At Last - a Douch Posting

Stage 4. Sardinia to Greece with crew Rob Baker and Gordon Herbert 650 miles

Chris and Audrey caught a taxi from the marina just after lunch and then John and I set about the cleaning, washing and turning round of the boat - a fairly mammoth task as we had decided to swap cabins so that Rob and Gordon could have our cabin – an easier arrangement for the passages we were planning to do. Our new crew arrived at 6pm and after a tour of Petronella - just the essential things like the heads and the gas, followed by a beer or two we went out for a pizza at the local restaurant – a converted boat next to the marina.

Monday 24th was spent in Cagliari stocking up on provisions, doing some e-mails and doing a briefing with the new crew – or rather swapping ideas as they both have so much experience. Then off into Cagliari for an amazing meal at 4 Moros – a typical Sardinian restaurant where the courses of mainly sea food and fish just kept on coming until we were too full to attempt any more. Can’t say I was overwhelmed with the winkles!

Tuesday 25th. Set off early – 3 times – the lazy line got tangled under the boat so we had to go in and out until we were eventually free. Filled up with diesel at the fuel pontoon – much easier when there are 4 people rather than just John and me, then out into the bay. Motored then sailed then motored again round the south east tip of Sardinia and anchored off Villasimius in a big sandy bay. A good shake down start.

Wednesday 26th to Saturday 29th. Sardinia to Sicily 325 miles
Off early and settled into the one hour on, 3 hours off rota of watchkeeping – me then Rob then Gordon and then John. It worked very well – much easier than 1 hour on 2 off that we had been doing with Chris. We motored when it was flat and sailed when we could. Rob spent much of the first morning tweaking the sails – he and Gordon installing an outhaul on the main to flatten it and make it possible to sail closer to the wind, sorting out the kicking strap which was pretty useless as it had ceased up, just generally looking at the trim and making her go as fast as possible. Great to have them on board – they have such energy. We settled into an easy routine – make a cup of tea for the person coming on watch as you go off, all having breakfast, lunch and dinner together, washes in the body bucket on the stern before it got dark and a load of banter whenever we met up. It was very hot – over 40 degrees, and when the engine was on the aft cabin became like a furness – a cunning plan to swap cabins with them eh! After the first couple of hours we saw almost no boats at all for 2 days – we were crossing further north then most people and a ship spotted was recorded in the log it was so rare, Saw many dolphins and a large brown and green turtle which we chased but couldn’t find – reckon it had dived as soon as it saw us coming. Early on the morning of the 28th – my birthday – we saw the lighthouses on the islands to the north of Sicily flashing and lightening kept flickering over the mainland – quite spooky. I opened my presents and cards at breakfast time - not the usual birthday. The wind dropped completely and at lunch time we had a swim in over 2000 metres and the water was as warm as a bath. Fantastic.

From mid afternoon onwards we could see Stromboli through the haze and by tea time the smoke and occasional ash clouds were clearly visible. We arrived as darkness fell and drifted around the north west tip on a flat sea with a number of other boats for a couple of hours waiting for the eruptions to take place with cameras poised. Think the word underwhelmed springs to mind – there were a few spectacular clouds of ash, smoke and flames but in general Stromboli wasn’t playing. Then just as we were motoring away there was a fantastic eruption and ash and boulders rolled down the mountain and into the sea pretty close to where we were. Did we photgraph it? No chance. Had a close miss with another boat which we had assumed was at anchor as there were no riding lights on, no one at the helm and people having a meal at a lit cockpit table. But as we passed it the boat turned towards us – obviously moving at some speed and it just passed behind our stern. All over before we knew what was happening.

After a discussion we decided not to stop for the night at Stromboli, but to head south towards Messina 36 miles away. Lots of shipping here – not easy night watches, and lots of shooting stars too. Rob and I were on deck doing the pilotage as we entered the Straits of Messina and John and Gordon got up shortly afterwards so we all sat in the cockpit watching for shipping and the infamous whirlpools of Charybdis and Scilla – affectionately termed Cilla and Clarys by the crew. There is a tide running through the straits and we hit it just right - luck not judgement – and managed to find the tidal streams. At one point we were motoring and then sailing at 8.4 knots on a flat sea. Not a whirlpool in sight – they only make an appearance at spring tides – but the seas were very confused and the water disturbed – great experience.

We had decided to spend a couple of nights in Riposto marina and try and organise a trip up Mount Etna whilst we were there. As we sailed down the east coast of Sicily we could hear thunderstorms rumbling in the mountains and it was incredibly hot. We decided as it was quite early to stop for a swim at Taomina – another decision made by committee – and as we approached the anchorage we were invited to pick up a mooring buoy by a man in a dinghy. We said we were only stopping for an hour and he said OK you can stop for free. Once securely tied to the buoy he then introduced himself as George Sirros and said he ran a boat hotel and could get everything for us that we needed. So we stayed!! A good business man. He removed our rubbish – not a nice job – 4 days of rubbish stank in that heat, sorted out a trip to the volcanic area for us, gave us lots of information and sourced a new filter for us –all in 20 minutes! A great sheltered bay, with Mount Etna in the background. After a long swim and a few beers we caught the bus into Taomina – a fantastic ancient town 200 metres above the bay, and had a meal. But after 4 days sailing and 3 nights of broken sleep we were so shattered we hardly spoke to each other and the restaurant we ate in must have thought we were the most miserable people ever!

Next day – Sunday, we chilled. Rob and I took the dinghy and did a big shop whilst John and Gordon worked on the boat. Then in the afternoon we swam, we slept and we read. In the evening we took the bus again up to Taomina and this time we went round the town, had a beer at a bar and a great meal in one of the restaurants. Fantastic old place, churches, restaurants, shops, houses all on top of each other, people everywhere, flowers and shrubs in every tiny piece of ground – a maze of tiny streets. George gave us a lift to the shore and back so we all had a few beers and had a really good evening.

