Early April 2018.

Wizard is still in Malta with a launch date now set for the 10th May. Travelling to Malta on the 10th April for two days to check on progress. Need to see a new marina (possibly for May), check progress generally and have a look at the offer of a new spinnaker pole.

10th - 13th April

A quick visit to Malta to check on the progress being made by Kalkara Boatyard. Richard's boat Lady Jenny of Dart was launched on the 12th and Richard and myself did some work on both boats. Things seem to be going to plan with regard to Wizard so fingers crossed. Flight to Malta is on the 7th May and the launch date is still set for the 10th May. The weather was quite warm during the day but cool in the evening. A new spinnaker pole has been ordered.

12th May. Wizard went into the water as planned. A long list of things have been either repaired, replaced or upgraded. Departure is for Greece and Turkey although for a good trip we need a westerley wind. At the moment (18th May) we have been having exactly the opposite wind (strong easterly) so it is a question of just waiting for the right wind. Provisioning is almost finished and we are nearly ready to leave.

Wenn der Wind Morgen früh ( 23.05.18) von NW weht, werde ich nach Griechenland los Segeln. 367 nm. ca Drei Tage.

Preveza

Reached Preveza on the 27th May after spending the last night about 20 nm outside in the bay. There is a long well marked channel into Perveza with a very nice anchoring spot. Finally finished all custom formalities and will collect my laundry this afternoon.I have been landed with a Transit Log which means I should check in with every Port Police office I meet!

Plan to travel tomorrow to Nidri, passing through the Lefkas canal. There seems to be more room a little further south at Nidri as the anchoring possibilities in Lefkas seem very limited. I will have a look on the way through the canal and decide on the spot as wether to stay or to carry on. Preveza is not much of a town but it is very pleasant and quiet and has nearly all the facilities. The marina is closed at the moment for re-development . That means the dingies have to find a small place in the fishing harbour but that has not been a problem so far.

Perveza to Lefkas.

Left Perveza early and there was no problem in locating the northern entrance to Levkas Canal. This time I went straight through to Nidri but had to eventually return to Levkas Marina for a pump out. It has the ONLY working pump out in the whole of western Greece. So we will start with three pictures of Lefkas marina.

Nidri is due south of Lefkas and is a sailing and general water sport centre for the whole region. Anchored in Tranquil Bay several times and the last time with heavy rain and high winds I anchored further up in Ormos Vathki which was a beautiful anchorage. Whilst in Nidri I had my outboard fixed , my washing done and generally got sorted out. Spent only one night in a bay nearby but had to leave in the morning as the wind came strongly from the south and  the anchor started to drag.

Nidri to Sivota. Sivota is a small picturesque village sheltered in a bay from the prevailing winds. Anchor space is limited but I seeem to be well in. Very pleasant here and I will stay probably three nights.Went running yesterday evening but it is better in the early morning when it is not so hot. The village lives off the sailing boats here and there are three flotilla fleets here with reserved berths. A nice place to visit.

Travelled from Sivota to Mesolongion. Flat calm so 8 hours with the motor. Mesolongion offers a wide anchorage which is very sheltered but not much else. Nice quiet place. Marina is currently closed - real reason is unknown. Will stay here three nights and move on to Patras on the 21st June to complete formalities for going through the Corinth Canal.

Patras no longer has a marina as it seems to have been destroyed in a storm during December 2017. Yachts now have to berth in the old commercial harbour. This harbour is very close to the town itself but very smelly indeed with a high quay which makes getting on and off quite difficult. The port police have moved to the new commercial harbour about 3 kms away. That is definitely a taxi ride. Stayed two nights in Patras ( minimum stay) and an agency prepared my passage through the Corinth Canal in advance. The weather seemed to be getting better and I left early in the morning reaching Corinth at about 20.30 . About 65 nm. Anchored just off a tourist beach which was very rolly indeed but calmed down in the evening. Exhausted. The next day I was away early and contacted Corinth Canal. 

After overnighting off the beach I caught the first convoy through the canal on the 24th June 2018. Quite impressive but the canal walls seem to be crumbling and the whole canal is in serious need of repair. Came out the other side and went to anchor in the nearby bay for three nights. Had a meal one evening of quite nice fish in a nearby Taverna.

One of the nicest places to date. A very good and safe anchorage which was well within reach of the very picturesque town. Stayed here three nigths before setting off to Athens Marina on the 5th July.

Left Poros anchorage at ca 07.00 and headed for Athens Marina. The wind started to rise and I had a good sail all the way to the marina. Quite a bit of heavy commercial traffic around which would make for a very difficult night approach. Entry into the Marina was no real problem. A small rib came out to meet me and another two guys were waiting. Berthed slowly but no problems. This marina normally caters for super yachts but there are about six smaller yachts here.

Back in Athens and planning to leave on the 4th August. Plan A is to sail around the Peloponnese. See map below.

