Yacht Tiamat

Corinth Canal & Delphi

2007-08-21T19:15:00.000+02:00

I am writing this having still not managed to post the previous update as we haven’t been able to find an internet café anywhere we have stopped.

So what has happened, well after leaving Epidhavros we sailed to Korfos where we met up again with our friends Ian & Sue on Pulsar II, as we planned to go through the canal together. We had to stay at anchor in Korfos for two nights as the canal is closed on Tuesdays for maintenance.

On Wednesday 1st August (perfect planning!) we passed through the Corinth Canal that joins the Gulf of Corinth to the Aegean Sea. The canal divides the Peloponnese from the Greek mainland and is just 3.2 miles long. For its length it is the most expensive piece of waterway in the world but it saves the long journey round the bottom of Greece. It is only 25m wide and as you pass through it you see various colours of paint left on the vertical limestone sides that rise up to 76m by the large cargo and cruise ships that pass through the canal. It is an amazing sight and you can’t believe that such large ships are taken through, it felt narrow even in Tiamat.

Having successfully negotiated the canal and with our wallets considerably lighter we motored to the town of Itea, which is on the North side of the Gulf of Corinth. Here we tied up to the quay of the ‘unfinished’ marina for three nights, taking the opportunity to fill up with diesel again.

As well as it being a convenient stopping off point whilst going through the Gulf, the real reason for coming to Itea was so we could visit the site of Ancient Delphi. This is one of the most spectacular and beautiful classical sites in Greece and was regarded by the Greeks to be the centre of the world. Delphi sits high up the side of Mt Parnassos and is surrounded by sheer cliffs and ravines. It is an impressive sight with the remains of temples stretching over a wide area. This was a real highlight of this years trip.

From Itea we continued west through the Gulf to the wonderful little island of Trizonia. Here we were able to tie up alongside in another of the ‘unfinished’ marinas that seem to be prevalent in Greece. Trizonia is a very small relatively unspoilt island that is even vehicle free. There is an idyllic little fishermen’s wharf which has some good Tavernas along the edge and there are lovely walks around the island through old untouched Olive Groves.

Unfortunately we became trapped in Trizonia for 5 nights, longer than we originally planned, as the wind decided to blow 30knt straight down the Gulf, whipping the sea up and sending gusts into the marina that kept us pinned against the quay. Even if we wanted to there was no way we could get off the wall so we just had to sit it out. On the plus side if you are going to be trapped somewhere I can’t think of a much better place for it to happen.

Finally after 5 days the wind dropped and we were able to leave early in the morning before the wind returned. We motored down the Gulf in a steadily rising wind but as we neared the new Rion Bridge that links the mainland to the Peloponnese, the wind dropped and we passed under the central span of this very impressive structure with only a slight breeze. We were very relieved as the wind and seas in the area of the bridge have an awesome reputation.

From the bridge we motored into the Gulf of Patras and on to the port of Missalonghi on the northern side. Missalonghi stands on salt flats and is reached by a 3 mile dredged narrow channel. The entrance to the channel has some interesting fishermen’s houses standing on stilts in the shallow water. The other thing that the port is known for is the two large turtles that inhabit the basin. We were lucky enough to see one of them blissfully sleeping on the surface and quite unaware of Tiamat as we drifted alongside.

Now the next part of our voyage begins, the Ionian. It is the 9^th August and we have the rest of the month to slowly make our way up to Corfu. The weather is turning much warmer again and they are forecasting a return to the 40C plus temperatures we had earlier. We do think of you all back in the UK in the wet and cold !

Take care.

Duncan & Kim.

Strong Winds & High Temperatures

2007-08-21T19:03:00.000+02:00

The title of this entry just about sums up the last three weeks which have been busy and varied. Firstly though sorry for the delay in posting another update and also for replying to emails but this is the first opportunity we have had to get on the internet in the last three weeks. Where we have been anchoring there were no internet cafes.

In the last update I said we planned to pickup Peter and then sail North and West to try and get out of the worst of the Meltemi and this we managed mainly to do. We had to stay in Naxos for a day after Peter arrived as the winds were strong but this gave us a chance to have another look round and for Peter to recover as he had flown in from the Maldives.