Next morning we were on shore at 8.15am to meet our guide whose name we cannot remember and we were driven by landrover up onto the slopes of Mount Etna. A great day followed – we walked over lava fields, went into caves in the lava flows, saw devastated slopes with dead trees, an old caldera, lots of plants which he was very knowledgeable about –and so was Rob – it was a great guided tour of the bits you would never see on your own and we all felt it was really worth while.

Got back at 4 ish and after a meal we get the boat ready and set off for Greece. But we didn’t get far – about 5 minutes out a massive thunderstorm broke and lightning flashing along the backstay was enough to convince us that the anchorage would be safer. So we turned round and rocketed back, picked up a mooring buoy again then all of us had a fun 30 minutes showering in the pouring rain in the nude – what the drivers of the cars on the road next to the anchorage must have thought I don’t know but it was great fun and we all enjoyed the shower immensely! A good end to our stay in Sicily.

Tuesday 1st September. Sicily to Corfu. 273 miles. Crew Rob and Gordon
Slipped the mooring at first light and set off on a glassy sea for Greece. A pretty uneventful passage really, all of us now well into the rhythm of passage making and finding it quite easy. More shipping to start off with as we were crossing the shipping lanes then again we saw very little shipping. Had some excellent sailing this time but again did a fair amount of motoring. There was a moon for most of the night which meant that we couldn’t see the stars and as we were trying to learn a few more every night this wasn’t so good, but it was much easier to see what you were doing on the boat. On the last morning, with Corfu and Paxos in the distance we saw some very odd large brown dolphins which we couldn’t identify. Then at 1.30 pm we passed close to the north tip of Paxos and an hour later anchored in Gaios – the main town on Paxos. Journey over – 2000 miles of sailing and motoring and Petronella is in Greece. Finished with a blip though –as we were pulling back on the anchor John’s fishing line got caught in the propeller!!! But what is a crew for eh. Whilst John and I went ashore in the dinghy to register the boat Rob and Gordon untangled the mess and we came back to find everything working again. Went ashore that evening for a great meal – a real feeling of achievement and nowhere near as knackered as the evening when we arrived in Sicily.

Friday 4th September Gaios to Lakka

Only 4 miles to go today so the three men went ashore and stocked up in Gaios in the morning then we sailed up the coast to Lakka. A fantastic turquoise bay on the north tip of Paxos, clear water, lots of boats, fishing port, just about as close to Paradise as you can get. Spent the afternoon snorkelling – Rob found an octopus under a stone and a load of flat fish on the sandy bed of the bay, then went into Lakka for a pre-dinner drink in a bar overlooking the anchorage. Back to the boat for a meal and a well deserved drink or two.

Saturday 5th September

End of the journey. A nice easy 35 miles of sailing and motoring up to Gouvia marina, which is 5 miles to the north of Corfu town. Tied up on the visitors pontoon and had a swim in the pool at the marina – just wonderful. Then back to the boat for pre-dinner drinks and nibbles and out for a meal, followed by drinks in café Blue listening to a fantastic group until 2.30am. Really the end now. Up early on Sunday morning for Rob and Gordon to pack in the middle of a thunderstorm, then off to the taxi and back to the UK. We will really miss them – they were such a capable, non-complaining, competent and fun crew who slotted in so well into life on board Petronella.

Now it’s just John and me, awaiting Emma and Susie’s arrival at our favourite bay on Paxos.

Very Poor Bloggers

Well - we have been so busy there has been no time to blog I am afraid.

However we are now in Cagliari Sardinia.

The following is the diary of Audrey Brown who is travelling with us at present.

NB - we will try to better!!!

Written by Audrey
Thursday August 13th

Chris and I arrived in the afternoon from Mahon airport on Menorca to join Petronella at Cala Corb about 20 mins taxi ride away. We could see Petronella at anchor and very soon Gill and John came across to pick us up in the dinghy. One of the valves is still leaky, and sadly, Chris had not been able to get another before we left the UK, so everywhere the dinghy goes, the pump has to go too, to blow up one side. It was a choppy ride across to the boat and Gill came back with some of the luggage in a second transfer. Chris presented Gill with her prize from the Gleaston Village Draw.

After unpacking and getting settled, we had a swim (with me struggling to get in and out on the ladder!) and then went across to the Siroco Restaurant in Cala Fonts (town is Es Castel) for dinner.

Friday August 14th
It was a calm morning so Gill and John were up early to replace the genoa sheets. Then the usual breakfast – cereal, yoghurt, half a nectarine and tea/coffee ad lib – before motoring across to Mahon town marina to fill up with water and get oil and petrol. We had to pay for an hour’s use of the marina, but that was enough to do what was needed and for Chris and I to go for a walk and get an ice cream. Chris also bought a clip to get the red light set up above the compass for night sailing (though it later turned out that it was better just to sellotape the red light directly to the top of the compass housing). We then motored out of the harbour/inlet to the open sea, where I had a chance to practice the man-overboard drill. I blame the person on the boat-hook as the reason why I had to go round three times before we could get ‘Danny Buoy’ back on board. We put the sails up, but there was little wind. Came back into Cala Toulera anchorage, between Isla de Lazareto and La Mola. Sunbathing and swimming occupied the rest of the day for me. The men took out the faulty dinghy valve and tried Araldite on the split part. Had the first of many lovely meals on board in the evening and sat and enjoyed the solitude and starry skies.

