Aisling I

The architecture, history, food, wine, market and pleasant company in the anchorage at Syracuse were all so pleasant that in the end Rick almost needed a forklift and a gang of armed Mafiosi to drag me away. Only the fear of missing our flight to Toronto for Katherine's Call to the bar got me moving. Our choices were to cross over to Italy's boot and coastal hop to the mouth of the Adriatic, or tackle a 48-hour passage to the Ionian. The dearth of sheltered harbours in Calabria meant that the coastal route didn't really offer a lot of security- and by making the passage we could save several days of travel and gain some additional time to enjoy Greece. A cocktail-hour story about another cruiser getting a rat AND a mouse on board during a stop at Santa Maria de Luca clinched the decision. We sailed out of Syracuse harbour at 2.30 p.m. on Sunday, straight into an unforecasted headwind that fortunately only lasted a couple of hours. This was followed by light winds interspersed with a few tantalizing interludes of Force 3, so we had the familiar thrum of the engine for 45 of the 48 hours of the passage to Paxos.

I was casting longing backward looks as we left Sicily, hoping against hope that our homeward route would allow a return visit to see the Aeolian islands and Taormina. You can imagine my delight when I heard Rick exclaiming "Oh!Oh! Oh!" and scampered up the companionway to see the bold and unmistakable silhouette of Etna, majestically puffing smoke as the sun dropped in a flaming orange ball beside it. What a life we are leading! Having warmed over shepherd's pie for supper seemed a bit mundane by comparison

Quickly, our watch schedule settled us into the familiar and comfortable passage rhythm we both enjoy. The following morning, we were treated to a sunrise dolphin show followed by a little burst of wind that allowed a short stint of sailing. As we arrived at Gaios on Paxos the following afternoon, a very large dolphin swam along with us, cavorting in our bow wave. All in all, it was a pleasant and painless passage, except for a bit of stress on arrival. We could not get the anchor set in the south western anchorage marked on the chart-it was weed on rock, with no holding at all. We quickly realized we had no choice but to med moor against the town dock on our own stern anchor, something we have not previously attempted. Miraculously, it went very smoothly, although the next hurdle will be the getaway!

Paxos is delightful- a tiny, mainly undeveloped island seven miles south of Corfu, with rocky shores and crystal clear water of the most incredible shade of blue. In Gaios, lush growth and beautiful cedar and pine trees surround the sheltered, narrow and twisting harbour. Ashore, the village has charming pastel-coloured Venetian buildings, narrow streets, ancient olive trees and an array of tavernas and tourist shops. Day tripper boats from Corfu arrive periodically, bringing an influx of tourists with them, but when the boats depart the streets are quiet.

One of the advantages of this harbour and many others in Greece is that fuel is delivered by truck directly to the quay. For Rick, this offered the added benefit of an inland ride with the delivery man, to pay the bill by credit card. The countryside was full of twisting roads and beautiful pastoral scenes of olive groves and small homes, each with its own garden where a few vegetables and flowers grew in the inhospitable rocky soil. The views from some of the steep switchbacks were classic travel-brochure material, with sailboats on the deep blue sea, puffy white clouds and mountainous backdrops. The driver was full of information, saying the island had about 4000 people who lived primarily by tending olive groves and fishing, with summer tourism also making a big contribution to the local economy. Access to drinking water is a worry for the residents- most people use stored rainwater and there is also a desalination plant on the island, but this apparently does not work as well as it should. Last year the mayor chartered a tanker ship to bring a huge load of water to bolster the supplies.

With access to water being such an issue in this part of the Med, we are seriously considering improving our water-making capacity. Just one more item to add to the ever-growing list of things to buy or maintain! Here in Gaios, a small tanker truck called Paxos Water cruises the quay a few times a day with desalinated water for sale at 10 euros for 300 liters. There were varying opinions on the dock as to whether it was potable, but we will fill at least one water tank before we leave.

