At Sea�For How Long?
20 July 2008 | Spinalonga Lagoon, Crete
by Capts. Dave and Desiree
When we left Herzliya, Israel, we were thinking "big" and thought we would be in Sicily in a week. Although we had checked the weather and it looked to be a clear window, reality set in three days later. We downloaded weather reports routinely on the boat. Westward the winds were escalating, becoming much more boisterous, and "on our nose." We evaluated the situation and decided to tuck into Turkey. After banging into over 30 knot winds and unrelenting waves, we gratefully dropped an anchor into a known anchorage, Kekova Roads, Turkey. We waited out the weather for thirty-six hours before we ventured westward once again.
After moving southwest in reasonable winds for the first twenty-four hours, the known "normality" of summer Grecian winds came into effect. The winds started to gust to 35knots with a very irregular wave activity, but we really had no options but trudging forward. The other challenge is winds and bad weather do not necessarily stop at night, which was the case with our present situation. Dave and I alternated sailing that night, with the second person sleeping inside the settee for quick assistance, if needed. We even let Ryan and Wesley off their early AM shift??"it did not seem appropriate to make them responsible for the boat in these winds.
We did finally make it to Spinalonga Lagoon, Crete after three days and two nights. It was a beautiful sight. So how long until Sicily? Who knows. We'll just keep checking the weather and moving westward using good sailing judgment.
(We tried to capture a picture capturing the wind and waves, but none of the photos reflected the ferocity??"so instead this photo of Spinalonga Lagoon reflects the peaceful spot of our anchorage).