Nearly all the Viking Explorer group left together. Sadly one yacht got a positive covid test and all aboard had to isolate. A second yacht had a medical issue and needed to postpone for another year. Two further boats delayed their departure to wait for lower winds.

We departed expecting 25-30kts from NE and we got 30G40. Seas 2-3m. The ride was a rough but exhilarating roller coaster for the first day. Max wind was 40.6kts and max boats speed 20.2kts – the fastest we have ever gone and that was with 2 reefs on main and similar on the Genoa. Over several hours we were regularly getting 16-18kts down the swells.

All was good until we needed to gybe and, unfortunately, it was a bad one. We did not know how bad until dawn the next day when Hew was looking at the boom under the mainsail cover and saw the dent/ bend.

We reduced to a third reef and then after further consideration dropped the main and continued hull winged on Genoa and storm jib. A good combination and a good ride downhill.

Later in the day, we were visited by a large pod of dolphins who had a great time jumping and during in the waves. About 50-50 individuals with babies but the pod did not hang around close to the bows but rather darted in and out across the bows and down the waves.

The following is rather long and unfortunately no music yet but the video shows some of the antics of the dolphins in the later afternoon. https://youtu.be/c1HXg6gdcUU

Day three and the wind was decreasing to we ran the spinnaker all day and night. Very pleasant.

No sailing incidents but Hew decided to be the cook for the night and during the preparation managed to fire the Pyrex dish out of his hands and down the stairs ensuring a spectacular explosion of glass pieces everywhere!! So much for a quiet night!!

On day four the wind dropped slowly all day. We had to drop the spinnaker and motor-sailed half the day with the Genoa and then with the dying wind dropped the Genoa as well.

It was a lovely day and all were relaxing and doing the washing and tidying up. I had sent an update email to the yacht Copepod to say all the water sampling was going well and we must catch up at the next stop.

The next minute Mark comes in with a very sheepish look on his face to say he had just thrown the sampling tube overboard!!!!! Adding to the plastic waste in the ocean. It has a hook to attach it while you are collecting the water but he decided not to do that grrrr. No more sampling until we can get a new one. His new nickname “Dr. Dolittle”!!!

Next, another pod of dolphins turned up – as soon as some got here others rushed in from as far as you could see. This time they all hung close under the bows of the boat and jostled for the price positions. Very unlike the behaviour of the other lot two days earlier.

They departed after about 30 min and it was lunch. The fisherman has been very quiet but he has had three lines out every day and only one nibble. Anyway out he goes after lunch to find he had lost a lure and never even heard it!!! Problem with bungee cords on nylon and no steel trace. … No more fish seen that day 🙁

That night we decided with one day to go we should all watch a film with dinner so sit down to Bohemian Rhapsody!!

The next day we were all relaxing and suddenly Mark yelled “fish”!! Pete lept up to make sure it was true, Nev came rushing up out of bed, cameras came out – in case it jumped off. It was a beautiful blue Mahi-mahi or Dorado as they call it here. It is so beautiful in the water it is sad to see it caught.

Anyway, it was lovely to have sashimi for entré and fried fish for dinner, then poisson cru the next day.

Tuesday morning we were within sight of land. Petrels were the first bird we saw then the 3 local gannets kept us enthralled watching them catch fish in front of the yacht, including one flying fish.

We arrived in the harbour just after 1230 – it is littered with wrecks and some derelicts. We berthed at 1239 with marina assistance and met the local representative Stev, plus the marina staff. Next were the health authorities to look at our vaccination certificates and PCR test results. Followed closely by the rigger to look at the boom.

We sat down to lunch while waiting for the office to open. Then later we removed the mainsail and boom.

Next, I went to sort out the marina. The staff were all lovely, smiley faces, very friendly and helpful. The whole atmosphere of the marina is very casual snd reminds us of Fiji and the Pacific.

Followed by a meet-up at the bar.

We all needed local SIM cards so that was handled in the marina office by a phone lady

The riggers returned to pick up the boom which required a lot of manouvering around the office.

Finally, we could relax with beers and a Mojito!!

The next Viking yacht did not get in until about 8 pm. They were also looking at repairs as they had blown their Genoa apart!!

The festive season is truly that, a season of parties. The first party was hosted by the Swedish group and it was great fun with special hats and Swedish delicacies. There were Swedish Christmas lighted hats, Viking hats and Santa hats. The party was held at sunset on the dock https://marina.palmasport.es/ that we were all attached to which was crowded, and many of the yachts had Christmas lights!!

Christmas Brunch

Eleuthera invited the Viking group for a Christmas brunch of champagne and strawberries. Very good turnout to the point where the aft end of each hull was 10cm underwater! We had the traditional New Zealand summer Christmas celebration of champagne and strawberries, a tradition which was quite foreign to most of the group, but they all loved it. A very happy cheerful gathering.