Lefr Athens on the 4th August and sailed to Poros. Managed to get my laundry done and left Poros on the 6th August to N.Idhra, N Dhokos and eventually went to anchor in Ormos Kapari. Left OK next day but did not get very far as the top webbing on the foresail parted and the sail came down and a lot of it went into the water. Managed to retrieve the sail and returned to the anchorage. Went up the mast to retrieve the traveller on the halyard and brought that down. Exhausted then !

08.08.18 Spent most of the day getting the old foresail down into the cabin and the spare forsail on. The weather window to Cape Maleas has now passed and the NNE wind is getting stronger for the next three days. Will stay at anchor. Anchor holding very well with 50 metres of chain out.

11.7.18

ORMOS KAPARI TO THE ISLAND NISOS ELAFONISOS. 65 NM IN TOTAL. PLAN TO LEAVE ANCHORAGE AT CA 11.45. LEFT ON TIME AND RAN DOWN TO CAPE MALEAS WHICH I ROUNDED AT ABOUT 02:00. THE WIND INCREASED DRAMATICALLY AS I APPROACHED THE CAPE! THEN HAD TO MOTOR AGAINST THE WIND AND THE CURRENT FOR TWO HOURS TO REACH NISOS ELAFONISOS. WAITED OUTSIDE THE BAY UNTIL DAWN AND THEN WENT IN TO ANCHOR

12.07.18. THIS WAS A QUITE ANCHORAGE BUT IS NOW FULL OF CHARTER BOATS. ANCHORING IS QUITE DIFFICULT AS THE SAND GET CHURNED UP SO MUCH THERE IS NOTHING FOR THE ANCHOR TO GRIP ON. THE BEACH IS VERY NICE INDEED AND IS ALSO PACKED WITH PEOPLE.

14.07.18

LEFT NISOS ELAFONISOS AT ABOUT 06.30 AND SAILED ALL THE WAY TO PORT KAYO WHICH WAS AOUT 25NM. THIS IS A DEEP SMALL PORT. ANCHORED IN 20 METRES ALTHOUGH THE ANCHOR HELD WELL DESPITE THE HIGH WINDS. QUITE A PRETTY PLACE BUT VERY SMALL INDEED. A PLACE TO GO BACK TO AGAIN FOR A FEW DAYS.

This was a near 30nm trip which was done on one beat. Greta sail all the way there and the wind picked up in the afternoon. Two cruise ships were leaving as I arrived so there was a lot of hanging around outside the port waiting for them to depart. The anchorage itself is quite small and quite shallow. Holding is medium only. In the morning the wind had changed and I decided to head off at 16.30 for an over night sail to Argostoli on the island of Cephalonia. Arrived at 03:00 and waited outside until near dawn when I moved into Argostoli. A surprisingly big anchorage with good holding but no protection from the prevailing NW winds. After about three days it really blew hard down into the bay but the Rocna anchor held very well.

After four days in Argostoli a weather window opened up for a trip to Sicily. It meant leaving ust after heavy northerly winds and heading due west. The wind was on the beam but the seas were quite big and rough. The journey took three days to reach Catania where I berthed for two nights before heading south to Siracrusa.

Siracusa has turned out to be a very nuce stop-over. The anchorage is resonably close to the old town and spacious. Arrived on the 2nd September and plan to depart in two stages down to Marina de Regussa on the south coast. Currently it looks like a deorture on the 9th September, one overnight stop and if the weather forecast is correct a strong easterly will take me to Regussa on the 10th .

Arrived on the 10th Sept after a three day trip from Siracusa. I stopped in marina Marzamemi on the first night as the wind was getting up in the late afternoon and I did not want to anchor on a lee shore where I was uncertain of where exactly I should anchor. The marina marzamemi is small but very clean and tidy. The next day was a great sailing days and I arrived in Pozzollo in the early afternoon. Anchored by the inner breakwater for the night. The next day was another good sailing days around the cape and on to Ragusa. The entrance to the marina is somewhat silted but it worked. Staying here for 4 nights. Laundry has been done. Fueling has been done. I have been to the old town of Ragusa by bus and hired a bicycle for one day. All in all a good stay. Planning to make some progress westwards in the next few days. 

Travelled west to Gela and anchored off the small marina harbour wall. Very rolly here in the afternoon but the weather calmed down in the evening. In the morning I was preparing to leave when approached by the coastguard and advised that it was forbidden to anchor there. No markers anywhere so how is anyone supposed to know. Anyway sailed further up the coast and anchored again in shallow water but still quite a way off the coast. Nothing to see or do so the next day I sailed back to Marina di Ragusa with a nice westerly wind and anchored relatively close to the marina. Weather permitting I will sail from here directly to Malta tomorrow.

