Johnny's Thoughts....

Johnny's thoughts:

Fuel flow. We've no fuel flow indicator so we don't know what we're burning for various engine speeds, so we can't work out how many litres to the nautical mile we burn or, more importantly, safe maximum range (with a suitable reserve). We brimmed the tanks before leaving Syros so that we could back calculate range, before setting off on the long offshore legs. At Marmaris we carefully noted how many litres each side took, then Gordy calculated the sea miles that we had travelled since leaving Syros. It wasn't completely 'clean' because we travelled at about 10kt average during the stormy day and then 15-20kt on the other 2 days. Nevertheless we came out with a 5.25 litres per nautical mile result, giving us a safe range of about 260 NM.

Yesterday was much cleaner in that we travelled the whole way from Marmaris to Finike at one speed, about 18 kt. Gordy and I separately calculated that the fill up would probably be about 600 litres. However, the fill up was 768 litres, giving us a fuel consumption of 6.8 litres per mile. This still makes no sense to me. Either the boat uses dramatically more fuel per mile at 18kt or we were venting fuel overboard somehow (I'd expect more but not double). There were a few valves in a non-standard position (fuel cross feed open and fuel tank sighter glass valves open) but I wouldn't have expected these to change anything.

Net result is that we have to do the Finike to Paphos leg slower, and measure the fuel consumption closely again. All fuel valves are in the 'standard' position and we're cruising at a measly 13kt. At this speed, expected transit is 11 hours so, to avoid an arrival into a new port in darkness, we set off before dawn.

The next question is 'how will this effect the Cyprus to Egypt leg', which is much longer than today's leg. I think it would be undesirable to arrive after dark; there will probably be more than 100 ships in the Port Said area and we don't know how good the channel and port lighting will be. If we want to arrive before sunset using today's speed we need to set off at midnight tonight, having arrived at about 18:30, with a refuel, engine service (they are super hot for at least 6 hours after stopping) and formalities to complete in between.

I've discussed it with the team and our plan is to stay till mid afternoon tomorrow then sail through the night to arrive about 2 hours after sunrise. It'll mean introducing a watch system and making sure everyone understands night man overboard drills, but it will give us some time to rest in Paphos, time to service cold engines, time to explore Paphos and maybe fix the odd boat snag. It will also see us depart and arrive by day (and it will still be day if we arrive several hours late) and, because we're there early Saturday morning, complete formalities without any delay over a late Friday arrival (Arab weekend Thursday and Friday).

The joys of confusing fuel flow!

29 Sep Turkey to Cyprus

Hi folks, it's Julie once more updating you on all our doings.

Right now we're halfway through our leg from Finike to Paphos. 12 hours straight sailing to get to our next destination. We left at 06:20 and should arrive at 18:30. As the old saying goes...water, water, everywhere but not a drop to drink. Also no one else around either which makes it slightly eerie as if we're the only people on the seas. We do have the occasional visitor in the shape of a small lone birds who need a brief rest on their migratory journey and choose our railings for a breather. Cute.

A heads up on yesterday evening. We did stop in a secluded bay to have a swim and snorkel, followed by egg & bacon butties to tide us over until dinner. There were a few shoals of small fish by the shoreline but sadly, no more dolphins. It was great to take advantage of the boat, anchor up and simply jump overboard to swim in the sea. Harbours are all mod cons but they're not the place to go swimming and that's the whole point of sailing..isn't it?

We were met at the quay by the Turkish officials who were once again very smiley and friendly.

We asked for a fuel refill and a small tanker came along and filled us up with 760 litres of diesel for a gob smacking price of 1300 euros approx. It was 1euro 60 a litre here as opposed to 1euro 30 in Marmaris! Help! But once you've filled up, you can hardly argue the point, can you? Plus, we needed to complete customs exit procedures to be able to shoot off to Cyprus in the early hours and of course, at 8pm at night, the offices are closed, but for 284 euros we had our paperwork stamped and were cleared to depart. They must see us coming..but at least we're not going to be behind on our schedule.

