tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204032120757406202024-03-14T07:15:15.517+01:00 Sailing on, single-handed A blog about untying knots, releasing lines, weighing anchor and getting under way again,
after having lost the captain in my life.
Elizabeth Tylerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01482687743657528587noreply@blogger.comBlogger63125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-620403212075740620.post-59012175935568648442023-04-27T17:09:00.001+02:002023-04-27T17:33:56.790+02:00When one door closes, another one opens…<p> </p><div style="-moz-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><h1><span style="font-size: medium;">A sad day indeed when Aquarella was sold.</span></h1></div><div style="-moz-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">It hurts to think that I will never be sailing Aquarella again.</span></div><div style="-moz-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrmEaO2neO6W_hAhKkqbPXNbYqbmvtDs0TPwP-ILwtCTEaAAIysvYYcI7FTndqPIjFcOM-A58A1fNSYkdDZpyioCqfpH5O1j5aQNHHDM28sStVupTYFXZv16woryWaZjKodiDJWQqM68By56MdhofzaI3Mt1XcY3JAzPp9lZRPqc8b5Dxhhugy0WnQ/s1488/breakfast.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1003" data-original-width="1488" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrmEaO2neO6W_hAhKkqbPXNbYqbmvtDs0TPwP-ILwtCTEaAAIysvYYcI7FTndqPIjFcOM-A58A1fNSYkdDZpyioCqfpH5O1j5aQNHHDM28sStVupTYFXZv16woryWaZjKodiDJWQqM68By56MdhofzaI3Mt1XcY3JAzPp9lZRPqc8b5Dxhhugy0WnQ/s320/breakfast.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: medium;">In 2013 when my husband died and I decided to try to sail alone around the Greek islands I was 67 yrs old. Now, after doing just that for ten years I am 77 and its time for new challenges and adventures.<br /><br /><br /></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzug9Cj9Id7iUqMxarTk8RXGzKQbLlTZdVUiKPGNexub2qNUFIrrh4J-lDogIcfnrfwSx9du13FPgpckP6w2DZ8HU5VOW4HIlw047sOT18KJW4VegGmjUhKaxG-gXg6yhseoq6JOycwI8vnYLvCrkNpkvvwrbSfoxvRG3v8klCYpL6vpxJYt1XWQ3g/s1833/me-on-deck2.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1049" data-original-width="1833" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzug9Cj9Id7iUqMxarTk8RXGzKQbLlTZdVUiKPGNexub2qNUFIrrh4J-lDogIcfnrfwSx9du13FPgpckP6w2DZ8HU5VOW4HIlw047sOT18KJW4VegGmjUhKaxG-gXg6yhseoq6JOycwI8vnYLvCrkNpkvvwrbSfoxvRG3v8klCYpL6vpxJYt1XWQ3g/s320/me-on-deck2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div></div><div style="-moz-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Aquarella has given me so much I had never imagined, amongst other things:</span></div><ul style="-moz-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">A lot of self confidence and self esteem.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">The feeling of total freedom, sailing silently towards the horizon.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">The challenge of getting all systems in working order and the feeling of accomplishment when they did work.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">The magic of lying alone under the dark, starlit nights.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">The sheer panic of hanging on in a storm for hours on end but knowing Aquarella would stand for it if I could.