After four trips to the customs and police offices, we finally managed to get checked in this morning. We received a cruising log for the price of 30 euros and were instructed to check in with Greek port police officials at least every 21 days to provide an update on our whereabouts and receive the required stamps in the log. We were also charged a harbour tax of 39 euros for the use of the port for two days. By some reports, cruisers are rarely charged for more than two days regardless of the length of time spent in a port, but we don't have personal experience of that yet.

Yesterday was our 30th wedding anniversary and we celebrated with a meal of grilled red snapper in a restaurant behind the square. I don't think we could have possibly found a more romantic location- we ate in a courtyard under the branches of two ancient olive trees, then came back to the boat and sat on deck for a while enjoying the warmth of the night air and the sounds of the birds. This morning I woke to the sound of birdsong and it reminded me of waking up in Big Bras d'Or.

We are debating whether to backtrack to Corfu before continuing on to the Tranquil Bay near Nidri. It will all depend on which way the wind is blowing.....

P.S. We had such a good time in Syracuse that we never did get around to doing a blog posting. It's a shame not to add some notes about such a great stop, so we will try to post something later this week.

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Vessel Name:	Aisling I
Vessel Make/Model:	Slocum 43
Hailing Port:	Halifax, NS, Canada
Crew:	Rick and Bonnie Salsman
About:	Crew from Halifax to Horta: Bonnie and Rick Salsman, Dave Morse, Wally Fraser Crew from Horta to Spain: Bonnie and Rick Salsman, Al Salsman, Rob Salsman We left Halifax, N.S. in June 2007, sailed to Horta, and explored the Azores for a month. [...] More
Extra:	The info below is a copy and paste from some literature about the Slocum 43. Please excuse the platitudes. Although I may like them , they are not truly mine. Aisling I is a 1987 Slocum 43, designed by Stan Huntingford. She has been designed to satisfy the sailor who wants the blue water, "get [...] me there" ability with the amenities for great comfort at anchor and at sea. It's a combination of engineering, performance, comfort and safety, wrapped in high quality Burmese teak finish, teak and holly cabin soles and rich upholstery. She is meant to be easily handled by a couple under almost any conditions. She was built in Taiwan to exacting standards using some of the latest technologies of the time that are still admired today. LOA: 42'6" LWL: 35'10"" TYPE: Sailboat - Cutter Rigged BEAM: 12'11" DRAFT: 6' 5" BUILDER:SLOCUM DISPL: 28,104 lbs. SAIL AREA: 808 Sq.Ft. DESIGNER: Stan Huntingford BALLAST: 9,000 lbs. HULL MATRL: Fiberglass ENGINE: Perkins 4108 TANKAGE/FUEL: 120 gal TANKAGE/WATER:150 gal GENERAL INFORMATION: Naval Architect Stan Huntingford has incorporated into this sturdy double ender, both seaworthiness and ample interior space that offers steady and comfortable cruising. Below the water line, the hull shows a fine entry with a long cutaway forefoot followed by an efficient and modern keel section and a deep profile skeg hung rudder, just forward of a tapered stern section. This design combination readily separates the Slocum 43 from other traditional yachts and offers ease of handling and lively performance. This yacht is a perfect example of a classic offshore design and has a warm, roomy and comfortable interior . Incorporating a tumble home stern, bulwarks, dorades, opening ports, oversize rigging and quality construction, This yacht is a modern classic. ACCOMMODATIONS & LAYOUT: Headroom is 6'4" or better, throughout the boat and storage capacity can only be noted as "more than ample". Beautiful Burmese teak joinery throughout, solid teak staving , all doors are beveled and hand fitted, lockers are teak lined and the glossy varnished cabin sole is teak and holly plank. The interior is finished with a satin varnish with high gloss accents on the trim. Teak doors are louvered. This yacht sleeps up to six people in accommodations with the forward cabin, main salon and owners quarter berth cabin. The forward cabin design is a signature of the Slocum and incorporates an upper and lower twin bunk to port, with the top berth extending into a a settee and to port, there is extensive storage in the form of shelves, hanging locker, drawers and louvered doors. Naval Architect Stan Huntingford has incorporated into this sturdy