Christmas Lunch

Although the brunch ran on until 1 pm there was just enough time for Pete to cook roast lamb for lunch. Herman and Ute off Thetis joined us for a very relaxing and enjoyable time.

Pavlova had been cooked the day before but had not been cooked through as the oven turned itself off when the chief engineer was checking his generator and shore power dropped off for generator power.

The favorite ginger and fresh cherry cake was perfect though.

Shambles but all sorted on the end and a very relaxing afternoon. Needless to say, there was no dinner!

New Year

After our great success on the first day’s dinner at Embarcadero in Las Palmas https://restauranteembarcadero.com/, we decided to go to the same restaurant for New Years’ eve. The meal was a degustation menu and the food was superb and the whole evening fabulous. Brilliantly organised and timed. We were incredibly lucky and had a marvelous night.

After a very festive stay in Las Palmas, we were off to the Cape Verde Islands: https://kiwiflyingfish.com/2022/01/las-palmas-to-mindelo-high-winds-broken-gear-and-dolphins/

The night before we had booked hotel rooms as everywhere seemed full and we felt we only had time to look at one town therefore we decided on the main town of Tenerife-Santa Cruz.

We did look at going to the volcano for a day but could not get transport or tickets on the gondola so gave up that idea.

We checked in at the hotel and had a wander around the grounds.

Christmas Lights

Before wandering around town we decided to book somewhere for dinner and Hew found a restaurant close by. When we got there they could only take us at 10 pm so off we went for a wander around town.

The Christmas lights were still up on every street. The effect was magnificent and cheerful. People were wandering around everywhere and sitting and chatting in cafes. It seemed much more alive than Las Palmas.

Dinner

Park

Between the hotel and the central part of the town is a lovel cool peaceful park.

Palm Garden- Palmetum Tenerife

The Palm Garden and foreshore near it were the city’s rubbish dump. It has now been changed into a huge park and birds have returned. A marvelous effort and shows what a city can do if it is inclined.

https://palmetumtenerife.es/?lang=en

The water park is also a fabulous facility and so cheap to go and use it.

https://parquemaritimosantacruz.es/el_parque/

We returned to the hotel for nibbles and drinks in the bar then went downtown to find a streetside restaurant. Unfortunately, the food was not as good as the night before.

Next morning was a quick trip into town for some last-minute purchases of vinyl records by Pete. Then off to the ferry for the return trip with a quick stop off at the Marina to talk to an old friend – a superyacht skipper- isolating on the boat with his crew due to some testing positive for covid.

Next blog: Las Palmas to Mindelo

Halfway Stop for Coffee

Climbed up and up, and up and up for about 1.2 hrs, taking an “off the main road route! Stopped at little cafe/bar for a much needed coffee, then up and away again.

The houses were sparse and build on steep slopes, it was getting cooler, then we were up in trees and little else.

Cruz de Tejeda

At a key junction, Cruz de Tejeda, at the near top we all piled out. A bar and cafe, a small monastery (now visitor/accommodation place) a little market. Surprisingly selling jumpers???

Off down the hill 5 mins to a little village Tejeda for lunch, beer and good nosh.

Tejeda – Rated the Prettiest Village in Gran Canaria

https://localguidegrancanaria.com/en/tejeda-village/

Lunch

Menu was very good for all apertisers, Pete and Nev tried the local mountain dish of goat meat in a garlic and something source… bones too and chewy but some great flavour.

Firstly a cold beer, and what a beer, ICE floating in the big glasses and the team agreed the beer was OK!

After a long lunch (Spanish style) with local deserts for the hungry and a short walk around the village …

Walk Around

We then discovered that Mr googles map route was closed for the day!

So back up to the road where we had been earlier, turn right and we were on our correct route to Roque Nublo!!!, where we should have been going earlier…??!!????.. As Hew would say “off piste”

Spectacular Roque Nublo and Paque Rural del Nublo

For more information see the following links: https://www.canarirural.com/EN/turismo/gran-canaria/Parque-rural-del-Nublo-ref129

https://www.spain.info/en/nature/pilancones-natural-park/

We arrived at the Roque Nublo (1800 meters) parking and all thought, yes, off we go…a short jaunt to the top…. A great path which started going up, up and up until 40 mins later, we were near the top!!

Across the flat plateau to the base of Nublo which climbs 150ft vertically all by itself. First climbed by the Germans in 1934, still is a rock climbers vertical challenge.

It’s was windy and cool (10 degrees), so now we knew why there were jumpers and jacket sellers down below! Stunning views and as it was 5pm the hews and different landscape highlights were spectacular, the photos don’t lie.

20 mins on top and everyone was ready to go, it gets dark here quickly at about 630pm so need to get back. Stunning adventure, not what was expected, always take a wind breaker or buy a jersey!!!

Birds Enjoying the updrafts

On the way down the wind had really risen and the birds were having a great time soaring in the updrafts.

Beautiful views from every where in a national park with spaced trees and lots of benches for summer picnics out of the sun. Fortunately for us they were empty as its mid-winter!!