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">The feeling of strength, both mentally and physically after hours, days and months of doing things I never imagined I could.</span></li><li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl-okv6fRdGV-FImOvyvyr6skMFoqNWWJKOS65MKRWno9_xW2EWSVncnbvdst6hvE6rp2qks3DI-fReLnTjxVn4nVEli71BLGYxMiVadfUV6N8ssL7GmcEOc9EGcix41xT76z8HQ0_1CaLKTaoQzniCD6N1mY_wRXYa_l6T4e92ARZuA3pbcw6oTah/s835/cheers.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="711" data-original-width="835" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl-okv6fRdGV-FImOvyvyr6skMFoqNWWJKOS65MKRWno9_xW2EWSVncnbvdst6hvE6rp2qks3DI-fReLnTjxVn4nVEli71BLGYxMiVadfUV6N8ssL7GmcEOc9EGcix41xT76z8HQ0_1CaLKTaoQzniCD6N1mY_wRXYa_l6T4e92ARZuA3pbcw6oTah/s320/cheers.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">The unexpected encounters and warm friendships with people I never would have met otherwise.<br /><br /></span><br /></li><li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgszWrizZyemb15IP2F-zTEo2XFRMg1iuTyB-ir4XhiVKPGEfu0CibL2dhcqxiRKKEvayO2OpYlydJZOoaupKHBwDjCC-rsLyBKx5R1NroxVrC5muLhe0KtNrG_Vs3nsmRpiLf0UnW666J660VjvOTDBGZTxrW972OXdslaQtA_fBfxMFwkrHNklAIH/s2048/portoheli1.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgszWrizZyemb15IP2F-zTEo2XFRMg1iuTyB-ir4XhiVKPGEfu0CibL2dhcqxiRKKEvayO2OpYlydJZOoaupKHBwDjCC-rsLyBKx5R1NroxVrC5muLhe0KtNrG_Vs3nsmRpiLf0UnW666J660VjvOTDBGZTxrW972OXdslaQtA_fBfxMFwkrHNklAIH/s320/portoheli1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg7cvI0u3OWjo7Rn5E6B-aQlHoFt_Py8Xrc8e4OyM8viobjCrPDr_SKYOK-2BN8z4Pqq8FDAzydLTW8ssF3S7v7GsQFwNxo0SWqYSlGMjFtJ0BLVNYbtDqnY5rtgzZTKE1tXZ0KEkprb3ngd8n6OZVihW00UaPrKpoCzzp4-vjde4dPDoxx_21IbGZ/s1348/IMG_2086.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1303" data-original-width="1348" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg7cvI0u3OWjo7Rn5E6B-aQlHoFt_Py8Xrc8e4OyM8viobjCrPDr_SKYOK-2BN8z4Pqq8FDAzydLTW8ssF3S7v7GsQFwNxo0SWqYSlGMjFtJ0BLVNYbtDqnY5rtgzZTKE1tXZ0KEkprb3ngd8n6OZVihW00UaPrKpoCzzp4-vjde4dPDoxx_21IbGZ/w200-h193/IMG_2086.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>The pleasure of seeing the result of hard work and loving care for this beautiful classic sailboat.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLPMD7OEzH7QqcoQ-Dlw4jZ6RppVofaCVT-oRWoKsXtCTEu5QWDxLJ4KicVXFzgkkYq30pYkNAcCmhVdq9B8Ixu_Z4FbrOXUOZNMPbFa6MqALpChcImWwUGTpDwUw3q_AKdHdsuCsngL9Jt3KWoAbLSQy0TtIbAwswO1hDYbIq1FMWhPQmHmRAIt0g/s1189/at%20the%20wheel.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="658" data-original-width="1189" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLPMD7OEzH7QqcoQ-Dlw4jZ6RppVofaCVT-oRWoKsXtCTEu5QWDxLJ4KicVXFzgkkYq30pYkNAcCmhVdq9B8Ixu_Z4FbrOXUOZNMPbFa6MqALpChcImWwUGTpDwUw3q_AKdHdsuCsngL9Jt3KWoAbLSQy0TtIbAwswO1hDYbIq1FMWhPQmHmRAIt0g/s320/at%20the%20wheel.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8yxyxIDUWpQ0KUIZRMco8_6fPacqrVvCJVhAcAVA37HK1v9aja3MGKiQfEx9cwy_Xic_o2HHtz7FalOtYMrspf7vxVZLvPgfViCK-msaoMOCJqM_dFS0d54ERpkxboqwzDozVkp5NXJP5wu3ZzSYGCXBcQKKQzP2Onp1eWtyITuedAECgpRWruGFr/s1417/me-sailing.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="650" data-original-width="1417" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8yxyxIDUWpQ0KUIZRMco8_6fPacqrVvCJVhAcAVA37HK1v9aja3MGKiQfEx9cwy_Xic_o2HHtz7FalOtYMrspf7vxVZLvPgfViCK-msaoMOCJqM_dFS0d54ERpkxboqwzDozVkp5NXJP5wu3ZzSYGCXBcQKKQzP2Onp1eWtyITuedAECgpRWruGFr/s320/me-sailing.