South coast to Greece (part 1)

[stefan_r]

Months of planning and anticipation were finally about to pay off. I had kept Athito, my 46’ Mochi Craft motor boat on the East Coast since Christmas 1998 when I bought her from a Frenchman living in Arcachon.
I chose the East Coast because of its relative proximity to home and because the South coast wanted twice as much and would be a five hour round trip each weekend.
Burnham-on-Crouch was only an hour away and a reasonable marina, but cruising was a bit limited partly due to a lack of crew and partly because I never really got to grips with the idea that sailing should consist of so much muddy brown water and bad weather. My previous experiences had been on friend’s boats in Greece sailing to islands and anchorages.
Greece was a bit too far to commute and Burnham made a good base for a number of years but the great opportunity came when my father retired to Chios, an island on the far Eastern side of Greece, just off Turkey.
The boat’s spiritual home was definitely the Med and planning a trip to get her to Greece began.
Simply put there are three ways to get a boat anywhere – under her own steam; on a truck or on another boat. Each of these were looked at and pros and cons considered.

>>>>>Truck:
PRO
Quick
Cheapest option

CON
Not as cheap as it may first seem. £5k for the truck, haul out/in at both ends £500, fuel for trip SoF to Greece £3k, skipper for SoF to Greece
Lots of dismantling and possibility something gets dropped or broken
No driver was willing to go all the way to Greece, most would go to France or Italy but few would chance the last leg through more ‘exciting’ territory like ex-Yugoslavia
Still need help with delivery from SoF to Greece...not a small trip in itself

>>>>>Boat transport piggybacking something bigger
PRO
Quick
No dismantling of boat

CON
Cost – around £15k, maybe more

>>>>>Own steam
PRO
No dismantling of boat
Great experience

CON
Expensive, skipper £3k; fuel £10k+
Risk of damage
Time, slowest option

As time progressed ‘own steam’ became a more viable option with the cost factor appearing to be not too dissimilar to the trucking option, and probably still fractionally cheaper than piggybacking another boat. It was also the most interesting option too and with a bit of planning I would be able to get some time off to help with the trip.
I started a trawl of the magazines and internet sites for delivery companies. I prepared a document that asked outlined the trip, my target speed (I opted for a cruising RPM of 1700 (of a maximum 2300) which delivers around 18 knots) some of the key questions like ‘how much’ and ‘how long’ and added some other queries such as what other motor experience do you have (as most seemed to be sail deliveries), as well as ideal route and a few other questions intended to highlight if the skipper had done the trip before and whether it had been motor or sail.
All in all I sent around a dozen requests for information and a quote, and got around half a dozen replies. Costs varied between £7,500 down to around £3,000 – more importantly, however, several of the replies completely ignored the ‘questionnaire’ I had prepared. This to me was an indication that either the company had little motor experience or couldn’t be bothered…and if they couldn’t be bothered to answer a few questions about the trip could they be trusted to take my pride and joy on a 3,000 mile trip?
One company stood out among those that responded, www.yachtdeliveries.co.uk, who responded promptly to my enquiry and took the time to answer all of my questions. Their costs were competitive too so I arranged a meeting with their principal, Keith Taylor, to take things further.
Keith immediately gave confidence as he had details of several recent motor deliveries, including a Trader 50 from Palma, and had his own boat very close to my final destination in Greece so had experience of the waters from the UK all the way through to the specific harbour that was to become Athito’s new home in Chios.
The plan was simple. We were to make a trip from Burnham-on-Crouch at the end of March to get us to Gosport. This was a shake down trip to highlight any issues Athito may have and to get all of us working together and used to the boat. Athito would then spend a month in Gosport having some new canopies fitted and any other work that was required after our shakedown trip in preparation for the main journey that was targeted to start at the end of April. The trip from Burnham to Gosport was uneventful aside from the most bizarre weather conditions – bright sunshine inshore but foggy and cold offshore, not the most pleasant of journeys but at least nothing broke! We arrived at Royal Clarence Marina in Gosport at about 20.30 on Saturday night. After spending Sunday sorting out some odds and ends and leaving the keys with the harbourmaster it was on the train back to London, eagerly looking forward to the end of April.
The trip itself was a very simple plan, track down France and Spain, across to the Balearic islands, Sardinia, Sicily, Italy then Greece. The schedule was tight though. I had two weeks to complete the trip in, due to work pressures, and we estimated 14 stops with an average of a stop a day. In reality with a fair wind we should be able to trim a day or two off this but we couldn’t really afford too many days lost due to mechanical failures or the weather.

Stores stowed for the two week trip. Lots of tinned and freeze dried stuff, the fridge is full of rather fresher food too. Under the galley sole 100 bottles of 2 litre mineral water is also stored for drinking.

 

[stefan_r]

South coast to Greece (part 2)

