Bumpy crossing to Rocella Ionica, on the ball of Italy`s foot

chrisandjane aboard Liveloula
Chris Cooke
Thu 25 Sep 2014 08:06

38:19.50N 16:26.00E

Tuesday 23/Wednesday 24/Thursday 25 September Final prep. Interesting two day passage to Rocella Ionica, on the ball of Italy`s foot

Depart Cleopatra, Preveza1645 Tues Arrive Rocella Ionica 1430thurs 207nm 8M 5MS 33S

D`fly solar cells rigged and connected, extra jerry cans bought, filled and lashed to plank, final collection of clothes/bits from Lula. Check chartplotter is working, after locating well stowed chip. Ready to go by 1300. Too windy – blowing f5 here, more out there. Decide lunch at marina tavern. Passageweather is giving N f4,5 &6s, easing tomorrow, and dyeing to nothing. Decide a good reach is what we want, so set off at1645. Can always duck in to Vasiliki if horrendous and set off again tomorrow. Warp up one space to windward and marina staff hold line to turn D`fly stern into strong wind. Even with new prop and big revs v slow progress astern into wind. Others watching with interest. Keep going out of marina entrance and much further off lee shore before go forward and spin round to get bows into wind and off lee shore. Motor out of long fairway with adverse current. Large swell against us so slow progress. Escape fairway. Hoist sails – 3 reefs and not much genoa. Course 260, 205nm. Find being headed 220/210. Hardly clearing N tip of Levkas, so motor sail to assist punching thro swell. Where`s the Nly? Head down W coast of Levkas and gradually get lift to just make 260 close hauled. Already 10 miles down from straight line course. V bumpy inhere – no one has supper. Shake out top reef. Skip and Jamie do night watches. Jane gets little sleep as bows thumping on waves all night. D`fly is a dry boat, but still frequent spray. Skip feels sea sick. Able to do night watches, with a few visits to leeward rails. Reefs shaken out, put back in, genoa in and out. All combinations as windspeed increased further out, dropped off, blew up again etc etc. Felt like big sea running, but couldn`t see in dark – probably just as well. Frisky tight fetch on stbd making 5plus knts, but frequently stopped by big rollers. At least now heading straight for destination. On one of skips watches couldn`t get her going – sails looked Ok in torchlight – so just let go tiller. D`fly steered herself and picked up 2knts! Too bumpy for serious cooking. Many cereal bars. Where are the ginger biscuits when needed?! Wed breakfast comprised reheated Mousaka, from Mon night doggy bag. After 20 hrs wind fell off. Able to fetch with full sails, still on stbd. Still a bit bumpy. Sometime wind died completely so had to motor in full sun, swap flags, then filled in from SSW as forecast. Could just about hold course of 260, but now on port. Low grey clouds came in too, then our own private thunderstorm with torrential rain and strong squalls requiring full reefs on Jamie`s watch. Skip got soaked assisting reefing. Big swell running from SW now. Concerned Rocella Ionica entrance could be dangerous. (pilot warns a 37ft Hanse got inverted going over bar in a f5 in 2004) Clouds pass thro quite quickly. All tired and v hungry. Jamie cooks up wonderful bacon and baked beans (Heinz). Wind still SSW, but f2 so motor sail last 5hrs. Swell drops off. No longer worried. Call up HM on VHF as entrance subject to silting. Says no problem. Tie up on wobbly catway. Immediate beers. Quick naps, visit HM for paperwork (30euros)Showers (not worth the long walk), borrow bikes and quick dash to town 2km along sea front cycleway. Get Tim dongle, fruit and bread. Have to return bikes by 1900. (Now on Italian time, which is BST+1).Gets dark 1930, as we sit for superb 1metre pizza served on plank. Salad dismal.(Came here last year on passage down when Rosemary was crewing, but now very quiet – was heaving last time as mid season). Draft beer excellent. 50euros all in – half for the beer! Crash early for deep peaceful sleeps. Need to be up at 0400 – Jamie`s got a plane to catch on Sunday ….

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