As the wind was still blowing the next day we did the short hop to Paros and stayed sheltered at anchor in a lovely bay for the next two nights. As the wind then dropped a little we were able to motor and sail north to the island of Kithnos. Here we found a fantastic anchorage (Merikha) behind a small islet that was joined to the main island by a sand causeway and there was even a nice little Taverna overlooking the bay. In the evening a herd of about 50 goats made their way across the sand causeway from the islet back to the main island, it appears they do this every night.

Unfortunately as we needed to get further north we were only able to stay there the one night and then moved onto the island of Kea where we anchored in the small harbour and went ashore in the evening and had a lovely meal in a restaurant on the quay.

Next stop was a bay in the south of a small island called Petaloi, as this would then give us an easy run into the mainland of Greece where we could drop Peter off for his plane from Athens airport. That was the plan and luckily we had allowed a little contingency as on the way to Petaloi the wind dropped and then came back strongly from the North. By the time we reached the bay it was really blowing and we had 2 reefs in the sails. That night the wind continued to build and so we spent the following day sheltering in the bay rather than moving to the mainland as planned. The bay was beautiful however very unspoilt and isolated so it was no problem staying there just that Peters plane left the following afternoon!

The following morning we got up early before sunrise and set off for the mainland with two reefs in the mainsail and a small Genoa. The plan was to try and beat the wind and when we left it was reasonable. As the sun came up so did the wind and the seas but we made the mainland and the bay of Rafti just before things got too rough. We anchored in the bay and after a good liquid lunch we said goodbye to Peter. It had been a great week catching up with him again and he enjoyed being back on a sailing boat for a week, it had been too long since he last was onboard.

We continued to stay in Rafti as the following day Alex (my daughter) was flying in to join us for a two week holiday. Once Alex arrived we still had to stay a further day in Rafti as the wind was still blowing and the seas were very rough. Unfortunately the wind had also gone round to the east a little and this brought the swell into the bay which was very uncomfortable so even though the wind had not gone down much we decided to make a run for it the next day. Once out in the open sea we realised how big the waves were but by now it was easier to keep going rather than fight our way back so with a small Genoa we had an exciting and fast sail down wind back to the island of Kea where this time we went on the quay as we needed fuel and water.

We spent two nights in Kea and then reached across back to the mainland and into a lovely but busy bay at Sounion. On the cliff overlooking the bay are the ruins of a Temple to Poseidon which we climbed up to in the afternoon.

The following morning we upped anchor early and sailed south across the Gulf of Saronica. The wind gradually increased during the morning and by lunchtime we were having a great sail past the island of Idhra. As the wind was perfect and we were enjoying ourselves and making such good time we pressed on rather than stopping as originally planned and by late afternoon we arrived at the picturesque port of Porto Kheli. Here we met up with our old friends Ian and Sue on Pulsar II and spent several days lazing around, catching up on gossip and drinking! This part of Greece is very sheltered and the temperatures soared. Everyday it was around 40 C in the shade, much too hot to do anything other than fall in the water and try and cool off.

After a few days we decided we had better move so made the short motor to Koiladhia. Here we managed to catch sight of the couple of Turtles that inhabit the bay. Then it was time to start working our way slowly back northwards to get in ferry distance to Athens so Alex could catch her flight at the end of the week.

Still no wind so we had to motor to Ormos Skindos a bay on a totally uninhabited island. A beautiful place with lovely clear water. During the evening we saw several Fire Planes fly overhead and when we awoke in the morning the boat looked like it was covered in snow! Tiamat had a fine dusting of ash all over and there was a smell of wood burning in the air. When we left the bay we soon discovered where it was coming from. The island of Idhra was well ablaze and must have been burning all night. We could see flames shooting high in the air and the fire was being fanned by a strong breeze that had got up. As we passed the island we saw the Fire planes return and slowly they appeared to bring the fire under control although it continued to burn for another day.

