GRP hull repair on Peloponnese circuit

[Cardo]

So we made it to Kalamata with no further incidents and are now safely ashore. Johnny's been round with one of his minions and they've had a good look at what needs doing. Looks like they're happy to get us patched up without having to dismantle the boat, which is a boon. Work's scheduled for Friday, and should take no longer than a day, as long as the crack doesn't extend much further than what we can see.

Thanks for the suggestions and advice, all.

 

[jimbaerselman]

While you're stuck in Kalamata, make a point of visiting the old part of town and the market hall. It's about 2km inland, east of the bus station. Buzzing with life . . .

 

[RobbieW]

.. Buzzing with life . . .

That'll be the flies, Jim

 

[jimbaerselman]

That'll be the flies, Jim

Hmm. Mine go "Zzzziiip"

 

[Cardo]

And we're fixed.

Crack turned out to be WYSIWYG, there were, fortunately, no nightmares when they started grinding back. The fix looks top notch to my untrained eye. Tons of layers of matting, and some pieces of wood have been glassed in on the inside to strengthen the corner where the crack formed.

As stated, I'm certainly no expert, but the job seems to have been done expertly. Top marks to Johnny (Yanni), and his man who carried out the work.

Some antifouling tomorrow and then back in the drink on Monday. Back en route Tuesday. Yay!

 

[rivonia]

Glad to hear it mate. Sorry for having a dig earlier.

Fair winds and calm seas

 

[alexsailor]

Any photos?

 

[Cardo]

Any photos?

Stupidly, I forgot to take photos of the crack before it was repaired. Not like I didn't have enough opportunity!

I can supply photos of the completed repair, if that is of interest.

 

[AndrewB]

It didn't look too alarming, and its good to hear it was no worse than it looked. Congrats on the fix and good luck with the voyage.

 

[Cardo]

Well, we're back in the water! I've never seen the bilges this dry whilst we've been in the water!

We did have a bit of a scare, as there seemed to be water seeping through an internal fibreglass joint. I thought "Begger! Another leak!", but it turned out to be water that had accumulated in a hidden away part of the bilge and the drain holes had bunged up, so water was slowly seeping through some fibreglass joints. Managed to gain access to the area of bilge and cleaned it all out. Problem solved!

Cardo, if you're going to Kalamata, give Johnny Vardakas a ring on +30 6932662481.

My only reservation would be the cost of the lift - but it'll be cheaper there than @ Preveza.

Suggest 1 night stopover @ Methoni on hook and the following day to Kalamata.

Johnny wished to extend his thanks for recommending him. Apparently, work is light at the moment, so he's grateful for any work coming his way. I was chatting to a chap who's been trying to sell his boat for the last 3 years and he said the marina used to be far livelier a few years back. Seems business has taken a serious downturn in this area, and the yacht repair/management types are feeling the pinch.