Gosport>>>>>Dartmouth
Distance 115
Hours underway 11.5

Panic before we even leave, the skipper has arrived and the covers I have waited 5 weeks for haven’t been fitted correctly. They’re missing some tie up straps and, therefore, can’t be rolled up whilst we’re underway. Credit to Keith, the delivery skipper, for asking for a demonstration of the covers before allowing the fitters to leave. Problem now is that we were due to leave Gosport as soon as I arrived – the covers people have promised to be back before 7pm to refit the covers but if there’s another problem with them we won’t be underway until tomorrow afternoon, losing a day on an already tight schedule.
I arrive just after the covers people have left, one of the tie up straps came off in their hands as they were rolling up the covers, not very good but it won’t stop us leaving tonight. Lesson learned – don’t trust anything until you’ve seen it working for yourself, and leave contingency time even for the simplest of jobs!
We leave Gosport after dinner and motor around the outside of the Isle of Wight and then in a westerly direction for Dartmouth. All is going well, aside from the bilge pump coming on rather more frequently than it should, I put this down to the stern glands being loosened too much that night for our trip. The bilge pump warning continues to light more and more frequently until it is on more often than off, and to compound the problem muck in the bilge water keeps clogging the filter - every hour of so I am having to clean the filter.
I have tried tightening the stern glands and they are now dripping at the right amount, there’s a problem somewhere else….
The wind has picked up and doing an engine check at 15 knots is dangerous so we slow to a tickover and I inspect all the raw water couplings (with the amount of water we have pumped using the heavy duty bilge pumps over the past few hours it’s not coolant that’s being lost!!). I check the engines, closely monitor the exhausts and all the skin fittings looking for a leak or broken unit, but nothing is obvious. The bilge pump filter is cleaned again and eventually empties the bilge of water, and the water has stopped rising. Still confused we’re underway again – confident the problem isn’t a skin fitting as the water level wasn’t rising any more.
Sure enough within an hour I am in the engine room cleaning the bilge pump filter and looking at the water level that has risen alarmingly again. I am becoming more convinced the problem lies with an engine dumping raw water into the bilge – but can’t find the problem!
I asked Keith to run each engine at 1700rpm in neutral and BINGO! The starboard engine suddenly starts to pour water from an exhaust elbow. I hadn’t seen it before because we had slowed down and the engines were running at around 700rpm so it hadn’t visibly leaked, but the pressure at 1700rpm was forcing a steady stream of water into the bilge…
The wind was really picking up now and we had lost a lot of time analysing the problem bobbing along at 5 knots. Of course the exhaust elbow was in the most difficult corner of the boat to get to, but after two hours, several skinned knuckles and a bout of sea-sickness the leak was fixed and we were underway again.
I promptly fell asleep and awoke to the gentle sound of kit bags crashing around where I hadn’t secured my gear. We were in a force 5-6 off Dartmouth approaching the harbour, first leg completed!
A flick through the engine manual states that at full chat the engine moves 460 litres per minute – I dread to think of the percentage of this that found its way into the bilge…

Dartmouth>>>>>Camaret
Distance 160

The force 5 turns into a gale so we remain in Dartmouth until early evening before setting off for Cameret. A snooze followed by a wander around Dartmouth town is the order of the day, followed by a very nice fish and chips from a place on the high street. The wind has died down but there’s still a big swell and we’re tossed around a bit….but nothing compared to the previous night and early morning.
Problems with the bilge pump continue but this time we’re not taking on masses of water. As the entire aft bilge (being a 46 footer Athito has two bilges that break roughly half way along the waterline) was awash ten years of muck, flaked paint and general sticky rubbish has been rinsed out from the dank corner it was in and it finding its way up the strum box.
Every other hour I am clearing the filter but this certainly is the slow approach to cleaning the bilge.
We start to organise a more structured watch system of two hours on and four off, I stay on watch until midnight and then I am up again at 4am getting into my oilskins, we have hit a fogbank and I am in charge of being outside on watch.
I don’t see much of the entrance to Cameret as I am staring into the fog and wondering what damage the Koden radar is doing to my future parenting capabilities. We arrive at Cameret almost blind to be met by some French joker coming the other way in a sailing boat with no lights on. We didn’t get that close to him but he could have made a bit of an effort to make himself seen or heard.
We struggle to find the fuel pontoon but eventually locate it. It’s all on an intercom and our French is bad and the attendant’s English isn’t great, without the usual hand movements and gesticulation it makes ordering diesel that much harder. This combined with the fact that machine will only take credit card payments in EUR250 blocks (again explained in a combination of pidgin English and French) slows our progress, however, the fog gets worse so we’re not going anywhere anyway!

I spend this quiet day in the engine room ostensibly trying to clean the bilges. Because they were under a few inches of water during the Dartmouth adventure every bit of rubbish, paint flake, old rag, oil and muck has been washed into the centre of the boat and slowly making its way to the bilge pump filter. This means with every bilge pumping the filter is blocking with all the crud that is being accumulated. It’s sort of good news as the bilges are now sparkling but the bad news is every time the bilge water is pumped the filter is blocking.

Camaret>>>>Les Sables d’Olonne
Distance 198

First bit of excitement that isn’t mechanical failure - boarded by French Customs while sitting on the fuel pontoon waiting for the fog to clear. Lots of stern looks and big guns followed by a nice chat about the weather conditions out to sea when they realised that we weren’t smuggling anything.
Fog and tide keeps us in Camaret for most of the day but it starts to lift and we’re off again before 1800. Haring along at 15 knots things are looking up we motor for about an hour and then hit the back end of the fogbank that’s just left Camaret…8 knots is the order of the day….all very demoralising.
We had left our departure deliberately late to catch a slack tide to get us through the Raz de Seine, hitting the fog, however, changed this and we had to go the long way round.
Of course once we were well past any chance of taking a shortcut through the Raz de Seine the fog cleared and we cranked the revs up again to something more respectable.
We had originally planned to stop in the marina on the Ile d’yeu. Once we had a better idea of our average speed and probable ETA we decided to continue on for a few more miles and stop in Les Sables d’Olonne to refuel. We calculated we would get there in time for the fuel pumps opening which would stand us in good stead for a solid slog to Santander.
The bilge pump is still acting up and blocking frequently, it’s now getting worse as even with a clear strainer not much water is being pumped, eventually it fails, I have spares on board and suspect a split diaphragm but am worried that it will just continue to block, if possible I want to replace it with something that doesn’t need a filter and will just pass through all the paint flakes sawdust and other rubbish. At 11pm a message to my local supplier of pumps and electronics, Kevin at www.yachtbits.co.uk yields a result, Kevin knew of my trip and called me straight back. After a five minute chat Kevin was looking through his various catalogues sourcing an alternative model that could pump a bilge without a filter. Within an hour he had found me a 24 volt Johnson model and had arranged for it to be shipped to Gibraltar on a 24 hour courier if I needed a replacement.
After clearing the race we had the strangest experience, it was reasonably dark and we were pushing along at 15 or so knots. As we turned to head south down Biscay we caught a huge long swell. We were climbing up the back of waves for a few seconds, dropping down to 14 knots or so, but then gently gliding down the wave which went on for a good thirty seconds or so, with the speed climbing to 18 knots! With pleasant thoughts that our fuel consumption / rpm would be huge I turned in for the night.
I awoke to take a watch at around 5am and continued on until we moored up. Further inspection of the bilge pump has now revealed it has shredded all the membranes as it was obviously trying to suck through a blocked filter. I have spares on board and make a note to fit them before we leave Les Sables d’Olonne.

