Tuesday 26 August
Very early start for our return trip to Kos and Sequel. Despite the fact that we left home at 4 a.m. we still encountered four vehicles on the road between Lymington and Lyndhurst. Recently the speed limit has been reduced to 40mph - it is a complete puzzle as to why because no-one ever drove at 50 mph and now they drive even slower and even in almost the middle of the night all four vehicles were driving at less than the speed limit. I am convinced it has something to do with living in the New Forest.
Otherwise a routine trip back and at least a short taxi ride back to Kos Town and the hotel for a two night stay before launching Sequel on Thursday 28. We were at the boatyard by 3 p.m. to find a very dirty boat and got cracking straight away removing the winter covers having attempted to wash off some of the dust first. By 6 p.m. however we were seriously beginning to wilt and returned to the hotel. So pleased we had decided to stay in the hotel as 34 degrees in our cabin.
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| View from our hotel room |
Wednesday 27
A whole day cleaning everything we could outside and with the windows open managed to cool down the inside of the boat a little. Very hot here and I am doing my best to think 'icebergs' which is how my husband tells me he keeps cool and it is not too difficult as I am melting.
Thursday 28
At last Sequel back in the water by midday after waiting sometime to speak to the Manager of the Marina about added costs to our contract which we had not been informed about. Still recovering from our early Tuesday start and working hard to clean up the boat for a day and a half I did lose it with one of the marina staff telling him to speak to me nicely as his manner was so rude. Amazingly he did and was falling over himself to be polite after that. I am convinced this is the way forward in the Med. It gets you nowhere being reasonable and polite - the more demanding you are the better they seem to re-act. Quite the reverse in the U.K.
We sailed the short distance round the Castle of the Knights, to Mandraki Harbour (think Mandraki actually means Harbour) so we sailed round to the Harbour Harbour finding out on the way that the VHF radio, although beeping merrily away when the Captain tried it, was not receiving any signal. Fortunately the berths on the castle side of the harbour are owned by the marina and they had already let them know we were on our way. We are on the quay in the Harbour (and, therefore, right in the middle of Kos Town) as the marina is fully booked all weekend with a regatta. We have everything crossed that they will find a space for us on Monday.
We were told to squeeze in between two boats with absolutely no room to spare and I had to drop the anchor. Really not my favourite job and certainly not less than half an hour of getting on the boat for the first time in over two months but we did it without mishap and very pleased with ourselves.
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| Sequel by the wall of the Castle of the Knights |
Celebrated with lunch out and then traipsed around looking for phone shops (we could write a guide to purchasing wifi in the Med). Along with his camera (not a problem as we quite often take the same shots) the Captain has left our mobile wifi thingy at home - along with there always being a problem on the boat it is customary for the Captain to leave something we need at home. Unbelievably all three of the main service providers in Kos Town: Wind, Costmote and Vodafone, did not have one between them. We were reluctant to go with Vodafone but the Manager pulled out all the stops and called the Vodafone shop on the nearby island of Kalimnos which just happened to have one and he arranged for it to be sent over by Friday afternoon. We love him.
After our evening meal out we lurked for a while outside the hotel where we had stayed and used their wifi to download any emails and messages.
Friday 29
The Captain decided that the solution to the VHF not working, having spent some time checking all the obvious things it could be and still being without a clue, is to buy a hand held mobile VHF receiver and therefore we spent a couple of hours in a cafe with free wifi so he could get on-line to research the best one and to ask Ross to order it and get it to the Freemans to bring out next week. Now all sorted - just have to tell Sue and Andy.
Couldn't face another stuffed aubergine so ate on board - lovely big G&T to start.
Saturday 30
Decided to write this as the Captain has gone to visit the Port Police. This is required when you check into the country, which we had done previously in June in Symi, but our Greek cruising log which we first acquired two year's ago in Lefkas in the Ionians, had been left in the UK (?!?) and the Symi Port Police didn't have any for us to start again. He has now been gone for some considerable time and I am beginning to wonder if they have locked him up.Funnily enough, as I was writing that, he re-appeared and has been chuntering on about it since.
Part of the experience of being in the harbour is watching the other boats coming in and out and we have now had three different boats on our starboard side. We only go for a walk, shopping etc. if the boat next to us isn't going anywhere as it is necessary to be around to fend them off. We are also situated on the main pathway to the large ferries that visit the island continuously throughout the day so there is a constant stream of people going past the back of the boat. Fortunately we are far enough away from the centre of the harbour quay, which is a large circular shape, to be away from the traffic and bright lights of restaurants and their music all along the front. Although on our port side we have a very nice Italian sailing boat with two Italian crew members who either play very loud, awful music or, as all day yesterday, appear to have fallen out and there is complete silence. All very entertaining.