Saturday August 15th
Araldite is not the answer to glue leaky valves. Superglue proved somewhat more effective, but changing the valves so that the faulty one was in the floor of the dinghy was a good decision, so the sides now stay inflated. Gill and I were therefore able to go across to Es Castel in comfort in the dinghy on pretty calm water, though it’s a bit exciting crossing the shipping channel when everyone else is either coming in or going out. We took the rubbish with us and put it in a wheely bin which we saw on the quayside, but when we later got back to the dinghy, it was neatly placed back inside, so that obviously wasn’t the right place! We just had to dump it in a small waste paper bin attached to a post, which seemed much less satisfactory. Spent half an hour in an internet café answering e-mails and downloading the Passage weather for the next few days, did some shopping and returned. When we got back, Petronella wasn’t where we’d left her. The men had been advised by the captain of the big yellow tour-boats with the glass bottom (er… the glass bottom was on the boat, you understand, not the captain!) that Petronella was sticking out slightly into the channel, so they re-anchored a few yards further away. I managed to tweak my back slightly which holding the dinghy rope – how feeble is that – and some applications of Ibuprofen gel were needed – magic stuff. Excellent Thai chicken and rice on board for supper – superior I think to any restaurant meal, but it is very hot cooking below decks – though my job of chopping the ingredients up in the cockpit is very pleasant. Another glorious starry evening, but in bed by 11 as we are planning an early start tomorrow.

Sunday August 16th
This is the start of our passage from Menorca to Sardinia. Chris is going to be skipper and he has planned the passage. We are expecting it to take up to 3 days and 2 nights. Up at 6 and away by 7 when the sun is up. There was a nasty swell outside Mahon harbour. Saw a cruise liner and a cargo ship quite close but most other shipping was way out on the horizon. We are doing 1 in 3 hour-long watches, except for me, who’s not competent to be on watch on my own, so I am doing 1 in 3 ½ hours, so that I am on with different people each time. Felt a bit dreary after lunch – combination of too much bumpy sea and too much sun I think – and had quite a long sleep (missing one of my watches). Around tea-time the engine started to lose revs and then stopped completely. After a correct diagnosis (helped by info left by Les, the previous owner of the boat), John changed the filters and all was well again. Checking the filters is now to be a regular part of engine maintenance. Pasta carbonara for supper and into night watch mode.

Monday August 17th

We’d had to motor for much of the night because there was little wind. Sailed most of the day. 6 mayflies accompanied us on the guard-rails – very surprising. A pod of dolphins joined us and swam in front of the boat for several minutes. A turtle swam lazily past. Nothing to see for hours and hours in the way of other shipping. Wonderful to be so far away from civilisation and, surprisingly, the time seems to go very fast. You’re hardly on watch before it is time for the next person to take over. Most of us had a sleep between most of our watches day and night. At about 1620, John’s fishing rod, which he’d had over the side for most of the time, suddenly indicated that something had taken the bait. We all rushed to the stern. John got a huge blister burn from trying to stop the reel and prevent too much line rushing out. Then he spent the next hour trying to reel in whatever it was. To start with there was little resistance and there were times when it seemed that it wasn’t a fish on the end. But as it got nearer to the boat, the resistance increased significantly and even taking in a few cm of line was a major success. His arms got more and more tired…. Finally, a shape was visible in the water and eventually a big tuna appeared – nearly a metre long and maybe about 50 lbs in weight. Chris had been standing with the gaff for most of the time and we now started to worry about how we were going to cope on board with such a big fish. We’d never be able to eat it all, though we imagined some very good pan fried tuna steaks with lemon. But there was going to be a lot of blood and guts before we got to that stage. We cleared the cockpit and took out the boards from the base, hoping we could get the fish in there. At the last moment, but not after we had taken some good photos, the tuna swam under the boat, the line was caught on the propeller, or something else in that area, it snapped, and the lovely fish was free again. We considered it an honourable draw. John was exhausted and the fish was left with a lure in the side of its mouth, but it had been a wonderful experience. Vegetable curry for supper and more lovely sailing.

Fighting the Tuna!

Tuesday August 18th
Another uneventful night. There’s a wonderful last sliver of moon that rises in the early hours and then the sky starts to lighten by around 5am with sunrise about 7. By breakfast time we were in sight of land – the islands to the south of Sardinia and then the land itself. There’d been a competition for who would see the light on the Isola del Toro first (‘bull’ island) but it was light and nobody did! Sailed between the ‘bull’ island on one side and ‘cow’ and ‘calf’ islands on the other. Then motored round the south of Sardinia with almost flat seas – it was very hot with no wind at all – past the Isola del Rosso and then, about lunchtime, arrived at the anchorage at Tuelada. Had cheese sandwiches, as a change from the usual lunch salads, and because they were easy to eat quickly – and then a lovely swim. If anything, the water is even warmer here than in Menorca. Tried to radio to the marina to see if they had a berth for us, but the radio was mis-behaving and Gill never really managed to get the message through. So we just motored in anyway. The mariniero, typical Italian, expert at his job, in a very fast rib which he could manoeuvre perfectly, but quite aware of how good he was (!) came with instructions for us, wanted us in one berth but then decided on another. With his help, pushing us with his boat and grabbing our lines, we arrived safely in our berth. Getting on and off this boat at the stern is impossible and it requires some aerobatics at the bow, still the aluminium step ladder is on the jetty, and then it is only moderately difficult! Italian boats either side and across the jetty with friendly people – offering a hand to help me on the stepladder and later others offering for us to board across their boat. After we had registered at the marina, and paid our dues, to the man in the office, we returned to the boat, to meet an Italian who was delighted to find a Joshua (the type of boat that Petronella is) and asked if he could take some pictures. After photographing her from this side and that, he came on board for a look around. The inside was not at its tidiest after our long passage, but he went away very happy. He has apparently been all the way to La Rochelle, to see another Joshua, but it had gone to sea before he arrived. I think we made his day! Spent some time tidying up, washing, cleaning the boat, etc. Chris even cleaned the windows. Proper showers were lovely, even if Gill and I did nearly end up in the gents area. We’d been advised that there was a supermarket and pizzeria ‘past the green tower’, so eventually we set off for a meal. I wasn’t properly shod for a long walk on a sandy path – and we weren’t even sure we were going the right way. It transpired that there was a huge campsite with hundreds of motor-homes amongst the trees – quite amazing. People with camp fires and awnings and dining areas, etc. etc. When found, the pizzeria turned out to be very good – smoked fish starters were particularly memorable and then pizzas after that. Getting back to the boat was quite an adventure. We tried to go through the campsite instead of around the outside, and found the beach, but there was no way through to the marina area. A campsite guard took pity on us, or decided that we were trespassing and should be somewhere else, and guided us out to the campsite entrance gates nearest to the harbour. We’d have been wandering around half the night without him! We were all very tired when we got back and slept like logs till Gill’s phone ringing woke us at about 0830.

