Equinox 2025

The morning of the boat lift was very frustrating.  Despite asking several times, the yard would only say that all lifting operation occurred between 08:00 and 13:00, and that we must be ready and listening on the radio for their call.  So we were up early to ensure that the remaining tasks, were completed before 08:00.  Then we waited, ... and waited, ...and waited.  Other boats were being lifted into the water, but there was no call to us. The food had been emptied, the gas disconnected and the water tanks emptied, so it was not possible to have refreshments during this time. Eventually, at about 11:30 we started to have contact with the yard, and the boat was lifted at about 12:15. The time while they cleaned the bottom and moved Equinox to its summer home was taken having a much needed coffee and then lunch. The only remaining job was to put the deck cover on, which always takes ages.  It is quite disconcerting to be walking around the deck at this time. Fir...

Equinox has spent the night on the town quay, right next to the place where the ferries dock.  One arrived at about 11:00 pm and proceeded to run its engines for a while, pushing a very strong jet of water towards us. Fortunately, our anchor was well set, and we were not moved far enough to rest against the next boat.  Later the ferry's engines were turned off and just the generators ran all night, which did not disturb us too much.  We were awake before they left,  so no problem then but it was very desirable to have left before the next one arrived. A prompt start was in order, as there was plenty still to be done when we arrived at Kilada, where the boat is to be lifted out.  Kilada is a very shallow and sheltered bay, with good views of the pretty town. The afternoon was spent finishing the preparations for the boat lift as much as possible.  All the safety gear has to be taken off deck and stowed. Distance today  -        12 mi...

This is now the endgame for our trip, and the preparation for leaving the boat for the summer take precedence over everything else.  Astros seems like an ideal place to do this, with shelter from the strong winds that are blowing, and electricity and water available and a delivery of fuel arranged.  Nevertheless, we had to move Equinox to three different berths during our stay, to obtain the necessary shelter from the strong incoming wind.  The Port Police, who had raised a couple of questions when we arrived, had gone out of their way to research the resolution, and one day came looking for us to give us the answer.  Another visit to their office was required, but we were grateful for their efforts, and I think that they had learned about the changed requirements in the process.  On Monday, rather belatedly, we received an email from the boatyard which mentioned some of the bureaucratic ho ops that we would have to jump through when leaving the boat. This ...

Navplion is an ancient coastal city at the head of the Argolic gulf, in the Peloponnese. It became an important sea port in the Middle Ages, having emerged from obscurity during the crusades, around 1212.  The name is said to derive from Nauplius, son of Poseidon. As with other places in this area, it has been occupied by Byzantines, Franks, Venetians and Turks. It therefore has old fortifications and seve ral castles. The city, under Venetian rule twice repelled Ottoman attacks and sieges, first by Mehmed the Conqueror during the Ottoman–Venetian War (1463–1479) and then by Suleiman the Magnificent. The city surrendered to the Ottomans in 1540, who renamed it Mora Yenişehri and established it as the seat of a sanjak.  The Venetians retook Nafplion in 1685 and made it the capital of their "Kingdom of the Morea". The city was strengthened by building the castle of Palamidi, nestled on a rock 219 metres high. The position was supposed to make the castle impregnable, comprising ...

Walking in the footsteps of Agamemnon. Today's cultural tour was to Mycenae. The ancient city was the centre of a great Helladic civilisation between about 1650 and 1100BC. It is widely accepted that the period dominated by the Mycenaea (the Mycenaean period) fits in with the Achaeans of Homer's Odyssey and Illiad. The Mycenae were a militant race who quickly came to dominate Greece. The ruins of the city are on hilltop, with several layers and the Palace complex at the very top. Relatively few recognisable buildings remain, but the foundation structures are clearly visible and the archaeologists have interpreted what they would have been, from the finds within them.   The scale of the walls make it seem impregnable The model is gives the best impression of how the site fits into the hilltop There are many legends emanating from the city's glory days. Tradition says that it was founded by Perseus, the son of Zeus and Danae, the daughter of the King of Argos (nearby). Perseu...