On the way to Poros, our destination, Kim noticed a puff of smoke on the hill that overlooks the town. As we watched the smoke increased and within no time there were flames shooting high in the air. All afternoon we watched the fire planes attack the fire until they finally had it out. You may have seen on the news that Greece has really suffered from forest fires this summer as it has been so hot and dry and everywhere we go we can see the signs of past blazes.

Poros island is separated from the coast of the Peleponnisos by a very narrow and shallow channel and as we approach the town of Poros from the east we had to run along as close to the quay and moored boats as we dared in order to find deep enough water. Poros town is a picturesque little village which has been over run by tourists, especially at weekends, as it is a fast ferry ride away from Athens but we found it pleasant for a short stay. The fist night we stayed at anchor in the bay and then we moved onto the quay so that we could fill up with water.

Then it was onto the island of Aigina so that Alex could catch the hydrofoil ferry back to the mainland and the plane back to the UK. Alex caught the first ferry so we sailed on to the port of Epidhavros and dropped anchor in the really nice bay. That evening there was a handicraft market and Greek dancing on the quay; needless to say we didn’t join in the dancing!

The next morning we got up early before it became too hot and took a taxi to the ruins of Epidhavros which is famous for its stunning ancient theatre built around 330 BC. The theatre is almost complete and has amazing acoustics, anyone standing and speaking in the centre of the ‘stage’ can be heard clearly from any part of the 54 tiers of seats that could hold an audience of 14,000. As well as the theatre there is are ruins of temples, baths, a gymnasium, etc spread out over a large area. It was certainly worth the visit.

So now we are getting ready to cross through the canal back to the west coast of Greece and the Ionian islands.

Have just realised how much I have written and rambled on, sorry, but I hope you enjoy it. Will try and keep it shorter next time. Not sure when I will be able to post this as good internet connections are few and far between where we are at the moment.

We will post the next instalment when we are through the Gulf of Corinth.

Hope you are all well. Duncan & Kim.

Hiding From The Meltemi

2007-07-06T22:46:00.000+02:00

Well we are back in Naxos again waiting for a friend to arrive off the ferry in the early hours of the morning.

For the last two weeks we have been lazing around in a couple of secluded and out of the way anchorages hiding from civilisation and the Meltemi (strong wind from the North that lasts for 3, 6, or 9 days) As you may have seen on the news with all the fires around Athens, Greece has been having a heatwave over the last few weeks with temperatures the hottest for 100 years, and boy has it been HOT!

When we left Naxos we sailed to Paros the next Island and found a small bay at the north of a much larger bay where we stayed for a few days. The bay was ideal as well sheltered with beautiful, clear water and not many other boats.

From there we went north to Mikonos island and as there was a possibility of some higher winds found a bay in the south of the island. This proved to be a big disappointment as the cruising guide is obviously out of date. Instead of finding a relatively untouched bay with a small Taverna we found a developed resort. Apartment complexes had gone up with more being built, four large Tavernas, that turned out to be extremely expensive and at night the prerequisite loud Karaoke. As you can gather we were not impressed and as the wind did not arrive we moved on after only one night to our next anchorage that proved to be the exact opposite.

We sailed the short distance to the small island of Rinia which is inhabited by only a couple of shepherds and fishermen. The bay was fantastic and totally unspoilt and whilst during the day it gets visited by several other boats most nights there was only us or one other. The other good thing was that it was sheltered and the holding good and this proved to be very necessary. Right on cue on the 1st July the first of the seasons Meltemi started to blow and kept it up for three days.

When at anchor Tiamat has a tendency to sail around its anchor and can get side on which has on occasions led to the anchor breaking out in very heavy gusts. The nautical term for this behaviour is ‘Horsing About’ would you believe! Well we have had a small ‘Riding Sail’ made which fits on the backstay and the end of the boom and we hoped this would act in a similar way to a Mizzen sail and stabilise the boat. Well this seemed as a good a time as any to try it out so before the wind started to blow we rigged the sail and waited to see what would happen. It was a great success, Tiamat no longer moves around but sits very stable, not only is it safer it’s much more comfortable. We kept the sail up for the whole time we were there which included a whole day of 35+ knot winds.

