Peter Robinson

I woke at my usual time of 6 and then dozed until 8. I knew that I was going to head for Vliho Bay today but wasn't sure which bridge opening I was going to go for. I kept looking at the weather forecasts and also feeling the breeze because I preferred the 2pm lift to the 5pm. at about 10:30 I decided there was enough breeze for me to get going so I lifted the anchor and sailed about half a mile. the wind was very light and flukey, and there were lots of boats around, so knowing that I had to motor down the channel inanycase I turned on the engine. Unlike another sailing boat that did what I thought of but rejected, I went to the last buoy and turned the engine off. it was a lovely sail but it quickly became clear that I would be way too early. I reefed athe benoanagain and again to slow myself down to arrive at about 1:45. I was listening to the bridge radio and despite the 30 odd boats waiting somewhat alarmingly I heard the operator say the next lift would be 5pm! no one seemed to take any notice and at about 1:55 boats started entering the channel. I was staying out of trouble initially just using the genoa but eventually due to increasing waves and wind and boats killing about, the engine. At 2pm nothing happened. People started radio'ing the bridge but getting no response. eventually a very stressed Greek said that he could not explain now, ten minutes. there was general consternation aboungs the boats and several went some way out to keep clear but I hoovered fairly close in. Eventually at 2:24ish the bridge opened. athere was a mad rush for the channel but some boats - in particular a blue hulled Dutch boat - just didn't get a move on. they may have had a problem but it was like the motorway opening and everyone being caught behind a car doing 25mph. An Australian big cat tried to overtake everyone He had clearly never been down the channel before and I called out that it would be very tight (ie there was no space). He backed off but then shortly afterwards in frustration at the 25mph car, be undertook at huge speed. He shouldn't be in charge of a boat really. Anyway the lack of speed caused problems because the wind was 25 knots over the deck pushing all of us on the right without any steerage into the path of the boats coming in the other direction. Eventually the Dutch boat turned off to some pontoon and once past the marina many boats including my own git their genoas out and sailed down the channel. it was a relief to turn the engine off. I had to turn the engine on for literally 2 minutes at the very end of the channel as the wind died in the narrow channel with boats in both directions, but as soon as I was clear I started sailing again. unlike the usual wind, which icomes from the canal, the wind today blew up to the canal and very softly. the most I had was about 8 knots apparent and of course I was beating into it. I kept tacking and nearly made it all the way to the entrance to Tranquil Bay but the wind dropped to 1 or 2 knots which made progress impossible. I turned the engine on with about 4.5-5 miles to go and tidied up as we motored towards the anchorage. The chicane was fairly clear today and I decided that I wanted to be close to the Vliho Yacht Club. I found a spot, and dropped the anchor. I was too close to another boat. I tried again in the same spot, and I was too close to another boat. partly this is because Naxos takes her time weather cocking if there is no wind I think. I found a second spot for a third attempt, and again I was too close, essentially rather than falling back in line, I was falling back towards other boats. this might be ok but I would have to wait for the boat to settle before I knew. I have up in the idea of being close to the yacht club and found a huge space. this time the anchor did set - even though I was briefly worried about being too close to a gilet style boat - and trying not to rush I gave it the beans and she didn't move. I turned off the instrumental sat down for a few moments and talked to Nous, and then set the snubber. Another sail done

