Sailor Harry

Malua packed up for winter

2011-09-23T17:35:00.001+10:00

There is always a story behind the headline but not told today. Malua is in Navy Service and we are in Paris

Cats in the Cabin

2011-09-20T11:11:00.000+10:00

Last night – well not quite last night but I wrote this piece the day after it happened but have not uploaded it till now. We stopped at Ardoise We had stayed here on our way north – it is off the river up a tributary just south of the nuclear plant. It is a back water with little traffic and a few boats tied up in a marina run by a lovely French lady. On our first visit we did not stop at her restaurant but eat on board. The following morning our neighbours told us about the great meal that they had at the restaurant and we should go that night. Unfortunately we were moving on so we had to skip the meal. Now this time when we tied up we advised the restaurant lady we would be having dinner and a great dinner it was – To start we had a pastry parcel of tomatoes, goat’s cheese and herbs followed by hare in wine sauce and a pork fillet. All prepared and cooked by the lady. Needles to say we had a good quantity of Cote de Rhone wine.
After a very enjoyable dinner we returned to Malua which was moored alongside a large British barge with no people on board. The night was warm so I slipped in the lower and upper wash boards to close off the companionway and retired to bed. At about 3:00 o clock I was woken by a noise I thought was the rattle of the wash boards. I lay awake listening hoping to catch another noise or to hear some movement in the saloon. I heard nothing but knew I had to get up to investigate. Taking the touch beside my bed I entered the saloon and there on the top step of the companionway was a big black cat. With a shout that not only woke Denny but most of the marina, the cat slipped between the wash boards and bounded down the walkway fleeing a mad captain.
Now that remind me of the last time I heard a cat noise in the night. I was alone moored Med style to a quay alongside Charlie Girl at little Vathi in Greece. We had been out for some food and I had returned knowing that the Greek cats like to scavenge for food on empty boats so I had closed the companion way, portlights and all the hatches. I went to sleep with only the small portlight open a meter above the stove. I was woken with the noise of the kettle moving on the stove. I thought it was only the wind but after listening awhile I heard another noise. I knew I had company. I switched on the touch and advanced into the saloon to find a cat on the settee. I aimed a good shot with the touch and the cat started to climb the walls, ceilings and every other place to get away. It could not jump back through the portlight and the companionway was closed. After a good attempt to subdue the animal with the touch I decided to let it escape through the companionway. I removed the wash boards and advance on the cat. There was a flash past a good swing of the touch and the cat was gone. I closed the aft cabin door and closed the wash board and return to bed.
The following day I cast off the quay and sailed to the other side of the island for two days of relaxation while I lay at anchor about 30 meters from the shore. The following day I sailed to Vlikho a good days sail from Kalamos. On this occasion I again went stern too the quay and dropped the boarding plank to get ashore. Before I left to see the island I opened the aft cabin door for the first time for four days. I was struck by a vile cat sell. Not wanting to investigate further I hit the high road asking my neighbour to keep an eye on Malua while I was gone.
On my return the neighbour who did not speak much English told me my cat had run off the boat and had been chased down the wharf by the local tom and I should go and look for it before it was killed. On further investigation at the back of the aft cabin I found where the cat had lived for four days. A mess of hair and other things brown was unbelievable. I must have scared the shit out of that cat on the night and then locked it the cabin without food or water for four days. It took me a week to get the mess out of the cabin and at least four weeks to get rid of the sell.
I should have learnt my lesson on that occasion but I did not expect the French cats to follow the Greek example but on this occasion I was sure it ran down the walkway.

Marcoule Nuclear Plant

2011-09-13T01:10:00.000+10:00

Stop press. Today 12 September 2011 as we were passing the Marcoule nuclear plant when a siren went off. Denny and I joked that the siren indicated a nuclear explosion. If the lack of water could not stop us then only a nuclear explosion could finally put and end to our trip through the French canals.
Never tempt fate!
There was an explosion at the plant at the very time we passed. Fortunately it was an industrial accident not a nuclear accident so the chances of radiation are very low although the wind was blowing in our direction. We continued down the Rhone and am now at l,Ardoise on our way to Avignon and Port St Lois.
More on the last step of our trip later but for now we are fine.

Equipment for cruising the canals of France

2011-09-10T16:35:00.000+10:00

We are now in Condrieu heading back to the mouth of the Rhone having traveled more than 1200km. This is my experience from this summer and the knowledge that I have gained.
Boat. It goes without saying: have the right boat – a rectangular steel barge which draws no water and has an economical motor and all the living facilities BUT if you own your sailing yacht and want to cruise the French canals it can still be done.
If your draft is greater than 2.0 m you will not be able to go very far. At two meters we travelled the Rhone with easy, sailed up the Saone watching the depth gauge most of the time and came alongside almost everywhere with a few inches under the keel. The only canal I would attempt with this draft is the canal Champagne du Bourgogne (la Marne). One can get through to Paris if all the variables are right and you have nerves of steel and don’t mind going aground more than a few times but I feel it is possible when there is lots of water. A vessel with 1.8 to 1.9 will make it with only a few groundings during a wet season. A dry season you will be lucky with 1.8m.
What do you need on your boat?
Fenders. The most important items in the canals are good strong fenders. At least four round fenders of at least 420mm diameter. The bigger the boat the bigger the fender - over 500mm get too large. Have good lines to secure them and put then at the bow to protect the pulpit rails. Two at the stern to do the same to your aft area. I also have a stern/swim platform fender I use in marinas as a protection from other vessel coming into my stern at a mooring. Then have at least four to six extra fenders along each side with at least two good strong ones in the middle section. These protect you when you come up against the lock sides as the water rushes in. The lines securing them have to be strong. I initially hung then between the stanchions but the force of the rising water against the lock walls pulled the lifelines with such force the stanchions bent inwards. The shortest distance between two points of a circumference of a circle – tight lifeline is a straight line so stanchions bent inwards. The main ones are secured at the stanchions themselves.
As you move through the canal system you move the fenders up and down to match the height of the mooring pontoons. One can also move extra fenders to the mooring side but that is a hassle especially if you change your mind mid way into a lock because some one has secured on your preferred side.
Barge Boards. Great piece of equipment when you need it and that is against a rough or broken quay but we did not use it often. The important thing is to set the lines into the wood so they don’t rub against the rough sides. I use chain but it didn’t work well.
Lines. You cant have too many good lines. Well they will start good but end well worn. The thickness depend on your hands and cleats. I have 18mm nylon lines I used in the marine at home. They have lasted well and go into the selftailing side of my electric Anderson winches. You should have two at least twice the length of your vessel – slightly shorter will do. You use them from the front and aft cleats to a middle bollard then back again to the cleat and up to your winch or hands while standing. Add some for the 5 m fall in the lock and you have the minimum length. I have spliced a loop into the one end so it is easy to attach and more importantly un-attach that end. We also have on either side a line as long as the vessel to secure us an amidships as a spring when we arrive at a wharf. This is the first to be attached. I can then go forward or astern to bring Malua alongside at which time we use the fore and aft breast lines to stop the bow or stern swinging out. The off side spring is brought round to make the other spring secured to the dock. In addition I have a light throwing line for when we ran aground. I can throw this line some distance and attach a thicker line to pull us off. The ability to throw a line some distance does help so practice on your boat before you leave. There is not much room to swing a line especially with lifelines etc.
Charts. Forget the electronic C-map charts. They are expensive and useless. I chose The Guide Fluvial as my series which is better at showing where to tie up. The write up on the towns is good. The other guides don’t work for me. The Imray Inland Waterways of France is now an armchair guide. It covers all the canals in such a haphazard way I can’t follow it plus the amount of info is sparse and dated. Through the French Canals David Jefferson is useless. I have the 11th edition not the latest so it would have to change radically if I would even consider swapping it for a trashy novel. Cruising French Waterways by Hugh Mcknight is in the same class of useless information. The per kilo to information ration is not worth carrying or posting it to your boat. Not worth a swap either.
Other books. If you don’t speak fluent French don’t leave home without French for Cruisers by Kathy Parsons (Kathy@frenchforcruisers.com). This is the best book to communicate with the locals. Not only does it have everyday words but a full and comprehensive list of French words and sayings to fix your boat or restock it with food, parts and everything one may need eg float switch – contacteur a flotteur. Not bad. The other books regard what you want to achieve in France. We wanted to drink some wine and eat some cheese. The Eyewitness Companions: French Cheeses and French Wines by Robert Joseph where a very good start. Here again bring them from home because the French books are cheap but not in English although we purchased these from the wineshop in Notre Dame des Doms at Avignon. A good guide to France helps but they tend to be motorcar centric which makes it hard while on a boat. One for Paris is essential. There is a guide Wine to water which is good but I have only seen a copy owned by another yatties.
Bicycles. Wheels. An essential part of getting about to the local village or town or just riding along the tow path. If you follow the blog you will know how I purchased mine at a flee market. The extra bike I got at a pawn broker but you can purchase good inexpensive bikes at the larger supermarkets for 99 to 130 Euros. An essential item is either a carry basket on the front or a carrier on the rear to hold you goods. A locking chain is essential in towns and alongside at night. The more upright the easier to ride in town. Mountain bikes are OK our small kids bikes do not have the ability to lift the saddle high enough so you ride with bent knees which is not easy over a long distance.
Electrical cables. Go out and purchase 30 -40 meter 240 volt extension cable if you don’t own at least that length. There are many, many places that the electricity is there but too far to get to. Not at the paying places but the many others you will visit.
Water Hose. At least 30 meter. Here again the water is there you only have to get it. People will let you connect to their hose but not to their electricity even if you have the connection fittings. The yellow French hose is the greatest. It lasts and doesn’t kink.
Diesel Containers. I don’t usually like carting fuel from the service station down the road. The 10 to 20 cents savings is just not worth the effort but to those that do it is a saving and you can get it more frequently than getting fuel on the water. We travelled from Lyon all the way up the Saone and canal Champagne du Bourgogne and back to Lyon with the fuel on board. Good planning saves your back and arms. I pulled my arm in Greece so am now careful about the weight.
Camping Gaz. The only kind to use in France. Forget exchanging your Greek bottles in France, we tried it twice and where rejected. Give them away. Replace the bottles at the first Carrefour. Not too expensive. Get your empty ones filled at the larger supermarkets. Find the service desk, hand in your empty bottle for a slip and the take a full bottle off the shelf and pay for it at check out. See that they have the bottles before handing in your empty. It cost any thing from 12 to 29 euro to refill a large bottle. Refilling your Oz or American bottle at a gas refill place is not worth the trouble from all accounts. If you are that serious go to a place, put a deposit on a bottle and take a full one, change your regulator to fit the local bottle and you have gas if it will fit in the space available. I will decant the gas from French bottle into my stainless steel tanks when leaving France.
Folding Propeller. Leave it at home in the canals. If you have a fixed prop on board fit it when you enter the canals. You don’t need a folding one and the chances of it getting damaged is greatly increased in the canals either from floating trees, weed and rubbish or even tree roots when you are alongside the bank. Diving on a prop in the canals is not a great experience.
Anti Fouling. I haven’t seen the underside of Malua but it looks as if nothing is growing on it. What there is soon dies when you go into the salt water again. Obviously ablative antifouling will get washed off but I will have to see how quickly. Watch for an update.
Water filters. Some people say check your filter every day for debris. I did not but there again I have a guard at the inlet, a very good strainer and quite a high rise to suck up. A friend got some plastic caught at the valve which caused some difficulty but the other two yachts came through without any trouble.
Chairs. Have a place to sit at your wheel because in the canals you will be steering all the time. The narrower the canal the more adjustment. I use the auto helm but even then it is adjustment all the time so sit and access the controls or else you will be standing for up to eight hours. Having two or more folding easy chairs to put on the bank at drinks time gets one off the boat and is a good spot to gather people around either other yachts or just passing people. A folding table to serve dinner or lunch increases the pleasure. Not often but memorable.
Communications. Very similar to sailing in the Med but you wont have a backstay to get SSB email. Free internet access is few and far between except at McDonalds but there again they are usually out of town. I have chosen a USB dongle phone access. (3G, Edge or slower) I have an unlocked USB module and purchase a sim in the country I am travelling in to access the phone network and the internet. Italy is good value while France is a rip-off but I just skip a bottle of wine for lunch every second week to pay for the pleasure of collecting my email every morning. Surfing the net is a rare option. The same can be said for a Pay-as-you-go sim card for the phone network. Talk is cheap but data is about 2 euro a minute which is just over the top. If you leave roaming on you have to have a pipe with money flowing in it to keep up with the charges so just forget having a smart phone online all the time. I use Orange because it works for me others use SFC and purchased their USB and internet access at the same time. They tell me a years contract is cheaper especially if you get TV and a decode box but TV is not my scene.
Emergency Radio Antenna. If you participate in the Med net cruisers network or one of the others it is great to put up your antenna and listen to where your friends are. Remember you don’t have a back stay to transmit your SSB radio signal so an alternative is required. We could hear people in Turkey from north of Dijon so don’t think you are out in the cold just because your inland. Most days the static from industrial sites is not good but other days reception is good.
Shopping, Bags and Trolleys. Shopping is easy not only for the essentials but all that extra goods you always wanted to purchase. Carrefour, Intermarche and large Casino are great in that order. Remember to take your own carry bags because French store don’t provide plastic bags. Stock up on garbage bags because you will run out with none coming in. Shopping trolleys require a one euro deposit to release them from the others so keep a coin handy. Credit cards are always acceptable even with a signature and no pin.
Markets. These are the highlight of the summer experience. Here you will get most fresh goods but also cloths and other things. You interact with the locals and see the locals interacting. Take a bag or a bag on wheels. If you don’t have one then 10 to 15 will get you one like the locals. Be prepared to find your way through the French meat. They don’t cut it according to British standards so you won’t recognise the cuts. It can be daunting at a butcher so we tended to shop for meat at supermarkets. It is always good. The pork and veal, exceptional, quite different from back home!
Cheese. Deserves a section on its own. It is so cheap you tend to purchase too much so get yourself a cheese board with a cover so you can leave the cheese out to mature the way the French do.
Flies. In the canals especially around Bourgogne where there are many Charolaise cattle there are many flies. You struggle to get rid of them or keep them out. Nets are OK but they keep the breeze out. A fly swat helps. There are no mosquitoes after leaving the low lying areas round the mouth of the Rhone so sleeping is fine with the portlights open.
Last Point. Start with the right boat! Our Adams designed yacht with 2 m draft was just not right however we did have a great summer and achieved our goal of understanding the French and the French way of life – we also sampled a vast range of great wines and eat cheeses that you only get in rural France. It was a great experience.

Of confluences

2011-09-08T22:45:00.004+10:00

The following has been written by our guest on Malua. Mark & Sue. Lyon is a city nestled at the confluence of the Rhone and Saone rivers in the Rhone-Alpes department. It is a small and lovely city of warm pastel hues, old churches, a rich silk industry heritage, its buildings climbing from the river up the surrounding hills. Lyon is known for many things, particularly for food. In this wonderful country with its food obsession, Lyon is the epicentre.

We are on a boat with Harry and Denny. Our presence in Lyon emanates from one of many intersections with these dear friends, going back to our original meeting at UNE (University of New England) circa 1972.

Harry and Denny converged on Armidale from South Africa, Suzie and Mark from Apollo Bay and Sydney respectively. There began a friendship that has endured 40 odd years. By way of South Africa, Sydney as an emigration destination for H and D, and our respective journeys with jobs, kids and other life events in different places and over time, we have remained closely connected. Recent convergences at Malua, after which our host boat is named, were the catalyst for us getting together

All of this history found a new stage when we met H and D at Lyon Part Dieu station at the end of a long day’s commute from London via Paris.

Our path then takes us to Restaurant Georges, a Lyon institution. Despite its vastness, Georges is an almost perfect embodiment of the great tradition of the French brasserie, Waiters in white, service at its best, boudin noir jostling with lamb and duck as our mains arrive. Only the surprise inclusion of snails in a fish dish creates any discomfort. Georges’ own label beer, Sancerre and Crozes Hermitage complete the experience.

The Saturday riverside market in Lyon provides a wonderful array of cheeses, many from the local district, meats, fresh and cured, fish and crustacea, fruit and vegetables, fois gras, wines and other delicacies. At that point of the weekend it seemed likely to be the pivotal experience of our visit.

Pivotal in that experience was the search for the famed Bresse chicken. Unrivalled elsewhere. Harry was on a mission and after several false starts, found THE BRESSE PLACE. The bouchier offered a range for selection, Harry chose the perfect chook, and was then asked whether he wanted the head on or off. Off was the decision. The chicken was then prepared for sale, head off, organs removed and cleansed than returned with the chick for wrapping and sale. All for 34 Euro. That’s a lot of money for a chook. The reason for this investment was to marry the chicken with preserved truffles purchased in Macon. Days later this marriage took place but that’s another story.

This was enriched by a visit to the Parc de Tete d’Or near the Museum of Contemporary Art, a very tranquil park containing the Lyon zoo.

Though the Saturday market experience reduced one of our members to tears however, it paled against our visit to the Paul Bocuse Les Halles markets on Sunday morning. This market is different from the riverside one by virtue of its quality and diversity and particularly due to the eating experiences available in the market. Fois Gras restaurants, local people eating freshly shucked oysters with a small glass of pastis or wine, a large pan of paella being cooked for takeaway, with large side pans producing some of the components including grenouilles (frogs legs) and prawns. All in all, a wonderful, evocative sensory experience!

And helped by the insight provided by our friends, we observed first and second hand the French approach to customer service – their focus is only on the person being served, not allowing distractions for others in the queue (who will find their time in focus) nor anything else. All this is very different from our Australian experience.
So as rivers and friends find their confluence, here is a poem to celebrate the experience . . .

Confluence Lyon
A fusion of perspex, steel and timber. Colours and textures.
A coming together of truffles, rosemary and thyme.
Poulet Bresse and butter. Juxtaposition of modern and mediaeval.
Glass reflecting and intriguing.
Desperate consumers, shoppers teeming – later, sheltering, teeming rain.
Tranquil gardens, cycling, jogging in train en famille.
Back on board, sharing the market spoils. Making memories.
Swans sail by in pairs. Partners forever.

Beaune Wine center of France

2011-08-23T15:43:00.002+10:00

Beaune - the unofficial capital of Burgundy is reputed to be the greatest wine town in the world. Arriving by train from Chalon sur Saone one walks past the storage cellars of the vineyards and the companies that support the industry, stainless steel works, pipes and barrels but when you are in the centre of the old town that is when you relise that this town sells wine. There cellars or Caves as they are known here one after the next all offering a wide selection of the local wines. Try as we may to find one that was referenced in our comprehensive wine book we could not. They were either bottled by someone else, not the right appellation or just the wrong year.

We should have stood back and found Bouchard Pere et Fils cave and purchased a few from him. In the end we wondered into a merchant who is a consolidator called Patriarche who took over the Convent of the Sisters of the Visitation and turned it into a wine cellar. Entry is 10 euro each and you wonder through their 5 km of vaulted cellars filled with bottled wine. They are stacked one on top of the other as far as the eye can see. From the notice board in each section they were not that old although one section behind a double steel grill was in the early 1930 and 1950.

At the end of your walk there are around 20 bottles of wine each on its own barrel for you to taste starting with three rather good whites: Rully, Auxey-Duress and Meurault. We the went on to taste a range of Bourgogne Rouges which were rather fat and ordinary. The wine guide tried to tell us about their fruity character, softness, aromas of wild fruit and flowers etc etc but frankly rather flat. In the end we purchased Rully red which did not even had a winemaker name on the label. It was a good marketing experience which did not work on either Denny or I.

What did work was the Hotel Dieu or Hospices de Beaune. This use to be a hospital right up to 1970's. Today it is just a tourist attraction but on the third Sunday in November all the great wine connoisseurs and merchants gather in the great hall for the annual charity wine auction started in 1895. The auction is the centrepiece of a week of serious tasting, partying and in my opinion hot air but visitors come from all over the world to bid at the auction. In the old days the wine was made by the individual vineyards and sold at the auction in casks/cuves. The purchaser bottled the wine and the sold it on. Today more than 250,000 bottles are sold each year. The wine comes from either the Hospices own vineyards inherited down the ages or from wine donated by the local vineyards. The auction has an interesting method to force the next bid. When a bid is received a small candle is lit by the autioneers assistant. The next bid has to be received before the candle is burnt to the end and goes out. Great names are created here and people as in all auctions pay far more for the bottles than they are really worth but there again that is part of the mystic of French wine.

Rain and River Levels

2011-08-23T15:42:00.003+10:00

This spring has been the driest in living memory here in the French country side. It got so bad during June that the VNF authorities closed the Lateral Canal to vessels drawing more than 1.6 meters. It was a great blow to Sundancer II who where just about to enter the canal when they were turned back. We heard of this restriction and passed it on to a few other yachts heading to Paris. They heeded the advice and rerouted through the Canal de la Marne or Champagne et Bourgogne. Because of our draft we had no option but to take this latter canal. It has a published depth of 2.2m but during the summer people say one can only take a vessel with a depth of less than 1.8 through this canal Our friends Forever and Isis draw more than that and they got all the way to Paris so our setback at Langre was not entirely dependent upon the depth of the canal but in the height of the water between the locks. Sounds strange well as a lock opens the water flows down hill drains the water, a lockfull at a time from the upside of the lock. Now the more opening and closing of the locks the more water flowing down hill. You may well ask where does the water come from at the top of the mountain. In the case of our locks there are three large reservoirs supplying water to the canal system. The authorities have to monitor the flow and the levels all the time. We just struck it on an unluckily period when we where in Langre in that the pond was empty because so many vessels had passed through the system. But it happened to us again with far greater consequences.

On our way back to the mouth of the Rhone while in the Saone we stopped at St Jean de Losne and tried to tie up against the stepped mooring place. We could not get close enough to come alongside so we put our nose in and ran aground with about 1.5 meters from the bank. No problems we put the ladder down and stepped shore. This is a free mooring place so we decided to spend a few days relaxing and walking to the marine up the Canal de Bologogne. This is a major stopping place for charter boats and for the sale of barges plus the repair of others. We walked around a got a feel for the price of old barges suitable to travel up and down the shallow canals.

After three days we decided to leave after breakfast but to my horror during the night the water level had dropped more than 200 mm. We here high and dry. Malua would not move on here keel and the water was at least 50mm below the normal water line boot top. I pulled on the mooring line but Malua would not budge. We had breakfast and contemplated the situation only to realize that the water was rising around us. Someone in the VNF had gone to sleep on the job during Saturday night and forgotten to turn the tap on to let water into this section of the river. On waking on Sunday morning he must have realised his mistake because the water was rising before my very eyes. Now we all know that a kettle takes longer to boil if you watch it and the tide doesn't rise as high if you watch its, the same can be said for the water level in a canal pond, so we took our bikes of the foredeck and went for a ride up the very shallow and narrow Canal du Rhone au Rhine.

It was a lovely experience cycling along the canal knowing we would not have the challenge of the locks.

When we returned to Malua she had risen from the mud and was now afloat in a few centimetres of water. Not wanting to challenge the gods again we moved away from the bank and came up alongside an Australian barge Matilda who let us moor up against then with .400mm under the keel. That night I rocked and rolled to sleep to the gentle movement of the water in the Saone. What a great feeling.

No Rain, Now Rain

2011-08-23T15:41:00.005+10:00

People blame climate change on the extremes in our weather but for me I find it difficult to explain how one moment there is a drought in rural France and the authorities are turning boats back along the Canal du Central yet we in the Canal entre Champagne et Bourgogne the rain appears every day and the canal is full of water. I do know that the canals of France are highly dependent upon the rain in the areas that feed them while the rivers we have traveled on are dependent not only on the rain but on the amount of snow that falls during the preceding winter.

To alleviate this dependency the designers of the canals during the last century developed some large dams to supplement the water supply. Four artificial lakes provide water for the Canal entre Champagne et Bourgogne. The most important is the reservoir of the Liez which can be seen from the walls surrounding the town of Langres. It is the largest artificial lake in France and was built in 1880 with a barrage 450 m long made of sand and earth with a protective covering of stone.

The reservoir of Saint Ciergues in the valley of Mouche, feed the canal in the area of the Marne while the reservoir at Charmes is slightly larger.

