Lefkas - Wednesday 5 September 2018

As planned we got up early and left our anchorage by 8:30 am.  Lefkas is only 25 miles away, but with our fouled hull and prop we are only making about 4.5 knots.  Richard put up the main while we were at anchor (a good way to ensure you are facing into the wind when it goes up).  The weather started with 9 knots of wind from behind, but despite trying we couldn’t get the boat to do sufficient speed to make it to Lefkas in time, before the big blow, so we motored a lot of the way.  But in the last one to one and a half hours the wind got right up.  It was blowing 15-17 knots with gusts up to 20 knots.  As it was behind us (just off the stern) it was comfortable and suddenly we were doing 5-6knots.  We had planned to get to the Lefkas canal bridge in time for the 3pm opening, but we made it in time for the 2pm one.  That was just as well as after we got in the marina we saw a notice saying they weren’t doing the 3pm opening this month!

Queuing for the bridge opening was a bit of an experience.  First we had to get the main sail down.  Although the approach to the bridge was in much calmer waters that the approaches, it was still blowing strong.  Richard decided not to go upwind but instead just drop it as it was.  That sort of worked, but the sail fell out of the bag and R had to go forward to sort it out leaving me on helm.  This was a challenge because there were quite a few boats, over a dozen and one large sailing boat in particular scared the life out of me by turning right across my path not once but twice.  When I protested they just got amused - Brits too!

Anyway we made the bridge opening and got into the marina.  Although the berthing is free for us (worth a lot as this is known to be a particularly expensive marina) we have to pay for water and electricity.  But at most that will cost us 10 Euro, so not bad.  We have also found a company to sort out our outboard and get a diver down to clean our prop, bow thruster and area around the log, so it can read properly. We have however, another problem. The hot water heater has stopped getting the water hot from the engine.  We had this problem with three years ago and it was repaired. Now it needs replacement anyway so we shall just have to be without running hot water when we are connected to the mains.  It is hot here, so cold showers are not really a problem, just a nuisance.  We also have the camp shower, originally bought for this very reason.

So we will take it easy over the next two days.  That is just as well as Richard has developed a rotten cold.  I put it down to plane journeys.

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