We left Aegina for the island of Salamina to top up our fuel tanks before transiting the canal. From there, we made great time with speeds between 10-11 knots! Somewhere along the way, we went through a swarm of flies, which occupied the rest of our trip. The kids and I went to battle, killing over 100 flies (seriously, that is not an exaggeration). It wasn't just us either, as our friends on Plan B, also had a fly invasion. It took about three days to eradicate the little buggers.
Fueling up.
We anchored in the bay at the eastern entrance to the canal and settled in for the night. While the canal functions 24/7, we wanted to wait for daylight for photos and to get a good look at what our money was buying us. Not only did this save us time and 150 nm, it was also a nice piece of history to observe.
Entering the canal.
The following morning, we dinghied over to pay 200 euro and complete the paperwork. An hour later, we were going through the canal. It is about 3 miles long and is full of interesting things to see, such as landscaped flower beds, waterfalls, and little caves. The sunlight makes the water glow a neon blue in spots. The canal was started by the French and completed by the Greeks in the late 1800s. Before its construction, ships were rolled over the isthmus to the other side.
Little waterfall.
We had smooth seas into and through the canal. Upon exiting, it was chaos! Winds around 30 knots and very choppy seas. We motored for about 12nm. After that, it was calm and smooth as glass out in the gulf. We had enough wind to sail and set course for Galaxidi to the anchorage near the town. Music was going as we arrived. We dropped the hook and had a nice dinner listening to the music. Next day, we sailed over to the old harbor of Itea to tour the sanctuary of Delphi to consult the oracle (all about that in the next post).
RoundAbout's haulout via tractor and hydraulic lift
We hauled RoundAbout out at Planaco Yacht Yard, on the island of Aegina, Greece on Valentine's Day. We spent the next two weeks getting all sorts of things crossed off the list.
Powerwashing commenced immediately after hauling out.
Here is what we accomplished:
*fiberglass and gelcoat repair (various areas on deck, a cleat, rudder, dinghy davits, etc).
*serviced sail drives and engines (changed all seals, oil, belts, etc)
*replaced leaky hatch seals
*re-bed the traveler
*re-seal joints on the Starboard side (we did the Port side a couple of months ago)
*serviced propellers
*serviced dinghy motor
*remarked our anchor chain
*installed underwater lights
*installed a new thru-hull for the water-maker
*installed new transducer with speed log
*sanded all the old paint off the bottom and added an anti-osmotic sealer/primer and two coats of anti-foul paint
*repair broken hinge on anchor locker
*generator exhaust elbow repaired (it was leaking and water ran down into Cadence's closet)
*repaired stove rails (re-welded a spot that had come apart).
*ordered custom cockpit enclosure, new interior cushions (recovered), replaced our helm station cushions, new window screens, and ordered custom cushions for the cockpit. It will be so nice to be able to sit outside in comfort!
Various repair work.
This is how we made it easier for Sunny to get on and off the boat. The stairs were a much better option than the ladder off the transom.
Being in the yard was challenging, but we survived. The boat was a mess and so dirty! The antifoul paint residue is very hard to get off the boat. Sunny's fur was tinged blue! (we are still trying to get if off the trampoline--hoping over time it will fade and bleach out). Total cost of this haul-out and all repairs/materials: about 10k! Ouch!
The yard did have restrooms and hot showers, which was helpful. A taverna next door was a place we spent a lot of time, using their wifi and enjoying their delicious food and coffee. The kids scootered around the yard and played with the yard's dogs. Sunny also enjoyed the extra time on terra firma.
We also had some time to explore the port town of Aegina. the Temple of Apollo, and some other historical sites. During the weekend, we encountered Carnival, also known as Apokries. It is celebrated with parties, feasts, and parades three weeks before Lent Monday. It is sort of like Halloween without the trick-or-treating. There was a parade, kids in costumes everywhere, as well as confetti and streamers covering every surface!
Exploring the Port of Aegina during the festival weekend.
Aegina is famous for growing pistachios, so we had to try some.
Testing our systems.
Relaunching!
We re-launched on Tuesday, February 27th around 11:30am and after testing all of the systems, we sailed for Poros.
We flew the drone during the re-launch. Check out the video! (linked here in case it doesn't load below)
Enjoying the new helm seats!
Anchored off the eastern part of Aegina, while we had lunch.
That night we encountered a mighty storm with winds of at least 20 knots sustained and gusts over 30 knots. Yes, we checked the forecast. It was incorrect! The wind kept clocking all around and of course, we dragged anchor. Jared and I stayed up for most of the night. Finally, around 2am, we gave up trying to reset the anchor. While Jared stayed at the helm, I went forward in the freezing rain and wind to haul up the anchor. Usually, we use our forward hose and give everything a good rinse. Not this time, and it really needed it, as we harvested a ton of sea grass. We turned around and motored back to the town quay and tied up. Exhausted, we fell asleep and woke up to a sunny and calm morning. Go figure.