We passed the 1,200 metre dam wall at Villegusien when we stopped near Piepape. The total capacity of these four reservoirs is 43 000 000 m3 which was just not sufficient to get Malua over the sandbank at Langres. The rain that day just added to the disappointment. Our return on the rivers Saome and Rhome will not be dependent upon the rain or the flow of water in these rivers but in my skill at following the course of the channel within the river. I only hope the sun shines for now we need fine days to explore the land and enjoy riding to the vinyards along the route. For Malua and Sundancer II the driest summer in living memeory will always be in our thoughts when we talk about the depth under the keel over a glass of French wine.

Dijon, Kalamata, Seville

2011-08-23T15:41:00.003+10:00

When I first purchased Kalamata olives I had no idea that they came from the Greek town on the first finger of the Peloponnese. Now as I slip one into my mouth I remember the great time we had at the market in the town purchasing olives from a number of vendors each with their own interpretation on how the real Kalamata olive should taste.

Last week while travelling south down the Saone river we stopped at Auxonne to take the train for a few days to Dijon. Why they make mustard at Dijon I still don't know but I can tell you it has a vastly different taste as it comes out the tap at the shop where they have made it since 1747 than that purchased in a jar. The maker is Moutarde Maille who now exports their products around the world even to Australia. When I next dip into a pot of Dijon mustard to put on my roast beef or ham I will remember the two days we spent admiring the old building and architecture of the city.

We took a tour with a guide to visit the outstanding buildings of the old city. It was fascinating to admire the different styles and them walk through the door into the inner court yard and the real building. They are all well preserved either by the current owners or by the city. The main church of Notre Dame is an impressive building. Unfortunately during the revolution a single revolutionary decided the carved figures on the front of the triple doorway reflected badly against the spirit of the cause and took it upon himself to chop each image off the façade and destroy the front of the building. Day after day he took his hammer and destroyed the stone carvings. Nobody stopped him and in the end they had all disappeared. Today the façade is just a mess but a good talking point for the guides. The triple line of gargoils where spared. Each has a different face - some human while other are animal like. Impressive if viewed from just under their spouts.

On the outside of the church there is a simple carving of an owl which is supposed to be lucky. It you touch it with your left hand - the closest to your heart, your wish will be granted. It, like the other figures, has been damaged but by a modern hoodlum only a few years ago.

Unfortunately the very good museum of art was closed on the two days we where there so I did not see the tomb of Philip the Bold or John the Fearless. Why cant USA or Australian generals have similar names? Petreus the flattened.

What of Seville? We visited the area in the '70 when we where traveling through Europe in a Combi, so every morning when I eat my toast and Seville orange marmalade I remember the oranges we picked from the trees all those years ago. What town next?

Champagne Canal and Balesmes Tunnel

2011-08-06T05:29:00.007+10:00

The canal was conceived in 1845 and opened as the “Canal de la Haute Marne”. It starts, in our case, on the Saone near Pontailler sur Saone and rises up through 43 locks to the summit with the long tunnel Balesmes, then falls from Langres via 71 locks to Vitry le Francois which is only a stones throw from Paris.

Some say it is boring because of the many straight sections while others enjoy the rural life surrounding the canal. For us on Malua the depth was always a problem. The official chart and recent advice advises that the depth is 2.2 meters however some guide books take the standard depth of 1.8. Being a glass half full type of person I thought I could even squeeze another few centimetres from the glass. Not so!

Four large reservoirs near Langres summit, la Liez, la Mouche, Charmes and la Vingeanne ensure an excellent supply of water into the system however this year a Dutch barge got stuck in lock 21 of the Vosges canal and put that out of action for more than a month. The impact of this is that the many Dutch vessels using that canal to get home have been diverted into our canal Champagne. Now that normally doesn’t matter that much but the extra traffic through the locks means extra water flows down the canal and the authorities have to add water at the top of the system. Our problem was we were right in the middle of the Dutch pack and the water had not been adequately adjusted. It would rise and fall 200mm within an hour, so our 100mm under the keel became minus 100. Ok if it is mud but not good if you hit a sandbank.

The operation of the locks is all mechanised and generally automatically controlled by control unit you receive at lock 43, the start northwards at Maxilly. A clever device which you press as you approach the lock either “Avalant” or “Montant” – down or up stream. There is an additional button “bassinne” you press when you are secure within the lock to close the gates and adjust the water level. Some locks are controlled by a radar unit set about 100m back from the lock. As you pass the unit the indicator board next to the lock gate switches on the green light next to the red. The lock then adjusts the height of the water to let you enter. When the water level is right the gates swing open and the red light goes out. The remaining green indicates that you are permitted to enter. You do this with some care for in our case the lock may be long but it is not wide, only 600mm on either side of Malua. The water level is almost at the top of the lock wall so your fenders tend to ride up over the wall. After a while one gets very good at taking the centre line and stopping the boat next to a bollard, always on the side of the activation rod. These blue and red rods control the water level. One lifts the blue, never the red which shuts down the system, and the water level either flows in or out. The former can be quite sudden but nothing like the Rhone river locks while the outflow is more sedate. In the end we did not tie up on the way down as the boat did not move at all. One can also use the handheld control unit to start the process.
We only had one lock which did not work but I feel that the boat in front of us pushed the wrong button so after a while I started to push all the buttons and the system reset itself and we entered without human intervention. We did have a bit of a scare when a German fellow in a canoe joined us in the lock. As the gates opened he paddled out first and the gates started to close on our bow. A quick shift to astern and a press on the button saw the gates reopen and we exited vowing to run that silly red piece of plastic down. Unfortunately he followed us for three days on and off.

Towards the summit the locks come thick and fast 8 in four kilometres and they have a high rise of more than 5.2 meters each. This means that you have to secure to a bollard set in the wall then as you rise up the side resecure your lines to the bollard above. Some locks have three sets while most have just two.
Generally the locks have a rise of 3.5 meters and no bollards in the wall so when you enter you have to either climb up the ladder set in the wall to loop your lines round the bollard or use a long boat hook to get a line around a bollard set back from the wall. Our guests were a great help to loop the lines and became quite proficient at the task. Ten out of ten score on most locks! Line with a twist minus 2 points.

Meeting traffic coming the opposite way can, if it occurs on a bend, be a very scary event. On one occasion we came round a bend to be confronted by a large heavily laden peniche/barge with the skipper with his back to us talking on his mobile phone. On hearing my scream he turned and ran back to the wheel house snatching the wheel from his wife who had lost control. I turned Malua into the bank, ran aground and just waited for the crunch. Fortunately the bow wave pushed the stern around, I gunned the engine and we slid past the 30 meters of steel to pop out behind the vessel without a scratch. The skipper then bust from the wheel house screaming in French as I waved him goodbye. That was an exception because most skippers slow almost to a stop when they see another seriously wide vessel and you both pull over to starboard as you gently move past with a wave and a Bonjour.

The Balesmes Tunnel is an experience to take a yacht through. It is five kilometres long, 8 meters wide with a vertical wall on one side and a 1.8 meter wide tow path along the other wall. It is 3.2 deep and almost 6 meters from water to roof. The speed limit is 4 km/h and I must say with Malua being 4 meters wide it only leaves 1 meter on either side. Not a lot if you loose concentration. As you enter you can see the line of lights along the port wall and far in the distance a small speck of sunlight – the end of the tunnel. Being skipper you concentrate on the speck and judge the distance on either side out of the corner of your eye. A torch on the wall does help. If you do hit I suspect you would bounce off the walls until you got control back, loosing your stanchions on the one side and your topsides on the other. After more than an hour I was relieved to see the sunlight directly overhead. We were then out into the tree lines canal and the agricultural farm lands of rural France. All in all the canal is a great experience in canal travel, however the small towns along the route don’t offer much. In most cases not even a bread shop so you don’t do much shopping. The rural life is what it is good for and we enjoyed the scenery as the farmers went about their daily life. A word of advice don’t take a yacht with 2.0 meters of draft into that canal even if the water is overflowing the banks unless you have nerves of steel.

Rural France

2011-08-06T05:29:00.006+10:00

French Canal

They say that the French farmer is the most subsidised man on the land. From our perspective here on the plains of the Saone they work quite hard during the sunny days of summer. As far as the eye can see, which is not far by Australian standards, the land has been cultivated. Currently at the end of summer the farmers are harvesting the wheat. The combines are moving up and down the fields cutting the crop. The next day the chaff is pilled into rows and the bailers come down and make nice neat bails of hay or alternatively large rolls of silage for the winter.

As we have had such heavy unexpected rain the routine has had to be interrupted because they can’t harvest wet wheat neither can they make hay unless the sun shines. At our last stop we where in the middle of fields at different stages of the cycle and it was interesting to watch how the system worked. The older machines required more steps while the modern contraptions produce a roll of hay every few minutes.

In the background of all this activity the sunflowers turn the heads as the sun passes from east to west. (Trivia question: does the sunflower flower face the sun or turn away from the sun as it moves from dawn to dusk?)

Dotted amongst the fields are the paddocks of Charolaise cows and bulls slowly chewing the cud either to make the cheeses we eat or to produce the delicious veal we purchased at the butcher. But the signs of autumn are in the trees with some turning yellow. The farmers are gathering the wood into piles and taking them into the sheds close to the farmhouses ready for winter.
Watching this scene unfold from the deck of Malua was incomprehensible when we launched her those years ago in Sydney. The question to now ask is what will we see from her decks next year?

Return to Base

2011-08-06T05:28:00.003+10:00

Many great expeditions have had to turn back before reaching their stated goal because of lack of water. For Malua’s 2011 trip up the French canals to Paris that decision was made when the water ran out at Langres in the middle of the French country side. We had reached the Champagne district, the locks where all “avalant” or downhill and we could almost taste the salt of the sea but the water under the keel was just not enough.

We left the mooring at Langres soon after the sun came up and headed down river for the first time. We had not gone more than 50 meters when Malua came to a sudden and abrupt halt. No amount of power would move the vessel, not ahead or astern. We were hard aground. Luckily we were still in reach of the mooring quay and I was able to throw a line to our departing guests to secure it to a large boulder. With the help of the Anderson electric winch and the grunt from the 50 hp Yanmar engine Malua slowly came off the sandbank in the middle of the canal.

Two further attempts close to the left and then the right bank gave the same result – 2.0 m draft will not go over a sandbank estimated to be 1.8 below the surface. There was no immediate alternative, the result of removing weight from the boat has little effect on her draft and the thud when we went aground clearly indicated that the bottom was hard and not about to give. The water level in the canals was almost full so the dry summer that stymied Sundancer II passage to Paris was not the immediate cause. The extra weight of the wine, cheese and champagne acquired on route could have played a part but the fact that the canal is rated by the VNF as 2.2 deep doesn’t mean that it is always that depth. Some guide books rate it at 1.8m!
We have travelled many kilometres in the “ Canal entre Champagne et Bourgogne” with only 100mm under the keel and in places the depth sounder indicating 0.0 as we steamed along at 7 km/h parting the mud knowing that if you stop you may not restart and if the mud turns to sandbank your expedition is over. It takes nerves of steel to keep that up day after day.
When the thud finally came we realized that we were not going to reach Paris in Malua this year. We set our compass for the Mediterranean appreciating that a boat built for the Southern Oceans is not meant to travel through rural France – c’est la vie.

“Vive le 14 Juillet” – Bastille Day

2011-07-18T19:41:00.001+10:00

While we did not break open the Bastille and set the prisoners free we did crack open a few bottles of Burgundy wines because we had been released from the Cote du Rhone wine area and moved into Burgundy. We just happened to be in Macon on the Saone when the day arrived and Malua was on a mooring overlooking the fireworks area for the celebrations of Bastille day. Unfortunately it rained all day but cleared at sunset so the crowds could gather round and see the marching, military vehicles, speeches and of course the fireworks. The local louts had been practicing all day with crackers and rockets right along the quay so we were immune to the bang bang of a few loose crackers.
The real show was great taking place right in front of our bow. I like the smell of cordite in the air and we sure had that. Fortunately none unexploded items fell on the canvas work of Malua although I had a bucket of water ready.

The move from the Rhone to the Saone is different, the flow less and the banks are more wooded but the main difference is the depth. We now only have 1 to 2 meters below the keel and the banks are much shallower. We pulled alongside a mooring and ran aground 3 meters from the pontoon.

The wine has also changed from Rhone to Burgundy. We have in fact been drinking Beaujolais wine since Lyon but rode through the change to Bourgogne however when we reached Macon it was on to the local Macon and its 42 named villages. The major wine is white with as they say rather unmemorable reds. We purchased a couple of bottles of white Chardonnay from the Chardonnay village. A great drop, quite unlike the bland wines of that name in Australia.

One of the most memorable rides was through the vineyards in the hills adjoining the river and to pickup a few bottle along the way. However the French don’t seem to want to sell their produce from the cellar door. It is more like a side door of a rather ordinary farm house. Being about lunch time every door was closed. Try as we may to find an inviting place to purchase the local; drop they were all closed. At one vineyard we saw the fellow standing in front of a door having a smoke but by the time I locked the bikes to a pole and turned to enter the shop, the door was closed only to reopen at 3:00 that afternoon. No wine for us that afternoon but back at Macon where on a side street was a great wine shop with a proprietor who has a brother in Melbourne so we were able to discuss the nuances of the Chardonnay grape in Oz and locally. We purchased a fair quantity of the local drop and was able to walk to Malua’s cellar. Thankfully it has rained the last few days so the river will have some extra depth to accommodate the weight.

Belleville McDonalds – food for thought

2011-07-07T17:08:00.005+10:00

I have been in search of the authentic French meal ever since I was so bitterly disappointed in Lyon. Yesterday while out on a walk I stumbled upon it under the golden arches of a roadside McDonalds – a McWrap and chips – French fries to be exact. Now here is the quintessential meal……. The real reason I was in a Maccas store was to update my Smartphone using the free wifi service. Data cost on phones if you don’t have a 24 month contract are exorbitant here in France, like €2 a minute which can use up all your credit if you are a slow typer like me. So off to the local eatery for a coffee and an update on data - very helpful.
Travelling through Europe and especially the coast of the Mediterranean has been a challenge to connect to the web. There are many cruisers who pride themselves at finding a “free” wifi signal. They pass the information on, record it in their blogs and perpetuate the theft of some unsuspecting person’s bandwidth. No they don’t see it that way but to me it is exactly that, be it a home or a business. Their counter argument is that person should be more tech savvy and encrypt the signal so it cant be used by others. Fine some bars and cafes provide a free signal but they at least expect one to purchase the cost of a beer. I remember a ozzie group anchoring opposite a bar to which one member was sent to obtain the entry code for access. For days after they used the bandwidth without the purchase of a single item – not on mate.
I liked Venice which provided free wifi access to whole districts. Most marinas now provide wifi for their patrons. At Port Napoleon the locals park their cars outside the fence and access the free network, so it is not only the cruisers onto this scam. Where will it all go? France tries to justify the cost but the networks are owned by the Government. In Australia we are installing the largest infrastructure project in the country’s history by laying a data network of optic fibre to the house. Great we will have super fast data transfer directly connected to the PC but what of our wireless Smartphone. That will still use wireless (wifi) and the slow speed associated with it. Walk outside away from your node and you are limited. I think the authorities have got it wrong. People want wireless access wherever they go from a device held in one hand (ie not an ipad) at a cost that’s reasonable. Fine pay but not the prices now being charged. The infrastructure and spectrum is there just go for the Maccas food approach – low cost, high volume and quality you can depend on no matter what store you enter – even in France.

Markets come to Malua at Neuville

2011-07-04T17:01:00.001+10:00

One of the many delights of being in Europe is the local open air markets. The range of produce one can purchase is vast, it is always fresh, the prices low and the purchase experience enjoyable. I have tried by Turkish, Greek, Italian and now French on the locals and they always seem to understand what I want to buy. It is surprising how many speak English particularly the Arabs. They think we are British but we set that right immediately and they point out how far we are from home! Our temporary home, Malua is usually just down the road.

While in Paris we chose a market day in a particular district then spent the day in that area seeing the sights after first purchasing our lunch from the selection of vendors. Bread, cheese, olives and some fruit. Lyon was no different except we did target the food market on quai St Antoine. Set under the plane trees on the banks of the Saone it is supposed to represent the best food and fruit of Lyon. Now I’m not trying to make up for the previous eating experience but I was giving the city a chance to redeem itself. Here we stocked up on fresh fruit, veg and some veal chops. We did not make it back to the tram within our allotted hour so had to use a second ticket. Lesson learnt from previous day but no ticket inspectors this time.
The next day we left Lyon marina at the southern tip of the Pesquille and started our journey up the Saone. The trip through Lyon city is delightful experience for you see all the building in their true setting along the banks and on the hills and can see the wide expanse of a streetscape. Out of town the banks are wooded with trees and grass with little industrial development. The water level is much shallower than the Rhone. It is only 2.0 m under the keel with some spots deeper so I have had to change my mind set to start to worry if we are going aground when the depth finder registers less than 1.5 meters.

We chose Neuville sur Saone for the nights stop along side a wall right in the heart of town adjacent to the car park which started to empty as we arrived. By sun set it was clear and we had the quay to ourselves. A quick walk through the town and back to Malua for Veal al la Denny with tiny potatoes, mushrooms, peas and tomatoes accompanied by some Merdoc wine. I can recommend this restaurant – location unknown.

The following morning I woke to some different sounds, not the normal cars and traffic but the sound of people close by. I put my head out of the companionway and I was in the middle of the local market. It had come to Malua. I sat in the cockpit with my early morning cup of tea and watched the market develop around me on the once vacant quay car park. I soon realised these venders had done it before and were experience in setting up their wares and moving their goods in and out of the allotted space. There was defiantly a joyful air of market day with a good banter between the people. The surprising element is the trailers and vans that the vendors use to transport the goods and sell their wares. Most are purpose built for the type of goods they are selling. The butcher has an air conditioned glass covered display area while the fishmonger displays his catch on ice draining into a special container. The cheese and sausage merchant a wooden board so one can taste the goods. The sides lift up into a roof and there the goods are ready to sell, just connect to the electricity point and you are in business. At the end of the day some things are packed away, the roof folded down, connect to the van and off you drive to the next venue. By 13:00 everybody has moved along and the cleaning team moves in to return the quay to the cars and Malua moves up the Saone to another market, maybe not so close but the same experience.

Lyon – we walked our legs off

2011-07-02T16:41:00.003+10:00

For those not familiar with the Afrikaans idiom- we set off and walked and walked and walked a long way in exploring the city of Lyon. After the initial expedition on day one up the hill to Basilique Notre Dame de Fourviere then walked down through the rose garden into the old city and along the banks of the Soame back to the boat located at the southern tip of the Pesquile. A short afternoon, evening stroll to orientate ourselves. We also established that there was an audio guide for hire from the tourist office at the Bellecour square.

Day two with audio guide at ear we took the metro to the Hotel de Ville – the Town Hall to get the background of the new Lyon National Opera house built inside and on top of the original walls. The roof is a black barrel vault of steel and glass which hovers over the Neo-Classical shell with its statues and columns. One wonders why Sydney Opera house is acclaimed as great?

From there back onto the metro for the ride up the hill in to the area of the silk workers of the past, the Croix Rousse or working hill. (Fourviere is the praying hill with all its churches). This area was the main silk producing district of Lyon which gave birth to the canuts apartments (not dissimilar to Venice) where the work was conducted on the ground floor with its long, large windows for light and high ceilings, the next floor for trade and the top levels for living. This area is regarded as the site of the first social revolt of the workers against the silk merchants. The local still view themselves as rebels and different which it is apparent in the architecture and streetscape.
From the top of the hill we walked down the main Boulevard to the site of Croux Rousse which was in the C16 a large limestone cross but today it is marked by the Gros Caillou – big pebble which now looks like a stone too large for a frontend loader to move so the city fathers turned it into a tourist feature! It’s a long walk for a look at a rock but the view east over the city is rewarding and one realizes just how extensive Lyon is and how it has been built in waves extending outwards from the river and not in circles like other cities.
From here we took a Traboules - they are corridors that connect the internal courtyards of the adjoining buildings and apartments but also link the parallel streets. A short cut to get to work quickly if you know the route. The one we followed was through four courtyards and down many steps before we can out at the Amphitheatre of the Three Gauls said to be the largest in Gaul but not used then or today to martyr Christians or to host concerts.
We were back at river level and walked down the Rue de la Martiniere to a mural of the famous people of Lyon painted on the side of a five story building. Next we crossed the bridge back into the Old Lyon - the narrow strip of land between the Fourviere hill and the bank of the Soame. The largest Renaissance area in France so the tourist guide states. Bounded by the three churches St Paul, St George and St Jean which we had visited the previous day and would return to hear a choir on Wednesday. Inside we watched the astronomical clock of the 14C go through its routine right on the hour.

Back along the rue de Beouf for a snack – just kidding. We entered a Traboules at 27 to come out in Rue St Jean. The door is closed so all you have to do is ring the bell and the door will open and you will enter the world of the past with narrow corridors, steep steps and narrow internal courtyards, with people living in all the apartments. Not the place to have an argument.
It was almost six o clock and we had to return the audio guide to Bellecour square which we did and took the Metro at 17:37 back across the Soame to connect with the venicular to the top of Fourviere to see the two excavated Roman theatres. No people just modern lighting, speaker systems, scaffolding and a large stage. It may have been great in its day but today it just looks like a construction site. The heat was getting to Denny so we stopped on the steps for a rest. The minutes ticked by. We set off back to the venicular but just missed the down and had to wait. The next leg across town was a few minutes wait thenout onto the street level for the tram back to Malua.
Lyons transport system is great, it works, is interlinked and simple to use. Don’t ride it without a ticket. We had been checked twice that day. The other thing is that you can ride for one hour on the same ticket. Jump on, jump off. We started our hour at 17:37 taken four legs when we caught the penultimate leg across town to connect with the tram south to the marina. The display board at the tram stop stated the next tram would arrive 18:36 and we would have just one minute to spare. How good is the system and their clocks? The tram arrived at 18:35 I rushed in and punched the ticket and got a green light from the machine to indicate I had a valid ticket. Relax, my legs where killing me. Just two stop to go. Alas at the next stop six ticket inspectors stoped the tram and boarded the two carriages checking every passenger’s ticket with their portable machine. I offer up my ticket, They swipe mine, a bell goes off, swipe again and some comment about un minute but gave it back. Great system, it works because I could not have walked another block for I had walked my legs off in Lyon.

Eating out in Lyon

2011-07-01T02:03:00.003+10:00

It is said that Lyon is the French capital for food and wine and one can not get a poor meal in this town. To those of you that have heard my rant about choosing a restaurant and eating out now is the time to click to another page because you would have heard the end of this story not once but many times before. But for those of you that are new to Harry’s helpful hints to eating out, settle down with a good wine and a few pieces to nibble on – supplied of course from your own cellar or larder and let me begin.
Being a scientific sort of chap I like to gather information, review, research and then make an informed choice on most things I invest money in. Now try to do that in the area of choosing a restaurant is a challenge in itself. You say read a review, yes I reply, great decide to go, phone to reserve a table…..sorry only in three weeks time. Not the way when you are travelling. Well look at the menu displayed outside. If displayed outside deduct 5 points, if in English deduct a further 10 points. If printed on glossy paper, minus 5 and if includes pictures a further 5 points. Now on balance any loss of points would exclude a restaurant in France but having passed these test proceed to the next step.

If large with many people all looking relaxed, skip to next location – they are not locals. I could continue as Denny would say ad norsiam but you must get the idea.

On this occasion I did my research and found in a well respected guide book that Lyon has a Rue du Beouf and on the corner of this rue and that of Place Neuve St Jean is a statue of a bull. That must be a good indicator of the restaurant especially as the restaurant is called Le Comptoir du Boeuf right next door to a famous wine merchant Antic. The menu was displayed but not obtrusively and there was no visible English. We chose a good table and then decided on a E15 and E20 menu of the day from a menu given us which now containing English subtitles! The piece de resistance for me was the thick cut beef steak with French fries. I did choose to start with salmon soaked in dill and wine. After tasting the pink blotting paper (for the younger readers substitute paper towel) I should have realised that something was amiss. The steak arrived and as we do on these momentous occasions I duly recorded in digital format the meal to pass on to future traveller or to savour again and again as we discus the memorable meal while viewing our pictures. The first cut into the juicy tenderloin was a give away. I spilt the wine in the glass as a sawed my way through a small piece with the steak knives provided. I realized that even my preference for underdone meat would be challenged so I requested that chef at least light a match under this piece of meat. It returned no better in taste, cooking or texture. To such an extent that I chose to leave the better part of the meal on the plate.
Denny’s meal – neither of us could remember what it was suppose to be because it was just bland and the potatoes did nothing to improve the meal.

