April Fools
05 April 2017
31st March 2017
Woke up this morning to find some thieving bugger had pinched the paddleboard and left us with a swim float that would not have impressed Mitch in Baywatch albeit red. Mike seemed quite accepting of this saying "it will be covered by insurance" Feeling thoroughly pissed off, I picked the paddle up off the deck, Donna shouted over "what date is it Jacqui?" "31st March" "Oh bugger thought it was April Fools"
Board retrieved we headed off to Monastery Bay, as we left the Iggy Creek Mike spotted two Dolphins in the water. After numerous attempts to follow them and get them to swim on our bow it became apparent food was their priority not playing with us idiots. Oh well nice to see them all the same. We dropped our anchor in a place called Monastery Bay, blue water, and empty hotels on the hill in front of us.
1st and 2nd April 2017
That morning Mike was on the ball sending Donna a text telling her that that night we had dragged our anchor, ended up on the beach, had no sleep and now he was going to dive in to inspect if there was any damage to the bottom of the boat. Surprisingly Donna fell for it "hook line and sinker" saying she had half a tank of spare air and they could come round to help and bring soup!, how sweet. Mike said not to worry as there had been a beach party going all night and we had joined them and had a blast, at which point she twigged Mike had got his revenge, only it was the 1st April.
The weather forecast indicated that there was to be some bad weather coming in on the 3rd April so we needed to head for a marina before then, so we were up and off again. The forecast suggested that both the wind and swell would be from an unusual direction for the area, therefore we needed to find a suitable anchorage just in case it came through early. As we sailed down the coast heading for Two Rock Bay, Mike decided to check out O Fanari. The pilot book said you could either anchor off the beach or go up a River to the side but that it is wise to check depths before doing so, we decided to give this a miss as the water off the beach looked quite calm and we were sure would suffice us for the evening. Making our approach Mike said I'll make sure I get us in nice and close to the beach, when instructed I dropped the anchor. Having got us in nice and close he was now concerned that if we swung towards the beach there may not be enough water. Now that would be ironic having joked with Donna earlier about ending up on the beach. I offered to lift the anchor and re position to a spot further out but having played with the boat to see what it would do Mike said he was happy if we did swing that way there would be enough water under us.
There was an element of swell coming into the bay but the wind was keeping our nose into it so it was not uncomfortable. It might be a different story when the wind drops later. I decided to go to the beach on the paddleboard and see if there were any bins around for us to put our rubbish in. I went for a leisurely stroll along the water's edge and came across a turtle in the water, I watched it with interest as its' little head moved from left to right repeatedly as if it were watching a game of tennis, I then realised it was actually dead and the tide was creating the movement. Mike wanted to go and retrieve it to make a bowl out the shell but I would tell him where I had found it.
As dusk fell the wind continued to blow, Mike looking out the windows spotted another boat coming in, excited at the fact we would have company on anchor. His heart sank when he saw it making its way up the river. "We should have gone up there", "do you want to?" "no we will stay here". The wind did drop and the boat swung round to take the swell on the side, not a motion Mike likes very much. We laid in bed both tired after all the fresh air, Mike was already asleep and as I laid taking note of the gentle rocking from side to side until the boat suddenly did a larger than normal role from port to starboard. Mike was launched out of bed, not by the movement of the boat but in sheer panic as he was woken suddenly from his sleep with the movement. "it's alright love" I said reassuring him that I had not been asleep and I believed it was something passing by outside the bay at speed which caused it and all would settle down soon. I can't quite recall the exact words but it was something like this "Settle down, settle down, it will be doing this all night, we will have to do watches, I won't sleep". I tried again to suggest this was a one off motion and all would be relatively calm again like being gently rocked in your pram. "Oh you go to sleep, I am going to sit up in the front cabin", "OK, I will". Not being one to say I told you so it was fortunately a one off motion and Mike fell asleep in the front cabin on watch, he ventured back into bed when he started to feel the cold. Feeling a little fruity once warmed up I pointed out we best not rock the boat "Smart Alec"
It might have been the cold that sent Mike back to bed but there was a distinct frost in the air this morning and I am not talking about the weather now. With precise efficiency we lifted the anchor and headed for Preveza Marina. The wind was stronger than had been forecast but yes you guessed it in the wrong direction. We had the main sail out and as we sailed into the wind Mike noticed one of the batons was coming out, I knew I should have shoved it in till his eyes watered. The remainder of the journey was pretty uneventful. We arrived at the marina which was half empty and the buildings around the marina still being constructed but at least we were safely tied up for the weather and had water and electric at hand.
3rd April 2017
When you sail in Greek waters you are expected to pay for a Dekpa each year, however this is never straight forward. Whilst in Gouvia Mike had caught a taxi to Corfu to sort this out, however the Tax office is closed in the afternoon so he had returned to the boat with a €28 taxi bill and no Dekpa. Now in Preveza he decided to try again, so up early and straight to the port police for the form. The police advised Mike that he then needed to go pay €50 at the bank and then return with the form for stamping but not today as the lady who deals with Dekpas only works Tuesdays. Mike then made his way to the bank to pay his €50, having negotiated the secure door system he was in the bank, this operated on a ticket system a bit like the cheese counter in Asda. Mike collected his ticket number 364, number 85 had just been called, this was going to be a long wait especially with the addition of the people who just pushed in and were allowed to stay at the counters because "they were being seen now". Two and a half hours later Mike had paid his money, lets hope the return visit to the Port Police is straight forward tomorrow but we are in Greece.
4th April 2017
As planned Mike went off with his receipt to present it at the Port Police in exchange for the Dekpa, did I say this should be quick, I was wrong. Having handed over his payment slip he was asked to sit with another gentleman off a British boat and wait for the form. People came and went, some lost their tempers and were calmed by senior staff or female officers. Had the antics in the office not being so entertaining then Mike may have ended up loosing his temper, 2 hours later he was given the form. A total of 5 hours was spent in getting this form and that is not counting the time taken to get one in Corfu but at least we were legal now.