We arrived at 1040 and radioed the marina who said they would send out a rib out to help us into the berth. A rib duly arrived and tried to confirm that we were only staying one night. When we told him we were booked for an in water berth until the end of September he asked us wait outside the marina while he checked with the office. We duly waited and after about 10 minutes he returned and asked us to go into the marina where he would be waiting to show us to our berth. We made our way into the marina only to be asked again to wait outside the marina while he disappeared in his rib. We turned around and headed out again to wait. He turned up again after about 10 minutes and just as we were about to follow him into the marina he changed his mind again and asked us wait just inside the marina entrance this time, they still hadn’t found us a berth. After about another 10 minutes he came out again and asked us to follow him. He went off in his rib and directed us down a very narrow trot to a finger pontoon berth. Chris had to manoeuvre Muskie with very little room either side and reverse into the berth (previous readers will appreciate just how difficult this is in Muskrat). Just as we were lined up and making our way into the berth, they asked us to stop and leave the trot as this was the wrong berth. Trying to get out again was difficult and the staff had to help pushing us round with the rib so that we could make our way out of the trot. He then directed us down another trot, this time a bit wider, to a stern to berth that Chris managed to reverse into with a little help from the rib on the bow. All this took about 45 minutes and was very stressful. We were disappointed to say the least, we had booked this stay many months ago and had kept the marina informed all the time we had been out here of our progress and any changes, they obviously had not pre planned a berth for us before we arrived and had not informed their staff who are supposed to put you in a suitable berth for your length of stay.

After we had sorted the lines out and had a cup of much needed coffee, we went to the office to pay for the berth and to book in. There was another surprise awaiting us. We new how much the berth was going to cost us but in the process of paying they asked for a monthly charge on top. On asking what this monthly charge was for, the receptionist listed the facilities that were on site like the showers, the laundry, the water and the electric. OK we said, so the cost of the water, the electric and laundry is included in the monthly fee? Oh no, we also had to pay for the amount of water we used and the amount of electric and the laundry facilities on top of the monthly fee. We didn’t really get a good idea what the monthly fee was for at all but we had to pay it. On the positive side, we asked to stay 3 extra nights and we were not charged for those, so we didn’t argue too much. 

After all this excitement, we went looking for the chandlery hoping that our order of antifouling, rope, blackwater tank solution, engine fuel cleaner, 3 new house batteries and some tested shackles were waiting for us, they were, we walked out of the chandlers with our shopping feeling a bit better if not a lot lighter in cash.

We walked into Lavrion and did some food shopping to last us until we leave. 

On top of all this, our water maker filter that we ordered from the company in Trinidad is now stuck in Athens customs waiting for payment of VAT, agents fees and customs fees that all adds up to over half the cost again of the filter! We paid the invoice as soon as we got it but they say they can’t see any payment having been made and requested a photo of proof of payment. Chris sent off a copy of our bank statement showing the amount had gone from our account but that was not good enough for them. We are now possibly facing storage fees as well through no fault of our own:( It is all very frustrating and stressful - we thought sailing is supposed to be relaxing.