Les Sables d’Olonne>>>>Santander
Distance 200

Leave Les Sables d’Olonne en route to Santander at 9.15 after the most efficient fuel stop so far, we pull up at 0800-ish, the French bloke strolls over with his nozzle, we have breakfast, buy a newspaper and send a postcard and we’re off!!! To cap it all it’s blazing sunshine and hot, with no fog to be seen - that’s more like it!!!! After the small mechanical and weather issues we’ve had I am suddenly feeling better about the trip. I spend half an hour fixing the bilge pump and it springs into life pumping the bilge dry in a matter of minutes….very pleasing – and the filter isn’t blocking up as much as before.
Several hours into the trip to Santander, sitting back and relaxing, I find myself a bit bored, especially after the flooding experiences…I’m now looking for new jobs to do around the boat.
I recalibrate the RayMarine log and fool around with some other bits and try and get used to the watch system. I find it surprisingly easy to sleep during the day after the odd hours I have kept over the last few days.
We’re a fair way off France and the phones stop working for four or five hours, all of us are met by a barrage of texts and voicemails when we approach Santander.
We arrive in Santander late Saturday night. It’s a bit misty and visibility isn’t great so we decide to stick with what we know and head for the marina upriver that the skipper has been to before as opposed to mooring in the new yacht club facilities to starboard as you enter the port’s facilities. We make our way upriver for 20 minutes or so and moor up on the fuel pontoon in the main marina near the airport, the notice says Sunday service starts at 10am, a little later than we would have preferred but at least they’re open.

Approaching Les Sables d’Olonne at 0730, bit grey and overcast, typical English weather…

Hoofing out of Les Sables d’Olonne just two hours later, bright sunshine!!

 

[stefan_r]

Re: South coast to Greece (part 3)

Santander>>>>Gijon
Distance 90

Or so we thought! At 0930 we’re sitting on the pontoon with a bunch of locals when this chap strolls out and announces there’s not fuel to be had. He waves us off to the other marina which we chose not to go to the night before!!
We head out towards the recommended marina where we have already been warned with lots of local gesticulation “we’re a bit big”.
After lots of milling around in the marina’s entrance we’re met by some of the marina guys in a RIB, they take Keith over to the pontoon and the enormity of our situation becomes apparent. The fuel ‘pontoon’ is actually a lump of plastic 20 feet by 2 feet floating in the marina hanging by chains from the railings on the street 10 feet above. To moor up we have to ignore the pontoon and just tie onto the street furniture. That combined with the fact it’s a tight spot to get into in the first place (having been designed for small fishing boats and other stuff that can tie up alongside 6 feet of floating plastic we’re in for a bit of an experience.
We have enough fuel to go backwards to Bilbao but by the time we get there, refuel (if they’re open) and get back towards Santander we’ll have lost a day so we take the gamble and got for the pontoon.
Mooring up is remarkably easy and we soon draw a large crowd. I had never realised refuelling was such a spectator sport!

The fuel ‘pontoon’ – actually just 20 feet of floating plastic hanging from the street attached with two bits of chain!!!!!

“Fill ‘er up, mate” – 2,000 litres of diesel, not the usual EUR10 in some local’s rusty old Renault.

It’s easy to see why, however, because effectively we’re refuelling from a roadside filling station, snaking the pumps across the pavement and dropping them onto the boat. Traffic is whizzing by a few feet away and the pump attendant is shooing cars away because he’s filling us up.
It’s all very Spanish in the approach and feels hugely Mediterranean – I can’t wait to get underway and make it to Greece!!
We refuel and then we’re off for Gijon.

Gijon harbour, looks like a nice place, shame we’re only there for two hours.
Motoring for four hours or so and suddenly there is a thump from the starboard side engine. I immediately put the engine into neutral and we check our wake for a lobster pot marker or a lump of wood. Nothing to be seen so I gingerly put the engine into forward. There’s a small thumping. Engine into neutral again and then reverse. Reverse sounds clear so I increase the revs and then slow down again. Engine back into forward and there’s no more noise. Rope cutters are fitted to the shafts and it sounds like they might have done the trick.
Gijon appears to be a reasonably nice spot and the skippers have stayed here before for slightly longer than the hour and half stop-over we had.
The fuel pontoon is self service which is all very well and good if the pumps work right, they didn’t and the harbourmaster chap seemed incapable of dragging himself away from the Spanish soap opera he was watching. This lack of interest combined with no common language between us was slightly awkward but eventually we got everything working.
Fuelled up and ready to go I present my credit card for payment and it is promptly declined. I had informed my card company that I would be having a rather erratic spending pattern including thousands of Euros and several diesel stations and had been assured that this would be taken care of. I had brought several thousand Euro along for the trip for exactly this eventuality and trudged back to the boat to get a shiny new E500 note and some change.


Gijon>>>>La Coruna
Distance 150

Fuelled and ready we’re off again and then we really see just how big Gijon port is, it extends out to the west to form a huge container facility with several large ships milling around on the horizon.
We run at just under 20 knots towards La Coruna but when we get to around 50 miles off the wind has picked up enough to convince us to slow down to a more sedate rate. A very uncomfortable 4 hours then follows as we approach the port at less than 10 knots bouncing from wave to wave.
We arrive at around 2am that night with the wind freshening evening more, we’re all fairly tired as we tie up. The weather doesn’t look good for the next day.


