Irakleia, Sunday 18 September 2016

 We raise anchor at 9am, which is pretty good for us.  There is no wind.  On a few occasions Richard puts up the Genoa, but it doesn’t do any good.  But it does prove that our work to the winch was successful.  No terrible noises when it is used.

We make it to Irakleia at about 12:30.  It is a small harbour.  The pilot book suggests that you can tie up to the mole, but it is more or less full with local boats moored alongside, including what calls itself the local sea bus.  There is just one other small catamaran in the harbour at anchor.  It is flying a red ensign and waves to us.  We put our anchor down a little way from it.  We are rather close to the mole, but given the boats on it we do not think that will cause any problem.

By 3pm our optimism about our mooring is sorely tested.  First a fairly large boat (40ft?) comes in and complains about our mooring spot.  He them whizzes around us putting down an anchor and goes stern to the end of the mole.  This seems to us to block in the sea bus, but it is not worried.  In fact, it moves around to moor stern to making more room!  Richard wonders if it was alongside just to reserve a place for this boat.  But then another 50ft boat comes in and tries a similar manoeuvre, but is not so clever as the first boat.  In the end he asks us to move and we reset our anchor so he can put his out to go on the mole.  At this stage we think the harbour is full, but it isn’t.  Four more 50ft boats come in.  One goes sideways on to the mole attaching its stern to the corner!  It is also in front of a huge Catamaran, which has gone alongside at the end of the mole.  Two more large yachts anchor on the other side of the harbour with long lines ashore.  Then two more come in and anchor at right angles further along.

We have spoken to the other small boat that was here when we arrived.  They too are surprised by all the traffic in large vessels.  They say last night there were just 6 small boats anchored and swinging where we are.  What makes all these boats think there would be room to moor?  When I read the pilot I wondered if our boat wasn’t going to be a bit big in this small harbour!

But we are finally at rest.  There doesn’t seem to be much ashore, so we just stay on board.  The only thing is that the wind has picked up.  It is now blowing a 4.  I hope we will be secure here given all the boats around us!