A quiet night really in Finike as it is just a small harbour town and then back to the boat where the most god awful stench awaited us! I exaggerate not! Something is rotten in the kingdom of the good ship Athina. Think of rotten eggs, the horrible smell of sulphur or dead things. We have no idea what is causing this smell but initially can't find anything obvious, so we put up with it and head for the bunks.

The situation now is the smell is still there and a thorough search of the storage places underneath and the holding tanks of the bathrooms have not found the source of the stench. I know you probably think I am over exaggerating but really not..you have to be here to appreciate the unwholesome aroma of it! I am blogging because Craig & John have their heads in the bowels of the boat to try and fix this problem and Gordy is steering and keeping us on course and added to that, he is meticulous in working out our fuel consumption and what's needed to keep this boat afloat and how much it's going to cost us and how many miles and at what speed we need to do to get the maximum benefit

Not quite the Royal Yacht Britannia..but close!

Photos of the main saloon with blogger Jules hard at work..not!

Pictures courtesy of chief roving photographer Mr Gordon McClymont

28 Sep Marmaris to Finike

Hi, Julie here, it's 10:20am on Wednesday and we're cruising along the Turquoise Coast of Turkey. I have never visited Turkey before and I really like it. The locals are welcoming and friendly and the views into the harbours of Bodrum and Marmaris are gorgeous..Turkish gulets lining the bay speak of days gone by and the super yachts berthed in the posh marina bring the country into the 21^st century.

It's so great to have the whole team on board now. With just John and I this would have been a fantastic trip, but with the awesome company of GordY and Sandra and Craig, it is a memory already precious. We're having a blast and now working together as a team to moor the boat at night and then the next morning leave the quay, we look so professional and it's all done so quickly that the cap'n has no complaints. I think!

Even with the 5 of us aboard now, with all our kit and food and drink and charts and laptops and cameras galore, there is still heaps of room in the main saloon and outside on the aft deck. GordY says its a bit like the Tardis..normal on the outside and huge inside.

From the quay you step onto the passerelle (gangway to you & me) and onto the aft deck, which has a semi circle of seating for a fair few guests, then into the saloon thru the sliding patio doors and leather sofas on opposite sides. There is a sturdy table which is currently loaded with all our paraphanalia and further in and to the right is the driving seat. Switches, buttons, horns, intercom and the wheel; to the left and down three steps is the kitchen galley full of mod cons. Microwave, electric hobs and gas burners and an oven ( not yet used obviously!). Into a small corridor and 3 cabins; one in front, one left and one right with a small bathroom. That's it. Our new boat is a joy and it's still hard to believe it's actually ours! We'll pop some pics of the inside of the yacht onto the blog shortly and you'll get a feel for the size of the internal spaces.  

We left Marmaris sometime after 9.30am and it's now 13.15 and we've just had the most marvellous experience..we sailed alongside a group of dolphins! Some were swimming in twos and leaping together in the air and the rest of the dolphins were milling around whilst we watched in wonder and tried desperately to capture them on film..not much luck there! We're about to anchor up in a short while to have some lunch and go snorkelling. Catch up later..

Tue 27 Sep - Bodrum to Marmaris

A short post - after 3 hours in bed last night and drinks till now (02:30am) it's hard to give justice to such a top day. Craig and Sandra arrived in good shape at 03:00 am, albeit after a typical Thomas Cook charter flight experience. A quick beer or two and off to bed.

Up at 08:00 for the RV with the agent only to find out that they decided to do immigration paperwork themselves and we were not required any more. That gave Craig time to fix the tender, connect a 3.5mm input for the stereo, learn the boat, fix the helmsman's flybridge seat and check the engines. We loaded some essential beer and, after the agent arrived at 11:30 to relieve us of a large sum of money, we set off. Good skills by Sandra en-route.

Cleverly, I had not identified that the sight glass on the fuel tanks did not go down to the bottom so, 10 miles past Marmaris I had a panic attack when the cockpit gauge on one engine read zero and the other showed 'R' (below zero). That led to a backtrack to Marmaris! Happily, Craig and I decided not to worry about the prospect of flameout and, instead, instigate a complicated photo shoot plan (results at the header picture).

