Crews Letter #2006 02   Waiting for Weather

                                                                                                                                      Return to the Crews Page

041320 UTC MAY 06 IZMIR TURK RADIO GALE WARNING VALID FROM 041320 to 051320 UTC HIGH 1028 MB OVER ROMANIA RIDGE HIGH PRESSURE EXTENDS TO BULGARIA AND AEGEAN NORTH OR NORTHEAST WINDS EXPECTED TO REACH GALE FORCE 7 TO 8 BEAUFORT IN AEGEAN STATE OF SEA VERY ROUGH TO HIGH.

 

Good Morning Ladies and Gentlemen:

 

The NAVTEX tells the tale.  We are safely tucked in at Olympic Marina about 60 km (40 miles) southeast of Athens.  And “waiting for weather.”

 

The check-out from Turkey and the check-in went smoothly.  The sail across the central Aegean was four easy day sails: Kos to Levitha, Levitha to Donousa, Donousa to Mykonos, Mykonos to Loutra on Kythnos and Loutra to Olympic on the mainland.

 

When we made the same trip in 2004, we were held up in Siros for four days waiting for gale force winds to subside.  The marina there was new and not managed.  There was only one other boat.  Charter yacht Valentine was waiting to meet a crew.  She had NAVTEX.  Melody, her cook, faithfully reported to us the continuing Gale Warnings.  It was then and there that we decided Perception needed NAVTEX.  In Gouvia on Corfu, two weeks later she got her unit. See  NAVTEX for a complete description.

 

The main problem with NAVTEX is the forecast is for never more than 24 hours.  Some of the places we moor have Internet.  The following links are three of our favorites for weather:

Wind  Guru           A Czech  Source

Poseidon               The Greek Source  select animation under date and press display

AccuWeather       The American Source

 

 Perception has the proper sails to function in 7 and 8s.  See Beaufort Scale if you don’t remember what “7 and 8s” are.  She doesn’t have the crew.  The great beauty of this part of the world is there is always a safe harbor just a broad reach away.  Of course, if the NAVTEX tells you before you leave, more than likely you are in a safe harbor.  The possible problem being, you are in a harbor protected from the last wind but not the next.

 

We have been to Loutra twice before.  Each time was a joy and this time was no exception.  The harbor is small, but very functional.  The village is also small and functional.  On both previous visits, it was off-season and there was space.  This time it was Sunday of the May Day Weekend.  May Day is Labor Day for most of the world, just not the US.  For a powerboat, Loutra is a short hop to Athens.  A lot of RIBs, rigid inflatable boats, had that in mind for the end the holiday weekend.   Also there were several charter sailing vessels on their first or second day out from Athens.  

The result was when we arrived about 1600 a harbor with only part of a space left.  We dropped anchor outside and backed in inside and beside the end of the quay.  This gave us nearly half of the port side beside the quay.  Later on, a catamaran tied up along side our starboard.  She was at charter with an American crew from Kansas City, Mo.  We joined them for dinner and had a delightful evening.

 

Loutra on Kythnos

 

The next day was Labor Day, Monday, 1 May.  Knowing about the idiots on boats in Texas on the first Monday in September and looking at the similarities in Loutra, we decided to stay put for another night and leave the sea to those constrained by holiday schedule.  After the crowd departed, we took in the anchor and repositioned side-to on the same part of the quay.  This time all of the port side-to.

 

Another riddle, just for fun.

 

When mooring stern-to setting an anchor forward

is good form.

  The 8th boat from the left nearly did.

 

On the same quay, we met a family from Princeton, NJ who now live in Athens.  But that’s another story and we’ll save it for another Crews Letter.

 

Steady, as she goes,

Phyl & Fred

 

<<Previous  ^Crews Page^   Next>>