Gijon>>>>La Coruna
Distance NIL

We oversleep due to the previous night’s exertions and sure enough there’s a small gale blowing when we get up the next morning. We decide to find the fuel pontoon on foot as the approach described in the almanac seems a little tricky to negotiate on the fly.
After a wander around we find the small marina with fuel. The approach is narrow as there are boats moored off the pontoons on the way to the fuel dock. The fuel dock itself is a little more interesting. We need to moor up to a wall and tie off, then the fuel lines will be brought to us. We’re also constrained by the tide, but, after our experiences in Santander we feel ready for anything.
We have resigned ourselves to staying overnight as the weather is too bad to make much headway today. Indeed the wind ha picked up so much we decide it’s a bit too blowy to come our of the marina and make it to the fuel pontoon and back without risking damaging something.
I spend the day keeping busy, cleaning stuff that needs to be cleaned and fixing things that need to be fixed.
I realise that the calorifier keeps tripping out, and have understood why. It runs off the water from the engine or shorepower. The shorepower heater has a dual thermostat, one set to 65 degrees to heat the water and another set to 90 degrees to trip off the shorepower in case of overheating. The problem with this is even after leaving the engines to cool for 5 minutes or so after running there is so much residual heat left in the engines the cooling water heats to over 90 degrees and trips the failsafe. I will try leaving the engines to cool for longer.
I settle up with the harbourmaster and book us in for a day, this entitles us to the use of the portakabin shower block, complete with blocked toilets and seriously knackered floor. It’s a good opportunity to invest in tokens for the washing machine and dryer (EUR3.50 each) and wash some of my dirty bilge water clothes.
I stroll off to find some oddments and end up in Pompo Effectos Navales who are hugely helpful but don’t have a word of English. With lots of sign language and drawings I make my purchases, they even drive me back to the marina!
We have an average tapas in town preceded by a few very nice pints in an Irish bar we stumble over.
We’ve lost a day here and the tight schedule has just become a lot tighter.

La Coruna>>>>Bayonne
Distance 110

Next day we’re up bright and early and on to the fuel pontoon. Our man only takes cash (my credit card would probably have bounced anyway!).

Moored against the ‘wall’ in La Coruna with the very distinctive Port Authority building is visible in the background as we re-fuel.
We’re off again and heading for Bayonne.
Bayonne looks like a fantastic town and has a hugely imposing fort (now a hotel) on the headland as you approach.
As we approach the marina we are met by a very excited chap on a RIB who asks us how long we wish to stay, we tell him we only want fuel and he directs us towards the pontoon. In the Almanc there are directions to a different pontoon but much of the marina seems new so we go where we’re told. We never worked out whether there were two fuel pontoons and he grabbed our business or whether he was just being helpful. Certainly judging by the quality of boats in the marina they were at the top end of their game and this could just be all part of the service.
The trip from La Coruna was a bit bumpy and it seems I have a leak in the starboard cabin. While we’re filling with diesel I soon trace this to a small spot on the windward side of the boat where the mastic sealant has perished slightly. With all the flexing of the hull during some of our more adventurous trips a small split has appeared, soon fixed though and the leak stops.

Fuel pontoon in Bayonne, very friendly service from the ‘meeter and greeter’ in the RIB.
We gather some provisions and then set off again, feeling rather elated as we seem to be making good time again. The weather is improved but forecasts for the run along the Portuguese coast don’t look great.


Bayonne>>>>Peniche
Distance 170

Leaving Bayonne late afternoon there’s no rush to get to Peniche, we know we’re going to end up there late (or early depending on how you look at it) and way before the fuel pontoon opens.
We shift along at a reasonable rate but this recent heavy weather sailing has really left Athito needing a rinse as she’s covered in salt.
In the last few hours of the run the RayMarine autopilot starts to act up a bit, not keeping us on course as much as usual. It might the control unit but more likely the electro-hydraulic magic box that does the hard work pushing the rudders around. I’ll check it for oil when we stop next.
We arrive in Peniche in the early morning to find a busy fishing dock. We moor up on an empty pontoon and we’re rocked by passing fishing boats. A local chap in an official looking jumper comes along and gives us a hand with our lines. Assuming he’s the harbourmaster doing a sterling job at 4am I quiz him about the location of the fuel pontoon. He walks me along the pontoons and I suddenly realise he isn’t a keen harbourmaster but is actually crew on a large Customs cutter readying for a trip into the dark. We watch them leave and then turn off their navigation lights as they exit the marina. Having had a peek inside this wasn’t unduly worrying as they had two 24 inch radar monitors which were probably sensitive enough to pick up seagulls…and at least they would be keeping an eye out as opposed to the unlit fishing boats.

Fuel from a truck off the pier in Peniche.
Morning comes in Peniche and we’re presented with a rather grubby fishing port infested with seagulls. We motor over to the fuel pontoon, tie up and go looking for the pump man only to be told that the pump has been broken for two days and they’re not any closer to fixing it. Visions of Santander are flooding back, we can’t make it to the next port with the fuel we have so we must go backwards, fill up, and then continue. We’ll easily lose half a day and this isn’t what we need when we were just getting ahead of the game. Several conversations are had with people who seem to have a vague idea what’s going on and a fuel truck is ordered, unfortunately he’s 45 minutes away and will need to make two trips to fill up the 2,000 litres we need. It takes about three hours to refuel and in this time every man and his dog from the village comes along to visit us and give their own opinion, in a language none of us understands, about the relative merits of fuel, or the weather, or something or other. It’s all a bit bizarre but boat ownership seems to instil the belief in people that you are multilingual and have knowledge of all things. Even when you indicate you have no idea what they’re on about they insist on canvassing your views in a more insistent tone.

 

[stefan_r]

Re: South coast to Greece (part 4)

Peniche>>>>Lagos
Distance 170

A long day’s motoring, not helped by the delay at Peniche. The run down to Lagos is quite unpleasant, we have a 30 knot breeze from the north creating a seastate that both us and the (now refilled and working) autopilot hard to manage. The autopilot is really trying to keep us right but we end up disengaging and hand steering. The problem was each time we went over the crest of a wave at an angle we were corkscrewing in the trough because of the odd angle of all the waves, the only way to counteract it was to see what angle the wave was at as we crested it and then turn away from it, then returning to our original course. Very exhausting and time consuming.
The topsides seem to have sprung a hundred tiny leaks and with every trough we nosedive into a little drop slides down my cabin wall. The kit I had on the floor is now nicely moist and this adds to the general misery of the trip. The only redeeming factor is that when we make it Greece we should never have similar conditions to sail through.
We saw few other boats out, only a Trader heading the same way as us and a few fishing boats motoring back to port.
We arrive in Lagos after midnight, it’s misty and cold and it hasn’t been the most pleasant run. We moor on the fuel pontoon and wait for the next day.