I decided the day before when I sailed up from Rougas that today I would head to Preveza. the question was, when? with Rougas I left early and got caught in the blow. Today I decided to wait until after the blow. This would mean I would get better weather probably but would run the risk of arriving in the dark. I kept a close eye on the wind which was due to blow until.midnight or something which I knew to be nonsense but at around 4ish it calmed down a bit. I looked out at the gulf for whitecaps and other sailors and decided it was too early. I started getting ready at 5pm and left at around 6pm. a boat had arrived at the start of the blow from Rougas I think. under engine unsurprisingly. he anchored between me and another boat from Rougas - his mate I think - and then about an hour later re-anchored right in front of me, potentially lying in the wind over my anchor. anyway, I started getting the anchor in and fortunately the girl of the couple was in the cockpit. I said it could be close and she turned her engine on and moved her boat a bit. I had to motor over the anchor to get it up, and faced the right general direction, got the genoa out and turned off the engine. in my haste to leave I hadn't turned the autopilot and depth on when I turned on the engine so I I had to quickly nip in and do this before the genny was unfurled. I was getting around 14 knots in the anchorage so I decided to put two reefs in the main. despite me pulling hard on the reefing line before hoisting the sail the reef was still a bit of a mess. I tidied it up a little bit later by using the topping lift to raise the boom and tying the reefing lines on the sail itself. anyway, my line between the mainland and the island proved to be ambitious so I sailed a long way up into the gulf to come back down again. I tacked backwards and forwards using the bearings on Navionics to judge the kind of angle that I could make. I was frustrated however that there were times when I couldn't even tack through 120 degrees, the boat wanted to sail more than that. the best I got was about 105 degrees I think, but the wind may have been changing direction. I sailed into the land as best I could and made decent progress. I turned on the engine perhaps a mile from the anchorage (the were shallows, it was dark and I had done quite wellmtonget there in fairness) and motored the last distance after dropping the mainsail and furling away the genny. the sun had just set as I arrived in hospital bay and rather than go round and round looking for somewhere to anchor I picked the first place I saw and dropped 60m of chain in 16m (it is pretty much all.16m.there). the boat wouldn't weather cock. eventually after trying to reverse her in the right direction and going forward hoping she would fall back nicely I turned the engine off, tidied up, and waited for her to sit down properly. eventually she did. I reversed, the anchor bit, I reversed harder looking at a transit which didn't move and I turned the engine off. I didn't stop the tracker on the log or Navionics until the anchor was set because I didn't consider myself properly arrived

I woke unsure of the plan for the day but I thought I could feel a breeze at 9am. I kept checking the wind and sometimes it was 4.5 knots and sometimes it was 1.5 knots. Anyway, rather than sit and look at the instrument all day I got the anchor up, no driving over needed as I think it was sand (certainly the chian was pretty clean), pointed the boat into the wind at low revs, got the sail up and genny out and turned off the engine. I drifted / tacked for a bit and then began to get a little wind (around 10 knots apparent but I was pointing into at at 45 degrees). it became clear that the wind that was basically from the north initially was moving round to the west, ie it was the afternoon blow. I had just finished a tack into the bay next to Vonitsa but the next angle was terrible and when I tried to tack into the anchorage I didn't have the angle. by the time I was getting low 20s consistently and short choppy seas. I had to tack and decided to make sure that I wouldn't have to tack again so sailed about 3 or 4 miles at around 45-90 degrees to the wind. I was hammering along at 6 knots and fairly well heeled for the old girl and then when I turned I had a similar thing, another beat of 4 or 5 miles to the anchorage. I sailed to 0.7 miles from the anchor drop point when I doused the mainsail and then at 0.4 miles I turned on the engine and took in the genoa. I must check the roller furler as it is more difficult than it should be sometimes to pull in. I dropped the anchor fairly quickly,.putting out 30m in about 6m and reversing on it, and then quite soon after adding another roughly 10m and the snubber. as I was tidying I noticed that the toilet had been upset again. I must strap it down somehow

I went shopping in the morning and then relaxed in the afternoon thinking that I would head to the next bay when the winds dropped a bit, ie get the benefit of some stronger winds on the way but not anchor in them at the other end. I left at 6pm with the winds forecast to drop from 17 knot gusts from around 9pm (dusk). I had to motor over the anchor again - most satisfying - and had the engine off and genoa up within thirty seconds of returning to the cockpit. It was straight downwind from the anchorage and T times I only had 3 knots apparent but once I cleared the bay and made the turn into the main bit of the bay the wind picked up a btlit to around 10-12 knots apparent, still more or less behind me, ande.bowlong along at around 5 knots. the old dear did roll a bit in the following sea but it wasn't too bad and then I made the turn into Rougas and sailed to within about half a mile from the anchorage when I turned the engine on. I dropped the anchor in about 8m putting a little over 30m out plus the snubber, which I for the first time spread across both forward cleats. I had seen a french boat the previous day put the snubber on and then reverse which makes sense..I might try that one day