double ender, both seaworthiness and ample interior space that offers steady and comfortable cruising. Below the water line, the hull shows a fine entry with a long cutaway forefoot followed by an efficient and modern keel section and a deep profile skeg hung rudder, just forward of a tapered stern section. This design combination readily separates the Slocum 43 from other traditional yachts and offers ease of handling and lively performance. This yacht is a perfect example of a classic offshore design and is one of the warmest, roomiest, most comfortable interiors available in a 43' cruising yacht. Incorporating a tumble home stern, bulwarks, dorades, opening ports, oversize rigging and quality construction, This yacht is a modern classic. Underneath the starboard countertop is a Stainless Steel automatic internal lighted freezer controlled by an opening top or door. Additionally, the refrigerator box opens from the front. The refrigerator and freezer have large capacity plates which were built to be easily removed for future servicing. There are 2-deep stainless steel sinks, fully gimbaled stove and generous counter space. Overhead cabinets have a moveable peg system, which allows you to custom fit spaces inside to the size and shape of your dishes. Over the galley is a large opening hatch for light and ventilation, also, there are two opening ports over the stove area for added ventilation. Directly across from the galley, to starboard, is a proper offshore, forward facing navigation station and chart table with tremendous room for an exceptional compliment of navigation and electronic equipment for easy use while navigating. The large nav table/desk has a generous storage locker under the desk top and room for the additional electronic navigation and communication equipment outboard. The nav seat is contoured for ease of use underway and the electrical panel is flush mounted here, on a swing-out door for easy access. Overhead are two additional opening ports for excellent cross ventilation with the galley and Nav area. Just aft of the nav station and to starboard of the companionway, is a large pilot berth that will be your favorite berth when offshore. There is a teak grate built into the teak and holly floor at the bottom of the companionway, to catch water from wet gear. With the wet locker and teak draining grate, which drains to the bilge, all foul weather gear is kept aft and away from the main living quarters. All locker doors are ventilated. At the bottom of the companionway stairs is additional storage behind bottom two steps. Next, to port is the owners aft cabin with a queen sized berth with storage below as well as drawers for him and her. Various shelves and locker with removable shelf and enclosed storage locker, as well as ample book storage and large teak framed mirror, mounted on the bulkhead. The aft stateroom also has excellent ventilation provided by two opening ports and an opening hatch overhead. There are 11 Stainless steel opening ports with screens and 5 opening deck hatches, plus the companionway hatch, with screens, which provides a tremendous amount of light and superior cross ventilation. There are also 2 dorade vents, one over the head and one over the chart table. Below deck ventilation far surpasses the standards in the industry. There are light colored curtains at the ports for privacy, interior cushions are a blue HULL AND DECK Hull hand laid-up Fiberglas with 20mm R62-80 Airex Sandwich. Cast iron ballast - 4.08 tonnes, flooded with resin and 100% glassed over ( encapsulated keel). Deck- hand laid-up Fiberglas with 3/4" Baltek balsa-wd sandwich core. Teak side decks - seasoned timber, quarter sawn with black bedding compound below and in seams, secured to Fiberglas by 1" sheet metal screws, countersunk and plugged. Inlaid teak on cabin top. 1 1/2" s/s shaft, tapered to ABYC std ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Conforms to United States Coast Guard and American Bureau Yachting regulations governing wire type, coding and load capacity FRP battery box, ventilated cover with quick release tie down NEWMAR (USA) electrical panel with panel light, circuit breakers with "ON" light and battery test switch, both 110v AC and 12v DC, volt Fuel tanks - New April2000, 120 gallons in 2 Aluminum 60 gal tanks with baffles, clean out ports, complete with dipsticks, inter tank connectors with valve, take off from top with s/s ball valve on each labeled and grounded More
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