Lagos>>>>Gibraltar
Distance 160

Morning breaks in Lagos and we’re in 28 degrees. We refuel and I am surprised when told they will accept cash only. Lagos is a very nice, professional marina with new pontoons, security gates and all the facilities you would expect from a top tier organisation. To not take credit cards is rather cheap but rules is rules…

Warm and sunny start in Lagos.
We leave Lagos and head for Gibraltar making good time at around 17 knots. A few miles from port I notice something in the water bobbing just below the surface, vary of whales I maintain my course but slow down and keep an eye on it. As I get closer I see it is a car tyre with writing on the side. This must be the new lobster pot method especially designed to destroy sterngear. It is probably also what we hit earlier in the trip.
As we approach Gibraltar the weather starts to deteriorate again and any hopes I had of the weather drying my cabin rapidly diminish.
Gibraltar meets us with mist and a cool evening. We book in at Customs, the first time we have needed to other than when we have been boarded. We manage to squeeze in the last spot in the marina on the wall. Next problem is all the shorepower (that works) are 32amp sockets. Fortunately the marina rent and sell them so a quick bit of wiring gives us some overnight power.
We head into town to try and catch a bite to eat but Gibraltar is strangely quiet at 21:30. We eventually find an Italian doing last orders at 10pm, we order a few pints and lamb steak. Just the job and we’re back on board and asleep by midnight.

Gibraltar>>>>Aguadulce
Distance 150

Refuelling at Gibraltar is a dream, tax free and quick. The local chap fancies charging me a 3% service charge for using my credit card but soon loses this idea instead preferring the idea of explaining what a huge favour he’s doing me. I would have paid cash if I had known I would have to ensure such a lecture.

Fuel in Gibraltar, if only it was always this cheap!
Leaving Gibraltar we’re now in the Mediterranean but you could be in Grimsby. Misty, cold and windy. Having made the Med we can no plan better for the legs to Greece and some rough estimations suggest we’re unlikely to make Athens on time. We’re only a day or so behind schedule but poor weather and an increased number of fuel stops due to under-estimating consumption have conspired to delay us more than we would have liked.
The autopilot is still playing up as we power into a strong Easterly breeze, I read the owner’s manual again and have a play with the response times a bit. This improves the situation but it’s still not 100% as we’re still yawing quite a bit and drifting 5-10 degrees off course, we always come back on stream but it takes a while.
We arrive in Aguadulce, however, and the picture is getting better. It’s got slowly warmer and my cabin is drying out!

Another fuel pontoon, this time Aguadulce
We refuel at Aguadulce and have a leisurely dinner and stroll around the town. Our next stop is Alicante but we can take our time as our ETA is early morning before the fuel pumps open so we can take as long as we want in this small port.
I have been in email correspondence with the ‘marina’ in Carloforte, Sardinia where we plan for next. The pilot book is a bit sketchy about this place but Keith’s contacts say we can make it in and out to refuel without grounding. Keith bought a detailed chart of the area while we were in Gibraltar and that looks like our plan. The manager there has told us that yes they sometimes get boats with a 2m draught which is find but we must proceed very slowly to avoid stirring up the bottom. Sounds a bit tight but it’s a convenient stop off and appears okay.
We seem to have hit on a good idea, wearing ear defenders while on watch has reduced the intrusiveness of the engines. They’re not noisy but as they’re on all day they are an annoyance – the ear defenders are definitely a help.

Aguadulce>>>>Alicante
Distance 160

We leave Aguadulce at 2000 in no rush to get to Alicante. Flat calm seas mean we can crack along at a fair pace. I come on for the 12-2am shift feeling quite tired. I am not too tired, however, to notice that the port engine is running rather warm. Around 83 or 84 degrees. I play with some of the other instruments and power to see if there’s a bad earth somewhere hoping that the reading drops. It doesn’t but I am not unduly worried as 84 degrees isn’t bad. I put this change down to the warmer water we running in though – but also note that the starboard engine is still running bang on 80 degrees.
When coming into Alicante from the flybridge I notice that the instruments up here are showing 86 and 82 degrees port and starboard respectively. I put this down to the gauges being slightly the worse for wear having been outside for fourteen years.

Alicante town in the background, most expensive view I have ever had.
We arrive in Alicante at 5am and are met by a very efficient security guide who confirms we can moor up directly on the fuel pontoon which is due to open at 7.30, he takes our documents as part of the Customs booking process.
I have a snooze in the salon waiting for the attendants to show up. We fill up and are finished by 9am and I head off to recover the ship’s papers. I complete a Customs declaration and am then presented with a bill for EUR51.50!!!
I ask what this is for and am told that it is my mooring charge for the day. I quietly explain that I have only been moored up since 5am and the only reason we bothered to come to Alicante was to fuel. We had used none of the facilities and this was a rather disappointing introduction to Alicante. We eventually settled on EUR25, but this is still ridiculous for a few hour’s stay essentially only to refuel.

Alicante>>>>S’Estanyol
Distance 195

As we cast off from Alicante the fuel attendants run from their shack to help us, I suppose a certain level of service is delivered when you pay top dollar. A hot shower on board with the recently mended calorifier makes me feel better though.
We motored along and suddenly we felt a huge vibration, I slowed down and then slowly went into gear, out and back in again – in reverse and forward.
The noise and vibration had gone but I proceeded with trepidation but it seems the rope cutters have saved the day again. I really didn’t fancy a swim 20 miles offshore.
We now have all the windows open and the boat fills with a lovely warm breeze and fresh air. The musty smell is slowly leaving the forward cabin, however, I then forgot to close the forehatch when we changed course off Ibiza and my bed is wet again now with spray.
A lesson learned here too – trust your instruments. On the approach to S’Estanyol we all spot the marina, and head towards the masts. It’s only when we’re a mile or so off that I glance through the binoculars and our S’Estanyol marina appears to have changed its name to La Rapia! I have loads of excuses but none of them are good enough…GPS and the passage plan told me to turn but eyeballs said ‘no, there’s the marina – dead ahead, make for that instead’, idiot.
We gently motor into S’Estanyol in the warmth and start refuelling. I spot a snorkeller looking for god knows what and call him over, waving a EUR10 note he understands that I want him to check the sterngear. He swims around the shafts for a few minutes and then announces all clear….a huge relief.

