Kalymnos to Kos
Posted at 8:42 PM, Jul. 6, 2009
Savarna is now perched on the hardstand at the marina in Kos where she will remain until we return in September. The process of lifting out became something of a drama as we had booked for a 1000 hrs lift out and about 15 minutes beforehand I went to the office to check that all was in order for the lift and was asked whether I had paid the tax. Despite all the paperwork the previous day the issue of tax had not been mentioned. The upshot of this was that as we were “leaving” i.e. the boat onto the hardstand, we had to pay some sort of local tax and we had no idea of how much. Further it had to be paid to the tax office and could not be handled by the Port Police office at the marina. So I spend two hours sorting this out - cycling around Kos trying to find the tax office, once found queue up at the first queue to be assessed and the second queue to actually pay – all done in quadruplicate and then back to the Port Police who want all the boat docs, insurance stuff again. When I told the woman that I had given it all to her yesterday and she had copied it she said but I need it again because this is for a different matter. The good news arising from all of this is that the tax we had to pay was only 88 cents – something is wrong with the system somewhere.
Our favourite boat
The lift was rescheduled for noon and duly happened about 1300 hrs and we sat in the sling for another hour or two before they moved us to a sealed section of the yard and propped us up so by 1500 hrs we were able to get back on board and complete the cleaning up process.
June and Tim from Perfect Lady (and Keith)
On Thursday 2 July we had a look around Kalymnos and in doing so came across a Benetau 40.7 tied up on the gullet berths that had come in right behind us the previous evening. I asked him what the depth was as it seemed ok to tie up to the quay where he was and it looked a better place than the shallow spot we had found further around the harbour. It was 4 meters as a matter of interest so this is where to head for in the harbour for sure. They were just in the process of leaving and he asked whether we were on the big boat that had come in ahead of them – when I said yes he said OK I read your blog. I suggested he put a posting here and I did not recognise the flag they were flying. So hope to hear from you guys.
Greek orthodox church priest (and Keith) taken in Kalymnos
Kalymnos Sponge Institute
Interestingly enough the process has changed in Turkey and now on arrival it is compulsory to use an agent to clear in as all the forms are now typed and entered into an on-line computer system. The transit log now only specifies the area in which the boat will be cruising – in our case we said from Cesme to Antalya which is a large area and well beyond what we were planning. After we got the transit log there was no need to call into Port Police at each port and the only time we had to effect amendments was when there was a change in the people on board at which time we had to go to an agent and add/delete crew. Checking out was EUR90 and changing the crew list was EUR50 – so not a cheap exercise but not possible to do oneself.
Final day of relaxation (and new cockpit cushions!)
With the meltemi back on the scene again it gave us a very fast ride beam reaching the 18 miles across to Kos. We were smoking, constantly boiling along at between 9 and 10 knots. A great way to finish up for a couple of months.
We bumped into a New Zealand couple that we had heard of through mutual friends but had never met in, of all places, the reception area of the marina. Richard and Phillipa on Matelot had wintered in Kos last winter and it was from reading their blog that we got the idea to do the same this coming winter. They are away until November and started in March so they are having a long season. We also bumped into Paddy a guy from Sydney whose wife turned out to be Ted Peacocke’s cousin. A small world – they had just arrived having spent 15 months sailing across from Australia.
A really small church - Xerothanos, Nisos Lipso
A few jobs to be done on the boat mostly around sails which are all off and with the sailmaker (Zlatco – 6934373545) whose loft (?) is just behind the marina. The reinforcing webbing on the clew of the jib is basically torn through and needs repairing and earlier I mentioned that a section of the mainsail leech had detached as the stitching has failed. My hand sewing and temporary taping had kept it together but that was only a short-term fix. Also some rust coming through around the keel to hull joint despite being anti-fouled only a couple of months ago so I ma having that looked at as maybe the keel bolts need a big heave to tighten – the only problem being that to do this involves taking out 10 gel batteries to get access. Anyway we will see what eventuates.
Kos is miles cheaper (like 40%) than anything at Marmaris for a 10 month contract and the payment terms are a lot better e.g. only 50% up front rather than 100%. An advantage of Kos is that it is relatively sheltered from the southerly storms that sweep up this part of the Med but on the other hand Marmaris is a huge marine area with every brand represented so when it comes to repairs, buying parts or locating tradesmen with good experience it is a lot better.
Kos harbour in the background as Pam wonders why we are leaving to go back to NZ
Well we have had a great time over the last month, had some close friends on board, met some new friends and have had superb sailing conditions largely meltemi free. Interestingly enough the temperatures have not been as high as last year and this also applies to water temperatures – this has in fact been better as the water is still warm for swimming and the nights cool enough to get a sweat free sleep by and large!
Cheers until September
Keith & Pam