the remnants of a heavy duty net

Unfortunately it was time to return back to civilization because we were running low on gas, water, fresh food, fuel for the outboard and there was a pile of laundry to deal with. Our return trip back to Preveza should have been an uneventful 8 mile motor (there was no wind) however on route a sudden engine tone change followed immediately with wicked judder suggested that we had picked up something around one of the propellers.

We are no strangers to a fouled propeller. Over the years we've removed lengths of fishing line, mesh nets, bits of rope, even plastic wrap. We suffer more than many yachts because the propellers are set aside port and starboard and are not protected behind a keel or skeg which is why earlier this season we decided to fit cutters. The judder lasted for only a minute or two so the cutter presumably cut through the object however a gradual increase in engine temperature suggested that something needed to be looked at once back in the anchorage.

The last time we had something caught around the propeller was when we were sailing down the Atlantic coast in the month of April. See 'man the diver he said'. At that time we didn't have rope cutters fitted so the removal of the spaghetti ball that had wrapped tightly around the propeller and shaft required full dress code; a wetsuit, mask, helmet, dive tank and cutting knife. The visibility was poor and the sea was pretty chilly. A quick pee in the wetsuit did provide some temporary warmth though. :-)

On this occasion the sea was warm, the dress code was minimal and we were armed with just a mask and dive knife. The visibility was excellent so we could easily see the remnants of a heavy net still partially wrapped around two blades. A series of knots had wedged themselves just after the cutter in the tiny gap between the shaft and propeller.



There was no way it was going to free itself without intervention. After two attempts using the dive knife we were able to pull the net free. Afterwards we ran the engine to check for vibration and to ensure the temperature was normal.

With the chores done our thoughts drifted to our Schengen days that remained which had started to add an element of unnecessary stress. Currently there was ample time for us to continue north along the coast and over to Corfu where we could check out. This option would allow us to leave closer to our Schengen deadline because we would only need a day to exit Greece and return back to Italian waters or Albania. Alternatively we could leave from Preveza and head direct to Italy, a minimum 36 hour passage that would require a decent forecast. There were pros and cons to both of these options which needed time to consider before we made any final decisions.

Total distance this season: 787.12 nautical miles