Another country ticked off the world tour of fuel pontoons - S’Estanyol

S’Estanyol>>>>Mahon
Distance 82

Trip to Mahon is brief, we enter the port around 11pm and make our way up past the hospital island and moor on the fuel berth ready for the next day. We’re tied up just before midnight and jog round to the main road to grab a few pints before bed time. We’re back on board before 1am as everything has shut but it’s been a long day so we’re not that worried.

Moored in Mahon, refuelling, again...........

Mahon>>>>Carloforte, Sardinia
Distance 200

We awake the next morning to a glorious day. I am doing my daily checks and find 6 inches of water in the bilge, the stern-glands are still not quite right….

We refuel quickly and we’re off again before 09.30. We motor in a straight line towards Sardinia and don’t come across another soul, apart from one huge cruise liner coming towards us on a reciprocal bearing at about 2 o’clock off the starboard bow.
We seem to be attracting each other like magnets over 100 miles away from land!
We make landfall in Sardinia and wiggle our way up to this handy refuelling point on the Western tip of the island. The entrance isn’t great with some ferries washing across our path and a narrow entrance to the fishing harbour. The narrow entry to the fishing harbour is even narrower than it appears with some additional rocks just under the surface for comedy effect. When we’re in there we see why, all the other boats are small fishing boats of the twenty feet variety.
After a stressful entry to the fishing harbour we locate the fuel pontoon with the bent Agip sign. As luck would have it they’re still open – if we can refuel here tonight we can get to Villasimius tonight, refuel first thing tomorrow and save a day!
I make my way to the office and ask for fuel to be met with a rather gruff Italian response along the lines of ‘we’re closed’. This was not the only news – the next day was a local saint’s day so they were shut then too. We went from potentially saving a day to adding two to the trip.

Knackered Agip sign a good indication of the facilities afforded to sailors

We go and find the marina managers who have a smattering of English and we ask them where else we can fill up. Mr Agip is the only fuel to be had so we go back to have another discussion. Suffice to say an “administration fee” paid in cash changes hands and re-fuelling starts.
The pumps on the pontoon are so slow it takes a few hours to fill up. I start to feel a bit happier that I have wasted this chaps entire Sunday night and it makes me feel better about the bribe I paid him to re-open the pumps.

 

[stefan_r]

Re: South coast to Greece (part 5)

Carloforte, Sardinia>>>>Villasimius, Sardinia
Distance 78

We have dinner in Carloforte because we’re in no rush as it’s only a short trip over to the Eastern tip of the island.
In the dark we head out to the opposite corner of Sardinia where we will top off the tanks and make for Sicily.


Villasimius, Sardinia>>>>Palermo
Distance 200

We arrive in Villasimius at around 5am and mill around a bit waiting on the fuel pontoon until opening time at 8am that day. Villasimius was a very strange marine. It has recently been developed with professional looking pontoons, lots of heavy duty breakwaters, electricity and water every few feet and a good sized workshop that looked like it could handle some reasonably sized boats. Next to the harbourmaster there are some shops and a restaurant and it’s all tucked up in a nice bay with a few houses nearby. In fact all that was missing from Villasimius Marina were boats.
Capacity must be in the region of several hundred boats but I would reckon on there being no more than 50 craft of varying sizes there.

I have three resounding memories of the marina. One we saw a sister ship to Athito there; Two it was so quiet and empty; Three the fuel pontoon was a real bugger to moor up to and I christened my new passarelle with a lovely scrape on the end.
We refuel in record time and I am presented with a bill for EUR20,000 for the fuel. After explaining to the attendant how decimals work we agree on a more realistic figure, pay by Visa, and head for Sicily.


Palermo>>>>Millazzo
Distance 103

The port engine is still running hot at just under 90 degrees but I soon forget about this as we are almost on the final straight.

We leave Palermo in good spirits, it’s been a lovely warm day, we’re on plan and nothing’s broken recently. Palermo to Millazzo is 90 miles; Crotone a further 170; Lefkas 160 and Chios 200. That equates to 3 days if we refuel effectively, great news.

Millazzo>>>>Rocella Ionica
Distance 108

We arrive in Millazzo at 2.30am and moor up quietly in between two big cruisers that are very obviously on sea trials. Lots of upholstery covered in plastic, carpets down to protect the teak deck and just two massive balloon fenders keeping a fifty footer off the pontoon. Why the manufacturer wouldn’t supply their sea trial crew with a sensible number of fenders I can’t understand. If you’re in the business of flogging several hundred thousand pounds of boat it just seems odd that you skimp on these things, obviously when it was ready for delivery I am sure the pretty monogrammed fenders and the his and hers towels would be rolled out. However, when they left early that morning it was easy to see that for the crew just dragging two big balloons into the cockpit was a lot easier than untying half a dozen little sausages.

Bad news at Millazzo, the fuel pump is broken. The best the marina manager can do is offer us the use of some buckets to fill up from the petrol station down the road and top up our tanks. I almost laugh in his face but I am more concerned that we have no fuel to get us anywhere useful from here.
We get back to the boat and open up some charts. Keith then tells me the story of the Trader 50 he delivered recently, they got to some port or other, the name I forget, and the pump was broken there too with no sign of it getting fixed. They had reserves but didn’t have enough fuel to make it to the next port. They ended up launching the dinghy and motored all day backwards and forwards between the petrol station opposite the marina and the Trader with buckets and jerry cans. They refilled the Trader with about 1,000 litres and it took them all day. This was definitely a last resort!!

We recalculate our range with a 20% margin and decided we could make it to the next port recommended by the guys at Millazzo, being Rocella Ionica on the Eastern coast of Italy. From here we can refuel and make it to Lefkas directly so it seems a sensible option.
In the Med Pilot, however, Rocella Ionica is described as ‘hazardous entrance’ with what appears to be few facilities. We weigh the pros and cons and decide that because we’ll make it there in daylight and that actually it’s the only option we have to give it a try.
We cast off and make our way through the Messina Straits.

