Moet 22: 2012

Monday 8 October 2012

Finally some videos unedited.

Tuesday 25 September 2012

Until next year......

Our journey ends just like it started, in the Qantas lounge but this time in Singapore. We are tired and exhausted but can't wipe the smile off our face as we have just had the most amazing adventure.

Thanks to everyone we met on our travels that made our adventure that much better. Greg and I are still together, and so pleased with our yacht Moet 22 who kept us safe in all conditions.

If you want to contact us before our next adventure please do at moet22yacht@gmail.com

Top 22 highlights of trip

1. Best feeling: Leaving Marina Kremik

2. Best sunset drinks: view of old city, Dubrovnik

3. Best Island: Zakinthos

4. Biggest BBQ

5. Best Marina Gouvia Corfu

6. Best port: Fiscardo Greece

7. Most friendliest: Joseph Mljet

8. Best value dinner meal: lobster spaghetti Keri, Zakinthos

9. Best surprise: experience rowing thru caves Zakinthos

10. Best drink ouzo sunset: big Vathi cove

11. Best breakfast view: Spartakhori

12. Best coffee & pastries: Cafe Dora Primosten

13. Best happy hour: Levkas

14. Best food, wine and service: old Corfu City

15. Best advice: from Tony and Gill

16. Best restaurant: Shmapxieo old Corfu Town

17. Best value Moet: AB supermarket Corfu

18. Best ancorage: Meganisi

19. Best breakfast Fanis Bar Lakka

20. Best assist: tow back to boat after F1 by Mark and Carol

21. Best adventure: scootering around Korcula

22. Second Best feeling: arriving safe in Corfu Marina after travelling over 1,000 nautical miles

Lah, lah, lah, lah, lah

Welcome to Singapore lah.

Our final stopover is Singapore, we are visiting friends and going to the F1 lah.
We arrive Friday night and are pretty tired as we hardly slept at all, and might I add I would never ever fly Turish Airways again.

But now we are in the land of the lahs and can hardly wait to taste some our our favorite foods. We check in to our hotel room at about 9pm, it's in a great location just opposite Clarke Quay. We head over to Breworks for a beer and a quick bite to eat before we pass out.

After a fantastic sleep in we head out for lunch and have walk around the area. We do some shopping and then have a chill out afternoon. I'm booked in for a spa treatment and can hardly wait.

Saturday night we are off to Jumbo Seafood East Coast, the best place to go for chilli crab. We pig out on crab, satays and buns, yummo!

We were planning on going out but are too tired and as we know we have a BIG day ahead of us, so decide to take it easy tonight.

We are up at the crack of 10am to get ready for Sunday brunch at the Hyatt, our favouite brunch location. We are going to Mezza 9 with Linden, Guy, Serene and Ian. It's great to see everyone and catch up. The service today is extremely good and we finish up about 4pm. The seafood and bubbles are simply wonderful. Greg tries to catch up with Simon but they keep missing each other.

Mezza 9

Brunch with friends

We head back to the hotel to change for the F1. We finally find Linden, Guy and Ian after taking a ride on the Singapore Flyer which gives us a pretty spectacular view of the track and Singapore. Lots has changed since we were last here a few years ago.

View from Singapore Flyer

It's a great event and the boys are into the spirit of all things F1 and I get to enjoy some bubbles as I walk around the track. It's really hot and we are dripping with sweat, yeh not pretty and I'm sure we smell real good. Even though he is sweaty, Greg manages to find some lovely local girls.

Go Webber !

It's show time!

Wednesday 19 September 2012

Going back in time

Visiting Istanbul is like going back in time and just unimaginable is the history, beauty and wealth of the Nation. The amazing Palaces, Mosques etc go back to BC times and we are in awe of it all. The call to pray is minimised compared to other muslim countries we have lived in so although we are surrounded by about 50 mosques, they are not impossing but form a pictuersque horizon line.

Greg chooses on a day tour and we visit the following places including the Grand Bazaar, Topkapi Palace which has a display of the most amazing arms and armoury of the different Sultans from the Ottoman era.

Blue mosque

Inside Blue Mosque

inside Hagia Sophia

German Fountain Hippodrome

Dancing light shades

We have walked around the old city for most of the day and are now knackered.

Day 2 in Istanbul is much more relaxing. We have a sleep in before we go for a shop. We then catch the tram to the ferry terminal and have lunch in a quite park before our ferry departs taking us around the Bosphorous.

The trip takes about two hours and gives us a good view of Turkey from the Asian continent and the European continent. There are many palaces and mosques on the water plus some modern floating night clubs.

We head back to our hotel and have a delicous diner at a local Kebab House then get ready for our 1am departure to Singapore.

Tuesday 18 September 2012

Six weeks in a leaky boat.

Well we made it! After six weeks Greg and I are still talking to each other and we are still in one piece. What an adventure and leaves us guessing as to what to do next year.