All happy back at the car, there was a coffee truck with beautiful eyes (and awful coffee) but we were off home, via another scenic routing with Hew under pressure with delayed instructions and missed turned as Mr Google tried to keep up.

Via Terror and Lanzarote , and the same round about a couple of times, but home safe sound and satisfied …. Inland hills were much bigger and better than expected, need to have the right shoes and clothes and walking/climbing bits. Big sleep tonight

Next Blog: Christmas Week

We arrived at 2am into Las Palmas marina and parked on the reception berth. Slept till 6am expecting to have to move but told not to worry until the office opened.

At 9am had all the paperwork done but apparently two boats needed to be shifted for us to get into our berth. 10 am we finally berthed.

The marina has 1250 berths at very reasonable prices and also handles the mooring area outside which is also full at the moment. All those on moorings or in the bay can also apply to the office to get cards for the showers and toilets.

Viking Explorer Seminars

We lept off the boat and went off to the Viking Explorer welcome and first seminar.

Embarcardo Lunch

Having finished the seminars and feeling hungry we adjourned to the closest restaurant – The Embarcardohttps://restauranteembarcadero.com/. At the time we did not realise that it was probably the best in town and we wouldn’t find a better one. Three hours later and many laughs with the Manager we left for a siesta!!!!

Las Palmas Harbour

The harbour is huge with room for marinas, cruise ships – large and small, oil drilling rigs, container ships and the Navy. Fishing boats are all shapes and sizes and all flags: Belize, China, Japan, Korea, Spain….. On land there is maintenance facilities plus an aquarium.

Beaches

There are beaches both sides of the peninsula. There are very nice walkways and cycle ways all along both areas of beach and through town. The first is next to the Marina.

The other one to the north side is good for surf and very touristy.

Also at the eastern end of the beach there are a huge area of sand sculptures

Saint Lucy’s Day – First Party Hosted by the Swedish Boats

Shortest Day Celebration – Saint Lucy’s Day – hosted by the Swedish members of the Viking Explorer group.

Beautiful Old Town Las Palmas

The week of seminars concluded and Carlota who organises the Viking Explorer group took us on a walk through the old part of Las Palmas. The architecture was interesting but so too we’re the shops which are all international labels pitched at international tourists. The total income to the island is 95% tourism. The streets are beautiful to walk around due to the beautifully paved areas and very few vehicles. As you will see from the photos the paving is all different and very effective.

For those who are interested in local prices here are some photos of the local market.

Covid and Rule Changes

For the first week the rules were masks only inside. Week two just before Christmas the rules changed to masks everywhere. They are also giving boosters to everyone over 60 so Hew and I were both able to get our booster vaccination shots here at no cost. Very good efficient service.

The ARC Rally

Even though the ARC rallys leave also leave from LAs Palmas we have not heard much about them until the other day. The news of the November rally losing a sailer and two boat did make it through but more interesting was a discussion had by one of the Viking cruisers with the local chandlery. He was trying to replace a Dan buoy that wouldn’t fit the back of his boat due to the wind geenrator being in the way and was told they didn’t take returns on safety gear. Big signs all over the windows. The reason being that ARC participants must pass a safety test before they can leave – they come in and buy everything they are missing or have to replace. Then when they pass the check they try and return the new gear!!! Unbelievable that some people would pay so much to join a rally then skimp on their own safety gear!!

Well back to work getting the yacht ready:

Next Bog : Inland Grand Canaria

We arrived in Alcaidesa Marina https://alcaidesamarina.com/en/home/ at La Lineas near Gibraltar from Cartagena at 9 pm. We stopped at the main office for instructions and I mentioned that the berth they had allocated appeared to be too short from the diagrams. The man on duty said the office had allocated it so it should be right. So off we went to park the yacht.

Well, I was right and he was wrong – we only just squeezed in and the floating pontoons only came halfway up the boat.The pontoon was for a 12m boat and we are18 m.

Mark had arrived early and came to assist.

The next day Mark who was staying in the little houseboats for the night shifted in. He had eaten something odd the night before and had been up all night.

The next morning we shifted onto pier 9 which was a wall behind another catamaran. The only problem with pier 9 was Hew had to link 3 electrical cables together to reach the electrical box.

Into Gibraltar

Late morning we wandered into Gibraltar for lunch. We picked a cafe on Queen’s wharf where one of the other yachts “Ari” from the Viking Explorer group was moored. So after lunch, we went down and met Chris and Rose for a cup of tea. They were berthed in a shady and cold corner. We had not been able to get into any of the Gibraltar marinas, but now did not mind because although our berth was windy it was in the sun.