I woke feeling quite tired - probably the hear and had a very lazy morning fiddling with the engine and fixing the broken strut on the solar panel - well, bodging it. I then had lunch which was made up of the last of the tomatoes and the last of the cheese, washed up, brushed my teeth and by this point it was 2pm so time to go. I got the dinghy in, etc, got the covers off - I expected to be downwind most of the way so took the winch covers off straightaway and lifted the anchor. there was about 10-12 knots in the anchorage. I had to motor over the anchor to get it to pop out but as soon as it was up, the bow blew off to starboard. I walked back to the cockpit, got the Genny out, stuck on the autopilot and turned the engine off. we sailed downwind at about 4 knots and it was so nice that I thought about heading to a further anchorage. in the end I decided not to as I needed provisions. I went north of the little island guarding the bay to Vonitsa and then made the turn. the wind came on the beam and was 15-17 knots. I still only had the Genoa out but was happily going along at 4 knots. in fact I took the Genoa down to the two reefs point. I had to (chose to?) use the starboard self tailing winch to bring it in. in an ideal world I would have rerouted the Genoa sheet inside the stanchions butni only had about a mile and a half to run so left it as was. there were a few white caps on the way in but the further I got into the bay, the more this came onto my stern. I turned the engine on just outside the anchorage and motored in looking for a suitable place to drop the hook. the anchorage shelves a bit so I drove around a bit at low speed and then dropped the anchor in about 5m. I let out about 20m chain but then looking at the chart I thought I was too close to shallower water, especially as the chart had more water showing than my depth (usually it's the other way around). I lifted the anchor again, got fairly close to a German boat and dropped the anchor there. I asked and the skipper said he had 40m of chain out (in about 5-6m) so I let out the same amount. the anchor bit straightaway and held steady when I gave it the beans. All in all, a decent sail

12 to 15 knots gusts on the bean as I left the marina berth. I sprung off the windward mooring line although the revs felt odd. I motored out of the marina and around to the anchorage. there were some boats crowded at the top end closest to the fishing port but I anchored in the middle of the anchorage in 15m and put out about 60m of chain. the anchor bit and held when I increased the reverse revs. I then paddled to shore against the wind which wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, although it was quite a distance

I left Vliho Yacht Club about an hour after the cable was fixed. I was still concerned about the oil and oil pressure. Naxos was pushed in by boats on either side and on the way out, despite being told to use the starboard mooring lines as a spring (I should have held it tighter for longer) I managed to bump into the Trader that was pushing me on the leeward side. no real damage done though, I hope. I motored through the chicane and once past Tranquil Bay I realised that the wind would not be westerly for the trip to the canal, but northerly, ie directly in my face. I motored for a bit bit due to concern for the oil pressure - the light came on as usual - I decided that rather than anchor in the wind at the bottom end of the canal, I would tack backwards and forwards instead. the wind was 20-25 knots but the sea was fairly flat. undecided to check the oil level while the engine was off but didn't realise the rack made a difference. their looked like too little oil on a port tack, so I added some, and then I had too much oil so I took some out ok the starboard tack. in the end I guessed at an amount that would return it to the amount I removed. at about 4:15 (the bridge opened at 5) I turned the motor on and moved at some pace down the canal - 5.6 knots under motor for a bit, the temperature going up beyond 100 and the oil pressure light on. I reduced the revs and the temperature came down, but the light remained on..I was concerned that I might miss the opening but in the end the bridge opened late I did see an ambulance rush down at 5:03 or something so.they were probably waiting for that. I went through the bridge and happily the wind came round to the forecast west so I realised I could sail to Preveza. the wind started at about 16 knots but dropped down to 10 or 12 by the time I made the turn into the channel. I sailed all the way down and just turned the engine on for the last half mile or so into the marina. I had asked for an easy berth which they have me but I managed to throw the port mooring lines incorrectly (I think) which resulted in the strut being broken when the marinero yanked on the rope to bring the boat in. all in a good sail however..This marked my 1,000th mile in Naxos

