Transit to Greece

Seamans mission decorations

Having finally done the long yard worklist in fastest time possible for this yard. We were finally being splashed for the second time as on the first seatrial we discovered a leak that needed us hauling out again. Two steps ahead and one back. Anyway,  this time there was no stepping back, I was banking on that, otherwise plans for the summer would be effectively scuppered.

Seamans mission decorations

I was in the evening walking back from the yard main gate and passed the seamans mission that I've always seen closed, was now open. Inside was the caretaker, I understand he was ex Navy & he offered a cup of coffee and so we had a short chat about worldly things until I had to get back onboard because it was getting late. The mission was a quite cosy affair and can imagine crew from visiting Cruise ships could relax there for a moment and have time for themselves. In the back was a very well arranged garden that would give anyone a calm zen space from the industrial hubbub of any ship.

Emerging from the shed

Seatrials

Having completed our special survey and harbor trials we went for our final seatrials to pass the final class item, we were motoring up and down the Falmouth entrance until all engineers and yard were satisfied. We then anchored on Falmouth bank for the last rites with the yard, signing the paperwork and agreeing on the pending items that still needed doing.

Local Falmouth ferry 

Wannabe coxswain 

Then finally at end of the day I got permission and all required certificates issued. I could weigh anchor and get going. We left for the sunset and headed into the English channel and Brest that was the last point before entering Bay of Biscay. We had a little sea and wind against us so the little Mosaique moved about a bit, mostly pitching. The crew susceptible of the seasickness got sick and the yacht was quiet like a slipper factory apart from the steady droning of the main engines propelling us further south. Deck and engine got into watch routines and other crew either got much needed sleep or trained their Norwegian at the big mouthpiece.

M/t Eagle Hydra passed us on her way west

Sunrise

Next day found us in the middle of the bay and the sunrise offered was magnificent after having gotten used to the land sunrises. Paperwork had to be completed for the next port that was Gibraltar. This kept me busy for the afternoon and engineers ran around checking the performance of the machinery. We had to do a 15minute pitstop so our Chief Engineer could tight up some bushings and we continued again, in the calming Biscay it was quite special. The seas started to abate the closer we got to the Spanish and Portuguese coast.

Sunrise

Then suddenly we were already rounding the corner and heading eastwards towards the Straits of Gibraltar, as I was passing between the fishing boats and markers in the traffic separation scheme we started getting swell against us but wind was dead calm. I radioed port control and got instructions to proceed into the bay and wait my turn to get into the fuel dock. It took awhile and after some 2hrs I got permission to proceed into port. As we are ship of small tonnage I didn't need a pilot. The bay was being busy with large cargo ships bunkering up. 

Gibraltar in morning

M/v Necibe

The maneuver was easy, just get in the breakwater and turn left, then it was port side to the usual bunker jetty. The bunker guys gave instructions of where to stop and soon enough we had tied up and I rang finished with engines. On the jetty I met our agent, Phil, and exchanged the usual pleasantries, the engineers went ahead with their bunker checklist, the deckhands emptied garbage ashore and the stewardesses went for provisions with the Chef.

MSC Sasha bunkering

Some 2 hours later we had our fuel onboard and I could order linesmen, the girls and Chef returned with trollies of provisions and we took all onboard. Some minutes later we had our engines running and the linesmen came, once again we slipped our mooring ropes and I maneuvered away from the jetty. As I turned around to get my bows to the breakwater I watched two small leisure boats towing each a massive tuna looking fish, must've been around 100kg. Once I had finished my turn I put dead slow ahead on the engines and slowly exited the port. I rang chief engineer to shut off the bowthruster and I increased to economic speed and set course for France.

At the fuel dock in Gibraltar 

Bunkering in progress

Europa point, Gibraltar 

Gibraltar 

As I was rounding Europa point the swell rolling out from the Mediterranean towards the Atlantic became higher but the wind was non existent. I was guessing the wind was behind the corner as we would soon round the Almeria point. I was right, the night was heavy pitching, we had to slow down as not to take too much water on deck, the crew was sick again and I got very little sleep. The next morning I got up for my watch and observed the seas going down, around 10am I increased speed to economic and we were back in business. Surprisingly the waters after Gibraltar had dozens of large cargo ships drifting about, I'm guessing it was something to do with a lull in business during  height of midsummer or the trouble at Hormuz.