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></li></ul><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Thank you for taking care of me Aquarella!</b></span><br /></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg12_pZz-otSVIxaw98p9b3Wu7nwVLpTaAHjpZoy1_29cO2Kylj5aml2oScq0NP-9K3SFCv0OoSIrvUj-0-XwP3rZZ95LPG5A_C_QgNMpE0MUiQBqLeTBO1aTYi9N_TNL56YZ3ZEzorhcRGkyodygGfaOaUaAFh1ZJsc025wEOw_gy2Y8P2kqHslRej/s1420/fish-under-boat.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="971" data-original-width="1420" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg12_pZz-otSVIxaw98p9b3Wu7nwVLpTaAHjpZoy1_29cO2Kylj5aml2oScq0NP-9K3SFCv0OoSIrvUj-0-XwP3rZZ95LPG5A_C_QgNMpE0MUiQBqLeTBO1aTYi9N_TNL56YZ3ZEzorhcRGkyodygGfaOaUaAFh1ZJsc025wEOw_gy2Y8P2kqHslRej/s320/fish-under-boat.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;">PS Aquarella will be sailing on under a new name: <br />WAKATOBI of Rotterdam.<br />PPS. I will still be on the water writing, painting, photographing and filming with a new boat and a new partner. You can keep up with my new blog here: <a href="https://solar-at-sea.blogspot.com/">https://solar-at-sea.blogspot.com/</a></span><br />Elizabeth Tylerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01482687743657528587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-620403212075740620.post-5997885726886513492022-01-12T17:25:00.011+01:002023-02-18T20:24:13.483+01:00Update: My boat is now sold!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiwx9Ga0bFnmDbqA7v-wcLzBuuwgkyKFmGKp16AzXYpeoUIrtpuQFbUbie9oqKrqbEMlnGgOtRmMNPYsvlsGHp6KiVZrcUO7zkzFBF16hEThN-olLxAeE874vCa79qUE7p4AtMYHFleH0-xwyUcrRxhBTPpXMJFiW_a1Q95BSYT0-X9_cKINCbRGdQtGg=s1387" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="961" data-original-width="1387" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiwx9Ga0bFnmDbqA7v-wcLzBuuwgkyKFmGKp16AzXYpeoUIrtpuQFbUbie9oqKrqbEMlnGgOtRmMNPYsvlsGHp6KiVZrcUO7zkzFBF16hEThN-olLxAeE874vCa79qUE7p4AtMYHFleH0-xwyUcrRxhBTPpXMJFiW_a1Q95BSYT0-X9_cKINCbRGdQtGg=w400-h278" width="400" /></a></div><br />As I am about to start a new chapter in my life with new challenges <br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">My boat, Aquarella is now sold!</span></b><br /><br />About the Monsun: <br />Designer Olle Enderlein<br />Hull length: 9.36 m / 30' 9"<br />Length water line: 7.50 m / 24' 8"<br />Beam: 2.87 m / 9' 5"<br />Draft: 1.40 m / 4' 7"<br />Displacement : 4 200 kg / 9 250 lbs<br />Keel weight: 1 900 kg / 4 200 lbs<br />Sail area with jib: 39 m² / 430 sq ft<br />Engine: Yanmar: inboard diesel installed january 2000<br />kW / HP 17 / 28. Double diesel filters.<br />Diesel tank 120 litres / 32 US gallon<br />Water tank 160 litres / 43 US gallon<div>water taps in pantry for both fresh water and salt water.</div><div><br /> <br /> <br /><br />About Aquarella: <br />Currently
kept at a secure boatyard in Greece, she is a Hallberg Rassy Monsun from 1976
modified for the climate and special demands for sailing in the
Mediterranean.<br />From the bow there's a retrofitted bowsprit which moved the
original position of the forestay with furling genua forward about 70 cm.
This made her easier on the tiller under sail. It also enables easier access to the
boat with an integrated hinged ladder. The anchor is stowed under it.
