After a crew change in Palermo a few days later with Chris heading back home and Roger E. comimg onboard, we cruised down along the north coast of Sicily and then headed north east to the Aeolian Islands. We first went to the island, Filicudi, where the anchorage was too exposed to anchor. The next island was Isle Salina where we tied up alonside the town quay at Rinella at 18:45hrs Thursday 29 Sept. To say it was pretty quiet is an understatement. The two restaurants were closed, the bar was closed and the Tabac closed at 20:30hrs. Definitely peaceful.
Rinella, Isle Salina
Click here for link to larger image in PhotoAlbum 'Aeolian Islands'.
The next morning we motored around to Santa Maria Salina in hot still conditions. The marina was pretty empty but when we were charged 80 Euros for one night you can understand why. It was the same in Mahon - greatly overpriced; so very few boats actually go there. Similar story at the port on the island of Lipari. Lots of empty pontoons and no boats. We did not even bother stopping to check the price as it has a reputation for being expensive.
We continued on to the wonderful free anchorage at Porto Di Ponenta on the west side of the island of Vulcano. After a swim in beautiful clear water we lazed in the cockpit watching the steam rising from the dormant volcano crater on the top of the mountain. The next afternoon, Roger and I walked up the volcano and around the lip of the crater. A great walk with stunning views but hard work in the loose ash.
Anchorage at Porto Di Ponenta, Vulcano.
Click here for link to larger image in PhotoAlbum 'Aeolian Islands'.
Through the smoke and fumes on the crater rim.
Click here for link to larger image in PhotoAlbum 'Aeolian Islands'.
On the following day, Monday 03 October, we motored across to the island of Stromboli and picked up a mooring off the town. We had gone up the west coast observing the volcano erupting every 10 to 15 minutes. After dark for several hours from the boat, we watched groups of walkers carrying flashlights coming down the track from the volcano summit. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough time or proper hiking gear for us to stay another day and go up ourselves.
At 05:00hrs before sunrise the next day, we motored around to the west side to see the volcano in the dark. What an incredible sight! Great emissions of moltern rock shooting in the air and then the glowing rocks rolling 926 metres down the ash slope into the sea. It was really an amazing spectacle and definitely the highlight of the trip so far.
Follow this link ti find out more about the volcano.
http://geology.com/volcanoes/stromboli/
The following week was pretty much of a slog as we mainly motored in hot windless conditions through the Strait of Messina and around the southern end of mainland Italy. We stopped overnight at Reggio Calabria and Rocella Ionica. They both can be best described as stops of convenience.
The crossing across from Rocella Ionica to Zakinthos was 205nM. There was a thundery front stretching from Corfu in the north to Libya in the south; so we kept a good look out as great black clouds tracked all around us. We had good sailing most of the time after departing at 15:00hrs on Thursday. Around lunch time on Friday we caught one short squall of 30 knots which had us rolling in the genoa in a hurry but half an hour later we were back under full sail. The crossing took us 36 hours.
One of many dirty black clouds tracking around us.
Click here for link to larger image in PhotoAlbum 'Arrival in Greece.'.
We anchored at Ay Nikolas at 02:45hrs on Saturday 08 October. The place was deserted and I am sure that no-one was awake to see us arrive. The weather had a definite autumn feel by now. Cooler at night, more unsettled, the majority of the tourists gone and the summer tourist boats being pulled out of the water.
The quay at Ay Nikolas.
Click here for link to larger image in PhotoAlbum 'Arrival in Greece.'.
Later on that morning I discovered that a bolt had sheared in the valve rocker gear on the engine. This totally disabled the engine. It was a week before we were able to get it fixed but during that time we had a couple of close shaves as strong onshore winds turned the bay into a dangerous lee shore. Dimitri whose family run tourist day tripper boats to the nearby Blue Caves twice came to our rescue in the early hours of the morning to tow use out of a potentially disastrous situation.
The weather had well and truely broken by now with thunderstorms and strong winds becoming more frequent.
Roger departed as planned on Tuesday 11 October leaving Woody and me to get the boat to Porto Heli.
By Saturday, the engine still had not been repaired and the forecast was for strong winds up to gale force from the NE which would make Ay Nikolas a bit of a death trap - especially for a boat with no engine. We could not afford to wait any longer for the mechanic so Woody and I sailed TB off the mooring and sailed in winds of 20 to 25 knots down along the coast to the Port at Zakinthos town. It was very rough and very wet. We sailed into the port in a blinding rain squall and anchored just off the quay. We rowed a long warp ashore and pulled TB stern to the quay. And breathed a big sigh of relief!
Inside Zakinthos Harbour.
Click here for link to larger image in PhotoAlbum 'Arrival in Greece.'.
We contacted the mechanic who came along in the late afternoon with the repaired cylinder head and new head gasket and he re-assembled the engine. A few hours later, the wind picked up to 25 knots blowing straight onto the quay. So we had to run the engine in gear to lessen the strain on the anchoe and hold us off the quay.
Just before midnight the wind dropped and within 30 minutes started blowing from the complete opposite direction at 25 to 30 knots. This was no problem as it was now blowing off the quay. The wind continued to blow for the next two days.
Because of the delays with the engine and the bad weather, we did not have enough time to go the last 125 miles to Porto Heli. In a change of plan, the marina at Messolonghi which was only 20 miles away in the Gulf of Patras agreed to store TB for the winter.
We sailed from Zakimthos harbour on Tuesday 18 October in perfect visibility, practically no wind and a calm sea heading towards Messologhi. The autopilot did the steering and we sat in the sunshine taking it easy. After the experiences of the previous week, it was very relaxing. We moored stern-to in the new marina at Messolonghi by 16:00hrs. The trip covered 1424 nautical miles from Cartagena and a total of 1941nM from Faro.
A couple of days later Tobin Bronze was lifted out of the water, laid up with covers on and secured for the winter. After a three and a hour hour bus ride to Athens, I flew back to London while Woody headed off to Singapore and then to Auckland.