Wednesday August 19th
The morning got off to a slow start. However, after a provisioning trip to the campsite shop – more easily found in daylight – we set off to sea soon after midday. My task today is to fill in the log every hour. This may result in the log being more neatly written but may not result in it being more accurately written. John has a magic navigation system (Yeoman plotter) which shows you exactly where you are on the chart – as long as the chart is not turned sideways, when it seems to refuse to perform correctly. We started to progress north-west up the coast of Sardinia, seeing some lovely beaches and possible anchorages on the way, and aiming for Capo di Carbonara, and originally planning to sail overnight to make progress towards Olbia to be there by Saturday. However, there was so little wind that sailing was only possible for a short time and even then we made little headway. So, after several discussions, we agreed that to get to Olbia could mean motoring nearly all the way, which is not really what we’re here for. So, a plan evolved which would drop Chris and I at Cagliari, so that we could get transport (train seems most likely) up to Olbia. Our friendly Italian yesterday said it was a slow train taking 5 hours – and, of course, we need to check that the trains run on Sundays, ready for our flight early on Monday. The incoming crew, Rob and Gordon, who are flying in to Olbia on Sunday morning, will need to do the train trip in reverse (though a hire car is a possible alternative mode of transport). Just in case the winds were about to change, we got a PassageWeather.com report from Juliet, but, apart from a few hours tomorrow afternoon, the prediction for the next few days is nothing above about 5 knots, and not in the right direction anyway. So we turned into Golfo di Cagliari, the very big bay with Cagliari towards the northern end, and found a delightful anchorage at Capo di Pula. We looked to anchor just south of where we finally chose, close to the ruined Roman city of Nora (what a great name for a city!). We could see some columns on land and apparently lots of the town in now under the water due to sea-level rise. Hope we might find time to visit it. However, it didn’t look so good for anchoring and so we came round into Pula. This is a lovely wide sweep of a bay, with lots of sandy beaches, well covered with sunbathers and umbrellas. There seems to be a reef just offshore and a coned-off area marks a break in the reef where power boats, etc. can land. There are a few low-rise hotels, bars, etc. but, like the other parts of south-east Sardinia that we have seen, the development is not obtrusive. It all looks very pleasant and could be a good coastline to explore in future. The bottom here is sandy and John had to have a couple of attempts before he was sure that the anchor was safely holding. Then we all had the usual swim and awaited Chris’ chicken curry for supper. Excellent. There was quite a swell coming in, so Petronella was rocking a fair bit overnight, but less than some of the other three boats anchored nearby, and not enough to disturb out sleep too much.

Thursday August 20th
The decision today was that John and Chris should spend a few hours ashore, getting to Cagliari by bus if possible, to check trains, get money, etc. Gill and I would stay on board Petronella. Gill took them across in the dinghy and had hoped to beach it and go with them to the bus stop, so that we had some idea of timings. However, landing on this beach is not easy – the waves are quite fierce – and there is nowhere easy to moor, so she just dropped them off and came back to the boat. We lazed around, swam and read, and by soon after lunch started to look for them to return. The wind blew up a bit as predicted in the afternoon, and then died down again, and still we waited to hear. Eventually at nearly 6pm, Chris rang to say that they were on the bus from Cagliari to Pula and should be back at the beach between 6.30 and 7. However, the bus did not stop at Pula beach and they got taken several miles along the coast. After hitching a lift back to Pula and then walking from the town to the beach, they eventually returned. By that time, Gill and I had ratatouille ready to eat and she went across to fetch them in the dinghy. It had proved difficult to find out the information they wanted, but they were eventually successful. Chris booked us into a hotel in Olbia for Sunday night before our flight on Monday and found that there were several trains a day, even on Sunday, running from Cagliari to Olbia. John got money but didn’t find a chandler to get the engine filters. We watched the stars and distant shipping lights, and did spot a pair of flashing orange lights. These could have indicated two hovercrafts, or two nuclear submarines – or possibly the council dustbin lorry running along the causeway. There was quite a swell by the end of the evening and after Chris and I were fast asleep, Gill and John set up a special arrangement of the anchor to keep the boat at a better angle – so that we all had a peaceful night.