Being a reserved sort of guy I held back on the answer to “Did you enjoy your meal?” and put it down to poor research and laziness because after a few minutes after sitting down I wanted to leave but chose not too. Next time as soon as you see an electronic order taking machine in the hands of a French waiter in an “authentic restaurant” leave immediately and seek out a menu written on a black board or better still eat at home with produce chosen from the local market.

Beethoven in Vienne

2011-06-29T18:29:00.002+10:00

Vienne that is on the Rhone in France not the Vienna on the Danube where you would expect to hear Strauss or Beethoven. No this Vienne is famous for its jazz festival in July. The city intellectuals decided that they needed a concert so the week before the big double basses and trumpets come to town they stage a serious music event however this year the big drums, basses, trumpet arrived early along with the full wind section including the piccolo, oboes and of course violins and veolas. Yes we experienced the full 74 minute of Beethoven 9th symphony. Now why do I know it is 74 minutes because that is the length of the music on the original CD produced by Sony. Mr Norio Ohga from Sony who, like many Japanese, enjoy the 9th symphony after the WW11 decided that if he could not listen to his favourite symphony on the new invention then it was not worth inventing and so we have Beethoven works to thank for the capacity of the CD.
This conductor seemed to enjoy the orchestra and especially the full choir (120 voices) that came in at the last movement. Besides the music it was the setting that made it for us. It was set in the Roman amphitheatre on the side of Mount Pipet above Vienne overlooking the Rhone. In its day it seat more than 13,000 spectators but for this concert there were significantly less.
Malua was tied to a floating mooring on the opposite side of the river to the town with its three main churches but I must say the town did not have a good feel.

The seats are unallocated so one had to arrive early so we left Malua and rode our bikes over the main bridge into the city and walked the last few meters into the amphitheatre and secured a great position right in the middle just above stage height and settled down for the evening as the sun set in the west. The orchestra came in for an opening piece by Tchaikovsky with a solo violin then and break and right into the 9th. The music was so clear one could hear every note. It was a great experience. Note to choir master: take a page out of the WVYC on how to stand in order and how to file in.
From the venue we rode back down the hill to stop off at a Spanish café which was playing Spanish flamenco music. Is this a further indication that we should have visited Spain? Well to counteract this I received an email from Wolfgang the mast transporter who I had given strict instructions not to move the mast to le Havre until it was clear we would make it, that the mast have arrived at its destination of le Havre and I was to pay the money. When I contacted him he realised his mistake and offer support for us getting through the canals but promised he would return it to Port Napoleon if we did not make it. Is that 2 to 1 in favour of not making it?
Tomorrow we are off to Givors for the Sunday market and a quiet afternoon on the Rhone.
I can update you now the market both at Vienne on Saturday and and Givors on Sunday were both great with a good strong Arab influence but the quiet Sunday afternoon was spoilt by ONE jetski and five louts zooming up and down the very piece of waterway we had chosen to moor. They left at sun set but the afternoon was spoilt. One only then realizes how much noise these jetskis made on top of the noise of the highway and the local roads. We will have to get out of town and into the country along the Soame but first there is Lyon the food and wine capital of France…

Riding the Rhone

2011-06-23T15:53:00.003+10:00

Denny

Malua has always had a pair of mountain bikes on her deck since we left Australia. While sailing I store then in the stern sugar scoop. Very convenient for sailing but not great if one wants to dive off the back into the water for a swim. We have lived with this inconvenience here in the Mediterranean for five years but the joy we get when we take them ashore makes up for the time we have to climb out of the water.
When Malua is at anchor we have had to load the bikes into the RIB and ferry them shore, not great if the landing is not good but usually it is at some dock so getting ashore is not a great hassle. You get a smile or two from people on the shore as they see these two bikes dominating the RIB but that soon turn to understand when we ride off down the road.
I have used the bike to just go down to the shop in the morning for the breakfast bread or to go further afield to the larger supermarket but the greatest trips have been the whole day affairs when we set off in one direction to see a particular place and find we land up at a completely different destination having followd a different route.

Apollo Mountain Bike

The drivers of the Mediterranean countries respect cyclist and give you a wide birth, they even let you ride down the middle of a narrow road ahead of them and they will wait. We have even had then stop and wait for us to cross at any point in the town or country. The only near miss was in Manorca when we were riding down a minor side highway when a minibus passed close by. The wind caused me to swerve then just as I was recovering the next one sped by and almost clipped my handlebar. It was so out of the ordinary I noted the type and number of the van. When we arrived at our resting point – some point of interest, there were the two minibuses and rounded around the bus British bird watchers out for the day. They should learn to drive Med style when they come over here.

Rusted Bike

The original mountain bikes after four years of salt water became so rusted the chain would hardly go round the cogs. The spokes were stripes of rust. They were not to be see on the French Riviera or the Cote d’Azure so in Corsica we sent them to the depth.

Current bike shed

Now you know all about these set of wheels we now have so I wont need to describe them but they are defiantly not Apollo mountain bikes. Not that you need them in this area of the Rhone. The authorities have created many flat wide tarred bike paths all along the Rhone. When it is convenient it follows the canal but when not they snake through the fields and towns within the Rhone valley.
The bike paths are well used on the weekend with families including little kids cycling along. The more serious group speed by, heads down trying to cover the kilometres. We on the other hand, amble along at a slow pace enjoying the view. We don’t always take the designated route so the other day we landed up at the end of a field with only a river bed to cross. Undaunted we continued through the bush to pop out in the next field with our destination in sight. Have faith I will find you Stanley.

Yesterday we set out from the Marina at Les Roches de Condrieu. The bikes are now stored on the foredeck where the mast should be. No RIB ride to the shore just pass them over the side onto the dock and ride away. The route in this part of the world led us through a nature sanctuary including bird watching hides and camouflaged resting spots. Our destination is the town of Ampuis and the famous vineyards of syrah and viognier in particular the Maugiron Chateau which has made this type of wine since the C13. The chateau is now the centre of the organisation and doesn’t sell at the cellar door particularly to travelling sailors on bikes.

We had to return to the town of Condrieu to purchase a bottle of their lesser brand of the local.

From the Malua Web site

2011-06-18T17:13:00.000+10:00

Our Route on the Rhone

The Rhone is a well traveled route so there is little variation to the stopping spots. It depends on your pockets how long you stop in a marina and how interesting the free spots are. We tend to get a feel for the place at the end of the day when we tie up then mount an expedition the following day to see the sights to return to Malua that evening for a quiet drink on board before setting off the next day. If the place deserves a few extra days we stay. The PK refer to the kilometer marks shown on the banks of the canals and in the cruising guide.

Port St Louis Lock PK 323

The light goes green about 0620 and you enter the lock and tie up either side to a bollard set above the lock. The water is not going to go up or down so take it easy. The lock man wants to know if you have been through before, if you have a peage Pass from VNF, the name of boat and master and their nationalities. In our case all done in perfect English. We exited with a commercial vessel behind us who soon over took us as we kept close to the starboard bank known as the left bank (as seen from going down river). The trip to Arles is very similar to the one you get while sitting in the bus which is rather dull because the banks have been built up quite a lot above the surrounding county side. Stick to the channel as per the red and green markers and take the bends wide as the silt is deposited on the outside where it flows slowly and the channel is deep as it erodes the inside of the bend. Sounds complicated but once done it comes naturally until your concentration wains and the depth sounder indicates you have 1 meter under the keel.

Arles PK 282

The old timers will tell you there use to be a pontoon but it was washed away in the last great flood. In fact there is only one place to stay and that is the restaurant barge. I have seen it three boats abreast but when we arrived we came alongside and tied to his forward cleat and the railing. Later in the day a yacht with two couples and two babies came and tied up along side us. No worries but I feared I would be kept awake by screaming babies all night. Not a chance these less than one year olds are old hand at this boating story. They each have a bath tub and in the evening after a stroll round the sites of Arles have a bath then adjourn to the restaurant for the evening meal and then retire to sleep like contented babies. If you tie up alongside you can get water and electricity. You are expected to eat at the restaurant which we did and had a very pleasant meal with wine for less than E40 - great value.
Arle is Picasso and Roman ruins land. The famous bridge Picasso painted is some way south of the town not a long bike ride but more than a walk. The Museum south of the town is very good and well worth a few hours looking at the history of the area. It is well presented and show how the Romans lived during that period. Purchase a Picasso book about the area and do the walk indicating the locations of his paintings in the area. A bit of imagination is required but if you have seen the originals the image will remain with you for ever. We didnt, but people say it is worth going to a bull fight.

Avignon PK 241

Avignon is reached after experiencing your first deep lock at PK 265 at Vallabregues. Waiting area is on the port going upstream, then you go in and before you know it you are 12 meters high than when you started. No problem. Off to Avignon which is up a side stream and under three bridges. You pass the famous bridge which doesnt span the river any more and tie up at the "public" wharf on the starboard side. Choose a place close to an electricity point because they are few and far between. We didnt use either the water or the electricity. At the capitanirre which is across the road down stream we paid for a 11m boat E18 per night (23 for 12m). It has showers a washing machine and dryer. The town is the home of the Popes around 1330 when the factional rivalry got too much in Rome they moved here and built a Palace. Well worth two days to wander round the town but you must make it to the market before 1300 to get fresh produce. Restaurants look good but we did not try one. We did make a large purchase at the Palace wine tasting room just before the exit. It is good value to purchase a glass of wine E2-5 while selecting what you are going to buy. We settled for a range of six bottles from E30 to 5 . They are put in a box with a convenient handle for the short walk back to the boat where the wine will settle and mature in the bilge for another day when friends arrive.

l'Ardoise PK 214

At PK219 where you turn up a side stream which has more than enough depth you find a small marina which has place for 30 or so boats. The lady owner is very helpful and runs the restaurant within the marina. We did not eat but a fellow cruiser told us as we where about to leave that he had a very good value meal which was the best they had had in weeks. The town which is a good bike ride away has nothing other than a cross roads, a pub and a store for the bread. There is also an army base on the outskirts but nothing else. Not worth the ride. Back into the canal and onward upstream as you expect to stop at Roguemaute but the moorings are missing.

l'eluse de Bolliene

No book on the Rhone canals would not have a picture of this deep lock which was once the deepest on the planet! In fact it is no different from any other large Rhone lock except the sides are higher and it may fill faster but standing on your yacht you just dont notice.
See my Blog, here, on the subject and the youtube video for the rise in water level, here.

PK 178 Pylons

We decided we wanted some quiet not in a marina so pulled alongside two pylons set about 10m apart. The current is quite fast which helps manouvre the boat alongside. We got an aft spring on the stern pylon which kept us from going astern, then a bow line to keep the bow from swing out into the current then set about putting enough fenders and barge boards to keep us off the black pylons. Both smooth so no damage could be done but not something one would like to scrape against all night. A barge came by just after we had settled down to our evening drink and the boat rocked but it had little effect. Less than a large charter motor cruiser coming into an anchorage just before dinner time!

Viviers

Nice little town with a dock to take vessels. As you enter the larger ones are on the left and the small on the right - the higher numbers. We took 12 right in front of the entrance between the red and green and in front of the 2.0 depth sign. Short pontoon at a different height but lots of securing points. When we where there there was no water only electricity so no charge. A short walk up an avenue of old plain trees you will find the second centre of the town. Good bakery and nice pub - Ginger. We spent a very enjoyable evening listening to a touring Spanish band and wondered if we had made a mistake missing Spain and Portugal in this trip in the Med. We still may make it if the draft beats us. Great bike paths all along the canals and byways, just stay out of the wind if it is blowing in your face as you ride along the canal.

Port de Cruas PK 145

We did not make it past the entrance because we ran aground in soft mud but yachts with much less draft than 2.0m should get in. Friends enjoyed there time in this rural setting.

La Voulte PK 129

Small town with a place to tie up at a single white bollard. The sides of the canal have a slight slope but the water alongside is deep. We floated our finders horizontally alongside as we tied up to the bollard. The depth sounder went from .2 to 4.5 as the boat rocked. It is OK for a yacht but a straight sided vessel may have to stay a half meter off the waterline if a large barge goes by. The town was hosting a go-card derby which made quite a noise for the locals but went right over the top of our heads behind the canal wall. The walk to the top of the town castle is worth the effort but there is not much more. There is defiantly no water available at the canal side.

Valence PK 112

This has the blue flag best marina on a river in France. You could fool me. It is on the starboard side with a fuel dock down river and pontoons running east west. I chose an finger on the downriver side between the first pontoon and the fuel dock. We hit the soft mud just at the end of the pontoon. Luckily some people on the dock indicated that we should try the upstream side of the same pontoon and found .3 m under the keel to tie up to a very short pontoon. We filled the tanks with water and connected to the electricity then headed off to the local large supermarket over the motorway and on the right. A good walk but better with bikes to carry the large quantity of food and grog from this very well supplied store.
The town is also over the motorway but up the same road until you hit the main drag into town. Nice place with many shops with high quality cloths and goods. We stopped for lunch in a small restaurant and had a very good meal of steak, salad, veg and wine for E26. The town has a good feel about it and deserves more than the two day we spent there but the charge of E26 a night did not want us to spend the extra day. Greener fields lay ahead, so we thought!

Tournon PH 91

This has a harbour which is very shallow. We could not get near the first pontoon and tried to tie up against the jetty which unfortunately has a high overhang above the life lines so if the boat went up on a wave it would be crushed under the jetty overhang. After a frustrating few minutes trying to rig a pole to keep mus off the overhang we threw in the towel and went astern out the entrance to find another spot further up the river. This turned out to be quite a challenge. We came alongside a floating pontoon at PK75 but decided to make a better approach so looped round. On the second attempt we hit two hard rocks which rocked both Malua and my confidence because you could not see them nor could I decide to go forward or back from where I came. Indecision saw us float away from the bank and danger. Not a place to visit although it is well setup close to a campground. Non and upward.

Andancette PK 69

With options running out we chose to go alongside the floating mooring on the starboard side just after the first suspension bridge built over the Rhone. This time I inched my way sideways into the pontoon as the depth came up to the panic range of 0.0 as we touched the side of the dock. We has soon secured Malua for the night and Denny had a double Cotes du Rhone to settle the nerves. the small town of Andancette is nice while the adjacent town of Andance has a little history to make it a one day stop. Tomorrow we leave the dock.

No marina for Malua

2011-06-15T16:49:00.002+10:00

The Rhone is not a yacht friendly place with only a few designated places to stop. Consequently one has to plan your journey so that you arrive before the night curfew starts, not that we are up that late but planning is essential.

Avignon dock

We left Arles having spent two nights alongside the floating restaurant and set our sights on arriving at Avignon only 40km (no more nautical miles in a river)in the early afternoon. That stop was no problem. We enjoyed the town and stocked up on wine and provision for the trip north. I took stock of the water and judged that we did not require topping up the tanks.
Set off for Roquemaure and a town quay but found nothing just a stone wall. On we go to the next designated spot which in this case is up a tributary of the Rhone at l’Ardoise. Here the channel is deep and we come alongside a very lovely secluded spot with about 20 long stay boats. Unfortunately the town is a few kilometres away but had no attractions at all, just a crossroads and a small shop. Next day we set off up stream for the riverside quay of St Etienne des Sort. Again on arrival the floating pontoons that should be there in the summer are missing. How these town think they are going to attract the big spending yachties without a wharf I don’t know. On we go through the very deep Bollene lock. After that experience and having to wait two hour we needed a spot to stay. The only marina on the chart is now Viviers 50 km from our last port of call. Too far today we need a stop.

Viviers

At the PK178 “milestone” the guide notes two pylons on the bank of the river. We decide to give it a go and see if we can tie up. At this point the river is flowing about 4 or 5 km/h so I slowly move Malua forward, Denny has a strong spring from the amidships cleat ready and we come alongside the downriver pylon. Malua comes to a halt but the bow swings in to the upriver pylon. Rush forward with the fenders and we are safely secured but not enough fenders to protect us from the wash of a passing barge. Two barge boards on the outside of two sets of vertical fenders between a horizontal fender and we are a good distance off these steel pylons and with enough room to roll with the wash of a passing barge. In fact it is rather pleasant sitting alongside the banks in the middle of nowhere. Not a spot to linger so next day we off to Viviers in a tributary.

Generous fenders

We arrived before lunch but the sign states 2.0 depth. We inch in and tie bow to the dock and the shallow water alarm goes off. No more depth. Didn’t matter because we had made it. Now for the water. Sorry no water at the dock but you can stay free and use the electricity. The hotel boats with their hundreds of passengers are alongside the outside arm of the quay filling their tanks with fire hoses but for us small craft, no water.
The water situation is getting low. We are now using the drinking water to wash the dishes and flush the loo. Cruas is the next stop. Sundancer has stopped there and recommends the place. We arrive and turn off the main channel into the marina with the full knowledge that it is dredged to 2.0 meters so it will be tight. We didn’t make it into the marina entrance before we ran aground. Soft mud but no forward movement. Put the engine in astern and wash our way out back into the channel. We later found out Sundancer with less draft than Malua had also hit the mud.
Where next? The designated marina is too far off so we have to find a place to stop. The guide suggest La Voulte-sur-Rhone is right beside the town centre but the slight slope on the stone quay require the use of generous fenders. We have those which we float on the water along side Malua as we pull in and secure to a large bollard. The depth finder one moment indicates 0.0 then the next 4.2m below the keel. The round bilge of a yacht does have some advantages. All looks fine and we set off on a great bike ride through the fruit growing area of the Rhone returning for a shower but no water! This is now a serious problem. There is not a tap in sight.

La Voulte

Next day we are off to the blue star marina on the Rhone at Valence Eperviere suitable for 420 boats. The entrance is off the river with a fuel dock down stream and the marina itself up stream. The obvious place was between the fuel and the first pontoon but as we approached we are stoped short stuck in the mud. Thankfully some people on the pontoons directed us to a deeper channel and we came alongside and secured Malua with 0.0 below the keel. Now for some water to fill the tanks, increase the draft and sink deeper into the mud. Will we get out into the stream again? That’s a problem for another day.

That’s not a lock, this is a lock

2011-06-10T16:07:00.005+10:00

Bollene Lock

The first lock we entered at Vallabregues has a lift height of 12.7 m and is quite long and deep, well yesterday we entered a real lock, the deepest lock in Europe at Bollene on the Rhone. It rises and falls a massive 26m. It was completed in 1952 and is suppose to have an art deco style but to me it is just a great big cavern that you enter with the sunlight way above. It is now not the deepest lock in Europe with one in Portugal at Douro being deeper and of course since 2003 the Chinese have built a deeper one in the Yangtse Gorge.

Floating bollard

We arrived and had to wait tied up down stream. A large hotel boat came out and we thought we would enter but the red and green lights turned back to red and the doors closed. Almost two hour later the doors opened and we steamed into the bottom of this massive narrow lock with green slimy sides and tied up against the starboard wall. At points on the wall there were small leaks into the lock creating a water spout onto the boat - an unexpected shower. We were the only vessel as the siren sounded and the water started to entre the lock from under the surface. Relatively smooth and calm but it must be a huge volume of water rushing in because the water level rises faster than you think. Faster than when you fill a bucket of water from a tap and much faster than when you fill a bath. You just move up the wall from the bottom of the cavern into the sun light 26 m above. A seven story building.
In 1998 while a house boat was in the lock the main up river gate unexpectedly opened at speed and a wall of water rushed in filling the lock in an instant. The house boat was smashed and sunk and the lady owner drowned in the swirl of water. Thankfully the cause has been rectified and this can’t happen today but the thought did go through my mind what to do if the water rushed in. You now have to wear life jackets (PFD) in all Rhone locks.
I hope I have captured the feeling in my youtube video here Youtube video
Having had to wait at both lock we were behind schedule and did not want to rush to reach Viviers so we gently cruised past the Macoule nuclear power station that provide most of France with electricity. This one was completed in 1956 and is still going strong cooled by the water of the Rhone. We tied to the banks of the Rhone at two pylons and settled down for the night to be disturbed by a very large barge racing to get to the Bollene lock before it closed for the night. We rocked and rolled at the wake washed past us.

Avignon

2011-06-09T15:50:00.003+10:00

Avignon Square

Arles is to Romans as Avignon is to Popes and yes there are factions in every organisation. In 1309 there were a few factions within Rome and a scheming French king so the then Pope left Rome and set up his court in Avignon. Now the palace was a modest place so he set about building a more opulent palace for his cardinals and his hangers on. To do this he had to tax the folks in the country side. He got a huge palace right on the river Rhone. We pulled alongside the city walls and was able to climb a few stair to get right into the large square in front of the palace.

Palais des Papes

Not only did they build this palace but a Chateauneuf du Pape right up the road where they planted some grapes. I remember my father opening a few bottles of this wine from this vineyard in the Cotes du Rhone on special occasions, thanks to the Sedgewick’s importing business. So on my birthday while in Avignon I too open a few bottles of the local 2006 vintage and celebrated the good times past and those in the future.
Now Pope Clement V didn’t last that long so the next Pope needed more rooms so he added an extra few wings and so it went for the next 77 years but unfortunately the taxes did not flow in as expected so the court had to borrow and go into deficit. That was the beginning of the end. They could not afford the lifestyle and the Pope returned to Rome where they stayed to this day.

Chateauneuf du Pape

There is a lesson there for all government around the world especially the current Australian labour party– be careful in running a deficit and trim your lifestyle for your days will be numbered.

Our first canal lock

2011-06-07T16:38:00.001+10:00

Lock door we entered

The first challenge is always the hardest and the locks of the Rhone started with one of the largest locks. At Vallabregues where the lift from the lower reaches of the Rhone to the water above the lock is 12.7 meters. Now that quite a jump even for a salmon swimming home to spawn but for Malua it was our first challenge.

Doors closing

Denny's heart going

Fortunately we were following a commercial barge who was about 20 minutes ahead of us. As we came in sight of the massive weir and lock out came about five small vessels who had just been released down stream. The lights turned green and the barge and us disappeared into this large dark chasm with wall 15 meters high. Now you don’t have to secure your lines to the top of the wall because these ingenious French have developed a floating bollard set into the wall of the lock. As the water raises so do you and the bollards – easy. So secure Malua with lines from bow and stern to a single floating bollard, lots of fenders to keep you off the slimy green wall and you set to rise up. Depth finder goes from 4 to 17 meters.

Out into the light

We where the only two vessels in the lock, the siren went off, the lights turned to red and the water started to well up in the lock. We slowly started to rise up the side of the lock wall and into the sun light. When you reach the top you can see out into the country side upstream of the weir.

Lock entrance

Off to Avignon and the city of the popes prior to the move to Rome.

Let the expedition begin

2011-06-06T16:30:00.001+10:00

Malua ready to go

Everything is ready, the long To Do list is much shorter, things are on board and Malua is looking good. The crew arrived from Paris after a great flight and two days seeing the sights of the great city, so now it is time to set off on the great expedition into the unknown. Why the unknown you ask? Many have travel this way before. Oh yes but not with the draft of Malua. She was built for the southern oceans – strong and sturdy without consideration for weight or how deep she would sit in the water. I have already raised the boot strap (waterline strip for my non nautical friend) 100mm after the cruise in the Pacific so that the antifouling was not below the waterline. It didn’t change the draft but it looked better.

Mast rapped

We carry extra equipment (propeller included) just in case we need to replace a broken part. This is all well and good but not an asset in the shallow canals of France where the charted depth is less than 1.8 meters. The Rhone river has a depth of 3.5m so we don’t have a problem if we stick to the channel. The Seine from Paris has an equal depth. It is just the canals in between that is the challenge and the unknown. We have many choices, some are definitely too shallow but the Canal entre Champagne et Bourgogne states that it is 2.2m deep. So Malua’s 2.1m we should have 100mm free below the keel to get through.

Arles- first bridge

After leaving Port Napoleon we sailed or rather motored round to the dock in Port St Louis de Rhone to take on last minute supplies and to spend the night. The alarm clock went off at 5:30 for the 6:00am opening of the lock. I had been practicing all night ” Malua veut bien le passage de l’ecluse” only to get a response from the lockkeeper “Malua are you leaving the sea and entering the Rhone?”