Arrival of Nev and Peter

Neville and Peter arrived late in the afternoon after walking from the airport because they could not find a taxi on the Spanish side of the border. After getting all the gear onboard and partially unpacking we decided to go into La Lineas town for dinner. Mark was still feeling off so stayed on the boat. Pete and Nev came as we searched the back streets for a restaurant recommended by the Marina office “La Charca”. https://m.facebook.com/lachacratapasgrill/

We arrived 10 min before it opened so went off to have a beer. We returned shortly and just got in before it rapidly filled up. Obviously a very local restaurant and superb. It was Pete’s birthday so we celebrated with a couple of bottles of the local red!! You had to like meat as there were very few vegetables to be seen!!

The Rock of Gibraltar

The next day was off to Gibraltar to do the tourist trip and look around the rock, and do a few chores in town. The tour by taxi around the rock was perfect. We had plenty of time for the lookouts, monkeys, tunnels, and caves as seen below.

The Monkeys

The Caves

The Tunnels

The View

We wandered to a cafe for a nice cappuccino and lunch.

Next Mark and Hew had to pose outside the post office in remembrance of times past- 40 years ago.

Provisioning

The next day was provisioning day in La Lineas – which Pete, Mark, Nev, and Barb. We achieved most of the shopping in a supermarket which delivered but needed to get meat from the butchers as Hew was feeling like a lamb roast. There was a 6 person queue outside.

Then Nev went off hunting for more fishing gear.

Final Preparation Day

The next day was all the odd jobs still to be finished! Nev’s toilet had not been working and a few days before Hew discovered it only had a 12 volt supply and not a 24 v supply to the pump!! The fridge compressor he had bought in Gibraltar the day before was the wrong one!! Then they were shut. The rigging needed a final check. All his maintenance gear needed to be stored away for the trip!!

Nearly ready to go!!

Next Blog: Gibraltar to the Canaries https://kiwiflyingfish.com/2021/12/gibraltar-to-canaries/

Day 1 Departing Gibraltar and getting out of the Straits

Well, daybreak saw the Marina with 25kts gusting 35kts. Waves at the entrance and cold though clear day. You will notice that the crew was really rugged up!!

We decided it was time to go anyway. It took considerable horsepower to get off the dock as we had to swing the sterns right out into the wind.

The first stop was the fuel dock in Gibraltar for duty-free fuel. Luckily it was out of the direct wind. They also sell food and alcohol but we’re out of beer due to an Aussie boat that came in the day before and bought all the beer they had!! Pete and Nev managed to go down the road to the supermarket while we were refueling.

Departed the fuel dock and motored across the harbour around all the ships, and into the lee of the hills to raise the sails 2 reefs in main and Genoa.

Then tried to sail for the exit of the Straits but really managed very little forward motion against the wind waves and tide. Did time tacking up the African side then crossed back to the Spanish side. Tangiers VTS did not want us amongst their traffic!!

Finally made it out of the Straits late Sunday. For the first half of the night, it was still windy and rough and we were still motor sailing.

Day 2 Fishing and Dolphins

Neville who is a very keen fisherman had put out two lines to try and catch some fish. He has been allocated one hull to fish in as we knew that it would get very messy. Also because we were traveling fast he was told he had to wear a harness – separate from the sailing harnesses when leaping outboard to bring the fish in. Suddenly one day he caught a skipjack tuna. didn’t have the harness on and was not ready. He hauled it aboard and bleed it all over the back of the hull – as expected and then had to wash the area down. This is a short video of the instant – but we were not ready either – so it is rather jagged. https://youtu.be/cXpBOyjAWAE

Also the same day we managed to get some footage of dolphins, but also on a new camera and very unprepared – hadn’t even read the instructions!!

Very little to report on the way down – for the first two days there was mostly motoring. The second night we were called on VHF by an Italian warship asking for details. Luckily a week before all ships had been warned that there were naval exercises in the Mediterranean and as part of this, they would be hailing boats at random and asking questions. I was not expecting it in the Atlantic though. Never mind they were very polite and gave us something to talk about.

Day 3 Good sailing and rolling seas

We got some good weather and sailed with genoa initially and then genoa and main for the whole day in a 15-20kt breeze and 2m rolling seas – much nicer than the Mediterranean, the interval was 12 sec rather than 4 sec.

Well all good things come to an end and as night was approaching and the wind was increasing and forecast to get worse with larger seas we made the decision to stop at the northern island of La Graciosa and then consider continuing south the next day.

Day 4 – Playa Francesca and Montana Amarilla Walk

We were pleased to arrive at La Graciosa around midnight and anchored at Playa Francesa. There were 7 other yachts in the bay at the time. We went to bed and as forecast, the wind increased overnight. The wind has stayed up for two days now max wind 38kts so we have all been snuggled in inside and getting on with other jobs. Neville and Mark have both been for a swim but the rest of us are waiting got the warm weather!! Air temperature 18deg, water temperature 18.5deg.

Day 5 Departing La Graciosa

We got up in reasonable time and discovered a small yacht had drifted back in the night a long way out of the bay so I sent Hew and Nev to check on him. He was very grateful that we cared but did not want to change anything while he was firmly attached to the seafloor in the current wind! Following breakfast, Neville and Mark have taken up an exercise regime as they feel the food is too good and the exercise too little. So in the morning, they were out on the aft deck doing pushups and planks!!

