Electrical storm. Saturday, 11th August, 2012.

Ariel of Hamble
Jim and Valerie SHURVELL
Mon 13 Aug 2012 17:54

Electrical storm.  Saturday, 11th August, 2012.

 

We left Zakynthos town and motored up to Nikolaos where we had lunch and swam.  The afternoon breeze came in a little earlier than usual so we decided we would have dinner and by then the breeze will have died and it would be safe to dinghy ashore.  It finally dropped around nine o’clock and it was now dark so we decided to continue reading our books and give the shore walk a miss.

 

Around 10.45 p.m. we started to tidy up for bed time. “We will leave the dinghy in the water as it is quiet and peaceful and we can swim in the morning.”  I have a wash, cleaned my teeth and took off my swimsuit and was just getting into bed when I heard a cry for help to get the dinghy on its davits.  Back on goes the swimsuit to help.  An electrical storm had built and was heading our way and the wind with it was just about to hit us from the NE, an 180 degree swimg.  As we were hidden behind the island we knew we were quite safe from the North West wind we have every day but not in a north east wind which was hitting us.  Ariel started to charge around on her chain of which we had plenty out because that is what you are supposed to do with a Delta.  (New one has arrived in Lefkas so we on our way to collect it). 

 

Jim was not happy to stay in the harbour as all the boats were starting to surge around and you could hear anchor chains coming up all over the place.  We had three choices, return to Zakynthos town. stay out at sea or cross over to Sami on Cephalonia.  We decided on Zakynthos town as we knew the harbour and if it was very busy we could anchor out of the way.

 

Safely anchored we got to bed at 3 a.m. exhausted but safe.  Life has never been dull with Jim and this was a first for the record books as we motored in a confused sea with an electrical storm along a coast we were unsure of but knowing the chart plotter would get us there.  The electrical storm moved quite fast and disappeared quickly but left behind some very concerned yacht skippers.