Friday August 21st
Another warm and gloriously sunny day – we’re going to miss these back in the UK! After breakfast, we piled into the dinghy – discovering that the faulty valve that we’d put in the floor had now failed completely, so we removed the blow-up floor and managed just on the black base. We went across the bay to the far side towards the ruined Roman city of Nora. Managed to get the dinghy out onto the beach right at the end of where all the sunbathers were under their multicoloured umbrellas. Then we walked up to the entrance, paid our dues, agreed that none of us was wearing our ‘swim-swit’ and went in. The tour in English had left about 15 minutes earlier, but we were directed to where the guide would be and soon found her. She had a group of about 10 people, none of whom actually appeared to be English, but the commentary was, though delivered very slowly and haltingly. However, it was very good and we learned about the bath houses, market areas and the theatre, with 12 of the 13 tiers of seats still visible. After the tour, we retired to the café for drinks – my lemonade was made with real lemon – and then back to the dinghy. We were helped into the water by a friendly local – useful since we had forgotten the oars - and were soon back on board Petronella for a ploughman’s lunch. By the time we had finished lunch, the wind was getting up, so we set off for a sail, just out of the bay and then back again. I had a go at the helm, but don’t have an instinctive feel for the sails and found it quite hard to watch them and the compass at the same time. I was all for bringing back Wilfred (the auto-helm) who was so useful on our long passage, or Wanda (the ‘Aries’ self-steering gear) who allows us to wander only slightly off course. However, for those who are the sailors, it was a perfect sail. And, for the first time, we tacked. Seems to me that tacking is what sailing boats are all about, but this one is not perfectly suited to such manoeuvres apparently. As a barely competent crew, I was given the onerous task of looking after the tacking stick (aka winch handle). Anyway, we put in about 4 tacks and eventually found ourselves heading happily back to our anchorage. I sat on the pulpit for quite some time, with John to start with, and later on my own. It was exhilarating – a bit too exhilarating eventually when I was getting very wet and my feet were sometimes hitting the water surface. Took some video clips of the sailing, as well as photographs, till there was too much spray for the camera. Chose an anchoring spot nearer to the Nora side of the bay for tonight, where we thought there might be less swell but in fact the wind died down and the sea was pretty much flat. Another English boat, the Kittiwake, anchored near to us and we swam over to say hello to them. The John did an excellent Spaghetti puttanesca, with a bottle of red wine, followed by Gill’s trifle. With music floating across the bay, we retired to bed.

Saturday August 22nd
Today we needed to get to Cagliari across the bay, so, after breakfast and a final swim, we set off motoring basically NNE, in virtually no wind. (The English boat next to us that set of about an hour later than us, was able to sail the whole way – such is life on the water.) We had to do a big sweep out to the east to avoid the oil terminal area. I steered till lunchtime, by standing up and looking around, while adjusting the wheel with my foot and taking an occasional glance at the compass. I still find it much easier to steer to a landmark than to steer to the compass, though with haziness along the distant coast and very few landmarks, that was not entirely straightforward. Gill took over from lunchtime onwards, to bring us into Marina del Sole in Cagliari. It was an easy arrival, once John had indicated to the marina chaps that their originally suggested berth was not big enough. The marina is very laid back and relaxed. We sat for quite a time waiting to book in at the ‘office’ at one end of the café, but there was no-one attending to either. So we returned to the boat and Gill went to do it on her own later. John and Chris set up the wind generator and got the blades spinning well on the front deck of the boat, and charging the battery. Not needed here, since there is electricity on the jetty, but it should be really useful if they are in an anchorage for a day or two later in the voyage. It does not look like the most modern wind generator in the world but seems to work, and matches the vintage of the boat. All round the marina here there are fish which leap a few cm out of the water and then back in. John thinks they are mullet. You can see them in shoals below the surface and they’re certainly an edible side – 20 to 30 cm long. The staff in the office gave us a map with some possible restaurants to try for a meal this evening, so we set off about 7.30 to walk into town. It’s quite a way – about 25 mins walk. The first part was all along the shore with other marinas, and where there were no boats, there were lots of people sitting on the quayside fishing, presumably for the mullet, though we didn’t see any actually being caught (or having been caught). After a long discussion between Gill and a helpful Sard (note the people here are not Sardines, or even Sardinians) in a little general shop, we located the restaurant, but it didn’t open for about 10 mins. As we waited lots and lots of people arrived to eat there, some standing back, others pushing, as it looked, towards the front of the ‘queue’. However, when the doors finally opening, it turned out to be so popular that it was ‘reservations only’ and so we had to move on. Down a little narrow street we found a restaurant with a table for four outside and sat down. The table had a distinct list to port, but at least it didn’t list to starboard 2 minutes later, just as you were about to pick up your drink! The menu was 20 euros each, which included 3 courses and all the drinks we wanted. We thought that was probably water and wine but it turned out to be beer as well. So we had starters of baby octopus, mussels in a sort of omelette, and brushetta for me; next course of spaghetti with black squid ink, or prawns and zucchini, or gnocchi. We all had fish for the main – with grilled aubergine and mushrooms. Excellent food and a lovely evening. We walked back to the boat, Chris calling off for a beer in the marina café.

Sunday August 23rd
Sadly, today we have to leave Petronella, but not for good we hope.

Portugal to Gibraltar

20th July - Still in GibraltarAnother day under the cloud from the rock. We can see blue sky all around but the cloud forming over the rock keeps us in the shade. Not complaining – it is 23 degrees here – over 30 degrees about 300metres away!!

We were up early to try and break the habit of still being in bed after 9am. John set off into the industrial part of Gibraltar to try and sort out some sort of boarding ladder to make it easier to get on at the bow. At the moment getting on is a feat of strength, balance and timing as the bow is at chest level. Both Chris and I find it hard and there is the distinct possibility that one or the other of us will mis-time the manoever and end up in the water!

I ventured into the main street in Gibraltar to get some money and some stamps. Also to buy a purse – one of the things we forgot, along with our International Certificates of Competancy!!, was my purse so we have been existing with our cash in an upmarket blue freezer bag so far. Then back to Shepperds to buy a new Spanish courtesy flag and a yellow Q flag and finally to Morrisons for bread, cokes and mosquito coils.