The afternoon arrived and they felt they must climb the hill so we dropped them off on the beach for a walk. This is the video of the walk https://youtu.be/z_0bb_KYtTE

We decided to stay the night and the next day head off at dawn which we did into a 3.5 m swell and 20kts, much better than the previous day. we had a good sail for most of the way but the wind decreased all the way to Las Palmas until we were on the motor again. The forecast was accurate throughout. A nice video of the conditions.

We arrived at Las Palmas on Grand Canary at 2 am on Sunday morning. Moored outside reception, woke at 6 am changed piers at 9 am, and made the first seminar at 10 am.

More on the next blog

Photos: All the crew Narration: Mark

The weather forecast in Corfu stayed the same for three days – thunderstorms and wind.

Gouvia Marina

On the morning of the third day, we decided to make a break for it and go to Gouvia even if we had to anchor in the bay while we got the engine pump fixed. A friend had given us the name of some agents at A1 yachting and we called them to see if they could handle our entry into Greece to save us from going into town. They came back shortly after and although the marina had told us there were no berths when we called they had managed to find one for us.

We cruised down the coast which is beautiful and green and such a change after Malta which is all brown, dry, and rocky.

Video …

Corfu was very busy with charter boats going in and out of the marina, but they were having to wait for slots in their own area and we went in and were handled almost immediately.

The engineers arrived very quickly and took the pump away to be fixed. Next, we wandered up to the office of A1 yachting and discovered that the immigration police who were in the building next door were not happy with our documents. They could not find the exit stamp for Malta but they did find the entry stamp for Italy and it was over 90 days old. According to our passports, we had been nowhere else. Here we go again. There was much discussion on the ins and outs of Schengen and the individual countries’ agreements. In the end, it came down to the fact that we should have been stamped in each country so we could count the day’s agreement separately from the Schengen days.

Of course, leaving malta they treated us as crew on a yacht. Albania had its own system and stamped papers, not passports – mainly for the yacht requirements. Then the Greek authorities were treating us as passengers but decided in the final stages we should be crew. In the end, all the documents were signed and stamped and we were legitimate.

The next day the pump came back and we were all set to leave. We picked up some fuel at the fuel dock – last visited two years ago and ago. Then we set off with a forecast that would give us 30% on a tight reach than all the rest on an easy reach to Malta at about 15kts. Sounded great. As you can see from the photo – the weather was not that warm – not the Mediterranean we were used to.

Stormy Passage

We departed down the east coast hoping for a quick trip. After passing Corfu town the wind was dead on the nose again – seems to happen to us all the time. The wind was already averaging 22kts from the South rather than SW and the sea was rough already 1-2m and short. Rather than bashing into all the way on the motor we decided to tack and motor sail to the end of Corfu.

We reached the end of Corfu late in the day and turned right slightly to track for Malta. This did not seem to help as we turned right so did the wind. The wind was hard on so we motor sailed. The forecast was ok but windy. During the night the wind increased and so did the seas. At one point we were making 3.5kts Speed over the ground – depressing.

The second afternoon we were down to 3 reefs and no genoa – or now and then a handkerchief out. Making 6.5 knots and still motor sailing as the wind was so far forward. We were running forecasts every 6 hours and decided if the wind got no better we were going to head for Syracuse and not Malta and have a rest. We were running about 6 hours on ETA.

As the evening approached the wind increased from the NW we were hand-sailing rather than on autopilot which could not see the approaching waves and we had been dropping off some of the big waves. Still doing 6.5 knots but very rough. We had a good sail for about 3 hours then night fell and we had to reduce the speed of the yacht as we could not see the waves either. The forecast was for waves bout 2m at 4 sec intervals and that was about right.

The new forecast showed us right in the red patch and it had been gusting over 40kts. There was supposed to be a calm patch at one stage but we never found it.

Syracuse

Dawn rose with our entry to Syracuse. We notified our approach into the harbour and were told to remain on the yacht and then the fun started with authorities. We had not been planning to end up in Syracuse so of course had not given them the 12 hours notice required. We wanted to get in, do the paperwork, have a rest, and clear out the next day. Not so easy. The harbour master told us what was required for the health clearance and emailed us the details. We sent the documents off to 8 email addresses!! This was by now about 8 am. Then heard no more. On querying the harbour master she told us the Health department was separate and they had no idea how long it takes. They have obviously had this problem before.

We then started to tidy up the yacht and discovered that our port Pelican Stiker wire had two broked strands. Just as well we stopped. Now looked like we would not be going to Malta and certainly not sailing. On further inspection of the yacht, we discovered that we had also cracked the area under the rear davits again. One had been mended 3 months before in Marina di Ragusa and it was not too bad but now the other was showing cracking around the base. We made the decision not to continue to Malta but to go to Marina di Ragusa and try and get the wires and damage fixed there.