Theres an electric Lofrans anchor windlass with remote control. <br />80 meters of galvanised anchor chain and a 16 kg CQR anchor.<br />Spinnaker pole and spinnaker halyard <br />Aft anchor (Brittany) mounted on pushpit with 40 m ankorolina.<br />The Monsun has a rolling boom, useful for reefing and stowing the mainsail. <br />Plastimo offshore liferaft for 6 persons. ( last service 2012)<br />5 solar panels, 2 on coach roof plus 3 on top of the bimini. <br />The
aft part of the bimini is fixed for the season and only taken down in
winter. The forward part can be easily dismantled when under way. <br />Hydraulic powered steering wheel. (had major service in 2020)<br />Radar ( Raytheon) <br />Raytheon ST6000 autopilot, connected to the radar and GPS.<br />Epirb (Mcmurdo)<br />self tacking jib rail.<br />Stainless steel handrail on coach roof and around sprayhood<br />stationary VHF<br />steps (fiberglass) on mast.<br />radar reflector.<br />fixed bathing ladder <br />Navtex for on-screen weather forcasts and emergency messages.<br />Echo sounder (Raytheon)<br />2 fire extinguishers <br />All lines and halyards extended to cockpit.<br />Extra skylight and 2 dorade box vents .<br />6 batteries 70 amp each. 4 of them new 2022<br />Eberspächer central heating ( not used since 2011)<br />Furling genua (Furlex) with new sacrificial UV strip<br />All wiring has been renewed by an electrician in 2004<br />In the pantry is an Origo gimballed spirit stove with two burners.<br />Water taps for both fresh and salt water<br />Cabin sole in teak laminate mounted by a boat builder. (instead of the original carpet)<br />Many spare parts, tools and manuals.<br /><br /><br />extra accessories: <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjr_YYfT697-Z51B3gw6Z7h5Q4iz3IGbucQmnhPdFaK4aWQ1YUFzdHlAZpErzRTow_UBSXrdZzlp7PpNvILSNBLSVRQEjl7CI823EwZZIf4SWj7Y9ajjANQE3Qv4i0eHXdulJpUSHagmy9RjCeXCuNkqvMnDIpJ7AiMM2NYchB-1WxLwvIAHPeX7ydk=s696" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="391" data-original-width="696" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjr_YYfT697-Z51B3gw6Z7h5Q4iz3IGbucQmnhPdFaK4aWQ1YUFzdHlAZpErzRTow_UBSXrdZzlp7PpNvILSNBLSVRQEjl7CI823EwZZIf4SWj7Y9ajjANQE3Qv4i0eHXdulJpUSHagmy9RjCeXCuNkqvMnDIpJ7AiMM2NYchB-1WxLwvIAHPeX7ydk=w640-h360" width="640" /></a></div><br />Dinghy 2.3m ( only used 2 seasons) with new electric outboard motor which charges from the boat's solar panels.<br /><div>2 fridges, Isotherm with compressors<br />Sewing machine for lighter sail repairs.<br />Pressure cooker <br />Extra mainsail and unused storm jib.<br />Boatsman’s chair.</div><div>Additional memory foam in bunks.<br /><div>Reserve Bruce anchor and dinghy anchor.<br />Charts for most of the Med.<br /></div><div><br /><div>Aquarella has been well maintained and the engine serviced every year by a professional. <br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjlfrQck5BDSQDKO-e2PkaipgZha8Ko4fCab-ZNqJNIx7WRwi3ALbPOuOx3xtjj_6nU5JHTF95as1c1glFWX5d2ITpK8rfMOhQrkpgEbgzKuaYY8KO1FWnSjh1ZPHbwq19SYO0MzylOUGWIaJa9pT0gjxT4QEec4GN1gP6SMs1gQCPGYZTLIF0VbKXM=s945" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="945" height="458" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjlfrQck5BDSQDKO-e2PkaipgZha8Ko4fCab-ZNqJNIx7WRwi3ALbPOuOx3xtjj_6nU5JHTF95as1c1glFWX5d2ITpK8rfMOhQrkpgEbgzKuaYY8KO1FWnSjh1ZPHbwq19SYO0MzylOUGWIaJa9pT0gjxT4QEec4GN1gP6SMs1gQCPGYZTLIF0VbKXM=w640-h458" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>All equipment is in working order except the diesel tank which needs major service.</div><div>Also the remote control for anchor windlass needs mounting.</div></div></div><div>One of the mainsail’s top ring needs renewing.</div><div><br /></div>contact Jonty at j<a href="mailto:onty@williamsandsmithells.com">onty@williamsandsmithells.com</a> for price and more details.