Day 7 Friday 8th
June 2018
We had made arrangements last
night for the waterman to top off our tanks at 0700hrs. I was awake about
0600hrs thinking about getting up when the boat started rocking fairly roughly
again. Nowhere near as bad as yesterday morning but enough to get me on deck to
see what was happening. I could see nothing. However the number of people
walking past indicated to me that the Ferry must be in. These Greek ferries
which criss cross the islands show little respect for other shipping or any
posted speed limits. Their attitude seems to be ‘I’m trying to earn a living,
these other boats are just tourists.’ Hence we get woken at Oh Christ Double O
by their wash.
0700hrs came and went. No
waterman. Whilst Tim went to the port office to see where he was Mike laid out
the water hose, connected it to both our stern tank and the tap on shore and
turned it on. Checked the water was flowing and turned off again. Not long
after the waterman arrived, saw all was connected asked “is that your boat?”
“Yes.” And then asked “Why have you not turned the tap on?” “We were told to
wait for you.” He shrugged his shoulders. Turned on the tap and cycled away
again.
0751hrs. Departed Kos Old
Harbour under power. Once outside the harbour we hoisted gib and main and soon
had a Gullwing out and were running before the wind. There was a good strong
wind for the next couple of hours as we ran South down the coast of Kos. On
this side of the island there was little to no habitation. Mike was offered the
helm and gladly took it. The wind fairly bowling us along. Six knots being the
average but often we were in the upper sevens, touching eights. At one point I
managed 9.9 knots a very respectable speed. Tim and David had been sailing for
five weeks and had only reached this speed once before when Jane, Suzie’s
sister had the helm. Thus I was joint record holder.
There were only two small
glitches.
The one that causes me the most embarrassment
is when with the boat, running tight to the wind was hit by a sudden, even
stronger gust of wind, despite it blowing strong, the boat really started to
heel over. We had done this on a few occasions earlier today but this seemed
quite violent. I recall squealing like a little girl and shouting “Tim.” He,
stood behind the other wheel was glanced down at the Garmin, looked up and
immediately grabbed the wheel and put us hard a’larboard, into the wind, the
situation was resolved. Lesson. If in doubt face into the wind.
The other occasion was when the
wind dropped off as though the ‘fan’ had been switched off. The gib, we had
taken in the main at this point, flew to the other side and we turned a
complete circle. Most strange.
1230hrs Motor into Kali
Harbour. This according to the charts had a very shallow draft. We had 2.1
metres under the keel and so took our entrance with caution. To add to the
inconvenience there was a strong wind blowing us. Yes the sails were down but
when the engine was placed in slow or neutral the wind took over. Most
disconcerting. Eventually we tied up on the furthest side from the tavernas and
other moored yachts. We broke out the beer and congratulated ourselves upon
what had been a tricky manoeuvre getting alongside. We had also fixed springs.
After a while, sat relaxed, the
Coastguard drives up and tells us we will have to move as we are berthed on the
cross island ferry point. Politely pointing out there is nothing to indicate
this he too shrugs his shoulders and walks away. He expects us to move and of
course we do. He has directed us to the side of a sign that says Mary
Magdalene. We reverse in and warp up.
M and J go ashore to stretch
their legs and try to locate a resto for tonight. At some point we enter a gift
shop where there were various objects stamped with Donkey logos. T shirts mugs,
towels etc. We bought a Donkey bottle opener for Callum. The lady spoke good
English and I asked where we might find a good Greek resto selling traditional
food. “You want fish chips?” “No, if we wanted Fish and chips we would have
stayed in England.” She gave us a card of a resto she maintained she ate in
owned by a Greek family and suggested we try there.
Walking back towards the harbour
we bumped into Suzie who was off in search of Honey to take home tomorrow as a
gift. She was also on the lookout for a taxi rank to organize her cab to the
airport tomorrow am. “Tim’s in a bar around the corner.” She said. We found him
online on Wi-Fi updating his log. We sat with Tim for a beer for a while before
returning to the boat. The Stopportons still restless then decided to walk to Anemos
resto on the seafront which had been recommended as a good Greek family
restaurant on a recce. As much to locate it in anticipation of tonight’s meal
as something to do. This part of town was nowhere near as commercialized as the
far side of the harbour. The other side as you walked past a bar you were
accosted “Best fish and chips.” “Good burgers.” These statements reinforced by
huge plasticised boards with all the combinations available. ‘Blackpool in the
Aegean’. We turned a corner and there was Anemos. It looked pretty good. We
were welcomed and I asked if we could look at a menu for this evening. Nothing
was too much trouble. He named various fishes that had been landed today and
would be on the menu. We returned to Chrysanthi.
I had been sat in the cockpit
beneath the shade of the bimini updating my diary. My eyes kept closing. Sod it
I thought, I would go below and have a snooze. This would be the first time I
had taken a nap during the day in the six days we had been aboard. Below in the
cabin I switched on the 12v bulkhead fan, the two small ‘portholes’ did not
allow that much ventilation, and stretched out on the bed. Just before I
dropped off I was joined by Jackie. The time was 1530 hrs.
1700hrs. There was
commotion. It was that which brought me to wakefulness. Tim and Suzies voices
could be heard. They were explaining to somebody that they had already moved
and were told to moor stern on here. There were also loud shouts coming from
various other points from within the harbour. I thought it best I go on deck.
Emerging, there before me, was a scene of chaos. Three grockle boats with
hundreds of tourists on board were staring down upon us. They insisted the mooring
we had taken was theirs. Yes. This we agreed, ‘cos it said so on the wall but
we were well clear. The coastguard had told us it was OK when he inspected
after we moved. There was much shouting now and shrugging of shoulders from all
sides, all of this directed at us. The captain of the pirate boat seems to
think we have dropped our anchor over his lazy lines. We disagreed but due to
the amount of shouting and screaming we thought we might well move.
We motored across to another
jetty and settled down once more. Barely thirty minutes had elapsed before the
local fishing boats, the smaller ones, started leaving the inner harbour. Then
one of the other boats moored behind us started its engine, the skipper, it was
only a one man boat, started chatting away to us. He told us we were ok where
we were ‘Do not worry.” Now a much larger three crewed fishing boat wanted to
come and moor behind us. There was however no drama. He simply slid in behind.
Tim and I leapt ashore as the crew threw us bow and stern lines. We made fast
around a couple of rings and were immediately made honorary crew members. These
guys did not seem to be speaking Greek more Arabic but Tim said he did not
recognize the dialect. They soon had a ‘table’ laid out on the aft deck and a
fan of something heating through. It was scran time for them.
The journey down today had thrown
up a fair amount of salt spray. All on board had showers prior to G+Ts in the
cockpit then the short ten minute tab to Anemos Restaurant for dinner. This was
a great feast at E100 including tip for five, Last nights in Kos Old Harbour
had been E230. It had however been a different location and type of
establishment. We sat looking out over the palm fringed beach over the radiant
blue waters and gradually watched, between mouthfuls of very good scran, the
sun set.
The return journey was via the
main avenue of shops and stallholders. Avenue perhaps bestowing upon it a
degree of sophistication that might well have been missing but the myriad
lights and numerous languages and dialects added a certain something. |Tim
stopped off to purchase some new shorts. David walked on and was soon swallowed
up in the throng, Mike and Jackie stood outside the shop bemused as Tim spent
some considerable Tim looking through the women’s selection before the shop owner
directed him towards the men’s rack at the rear of the shop. They walked off
giggling.
Now back at the boat, we all
seemed to arrive out of the darkness at the same moment. We had a wee nightcap
before bed at 2230hrs.
