Bodrum to Kos (Greece)

X86
Rich Carey
Sun 7 May 2017 06:57
Third country, starting to get a bit seasoned here. Karen is now owner and skipper, to avoid any BS about VAT. In she marched to The Border Police, Customs, and Port Authority, armed with docs and qualifications. Success - 6 months permission to transit Greece - awesome job.
Had to stop initially in the Harbor (quite pretty), but anchor wouldn't hold, so in tandem with the 'Swiss Contingent' we all headed 1 Mile down the coast to Kos Marina. We tried to fix the anchor issue by my hauling it up by hand and taking it out again in the tender. hauling was hard as the anchor was double weight with a huge glob of mud and weed on it. Even with that cleared, the Torqueedo wasn't strong enough to haul the anchor dangling under the tender, and the weight of chain. Tried rowing - broke crappy plastic rowlock - annoyed.
Tied up in Kos marina inside the wall, which was fortuitous as it again blew a howler for a day or so, so good that we were tied up hard to concrete.
Our kind of marina, as it's a bit tatty, just a bit, which always works well when you have a dog - no snooty types to do the 'nose looking down' at you. Bosun and Hardy happy.
Hired a car for two and a half days, used it for one!
Walked up to an isolated fort in the wilds in the middle of the Island - really nice as although pretty much uncared for, it's not on the main tourist site list, so no crowds or BS.
Next day went to a beach with a volcanic thermal pool - most excellent. Waves wash into the pool which keeps the temperature barable. Bit smelly, (sulphur), but dissappointed that it wasn't 'really smelly' :-)
Kos isn't your typical Greek Island, but it was nice, just nice.
The 'Swiss Contingent' ever eager to proove that it's us that are the stalkers, headed off. Oops - we observed their cork in a bottle in a dish washer impression, and rapid return to port. All that just to prove they no stalk - nutters!
Karen hooked a foot around my bike wheel in the cockpit and did a flying superwoman act. Short flight, big impact - flat on the deck, with big wackaroony to her knee. No tears, but half an hour of amazing face pulling and groaning! I'm useless. At times like that, all I ever do is reitterate the army saying "your not sick unless a bone is broken, and only then, if it's sticking out of the skin" - She wasn't amused ... and the subsequent brusing is as amazing as the view was, of Bodrum fort!
Went for fuel so that we could depart on a long one as dawn the following day. Little bit breezy, and that remains my excuse for chipping the gelcoat on the port transom as leaving.

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