Tuesday 20 September 2016

Amorgos, Tuesday 20 September 2016


I haven’t written for a couple of days not least because we have run out of credit on our sim for the internet.  So I do not know when we will be able to post this.  There is free WIFI here, but it is very weak.

We left Iraklia in good time on Monday and made our way to Amorgos.  There was supposed to be a following wind so we could sail, but it never really appeared.  We motored more or less all the way save that there was a bit of wind for the last hour.  When we got to the harbour in Katapola just about at lunch time we were a bit shocked to see that all the mooring spaces on the wall where we understood you can moor were all taken.  We were then resigned to anchor again, but we were in desperate need of water.  After nearly four days we are down to a quarter of a tank and if we can’t get on the wall will water available we will need another three days worth at least.  So we just go to a space where we think it is reserved for local boats to take on water.  We make a poor fist of getting the anchor down straight, but as we only plan to be here for 20 minutes or so we aren’t worried.  We are too far away from the water tap to reach with our hose, but there is a hose on the pier and we use that and fill up.  Just at we are filling up a Turkish boat moors alongside us and it is clear that we can moor here if we wish.  We even speak to someone in charge who says we can stay and gives us a form to complete to register and pay. 

As our anchor is not set properly, we decide to go out and moor up again, closer to the boat that has just come in.  Well, we make a pigs ear of it.  Richard cannot seem to get the boat to go back straight.  Also I cannot make out his commands and at one stage he starts to throw lines ashore when I haven’t even put out the anchor.  With a lot of help from the neighbouring boat, fending off, directing anchoring etc, we finally get in to a proper space.  It is terribly embarrassing especially when the man on the next boat says he remembers us from last year!

So we are in Amorgos.  After something of a domestic argument we finally agree to stay two nights.  I want to get some laundry done and I like this place and want to relax for a change.  Richard wanted to sail off because his weather forecast showed that he might be able to sail on Tuesday.  But we stay.  We have paid for electricity and water, but the man who wanted us to pay for mooring never came back, so we have had no one to pay.  We have noticed this before, that as the season comes to an end, the Greeks can’t be bothered to collect mooring fees.  It is crazy bearing in mind their precarious financial situation.

Nothing much has happened while we have been here.  I did get one load of laundry done, so I can just wait to do the rest when we get back to Leros.  We have topped up a few supplies and cleaned the boat.  Midday today was very quiet and the town wall was quite empty.  However, by 6pm every space was taken including a place that isn’t really big enough for a large boat next to us.  Nonetheless a 50ft boat with 10 French people on board have moored up next to us.  I hope we can get away tomorrow morning.


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