Since the party went so late, yesterday we slept in late and were really out of it all day. We are normally in bed by 2200 (10:00 pm) kind of people, and we just don’t adjust well to the late nights.
Eric was up earlier than Christi, and he went for a swim. There was zero wind outside and it was roasting hot. The kind of heat where, when you Continue reading
Now that it was once again safe to run the engine, we pulled out first thing yesterday morning to go to the anchorage in Bali, Crete. In the bay at Agios Nickolaos, we were protected from the wind and big seas. As soon as we rounded the corner to leave the bay, we were smacked with 30 knots of wind on the nose and big waves that smashed into the bow relentlessly. This lasted about 2 hours before things started to calm down. The wind dropped to the low 20’s and the wave force reduced enough that we could open up the pilot house doors. It became an overall OK ride since the waves are not as steep and rapid as the last few trips we have made.
After 10 3/4 hours of paralleling the north shore, we pulled into the anchorage. We have long dreamed of the day we would pull up to Costa’s and Maria’s hotel and drop anchor outside their door. It was an exciting moment for us. And for them, too. Maria said was thrilled when she glanced out the window and saw Kosmos in the bay. She said she frantically waved to us, but we didn’t see it.
The wind was coming at just the right angle to make the anchorage rolly. To make matters worse, there were two speed boats doing circles around us. One pulling people on inflatable tubes, the other pulling parasailers. Argh. Paravanes were definitely a must in here. We put out the paravanes and brought down the dinghy. Getting the dinghy down in the rocking bay was not easy. We can’t remember if we have mentioned this or not, but we think that the paravanes make Kosmos look like she has a force field around her, like if you get too close you will be zapped with a tremendous electrical shock. We always laugh about it when they are down.
We puttered over to the small port. Maria told us Continue reading
This morning we got ready to go back to sea. At 1100, the lift came to pick us up and put us back into the water. The wind had been screaming yesterday, and the forecast was the same for today. But, so far, the wind wasn’t too bad and the sea in the bay seemed to be calm. This is a very good thing.
We had planned to take Ali and his family for a quick ride around the bay so they could experience being on a Nordhavn for themselves. There were a few cruisers staying at the yard that were watching Kosmos being put back in the water, so we invited them along, too. We were only out for 30 minutes, and it was a fun little ride.
We dropped off the guests, then took the 2 ½ hour ride over to D-Marina, where we tied up to the customs pier and checked out of the country. This was the fastest and easiest check out of all time. Within 15 minutes of tying up, we were pulling out again. We were so sad to see Continue reading
We pulled out early this morning to head to Turgutreis, Turkey, which is on the western edge of the Bodrum Peninsula. We would have liked to have spent another day exploring Kos and another day or two exploring Rhodes, but the marina at Kos was full and we needed to go. When we made the reservation they had told us we could only stay for the three nights.
The trip to Turkey was short, only taking 1 1/2 hours. Good thing, because the waves were rough yet again. We had made a reservation at D-Marina. The reservation had been confirmed via email, but they had not asked for payment up front. We pulled up to the marina and called on the radio. They responded that they had no space for us. What? We replied that we had a reservation. They didn’t respond, nor did they respond to subsequent calls. We waited in the harbor outside the marina, hoping they would respond to us eventually. We heard a boat on the radio call for a pilot boat to help them leave. Maybe we could get this newly vacating spot? Eric hailed Continue reading
Yesterday we went through our normal “get ready to go to sea” routine and pulled out at 1600 (4:00 pm). While we were getting ready, Stratos, one of the helpful guys who works at the marina, asked us if we were sure we wanted to go out in these conditions. Eric said he didn’t think it would be too bad. Famous last words. Continue reading