Back in the Water

by | May 18, 2023 | Boat Maintenance, Dodecanese, Greece, Mediterranean, Turkey | 1 comment

Arrived in Leros and got busy organising to get the boat back in the water. The Artemis boatyard were very helpful and attentive to our needs. After marking the anchor chain in 10 meter lengths we discovered that the windlass was not functioning. Pure mystery. The electrician came by a day before we launched and sorted everything out, even changed the functioning so that we could operate the windlass without the motor being turned on. All the work done by the Artemis Boatyard was excellent.

Hull hydro blasted back to gelcoat, keel sand blasted and 6 layers of expoxy applied, bow thruster new anodes and prop anode, PropSpeed on the propeller, new engine exhaust elbow, steering cables inspected and lubed, engine serviced new transmission oil, new coolant, oil change and new fan belt, two new bow rollers on starboard side, wheel lock mechanism modified, new coat of bilge paint in chain locker and finally a nice polish to the topside of the hull.

Needed some supplies for the few days that we were getting the boat ready so got one of the bikes out so that I could ride down to the local shop for a couple of basics and then rented a car the day before we launched so we could get a complete stock up on the boat and even managed some mobile service so we can have some internet.

Leros has been a great stopping point for us. The island is quiet and the people are very friendly and engaging. Not a lot of tourist attractions but if you are looking for a quiet comfortable getaway then it is highly recommended.

Launch

Boat got into the water on schedule even though we were panicking a little about having the windlass fixed and the weather was starting to turn. It all went to plan and we headed over to the small bay on the north end of the island. Wind was blowing pretty strong in the bay when we dropped anchor. We only experienced one instance where the 33kg anchor did not hold and that was outside Korcula in Croatia after stern tying to the shore and the wind came from the side to dislodge the anchor, and that was the middle of the night. After we dropped in the bay in Leros the wind picked up and dislodged the anchor. We had dropped in a bunch of weed and on the edge of a shelf. No danger around as in other boats etc so we picked up and dropped again in a better location.

Kalymnos

Decided that Kalymnos was a better first stop rather than go into Lakki which was on the other side of the island. We still didn’t have the sails on because of wind issues in the bay and also we were not allowed to put sails up in the boat yard. So it was a motor day. Kalymnos is a great stop. We had come in here in 2021 when we originally picked up the boat. We tied up stern-to to the dock and had our passerelle (boarding ramp) down but lifted up so that it would not rub on the dock. We had learned this from other times where the passerelle was too low and when there is ferry wake or bad weather then it can damage the passerelle. This time it was the middle of the night when a ferry arrived and caused a huge wake. It woke us up and unfortunately I didn’t have enough time to grab the rope for the passerelle to lift it up more and it ended up smashing into the dock and splitting the fiberglass on the step that holds the passerelle. Another item to get repaired but will wait till we get to Marmaris where there are a lot more trades.

Kalymnos is a great little town with tourists and ferries coming at all hours and if there happens to be a wedding/funeral/holiday/any celebration at all they will let you know by setting off a stick of dynamite or 2 in the harbour. The noise makes you think that Greece has gone to war with Turkey over island ownership.

When we checked into Kalymnos we realised that we forgot to check out of Leros. Greece has this rule regarding foreign yachts that they must check into a port on arrival and then check out of that port on departure. And it is all paper oriented. Unfortunately we couldn’t get around it so Jacqui had to catch the ferry back to Leros in order to check us out and then we had to checkout of Kalymnos when she got back. Not only check out of the port but also check out of Greece as we were heading over to Turkey the next day. The process involved going to the Port Authority to check out and then we needed to go to passport control to check ourselves out of the country and passport stamped out of Schengen. The port authority guys said we needed to go about a kilometer up the road to the police department to check out. When we arrived at the police station the cop, for lack of a better word, got on the phone and then passed it me to talk to the passport control office, and in broken English he said to come to his office which was about 150 meters from the port authority. All this is happening at 7:30 – 8 o’clock at night (on an empty stomach). Arrived at the passport control office to check ourselves out and found that the customs officer had to get on the phone for instructions on the paperwork. Turns out we were his first exit stamp that he had performed. Finally at the end we had our passports stamped out and needed to return to port authority to get another stamp (and pay 5 euros) still not sure what that was for. Had to let them know for future reference that the passport control was only around the corner.

Turkey Bound

After all that we headed for Bozburun in Turkey. But before we went we needed another stop in Symi, Greece. As it turns out my visa for Turkey starts on the 1st of May and we checked out of Greece on the 30th of April. (Oops), we managed to get the sails up out of Kalymnos bay and able to sail. (Yeah clean bum = faster sailing!)

Checked into Bozburun on the 1st with no issues because we had engaged an agent to take care of everything. Bozburun is a small village with not much there including sim cards for your phone. I hopped on the bus the next day to get to Marmaris in order to get internet for both of us. Hour and a half there and same back again along windy roads and a crowded small bus. Picked up internet and managed to find the bus stop for the return journey. Jacqui was tasked with polishing the chrome which she didn’t mind at all.

Spent some time around Bozburun at a couple of different anchorages then made our way across the Gulf of Symi in what started off as 15 – 20 knots, by the time we turned the corner it was more like 30 and then we saw gusting in the 40’s. Went into Bozukkale Koyu but it was looking poor for protection so we opted for Serce Koyu where we had stayed last year. The wind was still blowing hard during the night and being anchored close to shore resulted in a not so great sleep, Joys of sailing 🙂

Left there in the morning and headed to Turunc a resort town on the entrance to Marmaris Bay. Lovely little town and we went in for supplies (beer ha). Had a little walk around and then over to Kumlukbuku. Stern-to with running water and electricity. Only downside was having to eat in the restaurant for the privilege of using the facilities. Turned out to be an expensive and NOT the tastiest meal. Beyond that it was a nice stop over, even got a few loads of laundry washed and dried on deck. Seems the leak that we had last year when we put the boat on the hard stand in Leros had miraculously disappeared. I think it had something to do with the water pressure in Artemis boatyard.

Heading to Marmaris next where we will drop the anchor in the bay and spend a few weeks getting more s!?*t done. Boat needs/wants/gotta have list is now down to the last few things all in good preparation for our first ocean crossing.

1 Comment

  1. Deb Gale

    Love this post. Great info and the little scenic clips are a nice addition from Noel’s birthday GoPro! ????????⛵️

    Reply

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