20/04/23  at anchor Kilada.

Weather: Warm and sunny, Temp 25’c. light variable wind.

I woke up this morning with a very painful  swelling just above my left elbow joint. Didn’t take much notice at first and thought that I must have knocked it yesterday during the lift in. Over breakfast Chris noticed a turtle swimming quite happily across the bow of the boat, the first of many sightings we hope.

After breakfast we put the main on, all went smoothly and the new furler gear worked very well, the sail ran in and out of the mast smoothly without any creases and didn’t need any manual assistance to get it along the boom. Well done Chris.

We left Kilada at 1100 under engine as there was only 5kts of breeze for the 12nm journey to Porto Kheli. Arrived at Porto Kheli at 1310 and anchored in 2.6m. The wind got up once we arrived but we had dug the anchor in well. 

During the journey I noticed that my arm was getting progressively more swollen and becoming very painful until it was affecting how I was using my arm. It got even worse as the day wore on until I thought I should get it looked at and maybe get some antibiotics as it was by now hot to touch and very swollen. We tried a pharmacy but they all were closed until 1730 so we decided to go back to see if I could get some antibiotics then. On visiting the pharmacy at 1730 we were told that I would need a doctors prescription for oral antibiotics and needed to visit the hospital in Kranidi, thoughts of dejavue with Chris last year came to mind. A €10 taxi ride later we were in the hospital in Kranidi. There was only 2 other people waiting to be seen and I was seen in 20mins, given a steroid injection and told to come back at 0830 the next morning for an x-ray and blood test. A bit different to the crowded A+E departments in the UK. We got a €10 taxi back to Porto Kheli and were back on board the boat at 1920.

21/04/23    Porto Kheli at anchor.

Weather: warm Temp 25’c, light SE wind.

Got up early to get to the hospital for 0830. On arrival I immediately had a blood test and then an X-ray. I was seen by the doctor about 20mins later but had to wait half an hour for the blood test results. X-ray and bloods all normal, so the doctor prescribed some oral antibiotics and a steroid and antibiotic cream and we were finished in an hour and half. There was only one doctor and one nurse on duty, no computers only the famous Greek ledgers to write in and only a few people waiting to be seen, none waiting more than 20 mins. The EHIC card was accepted and the prescription only cost €14 for two items. What are we doing wrong in the UK?

Back on Muskie we decided we had better go and get our papers stamped by the dreaded Port Police (PP). Brexit has caused the EU so many problems with us sailors because we used to have free movement within the EU before Brexit and now we are classed as a 3rd country. Unlike other EU countries, Greece, unfortunately, has not coped with the changes this entails very well with each customs and PP interpreting the changes differently. So us sailors, who just want to obey the law, find ourselves being advised very differently at each port of call. Some Police are just about tolerant but others go out of their way to be officious and sometimes very unpleasant. Porto Kheli is one such place were the PP are extremely officious and very unfriendly. With our papers in hand we trudged off in fear and trepidation. Our fears were confirmed when the officer on duty glared at us as we walked in. Then the trial started, we had a new transit log, this meant we didn’t have the stamp that showed we had arrived in Pots Kheli in November last year, then he started on the fact that we should have logged our papers with him once Muskie had been taken out of the water to stop the need to pay for the cruising tax every month. We tried to explain that this was not necessary when a boat is out of the water but he wasn’t going to listen to us. I could feel the cost of fines racking up as he spoke and putting his head in is hands from time to time. We think he even phoned the yard where Muskie had been all winter to confirm that she had been there when we said she had, even though we showed him a paid receipt from the yard with dates on to confirm this. He was not a happy bunny. In the end we got away without a fine, he stamped our documents and didn’t even say good bye. We got out of there as quickly as possible. 

To cap it all, the outboard, that has been running beautifully since we got back has suddenly started playing up and refusing to start.

Rowing the dinghy back to Muskie and mentally drained by now we had some lunch and a relax in the sun. I took the first of my antibiotics and hoped that the pain and swelling would soon improve.