After seven months in Syros over the winter, we relaunched Fandancer on May 1st. We spent another week in the harbour, then the disused marina, while we did some more jobs on board and stowed a lot of things. We also bought a lot of things from the chandler, who must have rubbed his hands with glee whenever he saw Tim approaching. We now seem to have even more chain, more halyards and more buckets than ever before. The other day, Tim bought some rope to make a new main halyard as the old one was a bit 'ropey', and asked for 15 metres of new green and white rope, which was promptly measured and cut in expert Greek fashion. On returning to Fandancer, we discovered that Tim had correctly measured the length required to go UP the mast, but forgot that the rope also has to come down again, and we in fact needed 30 metres! Oops! So yet more rope was bought from the chandlers, with the original 15m being used for new reefing lines.
When you go back to living on board after several months ashore, you tend to forget where things go. We removed every single thing from Fandancer when we moved ashore, so everything had to be put back, but for the life of me I couldn't remember where I had kept some of the galley stuff, to start with. And why do we need two duvets! Ah yes, the big thick downy one was needed when we stayed the previous winter in the south of France and there was actually ice on the canal and minus 7 degrees for a week, then we definitely needed the big duvet. I cant ever imagine needing it again, but I cant bear to throw it away.
So yesterday, 9 May, at noon, we left Ermoupolis, Syros, and headed to Paros. An excellent shake-down trip. About 24 miles, a good force 4 wind, boat speed topped 7 knots at times. Fandancer performed brilliantly. Neither of us has been to Paros on a boat before, although Tim did a couple of weeks' backpacking about 20 years ago.
The harbour is very small and shallow in parts, and there were already quite a few boats inside, as well as moored on the outside of the wall. We nosed in to the harbour to have a look, and managed to moor stern-to in the last space. After a celebratory cup of tea, we went for a short walk to find a wifi café as I had been requested to forward some photos for another article I have written for Practical Boat Owner magazine.
I will tell you about the wonders of Paros tomorrow, its a lovely place!