to find Sam had bought Pain au Chocolates for breakfast so sat in the sun with a coffee and played guitar for a while until Eddie arrived with the post. Some good news in that Insurance cover has arrived but no Greek copy which is annoying. Sam had gone to great pains to request it so means further delay in being able to get the boat in the water. Also no sign of the Small Ships transfer of owner document, it looks like it’s been done as a copy on line but no hard copy in post yet. We went up to Eddie’s and used his phone to chase up offices in the UK to find they are all apparently in the post so down to the vagaries of the Greek Postal system now.

We were both feeling a bit cheesed off at the delay so went into Vonitsa so Sam could get a mobile phone and our spirits were raised a bit by seeing a lady Greek Tortoise wandering across the road. So like good gentlemen we stopped and assisted her across so as she didn’t get run over. Unfortunately both of us had forgotten our cameras. However, she reminded me of the tortoise I had had as a kid. We also spotted a couple of Stork nests on to top of the telegraph poles entering Vonitsa and loads of Sparrows nesting below them.

Vonitsa was hot and sticky, strange in a way as the mountains in the background still have quite a bit of snow on the tops. We both went for a snorkel around the bay on getting back, the local chaps are pulling out quite big Sea Bass they are spear gun fishing but we didn’t see any. Apparently they are quite common in the harbour this time of the year.

We had a local chap come and look over the boat tonight and he said it seemed very well maintained, we also had a beer with a couple of the Sunsail/Ionian Cruise lads and made a few contacts for advice and boat services so feel much more confident now about actually getting the boat in the water before the weekend if we can make contact with the Crane Man.

I made a coffee for one of the local fisherman the other day who was painting his boat and tonight he brought us a bottle of local fortified wine in return. Not bad but tastes like a cross between Sherry and Rose wine, pretty strong but Eddie says it doesn’t give you a hangover, although I think I give it a miss trying that out.

Thursday 22nd May

Eddie has phoned Sam to say he has made contact with the Crane Man who will try and lift boat into the water Saturday morning so fingers crossed we could be on our way!

Tuesday 20th May

Sitting in Tomorrow Bar at present having just quaffed a jar of Methos beer and thrashed Sam 3-0 at Backgammon feeling rather good.

Seems funny to think we originally planned to have arrived today with the Corribee but we actually got here two days early, it has really thrown my sense of time out of the window.

We spent today scrubbing the boat down, sanding off the loose paint and then washing the upper decks down before painting new  anti-slip paint on the upper deck. The weather has been great with hot sun so we had to break off just after lunchtime to go for a swim and cool off and then clean up with a shower under the hose on the hard. The boat is looking good though with the attention we have given it.

Think we will put the mosquito net up tonight as there have been one or two persistent little intruders each night so far and I seem to have developed the odd lump on my shins even though I am in a sheet liner under my sleeping back, canny little fellows these Greek mozzies!

The locals have started to talk to us and shout as they go past seeing us working on the boat
quite nice as it makes us feel part of the community.

Monday 19th May

Eddie who Sam bought the boat off called by this morning to drop off a few extra bits and loan us a vacuum cleaner that Sam has put to good use whilst I had a strum on the guitar, there was not enough room for two chaps in the boat to clean at the same time was my excuse.

After cleaning we drove over to Lefkas town and bought some bits for the boat like paint, fenders and other bits and bobs and bought a bag of whitebait in a little fish shop for tea. On the drive back we spotted a Pelican flying over us.

I cooked tea whilst Sam finished off packing and moving things on the boat to the sound of a Cetti's Warbler in the bamboo bushes next to where we are camped, for such a small bird it has a very loud call, louder than a wren.
It was joined this morning by a Sardinian Warbler that scolded and followed one of the local cats from the safety of the bushes by the side of the road.

Sam washing up after dinner, the whitebait were delicious with just bread and tomatoes in olive oil and basalmic dressing.

A few more photos of the journey down

Heading towards the Gotthard Pass, Switzerland

Sam checking the ferry is backing up correctly

On the beach with Sunsail Vounaki in the background not quite a week since we left!

Sam on Bryher Rose, hopefully the bottom half will be in water later this week!

2nd part of the journey to Greece

Sam was quite excited about the drive down and all the new sites but not the best of co-pilots when it was my turn to drive!

