There are still pieces of gear to be installed. While the radar is up the mast and the cables have been pulled thru' they have to connect to the new plotter already mounted at the steering post. When buying the cable in Australia it came in 10 or 15 mtr lengths so we purchased the 15mtr piece knowing it was still going to be a challange to make it reach. Not wanting to put the radar below the deck light it was fixed above then it was a job to ferret the cable around corners, into lockers, under seats and across to the cockpit and the plotter. If they pulled the cable thru' once they did it 3 or 4 times trying each time to gain a few inches. Finally success after mumbled words of frustration and patience wearing thin. Now all those colour coded wires for the AIS need to go into the same conduit. Not likely, so they were undone threaded thru' and re connected to the fittings. The saloon and cockpit are work areas and Liz and myself have to wedge ourselves into corners to do things like writing blogs and finding food and keeping out of the way. Still by tools down time the saloon is back being our social centre and the cockpit is denuded of tools making us look like a pleasure craft. Radios are next I hear that need to be fitted. Another up the mast job is the antennae and radar reflector, so we wait for a mild day.
We are also waiting for the handy man to come to install a crane so we can handle the 15hp motor we sent over, when putting it on and off the dinghy. Some anti rust preparation and painting in the lazerettes is a job that is getting put to the bottom of the list. We are also waiting for some grounding paint to come from Germany. On the last trip we used it instead of having a grounding plate attached to the outside of the hull under water. This paint is used instead and gets painted on the inside of the hull below the water line and is for the HF radio transmission. We had actually paid for it before we left home but Jeorg (he remembered us from last time) has been busy getting boats ready with radios for the start of the season and he had put us on the bottom of his list. So sorry Gary, I have sent and only know it has left Frankfurt airport and the German and Greek DHL offices don't share information. So we can only hope that Yiannis gets it in the next couple of days.
We have to buy sheets (ropes for the non boaties) for the new spinnaker. One of the local chandelrys is like a hoarders place with only room to sqeeze between stacks of gear and dedicated routes to get from A to B. And don't try to take a shortcut 'cos he soon tells you to follow him, stepping over piles to get to the next section of standing room. One other experience had Gary being taken down a ladder( mind your head) from a trap door in the floor into a huge underground store room of conduit. So you see shopping is a whole new experience here. A non negotiable item to send here was the Nanna trolleys from the last trip. We had given into the old ladies trolly back in Gibralter when we saw a young Fiona using one. One had an accident with a car and until it was repaired another one was purchased. How did we ever manage with out them. They carried beer, wine, food, sails, fuel and a heap of other items then. They have now seen fruit and vegetables , rope, beer and paint stuffed inside at the moment,and we are only 2 weeks on the boat.
We do have the valuable assistance of Nickos who operates a yacht management business and he is on the marina every day getting some yachts ready and he has been very generous with his time and knowledge of who does what and where we can get things done. Local habits here include having a cigarette either in your hand or in your mouth or having the freddo cappucinno ( cold in a plastic take away container with straw thru' the lid). in your other hand. They tend to pollute the place with these containers. Actually we had thought the Croatians were dirty with their rubbish, but here it is really bad.