The photo shoot was by far and away the funniest, and most dangerous, part of the day. The tender is ridiculously overpowered and fast but, at only a few feet long, it's also seriously unstable. Four miles out we launched Gorgy and Craig in the tender. The plan was to run both Athina and tender at about 25kt and get some great pics. At about half that speed it became apparent to me, in Athina, that the guys were looking a bit uncomfortable. Nevertheless, press on... Then I spotted the wake of a local pleasure boat approaching, trivial for Athina but huge for the tender. I waved furiously but the boys were focused on their mission. With absolutely no exaggeration, the whole of the tender was airborne. It's possible that the prop was still in the water but certainly no part of the hull. It was simultaneously both terrifying and hysterical to see Gordy's reaction.

The very wet boys and tender were reloaded onto Athina and we proceeded for a 5000 Turkish Lira fuel bill. Both times I've been amazed when the fuel payments gone through. Interestingly, there is 250 litres remaining at '0' and 150 at 'R' (super empty). Knowledge stored so we can push the limits further next time! I'll calculate exactly how far we've traveled these few days so that we have confidence that we can leave the safety of the Turkish coast for Cyprus on Thursday with a reasonable reserve. That trip will inform the Cyprus to Suez leg, which is longer, and that trip will inform the feasibility of the Egypt to Jeddah leg.

Sun evening 25 sep to Mon evening 26 sep-Eastern Med

Hi there-an update on the blog for the Greece to Jeddah push from the good ship ATHINA.  Blog contributor Gordon McClymont, roving reporter and temporary acting chief engineer.  After yesterdays report, dinner was had in Xeroskambos's finest taverna an excellent fare of sausage/chips/Greek salad and spicy cheese made by the owners grandmother!  No belly ache that night to report.  During the evening an invasion by some drunk German sailors from the sea wearing budgie shorts (speedo shorts) to the taverna was repelled with the shouts of 'Remember 1941 Fritz!' No more trouble.  Breakfasted in the same fine taverna on coffee, dried bread and cheese planned the day and set out for the good ship in great spirits.  With all tech stuff done we slipped anchor at 1030 for Kos.  The weather was excellent and the sea much calmer than before.  The coast of Kalimnos looked beautiful as we cruised past its eastern edge at 16-18 knots. We could see Turkey out to our left (east) and the tip of Kos island on our nose.  We called Kos marina on the radio and after a minute or so we had a RIB sent out (tender) to escort us in for a 'quick turnround' in Kos- customs/immigration/fresh water and minor provisions. Safely tied up by the stern the paper work seemed to go smoothly and we wandered down the front to the police for a passport stamp.  Usual big Med resort plenty of white tourists/scooters/mini markets/restaurants etc but the old fort looked pretty.  All cleared we set off for Bodrum, Turkey a 30 min cruise.  We could see the white buildings of Bodrum from Kos and all was going well with no signs of scurvy/seasickness/sunstroke. However, despite all the previous correspondance with the Bodrum agent, emails and telephone calls from Julie -  he seemed genuinely surprised when we called him and said we were sitting outside the port and waiting for a berth allocation!  All berths were full-was the agents reply so we moored in the bay next to Capt. J Sparrows old craft!  Having said that the agent gave us a good tie up and soon we were swimming in Turkish waters.  The formalities to be completed tomorrow.  Our tender was taken away to see if the outboard could be seen to as the Yamaha refuses to start.  The agent took us ashore on his tender but as it was now after 9 we only had a drink and an ice cream.  Our remaining crew, Craig and Sandra, fly in to Bodrum at 2 am so a taxi has been arranged for Johnny to go to the airport and collect them and back to port at 3.30 am!!!! Capts. work is never done! The good news is that our Yamaha has been fixed by the night shift and is back working-the young lad showed us how well it went by zooming up and around the bay at 25 kts + with no lights on!  We leave you now drinking some tea and planning tomorrows doings. 

