Homeward Bound

Vessel Name: Integrity
Vessel Make/Model: Bavaria 37 Cruiser
Hailing Port: Corpus Christi
Crew: Bob and Cris Gerlach
About: Starting a new life living aboard on June 1, 2011. We are retired but not tired and we're off on an adventure of a lifetime together.
25 March 2012 | Simpson Lagoon, St Martin
13 March 2012 | Portsmouth, Dominica
22 February 2012 | Atlantic-Caribbean
08 November 2011 | Lanzarote, Canary Islands
24 October 2011 | In the Shadow of the Rock of Gibraltar
14 October 2011 | Fuentarabia/Hondarrabia, Spain
12 October 2011 | Northern Spain
08 October 2011 | Granada, Spain
03 October 2011 | Almerimar, Spainish east coast
28 September 2011 | Mahon, Menorca, the Balerics
11 September 2011 | Missina Sicily
04 September 2011 | Corfu Greece
25 August 2011 | Ay Eufimia Harbor
20 August 2011 | Corinth Yacht Harbor, Greece
14 August 2011 | kalamaki Marina, Athens, Greece
07 August 2011 | Today, Kalamaki Marina, Athens
04 August 2011 | Monemvasia, Peloponnisos coast
27 July 2011 | Milos Island, Greece
19 July 2011 | Serifos Greece
14 July 2011 | STILL in Syros
Recent Blog Posts
25 March 2012 | Simpson Lagoon, St Martin

A new delay, such is life

Hello all you blog followers. We begin this entry on March 19, 2012. We are tied to a mooring in Falmouth Bay right next to English Harbor on the Island of Antigua. We are surrounded by mega mega yachts, the sort that only Bill Gates or Tiger Woods could dream of affording.

13 March 2012 | Portsmouth, Dominica

The Leewards

It’s surprising how little distance can be covered in so much time. Sailing is a slow business at the best of times.

22 February 2012 | Atlantic-Caribbean

ARC 2011 Gran Canaria to St Lucia

Wow! Time sure flies by it has been over two months since we made it across the Atlantic, albeit second last in the Rally and there hasn’t been much thought of adding or updating the blog. In fact we apparently got so wrapped up in preparations we forgot to post some of our travel. We left Lanzarote [...]

08 November 2011 | Lanzarote, Canary Islands

first long passage accomplished

November 6th, Marina Rubicon, Lanzarote, Canary Islands

24 October 2011 | In the Shadow of the Rock of Gibraltar

Ten days away, ten days to the next post

21 October

14 October 2011 | Fuentarabia/Hondarrabia, Spain

If you water it, it will grow

14 October

It's always “catch up” time with this blog.

04 August 2011 | Monemvasia, Peloponnisos coast
It seems to always be “catch up” time with this blog.
So, bringing things up to date, we spent several days in Milos. Our first night at the Quay about 10:00pm the night club started up and went until 5:00am blasting at what must have been 200 decibels. How people could be in there without hearing loss is beyond me. So we moved the boat out to the long pier considerably further away and with just the small fan in our berth to mute the music we were able to sleep without other sounds.
We left for Kithera at 0100 in the dark on a moonless night. Clearing the 3 miles of the bay was tense but the chart plotter provided excellent guidance. At about 0700 I put out the trusty number 14 red and white Rapala and in an hour landed a 20lb Tuna. After putting the fish into the refrigerator (where it fit but not by much and leaving only space above it) we resumed our progress towards Kithera. After another hour or so Cris said “you know what? We have room for another fish in the refrigerator on top of the other one, why not put the lure out again you probably won’t catch another one anyway. Famous last words! By 1100 we were cleaning up the blood from the cockpit and 20lb Tuna #2 was in the frig. Tuna just plain bleed. When they are flopping around and slapping that tail blood flies everywhere. The cockpit looks like the sight of the Texas chainsaw murders, including us. We agreed, after our second shower to remove the tuna blood that we wouldn’t fish anymore today.

We met up with friends Peter and Renata Vlandis in Kapsali on Kithera. Peter is Greek but has lived in Australia since he was 15 and Renata is a native Australian. They maintain a summer house in Kithera and usually spend a few months a year there. Wonderful people whose hospitality is beyond compare. We spent the next two days touring the island, eating wonderful food, and food and more food, and meeting people (it seems there isn’t a soul on the island that Peter doesn’t know!). It was great to have a ‘native guide” to show us all the places tourists seldom find. It was a great time.

When we left to move on to Monemvasia, on the south eastern Peloponnisos coast which is where I am now writing this, we took Peter and Renata for a ride with us from Kapsali around to northeastern Kithera to Dhiakofti and dropped them off at the Ferry landing. Tried real hard to catch a fish along the way but no luck, they will just have to do with the tuna we gave them. The Cape area between Kithera and Peloponnisos is most always rough seas and at the end poor Renata started to feel it. Fortunately it was just outside the breakwater and she was soon back to normal. No embarrassment Renata, there are only two kinds of people who go out in boats, those who have been seasick and those who will be.

I think we will stay here for a few days in Monemvasia , maybe until Sunday before we try to move on to Athens and Kalamaki Marina since the charter boats will all be there for the Saturday change over. By Sunday afternoon there should be lots of open slips and stay that way until the following Saturday. We have some things as always in need of attention from skilled folks and in Athens they have them, but it will need 4,5, or maybe 6 days to make arrangements and get the work done. No sense paying big marina fees over a weekend when we can get nothing done. Besides there is a great walled city here that warrants exploring.

We have some great photos but vanity dictates that todays blog photo will show our mugs. So this one is of us and our friends at a waterfall on Kithera.
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