Nisos Kos
17 October 2020
Jane Paulson
Nisos Kos
A slightly longer passage of 10nm and we arrived at Kos. Here we were due to meet up with 26 members of our sailing club back in the UK- Oxted Offshore. They were chartering 5 yachts for one week and we were joining them to share some of our favourite places. We went into the marina initially to stock up on supplies, namely beer, wine and water. Food was not required as we would be eating out for the week, which I sure my girlie friends will agree, was a lovely change from thinking about what to eat and then cooking it!!
It was here in the marina that an incoming yacht, instructed to moor alongside us, did not take into account the direction of the wind, or its strength, and finished up T-boned across our bow and jammed in tight, pushing us back onto the quay and onto the neighbouring yacht on our stardboard side. Complete mayhem then ensued not helped by skippers from other yachts coming to look and offer unhelpful advice. The French skipper reacted like a rabbit caught in headlights while his wife was running around with fenders. Andreas and I were immediately up on deck trying to push the yacht off when I heard that awful sound of grinding metal and quickly realised that the rear starboard side of Stiletto had been pushed hard against our neighbour and the frame and mount of our solar panel bent and buckled. After a lot of shouting and the assistance of a marinero in a rib, the offending yacht was pulled away from Stiletto and was instructed to move to the other side of the dock where there was more space. The skipper came to ask what damage had been done. Fortunately none to the bow but the solar panel had taken a bashing. He made an insulting offer of €100 as a cash payment despite us telling him that the cost would be €190. There was no way we were going to pay half for damage that was not down to us and there was a stand off for a few hours. Andreas, then went back to the skipper, again told him the cost and that we would not settle for less. Eventually his wife said that her insurance company had said to pay and we also found out that their 41ft yacht, as big as an aircraft carrier at the rear end, belonged to their bank. It had a mortgage – big one. Quite why two very mature people need a boat that big, that they clearly have difficulty handling, is beyond me. €190 was duly deposited into our account some days later.
The marina at Kos is guilty, like so many other marinas, of squeezing in yachts very close together, and I mean VERY close. Fender to fender. Firstly this doesn't give any privacy but more importantly in a big blow causing boats to bounce around, damage can easily be done . We decided to move around to the old harbour where we were assisted with our lines and had plenty of space between us.
Our sailing buddies had started to arrive and we met up with quite a few of them. Some we hadn't seen for quite a few years so it was good to catch up. We had spotted a ‘Petite Train' and as we haven't done one for a while decided to take a tour of Kos. By the end of the 30 minutes we had been totally underwhelmed by the vast quantity of tripper boats, tourists and the fact that Kos is a bit of a dump! It has sold its soul over to tourism. Not our kind of place at all. The few archaeological sites were very neglected and the place had a very run down feel. Disappointing to say the least.
By now everyone had arrived and were sorting themselves out on their boats. We were dismayed to learn that 3 of them had problems that would delay their departure. A fridge not working , faulty batteries and a faulty propeller. Not a good start. We decided to head off and rendezvous with everyone in Xerokambos as and when they got there.
Muse for this post: I stopped explaining myself when I realised other people only understand from their level perception.