We loved this bay so even after the Meltemi stopped we stayed and in the end spent seven nights there.

And that brings us back to Naxos where we have reprovisioned the boat, topped up with fuel and water and now sitting waiting for Peter to arrive. It doesn’t look as though we will be able to get away tomorrow unfortunately as another Meltemi started this morning we will have to see. The plan for the next week is to work our way further north through the islands and then west towards the mainland where the winds should be less. We will see.

We will post another update when we get internet access again which should be in about a week.

Thanks for all the mails, its great to get them and to keep up with what’s happening.

Take care
Duncan & Kim.

In the Cyclades

2007-06-23T09:15:00.000+02:00

Finally back to civilization, sorry for the delay in replying to anyone but this is the first time we have been able to get an internet connection since we posted the last update. So where have we been hiding?

Well we spent a few more days on Milos and we took Tiamat out for a day to the South of the island to see the rock formations and coves. Whilst it was nice to just sit on the quay and chill we decided we had better move on whilst the weather was good so after five days on Milos we left.

There was very little wind so had to motor to the island of Poliagos where we found a beautiful, tiny, secluded bay where we were the only boat there. Heaven!! It was so nice and tranquil that we stayed there two days lazing around and swimming. Only thing that disturbed the peace and quite was the bleating of the goats on the shore.

From there we travelled on to the island of Folegandros where we stayed at anchor in the small harbour for the night and then onto Santorini.

Santorini is made up of two islands that basically form the crater rim of a gigantic volcano 6 miles long by 4 miles wide that has been filled with water. The sides rise sheer out of the sea to 300m and drop away below the water for a further 300m. Perched on top of these cliffs there are a couple of towns, with white domed houses, the largest of which is Thira. In the middle there are two small low lying islands, a black mass of cinder and lava that are the volcanic plug of the volcano.

We motored into & round the ‘crater’ an incredible sight, awesome! Because the sides are so sheer there is no possibility of anchoring there to visit the town and normally you have to come by ferry from a neighbouring island. However as the weather was calm we managed to find a ledge off one of the centre islands that was shallow and we anchored there for lunch. We then decided as the wind hadn’t got up and our little anchorage seemed safe, that we would take the chance and stay there for the night.

So there we were anchored in the centre, on the plug of the volcano, surrounded by cinders and lava. We were the only boat there and we watched the sun set and turn the massive cliffs red. Oh by the way did I mention that the volcano is still active and the water sulphurous!

After a quite and peaceful night we decided it was best to get out of Santorini so headed north and anchored in a sandy bay on the south coast of Ios. Spent the day there swimming and relaxing.

The following day we sailed further north to the unspoilt island of Iraklia and tied up on the fishing quay in the islands one and only port. It is a beautiful island that so far has been relatively untouched by tourism although the ferries have started to call there so things might change. At present there are a couple of Tavernas and a few places offering accommodation but little else. Once you get away from the fishing village and get into the centre of the islands nothing has changed in hundreds of years, it’s still wild and mostly inaccessible. We found the place wonderful and peaceful and spent three days there.

We then moved on to Naxos where we are now. We are in the marina in Naxos town and it’s the exact opposite of Iraklia, very busy and full of tourists. It does have a nice side though and we spent yesterday investigating the old walled town on the hill and the Archaeological museum, which has some very old and amazing statues, pottery and jewellery from the 6th century BC.

On a headland there are the remains of a temple to Apollo and it’s a great place to watch the sunset which have been stunning each evening.

We are really enjoying the summer and the Greek islands. The weather has been wonderful since we got here, it is so HOT its impossible to be out in the sun between 1200 & 1600, its over 35C in the shade everyday and the winds have been light. The water is so clear and blue, just beautiful.

Having done the islands in the south we are now working our way north and west before the Meltemi sets in with a vengeance. If the weather holds we plan to stay out in the islands for another month.

Anyway enough for now, will post the next update in about a couple of weeks when we next get internet access.