We then settled in for a rest. Got up after lunch and still no emails with a clearance. Called the harbour master again and explained that we would like to leave first thing the next morning because we wanted to take the calm weather window before the next storm. She was very helpful and even suggested not getting off the boat but clearing at Pozzallo. We called them but they asked us to call Marina di Ragusa as they did not speak English well. I talked to the girls there about a marina and the situation with the authorities and that we did not need to be stuck at Pozzallo if we did leave due to the approaching storm. She got back to me and had been told that Pazzallo now comes under Syracuse so if we couldn’t get the health clearance in Syracuse it would be a problem in Pozzallo.

The good thing that came out of the conversation was that they knew an agent in Syracuse who they had used before and they might help. We then called Giorgio siracusa@luise.com at Luisa Yachtshttps://www.luise.com/italy/ and had a chat. He told us that the process was with the health department there – if we did not give 12 hours notice then they threw the file in the next day’s list so we would not get it today. Sit back and relax. In fact, we would not get it until close to lunchtime the next day – certainly not first thing in the morning. We explained our problem with the weather and trying to get away as soon as possible but it seemed nothing to do but wait.

As we were sitting on the yacht waiting we had a visit from another yacht who had been in Marina di Ragusa previously. Brad and Janet were waiting for the current weather to go through before continuing to MdR. They were good friends of Chris the Refrigeration man we had met in Malta.

The forecast for the next few days was not good as can be seen from the shots of Predict wind below. The third photo was of the gust we got in the bay the next day. It was very windy and 0.5meter swell even in the harbour. The wind got up at 4am and at 6am we got the motors on an motored into the wind to get the bridle up and then release more chain. Beside us in the anchorage, another yacht was doing the same, and ahead of us one dragged so far they had to pull their anchor right out and start again. We were in around 7m and had about 60m of chain out. We really grabbed as we let the bridle out and did not move again while we were there.

The following are some views of the harbour in Syracuse. It is a lovely old town but overshadowed by the big cruise ships. I know people love them but this one had speakers going with the exercise music and dancing most of the day and the noise was awful. It dwarfed the old town and you could see why people do not wantcruised ships in some of these old traditional towns.

Hew loved this boat below, said it really was a James Bond-style yacht – big aft deck for all the fun and games!! Plenty of room for the helicopter as well. Great name.

Other boats seen around town.

When the weather finally cleared we decided we had one afternoon to walk around town – looking at the sights as seen above, the old and the new.

Departure for Marina di Ragusa

Then next morning we decided to get up before sunrise and leave at daybreak. I think the harbour wanted us to stay. The anchor came up so far and then we found we were totally entangled in an old net that had obviously been dumped. 45 minutes later we had cut it off. the movement of the boat over the last three days as shown on the screen probably aided the entanglement. What a muddy mess!!

Finally on our way to Marina di Ragusa.

We had an uneventful trip and were happy to return to the old marina. Clean and tidy and lots of welcoming smiles. Also much warmer than Corfu and even warmer than Syracuse.

Sea trial of the rigging the next day showed no problems just a half turn needed on the side stays.

Bureaucrats

Well, we finally had the rigging in sails on and most things we knew about repaired. It was definitely time to leave. We wanted to leave the next day but the only item we hadn’t finalised was how to get the VAT back. So we left the boatyard to anchor out in Rinella Bay to sort out last few issues. We were exhausted as well and in no state to start out that night.

You may think we had left the VAT issue fairly late but this battle /discussion/ arguments had been going on for weeks!! Talk about getting the run around from government officials!!

Firstly we asked the boat yard but they said they could not offer us VAT exempt invoices. They suggested an agent who sorted it for super yachts and he said flat fee €3000 to look at it!! Then we asked the VAT office- they said only yachts run as a business could claim it back. We stayed that any foreigner leaving the EU could on departure. Their answer was not a yacht as it is not a person!! Next we tried the customs office at Msida marina – no one there but said call this number. We did so and were told he would be there soon. Nothing for half an hour so then called back and same person said sorry he is not coming in today.!! Come to our office at Grand Harbour. With yacht in Msida and fairly windy we decided to do it another day.

Next try went to Customs office at the ferry terminal in Valletta. Two chaps behind desk- I had been here before to have papers signed. Asked these chaps, they said no nothing to do with them and no one else in building could help us and to call these 3 numbers.

Depart and call the numbers got nowhere. Got interrogated as to why we should get VAT back as it was a tourist tax!! ….,,

Tried another number from the internet listing and got a really nice chap who said yes it was the right office and the other two on the desk should have done it and come in.

Hew goes over has a good chat all sorted can do it next day but you have to book yacht into marina so they can come and see all the rigging on the yacht!!

