We hosted the owner, his wife and his guests for two weeks in the Greek isles and Kusadasi Turkey. After a couple days in Rhodes, the yacht left for Kusadasi, Turkey. The guests toured Ephesis, and the next day I flew back to Athens while the yacht left for Patmos. I was on a mission to unpack the new tender that had been shipped there to Athens from New Zealand where it was built. I was to get the new boat splashed in the water, and deliver it to the yacht's position in Santorini, about 150 miles away.
The first complication was customs in Turkey. I had been stamped out of the country along with the rest of the crew the night prior to my leaving for the airport, because at that time there was no plan to have me fly from there. Luckily the agent whom I was picked up by that morning had connections with the customs and immigration officials and all was put correct by simply making a quick visit to their office. The nature of my trip was interesting, I was arriving as a tourist on vacation and there to visit my "uncle Mike". Mike is the agent in Athens who we have great faith in; he has been extremely helpful to the yacht's crew. As this was the situation, I did not bring any crew clothing or equipment. Everything that I needed to outfit this new boat would be purchased in Athens.
My next complication was at security in the Izmir airport, about an hours drive from Kusadasi, Turkey. I had packed in a hurry the previous night at a late hour since the whole arrangement was last minute. Having packed my normal size toiletries meant that many were over the 3 or 4 oz travel size limit for carry on. It turns out I also had packed my Spyderco folding knife; as a rule I don't like being on a boat without a good knife. I made it through the first x-ray at the airports entrance before I even remembered that I had the knife in my bag. Determined to get through security with it, I brainstormed and quickly decided to put the knife in-between my phone chargers and wrapped it with my headlamp to help disguise it in the x-ray machine. I wasn't sure this would work, but I had scoped who was watching the x-ray monitor in the security lane that I was going to use. She looked very passive, and it may have been that she wasn't paying any attention at all. I have once passed a smaller knife through security x-ray in the basket underneath my wallet, this gave me some optimism that I would arrive Athens with my favorite knife.
They busted me.... on the toiletries though, wanting to take four bottles from my bag; sunscreen, toothpaste, shampoo, and shaving gel. In an effort to save these, I hurried back to the information counter, the security guys held my passport at the desk so I would not have to go through again. The baggage service had already closed, so I had no choice but to go through with carry-on. They did take those four items and actually would not let me board until I personally tossed them in the "liquids" trash can. I got to my window seat with my knife in my bag, but lucky for the other passengers, the ever-vigilant security force had saved the jet from my shaving gel.
The flight was quick, but I still had a difficult time keeping my eyes open. A cab was waiting at the baggage claim for me, and whisked me to the marina. The new tender was still in the trailer, another shipping agent there explained to me that they were waiting for another truck to arrive. The way they got the boat out of the container was interesting. They backed a flat-bed truck up to the door of the trailer, lifted the front of the boats cradle, and dragged it out and onto the flat bed. Then, rigging to the boat itself, lifted it up and drove the trailer out from underneath the tender. The crane placed the boat down on the ground while the sponsons where inflated, and the agents had to run to the store for a wooden bung to replace the threaded transom plug that was not shipped with the boat. We also put up the t-top bimini and I checked that the engines still had lubrication in them from the sea trial. I stayed in the boat while it was picked up and placed in the sea, they were in a hurry to get the crane free for another project. The fuel truck arrived and I put 300 litres of gas into the tank to fill it.
Now supplied with fuel, some safety equipment, and navigational tools I was ready to go for the next morning. I had an ex-pat named Gary to help me deliver the boat. He had worked on the yacht in Athens for the week when we first arrived there after the Atlantic crossing. Gary offered to sleep on his friends boat for the night, and therefore tying the new tender up next to would be looked after. The next morning we got started at 0710, using the charts and some waypoints I had entered into the handheld GPS. The first hour was nice smooth water, and the boat was running perfectly. The next hour saw the waves increase in size bit. Dodging ferry and shipping traffic and jumping some of there wakes ;i was making good time. Gary steered a bit while I did some inspections of the boat, took some photos, and did some navigating.
