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