In the meantime Chris had been carrying out the engine checks. The oil was low so he topped it up then found that water was slowly dripping from the water pump. Discussions over lunch concluded that this was something that should be looked at now rather than later as water if it got worse we could be in trouble and we should be able to fix it here more easily than anywhere else. So this afternoon has been spent with Chris yet again upside down under the engine, followed by him and John scraping the old water pump until it looked like new. It is slowly being re-constructed and they are both very cheerful so I have great hopes that we will be off tomorrow.

17th, 18th and 19th July - Queensway Quay Marina, Gibraltar
Nice to wake up safely attached to the pontoon!! We all 3 got up late and decided that a cooked breakfast had been well earned so we took ourselves off to the waterside Café for a full English. Then off into a steamingly hot Gibraltar for parts for the engine and food. Sheppards marina, that world renowned mecca for yachtties, is a shadow of its former self, tucked away at the back of a new underground car park. Nothing is priced and the staff don’t know what they have in stock – making for a frustrating shopping experience when everything we needed was apparently somewhere in the shop but couldn’t be found!! Ended up with a few bits and pieces then went to Morrisons and bought as much stuff as the 3 of us could carry – mainly pickles, mayo and condiments to make lunches more exciting. Back on board the boat we spent the rest of the afternoon chilling with a beer or two. Had intended to go out for a meal that evening but John suddenly developed a pressing need to use the marina loos - as he says he had a Gibby tummy – ugh! so we abandoned the attempt and I made a meal on the boat instead.

The easterly wind kicked in during Friday night and we awoke to clouds and a wind gusting up to force 5 in the marina. We did various jobs then Chris decided to go to the internet café and read a book for the afternoon whilst John and I climbed the rock. We had intended to take the cable car up to the top and walk down but it wasn’t running due to the strong winds so we walked up the Mediterranean steps to the top of the rock. It took an hour – spectacular views over the Straits and the Spanish coast to the east. We climbed up through the southern fortifications and saw the caves and old gun emplacements on the side of the rock. Stopped for a cider on the way down and saw the apes terrorising any children foolish enough to be holding lollies anywhere near them. Then we joined Chris who was still very happy sitting in the café and we all decided to go out for a meal that evening. Had a good Thai meal in a modern Thai restaurant – great food only spoiled by the huge flat screen TV blasting out pop videos throughout the meal – decided we were rather older than the normal clientel and we are turning into grumpy old people!

Yesterday was spent getting the washing done at the launderette and cleaning and tidying the boat – in particular trying to get our nightmare of filing under control. John sorted out the rope for the kedge anchor and Chris re-wired the bow thrusters so that when you press the port button it now turns to port rather than starboard. A small detail but one that could have been a disaster if whoever was on the tiller forgot to press the opposite button!! Then at 4pm we got ourselves cleaned up and walked into Gibraltar to catch a bus to the frontier with Spain to investigate a fiesta that was apparently taking place. Walked across the border then we realised that, even though we had all remembered our passports we’d forgotten to bring Euros so had to go into La Linea to find a cashpoint!

The fiesta was just amazing. Half the women had glorious colourful Spanish dresses on – looks like spots are this season’s must haves – and there was a fun party atmosphere everywhere with children, grannies, teenagers and adults all determined to enjoy themselves. We had a fish tapas at a bar then discovered a whole line of tents called penas, which were jam packed with people dancing, eating and drinking. The noise of the music was just deafening – it hurt your chest to stand in front of the speakers. The combination of the packed colourfully dressed crowd, lights and bunting and horses which were all overlooked by the rock dominating the background was just fantastic.

The funfair was just getting going as we left and returned to the boat. Great evening.

15th and 16th July - Faro to Gibraltar
Woke up at 6am to flat calm. John had intended to fit the self steering vane the day before but it was too windy so before we set off he got into the dingy and started to fit small pins into even smaller pins. A curse from the stern showed that he had dropped the larger of the small pins into 7 metres of water, never to be seen again! Luckily we had a spare pin and with a bit more care and a bucket suspended under the working area he and Chris managed to fit the vane onto the end of the self steering bracket. Then we were off –again at high tide so flat calm in the entrance. Motored for 3 hours as there was no wind. Saw about 30 dolphins which crossed our path for about 1 hour and an odd black fin thing – a sailfish?

We started taking it in turns to have rest periods and get into the routine of passage making. The wind blew up quickly, and we had an increasingly wild ride across the waves, which built up to about 2 metres high hand steering one hour on and 2 hours off. Unfortunately John had not managed to get the self steering to work properly. As the afternoon turned into evening the wind veered until our course went across the waves and we were being slewed from side to side – not easy steering but good fun! Had a very acceptable spaghetti and tomato sauce for supper then got ourselves ready for the night. The sun dropped quickly down in a blaze of light then suddenly it was dark. And it all went pearshaped! I was helming and asked for the light to be switched on on the compass! Er…. No light on the compass!!! Couldn’t believe it - didn’t think they made compasses without lights and if they did couldn’t believe anyone would buy one! By this time I’d completely lost the course and we were rolling all over the place. Even by steering with the stars it was just impossible to keep a course – the waves just rolled us off and we were all over the place. So we dropped the main which made it much easier and John set up a red light from a head torch over the compass and order was restored!! Half way through the night we decided to put the engine on as the course was again dead down wind but apart from that it was pretty uneventful and quite exciting – our first night passage, each person quietly waking the next at the end of an hour, making them a cup of tea or hot chocolate and letting them know about the ships in the vicinity and the course to steer. I was on watch for the sunrise – how incredible to be alone on deck on a ship on a rushing sea with no other boats in sight with the sun coming up through the mist over Cape Trafalgar.

