Catching-up time…..

24 hours after arriving Preveza we were finally launched, couple hours later than expected because Cleopatra Boatyard were dealing with someone else’s crises.  Being ‘last boat lifted and launched’ that day we expected to be able to stay (freebies) in the lifting-bay overnight. That ended-up costing us €57 for the privilege of having to be underway at 0630 next morning! Hence up and underway, cuppa tea on hook, then heading south towards Lefkas and on towards Sivota where we put hook in dirt for next few days. Our friends Tree and Mike lent us one of their cars (the BMW they lent us in 2007 now with even more bits missing and still did us good) so that we could do a convenient BIG shop. Being in Sivota also meant I could play catch-up and complete a lot of outstanding repairs jobs.  We more or less decided we needed to either move-on or get the hook concreted-in so on Saturday morning we moved little further south towards Ithaki and chose Big Vathi as a good place to drop hook (not for the first time) where we stayed 2 nights before taking-off towards Zakinthos, where we now swing quite nicely for an overnight. 60NM for first week ain’t gonna set any records for the most intrepid of sailors …… it’s just very pleasant to be in no particular rush right now, as we trundle south down towards the S Peloponese (eventually).

Repairs and jobs done since re-establishing ourselves on-board include: servicing main engine (which has a lorra oil to get out) replace our gigantic exhaust hose (which had age-hardened, gone stubborn and cracked-up – likely needing more premature replacement after being taken on/off by contract repairers last February following our propshaft-seal failure) sourcing and fitting a new 100 amp-hour heavy-duty 12v battery (after discovering our 'documented' existing dying 2 x 120 amp-hour 12v engine & generator starting batteries are actually only 2 x 60 amp-hour – something the authors of our owners manual got wrong!) fitting new 230v frequency meter (doddle of a job having brought correct spare part from UK) unblocking heads deck drain (devil of a job for a person with just two hands, working in a space where access has never been considered) and stripping our heads drain pump (an item, which tests the imagination with body-hairs, most of which have spent most of the time attached to Sue’s scalp. On top of all these jobs, when we first arrived, our cockpit and decks were atrociously covered with Gadafi’s export, needing an unusually urgent good clean. If there’s anyone with the misconception yachting is all about G&T’s on the aft deck ………… it still is!

Squiddy took to the water today, without success. Re-learning to swim attractively may take squiddy a little while longer. In meantime, it’s worth noting, our daytime temperatures have been above and just little below 30ºC and the seawater temperature is mostly 28ºC.  Swimming is not compulsory, just good to do when yeah’s getting near toasted. There have been some faint ‘warnings’ of a change in the weather. Fortunately the forthcoming change doesn’t look as ‘orrible as first implied few days ago. Nevertheless, we’re intending to have hook well in and be safely tucked-up at Pylos when the wind becomes southerly and a free boat-wash is promised later this week.