Malua tied up alongside

The lights turned from Red Green to Green – the road bridge went up and we where off into the lock. Came along side and secured in the placid waters of our first lock to the bollard. Answered a few questions in English from the lock keeper and the lock gates opened into the mighty Rhone and we were off.

After four hour of a steady pace up the wide river, well marked with red and green channel markers and kilometre marks we approached Arles – our first nights stop. Along side a restaurant. The expedition has begun and the unknown lies below.

Arles – little Rome and van Gough

2011-06-05T01:40:00.000+10:00

Arles amphitheatre

The Greeks established Arles which was then taken over by the Romans who made this, the lowest crossing of the Rhone, their “little Rome” not that it is that today but it is a fascinating town. The amphitheatre is still very much in existence however one side is covered in scaffolding like most of the building in either Rome or Athens. During the summer there are even bull fights in the arena. There are many other old stones lying around especially the theatre and the city walls. The real treasures lie in the museum just out of town. Mate, no problem, we have wheels! Off we go after a restful night (no anchor to drag) to see the sights. Being Sunday entry is free. What a great place, well set out with models and drawings of the city of Arles during the Roman times. Some of the sarcophagi were not as large as at Kekova Road Turkey but the amphora were the best we have seen while in the Med. I can spend hours in these types of museums just looking at how they lived, using lead pipes to run water around the city and the water wheels to mill their corn.

Van Gogh painting

The bridge today

After the Museum we were off out of town on a search for the famous bridge painted by van Gogh which we saw in the Kroller Muller museum in Holland back in the ‘70s. Fortunately the bridge still stands but the surrounding stone work has changed and the reeds have grown along the bank but close your eyes and you can imagine being back to 1888 along with Vincent painting the canal at port du Bouc along with Gauguin.
Later in the day we walked a route through the city to see The Yellow House, The Shop and the famous The Starry Night looking out over the Rhone. Again the sites have changed over time but with a copy of the painting in your hand you can be transported back to the 1880s. The yellow house was destroyed in 1944 but the building along side and the train bridge down the road is still there. The Bedroom at Arles has gone but we have seen the original painting in Amsterdam.

On the outskirts of town is the Les Alyscamp which is a Roman and Christian cemetery at the junction of the road to Santiago de Compostela and to Rome. Did those Romans build great freeways to the ends of their empire? Not that a modern suspension could take the cobble stones.
We returned to Malua and had the obligatory meal in the floating Restaurant/dock we were attached to. Not that we minded it was one of the best meals we have had. Local produce cooked in the galley and presented simply and elegantly while Malua was secure along side and we watched the Rhone flow by under a starry night – what bliss.

Maaate, where can I get some wheels?

2011-05-31T05:48:00.002+10:00

Wheels while on board a boat? Your sailing or touring on land, why the wheels? Well every landfall has a harbour and a hinterland that has to be explored, even the county side of France.

Arriving at Port St Louis de Rhone I was faced with the inevitable walk from the boat to the shops, chandler or just around this huge marina – my shoes like last year did not stand up to the miles upon mile of road I walked in the first few day so wheels became a must.
So find some wheel, not just your daily ride but something special – mate! light, good mpg, no rego, no upkeep, fast. You got one, mate?
How was I going to acquire my wheel of my dream here in France? There is no Parramatta Road here in the south of France but I hear there is a flee market just out of town on Saturday and Sunday where one can acquire anything even a set of wheel of your dreams – no questions asked.
Saturday, just as the sun rose over the horizon I was off on foot for the other side of town for the open road, thumb in the air asking for a lift to the local market. Well the French may nor greet you in the street or even in the pub but they wont pass a thumb on the open road. The first car that passed pulled open… bonjour Je vais au marche a Foss. “ No problem, get in, I’m a local, I know where you want to go --- of words to that effect. One hour later I was dropped off and told (in French) to walk a few meters to the market. Thanks mate I’ll have my wheels to get home. Market yes but fruit and veg but no wheels. What had gone wrong? Market in French is marche while flee market is marche au puces. OK put it down to experience, and be more specific when translating. So lets get home on the two shoes I have. Out went the thumb but not a taker for three hours as I walked along the main highway between Marseilles and Avignon and the cars sped by at 120 km/h. When I reached the turn off on the local road to Port St Louis de Rhone the first car stopped and gave me a ride right into town.
What went wrong? Another day, another location or may be another type or market. After telling the story over a few beers in the pub that evening a very kind friend (who speaks French) explained the difference between market and flee market and offered to take me to the correct place the following day.

The actual flee market is a huge market set in a field just off the highway outside of Voss – must have passed it twice the previous day. It had the feeling of a large market set in North Africa but did it have wheels – what size you want? – After a negotiation I got two sets of wheels – green and blue bicycles 24inch with derayler. Man was I mobile. Just the T. They are the right size to fit the boat and are light and fast, mate, fast especially down hill.
Now I am free to travel every stop along the canal and up into the hinterlands of the French country side on a set of wheels any kid would be proud of. Me too.

Staying attached to the ground

2011-05-29T00:20:00.005+10:00

People in hot air balloons need to stay attached to the ground until all their crew are on board. Boats on the other hand also need to be attached to the bottom when they deploy their anchors. A good sandy bottom, the right type of anchor and the all important chain is all that a yachtsman needs to stop drifting off down wind. Over the years Malua has anchored in many spots from the muddy Derwent near Hobart to the corral reef of Tonga and as far north as the benign sands off Queensland. The anchor and chain has seen it all. Two extremes that the anchor and chain has seen was the mud in the lagoons near Venice and the rocks of Croatia. In Venice after two weeks, try as I may, I could not haul the anchor out of the mud in which it had become embedded The only solution was to dive down and scrape large handfuls of mud off the flukes of the anchor. It was all done by touch because as they say the water was muddied and I could not see a thing. Well after many scoops and a powerful windlass the anchor came free.

After washing the mud off the chain it was evident that it and the anchor had lost some of its galvanising. Not all but the mud had some substance in it that had blackened the chain and removed some of the galvanising. Not to worry our chain is mostly in the water.
After leaving Venice we returned to Croatia on our way south to Greece. Croatia has the worst anchorages in the world. They are deep, full of rocks and the bottom is covered in stone. As the wind changes direction Malua moves and the chain drags over the bottom. The little galvanising left after the Venetian lagoons was now rubbed off completely leaving a shiny steel chain. The problem with steel and salt water is it rust overnight. Brown rusty mass of steel at the bottom of the anchor locker. The next time we set the anchor the rust covered the deck as it went out. Then when you bring it in the rust again covers the foredeck. Not a pretty sight.
At the end of the season in Port Napoleon I took the chain out of the locker a layer it out on a pallet. Unfortunately on my return the travel lift had run over the pallet and ground the well oiled chain into the dust and dirt. Now rust, oil and dirt are not the ingredient of a clean boat...... Regalvanise the chain or purchase a new chain.

Second option was the best to I set about finding 10mm tested galvanised chain which was not made in China. Not a problem just the price was not right. After some scouting and some negotiation I purchased 70meters of French galvanised chain, a drum and had it all delivered to Malua on the hard stand at Port Napoleon.
No rust marks on the bow now, a new chain to keep us attached to the bottom. Only one doesn’t anchor in the canals of France. Well next year we will again let out bright shiny galvanised chain to stay attached to the ground.

Patching some holes and removing antifouling

2011-05-23T16:32:00.005+10:00

Every year one applies anti-fouling to keep the marine growth from the bottom of the boat. It cost a fortune and is washed off during the seasons sailing. Over time the gum that contains the toxic substance builds up, layer upon layer until one has to either sand it off or more effectively scrape the lays off. The antifouling also hides the minor scrapes, bangs and scratches one get while sailing near to rocks. At the end of last season I noticed a damp patch on the keel and remembering that one evening we did get a bang as Malua swung with the wind in very shallow water. With a bit of scrape and a prod a small hole opened out to show a void in the aft section of the keel. Not a feature, not a design fault but poor workmanship by David the builder who should have filled the space with resin when he placed the lead in the keel cavity. The fibreglass had cracked at the join of the keel and the hull and, as is always the way the water enters every hole. I had opened up the void and let the water evaporate over the winter so on my return at the start of summer I was able to address the next item on the To Do list.

Hole filled with glass and resin

Fill the void and patch the crack.

I had purchased some polyurethane resin and brought some glass and mat from my store at home so it was an easy job to mix up the right quantities, fill the void with resin and push the chopped mat into the hole to make a nice strong section of the keel. I also applied to resin and cloth to the end of the keel which had taken the hit on the rock. Like most of these types of repairs the end result turns out stronger than the original. It just makes me mad that a builder could have done such poor quality control and that type of construction occurs. Oh well I guess that was why Malua was finished in Canberra and not in Cardiff.

Next item on the To Do list.
Scrape off the build up of antifouling on the rudder stock.

Antifouling gone Epoxy on

Not an easy job. It is time consuming, your muscles get tired, the antifouling get on your skin and generally it is a job best done by others. Thankfully I only wanted to do the two square meters of the rudder stock. With protective glasses and a good face mask to keep out the dust I set about removing the build up of antifouling layers.

I can only last about three hours before I have to quite for the day and take a hot shower. Three days later all the antifouling was off and I was down to the epoxy paint I had applied in Canberra before the antifouling went on. To make a good job of the opportunity I applied four coats of epoxy over the original, applied some undercoat and the rudder stock was ready to take the antifouling again. Well that section of the boat wont need scraping for another ten years.

Next To Do item please.

To start the To Do list

2011-05-23T15:40:00.005+10:00

At the start of every season the list of jobs on the To Do list is long if only it includes those jobs to get the boat seaworthy. This year the list is quite short for seagoing job because we are not going to sea. Simple, no running the halyards up the mast, no running the sheet and lines for the sails, and no bending on the sails to the mast and boom because the mast is coming down and is to be transported to Le Harve for collection when we reach that port at the end of our travels through the French canals.

One does not realise how long it takes to prepare a boat for sea if, like us, we pack Malua away for the winter here in Europe, This year non of that is necessary however the To Do list is not any shorter because I have add a number of items that have failed to make it on previous lists. Not that they have only now come up but I failed to want to add them.

Bearing about to slip on

The most serious is replacing the cutlass bearing in the propeller shaft. Not an easy job but one that has to be done after several years under power. After the cruise in the Pacific a good friend at the Bay made for me a set of pullers, pusher and the correct size collars. I used then at River Quays in ‘06 to replace the bearing. They worked a treat so when that item on the To Do list was addressed I knew it would be easy BUT is anything easy when salt water corrosion has had an effect.

Within minutes the shaft was disconnected from the Yanmar motor via the flexible coupling, the dripless gland was slid off the end of the shaft and the propeller had been pulled from the shaft. All done before lunch without the use of a hammer. Next came the puller for the actual cutlass bearing. On went the parts and I started to turn the nut at the end of the long threaded bar which forced the bearing out of its housing. As smooth as a skate over ice, it came out of the housing, next the opposite direction with the new bearing. Again it went in without trouble. Would the shaft fit in the new bearing? – a problem last time – with a liberal amount of lanoline the shaft slid back in the bearing and onto the end of the motor. What is happening…… nothing going wrong, I’m not working on a boat. The propeller went backing on the shaft, the flexible coupling connected and the dripless gland in place and I was available for a cold beer well before the sun was over the yard arm. Now that was easy with the right tools!

Next item on the To Do list?

The final product. New bearing and paint

Big Bird to Paris

2011-05-19T04:04:00.005+10:00

The time had come to take the big bird to Paris for the start of summer. I fly Emirates usually direct to Dubia but this time it was via Bangkok which had just one more ineffective security check. I don’t understand why they do it because they miss all the things that could be used to hijack a plane. Well anyway the food was Ok, the seats great and I slept most of the way. Caught up on the film I missed in OZ.
After a short stop in Dubai we were off again for another six hour to France. A walk through the passport control, no stamps or even a check on the computer. How they follow where people are I don’t know. Then collect the tickets for the TGV and the local metro and off to the hotel. The antenna at two meters long posed a challenge entering and exiting the Metro doors and also the walkway to the exits but after a few tries I was able to do it with out poking someone in the eye or knocking a light bulb out of a socket.
Hotel was Ok and centrally located near the Square of the Republic.
A short walk to find a Café with Wifi and I was back in business in Paris France. Google earth told me where I was and Google translation help communicate with the locals. I purchased a French SIM card but it takes two days before it works. Great help if you are in Paris for a weekend!
The following day I walked towards the Seine to find the local marina at the Arsenal. Very helpful people, said there would be lots of room in August but should book for July. Just imagine on your own boat in the heart of Paris, almost as good at the old days when we camped in the Bois de Boulogne when we where in Paris in 1974. Times have not changed, we have just moved a bit upmarket.

After a days walking around le Marais and visiting the Pompidou Centre I stoped in at a local Café and had a great steak before turning in for the night… still jet lagged and waking at four in the morning.
Next morning up for breakfast, a short walk to the metro, a change in metro and a walk to the trains a Garde de Lyon. On this occasion I was travelling in style, yes First Class. Not that I noticed the difference except there are defiantly a better class of passenger – old ladies who insisted in talking to me even if I didn’t understand them. Two and a half hour later I had travelled the full length of France as I was drawing into the station at Arles. Now on this occasion I did not have to change trains, just enjoy the ride. For those who don’t remember (will I ever forget) on my last trip south on the TGV I had to change trains at Avignon to get the connection to Arles but my train arrived late and in my hast I boarded the train to Arle, A small error of just one “s” but a great distance from Arles. When I realised I had made a mistake the conductor informed me I would have to go to the end of the line then return to Avignon and take a later train to Arles. I now know the French train notice boards don’t have a difficulty spelling, it is only me who don’t know the difference between Arles and Arle. Well on this occasion the train arrived in Arles and I was able to catch the bus to Port St Louis de Rhone after only waiting an hour. On arrive at Port St Louis I decided to take a taxi rather than wheel my two bags 45kg down the road to the marina.
It was great to back in the swing of sailing again, to walk into the marina and see Malua just as we had left her last years. All that was required was a few days work getting her ready to put in the water but that is another story and always expect the unexpected regarding boats.

Time to fly north for the summer

2011-05-09T09:23:00.005+10:00

Its time to fly north again to the summer. Here in Canberra the nights are cold, as low as minus 4 degrees celcius, the trees have lost their leaves and the mornings are white on the ground. We have not had a great summer which started with too much rain. In fact up north in Queensland they had the worst floods in living memory. The only upside was the garden grew and grew. You could almost not stop it. I spent my time clearing the undergrowth and mowing the lawn. The tomatoes grew but somehow did not produce as much fruit as last year. No bottles tomato puree for next year.
The grape vine turned white then withered to a dry couple of leaves. I hope next year will be better. The Back vintage will have to wait for a few more years! May be a trip to give some advice.
My time with the new Marine Rescue did not change from previous years with the same crony antics although I was able to highlight their methods and some are now on notice to improve. The new boat, a lovely craft was delivered but required significant modifications to meet a standard of usability any qualified mariner would expect. We can only wait to see if that size is justified in the bay.
Over the past few months I have purchased the “must have” items for the boat, a new EBIRB, two PFDs, leather spreader covers, clever pins and split pins and the inevitable parts for the freezer. This year I am going to study the wiring diagram with more care and not connect the wires in the wrong order.
Our friends Sundancer are currently in Port Napoleon and say Malua is very dirty after the winter and consequently I have had her moved to a site with electricity and water. I spend a week of so getting her ready for the water then take the mast down to go through the French Canals. It is going to be quite different to the past couple of years in the Mediterranean but at least I won’t have to worry about the anchor dragging.

Frost on the sun lounge!

Well the last sleep is over, pack the computer into the hand luggage of 8 Kg and roll the case of 28Kg (thanks Emirates for the 30Kg allowance) to the bus and off I go for my ninth summer in a row.

Blogging from my htc smart phone

2011-02-25T11:36:00.003+11:00

Cruising on a yacht you are never long in one place and therefore writing a blog is always a challenge. Being further on the go without your computer, even my eepc netbook raises further complications... not any more. From today I can use my HTC Desire HD to write my blog using the Blogger app. Just great. Now to include a photo.

New EPERB 206

Switch to camera press shutter.... it is included in the blog. The picture is of my new 406 eperb. The last one's battery is out of date and the official replacement cost is more than a new one. All I now have to do is source a 9 volt battery.

How strong were the winds in Cyclone Yasi?

2011-02-03T09:49:00.003+11:00

How strong were the winds during the cyclone Yasi? Yasi is a category 5 – the highest. Well it is difficult to tell because most of the official recording equipment has been blow away and the web sites indicate “No Data Available”. Luckily one site is still recording and that is at the town of Lucinda. This mall town is south of where the eye crossed but some distance from the centre as one can see below. The wind started from the south at 20 Knots increased to 60 knots then changed direction to NW at 70 knots with gust as high as 100 knots. The wind then went back to the south with wind currently at 50 knots.

Look at the drop in pressure. It dropped from 1010 to as low as 988 hPa. With a drop of 10 hPa in about 10 hours. What a change.

Just imagine 50 knots. I have experienced a single gust of about 50 knots and Malua was blow right over on to its side but what would have happened with a gust of 100 knots.

I hope all vessels are secure and not damaged. Our management of Marine Rescue in NSW have as usual kept us in the dark about offering assistance to the Queensland VMR.

Toulon, French Navy and the Mistral

2010-09-15T03:07:00.000+10:00

Toulons all round anchorage has long been the harbour of choice to shelter from the winter storms or as in our case the strong Mistral wind. We entred after a night at the open anchorage on the Porquerolles and looked at an anchorage recommended by a fellow cruiser but it turned out to be too shallow for us so we headed off to the Darse Vielle marina to find a safe spot. As we entred the port we were greeted by nine warships on the horizon doing naval exercises plus inumerable others tied up at the naval dockyard of Toulon. It has been a harbour for centuries but the navies refuge since 1610. In 1793 the young Napoleon Bonapart, an artilary officer who forced the British to withdraw from their fort on the hill. After this success he was made brigadier general which started his military career. The harbour has been expanded since those times and now is the centre of the French Mediterranean fleet. We saw them loading white UN amared personel carriers and light tanks onto a large transport ship just outside the marina entrance.

The Old port marina is rather run down but in the best part of town so we checked in and tied uo stern too next to a British Moody 38. It turned out they and a similar vessel in the marina had just traversed the French canals this last summer and had their masts stepped at Port Napolion where Malua is to spend the winter.

I was woken on the first night as a thunder storm came over us and heavy rain started to fall. Fortunatly we had closed all the hatches and portlights before it started. I was standing in the companionway listeming to the thunder when I heard a freight train approach. It was only seconds away then Malua, and all the other boats around us lurched to starbord the jumped to port. Our rail was almost under the water. Malua was throun backwards and hit the dock with a thud. The wind then changed direction and came from the north west with 35 knots strength. It was awsome. People say whenyou hear the train the wind is over 50 knots. Well the way it tossed Malua about I would say it was well over that measure. Fortunatly Malua was not badly damaged so we just took in a few more inchs of line and wated for the rain to stop which it did soon afterwards however the wind continued for two days at well over 25 knots. Good decision to come into the marina.

While the wind was still blowing we visited the naval museum, the markets and rode the buses back and forth around the city. Not much to see but a great feel to the place especially the fountains and the markets. We stocked up on food at the Carrefour for the last stretch of our journey before hauling out for the winter.

Big Towns, Big Names and Big Numbers

2010-09-01T16:58:00.001+10:00

Summer in the French Riviera has just big towns, Monte Carlo, Nice, Antibes, Canne, Frejus, St Tropez (the last four are in fact in the Cote D'Azur) associated with the big names of the film stars and celebrities. We saw the towns but not the big names. The town each have a certain charm about them and each have some unique feature which makes it worthwhile to visit them but when all is said and done they look very similar and the retail section repeats itself time after time. We tend to stay out of the marinas with Malua and anchor in a bay nearby and take the RIB into the marina or to a beach on a bus route to the centre. The museum of Henri Matisse in Nice was very good indeed because it showed his work during his stay in this particular villa Cimiez with is muse. The Antibes museum of Pablo Picasso also covered the period of his live while he lived in the area also with a muse Francoise Gilot. I liked the painting of The Goat and the large collection of plates with faces painted on them.

Iain visited Canne to see the film festival site and the hand prints but we justed stayed away and took a long walk on the Ille Saint Marguerite. It is a beautiful island which has been retained as a nature park. The water around the island are shallow and afford good anchorages so the Sunday night we arrived it was filled to capacity however as they left to return to their home marinas we moved closer in shore and a better location. The next day we walked the perimeter of the island and stopped off at the Fort Royal. It housed "the man in the iron mask" I must say its bare courtyards and cold cells must have made it a very unpleasant place. Today it has a maritime museum which has a relics of a Roman galleon very well preserved and presented. It well worth a visit.

Tomorrow we visit Port de Fejus but like the other famous names John is not in town to meet us so we will have to cruise down to St Tropez to see if we can catch the last of the big names before everything shuts at the end of summer for September is upon us and the chilly winds of the north have started to blow and the last bus leaves at 6:30 pm. Winter has arrived.

High Rollers, Rolls and Roar of the engine

2010-08-22T20:48:00.003+10:00

Monaco or Monte Carlo is the place for high rollers, Rolls, the roar of Ferrari engines and other forms of visible wealth. We on the other had sat outside the Casino and had a drink to watch the world go by expecting to see a high roller or someone famous. Not a chance just the wanna bees and the people who stood and watched. We did sit beside a fellow who was greeted by two rather wealthy old gentlemen one of which stated that he was closing the branch down because it was loosing money. Where I know not but it didn't sound as if he was a high roller or getting into one of the many super sports cars parked in front of the Casino.

We did not roll the car out the back of Malua when we moored stern too at Fontvielle but purchased a day pass on the bus and rode the three line from end to end. Monaco is much smaller then I expected. The marina does have a number of large super motorboats but does not have the number of sailing boats one expects. The number of shots far exceeds anyones expectations and the goods in show are just over the top. The window of Cartier was filled with diamonds and more diamonds in lovely settings. Unfortunately the bracelet Denny liked would have had to be enlarged and would not be ready for this evenings dinner date so we let it pass. Another time perhaps.
The Aquarium is out of this world with two floors of fish tanks ranging from schools of fish right down to the smallest sand worm. They draw the water from far out to sea into the tanks so each creature get fresh water however some tanks have to be heated to suit their natural environment.

The Princesses Grace rose garden was good and very well designed and set out and compares well with the Australian old Parlement house garden. The Hughes house garden comes in third.
After two days, two cocktails sessions at the Hotel de Paris, a great meal overlooking the Marina and a number of bus rides we decided to move along. To a bay north of Monaco within sight of Italy so our phone connection can pick up the Internet and we can follow the Australian general election. No clear result.

Dark clouds, strong wind and rock n roll

2010-08-17T23:42:00.004+10:00

Every sailor enjoys down wind sailing, with the wind slightly behind the beam, true wind of about 10 to 15 knots and a smooth sea. Malua set off from Santa Margherita in overcast weather and little wind. We followed the coast past Portofino and the cove of San Fruttosa and set our course for across the Bay of Genoa. The wind started to come through from 120 from the bow and settled down at about 10 to 14 knots true. We soon had the blue and white reacher up and were sailing along at just over 7 knots. The only sound was the ripple of the wake as we picked up speed to over 7 knots every so often. Ahead was the 52ft catamaran Gone with the Wind who also had their reacher up. For three hour this continued. A sailors dream but ahead the dark storm clouds were building. I expected the wind to increase or drop away altogether and change direction. The boat ahead was a indicator of what we can expect so I was able to keep the reacher flying longer than expected. Eventually the wind died and we had to put the engine on and motor the last few miles to Loano.