We motored for the morning as there was no wind – just a swell left over from the wind of the day before and by lunch time we were in the strait of Gibraltar. A beautiful blue stretch of water – Africa in the background, big ships in the shipping lane a couple of miles to the south, and snakes of calm water intertwined around rough patches where the east and west bound currents mix and shear against each other. John on the plotter keeping us on the best course to maximise the eastern current. Chris at the helm steering to keep out of the shipping lanes to the south, out of the rough water to the north, on a magic carpet taking us at 8 knots towards Gibraltar, me making teas and checking the pilotage calcs to make sure we don’t lose this lift. A fantastic passage. Then up ahead the rock of Gibraltar and more big ships than we would have cared to see in several days let alone all together. John took us across the bay, now buffeted by strong westerly winds, dodging fast ferries, anchoring tankers and pilot boats, rocking and ploughing into the waves then finally through the gap in the harbour breakwater into flat water – aahh! We radioed Queensway Quay marina – yes they had one space – that’s all we need, and motored slowly into our allotted spot. We’ve done it! Great exhilaration – what a great crew. Many beers, a much needed shower and a potato fritata a le John later we collapsed into bed – a great first passage successfully achieved.

13th July – We’re Off
An early morning call had the Bluewater mechanic out to check the engine over generally and our repair in particular. Other than a dirty diesel filter he gave us a clean bill of health. Gill was relieved.

We checked out and motored out of the mouth of the River Arade. We had escaped from Portimao –thought at one time that it would never happen!!!! We motored for an hour or so – Petronella sounded her usual sweet self and the occasional surreptitious glances under our bed at the bilges showed that the engineer was indeed right and she was not leaking any water! Phew! John and Chris tried to get the autopilot to work but it was not very successful so we hand steered her. Then the wind got up and we put all 4 sails up and off she cantered – lovely to be sailing again and so glad to be on the way east. We needed to be at the entrance to Faro before the tide started to ebb and the wind slowly veered and strengthened until our course became dead downwind. So when we were a couple of miles out we put the engine on and motored through the entrance, Chris taking bearings on the western mole and John on the lighthouse to keep us on course. All went to plan and we dropped the anchor in the Culatra anchorage at 7 pm. Many beers followed. A good day.

Next morning was windy which was a shame as we had decided to have a chilled day and go and explore the Isla de Culatra. John got up early to try and catch us some fish for supper but really struggled to catch any when the water was ruffled. We took Chirs ashore and had a coffee whilst waiting for the boat to take him to Olhao for an hour or so. Whilst he was away the wind really blew up – gusting force 6 in the anchorage – so we stayed on the boat and did jobs! When his ferry arrived back John set off in the dingy to pick him up but the outboard packed in half way across and he ended up miles downwind, having rowed like mad just to get to land. A very pleasant German saw what was happening and used his tender to tow the two of them back to the boat – they had just decided to sit the wind out in the café and as it only died after sunset goodness knows what state they would have been in!!!

Broken Propshaft!

12th July – Repairs and Ready to Go

Next morning was a bit of a post mortem. We all agreed we had coped pretty well but confidence was low because what else could go wrong? We seemed to be going backwards rather than forwards.

Chris and I spent the next couple of days with our heads in the bilges, dismantling, finding parts and rebuilding. Chris was just great – full of engineering common sense and practical ideas – without him we would have had a much harder time. He and I took the dingy up the river back to Bluewater marine again to ask them to make us some new studs and within 15 minutes Geoff had made the parts and we had the makings of a solution to the problem. Chris was still full of enthusiasm despite all the problems - considering he had come out for a holiday and he still seemed to have confidence in the whole escapade.

Finally it was finished and we started up the engine again. A bit of a rattle but not too bad. One of the engine mount bolts kept coming loose though and Gill was not happy about leaving until Bluewater had taken a look. But we took Petronella for a test motor round the anchorage then anchored and had a swim before going back into the marina for the last night.

9th July – Oops, there goes a Universal Joint
An early start saw me to the top of the mast for the first time. A combined bosun’s chair main halyard plus foot loop topping lift worked well and I managed to find the problem and effect a temporary repair though the radio may be impaired as the aerial now touches the radar reflector.

Sea trials today. Motored out into the Atlantic and tried out the new bowthruster. It’s great except that when you press the port button we move to starboard and vice versa – still never mind. Practiced picking up man overboard buoys and then put up the sails and had a couple of hours of increasingly good sailing as the wind got up. But as we put the engine on at the mouth of the river ….. CLONK, CLONK, CLONK. What the hell is that? A quick look in the engine proved the worst. The studs joining the gearbox to the forward prop shaft universal joint had worked loose and we had no drive. Instead the prop shaft was being turned by the prop itself and bouncing loose all over the place. Not good.

Chris and I then spent two or three hours upside down in the bilges trying to determine whether we could bodge things up sufficiently to return to the anchorage whilst Gill kept the boat sailing well away from the shore. But the wind blew up to force 6/7 and as evening approached we decided that the most sensible thing was to call the marina and ask for a tow in. They sent 2 macho men in a powerful rib to tow us in and we ended up on the visitors’ pontoon for the night. All together not a very auspicious start.

Absolutely knackered but not too downhearted we went for a rip off Pizza before crashing out.

8th July – Launch Day
We turned the workshop of a boat into a vessel reasonably set up for sailing this morning before the tractor arrived to pull us out. All went smoothly and as we were rechocked to wait for the travel lift we said goodbye to Fernanda, Claudia, Mario and little Bruno grinning whilst his tracheostomy kept him breathing. Even the usually dour Senor managed a smile for Gill.

The big travel lift arrived, lifted us up and moved down the road towards the river, plastic protectors in place to protect Petronella’s hull. We were chased down by the small lift also with a boat slung below it. As we were turned one of the unused slings got caught in the wheel of the lift and 14 tons of Petronella swung and vibrated. All seemed well though and we got back on board and were swung into the water. Petronella was back in her element.