Our flight to Istanbul is uneventful and we are glad to arrive at our Hotel about 5pm. Wow we’ve been upgraded to the Suite so very excited about that. We are staying in a boutique hotel called the Tan Hotel, it’s right in the heart of Istanbul and close to where I stayed last time. We are only here for two days so book a day tour for tomorrow. We go for a little stroll around Sultanahmet and then have a light dinner of pide and chicken wings, it’s really delicious and cheap.

The shop windows look so beautiful, you can see the pride in how they present the food, everything looks so delicious.

dinner

desserts anyone?

It’s the Mario Brothers.

We get away on time and motor around to Marina Corfu and wait for instructions. Greg notices two men winding a manual crane and that is what will crane the yacht out of the water with us still on board. It’s a very old method but effective and its very manually intensive for the two guys doing all the work. By 9.30am we are in the boat yard and now have to climb down a very steep ladder to get off the yacht. We also bump into the Austrian family who were in Lakka with us, and are wintering here as well.

Mario Brothers

her new home

getting a hosing down

We finalise all the apaperwork and agree on what work to get done while we are away and then head for the airport, Turkey here come come!

1000 Nautical Mile Club

We both have a restless sleep and leave our apartment about 7am. Greg rows back to the yacht where we get ready. Luckily for us a yacht leaves the wharf so we reverse in ready for the fuel truck. It arrives at 9am and we fill up and are ready to head out by 9.30am. The forecast is favourable even though it’s still raining a little.

It’s certainly much calmer today so thank our lucky stars. There is a large front approaching Lakka but misses us, it’s not looking good for the people we leave behind and no doubt the yachts leaving Corfu today. Two fronts just sit over Lakka for most of the journey while Greg and I celebrate 1000 nautical miles for the trip, a big achievement, that’s like sailing from Sydney to Townsville. Surprisingly we are still talking to one another.

storm over Lakka

1000 Nautical Miles

We made it!

We arrive at Marina Gouvia at about 2pm without incident and also pass by Jo and Trevor heading south. We wish them happy days as they have another four weeks to go.

After lunch we start planning our getting the yacht ready for wintering. The Marina Office and Port Police are closed on a Sunday so all the paperwork will be done tomorrow.

We decide to head into to Old Town of Corfu for a well-deserved celebratory dinner. We walk around for a while soaking up the atmosphere and admiring the beautiful old architecture from the Venetian days. We finally decide on an Italian restaurant in the main square and enjoy a delicious but simple dinner of salad and pasta. We wash this down with a lovely Syrah from Macedonian. The service and food is really delightful and just what we were looking for, a great way to end the journey.

Restaurant

Corfu Old Town

We do have a good night’s sleep and start the day with some great coffee from one of the cafes in the marina. We drop off five bags of washing and get our paperwork stamped by the Port Police at the Marina. Then we pay for the Marina berth and head to the Port to visit customs and get out yacht paperwork signed off ready for our departure tomorrow. This turns into a three hour assignment but now we understand the process for next year. We visit Corfu Yachting who will be looking after our yacht to finalise the contract and get a briefing on what we need to do. We pick up with washing and new BBQ which we will install for next year’s journey.

Final washing

It’s definitely time for a swim and a cold beer which gives us a chance to catch our breath. Back at the yacht I am sorting out all the clothes as to what stays and is packed away and what comes with us on the rest of the trip. Greg is deflating and cleaning the tender ready for storage. The sails will be removed, washed and stored by the Corfu Marina. We are making process but it takes time. By 7pm we have everything packed up, cleaned and stowed away in readiness for our 8am departure in the morning. It’s a quite dinner at one of the marina restaurants and then an early night.

Saturday 15 September 2012

What's next?

By Friday afternoon the weather has died down but there are still predictions of bad weather to come. We have caught up with Wayne and Mike who have just experienced what we have and have a good laugh about it. They have a video so we can’t wait to get out hands on it. It’s a great story to relive over a few beers. Both skippers decide to head out tomorrow morning together and head for Corfu. Wayne and his crew including Holly and Colin are flying out Sunday for the UK and we have been bumping into them since Mongonisi a few days ago.

It’s a pretty slow evening as we can’t be bothered to go ashore and we are exhausted but don’t want to go to sleep too early. After dinner we have a few lite refreshments on board and hit the sack about 9pm. Let’s hope we get to sleep through. It’s still raining off and on and the yacht is damp and muggy. We do get some sleep but with one ear waiting for the weather to change.

All is well on the bay Saturday morning. We wait for one front to pass then head out about 9am. After about 40 mins both skippers decide to head back as there is a nasty front approaching and it’s like sailing in a big washing machine. The winds are gusting over 20 knots and seas are very confused with the 2.5 metre swell from the east colliding with a 2.5 metre swell from the west Ionian. Oh the joys of it!

