Sea Change

Cruising on our Catamaran, Murihiku, in the Mediterranean

Vessel Name: Murihiku
Vessel Make/Model: Lagoon Catamaran 380S2
Crew: Deborah and Ange
About: From New Zealand, possibly suffering midlife crises, cruising for several months then home to replenish the kitty.
20 June 2014 | Slano, Croatia
11 June 2014 | Bar, Montenegro
18 September 2013 | Lastavo
18 September 2013 | Lastavo
16 August 2013 | Montenegro
16 August 2013 | Albania
16 August 2013
17 July 2013 | London, Devon, Rome, now Nidri
12 July 2013 | Abelike Bay, Meganisi
21 September 2012 | Athens
18 September 2012
31 August 2012 | Milazzo, Sicily
23 August 2012 | Abelike bay, Meganisi
18 August 2012 | Gaieos
13 August 2012 | Corfu town
10 August 2012 | Corfu, Greece
09 August 2012 | Santa Maria di Leuca
30 July 2012 | Straits of Messina
29 July 2012 | Milazzo, Sicily
Recent Blog Posts
20 June 2014 | Slano, Croatia

Back on Murihiku

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11 June 2014 | Bar, Montenegro

New Zealand to Montenegro

New Zealand to Bar, Montenegro, May and June 2014

18 September 2013 | Lastavo

Croatia

We had an easier trip into Croatia and dutifully tied up at the Cavtat customs wharf. Our crew, Jenny, Vicky, Anne, Angela and Kate had now reached top form as they were due to depart the next day, and were complimented again by the person taking the ropes on shore. They were all confined to the boat [...]

18 September 2013 | Lastavo

Croatia

We had an easier trip into Croatia and dutifully tied up at the Cavtat customs wharf. Our crew, Jenny, Vicky, Anne, Angela and Kate had now reached top form as they were due to depart the next day, and were complimented again by the person taking the ropes on shore. They were all confined to the boat [...]

16 August 2013 | Montenegro

Montenegro (and mountains)

August 11 - 16 Montenegro

16 August 2013 | Albania

Transiting Albania

August 1 - 10 Albania

The ionian to haulout

21 September 2012 | Athens
Deborah
The Ionian

After moving at a cracking pace from Genoa to here in the Greek Ionian never looking back it is a relief to get to such a beautiful place and enjoy it at leisure.

Rebecca and Cecilia and Ange and I had a lovely relaxed family time anchoring in Abelike on Meganisi, and a couple of nights in Nidri's Tranquil Bay. Sometimes it seemed like when Rebecca and Cecil were 14 again, as we all totally relaxed in beautiful clear water and cloudless skies.

We were sorry to seem them go, at 6.15 am as we dinghied across Nidri bay to an impatient taxi driver: Cecil off to Turkey and Rebecca to London then India.

We had a epiphany moment when we checked and discovered we could get a cheaper haulout on this side of Greece than the deposit we had paid in Leros. We had been looking at the big winds there every day and had not been looking forward to the passage. It meant that our last weeks could be pleasantly relaxing rather than a tough slog.

Jean and Nicki joined us back in Vathi, having found their way despite conflicting ferry information. Anne and Phillip arrived a couple of days later. We were pleased to find Anne and Phillip had changed from a nodding acquaintance at our parties to firm friends in the course of a five hour bus ride, calling each other husband and wife in Greek as they set off on excursions together.

We stopped and had lunch the next morning at beautiful Scorpios, the Onassis island. You can anchor but not go on shore and as Jean was swimming close to shore, we saw the security man get out of his van ready to act. (The island is on the market, if you are looking to buy).

Then back to Meganisi, our most favourite place where we can anchor in beautiful clear water and relax to allow Phillip and Anne to recover their jetlag as well and let their pale bodies adjust.

From there we went south Fiscardo on Kefalonia, of Captain Corelli's Mandolin fame. Fiscardo was one of the few places on Kefalonia not flattened by the 1953 earthquake so had some Venetian architecture left. The crew climbed up an old Venetian tower.

Rising wind from the south meant an early start and we went to Kioni on Ithaca. Kioni was probably our favourite town. It had enough tourists to be lively, but not so may to be crass. Most came on trips that only stayed a couple of hours so it was quiet at night. It had lovely swimming just outside the small harbor, walks restaurants, something for everyone. We were concerned we would not be able to get in such a small harbor, as we needed two monohulls, side by side, to leave for us to fit but we found by getting there by 11am and putting Nicki ashore in a kayak to hold our place and catch the ropes we were able to get in.

With winds predicted in the south we headed north to Kastos, arriving late morning to see several boats leaving. Kastos is a small island to the right of Kalermos with a very small population. There was a mini market run by a New Zealander but though the silver fern was still flying above it the shop had closed for the season, and the town seemed a little deserted and forlorn. Nicki and Jean kayaked off and found a beautiful bay that the rest of the crew dinghied to the next day, snorkeling, swimming and eating fresh almonds fallen from a tree.

It was soon time for Jean and Nicki to head of to cycling in Croatia so back to Nidri, stopping for a last perfect swim at Scorpios. By now we know the best shopping in Nidri - where are the gummy figs, the apple pies, the fresh vegetables....There was not a breath of wind and no outward sign of the storm that was forecast to come in a couple of days but we left early the next morning to head back through the Leftkas canal to get back to Preveza where it appeared we would avoid the worst.

In Preveza were well tied down on the town dock, with weighted fenders, and expecting 25knots from the south when we got over 36 knots side on from the east in the middle of the night. Anne and Phillip did a valiant job standing on the dock in driving rain dancing to and fro like some crazy arcade game pushing the fenders back down as they popped up while the boat reared up and down pushed by the wind and waves. One boat further along the wharf was badly damaged and another was holed against the wall (after 12 years of no such storm apparently). We would probably have been better at anchor though one boat at the normally sheltered anchorage nearby ended up on the rocks.

Exhausted and shattered the next morning but with no real damage we moved across to the marina and after a last lunch of saganaki ( fried cheese) and fruit paste Anne and Phillip headed back to Athens and we settled in to prepare the boat for haulout.

We had another two days of rain but only moderate winds before the sun came out to dry out all the gear ready for haulout. We were surprised to find ourselves without the sun we had had so constantly for months. We put on sweatshirts at 22degrees and worry about our return home. After haulout we spend several more hours with inconsistent, crazily inefficient Greek bureaucracy. We followed the advice of Alastair and Vivienne, a kiwi couple we had met cruising, who had been fined last year and surrendered our transit log to Customs even though the Port Police had stamped it and said we didn't need to. Who Knows!!

After a frantic days preparation, cleaning, sorting, packing, talking with the mechanic, electrician, carpenter, sailmaker, we were ready to go. We are on our way home, and will arrive now on the 26th, but have booked our flights back on the 15th May next year.

Has it been as we expected? It has been much busier, a very physical life where there is always something needed to be done. We've found it easy and pleasing to be active when there is a practical purpose. We said we were going to become little brown monkeys, and we definitely are browner, stronger and more agile if only a little smaller. We have loved having the 25 friends and family aboard since Genoa, having great times as we see them relax on holiday. We do seem to only get them trained and they leave but hopefully some will be back next year.

We have seen some great sights, eaten some wonderful food, swum in wonderful clear water and occasionally been scared to death, but we are coming back in 7 months time to continue.

Depending on whether Greece leaves or Croatia joins the EU we will probably spend some more time around the Ionian before going north to Albania and Croatia. Yesterday in Athens the National Guard pepper sprayed the Police who were presenting a petition, though were in Athens and saw and felt nothing, so who knows, but we will be back anyway.
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