We managed to get to about 50 miles north of Ancona where we stopped in fair sized town on the coast for the night deciding to get a hotel as it was late and there had been a few spots of rain. We found a place after a lot of detours around the city recommended by locals at the San Marco and after dropping the bags off hit the town. There was some sort of music festival going on in the square so we had a beer or two watching the live acts who all seemed to sing English songs with introductions in a variety of other languages.

The following morning we checked out and set off for Ancona in the hope we might be able to get on anearly ferry and as luck would have it we did and caught the 2.00 pm sailing, two days earlier than planned.

The boys enjoy a glass of wine with lunch as they leave Italy.

It's the last time I let Sam arrange the luxury accommodation on board though!

The first part of the journey to Greece

We made Dover in good time arriving about 2 hours early so managed to get on the 10 am sailing after a very pleasant crossing. We drove down through France stopping off in a little village for dinner before carrying on down through Belgium and the Luxembourg where we stayed ina little hotel for the night near a place called Saverene.

Next morning we were off early down back into France and then along the Rhine into Switzerland where we had a minor detour around Basle when Sam took a right turn a bit too early, still a nice brief tour of the city before we found a way back out onto the motorway. It gave us chance to see the Swiss trams tramming along!

It cost us 36 Euros to get into Switzerland to use the roads, they gave us change in Swiss Francs that we spent in a motorway stop, Sam got the coffee that worked out at roughly 7 pounds for a tiny cup that we shared about half a mouth full each and it was horrible to boot, worst coffee we've had all trip!

The trip down through Switzerland was very scenic as we gradually lost the lower land around the Rhine and climbed up into the mountains that still had quite a bit of snow on the peaks. There were also loads of Red Kites about, sometimes up to a dozen or more in view at the same time. The road up to the Gotthard pass was easy with a small queue to separate the traffic but not much to see for the 17km of the actual tunnel then down into Italy through beautiful glacial valleys with high waterfalls, hanging valleys, snow on the peaks and impressive bridges and tunnels. We crossed the the boarder into Italy late afternoon and then headed on down south.

Getting ready to return to Greece May 2014

Sam on the back of Cali Rosa the Corribee we were going to trail down to Italy and then take on the ferry to Greece. After all the preparatory work we did he saw a boat in Greece with an offer to good to miss so yesterday we took it over to Cannock to store it whilst we are away.

The caption on the magazine says it all for the new owner!

Me, Monica, Viv and Sam on the back of Bryher Rose a Westerly Tiger 27 our replacement vessel that should offer a bit more comfort.

John, Jerry, Me and Chris looking around the new boat.

Bryher Rose in all her glory prior to launching when we return in just over a weeks time.

Wednesday 14th May

The front of the house is covered in Wisteria flowers at the moment and looks a treat but will need trimming back again soon. I cut the grass the other day in between showers whilst it was just dry enough but have had to leave the end bit for now.
In the last few days there have been quite a few birds in the garden, noticable compared to how few we actually saw during our two weeks in Greece. The Mallards are coming back to be fed each day, Mrs Duck actually comes to find me if she wants food and follows me around the garden until I feed her, she has me well trained.
Stuart the Starling is busy with his wife feeding a very noisy brood in the garage roof who must be close to fledging now as they are leaning out the nest hole waiting for food. Unfortunately no activity in the House Sparrow nest box recently, looks like they have gone. I reckon they could have become Sparrow Hawk dinner as one flew threw the garden yesterday afternoon.
The Great Spotted Woodpecker has been visiting the nuts early morning as well.

My raised bed is coming on with onions, raddish, rocket, lettuce and broad beans all sprouting and beetroot and spinnage just starting to show.

The little pond is starting to clear, the water lilly has sprouted leaves and looks like it has a few flower buds on it too. The pond is full of tadpoles so hopefully we will have a crop of froglets although I saw a Blackbird at the edge the other day possibly eating them if the got too close.

Viv has started to move her pottery stuff into the "Old Goat Shed" or Wife Hutch, hopefully by the time I get back from Greece the back room will be empty and I can move the music gear in there and have a practice room where I can plug the amp in too.

I have half packed ready for tomorrow and just need to finish off now and hope I haven't fogotten anything.

Last photos from Vounaki

Dennis and me getting ready for the last race on Saturday.

What the best dressed women should be wearing when sailing with Sam in Greece.

Sometimes the heat and excitement all get a little too much for the more senior members of the party!

Dennis and I sailing out in the Vago at the start of the last race