Greg is over the weather so once we have dropped an anchor and settled down again we pack a few things and head ashore to find a hotel for the night. Just for a change. Mike, Holly and Colin are already ashore having a coffee so we join them for a preamble. Wayne joins us and decides it’s time for them to leave, the forecast is looking promising for the afternoon so we bid farewell and safe sailing back to Corfu. We hope to see Holly and Collin is Sydney later this year. The rest of the flotillas are heading back to the mainland as well so that is a good sign re the weather.

Fanis Bar Lakka

After some refreshments at Fanis Bar we find a room close by and take a hot shower standing up, how good does that feel!
At last ! The forecast is for good weather tomorrow so we will be heading out in the morning. We have to meet with fuel truck and fill up for the remainder of the trip at 9am so will be heading out right after that.

It’s hot and humid and no yachts have returned to the bay so that’s a good sign.

Opps I spoke too soon, all of a sudden there is a torrential down pour of rain that’s lasts about 40 mins. Everyone at Fanis Bar runs for cover.

It's Saturday night at 6.30 and it's still pouring with rain, we are really hoping for the change to come through before tomorrow, fingers crossed.

rain strom in Lakka Bay

local dress

It’s a very wet night and some tourists have dressed appropriately. We have dinner at a local grill place and then hit the sack in anticipation of leaving tomorrow.

Without warning ........

We are aware of a change in the weather coming tomorrow and decide to head to Lakka on Paxoi for Thursday / Friday and then head over to Corfu for our last few days. The forecast is for gusts of up to 35Knts from the Sth East over the next few days so it’s not looking pretty. We head out of Mongonisi early in a rolling swell and arrive in Lakka about 10am. It’s a beautiful place just like we had been told about. Greg finds a great place to anchor which we do and are happy here for the next few nights. We put out about 30 mtrs of chain just to be safe in 3.5 mtres of water.

Lakka Bay

Lakka

We head ashore and enjoy a delicious breakfast of bacon, eggs, beans and mushrooms, just what we needed. We decide to hire a car and drive around the island as it’s pretty small. The weather is not great but there is sunshine every now and again. We head south to Gaios and then over to a small beach called Planos, not that nice actually and a very steep drive down to the beach. It’s really windy already so we head back to check on the yacht. We row back and just in time as it starts to pour with rain. The harbour is full now with lots of flotilla yachts and they are taking up much of the wharf space.

Gaios

A storm is brewing

View from lookout Lakka

We have dinner at a pizza place that is packed out and we enjoy our meal. We head back to the yacht to get ready for what could be a very nasty evening based on the forecast. So far our anchor has not budged which is great. At 2am we wake to a howling wind and the lightening show has not stopped since dinner time. It’s the biggest lightening show we have ever witnessed. The wind gusts to over 30 Knts and most captains are on deck checking their postions. Some yachts have put out emergency anchors and have drifted on their anchors and hit other yachts. We are still OK so far.

It’s a pretty horrible evening. We’re awake from 2am till 5am just listening to the thunder and noises of the wind gusts. It’s pretty frightening and by 5am we are both up and feeling pretty sick in the stomach. By about 8am we think the worst is over and go ashore for a well-earned coffee. The locals tell us there is another change coming through but the forecast looks OK and the worst is over. Some of the flotilla yachts crowd the wharf just to get out of the bay area. So far we have not moved from our position.

At about midday it all turns to absolute chaos, Greg has started the motor in an effort to take some pressure of the anchor chain and control the yacht in an effort to not collide with other vessels he is trying to drive the yacht into the constantly changing winds. There’s a localised mini tornado in the bay and the yachts on the wharf are smashing into one another. The bay is white with foam and we estimate wind gusts of up to 50 Knts. We prepare to abandon ship if we have too. Greg is absolutely soaked through wet and he struggles to keep the yacht into the wind. The biggest risk is for one yacht to lose it’s anchor hold and hit another yacht in such strong winds. One yacht fouls it’s propeller and ends up running aground, they are the lucky ones as they are safe now and out of danger. Greg is still struggling with the wind and I am getting all our documents and money ready in case we have to leave the yacht. Worst case we will run aground as well on a beach close by. After about 30 minutes the winds die down and it’s still pouring with rain but we think we are safe. Our yacht is still holdings it’s position as we have not dragged our anchor, a miracle.

Without warning

Greg has never experienced winds / weather like this and he has 18 years experience rescuing yachts and people on the Gold Coast, now that’s saying something about the situation. It was equivalent to a Beaufort Force 10, a storm and the eye was over our bay. We are sick to the stomach now and not sure what to do next. The yacht is a mess as we have trashed the place trying to find wet weather gear, life jackets etc in a hurry, everything is saturated and we definitely were not prepared for this but we survived. We just want to get off the yacht for a while.

Here is the link to the video that Wayne's crew took, after they had already run aground.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8klHAlLvfg