Yesterday's issues are being resolved. Our electricity supply is working, and the Port Police came to look for us to say that they had further researched our issue, and had a good solution.  We had to visit their office again, but all was smiles this time. This is to be our base until we have to move to the boatyard where Equinox will be kept while we are home for the summer.  Various people have recommended this yard and we continue to get very positive feedback about them. The job list hasn't really been started yet, as the weather is rather mixed and there is plenty of time available. Is this catamaran sending a coded message, or what do they need so many micro-fibre cloths for? Distance today  -          0 miles Distance this year - 700 miles  Steve (and Tricia) 

It was a rather disturbed nights sleep. As forecast, the wind that the island had protected us from during the evening, swung round to be coming from the open side of the bay.  This caused the boat to swing and rock a little as it rotated to be into the new wind.  The forecast had also indicated that the wind would strengthen during the morning, and so the plan was to leave early. It was also important to arrive at Astos before the rain came in the early afternoon.  As ever, when you know that you have to wake before your usual time, we both came to many times during the night, concerned that we had overslept, but all was well. The voyage to Astos was directly into the wind, so it was motoring rather than sailing. Astos sits behind an outcrop of land which gives it protection from winds in most directions, but the pilot book warned that it looked like an island from the sea, rather than a continuation of the mainland. It was good to have this information, as it did look q...

There was no rush to leave today, as the objective was to arrive at the overnight anchorage after the wind had died down. Therefore a bit of local exploring was in order during the morning. There is a walk signposted that takes one to the ruins of the ancient city of Zarakas, on the hilltop above Gerakas. The path seemed very overgrown, and it was doubtful that many others had tried it recently. At the site of the ruined city there was not much to see, the fallen stones not really giving much of an impression of the places former glories.  However, the view from the top was spectacular. During the decent, we nearly trod on a wild tortoise, making its way slowly across the path to safety, clearly worried by our approaching footsteps.  To underline how infrequently used the path is, there were many spiders web crossing the path, with large, well fed looking specimens presumably cursing us for the destruction of their handiwork. The overnight anchorage was at the north end of the...

A varied day, with a relaxed morning waiting to be able to get access to water. Tanks filled, we left around midday. More views of the medieval village as we departed  The sea was decidedly choppy, so progress was slow, but our destination was only about ten miles away. Gerakas had been recommended to us by various people and it didn’t disappoint. It’s a lush green ria. Further in, it’s very reminiscent of The Lake District. The entrance is very difficult to spot from out at sea. A dogleg calms the waves, as you come into a delightful little village. We joined lots of Greek folk in a packed family run taverna, enjoying their Sunday lunch. It was just as well we arrived as most of them were finishing. The lady of the house was very proud of her home made spinach pie, which she told us, was quite a work out for the shoulders. Her husband is a Leeds United supporter, so is supper excited about their promotion to the premier league.  The story of Gerakas was written at the back of...

It was great to spend another couple of days in Monemvasia, it is a lovely town with friendly and helpful people. There is a coffee shop run by a semi retired tanker captain who has many stories to tell. As we had become regulars, he provided pastries to accompany our coffees at no charge, delicious. As a result of this, some exercise was called for, and a full triathlon was undertaken (well the three elements i.e. running, cycling and swimming, if not the classic distances).  This was the first outing of the bikes for the year and we found a lovely beach for a quick dip in the sea to cool down, it has been very hot.. There is a group of boats who have travelled roughly together for the last week or so, and while here it has been possible to meet the folks on board and socialise with them. Weather opinions have been exchanged along with details of the next steps planned.  It seems as if we will split up at this point, but there is an expectation that we will find ourselves in ...

A rest day after 2 taxing voyages. This was forecast to be the hottest day of the year so far, with temperatures of 32c, so we set of early for the trip to the old town. But even before that, I was taken to the Port Police on the back of one of the restaurateur's motorbike.  As said yesterday, everyone goes out of their way to help.  It was a bit precarious on the unmade parts of the road, so I was glad to walk back, with our paperwork all processed. The old  town is located on a tied island off the east coast of the Peloponnese, surrounded by the Myrtoan Sea. Monemvasia is connected to the rest of the mainland by a tombolo 400 metres (1,300 ft) in length.[2] In 1890, a small part of the natural tombolo was cut to create an artificial bridge for ships and boats. Its area consists mostly of a large plateau some 100 m (330 ft) above sea level, up to 300 m (980 ft) wide and 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) long. Founded in the sixth century, and thus one of the oldest continually-inhab...