With a stern anchor we had a reasonable night but the swell started to build. The forecast indicated a north wind that evening reaching well over 20 knots then swinging to the south with an increase in speed. We only had 15 miles to run so entering the Marina Imperia was an easy decision. The management said take any berth on pier T would be suitable as it was a new marina only opening a few months previously. With only two boats on the dock the choice of 19 others was easy. We had just secured Malua and closed the hatches when the wind started. It continued through the night but in the morning the rain came. A heavy down pour accompanied the wind. It continued all day, rain, rain and more rain. By this time the wind had moved from the north to the west and then to the south, finally to die in the east as the front moved further up the coast. Malua had received the best wash of the season, the dingy was full of water and the water tanks were full of the gift of the gods.
The next day dawned with the wind reaching 20 knots even before the sun was up. It continued all day reaching its peak in the afternoon with a few gusts well over 30 knots. It is at times like these that you are pleased you made the decision to enter the marina no matter the cost. Snug and cosy, secure to a dock and warm in bed at night.

Having spent two days in the marina we decided we should move along further west along the Italian Riviera towards San Remo. The marina was calm and flat but as we put our nose outside the break wall we could feel the effects of the two days of wind. The sea was up and confused. We put Malua's bow into the apparent sea and put the throttle down but we could only make 4.2 knots as the bow would be buried in the back of every second wave. Turning off the wave only increased the rock n roll. After the 12 miles of this sea we were pleased to go stern too at a public quay in San Remo harbour and get out of that unpleasant experience. Enough of this dark clouds and rock n roll.

Potofino

2010-08-09T18:42:00.002+10:00

Portofino is almost too beautiful for its own good. When one walks the harbourside quay you will be rubbing elbows with day-trippers, the Italian industrialists, celebrities, the motor yacht fraternity and a lot of rich but not so famous folk who consider this little town the epicentre of the good life. The late afternoon is the time to arrive which we did after a gentle stroll from where we had anchored Malua in the bay of Santa Margherita. The daytime crowd has left either in the bus or on the many day ferries plying their trade up and down this beautiful coast. At this time there are a few people in the harbourside bars preparing for the night's dining at the local restaurants.

We chose the La Gritta American Bar. A famous writer called this bar "the nicest waterfront bar this side of Hong Kong" The prices where nice all right the drink selection apart from cocktails poor. A range of champagnes, cocktails starting at 18 euro, bottles of wine starting at 34 euro and two types of beer at 8 euro for a 250ml served I might say in a warm glass which you could not get a head from the beer! The balance to that were the snacks - at least 8 different types ranging from chips right to carrots and halved small tomatoes. Along with the good services comes the view, and what a view. While were sipped our drinks three super mega yachts went astern into the quay. The smallest called "My Toy" while the largest, "One More Toy", came complete with a jacuzzi on the top deck along side a treadmill and exercise bike and bar! The rich or is it their parents or friends stepped ashore to walk along the dock to a preselected restaurant for a night of the good life.

After our two drinks we walked up the side streets to catch the last bus back to Santa Margherita to dingy back to Malua for some real beer and a wonderful meal looking at the guests at the water front hotels of the Continetal and Imperiale. Not a hard choice as to which side of the view I would like to be. Tomorrow we walk the trails to the San Fruttuoso cove.

Cinque Terre

2010-08-04T00:44:00.002+10:00

These are the five lands, actually hamlets clinging to the rock face perched above a splendid sea. So quote the guide books. The villages are just badly located as fishing villages. Riomaggiore has a small harbour, Manarolo the harbour so small they take the boats out of the water and store them on the precious land. If the west wind comes up they cant land and have to haul the boats into the air by crane. Corniglia is high above its small inlet called a harbour and Vernazza has some protection. The final town we visited is Monterosso has no protection at all with a gravel beach accessible only by paying some money.

Well what is the attraction to make millions of tourist visit these small town each year. it is the scenic walk along the cliff tops between the towns. That most good trampers do is take the train from La Spezia and stop at Riomaggiore having purchased a train and park access ticket for 8 euros. From the start the first leg to Manarola is only 1km which will take only 20 minutes. This is just a warm up run to get you into the swing of things. Any one can do this section.

The next from Manorola to Corniglia is the same distance of 1km but will take the average person 1h 10m. It is interesting and worth the walk especially the lovers section where poeple leave a lock attached to something.

Now starts the real "walk". The distance is 4km but will take you 1h 30m if you are super fit. Let me tell you not many people do it in that time especially if undertaken on a hot summers day at noon. It starts up the road out of town then goes through the olive grove round a valley, then up to the crest and then down along the face of the mountain side. Just when you think you can go no further some fellow will arrive from the opposite direction and ask "how far have you come?" Your return question get a response "Oh about 40 minutes - all up hill" Well that's great it is now down hill all the way. Wrong. Yes generally down and you know how hard it is to step down on uneven steps which may slide away from you at any time. Frequent stops, lots of water and two strong knee joints are essential for this section.

The next is only 3 miles but the guide book suggest it will take 2 hours - a half hour longer than the last 3km section. just imaging how tough that would be. We took the sensible option and jumped on the train to the fifth town of Monterosso. Here we walked along the promenade and took the train back to La Spezia. Having cooled off by now we took the number 3 bus to our stop on Garibaldi for the bus back to La Grazie. No touring for us tomorrow, a layday to get over the stiff muscles.

Passagemaking

2010-08-04T00:39:00.002+10:00

There are some passages you wished you had never started. Things don't go according to plan. Some the wind turn and comes on the nose so you spend most of the time beating into the wind or at least motoring into some choppy sea while others the wind and sea come up and you feel you should just turn back - you never do.

Our 89nm passage from Elba to La Spezia started just after first light. It is a long distance to travel in a single day. Most people do an overnighter of it or in fact break it into two however with a strong west wind the East coast of Italy in this area is very exposed with few if any places of refuge, so we decided that the wind was from behind and we would sail the full distance on pleasant seas to make a safe landfall in a sheltered bay of La Grazie.

The wind started from the south at about 10 knots which is just beautiful sailing breeze right from behind. The sea was flat and we were rolling along at just over seven knots. Ideal. Then the wind started to increase and the cloud bank ahead of us indicated a cold front approaching. I took the first reef in the main when the apparent wind over the deck was touching 20 knots. Not a minute too soon as I again turned to head north with the wind behind us it reached well over 30 knots true wind but the sea had started to build. We were surfing down the short swell making great time for our destination. Then the front passed over us with the few drops of rain, The wind dropped and then rose again from the west. Still sailing wind from a reasonable direction. One reef and staysail was by now the order for the day however the waves were coming from all directions and Malua was just keeping dry above the confused sea. The waves could not make up its mind which way the swell should roll in from. Not good sailing! A second front approached and passed over us at about 1500 and the wind moderated but we could see the wind in the west.
We finally made it into La Spezia bay as it was getting dark and dropped the anchor in 10m of water in a calm bay of la Grazie. Then the storm really started. From out of the surrounding mountain the lightening and thunder came, followed by a down pore typical of the tropics. Thankfully the wind was only mild and the rain gave Malua a good wash.
That days passage is one I don't wish to repeat soon not for the wind but as always for the swell and rock and roll waves.

Elba

2010-08-04T00:37:00.001+10:00

Both Nelson and Napoleon visited Elba. Napoleon stayed only a few months but has left his mark although not much remains of his except the two villas. The best at Palazzina dei Mulini which is on the hillside overlooking the entrance to the harbour of Portoferraio. I found his military camp bed the most interesting item. Made from steel with ornate silver add-ons plus a canopy. The whole thing dismantled into two round leather containers which some unfortunate solder would have had to carry. The rest of the object OK but the location wonderful. The balance of the island hasn't much history as far as I could see.

We arrived at Elba from the Island Capraia and anchored in the Gulf de Campo right next to Threshold. The next day we took the local bus clockwise round the island visiting Marciana which has the best icecream on the island made by the owner of the shop right in front of your eyes. From there to Marciana Marina then back to Marina di Campo. A good days land travel.
We sailed anticlockwise to Azzurro past the old iron ore mines right on the coast and anchored in the bay. Not good holding for the wind came up and the yachts where dragging their anchors, one crossed our chain and we were dragging next to him. After some good anchor practice (four attempts) one to get out of the way of a large stink boat who picked up some chain and spent half a hour disentangling their anchor. We finally put ours down which was to hold for four days while we toured the island by bus. Right to the north of the island and to Portoferraio.
We spent a few days at Golfo del Viticcio while the calm weather lasted and swam in the warm water. Elba ha some charm being covered in trees and mountainous but not the great attraction the guide books claim and Nelson was right he would not like to see the island again (or was that Corsica?)

Mediterranean Cruisers Net

2010-07-26T23:12:00.003+10:00

The Mednet as it is known to the cruising yachts in the Mediterranean is an institution to those in the know. It is a network (talkshow to landlubbers) run on the SSB HF radio on Frequency 8122Khz at 07:30 Italian time.
I first heard the Mednet when we entered the Med on April 2007 and have follow it every summer since then. A netcontroller introduces the Mednet then asks for vessels to check in giving their boat name, crew names, location and weather. On good days when the propagation is clear the netcontroller can get up to 25 boats checking in, ranging from the Eastern Med near Egypt to the far western Med of Spain. We have even had a few boats give us a call from the Bay of Biscay west of Portugal.
It is great fun to follow the people that check in day after day as they cruise in a particular sea either along the Turkish coast or on their way to Venice or wherever. The purpose of the net is to to share information with other cruisers and to find out where your friends are. This has been moderately successful because people are generally careful with their advice over the air however this year the netcontrollers decided to change the format and drop the formal reading of the weather and ask for more information to be shared. I am the Netcontroller on Tuesday. The fellow who does Monday has been able to get people to share such a lot of information that we are now starting to reach our goal. Some days it is good other not so good but we all listen even if the noise from the radio drowns out the people talking. (only one at a time)

The other benefit of the Mednet is that one comes to know the peoples' voices that checkin each day to such an extent that you feel you actually know them. We have cruised the length and breadth of the Med over the last four years and have only actually crossed paths and met four vessel that check in to the Mednet. Last week we cruised into a anchorage on the south coast of Elba and there right in the middle of the bay was the yacht Threshold. The crew had checked-in this summer and I had come to recognize their voices. It was an absolute delight to actually meet the crew of this great vessel. The conversation started as if we had last seen then that morning on the Mednet. In fact we have now sailed together for almost a week, enjoying their company more than somewhat. The great advantage of the Mednet.

Blue water, White Sand, Hot Sun

2010-07-20T05:46:00.004+10:00

What more could a cruiser want than the above. Some would say a bit of wind. Well it came through yesterday as we deceided to leave the great anchorage of Plage de Saleccia and sail the short distance to Saint Florent. This beach is a wide open white sanded beach which is not accessable by road so those on the beach have either come by boat, which most do or have walked a few kilometers to get to the beach. It has some history in that it was the site for the shooting of one of the first great war movies The Longest Day with Robert Mitchem. I remember it well for it set the standard for blood and guts and relistic beach scenes of the Normandy coast. The only problem for me is in the movie the real water must have been 10 degrees - well yesterday the water temperaturee was 28 degrees C. Almost too hot to swim.

We anchored off the beach in three meters of water and a big yacht came and anchored right in front of us. A good ditance off. Later in the day two fellow came swimming by speaking english. They stoped to say hi and we found out that the owner of the yacht is an art dealer who had done quite a lot of business with the Australian National museum in Canberra.
The water colour over the white sand is indiscribable so I have just included a picture. The sunset beautiful as the water settles to a mirror for the night. The one thing is the humididt which reaches well over 75% during the evening and morning. I sit here down below dripping persperation. The only releaf is to swim and then take a fresh water shower or you just sit in a pool of water.

Back to the wind. We upped anchor and motored off to the wide deep bay of Golfe de Saint Florent and noticed some small waves in the distance. As always the wind was on the nose but before one could say "up sails" the wind was blowing 25 knots. At that seep we sail faster than we can motor so up sail with one reef and the small stay sail. We set off accross the bay at more than 7 knots to wards the mountains. We were about two miles off when then the wind appeared to change direction and we fell into a hole. No wind. It had completely disappeared. on with the motor but leave the sails up because we saw other yachts heeling over in the distance.
We were soon back in the breeze and cruising along at a nice pace. Oh how great it is to sail onece in a while.
We arrived at Saint Florent with just 8 knots of wind and down went the anchor in a large bay - mud so no moving is the wind came up. The off to town to get a bottle of the local Rose wine to go with the chicken.
Sunset and a calm hot night. Just another beautiful day.

West coast of Corsica Cruising Delights

2010-07-15T01:50:00.002+10:00

Corsica has always been bypassed by many cruising yachts because they believe that it is not the place to cruise and it is windy. Let it stay that way and the adventurous shall have it to themselves.

Well we where introduced to the wind the day we crossed the Strait of Bonificia on our way north to Ajaccio. We had visited Bonifacio in 2007. The wind had been forecast to blow at more than 25 knots. So we set off at dawn and chose a sheltered bay as our destination. It was a great sail but the wind started to rise as we neared our destination late in the afternoon. We picked up one of the many free moorings and settled down for the night and the wind did blow for three days. Not as high as forecast but blow it did. What was astonishing was the swell that accompanied it. In our case we were in a bay and the swell came round the point and caught us on the beam. It was not nice. In fact it was so bad we had to sleep on the floor. When we ventured out the swell was still rolling in from Spain. It was like sailing in the southern ocean again. Up, up you would go then top the swell and down, down again. We had only planned a short passage into the bay of Ajjaccio but it was long enough. Fortunatly the bay is well sheltered and the roll went away.

From past posts on this site we had a great time at the Corisican wedding.
We spent more than a week sailing around the bay of Ajjaccio and anchoring off points and bay. It is wonderful, clear water, long beaches and good holding.
We started to sail north past Capo di Feno and into the Golfe de Sagone. Here again there are buoys but we anchored off the beach. The next day it was on to the twin Greek and Cathlic chuch town of Cargese. Each church stand opposite one another. A relic of the past when the Greeks where imported to start a colony but the local Coriscans did not like the hard working Greek imports! How things have changed.
From there it is north to the red stones of the Golfe do Porto and Golfe de Galeria. The latter reminded me of the coast of Tasmania with the rocks rising straight up out of the crystal clear blue water. We spent more than a week just moving from one small bay to the next, sometimes with other yachts but generally on our own as the sun set.

Calvi was the next major stop. The home of the winged dagger of the French Foreign Legion. Having served alongside one of their number I have respect of that unit. He was a large mean soldier who could run all day without a break but always ready to helped his lesser mortals (I remember you - Silva). We visited the port and the castle built on the promontory and looked at the display of the units equipment and memorabilia of their time in Africa and other places. It reminded me of the South African units motto "He who dares wins"

We picked up a buoy and paid the 30 Euro for the night but next day anchored way down the beach for a quiet night before proceeding north to the friendly town of Ile Rousse where we anchored off the beach. We took the RIB ashore and as we were securing it a friendly fellow asked us to let his lines in an accent that was not French. He turned out to come from Eden just a few miles down the coast from Malua Bay our home port. he is the deck hand on a vessel anchored just off our stern. It is his first season and he was enjoying the trill of the adventure despite the long hours.
We stayed a few day at Ile Rousse not only to watch the football but to renew the Orange contract to access the internet. A requirement these days.
In summary: The west Cost of Corsica has the best cruising grounds we have visited in the Med IF the weather is good. The town are cultured, the supermarkets so well stocked it is a delight to give your euros away. the shops and people friendly. The greatest cruising in four years. Only another week and we will have to move on.

Lights Camera Action

2010-07-11T18:07:00.002+10:00

So started the reception of the wedding we were attending in Corsica. It had been planned to the last degree by an adoring father for his beautiful daughter who was getting married to a heart surgeon. The wedding took place in the church where eight generations of the father's family had been married. He chose the best restaurant on the coast close to Ajaccio fortunately owned by a family member then appointed his local Toulon caterers to do the food. He had shipped in all the wine and champagne from France and stocked the restaurants cellar.

After the wedding we all got into cars and drove from Corte in the mountains down to the coast. We had to get back on Malua and motor down the coast to anchor off the restaurant. The sun was setting as we let the hook go not 100 meters off the beach. We took the RIB ashore and put our long pants on before walking up the beach to the reception which was well under way. People were standing around drinking and eating snacks of fois gras, Palma ham, cheese and other exotic things.

We then adjourned inside to be seated at tables named after islands, ours - Maldives. The place setting had a island setting with beautiful napkin rings, name places in the shape of ships and wine and glass of the best quality.
The menu was outstanding see link http://www.john-and-katia.gettingmarried.co.uk/Menu.htm
We started with quails breast on a bed of palm heart with saffron. What a wonderful taste. We were all guessing what the base was because it is so different. Next came on huge white plates the best fillet steak I have ever tasted. The kitchen prepared them in relays so each table got their serving at the same time. Unfortunately for us the father of the bride was giving his speech while we were easting and his presentation was so good you had little time to enjoy the food. Being in Corsica he had to speak French and then translate for us foreigners. He was good and the works so touching.

The rest of the nigh seemed to fly past so fast that before we knew it the wedding cake was before everybody and was cut. So different.
Dancing followed then singing and so it went until my feet hurt so much I just had to sit down. The bus had arrived to ferry the guest to their hotels so we walked down the beach to the RIB and returned to Malua to listen to the music carry over the water as the part went on till down.

What a wonderful time. If you wrote a film script you could not have got a better outcome.

Corsican Wedding

2010-06-30T17:18:00.002+10:00

The purpose of this summers cruise was to attend the wedding of my best friend Richard's son John who is marring a Corsican girl. Her family comes from the main mountain town of Corte where the grandmother still runs a hotel and other enterprises.

We received the wedding invitation in three languages, English, French and Corsican. This set the tone of the celebrations. The first event was a serenade of the groom of the bride outside the door of her house. Today South African boys don't sing so he got a band of local singers to take his place, the home is transferred to grandmother's hotel and rather than a private affair guest are invited. The singing was beautiful and at the appropriate moment the bride opened the door and the singers entered to continue the singing well into the night.

The following day we all assembled at the hotel we were staying in and boarded a road train to be taken to the Municipal offices for the official legal ceremony. The Mayor in all his robes and chains was in attendance along with six witness who all had to sign, with flourish in the appropriate place. The wedding party was then presented with the official wedding documents.
Now off to the church.

The brides family had been married in this church going back eight generations. Some tradition. The ceremony was in French, Corsican and for us foreigners parts in English. In the middle of the ceremony the thunder started and just before the wedding vows the heaven opens and the rain came down. Thankfully the roof did not leak. Local tradition states that the rain washes away the past and the bride and groom start a new life wash of the past.

By the time the wedding couple had to leave the church the rain had almost stopped and we were able to throw rice and paper hearts over them as they departed. then the drive back down to the coast for the reception at the most upmarket seaside restaurant.

Rock and Roll in Bonifacio

2010-06-30T17:14:00.001+10:00

The straits of Bonifacio are famous for bad weather and rough seas, so any marina who attempts to cross them does so with care. We were due to be in Ajaccio 60 nm north of Bonificia so we set off at first light about 4:30 am with little breeze, of couse on the nose. The went well and we made good progress along the coast past the first then the second cape. As we sailed north we noticed other vessel heading north. They all looked as if they had a purpose. We had decided to call it a day in a large bay of Propriano and pick up a mooring buoy or drop the anchor in the Bay of Porto Pollo. Well before the sun set we picked up the second last mooring buoy and snuggled down for the night. The wind had risen to 20 knots as predicted. The swell was slightly on the beam so it started to roll early on in the night.
By midday the following day the swell had risen the wind dropped and we were rolling from side to side. We went ashore to try and get some stability and normality. What a relief to sit under a tree.
Returning to the boat we settled down for the night on the floor of the cabin - the only place that had little movement and was safe.
The following morning could not dawn quick enough. While we slept it was not comfortable. We set sail for Ajaccio and rounded the Cape Muro with swell at least 15 meters. The wind was on the beam so we sailed in to the bay and dropped the anchor near the gas terminal buoys.
What a passage through the straits of Bonificia which lived up to its name.

Sardinia Crossing

2010-06-15T23:57:00.004+10:00

While cruising in the Med there are always a few wide open spaces, blue in the charts that have to be crossed. From Greece to Sicily and now from Italy to Sardinia. As always it involves a night passage. Fortunately it is no more than a day or two so a good watch system does not have to be set up just choose your weather.
We left the mainland of Italy, that is to say the Island of Capri to sail to wards Pnza a small island off the coast as a stageing post. We had visisted it in 2007 so knew the anchorage and the facilities. It is beautiful, the supplies adequate and the most important the holding is good. Of course the wind was from the wrong direction and chose to blow into the protected anchorage but it was from the South East. The right wind for the crossing.
We downloaded the GRIB files and studied the strength and direction then chose two days hence to leave at a respectable time to arrive at our destination during the day.
On checking the newer files at sunset the day before the situation had changed. The final stages of the crossing were going to be windy. Solution leave early.
Up at first light. No wind so we motored out of Ponza and continued that way till well into the afternoon when a reasonable breeze came through aft of the beam.
Up with the reacher - the large blue and white sail that billows out front pulling us along and a great speed. Denny and I settled down to a lovely sail as the sun set. It was going so well be started dinner.
After only a few hours and right when one reaches the last and best part of any meal the wind died and I had to rush forward and snuff the big ballooner. Oh well there will be another day.
Back to motoring into the clouded sky and black of the night.
Denny called me at 2:00 am asking to analyse the many spots on the radar. Three vessels all seemed to be converging with one astern in a rain squall. No risk but an experience shared not stood alone at the helm.
At 4:00 just as it was getting light – I cant say the sun was rising because we have not seen the sun all day since. The rain came down and the ferries and cruise ships came at us from all sides. As is the case with all landfall this season the wind rose. Fortunately from astern but at 30 knots I thought is prudent to take a reef in. Well not one but two. It went well and I was concentrating on the job at hand and did not notice the large ferry not half a mile away. I must say I was pleased with the speed of Malua through the water, down wind as I put distance between us only to be confronted by another ferry off the starboard bow. I switched on the motor to get us above 8.5 knots to pass infront of their bow.
The prospect of a secure anchorage looked good as we sailed into Porto Rotondo and dropped the anchor along side a few 70 ft yachts.
Another crossing another experience. Great.

Amalfi Tourist Experience

2010-06-09T16:25:00.001+10:00

Malua cruised into Amalfi for the second time while in the Med. This is positively the best place on the Italian coast. Not is it beautiful and full of history and culture but the wine and food is good. We stopped in at a very upmarket restaurant to celebrate my birthday and enjoyed the experience more than usual.
The next day instead of walking in the hills we took the bus to Positano and had our lunch overlooking the beach. We decided to take the boat back to Amalfi. Tourist style.
That evening Assie friends from Vos dropped by for a sundowner.

Today we are off to Capri for another tourist experience

Strait of Messina

2010-06-08T05:53:00.001+10:00

The Strait of Messina separate Sicily from mainland Italy. It has been feared my many marinas since the time of Odysseus who lost six of his men to a giant octopus who guarded the shore. He did not fare well after passing south through the striat because his mast fell down killing his helmsman.

Malua set off at 4:00am in the dark from Naxos which is the bay south of the town of Taomina which was made known by James Michner in his book of the '70 The Drifters. We have now visited all the towns in the book and traveled the same route the group followed in our VW during 1974.

We had timed our departure to get a north flowing tide through the strait. It worked and we had a great run north up to the port of Messina when the south flowing tide and westerly wind caught us. From the above picture one can see the turn of the tide or the infamous whirlpool ready to turns your ship around or suck it into the depths. Nothing happened!

The swordfish of Sicily which we eat on our last visit to the island in 2007 migrate through the straits of Messina. Unlike the eastern Sicilian fisherman who catch the fish in nets the ones in this strait follow them in boats with a 10 foot height mast with two men at the top spotting the fish. When they get close a crew member run out along an equally long bowsprit with a harpoon and spears a swordfish who is sleeping on the surface drifting with the current. We saw three boats but nobody on the bowsprit so the fish must have got away.

On exiting the Strait we had a decision to either head NW to the Eolian Island (Volcano) or more north to Tropea. The wind made the decision so we sailed north in 15 knots of wind to the Marina at Tropea. After washing Malua off with the fresh water in the marina we climbed the 204 steps up the cliff to the town of Tropea. I had spent my 2007 birthday in the town. Unfortunately we had to move north so the excellent dinner could not be repeated.