<br /><br />A short presentation video about Aquarella<br />click here: <a href="https://youtu.be/c2RULt49Q4g">https://youtu.be/c2RULt49Q4g<br /></a>scroll down for more photos <br /><br /><br /><p><br /></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhzBaEU4T5op-XETINcXnTKor5g9XbC6s215zUDSpeIKG7ZgnYEmoA2M316luTjNQWM3vaVub-h9BHKFm-VN1ZgvskWKXHT9Dvpe6BU9ELeml0auuEcSpGPpGKLC_rUKce9FhOshKrFwJ54a9X9stFHZ3jzlL4y-rwwrbXQ1D_39Xbvy3xSDw2c3gx3=s1102" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="1102" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhzBaEU4T5op-XETINcXnTKor5g9XbC6s215zUDSpeIKG7ZgnYEmoA2M316luTjNQWM3vaVub-h9BHKFm-VN1ZgvskWKXHT9Dvpe6BU9ELeml0auuEcSpGPpGKLC_rUKce9FhOshKrFwJ54a9X9stFHZ3jzlL4y-rwwrbXQ1D_39Xbvy3xSDw2c3gx3=s320" width="320" /></a></div>The L shaped galley has a stainless steel sink with taps for both fressh water and sea water. Under the work bench is a cooler box connected to an Isotherm compressor. The gimballed two burner Origo spirit stove hangs in a custom built stainless steel compartment.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhQxGdArfGsUT8Dl30dGxV7EER1Q6GnB0DfmJ6aHBrMb9gPkwN5cCF_w_uODGOQV81jDGuOtaBJ94Uc1j4yQiMx8Hf5L4G7LiKQwuSHgmM-GOMbASrMtWICkbDSEh57xyiy8HNoyzIFyBHu6rjHbvjf8BRB_btBH8Cw4iY-fslcrXB69i77LPQsfypZ=s1470" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1470" data-original-width="1102" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhQxGdArfGsUT8Dl30dGxV7EER1Q6GnB0DfmJ6aHBrMb9gPkwN5cCF_w_uODGOQV81jDGuOtaBJ94Uc1j4yQiMx8Hf5L4G7LiKQwuSHgmM-GOMbASrMtWICkbDSEh57xyiy8HNoyzIFyBHu6rjHbvjf8BRB_btBH8Cw4iY-fslcrXB69i77LPQsfypZ=s320" width="240" /></a></div>Under the floor between the forward two V berths are the hoses for fresh water from the 160 l tank. The through hull sea water ball valve for the head and protecting hose for the wiring from the through-hull echo sounder tranducer. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhVf8kgni-52VUm6ckOqv2AVBtJCBv_1duIoH086ClNS0qqPvLJamugMT1QXxj0xVWulh50rjVwRX3LfzbyWVuwfdQUUYORbJ10xnxNKkKgOJtYwkQLsNfeG5o-g4_Kf4xVcu3ZSSjCTt5NZ3yXpWGvQ92TFLl3wF42gLwdggKDm2xpZr3fOS2y0gYg=s1102" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="1102" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhVf8kgni-52VUm6ckOqv2AVBtJCBv_1duIoH086ClNS0qqPvLJamugMT1QXxj0xVWulh50rjVwRX3LfzbyWVuwfdQUUYORbJ10xnxNKkKgOJtYwkQLsNfeG5o-g4_Kf4xVcu3ZSSjCTt5NZ3yXpWGvQ92TFLl3wF42gLwdggKDm2xpZr3fOS2y0gYg=s320" width="320" /></a></div>Mounted beside the navigation table are the controls for the 5 solar panels. The top left panel ( installed 2019) is designated for the dinghy engine battery. It can be programmed to give priority to this battery when needed.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgIi3lhQB8rieUWKXNiJER4hU5efPMpPX33N3MiVna2msQvMhcSV-5f_-wYPq2CSUSeZ-yFp_yVIVRuTVefaMyodD4Fto8_vZCWuGTach3oqfYbywhTvMCGlsepmikAgJ7iWxA0HHYqH1672-9J6DEkLWWCSlRXnT9WiC8eKCq17Liv_DvR9qVFc5qR=s1470" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1470" data-original-width="1102" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgIi3lhQB8rieUWKXNiJER4hU5efPMpPX33N3MiVna2msQvMhcSV-5f_-wYPq2CSUSeZ-yFp_yVIVRuTVefaMyodD4Fto8_vZCWuGTach3oqfYbywhTvMCGlsepmikAgJ7iWxA0HHYqH1672-9J6DEkLWWCSlRXnT9WiC8eKCq17Liv_DvR9qVFc5qR=s320" width="240" /></a></div>The head (toilet) is a jabsco marine toilet with hand pump. The holding tank is hidden behind the locker on the left. The wash basin slides out from under the lockers.<br />The toilet compartment is separated from the main cabin and forward stateroom by a sliding door on one side and a folding door on the other.