Julie's Update 26 Sep 11

Whew!  This has been a massive learning curve! 10 hours from leaving Finikas, we finally arrive at Leros Island in a gorgeous bay called Xerokambos. No quayside here so we work as a team to pick up a mooring buoy and secure the yacht. Success! Gordy & I got the job done, high five, but our illustrious captain felt we needed to speed things up a bit as it was eating into drinking time. Beautiful surroundings with two small tavernas and a tiny jetty leading to them.    Our outboard was still not working so it was hoist to with the oars, me on the left oar, John on the right. I was pretty puffed out by the time we got to the jetty and then I had to remember how to tie a bowline knot to stop the rib floating away. In all this faff, Gordy was holding onto the rib but he came a cropper when he leaned out to far over the water and his specs fell out of his shirt pocket into the crystal clear water! Oh dear! He gamely hitched up his smart and dry shorts and strode into the sea to retrieve said specs...not so dry and smart any longer! This was watched by two excitable puppies who came over to hinder Gordy even more, but being the big softie that he is, he couldn't resist a quick fuss with them! Ah, Bless.

We had a perfect table along the shore with a few of the other folks from various boats and enjoyed the peace and quiet and the stars and the puppies for a good few hours. The food was indifferent but it has to be said..better than my cooking! 

Missing Pictures from blog below

Sunday 25 Sep - A long day

Had a dither last night about whether to try to get 20 miles under our belt or wait for today. Finally decided it was too late, so spent the last 2 hours before sunset trying to sort out things that we hadn't had time to address. The battery to the tender was flat but the fella who took 1600 euro off us for fuel (my new best friend) was happy to charge it for us. Didn't get another chance last night to look at it but we've tried just now and although the battery is good, it still won't start!

Up early in the hope of getting some distance done before the wind picked up, however, despite setting off before sunrise the wind was up earlier. The driving was shared between Julie, Gordy, me and the autopilot. There was about 4 hours in a really exposed passage that we'd been strongly advised not to do. It's clear that the previous owner didn't use the boat in stormy weather because so many items are not properly secure. We found that 8-10kt was about as fast as we could go in the conditions. Any slower and it was really hard to maintain steering, because the rudders are super small (designed to work at 20kt). Any faster and the boat was smashing down onto the waves so hard that everything would shudder. The lower steering helm is about 3m above the waterline and waves were level with this steering position. We kept off the upper helm because so many waves were being thrown over the boat.

We had a few minor snags but, on the whole, the boats performance was encouraging. The clip on the doors at the rear of the salon don't hold them closed when the boat rolls widely, so we ended up lashing them shut with rope and a quick release knot. The tender's position results in water pouring in from the waves, so the drain needs to be clear and the lines need to be really tight. The temperature gauge on the left engine is intermittent, and wasn't working at all when we finally arrived. The liferaft stowage isn't secure enough so it slides around the flybridge in rolling seas. The securing bracket for the upper helm seat has rotted and broken. We pulled the power back every hour so that I could fight my way around outside and do running repairs. Surprisingly, the autopilot worked well in the heavy seas so that's encouraging for later. All in all, pretty encouraging.

It was a long slog and we ended up doing 10 hours in one go. We've picked up a mooring buoy in a tiny inlet on the southern side of Leros island. The place is really pretty and looks good for a few glasses of wine. Sadly we'll be rowing ashore because that wretched outboard won't start. We need Craig here to sort out the engineering. Most importantly, our current position ensures protected waters and easy cruising for the next 3 days at least. We're also really well placed for the short hop across to Turkey tomorrow.

Friday 23 Sep - Finding out what we have and what we don't

From a girly point of view, what we have and don't have on the boat is subjective. John is happy with leftover tools and lines (ropes to you & me) fenders and the electronic sat nav card, whilst I am thinking where is the champagne & flowers to welcome us! We split up and attend to our individual priorities; John to work out the electrics and cooling the fridges for the beers and me to hunting down cleaning kit and a vacuum! Crumbs, this is supposed to be the trip of a lifetime and I'm still wearing my marigolds. The previous owners used to smoke and there's remnants of ash everywhere..yuk. In my eyes, the living areas are grubby and need a good old scrubbing, so I heave ho to it (note the sailing lingo already)

The little port where we are staying is called Finikas, and it is very pretty. Quiet & traditional. Fishing boats sailed alongside the tourist yachts & dive boats. Mind you, the ducks and cats were not behaving in the traditional manner, as witnessed by this cute photo of the little black kitten chillin' with the ducks and their ducklings. There's a tiny supermarket but not much else and we have discovered that we need to buy, bed linen, towels and basics like cups, plates, saucepans and the obligatory kettle. Who can do all this work without a cup of tea or coffee?

