Bosun takes a dip in Kythnos
X86
Rich Carey
Tue 23 May 2017 08:50
37:23.415N 024:23.815E
An intended ancorage was rather full, so we went to the local harbor. No loss, bit of a blow coming later, and anyway the Taverna at the ancorage wasn't open. Luckily the anchor didn't set on first attempt to set to the quay. Lucky, because on the second go we did a much better job, and man did we need to have done. The wind was west and kicked up a mighty swell that had the whole line of 18 yachts backed in, surging violently backwards and forwards. At midnight there was a load WTF bang. Our boarding plank completely snapped in two (sandwiched between quay and transom) - fortunately without any damage.
Luckily we'd bought a pro folding gangplank a while back, so Chance and I spent all the next day rigging it with hooks, pulleys, halyard, guide ropes, and stabilizing ropes - what a palava. Less luckily, there was a time casualty to the incident. Poor Bosun hasn't yet learned to 'go' on the boat. He woke us up (we were late up as we'd been up variously in the wild night), pacing and making the odd whimper. While I was considering how to deal with this, he took matters into his own paws, with a leap for freedom. It was about 4 feet out and 3 up - he's a great jumper, but, no way. He bounced off the wall and made a mighty SPLASH. Karen yelled "he's in the water". Poor fool, he hates the water and there he was doggy paddling (doggy panicking), in the soup. We grabbed him and hauled him out PDQ. The one good outcome was that after 10 subsequent laps of the boat, he finally relieved himself in a corner, and the high praise he then got, means that he may now be trained. Sore paw, and small mental scar, but he'll get over it.
On departure, our chain was under our Greek neighbor's. Of course it was! Luckily it was half expected, so we signaled him from the middle of the bay, and backed up. He then motored out, picking up his chain, and then we could do the same. No worries, just a bit of a delay, and the Greek guy was great, especially as we'd accidentally sprinkled some diesel on his teak deck the evening before, due to a needed refill (sea state still sloppy). We'd done the right thing however, and hurdled the two guard rails with water and scrubber, to rapidly clean up.
So, eventful stopover. Not a bad place, so a pretty good two nights, although significantly bumpy for a fair amount of it. Boson gave it a paw down, and if he had a middle finger, he'd have been waving it over the back, with vigorousness, as we motored away!
An intended ancorage was rather full, so we went to the local harbor. No loss, bit of a blow coming later, and anyway the Taverna at the ancorage wasn't open. Luckily the anchor didn't set on first attempt to set to the quay. Lucky, because on the second go we did a much better job, and man did we need to have done. The wind was west and kicked up a mighty swell that had the whole line of 18 yachts backed in, surging violently backwards and forwards. At midnight there was a load WTF bang. Our boarding plank completely snapped in two (sandwiched between quay and transom) - fortunately without any damage.
Luckily we'd bought a pro folding gangplank a while back, so Chance and I spent all the next day rigging it with hooks, pulleys, halyard, guide ropes, and stabilizing ropes - what a palava. Less luckily, there was a time casualty to the incident. Poor Bosun hasn't yet learned to 'go' on the boat. He woke us up (we were late up as we'd been up variously in the wild night), pacing and making the odd whimper. While I was considering how to deal with this, he took matters into his own paws, with a leap for freedom. It was about 4 feet out and 3 up - he's a great jumper, but, no way. He bounced off the wall and made a mighty SPLASH. Karen yelled "he's in the water". Poor fool, he hates the water and there he was doggy paddling (doggy panicking), in the soup. We grabbed him and hauled him out PDQ. The one good outcome was that after 10 subsequent laps of the boat, he finally relieved himself in a corner, and the high praise he then got, means that he may now be trained. Sore paw, and small mental scar, but he'll get over it.
On departure, our chain was under our Greek neighbor's. Of course it was! Luckily it was half expected, so we signaled him from the middle of the bay, and backed up. He then motored out, picking up his chain, and then we could do the same. No worries, just a bit of a delay, and the Greek guy was great, especially as we'd accidentally sprinkled some diesel on his teak deck the evening before, due to a needed refill (sea state still sloppy). We'd done the right thing however, and hurdled the two guard rails with water and scrubber, to rapidly clean up.
So, eventful stopover. Not a bad place, so a pretty good two nights, although significantly bumpy for a fair amount of it. Boson gave it a paw down, and if he had a middle finger, he'd have been waving it over the back, with vigorousness, as we motored away!