<br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhxPbRz7MK8wgoNx9BtxfSvozLO6SNaAQmiRP55QFRYrsvh3hDk6F-GP9H776rWEIrWalpeDnHiYZ2kDN9WK_eDAJBRg3g0UNicld0qHjGwo3MrKfdU9AIb1bu8pMWhejL6RM8LGedlze5LcZKVU3KZQGZ3SRCgQhmVh83pk0SstosrlmM2MxjnlRP5=s1102" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="1102" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhxPbRz7MK8wgoNx9BtxfSvozLO6SNaAQmiRP55QFRYrsvh3hDk6F-GP9H776rWEIrWalpeDnHiYZ2kDN9WK_eDAJBRg3g0UNicld0qHjGwo3MrKfdU9AIb1bu8pMWhejL6RM8LGedlze5LcZKVU3KZQGZ3SRCgQhmVh83pk0SstosrlmM2MxjnlRP5=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The table in the main cabin can be lowered to <br />create a double berth and the backrest can be lifted<br />for more space. Length of berths 2m. <br />Under all berths are radiators for the Eberspächer <br />waterborne heating system<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjj-0w82KmWDj_WkJwHE0O6vX6mm8sQIb85Q7POEQB74kyE1YMPZqb6iZ-aqXnxviJ_COPvj0NLVVLjY4P_1QKVWGf_yFgu5YnvRL2ze8G06NboOqXg7eft6a8eQ2PhVOmBA-MldzgZUVuQyG-IQfs8iEJq_10JoMZXn-AZEYER5swvGT65RsJMzgwd=s1735" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1237" data-original-width="1735" height="143" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjj-0w82KmWDj_WkJwHE0O6vX6mm8sQIb85Q7POEQB74kyE1YMPZqb6iZ-aqXnxviJ_COPvj0NLVVLjY4P_1QKVWGf_yFgu5YnvRL2ze8G06NboOqXg7eft6a8eQ2PhVOmBA-MldzgZUVuQyG-IQfs8iEJq_10JoMZXn-AZEYER5swvGT65RsJMzgwd=w200-h143" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Extra fridge Isotherm installed 2018 <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhdTZ95Dmj4maIBrDhTy1vauMQBrQKZYMjiupe7sl6IV4m2zPvyJMJot_JBDTPpbFKgr55GumXAv3JKxdmXo8L_k98IY7t7yDvQQBrhqBL7ZkogV-2H34p00lUWQfOkZQnYxnEHbJP4xGCaYTK2DO_9p5S8KFw3zHPzkk1ZBSLK3ugkEjXv1wkErka5=s1346" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="984" data-original-width="1346" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhdTZ95Dmj4maIBrDhTy1vauMQBrQKZYMjiupe7sl6IV4m2zPvyJMJot_JBDTPpbFKgr55GumXAv3JKxdmXo8L_k98IY7t7yDvQQBrhqBL7ZkogV-2H34p00lUWQfOkZQnYxnEHbJP4xGCaYTK2DO_9p5S8KFw3zHPzkk1ZBSLK3ugkEjXv1wkErka5=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Starboard berth with backrest lifted. <br />The inside of the hull above all berths is paneled with mahogony.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgkc9ENSFzqFB0EvAG9IMsNQ4z59eNueuSLsHsoUBk5B_kmfRAqiQIY4f3hAdUQC9UvyMVwDGwH12M2pzabWJj8lfOTtf0_uKx97CqPdcm_GlT8DRgrZjurjPw2cLu16u6OHDF7d9katOl0MdSn99HzBqqG0ToL0AZRSb-n8gs2X1XQgN7-XtvZaFeP=s1102" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="773" data-original-width="1102" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgkc9ENSFzqFB0EvAG9IMsNQ4z59eNueuSLsHsoUBk5B_kmfRAqiQIY4f3hAdUQC9UvyMVwDGwH12M2pzabWJj8lfOTtf0_uKx97CqPdcm_GlT8DRgrZjurjPw2cLu16u6OHDF7d9katOl0MdSn99HzBqqG0ToL0AZRSb-n8gs2X1XQgN7-XtvZaFeP=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">starting the electric engine in dinghy<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj-X6Q7J4Wj-ATjnTyDGlX2T3xdxkknA9D3JSxWrHmvLXVwGtIAeM2nAfMQIMilrxYt44qL9udppNvpm_G7cU-x5Ec8QhFcvraN3gR-vHH2PmPPl60jz7J7pc5VJXBbcg928L-ieymTzu7LViq8rLiymQ9HQyRdtHidMxBsCxP8bMW7WqhE9I5dgG_f=s1102" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="735" data-original-width="1102" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj-X6Q7J4Wj-ATjnTyDGlX2T3xdxkknA9D3JSxWrHmvLXVwGtIAeM2nAfMQIMilrxYt44qL9udppNvpm_G7cU-x5Ec8QhFcvraN3gR-vHH2PmPPl60jz7J7pc5VJXBbcg928L-ieymTzu7LViq8rLiymQ9HQyRdtHidMxBsCxP8bMW7WqhE9I5dgG_f=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The dinghy battery is kept under the bench<br /> while in use or charging<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhYpsiEkiWt6DJM_-B_tCkhNpIWe0lqDooQM-FJedz61wjwSFt4MoBvs7oN05WZWyolun9r6Sl4h8CYhwLRjDlAqzzdKnHsleBPbY8wrxNslvFpTjJoTxNdco80QrYVhtvQW1rKBlLUISBA8gnPaBEfv7p_PqyEXUWtpMgVkzSpFTu03NZtdrI8Z79X=s1102" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="842" data-original-width="1102" height="490" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhYpsiEkiWt6DJM_-B_tCkhNpIWe0lqDooQM-FJedz61wjwSFt4MoBvs7oN05WZWyolun9r6Sl4h8CYhwLRjDlAqzzdKnHsleBPbY8wrxNslvFpTjJoTxNdco80QrYVhtvQW1rKBlLUISBA8gnPaBEfv7p_PqyEXUWtpMgVkzSpFTu03NZtdrI8Z79X=w640-h490" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With the table folded up and the starboard berth backrest lifted there's <br />plenty of space for creative projects.