So there goes our morning racing across the island at various times and in different taxis to get to Ermoupolis, the capital of Syros Island, costing us a small fortune in euros in taxi fare and household goods. Not speaking Greek meant the drivers didn't understand what we meant by needing to find a shop like Ikea! But the locals here are all so friendly and willing to help that we overcome the language barrier by miming and laughing.

We leaned heavily on the Greek willingness to help when it came to filling up our two massive fuel tanks! No handover by the owner meant we didn't know where the fuel caps were to put the diesel into, which was very embarrassing when the small tanker arrived at the boat to fill her up! We had to unscrew all the caps we could see and sniff at them to determine which was plain water and which was fuel! We couldn't resolve it between us and the fuel attendant so we had to phone the broker to get him to ring the previous owner to tell us what to do. By this time, the whole marina was watching in amazement as the newbies to the cruising world clearly showed their ignorance of an essential knowledge like where the fuel tanks are! Gulp! We've been found out..we don't know what we're doing! John helped the fuel chap and I went into the engine hold..ooh er..to watch the fuel reach the correct level and then shut off the valve. There I am folks..my rear end to the watching world, getting stuck in on a sharp learning curve and doing it in my white jeans..Helloooo, who thought white jeans would be a good idea on this trip? There I was, thinking this was a holiday. Go figure.

Our man at the fuel pumps was so patient with us and very happy when he presented his bill of 1600 euros for 1067 litres of diesel..Yes, that's right, 1600 euros for just the fuel and we use approx 5 litres to the mile!

Finally, a late dinner at the ferry port to meet Gordy at 11pm. How lovely to see him in amongst the heaving crowd and smiling at us after a very long travelling day. He's such a star to come along and help us to do this and hopefully it will be a holiday for him too.

Arrived - Friday 23 Sep

Arrived a 09:30 this morning. Flight out of Cairo delayed due to Greek industrial action so we had an 8 hour turn in Cairo. Happily I'd paid for business class for the first time in my life; unhappily the Cairo lounge is the only one that I've ever been in that has no wine, no beer (in fact no alcohol) and no wifi! The broker wore our resultant 00:30 meeting with a smile despite the hour. He passed on the key, an address and advice not to set off for a week because of the strong winds that Greece is experiencing. When he worked out that I had no intention of following his advice he fell back on words about min risk routing.

Up at 05:15 this morning to catch the flight to Syros.

Sure enough there were plenty of white horses visible from the plane and a pretty bumpy ride in. The boat is in a tiny port with minimal facilities, but very pretty. A search has revealed that the most important things seem to be there but we'll need to find somewhere that sells crockery, cutlery, linen and some tools. That's this afternoons job. The mooring has several lines running into the water and it's a bit boxed in so it's a certainty that I'm going to wrap some of those lines round one of the props when we try to depart!

Looking forward to Gordy's arrival late this evening.

Gordon is on his way .......

Hi Johnny and Julie,

Just to confirm that Gordon has left Manchester. There was an hour's delay put down to Athens ATC but that was all ..... his next leg is the ferry from Piraeus (at 19.00) to Syros and he should be arriving at 22.50 tonight. I can't find anything to suggest a strike on the ferry's for today so will keep my fingers crossed ...... Have a fabulous time and please keep us updated. I wish you "fair winds and following seas". Lots of love Alex XX

2 days to go

Hi Folks
Just a test blog so I can see if the site is easy and working properly. Also, whether you guys following want to add helpful ( not rude!) comments....

Still dealing with minutia admin...entry/exit visas to Turkey & Egypt; last minute navigation aides for the boat (thanks Gordy for bringing them with you) wondering how on earth we're going to fit all our dive kit into the suitcases along with the necessary books and tools needed for this trip. I've been told there's no room for girly stuff!
Looking forward to our adventure and you will have blogs from John, Craig, Sandra and GordY as well as me along the merry, drunken way,
Cheers Julie