Aching feet in Athens
11 June 2009 | Athens, Greece
Kat
We motored over from Aigina yesterday in little wind, but it was only 20nm so was a fairly quick trip. As we approached Athens we noticed that a ridiculous number of empty tankers were all anchored outside the city forming a "boat park" - we were not sure if this is partly due to a downturn in global demand but it certainly is a strange sight!
We had reserved a berth in Zea marina and after a little wait while the marina got organised we finally headed into the marina and after even more messing around were finally told to head in bows-to. Now this was a new one for us and we were a bit nervous but finally with 2 laid lines securing the transom and 2 mooring lines securing the bow we hardly move - I think it helps that the marina is completely surrounded by towering accommodation blocks so is very sheltered, but we'll definitely consider mooring like this again if there are laid lines in place. In fact as the pontoons are so high here we can easily step on and off the bow of GHOST without any need for a passarelle or ladder so it is all very convenient. And even more convenient are the chandleries and supermarkets all very close to the marina. Even better news was when a sail loft agreed to make a few quick repairs to some bimini lines and the passarelle bag - for free!
Today though while we are (still) awaiting our replacement sail bag we decided to do the tourist bit and headed off early for a look around the Acropolis and the National Archaeological Museum. Brad came to Athens with his parents when he was 14 but I have never been and it was a very interesting if rather tiring day. Thank god we got there early though because it was already overrun with tour groups and the heat was building to a stifling 36 degrees! We did manage to make time for a Souvlaki for lunch - Brad has been really looking forward to it as it's the first we've had! He thinks that Athens is significantly cleaner than when he visited previously, but it certainly is a busy and crowded place and the water in the marina is definitely not tempting enough for a swim!