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Elizabeth Tylerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01482687743657528587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-620403212075740620.post-11579126192514483442020-06-20T17:15:00.000+02:002020-06-20T17:17:27.555+02:00Another point of view...<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3y7o1K3dIwODoeUIPvNnhbUaNHoq1cMZn4npad04L6_6mZIb48jBlAoYzRrv1e1XcqtTz3h6jES8r2I-Se1IDRUpNrT8vwPLzsFUNLD4Zv1zrHUeHUQ-i2CaK2Cl_KnKEeZE8NV7YTNM/s1600/1A2D6B89-2A79-4AE4-AF27-100720BB8FF9.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3y7o1K3dIwODoeUIPvNnhbUaNHoq1cMZn4npad04L6_6mZIb48jBlAoYzRrv1e1XcqtTz3h6jES8r2I-Se1IDRUpNrT8vwPLzsFUNLD4Zv1zrHUeHUQ-i2CaK2Cl_KnKEeZE8NV7YTNM/s640/1A2D6B89-2A79-4AE4-AF27-100720BB8FF9.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not the usual view of the Mediterranean sea from my boat but the view of a beautiful Swedish lake from a campervan.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In case anyone is wondering what I’m up to in these Corona times I thought it was time for an update.<br />
I had planned on returning to the boat with my partner in February. Aquarella is standing on dry land at the Basimakopolou shipyard in Kilada Greece where I know she is safe, which is a consolation. However when all the borders closed I knew it would be impossible to get back for quite some time. As my partner and I are in the risk group ( we are both 74) it is especially important to keep to the rules of social distancing. We stayed in the house for nearly three months and even though we could enjoy the fresh air in the garden we longed to get out and see something else. Being privileged of having a partner with a camper van this was an opportunity to get out and about without getting near other people. We can still not cross any borders and we are not allowed to travel more than two hours from our home district but even so its possible to see and experience some of Sweden’s unique and noteworthy nature from our own secure bubble of the van.<br />
In Sweden there is a law called Allemansrätt.<br />
This means in brief the following:<br />
•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>You are allowed to access any land, except private residences, the immediate vicinity (70 meters) of a dwelling house and cultivated land.<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>You can put up a tent.<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>You are allowed to collect flowers, mushrooms and berries.<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Driving on private roads is allowed unless there’s a sign saying otherwise.<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Swimming in lakes is allowed.<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>You can access any beach as long as you stay away from private residences.<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>You are allowed to catch fish in the five big lakes and along the entire coastline.<br />
<br />
Source: The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhybJUbtq98F4S4dxhpcse61QfE4N_yHOtD43ySszQVtgcx1hH2Y7EH8ooqrYmBHEuuAHoKI5Avr41yn-f0qgOe78uCb1YUQgmdJ_jqbEOlPUbCCgKXXlVvw5I-WkpGErGX5TTZma8kRis/s1600/8E309DEE-482B-4959-9179-F0EE6B3F5B8A.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhybJUbtq98F4S4dxhpcse61QfE4N_yHOtD43ySszQVtgcx1hH2Y7EH8ooqrYmBHEuuAHoKI5Avr41yn-f0qgOe78uCb1YUQgmdJ_jqbEOlPUbCCgKXXlVvw5I-WkpGErGX5TTZma8kRis/s320/8E309DEE-482B-4959-9179-F0EE6B3F5B8A.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
So instead of another solosail on my boat in Greece I am on a road trip in Sweden with my partner. One overnight stay was on a tiny peninsular with just enough space for the van. We were surrounded by the water of a lake on three sides and while we listened to the creaking and swaying branches of overhanging trees, the van was even rocking slightly in the wind, it was ALMOST like being on board my boat. The sound of a nearby passing train was no worse than listening to a passing cruise ship.<br />