This new tender was fast, comfortable, and a blast to drive. The smooth water of the early morning was lost to wakes of ferries and cruise ships, but the deep V shape of the hull was slicing through the chop and swell. Out of the Gulf and past the Greek mainland I began threading the islands on a SouthEasterly heading for Thira. At least one fuel stop would be needed, or at least wise. The first landfall made was in Serifos for some petrol. The mooring man there was beyond wierd. He gave Gary and I the creeps. Upon entering the harbor, I was looking for somewhere to tie up to the quay. This creepy guy was yelling at me in Greek and called Gary and I Malakas, in Greek meaning f*&ing idiots. Gary went ashore and spoke to a captain whom he knew, this proved to be very helpful in getting fuel. The crazy mooring man started his act on me, touching my hands, neck, and speaking very close to my face. He pushed his walking stick down on my toes, and did his creepy thing for which I found out later he is infamous. I felt forced to hurry the fueling, pay and get out of there even though I had initially planned to stop and have a coffee break there. Gary confirmed the odd behavior of the man from speaking to his Greek captain friend. Weeks later, I would laugh at the thought of my crewmates taking a chartered sail boat
Next stop would be Ios, I anchored the boat in a nice bay in front of a great beach. Gary and I picknicked on the sandwiches and Nescafe coffees that his girlfriend had made us. I took a swim and it was a magnificent day in the Aegean. The little windlass on the tender was so easy, a caveman could do it. I took the tender around the point to Ios harbor. Tied up to the quay there and received some petrol from the truck I had arranged. I purchased some cleaning supplies from the little market; a bucket, soap, magic erasers, and two chamois. Gary and I spent a couple hours cleaning the tender, in hopes to deliver it to the next island of Santorini fairly clean, if only a little salty after the last run of about 45 minutes. Ios is a great place, and cleaning the boat there in the sunny and peaceful harbor was very enjoyable.
On approach to Santorini, I was in contact with the yacht via cell phone. Our eta's to the island were almost exactly the same as we closed on converging courses. The captain directed me to bring the tender in close to the yacht as speed so as to get some photos of the new boat in the light of the setting sun. The owner was up in the bridge as I brought the tender in fast towards the yacht and I believe he was excited to see his new boat. Once the yacht was moored, and the tender tied up to it, the guests and crew were all on the aft to welcome me and bombard me with questions about the delivery. The day was potentially my most fun work day on record. I received a lot of praise, and a personal thank you and well done from the boss was a compliment.
That evening, to all of our pleasant surprise, was the anniversary annual volcanic eruption reenactment. Using fireworks, and flares they did a great show from the caldera that lasted about 30 minutes. After that show ended, we turned our attention to Thira atop the cliff for a hotel's fireworks display.
Our trip continued on to Mykonos, a day in Paros, and on to Poros. Poros is a great little island just off the mainland Peloponnese Peninsula. Next day on to transit the Korinth Canal. Going through the three mile long ditch was exciting, and we were not expecting the sudden strong blow upon exiting the canal. I had to pick up Kim, the nurse, and carry her back inside the wheelhouse. The wind was blowing so hard and yacht now smashing through the waves on the bow that she was too scared to walk back the 30 steps by herself. The new tender in tow was now getting airborn off the wave tops as we towed her along at 18 knots into 25 knot head winds and two meter short and steep seas. Galaxidi was the destination, and the point of departure for the tour the guests took to Delphi, another famous Greek and Roman ruin location. The entire city of Delphi is sacred, a place to worship the gods, and women were taken to a nearby island to give birth as it was forbidden in the sacred city.
Back through the canal, and the trip finished in Athens. I am still here in Athens on the yacht, today its Saturday September 25th. The yacht has been here in the city since arriving and dropping guests off here on September 4th. Tomorrow we leave for Split, Croatia.