I spent the morning on MollyMoo chatting about their broken generator but when I saw a few boats sailing some distance away I said I would go. I did the engine checks, started the engine, motored for a few minutes past the charted rocks, and then tacked under full sail towards land. ther wind was very light at about 5 or 6 knots apparent but it was enough to sail at about 2.5 or 3 knots. I made a few racks to get an angle to get into Vliho and then settled, passing a biggish charter cat also under sail on the way. as I approached the islands the wind was very light and flukey, but common sense told me that the wind would start coming from the Lefkas canal shortly. the wind did indeed pick up and I had a terrific sail for a mile or two as the wind built. I dropped the sails as I reached the islands by which point the wind was around 20 knots and the sky over Lefkas looked angry. I motored through Tranquil Bay and in the protection of the land the wind dropped to about 10 knots. As I entered Vliho Bay I radio'ed the yacht club to say I had arrived. A guy on a sailing boat going the other way said he would come back in a rib in 5 minutes so I slowed down to wait for him. in fact I wanted to knock the engine into reverse but when I did the boat felt wrong and I continued going forward. I quickly put the engine into idle to check that the cable hadn't come.loose and it hadn't. I turned the boat into the wind, cut the engine and dropped the anchor. I was busy checking to see what had happened and calling on the radio when the ribbfrom the yacht club arrived..I was towed to the pontoon but due to her long keel could not get into the berth originally allocated. I tied up and had another look and it was clear what had happened. the cable putting the boat into forward and reverse had been run under the muffler when the muffler had been disconnected when the head gasket was changed, and had been rubbing against the spinning propellor shaft which had cut through it. Another problem caused by my Albanian friend

I was buddy boating with MollyMoo and was expecting to start the trip between 20 and 11:30. in actual fact I received a message saying that they were leaving about 9ish. I quickly got ready and raised the anchor about 5 or 20 minutes behind them. the anchor was very well stuck in Vliho Bay and needed three attempts of increasing firmness of driving over the anchor to get it to pop out. There was very little wind and we motored, MollyMoo about half a mile ahead of me, across to Pogonia. On arrival MollyMoo dropped anchor quite close to the rocks marked on the charts and I came in next to them. yu could clearly see the bottom and there were patches of sand but a lot of seagrass. Judith on MollyMoo pointed out some sand to me but it looked quite shallow on the charts where she was pointing. I dropped the anchor once on some sand and dead seagrass but it didn't bite. I moved and tried again, and the anchor failed to hold a second time, but on this occasion when it came up it was so full of seagrass that I couldn't see the anchor at all. I removed some, dropped the anchor back into the sea, motored to a third location, pulled the anchor up again, cleared it by lying on my belly on the deck, and dropped the anchor again. This time it bit. I anchored in about 7m and put out a similar amount of chain to MollyMoo - about 35m. The engine behaved itself on the trip over but the oil pressure light flickered when I was nearly there despite the pressure being at its usual approximately 10ish psi. I increased the revs a bit and the flickering stopped but came back on some time later. When manoeuvring round the anchorage it was flickering constantly unless the engine was taken out of gear. This is something to keep an eye on.

I woke at 6ish as usual but decided there was no point in leaving too early as I would miss the wind. I left Tow Rocks Bay at 10am innfkat calm conditions with no wind. I turned the engine off two hours later at noon with about 5 knots on the beam. I sailed in lovely conditions for a while but after confirming with Judith on MollyMoo what time the Lefkas Canal Bridge opened I worried I was going to miss the 5pm opening. I held my nerve and the wind and sea.began to build a bit. Within about three hours I was sailing at 4 knots and confident I was going to make it. the wind was about 10 - 12 knots at this point. When the gusts reached 14 I reefed the genoa a bit and again when they reached 16. When they reached 17 I put one reef in the mainsail. it became clear in a moderate beam sea that I would be too early for the bridge so instead of going through the hassle of tying up alongside or anchoring I decided to slow down. I dropped the mainsail. the wind was now touching 20 knots and I ended up with a tiny scrap of Genoa struggling to go less than 3 knots. I expect there was some current or wave action at play as well. Anyway I arrived in blustery conditions turning the engine on about 300m from the north entrance to the canal and there were about 10 of us waiting to go through. several boats weighed anchor as I arrived and there was some shouting and screaming as people.oushed in, etc. The bridge opened on time and we all went through. The canal seemed to go on for ages and when it eventually opened out I turned off the engine and sailed under genoa towards the turn towards Nydri and Vliho Bay. As I got close to the turn the wind shifted 180 degrees (guessing it's a local thing due to the islands etc) and I had to motor the rest of the way. I arrived in Vliho Bay, spotted MollyMoo and anchored in about 6 or 7 metres a couple of hundred metres from.them. the anchor bit immediately. When I did the engine checks the following morning I noticed I seemed to have lost a little oil - only a very little - despite the oil pressure behaving itself..Something to keep an eye on