Too late that day as the Marina offices all shut. Get on the phone the next morning and start calling the marinas – all full. Finally one called back to say they coukd fit us in for 4 hours for €120!! Then Hew rang customs to tell them where we would be and … Oh no ….”we don’t go to you you come and tie up to our dock”😬😬

Cancel the marina then go and look at dock near ferry terminal finding somewhere to fit in. Finally found a spot right outside office and tied up.

Along comes a man who says “you shouldn’t be here it’s private” ???? Apparently he rents the building and that part of the pier to customs. Anyway when we told him we had been told to tie up here he laughed as if the shambles we had was normal.

Next a customs guy comes out and asks why we were there- “because one of your guys told us to!!!!”

Hew gets all the forms together and off he goes..

Two hours later he comes back with Captain Customs. Nice enough chap. Tells me he had a cousin from Australia at wedding on Saturday who raved about how good Aus was and how bad Malta was and ruined his day. Then to top it off the power in the building has been out for 3 days!!! He was still grumpy!!

Anyway after sitting on the boat and looking at all the invoices and forms he took them away to stamp them and post them to a crowd who now handles all the VAT refunds for the government. He said we may not get any back…he does not know.?

Gremlins

Left the pier and went back to Rinella Bay to tidy up the yacht to leave. The reason we weren’t going straight out was that the charts at the Nav Station were playing up again. We seemed to be losing the connection between the helm station and the nav station. Also the new toilet put in as part of the starboard aft cabin alteration was leaking!!! Hew was so happy- NOT!!

After pulling off the kitchen cupboard doors, and unplugging and plugging in all the connections again, and talking to the local expert we seemed to have settled it down enough to leave. Tied up the dingy and headed off.

Departure

Hoisted the main and the topping lift unclipped!! Luckily got it back before the pin was lost and set off. Genoa up and off on a 10kt breeze in the right direction- NE.

Through most of the first night some sailing and some motor sailing. New Iridium go working well but taking a while to get through all the intricacies. Yacht routing seems good but winds about 20 degrees off and more aft. Had to start the motors about 3 am as the wind died.

Day break and we put up the genniker and gull-winged it most of the day, a great day cruising along. Wind directly aft and amazing that the sails held so well. Catamarans are not supposed to be able to sail downwind like this!!

Gremlins continue

Then the gremlins appeared again. Starboard motor water pump leaking. Not fixable at sea. 24 volt fridge compressor pump loosing suction when boat speeds increased and the Port engine leaking oil!! Well we had a beautiful sail despite various issues.

Sailing and Weather

Change in forecast caused a slight alteration to track. Wind going west instead of east. About 5pm rolled up the gennaker, very dark clouds to the west of us looking like a squall. Rolled out the Genoa and were busy discussing reefing for the night. Fixed the reefing lines and topping lift which had come off again the previous day. Started the Radar and Doppler and west of us it was bright red! Radar works very well 10 min later lightening started , then the squall and pouring rain. First 15 min was a fun ride with full sail up 25kt wind and +13kt boat speed. Lightening all around us.

We got Genoa half reefed and rode down one side of the the front for the next 30 min. Finally it passed behind us and we watched the spectacular lightening display for the next hour as it lit up the evening sky as dusk fell. We were glad to be out of it.

Wind kept backing and eventually we gybed over onto a deep reach straight for the next way point.

Decided to recheck all the weathers we had but none mentioned thunderstorms for our area or westerlies, all were ESE to SSE. Got some good practice in on the iridium-go!!

Settled in for dinner and night shift thinking a good steady wind , but like the typical Med it died away and needed to start the motor again around 2300.

Fairly steady night motoring until about 3am when the wind and waves got up again. Now the wind was from SE and waves from South. We tacked just before I went to rest. Sea got up to about 1.5 m but short and cross seas with a very nasty short chop. Boat fell off a wave several times or got slapped from below. Very noisy. Very little we could do about it. Same conditions continue all the way until just north of Corfu with the wind rising steadily and peaking at 27 knots boat speed peaked at 14 with help from the waves.

Reefed down to 1 on main and 1 on Genoa, then again to 2 on both. Better ride and still averaging 9 knots with many brief spurts of 12kts.

Ooops

At the peak of the wind and crossed sea state I decided we needed a sandwich. Opened the large fridge door and all the cheeses and a half dozen egsgs lept out at me. Quickly shut the door and proceeded to clean smashed eggs off the floor. Obviously we have been cruising the Med too much – this fridge is not designed for a bad seaway!! Decided to not open that fridge again to get to the new bread and instead use old bread from the small fridge. Went to open that one very carefully and the entire door feel off in my hands!!! Couldn’t get it back in so yelled at Hew for some some help .Finally he heard me and came in to assist.

Got to the channel between Corfu and Albania and the wind finally calmed down. Unfortunately completely on the nose so started both engines and motor sailed the rest of the way. With Hew sleeping on the seat. You will note that we are wearing many more layers of clothing than a week ago – autumn has come!!