We’re now officially in the Ionian and making good headway towards Rocella Ionica. It’s at this time that the port engine temperature is becoming a worry. I don’t know whether it’s because the sea temperature has crept up a few degrees in this new sea area but the needle is approaching 90 degrees.
I spend half an hour reading the pilot book’s description of Rocella Ionica and trying to work out our approach, eventually drawing a map which, frankly, if the pilot book had instead of the excessively complicated form of words it would have been a lot easier.

We approach the harbour and gingerly make our way in and are surprised not only by the ease and size of the entrance but also the facilities inside. There’s a large marina which is only a quarter full (no doubt because of the pilot book’s rather critical tone) as well as pizza place and other buildings – including a local detachment of Customs and Coast Guard patrol vessels.
I make my way to book into Customs and begin the search for fuel. Customs (who double up as harbourmasters, but who obviously don’t enjoy the role of being helpful to the public) give me a few phone numbers of local fuel companies. I begin ringing around and a combination of broken English and Italian leads me to understand that fuel can only be delivered 24 hours later. It’s just after lunchtime and the idea of hanging around here for a day when Lefkas is just over the horizon is very disappointing.
I talk to the guys in Customs as there appears to be a conflict between the delivery guys and the harbour, something about permission to refuel. The Customs guys confirm that to refuel in this port the fuel company needs to apply for permission, this permission takes 24 hours to process so the earliest anyone can deliver fuel will be tomorrow afternoon. I ask if there’s not a way to ‘do it quicker’ feeling that there may be some sort of “cash payment administration charge” required in the same way there was in Sardinia but ‘no’.
I return to the boat in a foul mood seeing another day of perfect sailing weather lost because of bureaucracy. Together with Keith and Grahame we hit upon a plan. After accurately measuring the fuel we have left we can make it to Crotone if we are a little frugal with the revs / consumption. I telephone the fuel quay in Crotone and explained we would be coming in at about 10pm and would he still be open, he was hugely helpful and gave me his mobile number, asking me to ring him when I am half an hour away and he’ll be on the quay.
This plan was great, Crotone by 10 or 11pm, refuel for an hour or so and then straight off to Levkas, we’ll be there by 9am Wednesday ready to complete entry requirements and get my Cruising Log. That should be finished by midday including the fuel stop and we’ll be in Chios by Thursday or Friday at the latest!

Rocella Ionica>>>>Crotone, Porto Vecchio
Distance 157

We push off from Rocella Ionica with me eyeing the port engine temperature nervously. It has continued to climb and is now over 90 degrees. I have checked the impellor and it’s in perfect condition. I have also checked the raw water out which is flowing correctly in case there was a blockage. I have felt my way around the raw water in and it’s cool to the touch. The engine has three thermostats in a row so even if one fails cooling water will still travel round the system – the likelihood of three failing at once is hugely unlikely. Everything points to the heat exchanger, but it’s such a simple system it can’t really go wrong.
As we push on the heat continues to climb by a degree or so each hour. The temperature is approaching 100 degrees when I decide to shut down the engine and call it a day. The weather is okay but there’s a bit of a breeze and when we slow to 8 knots it becomes a bit bumpy. I fill the port gearbox with oil, stuffing a rag down the dipstick hole, this will keep the gears cool as the prop feathers as we travel along.
We decide to continue to Crotone, we’re almost halfway and, more importantly, it’s a reasonably large port and should have some sensible engineering services there.
We try the autopilot but it can’t cope with the yawing motion produced by the starboard engine’s power so we end up steering by hand. The remainder of the trip is a real struggle at 8 knots with a freshening wind.
I ring the fuel man and stand him down and retire for a few hours leaving Keith to steer.
I’m on watch four hours later as we approach Crotone, the swell we’re in drops off a bit as we round the peninsular on the way to the harbour. Crotone has a large oil industry nearby and several oil rigs on the approach to the harbour. Unfortunately it hasn’t occurred to anyone that perhaps they should pop a light on any of these things so we approach Crotone harbour in pitch black with huge blobs all over the radar but with nothing visible to the naked eye.
Grahame goes onto the fly-bridge and keeps lookout whilst Keith and I keep an eye on the instruments down below. We make it into Crotone without incident though we crept rather closer to an oil rig than we would have done during the day (or if it was lit!!) and moor up on the fuel pontoon behind a 95’ Azimut cruiser just before 3am.
Depressed we fall asleep and wait to see what the next day brings.

Crotone, Porto Vecchio>>>>Nowhere fast!!!!!
Distance Big fat zero

We awake to a warm and sunny day in Crotone. The fuel man arrives and recognises us from the day before’s abortive attempt at a late night refuelling. We top up the tanks and set about finding someone who knows about engines.
Fuel man is hugely helpful and after asking what engines we have gets very excited and disappears on his moped, unfortunately we are separated by language but he seems to know something.
He returns with a rather elderly gentleman in overalls, my initial concern that this chap is some sort of local bodger is immediately allayed – he is the local representative for MAN engines and his workshop is on the other side of the harbour!
He asks all the right questions, in sign language of course, and starts a thorough inspection of the engine. Without much success I explain what I have checked, he carries on oblivious but within an hour or so has ascertained to his own satisfaction it’s not the impellor, strainers or anything else obvious (which I am secretly happy about because I would have kicked myself if it was!).

Heat exchanger lying on top of the battery box, thermostats being tested

We move the boat nearer to his workshop and he continues with the patient. Checking the thermostats requires the removal of a fair amount of pipework on my engines and this takes some time but to his credit he works until 7pm that night (after a reasonable siesta).
He retires for the night and we find a local bar, Greece by the weekend is becoming unlikely…

Thermostats are checked and pronounced in working order. We now move to dismantle the heat exchanger. This isn’t easy as it’s a heavy item and the confines of the engine room aren’t the best place to be manhandling perhaps 70kg of iron.
The heat exchanger is taken to the workshop and the remaining pipework removed, it becomes suddenly clear why we have a problem!

Crotone harbour with Athito in several pieces in the distance


The ends of the tube stack we covered in a layer of growth, this growth had been catching small grains of sand and other particles during the trip that were small enough to get through the raw water filer and eventually clogged the heat exchanger’s lower tubes. This slow clogging combined with a steady increase in water temperatures from 10 degrees up to 27 degrees in the Ionian had all conspired together to send the engine’s temperature on the way to 95 degrees.