We motored gently down to the anchorage and the anchor held at the second attempt. Who should be there but Peter on Stella Marais.

Unfortunately we discovered the VHF aerial had come adrift from the main mast at some stage during the day so that was another thing to fix.

7th July – Holding Tank Installed and Liferaft Serviced

Two days of graft and the holding tank is installed. Amazingly by measuring up about 26 times when we were last out I managed to get the dimensions and fitting locations correct. Chris and I deliberated a lot on the best fixing mechanism then went and bought wood etc from Bluewater for the job. Some parts though needed a trip into Portimao. The ratchet straps were a special challenge so we got a taxi out to MaxMat where we were indeed successful. We needed petrol too so walked and found a filling station and then struggled back to the boat via the exhibition stadium, Portimao station and back over the bridge.

Finally too NaveDiesel got round to servicing the liferaft. Gill watched as they did it and although it is a good raft it does not have many provisions with it – so the grab bag contents are about to swell further with food and medical supplies. Let’s just hope we never need them.

At the same time Gill was provisioning with daily visits to E LeClerc and Lidl. We intend to eat well but on the boat most days as eating out and marinas are the most expensive avoidable expenses. Gill also finished the paint work, both green and white.

Launch Preparations

4th July - Begin Launch Preparations

Audrey took Chris, Gill and me to Liverpool and an easy flight.

The new holding tank has arrived from the UK and Bluewater have completed their work. Petronella now sports a smart new windscreen and a working bowthruster. The gas line is legal and the steering lines replaced. Not surprisingly though NaveDiesel have still not serviced the life raft. Plenty of work still to do for us as well though we’re making good progress. The sails are bent on, we’ve almost finished boxing in the bowthruster motor, nearly replaced the impellor (we’ve now found the gasket making compound), painted the white stripe, planned the holding tank installation and fixed the VHF radio.

Still time for beers and cane with cokes in the 35 degree heat.

The travel lift is booked for next Wednesday so we’d better be finished by then. OK, time for bed. It is now 11pm and we’ve all been working solidly for 15 hours.


1st July - No More Work

So that’s it. No more work. Two days of ‘how to be a good retired person’ with Gilly at GSK Head Office followed by a final BBQ at their Stately Home at North Mimms just off the M25. Much banter, a couple of bottles of very nice whisky and messages of good luck and envy followed by a last night’s accommodation at the 4* Sopwell House Hotel.

A mad dash back to Cumbria, close up the house, hand over the keys and say goodbye to the chickens. Everything done – just.

2009 Preparations

Three days of work left and finally it feels as though we are starting to make inroads into the mountain of jobs. Holding tank ordered and on its way, Fortress anchor arrived and packed, shackles (finally) here, tea bags purchased and bank account empty. Jenny and Marcus here for the weekend and Emma to Poland for her five week internship.

Blog by phone loooks as though it won't work while we're away as we only have PAYG which Vodafone won't let us use to send emails. Ah well, no big deal.

Argh - A Big Hole in the Hull!

After much discussion we finally decided to install a bowthruster. Some may say this reflects an inability to reverse our long keeler in a straight line and a desire to avoid learning by bumping into an expensive gin palace. They would be correct!

Trevor and his team at Bluewater Marine gave us a good quote for installing our SidePower thruster once we had purchased in the UK and shipped it out to Portugal. We were really impressed with their attitiude and the quality of work. All in all a good setup and not surprisingly we put further work their way too.

I would show you a picture of the finished outside but when we left to come back to the UK they hadn't fitted the paddles - so I can't.

A Quick Trip to Portugal

Such a busy week! We flew to Faro and hired a car for the week. There followed a week of 12-13 hour days. Jobs, jobs, jobs... Lists, lists, lists...

One of our main tasks was to get the US Propane gas bottles filled. Until recently this has been reasonably straightforward but over the past few years regulations have been tightened and most of the handy backstreet suppliers have gone out of business. We had spend days trolling around Portimao in 2008 trying to get these non European bottles filled. Eventually someone had told us we needed an LPG adapter and then to use a car filling station. Back in the UK we had finally found a small engineering company in Barrow that made one for use - US bottle to Portuguese LPG fitting - so we were more optimistic. Failing that we'd have to resort to the famous 'fill it direct from a European bottle' trick. Hmmm. Various visits to different gas depots eventually led us the Repsol garage near the hospital where a very helpful assistant eventually helped us fill our two bottles much to the surprise of the boatyard staff who then told us it is not exactly a lawful practice. Nevertheless we have two full gas bottles which should last us most of the year - and we know the technique for refilling them when the time comes. Success #1

Next up, a new 'car' radio. The old one conked out last year so I took out a nice Sony car stereo with CD and MP3 player adaptor. Of course the space available was not quite big enough and the shared negative to both speakers resulted in temporary setbacks but in the end it looks a really good job - though I say it myself. Success #2.

Redundo

After several years trying to persuade GlaxoSmithKline that I really was surplus to requirements they have finally seen the sense of this and agreed to make me redundant. At 55 I can actually retire with a company pension so this is seriously GOOD NEWS!

I've had to do a bit of negotiating but GSK have also agreed to pay me up until the end of October. EVEN BETTER NEWS especially as from the end of June I don't need to turn up for work - I just have to be 'available' - what for, I'm not sure. Commonly known as gardening leave for us it will be sailing leave.

The last day with Gill and boss Iain

Hectic or what!

Termination of employment forms signed and end date set for 25th June. So now we have to juggle getting Petronella ready, finishing off Gill's stressful probate arrangements and closing out 23 years of family life in Cumbria. Visits to my parents in Southampton who are not at all sure about our plans, helping the girls through their last but one set of exams - they are both due to graduate next year and mounting concern for the welfare of Southampton Football Club........ But, were loving it! At last our lives are off hold and we're moving forward again.