Freya & Us

Well, we didn't think we would be sailing this year - but here we are! The marina were putting us under pressure to move Freya as she was apparently in the way. In the end we gave in and 24th August, with some apprehension we started our journey to Lesvos. We needn't have worried, Heathrow was eerily quiet (it would've been hard not to socially distance!) and our flight to Athens had only 25 passengers and so apart from having to wear a mask all the way was stress free and comfortable. Our 2nd flight to Mytilini early the next morning was only half full and so all good. We had a very nice apartment overlooking the harbour for a few days while we got Freya ready to go back in the water. Very comfortable if a bit noisy and no ladders involved! It felt good to be back in the sunshine. Although Mytilini had had a spike in cases it felt quite comfortable re COVID with everyone behaving responsibly.

Freya was a bit of a shock - we have never seen her so dirty and clearly unhappy - bird poo everywhere! Our first day was spent scrubbing and more scrubbing followed by very nice souvlakia on the harbour. She still wasn't clean but it would have to do until she was launched.

The next couple of days were hard work doing things we normally do in the spring when it's cooler. It was 35+ degrees and very humid and we were melting! Anyway, we plodded on and day one we did anodes, antifouled the prop, cleaned the hull, rust painted the keel and then discovered we had a defective battery which burnt through a cable in the engine bay creating a scary amount of smoke! Day 2 we antifouled - yuck! Had a lovely lunch in the marina bar before I went back to the apartment while Paul waited for the electrician to sort the battery/electrical fault and an engineer to replace another broken sea cock - one was replaced before we returned.

Finally, we were craned back in with thankfully no dramas and we were back on board. The rigger came to fix our furler - I went to the beach as this was definitely no place for a woman! Freya was clearly still sulking as we discovered a problem with yet another sea cock (and the shower pump)! We thought it was blocked at first and I had the lovely job of swimming under the boat in the disgusting marina water to try and clear it - yuck again! It was soon clear the sea cock was broken and we needed a mini lift out and engineer. Only in Greece - we spoke to the engineer who would do it the following afternoon if we arranged the lift. We spoke to the crane driver who would only work in the morning! Stalemate! In the evening we were walking back to the boat when we heard someone running after us - the crane driver - he had another engineer who would do it in the morning. This lift was horrendous! Only 2 men arrived who clearly weren't confident and kept shouting at each other - and Paul. The straps and hook were continually in the wrong place. Freya was lifted up and down several times until everyone was happy. She was held in the sling for half an hour while the sea cock was changed. Nightmare! To top it all off we had an argument over the 'agreed' price!

During all of this the COVID restrictions were increased on Lesvos and it was added to the quarantine destinations in the UK. We now had to wear masks all the time when away from the boat. So uncomfortable in the heat?

One of our jobs was to replace a leaking water tank which we managed reasonably easily. The first challenge is to get the old one out from under the bench where it fits very snuggly and then off the boat where it is an equally snug fit through the companion way and then onto a bouncing pontoon. Then fitting the new tank which is flexible which meant lining the space to ensure there is no danger of puncture and filling the bottom to ensure it sits flat allowing the water to run out. We used a blanket for lining and then scratched our heads until coming up with the brilliant idea of polystyrene balls to fill the bottom - but where to get them on a small island! Out for an evening stroll we passed a shop with a bean bag outside - perfect! Tank fitted and all working!

Next problem was the outboard - we'd left it with an engineer last November and he'd reported it was all fixed but more expensive than he first quoted. When it arrived he'd broken the propeller which 'we' then had to replace! We then attached it to the new dinghy and, of course, it didn't work at all! After a few days the engineer returned and it was explained that we'd left him with a running outboard with a problem and he'd 'fixed it' so that we now had an outboard that didn't work at all and we would not be giving him anymore money! He took it away and brought it back working......

Phew! Including our usual recommissioning that was the end of the work list! In between the work we had a few good evenings involving lots of wine and food with our German friends from last year, Gundel and Wolf-dieter on White Satin.

The marina gave us a very good price to spend another winter in Mytilini and so as we didn't have a lot of time the plan was to circumnavigate Lesvos and return to the marina - but then we saw the news! COVID had reached the refugee camp causing disagreements over isolation resulting in huge fires in the camp. There were road blocks to contain the refugees, riot police and troops were flown in, tear gas was used and there were 13,000 homeless refugees! Nightmare! But there was nothing we could do to help apart from sort out sacks of clothes on the boat which hopefully reached the refugees in need. We were very sorry and guilty to leave the marina and felt we were deserting them but given the refugee situation and rising COVID cases we felt we had no choice.

We had a disappointing motor to an anchorage, Mersina, on the south of Lesvos with notoriously bad holding. We thought our anchor had dug in but as the wind picked up we realised we couldn't stay. Tarti Bay next door looked good and so we moved before dark and anchored behind some rocks where the holding was excellent but in the dark we could hear waves crashing on the rocks nearby which was very disconcerting! First thing in the morning we left Lesvos and had another disappointing motor sail south to Nisos Oinoussa where we moored on the quay. It's beautiful, peaceful, with stunning sunsets and no refugees or COVID! Normal sailing has resumed...........