Athito with “Leto Motore” MAN dealer in the background


The most disappointing issue is that I had bought picking fluid to remove all the limescale from the engines but never got around to running it through the engines, if I had another weekend in the UK I might have got around to it but there was so much to do and this wasn’t high priority…at the time!
Because I had the pickling fluid on board we avoided the need to send the heat exchanger away to Genoa to have it cleaned, however, I don’t have any new gaskets for the unit and these have to be couriered from Genoa…the parts are ordered and it’s going to be an anxious wait for a few quid worth of rubber to arrive.

Cleaning each tube in the heat exchanger



With Friday approaching and work on Monday it becomes clear I will not be visiting Greece during this trip. I begin to make travel arrangements to get out of Crotone and leave Keith and Grahame to carry on the trip alone. I organise my flights and a taxi to take me to a local airport at Friday lunchtime. I feel disappointed I can’t make the last leg but have had a great time and a huge amount of experience that I would never have got any other way.

My trip is over.........but a few days later a reassembled Athito continues on with Keith the skipper...names and distances if you're interested!!!!


Crotone, Porto Vecchio>>>>Levkas
Distance 190


Levkas Kiaton
Distance ....??

Kiaton Chios
Distance ....??

 

[andyball]

Re: South coast to Greece (part 5)

Wow, Stefan; quite an adventure....


I stayed at Peniche a few years back - what a dump - but sounds like the same decent customs guys.

 

[peterb26]

Re: South coast to Greece (part 5)

Superb story.

Can I correct the bit about Lagos Marina please? They do take credit cards for fuel but only Amex.

Amazing since nowhere else in Portugal takes Amex in my experience!

 

[JKay]

Re: South coast to Greece (part 4)

top tale Thanks for your time and effort really appreciated

cheers Joe

 

[hlb]

Re: South coast to Greece (part 2)

It beats any of my adventures, and you've even got the lancashire accent right, well done!! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[syd]

Re: South coast to Greece (part 5)

Awesom trip and a fantastic read. You certainly know your boat..
I thoroughly enjoyed that, even felt that tightening feeling in my stomach when you said the temperature gauge started to rise.


Syd

 

[Whitelighter]

Excellent read. Thanks for taking the time to post it.

Hope the boat gets safely to Greece.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Stefan, that was a fascinating read. Thank you very much. Tell us something about the Mochi. Age, engines, speed, fuel consumption, range etc?
My boat is in Palma and I'm thinking about cruising to Sardinia this year. Any tips on the crossing via Menorca?

 

[stefan_r]

Re: South coast to Greece (part 5)

[ QUOTE ]
Superb story.

Can I correct the bit about Lagos Marina please? They do take credit cards for fuel but only Amex.

Amazing since nowhere else in Portugal takes Amex in my experience!

[/ QUOTE ]

I stand corrected but did try them with Visa and AMEX and man say "no"...this was April 2005 though...

 

[stefan_r]

[ QUOTE ]
Stefan, that was a fascinating read. Thank you very much. Tell us something about the Mochi. Age, engines, speed, fuel consumption, range etc?
My boat is in Palma and I'm thinking about cruising to Sardinia this year. Any tips on the crossing via Menorca?

[/ QUOTE ]

hey Mike...

Mochi is a 1991 vintage with 2x MAN D2848LXE engines giving about 680hp each.

Top end is early 30 knots...downhill I reckon 35 or so.

LOA 14.25m (46'9) 4.47m (14'8) beam.

Traditional layout of forward berth and two double cabins port and starboard.

Interesting design feature...engines run through vee drives so they are way back in the boat.

Consumption...tell you in a few weeks. During the trip it was dire but I have since had then engines out to be reconditioned and the Bosch man says the fuel system is mistimed...oooops.



Pleased you enjoyed the read...that was April 2005, took me a while to get it online!!!!

 

[peterb26]

Re: South coast to Greece (part 5)

Ah, I can only speak of the present year.

So it may well have changed since 2005 Stefan. But as of todays date they do say "That'll do nicely" (Albeit with a Portuguese accent!).

I only really made the post in case anyone was doing the trip round the SW corner of Portugal, in which case Lagos is a good spot to call in.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Wow, those are big motors for a 46 footer! My 46 footer Ferretti is actually slightly larger than yours in terms of loa and beam but only has 442hp engines. Not surprised yours hits 35 knots. Mine only does 27knots
My boat also has V drives like yours. They're quite common on Italian boats but you don't see them on Brit boats except for a few Sunseekers. I was a bit worried about having V drives but they've been no problem at all. Big advantage of course is that they allow the engines to be located further aft which gives more accomodation space but, on the other hand, you lose lazarette space
I did'nt realise you did this trip in 2005. How's boating in the Med then?

 

[stefan_r]

Ahhhh, if you have a Ferretti you'll know all about vee drives of course! Yes I have never understood why they are not used more...and seem so common on boats from Med builders.

Ferretti is a great brand and now that Mochi are part of them at least gives me some longevity in my brand name ...even though the brand is now used on (beautiful) lobster type boats.

Med boating is great...I get over to Greece maybe 4 times a year (my dad retired there and that's why I am happy to have moved the boat there).

Chios is a bit dull...but with some lovely anchorages, and pretty much anywhere is only a day or so hard motoring so I can make it as varied as I want.

Different attitude to power down there too...

 

[djefabs]

What a fabulous read. I felt that I was there with you. It reminded me of last year when I bought my boat back from Villamoura. The same re-fuelling problems all the way.
I hope you have been enjoying the boat down in Greece after your epic voyage

 

[Major Catastrophe]

I thoroughly enjoyed every word of that. Thank you for taking the time to write it.

 

[PowerYachtBlog]

fantastic read

the actual LOA of the Mochi 46 is over 15 mtrs
the MAN 680 hp engine option makes this a fantastic boat and 35 knots top speed can be achieved with engines in good order

fantastic choice, this Poalo Caliari designed MY is an all time classic
as the Mochi brand apart the take over from Ferretti, please note that the Mochi people have now opened the Dominator shipyard which offer fantastic yacht from 19 up to 30 + mtrs
I have seen the 68 last year in Croatia and was heavily impressed by its standard...