Hardly any wind the whole trip. Approaching Malta the sea was flat calm with strange round translucent circles passing by regularly. Throttled right back to arrive at around 10.00. Could not park at kalkara as the small bay was occupied. Motored up to St Julians Bay which turned out to be a very good anchorage indeed. Took the dinghy to go to the shops / bars etc. A busy place with all the amenities and plenty of people running in the evenings.This is also another very popular bay for yachtsmen to anchor, and is also a good bay to overnight in. Good clean clear water for swimming. This bay is also surrounded by restaurants which are easily accessible by tender.

Left the anchorage to meet Richard and Lady Jenny outside the bay and we then  had a good sail over to Gozo where Richard picked Gail up. We spent the afternoon and that night in a bay. Took Bosun onto dry land a few times to stretch his legs and do dog stuff ! The following day I sailed back to Kalkara Marina directly and the boat was lifted out. It is now the 4th of October and I will be spending the next four days on Lady Jane , waiting for my flight back to Zürich on the 10th October.

The weather has been appalling with very high winds and stormy conditions inside Grand Harbour.The ferries stopped running for two days due to the heavy swell in the harbour. Good timing to take Wizard out of the water as a lift out would have been impossible a few days later. Now there are a few things to be done to Wizard over the winter.Here is the first list ( not complete yet!!!!!)

VAT NO.: MT 1001 8802

Mr. John Andrews

S/Y Wizard     12^th October 2018

QUOTATION

S/Y WIZARD

 Lifting and launching:                                                                                   €    320.00

 High pressure cleaning:                                                                                €    140.00

 Hard standing fees at € 100.00 per week.

 Gel coat repairs to bow and transom edge (as discussed).

 Repairing any gel coat damage on shipside up to one day work.

 Labour:                                                                                                          €   480.00

 Material: Gel coat and spray:                                                                       €   145.00

 Hot dipped galvanized chain 10mm short link tested.

 80mt at € 12.50 per meter:                                                                          € 1,000.00

 Delivery of chain:                                                                                          €      35.00

 Gypsy for 10mm short link chain:                                                                 €    220.00

 Renewal of Gypsy cone if necessary not included.

 Removal  of existing chain, replacing and securing new:                             €    120.00

 Renewal of securing shackles if necessary to be charged at cost.

 Renewal of Gypsy:                                                                                         €    120.00

Disconnecting, removal of propeller and same to replace.

 Disconnecting and removal of ‘A’ bracket.

 Welding lower part of ‘A’ bracket.

 Renewal cutlass bearing.

 Replacing and relining same A’ bracket.

VAT NO.: MT 1001 8802

../2                                                                 S/Y WIZARD

 Disconnecting and removal shaft coupling.

 Renewal shaft seal.

Replacing same coupling.

 Labour:                                                                                                          €    720.00

Cutlass bearing:                                                                                            €    145.00

 Shaft seal:                                                                                                     €    190.00

 Sanding and painting propeller, shaft and ‘A’ bracket.

 Labour:                                                                                                          €    100.00

 Primer and antifouling material:                                                                  €      60.00

Renewal of sea cocks, thruu hull fittings, elbows/ pipe adaptors.

 Labour:                                                                                                          €   110.00 each

 Bronze sea cocks and thruu hull fittings to be charged at cost.

 Renewal of pipes and stainless steel jubilee clips attached with sea cocks not included to be charged at cost.

Sliders in boom –  to be carried out by Alex Dagata

 Checking exhaust system and re-tightening jubilee clips and transom exhaust fitting holding bolts.

 Labour:                                                                                                          €   120.00

 Renewal of parts if necessary labour and material to be quoted.

 Renewal of white sealer from around kitchen top beading.

 Labour:                                                                                                          €   120.00

 White sealer:                                                                                                €     25.00

 Re-ligning companion way steps, including renewal of lower barrel lock.

 Labour:                                                                                                          €   180.00

 Material:                                                                                                       €     12.00

 Touching up bow area with copper coat:                                                     €     60.00

 Light sanding to outer bottom prior launching:                                           €    220.00

 Sundries:                                                                                                       €      5

VAT NO.: MT 1001 8802

 ../3                                                                 S/Y WIZARD

 Manufacturing , fitting and polishing stainless steel flat bar for 1 safe guard anchor chain roller.

 Labour:                                                                                                          €   180.00

 Material:                                                                                                       €     60.00

 If VAT is applicable not included in above quoted prices.

 Any other extra items not mentioned in this quotation, are excluded from all quoted prices.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

 Yours faithfully

 Claire Farrugia Delceppo

F/Kalkara Boat Yard

 Email from Kalkara dated 01.11.2018

"

Hi John

 We have checked all the exhaust system from engine to exhaust outlet as instructed , all the system is clean and with out traces of any water leakages.  While working on board today we have noted water leaks from engine control unit  and 2 grp pockets in aft lockers  [ since yesterday it has been raining non stop].  It has been noted as well that the  rudder shaft seal / packing is all corroded .

 I am sending photos on a separate email showing what I am talking about.

 Please advice.

Best regards

Claire  "