36:57.59N 21 55 80E Petalidi 29-30 July

NO VIBRATIONS AT ALL - Everything ok again

A short test run to Petalidi from Kalamata, just 9 Nm.

Mr Perkins starts and stops and runs without any scary noises. Vibrations are totally gone.

Propeller, shaft, bearings , gearbox and motor are working in total harmony again.

The change of the 4 motor mounts from 55 to 65 (that's the stiffness of the rubber) made the trick.

We had 5 very intense days in Marina Kalamata.

Filling water and diesel. Changing gas bottle. Getting a new 1 year stamp from the coast guard.

Major shopping at Liedl filling up freezer & fridge plus wine, beer, ouzo ..

There was REA all over so we took the chance and bought shorts and T-shirts, 17 garments.

Ioannis and his crew took on the sweaty work to dismantle the what was necessary to fix the problems with vibrations and cracking noise while running the motor.

The important "disk" (they call it that in Greece) was send to Athens. Checked and send back. All sound. 70 Euros instead of 550 (the price of a new one).

All 4 engine mounts has to be changed. Again there was a major search for these in Athens. The old ones was 55. Not available.

In the end they manage to find 65:s, 80 Euros a piece. No receipt, only hard cash wanted. OK. 

It was an insurance matter with Pantenius. But the first 1300 Euros we have to pay.

After been watching and getting to now these hard working guys we decided to service gear box and motor as well.

Oil, filters, impeller ...

The whole boat was upside down at the moment anyway. Easy access to things and the tools and the skilled labour was at hand.

All in we paid ca 1050 Euros. We where happy, they where happy and Pantenius didn't have to pay a thing.

Grete and I cleaned ropes, checked the hydraulics; steering and keel. Topped up with some oil and checked for leaks and tightened nuts here and there. All ok. Rudder got a new can of Parmaflex Lubrication, automatic greasing for 6 months.

We totally emptied the "lazaretto" from gear. Removed floor boards and checked for any wear and tear, leaks ... Again some nuts needed tightening. Then we dressed the whole compartment with a kind of rubber mats you use in a gym. Now the storage boxes doesn't move around that easy any more, and it's such a relief for your knees when you need to crawl around there in close tight quarters.

Yesterday, after the short test run, we anchored in just 2 m:s in a calm buy just outside Petalidi. Relaxing, swimming, reading, recovering ... At night we had Tacos, yummy. Slept in the cock pit. 

Today we plan to go to Mechoni, 28 Nm. Supposed to be an interesting site. 

Now it's time for breakfast. Then a shave and a hair cut.

This morning we also hoisted a brand new EU flag together with the Swedish one.