Tuesday 7^th September – Messolonghi (Sea trials)

38:21.668N 21:25.004E

After last night’s excitement we abandoned plans for an early departure.  Around midday we finished preparations and cast off the lines on Blue Elephant.  Electric Monk joined us in the canal as they decided to head off too for a few days - they are heading for the Gulf of Corinth whilst we are heading for the Ionian. 

We reached the bottom of the canal but Blue Elephant was sluggish in the water and not making much way, barely above 4 knots, even with a lot of revs on the engine; she had obviously become badly fouled whilst in the marina over the summer. 

We came back to the marina and berthed again.  Richard and Gavin both donned wetsuits and dived below to see what was causing the problem; the propeller was clean but the hull was covered in crud.  So, they spent the afternoon scraping the hull of all the various life-forms that had made a home there over the last couple of months.

This evening we had dinner aboard Blue Elephant.