Fwd: 10 April 2016
ALKIRA
Charles & Maggie Bevis
Sun 10 Apr 2016 11:08
> With 3 days to go we are nearly ready for departure for the new season.
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> We have been saying our farewells to friends here in Lymington and further a field as we pack bags ready to Easyjet back to Athens on 13April. The clocks have gone forward and the days are getting longer. The stunning display of dafs outside the house have been really fantastic this year and have been in flower for over 8 weeks. The gardner has recently started his work for the spring and the grounds look really smart. Our neighbours took us out for dinner last Thursday (to celebrate our departure??) and it will be a wrench to leave them (again)! We have made good friends here in the last 18 months
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> Travel to Gatwick from Lymington is not easy. Trains go via London which means two changes and a hike across town and even then its not that cheap for two travellers. A taxi from here is even more expensive at >£110!
> The alternative is to hire car. The first half dozen times I tried to book this service with Euopcar on the internet the web page indicated this one-way service/deal was not available …. and then ping! "Southampton airport to LGW one-way for £49:00” the offer popped up and was booked just like that. All very odd really. Other web sites advertised a lower price but if you booked and followed the link to the final (payment) page the small print at the foot of the form contains detail of a substantial surcharge for one-way rentals - almost doubling the hire charge!
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> Anyway transport is now sorted and on Tuesday morning yours truly will get the train from Lymington Town to Southampton Airport to collect the a Fiat 500. Maggie will cancel the tax on her car and lock it in the garage and then with bags packed we are ready to go, but….. It's so comfortable at home that there is an element of reluctance and laziness! However the sunshine beckons.
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> ALKIRA is in a cradle and there is work to be done. I am expecting only to be doing touch-up to antifouling this year around the waterline, then there is a repair to the bow thrust and the bow thrust tunnel guards and a new deck shower to install. The water maker has been refurbished and I saw it on a bench test in southampton last week and the new mainsail is on it’s way to Greece already from Lymington.
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> As for our itinerary, our plans are also up in the air. Our goal for this season had been to reach Istanbul. We had planned to sail via Zakinthos and Crete but the deterioration of the political situation in the Eastern Med has given us cause us to pause and re consider. The plan now is still to sail south around the Peloponesis and onward to Crete but after that our plans are not crystallised. We will talk to other sailors and locals and our plans will be formulated from there. We are both relaxed and looking forward to the season.
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> Charlie Bevis
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