Sailing back to Piraeus and transisting the shipping lane. This ship was 899 feet long! Our boat was barely the size of its rudder!
Testing our underwater lights!
It was so calm, we all enjoyed sitting up front for a change!
We returned to Pireaus later that afternoon, so we could attend our visa extension appointment the following day. What a load of paperwork that was! I think the stack of all our paperwork was about 6 inches tall. We had to make 2 copies of all documents for each of us, get letters of confirmation that our boat was in the harbor from both the marina and the port police, obtain a new transit log from customs, certificate from the citizen service center, and receipt for paying the fee. Three days later and 5 hours sitting the immigration office, we were finally given our visas! We can now remain in Greece until June 14th. This gives us time to wait for our stuff to arrive from the Caribbean and slowly work our way north towards Croatia.
We do take time out for fun here and there, amidst all of the boat projects. Here are some photos of our time spent at the Acropolis in Athens and the Museum.
Exploring the Parthenon and Acropolis
Sitting high on this hill in Athens, is the Acropolis. It is derived from the word "polis" which translates to the 'highest point in the city'. In ancient times, the city would lay just below with markets and an active trading center.
Once you pass through the entrance gateway, also known as the Propylaea, you will see the Parthenon of Athena, the Erechtheum, the Temple of Athena Nike.
If you have time to explore this amazing place, do it!
Another experience you can't miss is the Changing of the Guard at Syntagma Square in Athens. They change about every hour, but there is a parade and ceremony at 11am on Sundays. This is when we went and it was totally worth staying the extra days in port to do so!
We took some time for a quick trip down the island chain to Milos. The waters are a beautiful turquoise and it was fun to explore the village.
Anchored off Milos.
Weather soon chased us back north.
Checking the weather.
On the way back to Piraeus, we stopped at the port of Loutra on the island of Kythnos. This area is known for the hot springs that flow right to the beach! We highly recommend a visit, if you are in the area. The village was empty, as it was off season, with the exception of the harbor master and one cafe who opened a few hours each day. Wifi is free in the port.
Port Loutra. Hots springs are on the beach, left of RoundAbout.
After picking up some parts back in Piraeus, we set off for our haul-out at the Planaco Yacht Yard on the nearby island of Aegina. They have free wifi, bathrooms with showers (lots of hot water!) and a nice taverna next door. Everyone we spoke to goes here because of the professional staff and the unique way they lift out the boats: via tractor lift! Check out the videos of our haul-out on our facebook page.
We spent a little over a week on the hard, getting all sorts of things crossed off the list. In addition to new antifouling (after sanding, they added a primer/epoxy coat before the antifouling), we serviced the saildrives and engines, generator, and propellers (we had fishing line on the port side and a net in the starboard--definitely recommend pulling the propellers to check them, as all sorts of things get sucked up into them), added a speed log, new thru-hull for our water-maker (ours temporarily shared one with the a/c unit), fiberglass/gelcoat repairs, marked our anchor chain, entire boat polished, underwater lights added, seals replaced for leaky hatches, and ordered new window screens, a cover for the BBQ, replacement helm station cushions, recovered the salon cushions, and added cockpit cushions and pillows. We also ordered pieces to enclose the cockpit area on rainy days to keep the area dry. The upholstery order will take a couple of weeks, and so we will island hop while we wait.
The boat yard has been so busy hauling and re-launching boats, it's like a bee-hive here! Work is going on constantly! They are also building a wooden luxury yacht in their building and we were invited to tour it. Wow! It was incredible! This one project guarantees jobs for the yard employees for at least 3 solid years!
The weather has been rainy off and on, but we are seeing signs of spring, which means more sunny weather and great sailing! We are looking forward to being back out on the water and exploring more of this wonderful country. We have applied for and received an extension to stay in Greece until June. While we may not stay that long, it gives us plenty of time to look for good weather windows as we make our way towards Croatia.
The weather over this past weekend was a perfect excuse to escape the marina and boat projects. We left Friday afternoon, after speaking at a local elementary school (sharing what life is like aboard our boat and a little of our California school's STEM and ROV programs).
We pointed our nose towards Aegina, an island about a 2 hour sail away. We were right away in the high traffic zone of the Piraeus Port, but it was smooth sailing all the way across. We anchored in a bay on the southern end of Aegina and settled in for a calm and peaceful night.
Sailing towards Aegina from Piraeus.
At anchor off the southern coast of Aegina.
Sunny is a pro at getting in and out of the dinghy.
All tucked in Tavernas and shops along the quay
The next morning, we pulled anchor
and headed to the island of Poros, about 3 hours away. Once we arrived, we found a nice spot to moor up to the quay lined with tavernas. Once RoundAbout was tucked in for the evening, the crew set about to explore ashore.
Exploring Poros
After a lovely weekend, we had to sail back to Piraeus for some final boat projects: installing our electric winch, water outlet at the front of the boat (so we can rinse the anchor and wash down the deck), and some other small items. We will then be finished (for now) and be able to set sail for Crete later on this week!