Arrival Albania

Arrived in Sarande at 1705, called the port and got answered by the agent who said the harbour master would be there in 30 minutes, and no marinas available due to impending storm!! Anchored in front of the beach with a couple of other yachts and the anchor seemed to have caught well.

Went ashore with passports and finalised the paperwork. Jelja from Sarande Summer tours is a great agent and lovely to see her after 2 years away. https://www.sarandasummertours.com/ Got an updated forecast which was not very worrying, in fact for Sarande only low to moderate winds but rain for the next three days. We decided that if the anchorage became untenable and we had to shift over to Corfu we would get a clearance out that night. did all the paper work then went out and had dinner. Albania was the same as previously – lovely people and simple and reasonable prices, we must come back some day and explore this country. Started raining before we got back to the yacht but still light winds.

Woke up in the morning to torrential rain and decided we should stay in bed. Next minute hit by a really strong gust and the yacht took off out to sea!!! Out into the pouring rain. Tried to re-anchor twice and then gave up – all we were doing was plowing up seagrass by the anchor load. Decided change of plan again and we should head for Corfu, two hours away.

Corfu Arrival

As we motored along the wind died and we could see the Albanian coast clearly and fairly calm. Wishing we hadn’t checked out and could stay in some of the little coves. Half way to Corfu we finally had reception with Greece again. We got a new forecast from Meteo blue and it did not look good, thunderstorms, squalls and rain for three days. Hew was trying to get hold of A1 yachting about whether we get a marina and whether they could clear us in. we had been We had been recommended them fby a friend as we had not used any in the past and had had no real issues but this time was a real test. I was steering and looking at a wind line ahead – pitch black to the south and further west of our position there was a lot of wind and waves – reassessment time. Hew got the report of no marinas available, no slots in the old harbour so we did a 180 and headed for a northern bay we had discussed as a bolt hole the night before. A good decision soon we were motoring at 8 knots and as the wind and waves caught up with us we were doing 12 kts.

Another 30 minutes and we were inside the bay anchoring in 20kts of wind. Lots of chain out and we had a really good hook in. We waited with engines going for some time to make sure we did not shift. Then settled down for the day. Shortly after we anchored the yacht in front of us dragged and you could see they had anchored on a patch of sea grass as we had in Sarande and their anchor was full. After two more goes they finally got a good spot and settled down.

The wind and rain came in patches and in between you could look around this beautiful bay in realatively calm conditions. we were really glad we had changed our mind when we did. Having internet and phone again communication was recommenced with the outside world. looks like we will be here for several days. Paperwork for Greece was finished, A1 yachting https://a1yachting.com/ were handling it all except the TEPAI which we had done on line on arrival in the bay. Now time to relax and catch up on the current blog which I wrote on a long night watch, perhaps even some of the unfinished ones. Looking at the forecast we will not see sun for at least three days.

Just before publication have had another squall of 30kts through and another yacht drag. Finally caught very close to us – then up anchored further away. I am very glad as he came in late and was too close. Looks like it may be a long night.

Malta Air Show

We visited the static display on Saturday morning. Tickets could only be bought online. Once you got there it was a long queue. Temperature check, then ticket check, then covid vaccination check, then armband. Next, you were kept in groups of 100 to move around the display in a clockwise direction. It was supposed to be a single file so if too many bunched up the Marshalls would come along and smooth out the line.

The static display was not particularly interesting but it was interesting to see all the different services and the huge new hanger just built and another going up. Obviously, they are expecting a lot more business.

The static display went from 0900-1400 then the flying display was at Bugibba on St Paul’s Bay and right in front of the aquarium. We secured a spot at a cafe just down the road on the beachfront. Got in a swim as well.

The displays by Coast Guard rescue helicopter, the Rafael https://www.dassault-aviation.com/en/passion/news/rafale-solo-display-2021-schedule/ , and the F16 https://m.facebook.com/100SoloTurk/ were spectacular.

But the two highlights for the formation flying were the Swiss Air Force https://www.pc7-team.ch/en . Then the red arrows from the RAF, https://www.raf.mod.uk/display-teams/red-arrows/ . A good video here by Emily https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLP15Sm6BXM

Brilliant and well worth the trip out to see them. Since they were performing over the water and the viewing area was elevated it made it even better.

Here are a few clips from me: https://youtu.be/CJbW-Qe8gi0

Hotel Juliani

We stayed at Hotel Juliani in Saint Julians on Saturday and Sunday nights. https://www.hoteljuliani.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIiuPI24yd8wIVibHtCh0x7QmwEAAYASAAEgLfiPD_BwE .

Great little boutique hotel, lovely staff, and great rooms. It was so good to be somewhere really clean and tidy, we could sleep in and the food and view were spectacular. First Asian fusion meal we have had in Europe and it was great. Plenty of Wifi so updated the computers and finished the blogs.

Would have loved to stay another day but back to the boatyard to chase unfinished jobs.

Next Blog: https://kiwiflyingfish.com/2021/10/departure-gremlins-and-bureaucracy-issues/