Sawdust and Shavings

2010-06-05T16:21:00.001+10:00

Today Malua looked like it was back in the back garden. It was covered with sawdust and shavings. WhenI built Malua I was aware that home builders spend an extrordinary amount of time putting the finishing touches to their driem boat. Some do it because it is their dream and when they finish it will become their reality while others dont want to stop because they fear the sailing and unknown more than the challenges in the workshop. I knew that the first was very real so I completed the major items on the to-do list then set a date to launch. I also wanted to go sailing for the summer. The to-do list is still incomplete however having launched in Preveza and a few days before Denny arrived I thought now was a good time to put a line though a few items.
Above the navigation pod is an open space which should be closed wiith a cover. A quite noticable area. I went into the wood store in one of the cupboards and retrieved the chosen piece of maranti, fired up the generator and cut the piece to size with by jigsaw. Then out with the sander and plane to get it smooth. Then more sanding the navigation pod and before I knew it Malua was covered in sawdust and shavings. Just like the old days but this time it had to start cleaning it up immediatly because Denny was due on board in a few days.
After a few coats of varnish and a bit of epoxy glue the new shelf was put in place. Nextt the good clean up and Malua was again in Bristol fashon,

Doing Time

2010-05-26T15:27:00.000+10:00

Denny left Sydney yesterday and is currently in Dubai waiting for the connection to Athens. I have been sailing in the Ionian or more exactly laying at anchor. The above picture is just one of the anchorages I stopped at called I think Port Atheni. I had sailed from the mainland at a great place Astakos. Very few boat visit the harbour and the town reflects it. The people are friendly, The shopkeeper helpful. I stocked up on provision, fruit and veg plus a new phone card to access the internet. This year I have not used free WiFi but the 3G phonenetwork to access the internet. The access is great quick and available almost anywhere and at any time.

The fleet is in port

2010-05-23T05:16:00.004+10:00

I decided to go into the harbour of Kalimamos quite early in the afternoon. I had had a great sail from Meganise but the weather was still overcast and slight rain was still falling. The harbour is quite narrow with a newish breakwall. The pilot warned that there were rocks on the inside of the wall and caution should be used when going stern too the breakwall. I decided I would go bow too and drop my kedge anchor in the harbour and run the rode from the stern. The bow would be against the breakwall and hopefully the keel would be far enough off the wall to clear the rocks. I lined up the position on the wall went ahead and threw the anchor off the stern. Everything went according to plan and I was tied up and welcomed before I knew it.
Soon after securing myself a small wooden yacht entered the harbour and decided to repeat my mooring technique. His approach run was not well executed because it started well over my anchor line. When he threw his anchor over the stern it was well over my anchor rode. I pointed this out to him however his response was: he had not yet let go the rode so it was not across my anchor. Was I just stupid and he knew what he was doing. I watched as they secured their little vessel bow to the break water about six boat widths from Malua.
The fleet then started to enter the harbour. Sailing Holidays flotilla of 14 boat started to come into port. The first vessel dropped their stern anchor alongside mine and came up to the breakwater bow first, just on my port side. It was executed perfectly under the guidance of the fleet leader, a competent Kiwi. The next vessel repeated the manoeuvre, then the next and again the next. By the time the space was filled between Malua and the tiny wooden boat six anchor rodes had crossed his anchor. At which point he could take it no more and approached the fleet leader complaining. I must say I could not hold back repeating his words back to him that he knew what he was doing and was he in fact stupid to position is anchor blocking the mooring for six vessels. The fleet leader assured him come the morning all would be sorted.
He left before the fleet left port untangling his rode by using his RIB.
I must say the fleet leader did an excellent job in getting all the fleet into the small port without a single raised voice.

Finding your way home

2010-05-23T05:15:00.004+10:00

In your home town getting lost on your way home can only be attributed to taking the wrong turn or having just a little too much to drink. When sailing not finding your way back to your boat can have dire consequences. In my case I was a sober a judge, knew the right turning but just could’nt get to the right bay. I might say I was walking on in the RIB.
I had anchored Malua in one of the many bay of Abelake on the NW side of Meganisi. In the late afternoon I set off for an evening walk having walked in this area the previous year. That was both an advantage and a disadvantage. I knew my way around but also recognised the road and the twists and turn over the hills. I climbed up from the beach through a fairly rough bit of land with overhanging trees and bushes. Noting as I reached the road that a previous walker had stepped in a mud puddle and a few meters up the road there was a pile of stones. Great pointers for my return.
I walked for about an hour and reached Little Vathi to find Charlie Girl stern too the quay. I was invited onboard for a drink which then turned into a delicious meal. The weather had turned to rain but looked as if it would pass before it got dark. Excusing myself I left about half-an-hour before it got dark – about the time it would take me to walk back to the bay in which Malua was anchored. Charlies parting words were “we have a sleeping bag you can stay on board”.
I set off at a pace up the mountain along the road towards the bay just as the rain started to fall. I remembered the road was it from this year or last. No problem just follow the road to the pile of stones and the mud puddle. The rain was no falling and the night had closed in. I could just see but finding the pile of stone was a problem and the mud puddle had of course turned into a pool. No sweat I could see the anchor lights of the boat in the bay below so I head down the side of the hill through an olive grove. About 100 m from the shoreline the bush closed in but I was able to pick my way through the bush in now the darkness. Success I reached the beach. The wrong beach and wrong bay.
OK I recognised the dirt track leading from the bay knowing it would circle the headland and come out on top of the hill above Little Vathi. All I would have to do was return and start again. After about 40 minutes walk I was back at the start point. Right follow the road. This looks familiar - this year or last? Now it was quite dark but with the white road I could make my way. I followed the same road and reach the same olive grove so I knew I had gone too far. Back track to a point I could see anchor lights. The same lights the same bay? No more lights a different bay. Only one way to find out. Head off down the hill side. After a short time I came out in an olive grove which had the same feel as the last but on this occasion I could see the an anchor light. Again the last 100 meters was thick bush but this time it was pitch dark and raining. I took my time and struggled through the undergrowth only to come out on the same beach as before. Ok back along the dirt track to the start point. I was now getting cold and my feet were sore in the wet dockshoes. The thought of the warm sleeping bag on Charlie Girl was tempting.
Right, start at the beginning. Think what you did last time and take the right turns this time. As I passed a house with a high wall I thought the entrance led to the front door but not wanting to miss an opportunity I took this turn. No front door just the correct path I had taken earlier in the afternoon. There was the pile of stones, now look for the mud puddle. Well it had gone replaced by a flowing stream. I head off down the slope and even in the darkness I knew I was on the right track. After a few minutes I was on the beach and there was the RIB securely tied to a tree. I was off to the dark outline of Malua in the distance. I climbed aboard, took off my wet jacket and stepped fully clothed into the bathroom to turn on the hot shower while I undressed and started to warm up. Was I pleased for the shower and to be home in my own bed.

Meeting good friends

2010-05-23T05:14:00.001+10:00

Cruising is all about sailing to new and exciting places, the culture you find there and then the most important the people you meet. Talking to the locals is not always satisfying because of your lack of language skills although sometimes in Greece you can be surprised when a person replies to you question in an Australian accent. They have invariably spent their working life somewhere in Oz and have now returned to retire on their Oz pension. They always remember their time with pride and affection.
It is not these people that make a lasting impression on one sailing but the other cruisers who follow the same lifestyle as you. These people turn from “sharing the same anchorage” to real friends. One such couple are Richard and Charlie from Charlie Girl. We have crossed wakes for four years in a row and on each occasion Denny and I have really enjoyed our time together.
The first occasion was at Pylos when they came into the small harbour and I asked if I could take their lines. “thanks but we are quite familiar with this location”. From that started a great friendship. The following year the Cyclades and then the Ionian. This year it is again the Ionian. Richard and Charlie have sampled most of the restaurant in the area that they cruise so a recommendation of where to eat the evening that we meet is a given. On all occasions the owner recognises them, the service is great, the food good and the extras a very nice touch. As usual we stopped for a drink and then headed off for a very pleasant meal at the Rose Garden at Little Vathi on Meganisi. Over dinner I said cooked a mean curry and offered then the opportunity to sample one the next evening.
Fortunately I had all the ingredients and a little help from Herbie and his spices. The meal turned out a great success so next year I expect Richard to recommend the curry house on Malua.

Changing weather Vathi Ithica

2010-05-16T03:06:00.000+10:00

I went for a walk last night up the mountain to the village overlooking the harbour town of Vathi. It was quite a trek up the valley. I gave up before I reached the top but I could see far into the distance. There in the east there where black clouds. It was overcast at the time as you can see from the photo. I returned to the village completely tired and decided to have a meal at a restaurant owned by a Greek Australian who had run a fish and chip shop at Manly wharf. His grilled lamb looked good so a ordered a portion. It was outstanding.
After the meal the restaurants started to packup their outside tables. I asked why? Going to rain, yes rain hard. I finished up and returned to Malua just in time to catch the first drops of a wind and rain storm. The wind rose and turned the placid bay into a windswept mess. Luckely there were only a few vessels anchored in the bay so I could sleep with easy.

Today I checked the weather forcast and it showed that the wind would turn from the east to a westerly going as high as 25 knots. I just had time to way anchor and head north to the seclusion of Vlikho bay. After washing off the anchor prudence suggested that I just go stern to along the whalf which I did between two British boats. After lunch the wind rose to well over 25 knots from the beam. First a charter boat's anchor pulled away and they had to run the motor to stay off the jetty while one of the crew went off to find the skipper. When he arrived they took off unfortunatly pulling the anchor chain out of the next vessel along. A large British yacht. He asked for my help so I jumped on board as we steamed off the jetty pulling up the anchor. Just made it. A Kiwi in a RIB came alongside to say the Harbour Police wanted all yachts to move out of the anchor area because the ferry was comming in and they were not confident thay they could hold the vessels course in the high wind. I returned with him to Malua.
Not wanting to stay beam on to the wind I dropped the lines headed out hauling the anchor from the wheel position. A less than optimal situation. I got away without disturbing the boats alongside. I headed over to the secluded part of the bay and tied up alongside the whalf. Within an hour all the other boats had moved and sought shelter in this area.

Sleep this evening but the forecast does not look good for tomorrow.

Dock Shoes

2010-05-11T00:01:00.000+10:00

I try to go for a walk every evening while cruising in the Mediterranean. If one doesn’t you either get cabin fever or you get fat. Walking on the Greek island is more difficult than in say Turkey or even Italy because of the rocks and stones. The goats have eaten most of the vegetation. The stones have hard edges, the paths are strewn with them set to cut anything that stand on them. In my case to cut my dock shoes.

Yesterday I set off up a path on the mountain side of the island of Lefkas. On previous occasion we had anchored in Tranquil bay in the shadow of the mountain I had seen large lorries and cars appear to disappear into the mountain side. The road like most modern Greek road had been cut out of the mountain coming from the south to the town of Nadris. At one point the road disappeared but the rock cutting continued. I followed the cars as they drove down the road then disappeared never to be seen again. I speculated that the road entered a tunnel which came out the other side of the mountain close to the town’s centre.
I now had the chance to solve the puzzle of the vanishing vehicles. Donning my trusty dock shoes I set off up the path towards the road. It started to climb at quite a steep angle as I cane close to the disappearing road. Just one more turn and all would be revealed. What an anti climax. All the road did was take a sharp turn and run back on itself but at a lower level. It was screened by the bushes and trees. What appeared to be the tunnel entrance was in fact a hair pin bend. However a track led off from the apex of the bend and followed the contour of the mountain. I set off down this track which became narrower and narrower and more stone with every step. After about a kilometre it had degenerated into a goat trail clinging to the side of the mountain high above the bay. Soon even the goat trail petered out and I was faced with the decision of turning back or continuing hoping it would lead to some track down the mountain. Denny can attest that in fact there is no decision in these situations. It is always, there must be a way down if we continue.

At this point I started to realise why the road had taken the hairpin bend. The mountain was so steep that even the goats had given up making a track. What to do? Continue of course but my dock shoes where starting to feel the effects of the rocks and jagged stones. They were loosing their grip, first the left foot then the right. Was it my arm that contributed to my loss of balance or was it that I was out of practice.
After much effort on my hands and backside I managed to inch my way down the mountainside, the final stages over sheer rock face. I surprised an old lady tending her back garden as I appeared out of the brush at the base of the cliff face.
Once back on level ground I sat down to take the stones out of my shoes. I noticed why I had lost traction on the mountain side, my dock shoes had worn through. There was a large hole in the soles of my favorite walking shoes. Well it will be a new pair of shoes before I again set off up a Greek mountain track but maybe the next time in a pair of Australian elastic sided boots.

Corfu Castle

2010-05-05T21:30:00.000+10:00

Malua is anchored in the shadow of the "New" castle at Corfu. We sailed north from Preveza, to Paxos stayed a night at Galios and then on to Lakki. Met two OZ boats of which one was from Croatia. After a reasonable dinner a shore we left the next day to motor north to Corfu. Did a trip round the point to look at the Venitian houses in the old part of town then back to the bay south of the castle.
The water is so clear we could see the sand patches so we dropped the anchor in one and went astern letting out 40m of chain. We were last here in September 2009 when we had to leave early one morning because the wind had come up with the sun and the slop was just so uncomfortable. At the moment ther is no wind and the sea is as flat as a mirror.
Iain and I visited the market this morning to replenish the stores. I left him in town to walk around and connect with the internet. I rewired the refrigerator so both compressors would run then started the generator to put some amps into the tree battery banks. Looks good.
I have also got my Vodafone 3G USB modem working so connecting to the net will be a breeze if not expensive.

Extra Battery Bank

2010-05-04T04:09:00.001+10:00

You can never have too many amps on a boat. With today's gadgets and instruments they seem to eat up amps right before your eyes. Three years ago I install a second bank of batteries. That was in addition the the main house bank of 600 amp hours. The second one was of the same type but only four 6 volt 200ah which gave me an additional 400 amp hours. Unfortunately in installing this bank I decided to remove the engine start battery believing that the I had enough amps and the charging regime of a starter battery was different from the two house deep cycle gel batteries. One seasons experience I found that after a few days the two banks had dropped on voltage and it was not save to rely on them to start the engine. It always started but the draw of the starter was just too great.
While in Oz I purchased a new 1,2 both battery switch, went to my store a took off a role of battery wire. It is heavy being pure copper. I thought I would have to make it into a belt to wear on the plane to keep the hold luggage within limits but Emirates gives you 30Kg and this time I was just under the limit.
While in Oz I purchased a new 1,2, both battery switch, went to my store a took off a role of battery wire. It is heavy being pure copper. I thought I would have to make it into a belt to wear on the plane to keep the hold luggage within linits but Emirates gives you 30Kg and this time I was just under the limit.

I set about analyzing the current situation. I thought I knew the circuits and had then drawn in my electrical diagram but like everything on a boat things change and one forgets what changes you make.

The next challenge is to draw the schematic of what the circuits should be and then to see if you can implement it within the confines of the switch box. Again having a store of wire, crimps and clampers on board helps to make the job easy. I had luckely left the engine battery wire on the board so connecting the new switch was only a question of running the new wires to the right places and getting the connections right. After a few minutes the dead was done and the the time was right to throw the switch.

Engine started first go and went into charge mode for the engine battery bank. Great. Move the switch from 1 to both and the second house bank receives a charge. You can now use the windlass and the alternator will take the load. Then when that is completed either leave the switch to both on move to 2 to dedicate the current to the second bank. I f the first bank need charging just change the main battery switches to both and the both get the amps. Hopefully giving me more amps than I will need.

Replumb the Fridge water

2010-05-03T16:19:00.000+10:00

Having launched Malua in Preveza and sailing north to visit some of the Greek island it is now time to look at the Todo list and cross a few of the tasks off.

All the task to get the boat ready for the water have been completed....antifoul, polish topsides, rerig the lines and halyards, bend on the sails, put the bimini canvas back on. The fridge was regassed but I need to replace the water pump used to cool the compressor. I purchased the closest replacement from Defender in America during their presummer sale and had it Fedexed to Greece. Getting that through customs is another story which will have to wait. On investigation I found that while it would fit it was not in the optinum position being too far from the sea water inlet. I had to locate it in the water section of Malua. That is under the port settee seat along with the other pumps and pipes. Not a hard job but it ment that I had to disconnect a number of other pipes and place the pump close to the water inlet plus add a valve to shut off the flow if that is required.
Every thing went smoothly. It always helps to have a store cupboard full of fittings, clamps and short pieces of hose. Within an hour the new pump was attached to the bulkhead, connected to the seawater inlet filter and the fridge with the outlet passing through an existing above water through hull. Well all that is required now is to turn on the fridge and wait for it to cool. Cold beer will soon be in our hands.

Summer has started

2010-05-01T04:42:00.001+10:00

Iain and I arrived in Athens after an easy flight with Emirates from Sydney, Bangkok, Dubai and finally into Athens. Having once used the Greek Metro it seems second nature and checking into the same hotel in the Plaka made all the difference. Unfortunately the winter timetable applied at the Acropolis so everybody had to be out of the site by 14:30. One can see why the Greek economy is in such need of money but the connection between work and income has not been made so while people were asking to get in to the gates the guards were determined to knock-off at the designated 15:00.

The Acropolis Museum made up for the actual site and the National Museum has some lovely pieces which Iain enjoyed. Saturday saw us arrive at the bus station early to get a seat on a quarter full bus to Preveza. Six hours but an easy run.

On arrival at Preveza Marina the power was switched on and a ladder was ready for us to climb aboard. We did not have much time before the sun set but we did wash the boat down. Inside everything was spick and span with not a drop or water and no visible mould or damage. The cover for the cockpit really does work.

The next day Iain washed and polished the top sides. I must say with my saw arm I would not have been able to reach up to do that task. Malua looks great. The next day was below the waterline. Dressed up in overalls and a well fitting mask Iain sanded the antifouling. Not a hard job but dirty and quite tiring on the arms. We washed the residue off and set about applying the Micron Extra antifouling I purchased in Venice the previous years. As usual it went on well but we seemed to use a little more than previously 3.5 l for the underside. I then set about sanding the Autoprop furling propeller to get it as smooth as possible. After a wash and greasing the bearing it was time to apply the Australian lanolin to the blades. I also applied heat from the heat gun to get a nice smooth finish. This form of protection has been very good. Much better than long life antifouling. Last year we got not a single barnacles on a blade. After three days of intensive work we were both ready for an early night.

Launch day. Only the sails to bend on and we are ready to go in the water. I walked to the office to settle the final account to find that they owed me some money. What a surprise! We had agreed to launch at 12:0 noon. Having experienced Marmaris launch fiasco I was ready to settle down for an afternoons wait when there was a knock on the hull, "Are you ready?" Yes it is exactly noon. With great efficiency the low loader was manoeuvred into place, the struts removed and we were moving towards the water. The travel lift was then positioned over Malua and the belts tightens and we were moving towards the launch dock. Malua was gently lowered into the water and we were free all in less than a hour. What joy and lack of stress. If only Marmaris could learn from this. The difference is that here they launch six boats a day while in Turkey they launch 20 boats before lunch.

Start the engine, turn on the instruments and the summer has started. What joy.

We came alongside at Preveza town and set about adding to the provisions. The major outstanding is to have the fridge gassed. I have contacted the fellow who said he would drop round tomorrow with the 134a gas and fill the fridge workings. It sounds easy so we will have to wait and see.

Packed and ready to fly

2010-04-21T10:19:00.001+10:00

Are the birds flying north for the summer or have they put their flight on hold because of the ash spread all over Europe? I am sure they are flying north but the big birds are not flying. Qantas is still grounded and will not take off for a few days but Emirates has been flying right through the crisis. Luckely this year for the first time we have not flown through London but chose to fly direct to Athens. This airport has been open. If everything goes according to plan Iain and I take off from Sydney this evening at 1845 for Dubai and then on to Athens.
Everything is packed. My hold luggage is 25kg while Iain who has my survival suit in his bag is just less. As usual my cabin bag is well over weight but I will transfer that weight to my pockets and the bag will come in under the 7kg.
My eighth summer in a row is about to begin and for once it is not raining in Canberra on departure day.

Preparing for the next summer

2010-04-13T19:28:00.002+10:00

Today I spent preparing to leave the southern summer to fly north for their summer.

I have collected most of the parts for Malua and have confirmed the flight details, booked the bus to Sydney Airport and confirmed the booking at the hotel in Athens. Lets hope this time the hotel has the correct room. Last time we stayed there was a mixup and Denny and I had to share a single bet for the first night. Not something we have done for a long time.

I then attempted to phone the bus service to book a seat on the bus from Athens to Preveza or in fact Aktio which is where Malua has wintered. A detail search of the web turned up a few phone numbers but all turned out incorrect. Then a search of the blogs and news groups and a gem was uncovered. The correct number. A very polite greek lady answered the phone and took my booking for Sunday at noon. We will arrive in the dark but that is the least of our concerns.

Preparing to upgrade engine battery power flow

2010-03-31T17:33:00.000+11:00

Sail and the wind is the best source of power on a boat but second to that electrical power is critical not only to run the lights and chart plotters but to start the engine. In 2006 I installed a new battery bank to assist the house bank. It involved running a new set of battery wire from the new bank to the switch board and then rewiring the main switch panel.
Malua always seemed to lean over to Starboard because the main battery bank of six 6 volt 200Ah are located under the quarter berth on the starboard side. The choice for the new battery bank was easy - it had to be on the port side. The only reasonable place was under the aft cabin bunk so that is where it went. I could only fit four 6 volt Sonnenschein SB6 200 amp-hour batteries into the space. No matter this bank drives the electronics and does not need as many amp-hour as the primary bank.

In the process I took the starting battery out of the circuit but left the cables running to the main switch board. I estimated that the combined power of the 10 batteries would be sufficient to start the 50Hp Yanmar with ease. In fact it is more than I require but on starting the engine the power draw leads to a drop in voltage to the chartplotter and it does not like it especially if the battery voltage is low.
The solution is to reintegrate the starting battery into the main switch board unfortunately the starting battery is not the same as the house batteries and therefore they have a different charging regime. I cant just add the starting to one bank. The starter will be connected directly to the starting bank and then add a switch to the cable from the generator cable to the main house bank and the starting bank. To start the switch will be on starter, to charge switched to both or main bank.
Well that is the plan, all I have to do now is cable in the new switch and test it when Malua is back in the water.

Marine Rescue Helicopter Training

2010-03-15T22:51:00.003+11:00

The Southcare helicopter requires of their paramedics undergo highwire training from the water and vessel to the helicopter. Batemans Bay Marine Rescue willingly provided a platform for this training. When I have been involved in the past it has convinced me that I do not want to be in a position to be plucked from the sea by a thin wire from a helicopter.

We are required to steam 20 degrees off the wind at about 8 to 12 knots so the helicopter can hover above us on our port side. If anything goes wrong the helicopter will swing over to the port side to ditch.
The parametric have to prepare themselves in our vessel then as the wire is lowered they connect and indicate that they are ready to be lifted. If all goes well they rise up from our deck BUT if there is a swell then we go up and down and the helicopter hovers above. The wire gets tight and the winch man has to let some go then when everyone is ready up they go.
The noise is ear splitting and the spray too great to see without goggles. The whole process is a good exercise and a warning not to get into a situation that you will need the high wire.
To watch the exercise and my trip down the coast click on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJ1-bwKfrt8

Annual Mooring Maintenance

2010-03-15T16:55:00.000+11:00

It time for the annual mooring maintenance not that last year much maintenance was undertaken because the previous year I had replaced the shackles and the mooring line to the buoy. A year ago the only thing that was needed was to replace the stainless steel mouse wire through the nuts of the shackle.
Again this year Stephen took me out in his boat Tegwen towing his tinny from which I could access the mooring. This year the water was much warmer at 23.5 C however I decided to wear a bottom half of a wet suit before donning the scuba and slowly sinking down into the murky waters of the low tide. To my horror as a reached the end of the mooring line I discovered the thimble was missing and two of the three strands in the eye splice had worn through. The whole mooring was hanging by 10 thin strands of the line. I proceeded down the chain to the shackle at the concrete block to find this to be buried in sand. I tried to undo the nut on the shackle with two large shifting spanners but was not able to get any movement from it. The next time that is removed will be with a grinder or oxi torch.

I attempted to undo the top nut from the bolt through the swivel shackle. That was not going to budge either. Not even when I was standing in the tinny and using the full force of the two large spanners. Unfortunately the swivel end has seen some corrosion and that will have to be replaced in a year or so.
Having attached another mooring line to the top chain Stephen and I winched the line up from the bottom just to the surface to work on the swivel. I also had to clear the weed from the line. Not difficult but great care has to be taken not to cut your hands.

