Towards Turkey Day 2
St Barbara's Web Diary
Peter & Sue Goldsmith
Fri 2 May 2008 17:12
17.00 2nd May
Well we are in a different world and it comes as something of a shock.
>From noon yesterday the wind filled in and the engine went off. We sailed
close
hauled for some 18 hours in good conditions laying our course for the
western end of Cyprus at Paphos. There was a hiccup in the night when the
autopilot failed and we did a 360 degree turn. Our wind vane steering was
quickly put into action and we continued merrily on our way.
By sunrise we were entering the harbour at Paphos with nothing moving.
The harbour master saw us and motioned us alongside our friends on
Albert II. As quietly as possible we put lines onto them but it was not long
before Jim's head popped up to see what was going on. Coffee appeared and we
caught up with each others passage events. By 9am we had completed all the
check in procedures and fuel was organised. What it is like to be back in
"civilisation"!
The quay in this small harbour was coming to life with tourists and boat
trips. While the crew explored the delights the captain set about the
problem of the autopilot. The problem was quickly traced to worn motor
brushes and
new ones fitted. Diesel was delivered and put in the tank and not long after
that
we were off for a trip with Jim's parents to see the sights and ancient
monuments.
An old haunt of Jim's from his RAF days, The Bunch of Grapes restaurant
provided us with a superb lunch sitting under the vines in the sunshine high
in the hills above the coast and then it was off to see temples and castles
around Akrotiri and Episcopi. A great afternoon and hence the lateness of
this entry. What will not be late, is bedtime, after a tiring couple of days
but with a celebration that we are really in the Mediterranean precisely 300
miles from the Suez Canal Yacht Club although feeling as if they are a
million miles apart.