It feels like months since I have
written anything on my blog – that is because it’s months since I’ve written my
blog!
A lot has been going on, and I finally have five minutes (well a spare afternoon) to put pen to laptop, meander through the season's photographs and give an update to the end of the season.
August 2018
David
and I decided to leave Greece early this year and having rebooked our lift out
date, and having finished our excursion to Corfu, we headed down to the more familiar ground of the South Ionian islands.
When
looking back at our log, it does appear that we did exactly what we said we
would do in August – relax.
August can be a difficult month
around this little group of islands. The Brits tend to go home as it is too
hot, and the Italians arrive, as it’s their holiday season.
However, this year
we were not surrounded by boats flying the red white and green flag, who also have bad anchoring techniques, we were surrounded by Belgians with bad anchoring techniques!
It appears that many Italians have re-registered their boats under the Belgian flag
(something to do with an Italian tax– nothing I would dare discuss here!).
It
was however, as always, hot. To this end, when we found a safe and comfortable
bay to swim in, or a safe and comfortable pontoon with a swimming pool nearby, we
tended to stay for an extended period.
And who can blame us, with August being the hot month, it also comes with very little wind...may as well stay put and enjoy the view, and the company, oh and the G&Ts!
And so it was that for August we meandered
between Vlicho Bay, Tranquil Bay, and Bungalow Bay, then over to Meganisi island to Port Atheni Bay, and a day or two at George and Alex's at Little Vathi, and a large amount of time on the Iris
Pontoon.
We also meandered between the various bars and restaurants that we
love so much, ending with my favourite all time restaurant, Seaside Resort. A fantastic spot, even for just a drink, with our boat anchored in the background. A very happy end to our season.
September 2018
And so it was, that on the 2nd
of September, we took our final sail up to Preveza, even sailing down the
channel into the bay, for one last night before lifting out the following
morning.
Fortunately we got a spot on the boatyard’s dock and managed to get the
sails down and stowed, and dinghy on board, and were told we would be lifted
before 10am the following morning.
Once again, the staff at the
Ionian Boatyard did a superb job of lifting Alhambra out and into her winter
berth. We would then spend the next ten days preparing her for winter.
For my
part, this involved finishing off the full cockpit cover. Having cut and seamed
the two large pieces together at the beginning of our sailing season, I could
now finish the job, and although I say so myself, I am very pleased with the
finished product.
Whilst preparing the boat for
winter, and making the cover, I also began my job hunting, which not only
included the usual updating my CV, applying for jobs online, telephone
interviews, but this time I also had to do a video interview – which was an
interesting experience on a non-floating boat, in a cabin full of suitcases and
clothes. (Yes, I did get a face-to-face interview, but no, I didn’t get the job,
but I am still actively looking and hoping to get something sorted very soon.)
With all the jobs that are
required when leaving the boat for winter completed, we finally packed and left
for our journey home on 13th September. A huge thank you to our
friend Steve who came up and drove us to the ferry port, ready for our final
boat trip over to Corfu and a late night flight home.
October 2018
Back home, we are back in the
swing of the UK in autumn, albeit an abnormally warm season. However, we continue
to watch the weather in Greece and other parts of the world. It came as a shock
to see the Medicane (Mediterranean Hurricane) blow through most of Greece
earlier this month. We knew a number of people who were caught up in this huge
abnormal weather phenomenon. Fortunately, no one we know was hurt, or had any damage to
their boats, although there were many reports (pictures and videos) of others
who unfortunately lost their boats. Here is a Youtube link I have found for those around the world who did not get to see any of this:
This Medicane just added to our view that
2018’s summer weather was ‘weird’ and ‘bizarre’. Let’s hope that this year was
just abnormal, and not about to become the norm. Below is a selection of weather we experience this season:
Storms in Nidri
Rain in Nidri
Clouds in Nidri
Sunsets in Nidri
Cold enough in June for slippers...
Rain and fog in Lakka...
Beautiful sunrises and sunsets in Petriti...
Back in the real world, we have
done as we always do, and have caught up with family and friends; we’ve got
back into the routine of driving to the supermarket and not walking to a small
local shop every other day. We are able to do the washing when we want to, and
not have to wait to be somewhere where there is a machine or laundrette
available. We were shocked at the price of everything (no more being able to go
out for a litre of wine and a couple of gyros for less than €10 for the two of
us). No longer complaining it’s too hot, but jumping off the back of the boat
to cool down. However, no longer having to check the weather forecast on daily
basis (or in this year’s case, an hourly check), but having to check the
internet daily and job hunt. Nevertheless, in both situations, we are as always
surrounding by good friends who make everyday a wonderful experience.
To sum up our summer, it was full
of ups and downs (quite literally in some anchorages). Having been away from
Alhambra for two and half years (excluding a couple of weeks sailing last year),
returning was not quite what we were expecting. We were initially planning to
go to the eastern islands of Greece, but changed our minds, we were planning to
get up to the north coast of Corfu, but the weather thwarted us, we planned to
stay until mid October, but chose to come home early. One of the pleasures of
having your own boat is that you can change your mind, you can react to the
weather, and can alter your plans at your leisure; and to this end, we have no
fixed plan going forward. We are surrounded by beautiful countryside, and can even borrow a friends dog...
In fact, we don’t know what beholds us in the coming
months and years and I quite like that uncertainty, the acceptance that you don’t
necessarily know what is round the corner, what other exciting opportunities
await you. For me, I am excited about getting a new job; having really enjoyed
my time at my last job, I want to get something that excites me as much as that
did, so I am working hard at that. My mum is keeping David very busy, and he has
thrilled me by talking about getting back into gliding – watch this pace! As for everything else, I have promised myself to maintain this blog on a regular basis, not just when we are travelling. As for another book, who knows...