Sunrise

The following days were magical as the sea went completely flat. I saw some very picturesque sunrises as you can se below. Even when we were crossing the Gulf de Lyon we had no wind at all and anyone who has sailed in those areas knows the catabatic storms that screams down the Marseille foothills out onto the gulf wreaking havoc with ships. When this was imminent one better look for safe anchorage or change of scenery. 

Sunrise

Sunrise

South of France

Soon enough we arrived to Antibes and we launched our boat to go pick up our watersports gear, it all went smoothly and all paperwork done in good order, so we again heaved up anchor and soon resumed our journey to Greece. As usual there were many large yachts in Antibes, I could see my former command Al Raya and the controversial Amadea as well as the sleek Kismet and Joy. 

Famous figure head of Kismet

The weather was still in our favor and we went north of Corsica before turning south for the Straits of Messina. Thundering down the boot of Italy was really uneventful with an occasional dolphin coming to play at our wake. We had already since Gibraltar been filling up arrival forms for Greece and it still appears the bureaucracy is as complicated as before if not even increased, it was almost like a port state control by proxy. We had to send every little certificate and competency onboard, not only listed on their specific forms but also scanned. I now remembered why I hated going by yacht to Greece, the paperwork... 

m/y Kismet

m/y Kismet and m/y Joy at anchorage 

Stromboli volcano

As we approached Messina we passed the Stromboli volcano, even she was very quiet in the heat of the summer, I could see no lava flow, just smoke emanating from her top. Just off the strait another huge container carrier was floating about, maybe also in wait for orders or perhaps pulling a unit on the main engine. We passed astern but could see no life on her decks.

m/v MSC Marie Leslie

m/v Klausen

Once in the straits we had luck with us and I had the current with me and was doing 14 knots at times on a rpm setting for 11.5 knots. We met a Panama flagged coaster Klausen that was coming the opposite direction on their way full laden. Now in daytime I could also see the funny fishermen with the tall lookout chairs in their tiny felucca boats.

Messina fishermen

The fishermen in the high lookout chairs are hunting swordfish (and occasionally tuna). They perch up to 20–30 meters above the water in a tall mast called an antenna to spot the fish basking or swimming near the surface.

This unique practice relies on centuries-old traditions and requires a specific, highly coordinated team effort:

The Sighter (Ntinneri): Sits in the precarious high chair, scanning the clear waters of the Strait of Messina for the shadows of swordfish swimming near the surface.

The Harpooner (Lanzaturi): Stands on an extraordinarily long passerella (a narrow gangway extending tens of meters off the bow). Once the sighter spots the prey, they direct the boat over the fish and the harpooner strikes with a traditional trident or spear.

The Hunt: Swordfish often swim in pairs, making it easier for the fishermen to target the larger female first, as the male will stubbornly linger beside her, presenting an opportunity for a second catch.

This localized and highly specific fishing method—practiced on distinctive traditional boats called feluche—has been used in the Strait of Messina for thousands of years.

 

Messina strait ferry

Messina

Soon enough I had passed the dogleg, reported to the vessel traffic control and headed south and turned to port for an easterly course up the bottom of the Italian boot. The weather was still ok and we motored on at ease into the night. In the evening I passed 2 Italian Navy tugboats of which one was towing the other. Traffic was very light.

Sunrise

The next morning saw us enter the Greek archipelago between Kefalonia and Lefkada, radar was showing  plenty of small ships about, mostly sailing boats. They kept to the shorelines and was no trouble and we headed towards the Gulf of Patra to go under the bridge of Rio. After the bridge we entered Gulf of Corinth and this narrow stretch of water was in the afternoon blowing a near gale with gusts up to 40knots, we lost a few cushions to the stiff breeze but the sea did not get up markedly. It didn't have to either, the smallest splash was dispersed by the strong wind into fine salt spray all over the yacht so we were very quickly pretty crusty. Crew had started unstowing the yacht and setting her up for the charter guests that would arrive soon but unfortunately the cushion fastenings had not been done properly.

m/v Superfast II on her way to Patra from Italy

The Gulf of Corinth was quite bland though with imposing Greek mountains rising up on both sides and probably was the cause of the strong wind funneling towards the bridge. I had years before explored the area by car on my weekends off as I was converting Columbus Caravelle to Turama. There are plenty  of quiet roads to go up and down that led through uninhabited villages that only got population at times of olive harvesting.