Now to undo the nut from the bolt on the swivel. Not even with a hard surface to work from would the nut budge. Another grinder job.
I cut the old mooring line from the swivel and attached the new line below the swivel because the shackle was not large enough. That will do for a few months but will have to be seen to if used.

Raw water impeller

2010-02-24T13:37:00.002+11:00

While cruising one's senses are heightened and sight, sound and sight are improved from the time one was within the rat race. When did you get up in the night if a door banged closed or the wind rose. The same can be said about sound. I believe one becomes very aware of the sound of your yacht at anchor, sailing and under way. Malua has a 50 hp diesel engine which has performed very well in the Mediterranean. I designed the exhaust system to handle sailing in flat and rough water.
When we were motoring towards Previsa I noticed a change in the tone of the exhaust and looked over the side to find the amount of water coming out of the outlet had reduced substantially.

After anchoring I investigated and found the raw water impeller blades had disintegrated. Having a replacement in the store I was able to install a new impeller immediately. I now have to get a new impeller from the local supplier.
Some people believe the impeller should be replaced annually. I think this is good but unnecessary. It depends on where you sail. While sailing in Venice there was a lot of sand and mud. This caused the impeller to wear faster. One should have a grill on the through hull and a filter soon after. These will catch larger items but not sand and mud.
How do you know when the impeller has gone?
Listen and watch the raw water exhaust outlet. If you don't notice the raw water the temperature gauge should tell you or a sound alarm will (if you have one).

Restocking the spares store

2010-02-16T10:30:00.002+11:00

Cruising has been said to be the performance of maintenance in exotic places or word to that effect. Having fitted out Malua from a bare hull in 2003 I was not prepared to do any more maintenance work except on a Sunday - my day of rest from sailing through the Pacific. Luckily very little needed attention so I could relax and enjoy the South Pacific. Malua is now in the Mediterranean and time has moved on. The marine environment is starting to take its toll. Most of the electrical seawater pumps have had to be replaced while the fridge sea water pump is leaking and is corroded. The rubber valves (duckbills) in the Sealand vacuum toilet have lost their flexibility and only just close while the stitching on the canvas of the bimini is starting to come apart.
So while back in Australia I have again activated my trade accounts and stated to restock the spares store. The items required are
. Repair Simrad autopilot
. Replace wind instrument at mast head
. Seawater deckwash pump
. Seawater internal pump
. Isotherm fridge control unit
. Isotherm seawater pump
. Yanmar raw water impeller
. Yamaha 8 HP water impeller
. HF radio external antenna cable
. YKK zipper and sliders
. New Australian flag
. Muir anchor counter magnet unit

The first item Simrad has given me the most problems because the Navico distributor would not take my unit in for service because it was 8 years old. The resolution to that issue is a story in itself... for another day.

Fixing the Tiller Hand

2010-02-04T13:27:00.008+11:00

While preparing Malua to go back into the water at Marmaris in 2007 I was kindly given a used 45Kg Rocla anchor. I lifted it off the dock and walked towards Malua across a puddle of muddy water. I only got half across when my feet slipped from under me and I fell backwards. While going down I managed to throw the anchor to one side but I landed on my right elbow. It was very soar for about two months and I found I could not lift my arm above my shoulder for the rest of the season.

The following season I applied antifouling to the underside of Malua much to the stress of my right shoulder. During the season it got so lame I could not lift it up to the top of the wheel. On returning to the Australia I visited the Orthopaedic surgeon who immediate diagnosed a rotary cuff or long head of the bicep tear of the ligaments.

In my case he said it was fixable after establishing which was the exact ligament that causing the pain. After an ultra-scan and a MRI (you know lying in a small tunnel while a large magnet spinning around you) and many dollars later I was booked into the local hospital for a shoulder reconstruction.

The week before Christmas I checked in and went under at about noon. The number of checks to confirm that it was in fact my right shoulder that they were operating on (surgeon draws large arrow on shoulder with permanent marker) was reassuring.

I came round about 300pm feeling very thirsty but no pain. That was to come later. After a reasonable night sleep I was given a hearty breakfast which I enjoyed but did not keep down for more than half a hour – not as bad a seasickness but the same effect. I was instructed to keep my arm in a sling for six weeks. Well can you imagine me doing that. Impossible. I must say though that I did not use the arm effectively for almost three weeks and the muscles have wasted. The pain is still here six weeks after the operation.

I am now out of the sling, doing exercises four times a day. At the moment I am trying to get the range of movement back but soon it will be building up the muscle and the strength. No more anti fouling this year.

While I was building Malua I had a medical set back and while I was in hospital all I could think about was how large the power winches would have to be to get me back on the boat. I installed the winched but recovered not to have to use them. Well this season I will have to use them!

Malua hauled for winter

2009-10-30T19:28:00.003+11:00

For two years we have hauled Malua in Turkey. It was a great experience and the cost was very reasonable. This year we deceided to stay somewhere in the central Mediterranean so that we would not have to travel the long distance from Turkey to Italy next year. We finally deceided on Preveza because of its location and reasonable cost. The people appeared to be helpfull and the yard is not too full. many people have stayed at Cleopatra's Marina but since they built a swish new marina and do not let you work on your boat without permission I deceided to tru the yard next door - Preveza Marina.
We confirmed the haul date and set a time. What a change from Yot Marine where you may wait a whole day to be hauled. Well at exactly 8:00 Malua was in the slings and we were raised out of the water. No problems and no fuss, just a great group of people working together.
We then moved the travel lift down the lines to an open spot where they put Malua on a steel cradle and shored up the sides, bow and stern. It was then up to us to prepare Malua for the winter by removing all the outside gear, lines, hallyards and sails.

Malua hauled for winter

2009-10-12T17:16:00.001+11:00

Malua was hauled at Preveza for the winter. We have returned to Oz for the southern summer.

Malua to be Hauled for Winter

2009-09-23T20:01:00.001+10:00

Malua is now in Prevevza ready to be hauled out of the water for the winter as we return to Oz for the Summer. It has again been a long season. Starting at Marmaris in Turkey, traveling through greece and the Corinth Canal to the Ionian then north to Croatia and spending two weeks in Venice. We then sailed south through Croatia, Montenegro and back into Greece. We have spent a few weeks cruising around the islands.
Tomorrow it is up on the hard, off to Athens then back to fly out to London then on to OZ. A great season

Cos and sailing north

2009-05-19T18:33:00.001+10:00

I arrived in Kos in the old harbour under the castle walls. The summer season has not started because there were only two other yachts and a large German gullet. The fellow had purchased it on the Internet for 15000 euro and then spent 20,000 fixing it up. What a great buy.

Richard and Marita arrived a dawn the following day after a very pleasant ferry ride from Athens. A double cabin, shower and dinner in the restaurant - the order of the day. It was great because they were not tired after their flight from Gatwick which as usual meant that they had to leave home at 4:00 am to get the cheap fares. We went to the local supermarket and stocked up with the essentials they needed and set sail for Kalimnos. We had an easy sail with Marita at the helm. Qualified competent crew in charge. I made a poor attempt to go stern too to the dock because half way in I changed hands on the anchor switch and started to pull it up rather than down. Well the second attempt we came in rather well and secured the lines in the usual spot. Off to the Australian butcher. Well I should say Greek but his father registered him as an Oz when he worked in Darwin so he had to show me his new Oz passport. Very proud to be an Australian. Just like the owner of the local hardware shop. He opened his wife's bag and out came his passport, drivers licence and other papers just to prove to me that he is a proud Australian. If the government ever forced its citizens to pass a English speaking test they would loose half of the population. The half that really want to be Australians.

The next day the the wind was from the south so we set sail north to Lakki on the island of Leros with its Italian art deco buildings. We chose to anchor out and threw out at least 40 m of chain which dug in rather well. The cat next to us dragged their anchor just as the sun set and almost landed up on the rocks. The wind continued to blow all night but the fetch was short so we had a good nights sleep. That evening we visited the local wood fired pitza place and had two great Italian pitzas in the right setting except it was Greece.

The wind was again in the right direction, over the stern but very light indeed so we motor sailed to Patmos the home of the Saracen pirates. St Christadoulos got permission in 1088 to build a monastery to St John the Divine who was banished here in the early BC era and wrote the book of Revelations in a cave just down the hill from the monastery. The rock in the cave is split into three being the holy trinity. It is a great story, the book exists but did he write it here, well we will never know but the tourists and believers come from far and wide. This cruiser has been to the monastery and cave twice. Richard and Marita enjoyed the site and the walk down to the harbour where we spent a few hours sitting on the waterfront with a Mythos in hand. What a way to spent and afternoon. We took a taxi back to the bay in the south of the island and enjoyed the local pork in orange sauce for the evenings meal.

Marita wanted to get some night sailing experience in while in the Med so at sun down the following day we set sail for Naxos in the Cyclades. The trip would take the whole night and we would arrive just as the sun was rising. The wind gods were kind to us with the wind from the north just on the bean at 15 knots. It was a great nights sail with two light houses as our waypoints along the routes. After turning at the northern light of Naxos we sailed south along the coast as the wind increased to over 25 knots and the sea rose to a good Med chop. We had to put a reef in the main an furl the genoa as we approached the red light of the harbour wall of Naxos town. The dawn was just arriving so we entered in the light just as planned. A great sail with only a small incident on route.

We dropped the anchor and let out 40 metres of chain then retired to sleep for a few hours. Unfortunately the chain was over a rock so as the boat moved in the now rising wind there was the ghastly sound of metal on rock. I could not pull in some scope or let it out but after a few hours the wind direction changed and the noise went away. That night the storm that had been brewing all day arrived with very heavy rain and increased wind. While Malua was inside the harbour wall the quay was only 40 meters away so at about 3:00 am I decided that one anchor was just not enough and I would not be able to start the engine before we hit the rocks so I started the engine as a precaution and stood anchor watch until dawn when Richard helped me deploy a second anchor. We both returned to bed to catch up on a few hour sleep. That day was also spent down below although Richard and Marita took a walk around the town. The next day dawned fine and we set up anchors after a bit of back and forth with the second anchor, it would not have moved during the high winds.

Sailed most of the way to Anti Paros and the wide bay in the south that Malua had previously visited. Two other yachts and the restaurant not yet open for the season. The on to Vathi on Sifnos the location of a great meal with Richard and Charlie after their "rescue" . I just had to phone them to find out their location which was in the Ionian. Great to hear they are still well and enjoying the sailing but from the web it sound as if the ex charter yacht is needing some maintenance. We walked all round the bay and high up into the mountains above the few houses, returning just in time for a great meal in the local tavern. A visit to the kitchen to choose what we should eat.

On to Serifos to meet the ferry to Piraeus. We arrived and took the local bus to the top of the town and then a leisurely walk back to the boat just in time to watch a flotilla of British yachts arrive full of excited poms after a good days racing to the next island. An annual event which had some traditions of a good time had by all. Richard and Marita caught the evening ferry to Athens and a day on the Acropolis before flying back to the UK. I was alone again. I had greeted a rather smart and fast looking sopped boat that had come along side the previous evening. A couple who had taken an hour to travel the 65 NM from Athens to Serifos. Now that is fast travel. The following evening the came back to the dock but not with the same speed or style. One of the blades from the second propeller had broken off and cut a hole right through the swim platform. It was unbalanced so the skipper could only use one engine. 5 knots not 50. He had arranged to have a new propeller shipped on the next ferry fro Athens and was going to change it in the water along side the dock. not a good idea and not an easy job. We collected the propeller from the ferry and moved his boat to the beach where we tied it to the lamp post and one of the local mooring buoys. Here we were able to stand on the sand and get some leverage to undo the large bolts that held the propeller to the shaft. They came off easily but pulling the prop off the shaft was another task. just as we were about to use the hammer we both graped the prop, placed our feet against the stern, took a deep breath and pulled for all we where worth. It came off. Great. The new prop fitted with only just a few mm of clearance when we had done up the two nuts and placed the split pin back in a new hole. What I would expect for such a prestigious vessel. The props cost 15,000 euro each just in case you think this was some piece of bronze. They are balanced and each have about eight blades. thankfully the boat is still under warranty so the manufacturer will be picking up the cost. We retired to the waterside restaurant to celebrate the success because they sped off to Athens and work. great couple and an interesting day. I have an invitation to speed across the water at more than 60 knots when I an next in their area. I cant wait.

I the headed off to Serifos as I worked my way north. On route the engine compartment blower fan stopped working so I had to find a replacement. I anchored in the town harbour just in front of the many waterside restaurants. The ferry make quite a swell as they turn to go stern to against the quay. My gangplank got caught under the dock and the ends crushed as Malua surged back on its anchor. Not a great sight but better than fiberglass against concrete. Having the bicycles on board is a great help in covering a lot of ground in search of a spare part. I found a chandler and did not expect them to have a fan but could you believe it the very same fan at a much better price and in Oz. Such a pleasure to fit it. So now I have the hum of the blower as we motor along keeping the engine room cool or more importantly the alternator cool to give out the required amps. That evening for the second time the two yachts with the Swedish family celebrating the fathers birthday came stern too along side again. They were having great fun from the old couple right to a young baby in arms. The British vessel I had met at Serifos can in and invited me to drinks and dinner. Great night but their outlook for the British economy is not good with their prediction of asset values only 40 % of their highs of a few years ago.

I packed up, untied the lines and was heading out of the harbour when from across the water came this holla of Harry, Harry. Who was calling me? As I turned to this distant figure on the dock he took his cap off and I instantly recognised my great Italian friend Francesco and Paula who I had last seen in the Halkadiki. They had just come onto the island and had moored in the marina away from the swell and were walking to the town to get some provisions. We arranged to meet in Mykinos in a few days time. I continues to Delos to see the ruins and the famous lions ( stone that is and not the originals. I anchored under the sign that said no anchoring and took the RIB ashore to walk around the ruins just as the last of the mornings tour group as leaving and an hour before the afternoon group arrived. 16 guided groups from an American cruise liner. Thank goodness I am not rich and have to follow the group.

I set off for Mykinos to look at the old harbour. I had to weave my way around the three cruise liners and two large sailing ships anchored in the bay. I put my nose in the new harbour which like many Greek marinas is not finished to again hear a bellow of Harry from the dock side. Francisco had arrived and was moored along side. I came in against the dock and they rafted up o9n the outside. They had two New Zealand guest on board their small boat so my vessel was used a shower room, beauty parlour and dining room. Francesco prepared a great pasta which we enjoyed after passing the pots from one vessel to the next. The following day they set off for Delos while I sailed to the bay Ornos south of the Mikinos town. Again the bicycles came in handy but I took the high road up over the mountain rather than the coastal route to get to Mykinos. Was it hot and a long slog only followed by a short sharp down hill flight to cool off.. This evening we had skate pasta on Francesco's boat with no passing the pots from vessel to vessel. I also saved tome water.

The next day was a day sail to Paradise Beach to see the beautiful people who had obviously not arrived for the summer. Well rather that than the previous visit which was an eye opener. Now off to Tinos and the route north but i fear the wind is coming out of the north and I will have to battle a head wind or wait a few days.

Return to Turkey Preparing Malua for Summer

2009-05-19T18:14:00.003+10:00

I arrived with trepidation after the winter storms to find Malua just as I had left her. Nice and dry with a light covering of dust . Down below everything was shipshape. I struggled to get the RIB out through the companionway on my own but I knew it could be done, all I had to do is find the way it came in. At last after some struggle I found the right combination of tilt and angle and it eased its way into the cockpit. There was not much I could have done if it would not fit... get the chain saw is an option. I washed and polished the topsides, applying a new polish. The vessel looks good for a nine year old. I then set about sanding the anti fouling. What a job. Thankfully I have a very good mask to keep the dust out but in the end I was covered in dark blue dust. The showers will not get any weed in their drains after my shower. International anti fouling Micron Extra is expensive in Turkey about Aus $550 for five litres. I would normally apply 10 to 12 litres per session but this year I used a small roller and used only 3 litres for the entire bottom. We will see if it makes any difference. Last year after the trip to Istanbul the bottom was covered which took at least one knot off the cruising speed.

After the few days preparation I was lifted into the water. Last year I was moved at about 7:00 in the evening but got a great place in the water. I went out of my way to be pleasant to the people moving the boats because they have long memories. This year I must have been one of the first to go in the water and again I got a great spot on I pontoon along side some of the liverabords and early arrivals. I only had a few days to provision and get all the sails bent on. I asked Elstrom Sails to restitch the genoa UV cover which had come loose in places. They did a great job and everything fitted back in its place. The main sheet and halyard are showing some ware so I looked at replacing the spectra. The cost is just over the top - about $12 -$15 per meter and I need 75 meters. In the end I settled for some Turkish spectra which looks and feels as good as the OZ product. We will see when I have the time to splice the ends.

Yot Marine is feeling the pain of being so successful. The office has difficulty coping with the number of vessels settling their bills and checking out. It has a lot to do with a new computer system they have recently introduced which seems to be double entry with both side showing on the same page. The girls in the office struggle while the cruisers are still in their home frame of mind and want to do thing quickly and efficiently. You can see them sit in line for their turn and start to boil then storm out to come back the following day to go through the same wait. I am sure they return to their boat just to pick up a book and read! Some efficient American woman suggested that they have a list to which you add your name. First come first served. Great. The management then said only 30 names would be allowed on the list per day. If you are not there when your turn comes put your name on tomorrows list tomorrow. After a few days the whole idea was abandoned and the lady sailed off into the sun set. Try Turkish time. If you want some experience go to Tonga and wait for Tonga time.

Monday came and I had to leave to be in Kos to meet Richard and Marita who were flying into Athens on the Wednesday. Like my car trips the third day is the most dangerous. Sailing into to Symi on a lee shore the wind got up and the sea was very short I felt it was time to furl the genoa so I could motor past the point. I furled the genoa and as I started to put away the sheets I noticed the starboard sheet was over the side, under the boat, trailing in the water. Engine in to neutral and a mad dash to the bow to retrieve the loose sheet. The down side could have been very dangerous but I keep reminding myself that Malua is a sailing boat and I can, like Captain Cooke sail off a lee shore but rather not in 25 knots of wind and a short chop. I was relieved to drop the anchor in they bay with the monastery.

Man Over Board

2009-03-30T08:59:00.003+11:00

Man over board - The cry that every sailor hopes he never hears. Well it came on Saturday when I was sailing in a race in Batemans Bay on a racing yacht. I am the pit man controlling the halyards and lines as well as the sheets for the genoa. We have a large fellow on the foredeck who invited along two young fellows for a trial sail. In the marina we fitted the inflatable life jackets and instructed then on their use and why even young fellows should wear them for the duration of the race.
After a good start, a beat to the windward mark, a run down wind. We did have an unexpected jibe rounding the mark but nothing serious happened. We set off for the windward mark again and rounded that in third spot ahead of most of the fleet. The waves had risen and the wind increased to slightly more than 20 knots. Up went the spinnaker with out problems and the crew took up their positions. One youngster was asked to sit on the boom to hold it out!
With little warning we were running by the lee and the boat came over to weather with the boom jibing across the boat. The fellow had nowhere to go but follow the boom. He was projected into the water with a smart hit on the head as a passing shot. The bowman and myself got the spinnaker down and started to sort out the spinnaker pole. We were sailing away from our crew in the water. The skipper was flapping about with the mainsheet trimmer to get the boarding ladder out of an underfloor locker while the youngster inflated his life jacket and started to wave at us.
After a bit of shouting to steer the boat towards the crew and leave the ladder we tacked and started to sail towards the fellow in the water. By this time another yacht was in the vicinity.
We threw the youngster a line and with one mighty heave his friend and I lifted him out of the water, over the lifelines and into the cabin top. A Saturn rocket would have been proud of his trajectory. A relieved crewman found the situation funny rather than serious and we continued on with the race finishing third - not dropping a single place as a result of the incident.
There were many lessons learnt from that situation - the most important is that the skipper should continue to steer the vessel to the overboard crew and not worry about unnecessary things that other on the boat are capable of handling.
My worry over the incident is that I don't have total recall of every second of the event. I have snapshots of sections but I can not run through in my mind the exact sequence of events in any clear detail. Many things just happened and I am sure I was concentrating on doing those that were important to me but to review the whole incident is difficult. I am sure adrenalin has something to do with it. Age may also play a part.
We live to sail again and hopefully a little wiser and much more careful.

Servicing the Mooring

2009-03-25T16:31:00.005+11:00

Camrod Marine has a commercial mooring in Batemans Bay located to the south west of Square Head. It is the mooring from which Malua came loose the fateful day it landed up on the rocks. The mooring is located in a position that people believe they can use without my knowledge. Large vessels routinely used the mooring. I failed to check the mooring the night i secured Malua to it. When we left Malua on the mooring that night in preparation to sail to the Sydney to Hobart race the mooring parted and Malua drifted on to the shore. When I showed the mooring line to an experienced mariner he suggested it had been cut with a knife. This has been confirmed by other people who have examined the line. The evidence is so strong but I do not wish to think that someone would cut the mooring through spite. I do know that many people within the Bay would figuratively put a knife in my back but cut my mooring...well. I now service the mooring every year. Yesterday was the annual survey.

Stephen and I took his Catalina across the bar and out to the mooring. The mooring is in five meters of water. It has a large block with three chain links attached. To this we have shackled four meters of large link chain which is then shackled to a large swivel. Spliced to the top of the swivel through a galvanised thimble is a 25mm nylon line within a plastic tube. The mooring bouy is at the end of this 5 meter line. The tube is protection against abrasion and to make it easier to remove the marine growth that inevitably grows onto the line beneath the mooring bouy.

This morning the tide was about to run out so we either had to service it early at the top of the tide or hang around for the low tine. The weather was beautiful and the water was crystal clear so we started early. I scraped off the marine growth along the length of the mooring line as I pulled more of it into the dingy which we had towed behind the Catalina. After doing this for more than an hour the swivel was just below the surface and I had to don scuba gear and inspect the two swivels and the state of the chain and shackles. They where all in very good order. The lower shackle was buried in sand with no corrosion or wear. The upper shackle's stainless steel securing wire on the bolt had corroded so I replaced that with three strands. The nylon line was in almost perfect condition. The concrete block had not sunk into the sand as far as I would have liked so next season I will assist it into a hole with the use of a air lift pump to remove the sand at its base. I repainted the notice on the red mooring bouy – Not Safe – Do not use. So any person picking up my mooring will be well informed that they are not permitted and do so at their own risk.

Having completed the work we took Tegwin for a sail south towards Pretty Point where Denny has stationed herself with the camera. She took some lovely shots as we ran down wind then turned to sail back to the Bay. A great day.

Endless Summer

2009-03-19T15:03:00.001+11:00

The southern summer is coming to an end and I fly north to again enjoy a summer in the norther hemisphere. This year the time at Batemans bay has been interesting if not challenging. I have joined the crew of a racing yacht. It is a light displacement with all the right gear. The skipper loves the boat and tries so hard but the crew and he just dont seem to have the skills to make it go fast. It is not always happy on board but I love the time on the water and enjoy the camaraderie of racing. I hope one day it will all drop into place and we will get the result the owner and crew deserve.

The Coastal Patrol has again sunk into the depths of factionalism and the control by the cronies. It seems to repeat itself every few years. It got so bad the local head quit and walked away from the position. I was asked to make a submission on the issues and way forward but as with all consultant reports they will only acknowledge what they want to hear. I wonder what will happen with the new organisation? Has all this impacted the rescue services is a moot point for we will never know because we have not been tested. There have been no real rescues for six months which is a good thing.

The marina, sailing club and rescue organisation has such characters it could be the subject of a crime novel - corruption, money and goods passing hands, court orders, boats adrift in the night, threats, lockouts, censorship, power plays and weak characters willing to go to any end to achieve their goals.......wow all we need is murder.

I cant wait to get back to the quit life of cruising in the Mediterranean.

Current Cruise - 13 Back to Turkey

2009-02-05T12:20:00.002+11:00

Richard and Marita packed up and we waved goodbye as they boarded the local bus for the trip to Thessaloniki. The bus arrived late and they were on the edge of their seats to get to the airport in time for their flight back to the UK. Fortunately the trip was uneventful and they transferred by taxi to the Departure gate with more than a few minutes to spare.