Hope you are all well and we think of you all often.

Take care.
Duncan & Kim

Malta to Greece

2007-06-10T19:20:00.000+02:00

Well we are in Greece, to be precise on the island of Milos which is in the Cyclades, but how did we get here.

We left Malta at 1200 on Wednesday 30th May with our friend Andrew and aimed straight for the South-West corner of the Greek mainland. The wind was stronger than forecast, 20 to 30 knots with gusts of 40+, and we soon reduced sail, 2 reefs in the Main and half the Genoa. Luckily the wind was almost directly behind us and we were surfing down the quite large rolling seas. Because the waves were coming in on our port quarter the auto-pilot couldn’t really handle it and so Andrew and I helmed for the first 11 hours until the wind and waves dropped a little. We were glad when it abated as not sure how much longer we could have kept up helming as it was quite demanding in the rolling sea.

We managed to sail almost the whole way and arrived in Methoni Friday afternoon after 51.5 hours averaging 7.1 knots for the journey, having seen a top speed of 10.6 on a few of the surfs.

Apart from the fantastic downwind sailing for 2 days the highlight of the trip was Kim catching a good sized Tuna after only having the line out for a short while. Not sure who was more surprised Kim or the fish! As you can imagine after a couple of days we had had enough of Tuna!

We stayed at anchor in the bay at Methoni for a couple of nights and investigated the old walled city and Turkish watch tower. The tourist season hasn’t started yet, few visitors about yet so the place was very sleepy, quite and expectantly waiting for the invasion. The weather was lovely, hot calm and clear.

From Methoni we motored round the coast to another small bay which was overlooked by the remains of a walled city. Koroni we did not find as pretty or as interesting as Methoni but a good sheltered bay and good facilities to provision the boat.

After a night at anchor we set of east again, crossing the large bay and aiming for the next headland. On the way we were able to rendezvous at sea with our good friends Ian and Sue on Pulsar II. Unfortunately they were on their way north to a marina and we needed to press on so the reunion and party will have to wait until later in the season when hopefully we will be able to meet up again.

We had planned to visit the caves at Dryos but when we got there the wind was funnelling down the valley and there was 30knts of wind and white water everywhere so we abandoned the idea and carried on round the headland to Porto Kayio an almost enclosed bay with mountains all around.

There then followed an ‘interesting’ and stressful night! The wind by now was quite strong and gusty from the NE so we tried to tuck up in the north of the bay. The bay is quite deep right up to the sides so we had to anchor in 20 mtrs. The wind was gusting down the mountain sides and Tiamat was swinging about badly. Consequently we had to have an anchor watch. Even with all our chain out (90mtrs) our anchor slipped three times during the night and we had to pull it up and re-anchor. With the anchor watch and having to get everyone up to re-anchor nobody got much sleep that night and it was a relief when morning came and the wind dropped and turned.

We moved to the other end of the bay where the holding was much better and shallower and spent the day recovering and chilling. The bay is gorgeous, secluded and has a couple of Tavernas on the beach. When the wind had dropped it was a lovely place to be.

After a goodnights sleep it was off again, this time heading for the island of Kithera. After another great down wind sail we arrived at the port of Dhiaofti. All day the wind had been increasing and by the time we arrived it was blowing 30knts and the harbour was quite rough. We decided to anchor in the shelter of a small island off the town. Whilst this afforded good shelter from the waves it did little for the wind. Still the water was shallow and the holding good. This was as well as during the evening the wind increased until it was blowing a steady 45knts! With 60mtrs of chain out we were solid and we felt confident enough to go to bed and sleep.

Next morning (Thursday 7th June) we were up early, the wind had dropped and we sailed to the island of Milos which is the most SW island in the Cyclades. It’s really a large volcanic crater that has been flooded and the rock forms and cliffs are stunning. The main port of Adhamas is in the ‘crater’ and this is where we headed. We tied up on the town quay to find much to our surprise that the mooring was free as was the electricity and water that was provided at points along the wall. Great result.