Greek coastal views

Rio bridge

m/v Mykonos I and m/v Mykonos V alongside

We also passed this factory of some sorts with two coasters alongside. I clocked their names from the AIS, Mykonos I and Mykonos V.

As per Equasis Mykonos I is a 1971 German build from the famous Sietas yard (hull:621, design: type 58) and launched as Anglia for Peter Doehle company. Then it seems she had a Norwegian flag but retained the name until 2003, then since 2003 she has had 6 names already: Mykonos I since 01/12/2021, Artemis S since 01/02/2016, Olga M since 01/06/2013, Alianthos since 01/04/2006, Lady 1 since 01/08/2005, Landing since 01/07/2003. She has been owned by a North Korean company in 2005 and then in 2014 she came to Greece. Records only start in 2001 with a Swedish owning company called Lupin Shipping, they still seem to be in business and operate one coaster in New Guinea, Africa. Lupin used to be owned by Swedish businessman Alvar Olsson that was a kind of coaster pirate in his heyday but has passed on in 2017 at the age of 93, his fleet was all laid up and sold off in the end. 

The record for port state controls only list 6 entries, the first from Sweden with 0 deficiencies in 1998, and then in 1999 in Denmark with 9 deficiencies and 2 more in Sweden, then between 2000-2005 there are none and after that 2 more in Greece with only minor deficiencies in 2005. After that there are none so presumably she's been only doing Greek cabotage that do not show up. Judging of this I think the owners have showed her great love over the years as she is still in operation.

The Mykonos V is a younger Chinese build from 2007.

 

Mykonos I in Syros Island

(credit: info_kavall on Shipspotting)

m/v Himmel

Corinth Canal

Corinth Canal

The pilot for the canal came in time and was very quick, he took over the steering and propulsion immediately after my short brief and I stood by him the whole transit listening to his nattering, in general he held about 8kts speed throughout and with very small rudder angles he negotiated the bank effect and kept us going in the middle. I really admired his skill as he explained the practicality of going through. As it was my first time I had no qualms letting him do the job and standing by to step in for any emergency. All in all it went well, the crew got nice sunset pictures on sun deck whilst we came through it was already dark, perfect timing one could say.

Corinth Canal

Nafkratis at anchor

As we exited the Canal night had already begun and I navigated past many ships at anchor at the mouth of Isthmia and in front of the huge oil refinery of Corinth. As we got underway the shape of the cargo ship m/v Nafkratis loomed out of the darkness and it looked like a thing from the history books with the cargo derricks on deck and samson posts. After checking out it turned out to be an old Japanese build from 2000, they made of these old style vessel as they are very versatile in SE Asia where small general cargo is transported to small island communities. Nice to see that old ways still prevail and beat the new in practicality.

Piraeus marina side, Zeas in front

As I had passed the refineries and continued into the Saronic gulf the dark shoreside of the island of Salamis was on my left and on the right were the small islands, most famous the touristic Aegina and Agkistri. I radioed the Piraeus traffic of our intentions of going to marina Zeas and requested permission to anchor in front until the morning. The traffic said they had no objections as long as I kept out of the commercial anchorage, it was an area with 90m depth designed for the ocean going behemoths and was quite full, at the southernmost point there was a completely blacked out tanker. Her outline became obvious in the glare of the other anchored vessels deck lights. Later I heard it was the tanker, m/t Sounio, that had been attacked by Houthis and had been salvaged. I passed the anchorage and approached the marina and soon I anchored off a wavebreaker between Flisvos and Athens marina that seemed like a good spot without being in front of any traffic.

Arrived Marina Zeas...

Then on the following morning we woke up to bright sunshine and I radioed the marina to come in and soon enough I motored into the basin and swung around and did the Mediterranean mooring as is customary in these waters. The marina had their own groundlines so it was fairly easy and required no faffing with the anchors. Our 12 day journey had come to an end and we had been very lucky with the weather, now it was time to tend to some urgent maintenance to keep our commercial compliance up to date as well as prepare for a possible port state inspection. My temp Mate would sign off and my full time would be back after a 2 week battery charge. Time to get busy again...