We packed up Malua and made her ready to put to sea. We had to rush south to get to Turkey before our visa ran out. It would be tight and depended on getting a ferry from Turkey to Greece and then back again to Turkey with our new visa. We left Nea Marmaris with out the anchor getting snagged and motored in a direct line to the West Sparades Islands. The distance was more than 50 nautical miles. As usual the wind was from the south in the Halkidiki but after a few hours started to go round to the North East as predicted by the forcast. We soon had the main and genoa up and were sailing along on a flat sea at almost 6 knots. Our destination was Panagia which is a small island with a very narrow entrance to a well protected bay. We had to arrive before dark because of the entrance. The wind dropped off as the sun started to go down and we were able to motor through the 100 meter wide entrance with only 8 meters of water. I would not like to go through that if a sea was running into the bay. We started early just as it was getting light so I could see the entrance however the sea had come up and there was a swell running so the trip between the island was not very pleasant. Once we were away from the land the wind settled down and started to increase to over 20 knots, at time reaching almost 30. We had it on our beam and were reaching down wind at times up to 8 knots. It was great at last to have the wind behind us, the sun shining and little swell. The miles just rolled under the keel. We had set our destination as the Island of Chios which was 120 miles away - quite a long sail in one day. I knew that the moon was full and would be up when we had to reach our intended night anchorage. As is always the case with the Meltemi in norther Greece it started to drop as the sun set. We were still more than 50 miles from the northern passage between Chios and Inousssa. At about midnight the wind dropped away altogether and the sea started to flatten as we motored along the norther coast of Chios heading for the passage on the NW tip of the island. We were about 10 miles from the passage when the moon set turning the night into total darkness. Fortunately the cape at the entrance to the passage had a good light and the radar was working very well indeed. As I entered the passage which is only 650 meters wide I was confronted by a mass of lights on the port side of the channel. It did not appear to be moving and was about one mile off. I could not distinguish any navigation lights but the radar indicated that it was fast approaching but not on a collision course. It turned out to be a large ferry with all its lights on! It passed port to port and I settled down to navigate using the radar and the chartplotter. I had selected a bay on the south coast of Inoussa. It was unlit but from the chart looked bug enough and shallow enough to give us a good nights sleep. I motored into the crescent of the bay using the chart plotter and when the depth sounder indicated 6 meters under the keel we dropped the anchor. Our searchlight picked up the one headland but the rest were out of its range. We turned in to sleep. The following morning revealed we had anchored in the middle of a beautiful bay with more than adequate swing room and a great muddy bottom.

We sailed along the eastern coast of Chios and then across the channel to Cesme where we entered the marina. It was almost empty because a new owner had just taken it over and was busy moving the floating docks. We went into the town an booked our ferry trip for the next day to Chios. Luckily this time we did not have to spend the night away. The ferry left at 9:30 and within a hour we were again in Greece after officially leaving Turkey after 88 days. On arrival we got a Greek stamp and set about looking around the island. Unfortunately we should have been here yesterday because the summer tour had just ended. We decided to take a municipal bus into the southern part of the island to see the house decorations at Pirgi. We had just one hour to walk around the town before we had to get back on the bus for the harbour and then a quick walk to the ferry for the return journey. We arrived and cleared customs along with about 50 other people and we entered Turkey again with a 90 day visa - more than enough time to sail to Marmaris and pack the boat away.

The next day we purchased some fresh food and set sail towards the Greek island along the Turkish coast. Unfortunately the wind started to blow from the south so we changed direction and dropped anchor in a small bay on the south east coast of Chios called Kamari. The water was crystal clear. I set a stern anchor to keep up into the swell and not to swing too much within the small bay.As usual we took the RIB ashore and had a walk to the next bay to take some photos.

We pulled up the anchor as the sun rose and set off to sail south through the Greek islands. As predicted by the forecast the wind was light and from the wrong direction - south.

Here are some pictures of our Back to Turkey

Current Cruise - 12 Friends Visit in Halkidiki

2009-02-05T12:18:00.002+11:00

We had arrived a bit early in the Halkidiki so we had to spend the time in this lovely cruising ground. For once we could go day sailing without a destination in mind, so if the wind blew from the north we sailed south. Then if the wind came up from the east we sailed west. It was a great experience. Fortunatly there are innumerable place to stay. The wind drops away in the evening so we motor to a new bay each night and drop anchor.

Richard and Marita arrived in Nea Marmaris after the inevitable rush to catch a 5 am charter flight out of Gatwick. They arrived on a very hot day without wind. They took a greek taxi to the bus station then boarded the local bus to Nea Marmaris. It arrived early so we were not at the bus stop as promised and there was some confusion when they had to get off. After a frantic phone call they jumped off in the centre of the town and we met them on the waterfront. A cold Mythos beer soon set then on the track to the cruising lifestyle. We had lunch and set about getting Malua ship shape in the Bristol style for four people. That evening we had dinner at a waterfront restuarant after setting about knocking a hole into the 20 liters of Limnos wine we had purchased for the occasion. Every Thursday in Nea Marmaris there is a good local market with fruit, veg, meat and fish on sale by the local vendors. In addition there are the sellers of everything one does not need but can afford "for a very good price" We stocked up on the essentials while Marita splashed out on the little extras in life that make it fun.

We then let go the aft lines and started to pull up the anchor amonst the many other anchors and mooring blocks of the local harbour. The wind was of couse right in our face blowing us back onto the dock and the other vessels. The anchor winch kept cutting out at the trip switch which should have been an indication that something was wrong, and wrong it was. The chain was under a Greek boat's anchor so we had to pull that to the surface put a line round it and unhook it before we could make any progress away from the bows of the other yachts. We came to the 15 meter mark and our anchor was still in 10 meters of water and not going to come up. It was firmly hooked under a chain attached to a large concrete mooring block. I quickly put on my mask and with a line from the boat dived down the 10 meter to attach a trip line to the anchor. with this attached I let the anchor chain loose and the tripping line pulled the head of the anchor from under the mooring block chain and we where free. Quite a bit of exitement to start a cruising holiday. It was then off to Porto Koufo for a quite evening on board.

The next day again dawned cloudless and unfortunatly windless so we motored round the point and north up the rugged coast to the great bay of Sikios. The anchor would not take after 6 tries so we deceided to go stern to the little wharf along side the fishing boats. Francesco was on his mooring so we could not use that. The snorkelling in the bay proved that the Greeks had fished out the seabed years ago but the fish in the restaurant made up for it. Francesco joined us for a great night of seafood, laughts and Italian stories. A quiet night, beautiful sunrise but again no wind so we motored north to a beautiful set of island around Nisis Dhiaporos. That evening we paddled through the northern passage in the kyaks and a paddle ski which we found floating alone way out to sea. A braai on the stern of Malua with the local sausage reminded everybody of the good time we all had in South Africa, Richard and I going back more than 50 years!

We has planned to take a cruise on a "pirate ship" to the south of the Akti peninsular to see the Monasteries of Athos. Malua was left at anchor in the Panayia bay. We arrived early and secured a great seat on the top deck before the bus loads of greek and other tourest decended on the vessel. It was quite different motoring across the sea in a large vessel not worrying about the wind and the waves especially around the notoriously rough Aki Pinnes at the base of the high Mount Athos. The description of the monasteries was factual but could not possible answer the question "why do people become monks and hermits never to return to the real world off the peninsula?" We cruised past eight of the sites keeping more than 500meters off the land because womem may not go any nearer to the land in case they excited the monks! We stoped at Ouranopolis for lunch along with the 400 other people on the cruise ships and then returned to cross the head of the bay and be back for the buses to be filled and leave us in the quite of the bay to have a evening meal at a waterside restaurant. On returning to Malua there was a minor panic when I discovered that I had droped my keys in the sand at the restaurant table. We were fortunate to be able to unloaked the companionway with the spare key hidden for just such an event. (we found the keys the next day in the sand)

The following day we went to the fish market on the wharf and purchase mussels and fresh sardines which we fried in olive oil along with paella rice Marita put together. The following evening we had the mussels in an Italian inspiered pasta dish which Denny created. We eat and drink well on Malua.

We sailed south with a light wind behind us and again entered the Sikios bay. This time we picked up Francesco's mooring. Dinner on board with lots of conversation before heading off the next day south round the cape Arki Psevdhokavas and back into the lovley protected bay of Porto Koufo. This time we anchored off the beach in the south next to the lagoon. No wind during the night or the next morning.

We stopped in at a lovely secluded bay just south of Porto Carras Marina for lunch and a swim before motoring back into Nea Marmaris harbour. We were able to squeeze into a spot on the floating jetty. That evening Richard took us out to a fantastic fish restaurant on a platform over the sea. While we eat squid, octopus and fish the fish below in the water were well fed from out left overs and the local bread. A great night to celebrate the end of a wonderful cruising time with our friends. Thanks R & M

The following day be uped anchor without any problems and set sail the 400nm south across the Agean back to Turkey. Fortunatly the wind was behind us and we raced off at 7 knots, quite a change from the previous four weeks. Here are some pictures of our friends visit

The next stage of the expidition was the sail south to get our visas and then south again to Turkey and finally to Marmaris to haul out for the winter.Back to Turkey

Current Cruise - 11 Sinthonia Peninsula

2009-02-05T12:17:00.002+11:00

We sailed round the Akti Penisula with all the Monasteries right into a strong wind from the north. We where just able to beat into the wind and make our couse for Nisis Ammouliani however he had to negotiate the straits which had very shollow water. We slowed to a snails pace and watched the depth souder go down 20, 15, 10 ,5 ,2 then 1 and stay there for some time. Well, we came through with out touching bottem then tried to anchor off Nisis Ammouliani but after three attempts we could not get any holding in the thick weed. We sailed round to the Village just as two other boats were attempting to go astern too the wharf. We watched then and deceided to find another location.....charter vessels are a danger to wharf and yacht.

We sailed to a long beach and found a sand spot in the faiding light. It was a great spot opposite a small housing development. The next day we were off to Tripiti to see how Xerxes had dug a canal through the norrowest part of the penisula. Unfortunatly it is now all filled in but it did save him the sail south round the Akti penisula. From there we sailed to the Islands of Dhiaporos. On the inside next to the mainland the water is very shallow and you have to anchor out and take the RIB to shore but we found a deep inlet in the main island of Dhiaporos. Not much swing room but the holding is good. We watched as a thunder storm developed to the north of us. We let out some more chain and waited. Well the wind came first - a good sign. Then the rain. At the height of the storm the other boat in the anchorage was swing close to the shore and deceided to move, we quickly followed and dropped the anchor further up the inlet. The anchor went down first attempt and held. We then sat in the cockpit and watched the lightrning, thunder and rain. Everything got a good wash. Within an hour the sky had cleared and we had dinner.

We stayed a few days in the islands moving from anchorage to anchorage. It is so relaxing knowing that your next anchorage is only 6nm away. One day I set off on the bicycle to find a wifi internet hot spot. There was nothing in the local town and nothing at Ayios Nikolaos about 5kn away but I did stop off at a butcher to get some meat and some very tasty sausage which was very much like borewors. We had a braai on the stern of Malua that evening just as we had in the Southern Hemisphere.

We deceided to explore the Sinthonia Penisula on the eastern side. There are not many safe anchorages due to the prevailing wind comming from the SE. The wind during July and August is very mild so we were able to find places to stay. the most pleasant was Sarti where we again met Francesco and Paula - italians who live in New Zealand and have a boat in the Med and in North Island - What a live..endless summers sailing. The penisula is the holiday ground of the Greeks. They seem to stay in "rooms to let" or bring their own caravans which are located on any flat spot as close to the water as possible. Many have inflatables tied up on the beach in front. Only in the Med would you be able to do this.

The wind comes up to about 15 knots at 11;00 and the drops away in the afternoon. Some days it will blow from the NW but most days from the SE. The sailing is consequently wonderful. We had the big spinnaker up most of one morning as we sailed south to reach Poto Koufo. It helps to reach your destination in the early afternoon before the holiday charter boats come in. You can then settle back and watch their anticks as they either anchor on top of each other or go astern to the wharf.

We reached Nea Marmaris - that is the place there the Greeks from Marmaris in Turkey where transported in 1920 when the resettlement took place. No Turkish influence now just a small holiday town with an average public harbour. The locals with boats have established their place on the pontoon and guard their spots and those of their friend with every excuse. It doesnt wash with an Italian or an Ozzie. Fancesco and I both found a place on the pontoon. The following day I took a bus in to Thessaloniki to get some bearings for the windlass which had taken a beating with the new anchor and the difficulty in finding good holding. The SKF distributer had all the bearings and seals so the next day I was able to replace all the parts. I must say the designof the Muir windlass leaves much to be desired. I have had to put a wood support to the motor because it is only held by four 6 mm bolts to stop it from turning. Put a 12 ton boat at the end of that and the bolts break out of the cast aluminium housing. I believe the engineers have never sailed a boat in their lives - the mix of metals and the size of the bolts and housings is just inadequate. Well the windlass is now better than new and we can pull the new 30kg anchor up without fear.

We stayed a few days in Nea Marmaris restocking the boat then set sail for Porto Koufo but the wind was not helping so we changed destinations to a bay in the south of the Kassandra penisula. We flew the reacher all the way across the bay. That is the advantage of the Med there is always an anchorage down wind. Here are some pictures of Sinthonia Peninsula

Current Cruise - 10 Akti Peninsula

2009-02-05T12:15:00.002+11:00

We left Limnos very early one morning and motored north towards the Halkidiki. There was no wind for the next 60nm. We arrived late in the evening after traveling north up the most eastern finger of the Halkidiki. This is where the monstries are. No female is to set foot on the penisular. Well we dropped anchor in a norther bay a long way from civilisation and spent the next few days swimming and collecting flotsum from the beaches. We then moved north to Nea Rodha whwre we anchored out. From there we moved east to a fishing harbour of Ierisssos. The first night there was a violent thunderstorm which washed the decks but also burst one of our fenders. Comes for going into a harbour. The local boat builder got some work when a fishing boat hit the harbour wall full speed ahead. They dragged the boat out of the water on a sled. Simple and effective. They have been doing it for centuries only now diesel in place of oxen. We sailed round the peninsular where all the monasteries are located. This is an indepedent state governed by the monks. Here are some pictures of Akti Peninsula

The next few pages is the account of the trip through Northern Greece.

Current Cruise 9 - Limnos

2009-02-05T12:13:00.002+11:00

The exit from Turkey was fast, rough and with a lots of wind. We arrived after a down wind sail to Limnos and motored north into a large bay to throw the anchor for a well deserved rest. We then visited the land site for the Gillopolie invasion. This bay was where the ships gathered prior to the invasion of Turkey. It was also the place that the Generals stayed away from the fighting and where the injured soldiers and sailors were brought to be hospitalised. Many died and were buried on the Island. We visited the Commonwealth War Cematary at the end of Anzac Road. A rather desolate place. We were the only vessel in Ormos Moudhrou, a change from the day before the invasion when there were a hugh flotilla of battleships and troop carriers.

We sailed into Ormos Kondia for a night then on to the main harbour at Mirina which is the port of Entry for Greece. We had switched our colours and were now flying the British ensign. The greeks find non-EU boat a trouble. The clearance in while long was not difficult or expensive. My passport is still cleaan while Denny's has and entry right below her last entry - work that out. As usual we anchored in the bay just opposite the town wharf. Just before sunset a fisherman came out in his boat to warn us of an impending storm and to advise us to tie up to the dock. Taking local advice we droped 70m of chain and went stern to the wharf and secured ourselves to some large rings in the wall. An Ozie boat from Qld had done the same. Well at 11:00 the wind came in from the NW with gust over 30knots. The boats were bouncing around all over the place. We had a smaller boat on the starboard side but nothing on the port so I was able to rig a line from the bow to the dock to hold us against the wind. Having secured Malua I retired to sleep the sleep of the landlubber. By morning the wind had gone and no one was the wiser. We had to move off the dock to make way for the ferry but the next day We found a spot along side the Ozie boat.

The town is a typical Greek island village with a few extra shops for the local Greek tourists. Few foriegners visit this place. It is famous for its wine which we sampled along with the excelent pork. The following day we purchased big in the area of wine - a total of 60 litres in the form of a number of ten litre boxes. Stowable in the bilge for maturing. We stocked up with provisions and ste sail at dawn for the Halkidiki. Again no wind so we motored the 63nm. The next page will give you the detail. Here are a few photos of Limnos The next few pages documents the trip through Greece.

Leaving Turkey

2009-02-05T12:08:00.002+11:00

What an exit out of the Dardanelles. The wind came up out of the North East and as we put our nose round the southern point of the Galipolli Peninsula we were hit by very strong wind and a very confused sea. The strong current did not help. Malua was tossed around in no uncertain terms. It took us a few minutes to put two reefs in the main and to furl the genoa. Of course things did not go to plan and we had to struggle to get it right. After a few minutes we had the wind aft of the beam and we were reaching at 9 knots touching 11 at times towards Greece. Limnos was our port of entry.

Current Cruise 8 - Istanbul

2008-07-18T23:16:00.004+10:00

After passing north up the Dardanelles we sailed across the Sea of Marmara and finally arrived in Istanbul.
The Challenge is to find a safe inexpensive place to leave Malua.
Istanbul
We found an ideal spot for our style of cruising. It is in a small swimming bay just at the mouth of the Yesilkoy harbour. The holding is good although there is not much room. I put two anchors down to restrict our swing and as a precaution. We take the RIB into the harbour and leave it along side a yacht. The train station is only ten minutes walk up the road through a rather upmarket suburb. We purchased an Akbil travel taken which is like an Oyster card so we could ride all the public transport without paying each time. The trains are on their last legs, not full but do they rattle. The metro on the other hand is air conditioned, new and crowded.
We criss crossed the city to get to the different sights and had a great time.
Images of the anchorage Yesilkoy
The different mosques are rather grand but dull compared to the catholic churches but used. The Mullah's singing at the prayers is just wonderful. Looking someway like a Turk I can get into the prayer sessions so I have an opprtunity to hear them in full unamplified voice along with all the movement of the believers. An experience to rememeber.
The Topkapi Palace is also grand but not very well presented. The Topkapi dagger with its three emerald stones in the handle is just in a hole in the wall while the Spoonmaker's diamond is very poorly lit. The best pieces are without a doubt the Chinese porcelain especially the green, white and of cource the blue ming bowls. The best collection in the world they say.
The archaelogical Museum leaves a lot to be desired but most of the best pieces are in someone else's possestion.
We visited a number of carpet shops who gave us a different spiel every time as to why they are better than the rest. One was married to a very Australian lady and their daughter came right out of Sydney until she started to try to sell you something and you realised that trading is in your blood. They were a bit put out when I told them my son worked for a dealer in Canberra. Well we all agreed that the carpets were not of the quality they use to be and it is getting more difficult to get good value. The tea and orange juise is always good and we didn't purchase anything!
The trip up the Bosphorus is a must especially on the TDI (IDO) ferry 17.50YTL pier three at 10:35. One can get off at Anadolu Kavagi to walk up the hill to the Byzantine fortress and to look into the Black Sea. The Mussels and Calamari at the fish restaurants are very good. Having done the tour I dont think it now requires us to sail up the crowded, choppy and dirty waterway just to be in the Black Sea.
Images of Istanbul

Current Cruise 7 - Sea of Marmara

2008-07-18T23:15:00.002+10:00

The Marble sea: well it sure is not as flat as a piece of marble. We entered it via the Dardanelles and the wind and current were against us most of the way.
Sea of Marmara
We entered from the Asean side of the Dardanelles and started to sail again after motoring for two long days.
It was great. The sea was choppy but the wind direction did not make the sailing easy.
We deceided to skip the island of Avsa Adasi due to the lack of good places to stay and headed for Pasalimani Adasi.
The pilot notes that the western entrace should be negociated with care and someone on the bow because Rod Heikell put his boat on top a charted reef!
Entering the area we could see the shallows and the south cardinal mark but no dangers. The port mark was obvious but a lone black mark seemed in the wrong place until
I relised the cone on the top was a starboard mark so we soon changed course and entered a wide shallow bay lined with a few houses set in to hamlets Parsalimani and Harmanlis.
The former has a very stunted spire to the mosque. We anchoed in 9m to the west of the hamlet which turned out not to be such a great idea because
the swell enteres the bay, hits you on the beam. Not an uncoumfortable night but enough to make one move opposite the mosque the next day. We went ashore and found the bakery but no baker.
A young girl let us in and we purchased two great loaves. Hope they were not designated for one of the local families.
Marmara Adasi
We left Pasalimini the next day and shot down wind towards Port Marmara which has a narrow entrance and very little room. We anchored out next to a German boat who had returned from sailing round the world via Oz and SA. The town has a great feel about it. The harbour undertakes repairs to local vessels by dragging them up the hard on two sledges. We saw no mavna vessels just ferries, fishing boats and the odd local yacht. The Thursday market is good although small.
Saraylar
The marble quarries dominate the mountainside above the town and the bay has many empty freighters waiting to be loaded with large blocks of marble. We anchored in a bay NE of the town. It is sheltered but the swell rolls round the point and we had to put out a sterm anchor to settle the boat. The town is creating a swimming beach in the bay with a roped off area, a diving platfoem, shows and fresh water all fringed by a marble faced wall.
Images of the Sea of Marmara are at Marmara

2008-07-18T23:14:00.001+10:00

Current Cruise 6 - Dardanelles & ANZAC Cove
After a hard days slog into the wind we stopped at Gokceada at about 1500 wherepon the wind dropped. We should have kept going and found an anchorage on the Turkish coast but we did not. We left the next day at 5:00 before it was light and motored into a light breeze towards the entrance to the Dardanelles. Give the SE Kumkale point a very wide berth because it is very shallow with a strong current flowing onto it.
Dardanelles
The Dardanelles is like a large deep river flowing from the Black and Marmara seas into the Mediterranean Sea. It has the classic shape of a meandering stream with the deep sides at the inside of the bends and the shallows at the outside of the bends. It can get very shallow in these wide bends so look out. The stream flows down the middle but there are many counter currents in the bays. Stay just outside the current line which you can see by the sea grass and rubbish. The recommended route north is to take the starboad or Asian side however if the wind is strong the local yachties seek the shelter of the European side which requires more vigilance, the pace is slower but the chop is less. We entered the Dardenelles with a local yacht who took the port side. We were ahead of him most of the way but as the wind rose and the chop increased we were under full power but only making 2 knots SOG and he arrived at Canakkale just ahead of us. We did not follow his advice the next day and struggled into the wind and waves on the starboard side. The wind was in excess of 20 knots most of the time.
Well we made the first days run into Canakkale Marina and put the bow to the wall. The 20mm mooring line was straining under the wind but we stayed away from the wall. We took a quick walk around the town which is dominated by the military with off duty conscrips aimlessly stroling around the town. It reminded me of my weekends in Walvis Bay in the 60's. We visited ANZAC House, a marketing location for Hassle Free Tours. We signed up for their half day tour of the Gallipoli peninsula. E60/p
Gallipoli Peninsula Tour
The tour is well organised with a very well spoken (english) and educated turkish guide. We took their ferry across the Dardanelles to a small hotel for lunch and then joined their bus from Istanbul on the tour of the northern battle fields. I met an ex ACTEW employee from Canberra at the hotel.
What can one say about the Gallipoli campaign, the organisation, the decisions, the people and the thousands who died there - one is left speachless. Having heard from people who have walked on the soil, through the trenches and up the hills and gullies I was surprised at how rugged the ravines and terrain actually is. I can understand how the two forces were able to be so close yet move men and supplies right up to the front line. For the British navy to think that they could blast their way up the waterways of the Daedanelles can only indicate that the First Lord of the Admiralty must have had whisky not salt water in his veins. Complete madness. It was a great tour and worth the time and money.
The day was a moving experience, thankfull that I am now too old to carry a weapon ever again.
The next day we set off at dawn before the wind rose and made a few miles before the full 20knots came right into our face. We were able at times to raise the staysail and get 20 degrees off the wind which did help but most of the time it was into the wind and chop. On the bends the stream gets quite strong and north of Lapseki the shipping lane is quite close to the shore. We had to take evasive action to get out of the way of a Turkish ship who wanted to cut the corner at full speed. On the first day we saw 31 ships and on the second more than 53 - all at close quarters, not dangerious if everything goes well. I was pleased to get into the relatively open waters of the Sea of Marmara.
Images of the Gallipoli Peninsula