That night we went out for dinner to celebrate arriving in the Cyclades and to say farewell and thanks to Andrew who was catching the ferry back to Athens and then plane to the UK the next day. It had been great having Andrew along, the extra pair of hands had made the trip easy and on more than a couple of occasions had proved invaluable.

Andrew left and we are still tied to the wall in Adhamas, enjoying the rest, chilling and doing a few chores whilst we have the facilities. I expect we will move on in a few days, but that is for the next instalment.

So that’s enough for now. Hope I haven’t bored you too much.
Hope all is well. Take care.
Love Duncan & Kim xx

Tunisia to Malta

2007-06-10T19:10:00.000+02:00

Leg 1 Monastir to Malta

So at last the season has started and we are away.

We had a fantastic winter again in Tunisia making more friends and consolidating the ones we made last winter. This winter was a little busier as I had several boats to look after and maintain but still managed to get out and about, visiting the countryside and places of interest. This culminated in going to a Tunisian wedding party in the middle of nowhere in the south of the country. An amazing experience especially as we were the only (& probably the first ever) Europeans to go there. Kim and a couple of the other girls got dressed up in traditional Hammamet wedding costume, very ornate and much appreciated by the local ladies.

It never ceases to amaze us how much there is to see and do in Tunisia and how friendly and helpful the people are. We love the place and have made some really fantastic friends. We will be returning there for another winter at the end of this sailing season.

We first left Hammamet and had Tiamat hauled out in Monastir for its yearly maintenance. I lived on the boat whilst Kim stayed in Hammamet with friends. All went well although the boat got filthy due to high winds for a couple of days which kicked up the sand and there was a boat being sand blasted down wind in the other yard. Due to work on other boats we didn't managed to get dropped in water at the end of the week as planned and had to wait until Monday. Stayed on the fishing quay for 2 nights checking and finishing everything and then went to the marina for a night to clear customs.

We finally left Monastir and Tunisia on Thursday 24th May at 0700 and had to motor all the way to Malta as beautiful weather, flat seas but zero wind. Arrived in Malta at 0630 the next morning. It’s amazing how fast Tiamat is with a clean bum and flat water. 7.5 knts at 2100 revs.

We spent the day in little bay on Comino island between Gozo and Malta, sunbathing and resting before coming into Valletta in the late afternoon. The old walled citadel of Valletta is a fantastic sight when entering from the sea.

We had arranged to meet up with old friends from Silchester, Andrew and Kate who had organised their holiday to coincide with our arrival. We spent the next few days sightseeing around Valletta and some of the island. Even managed to see an exhibition of the ‘Terracotta Army’ which was visiting a museum in Valletta. An opportunity not to be missed.

Malta has a cheap, reliable bus service that serves all parts of the island and is an easy way of getting around. The best part is the majority of the fleet of buses are very old, well preserved and each one individually decorated and named by its driver. When the bus sets off the old Maltese ladies cross themselves, not great for ones confidence and once you’ve been on one you can understand why, but quite an experience.

Kate then flew back to England leaving Andrew to sail with us for Greece. We had always planned to sail direct to Greece and now with three of us on the boat this made life much easier. We left at 1200 on Wednesday 30th May. Will continue the story in the next installment.

Hope everyone is well, we are thinking of you all and miss you.
Love Duncan & Kim xx

Summer 2007

2007-05-02T16:15:00.000+02:00

This year Tiamat will be cruising the Greek Islands. With well over a hundred inhabited islands and a territory that stretches from the south Aegean Sea to the Balkan countries, Greece offers enough to fill months of travel.

The historic sites span four millennia, encompassing both the legendary and the obscure, where a visit can still seem like a personal discovery.

Beaches are parceled out along a convoluted coastline equal to France’s in length, and islands which range from backwaters where the mail-boat calls twice a week to holiday resorts which are as cosmopolitan as any in the Mediterranean.

Please see our link below for full itinerary details.

We will be returning to Tunisia in October for our Autumn and Spring charter season. Again, for additional information on our charter itineraries in Tunisia please use the link provided below.

We wish you all a super summer, watch this space for regular updates on our travels.