As often before I am producing a video about my painting techniques. This time its been necessary to choose a smaller body of water as subject matter. Instead of the crashing waves of the open sea I have been inspired by the trickling water of a forest stream. The acrylic painting in progress will be available soon as streaming video, more about this later.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFWwQ_kjn280MOkHMNZhq9oqx_LUhZTREsoIAilbUIaow4khsbQ8CzRcIUdYj8wGf-rCksEupohRdnPBWWiSZjAjkmSYt_GAC2Lt4WYPRX1tU4jFc4b6o3JAe8_Pd7KHE2JQOpAex1Wvo/s1600/AE9C5572-11F3-4880-BB8A-40114A81A561.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="975" data-original-width="1600" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFWwQ_kjn280MOkHMNZhq9oqx_LUhZTREsoIAilbUIaow4khsbQ8CzRcIUdYj8wGf-rCksEupohRdnPBWWiSZjAjkmSYt_GAC2Lt4WYPRX1tU4jFc4b6o3JAe8_Pd7KHE2JQOpAex1Wvo/s400/AE9C5572-11F3-4880-BB8A-40114A81A561.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not painting the bottom of my boat in Greece <br />
but using an upturned boat as an easel amidst midges<br />
mosquitoes and ticks.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-rJYQyKO23c3Uropp-blsOtimPbjW9E8UXT9XqPK-_RJzLRJyCgndVWt6LTWeD3adgJ6vojpR9hEjJkPgyVysyvtjYhlYgjFlj5dGU5V5UGCzAlvd3YYKt8EBZAW22HUm3jO233DFLyM/s1600/0A7F5BC3-D946-4158-BF47-BBB088E2FA2A.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1168" data-original-width="1600" height="466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-rJYQyKO23c3Uropp-blsOtimPbjW9E8UXT9XqPK-_RJzLRJyCgndVWt6LTWeD3adgJ6vojpR9hEjJkPgyVysyvtjYhlYgjFlj5dGU5V5UGCzAlvd3YYKt8EBZAW22HUm3jO233DFLyM/s640/0A7F5BC3-D946-4158-BF47-BBB088E2FA2A.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">“Midsummer night” a watercolour I painted at night of the view over lake Fegen.</td></tr>
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Elizabeth Tylerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01482687743657528587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-620403212075740620.post-66744546872317303562019-11-21T14:57:00.000+01:002019-11-21T14:57:01.925+01:00Podcast<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFZIvLhaICWYn78VQHGph0IZe9V3hqvNLcqDKRorHdeZiM6ANSPXIpVDIGo2AWeHHOqaIDOPR_pZpa90pHwq8TUkwCS4hHBkIdJzB3EJBgJ_0GQJf3KDwkvcoulmAg103dM20bMn65VrA/s1600/IMG_0653.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="892" data-original-width="1600" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFZIvLhaICWYn78VQHGph0IZe9V3hqvNLcqDKRorHdeZiM6ANSPXIpVDIGo2AWeHHOqaIDOPR_pZpa90pHwq8TUkwCS4hHBkIdJzB3EJBgJ_0GQJf3KDwkvcoulmAg103dM20bMn65VrA/s640/IMG_0653.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
I was asked by Jackie Perry from Sistership magazine to participate in this podcast about facing fear at sea. It is the first time I've tried this but I think it turned out well. Thanks to Jackie for editing out all my bloopers and coughs<br />
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Listen here: <a href="https://share.transistor.fm/s/84467e8a" target="_blank">podcast about facing your fear</a>Elizabeth Tylerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01482687743657528587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-620403212075740620.post-3798103413199294802019-07-11T12:15:00.000+02:002019-07-11T12:15:12.585+02:00New season- new problems<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaWzK_COyxkNxrgG7l0XlTPQn2g2Wass5ibgA0LsDPFqDRWVxEmz0wxBtuFuzWeFSN42yK_0kqLJVa9nqoaqmFj3CJZXjugCYzXcwjplwuyOq-uGy9myFB8NKs67MORZo3tDGFwd4Bd_8/s1600/image1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaWzK_COyxkNxrgG7l0XlTPQn2g2Wass5ibgA0LsDPFqDRWVxEmz0wxBtuFuzWeFSN42yK_0kqLJVa9nqoaqmFj3CJZXjugCYzXcwjplwuyOq-uGy9myFB8NKs67MORZo3tDGFwd4Bd_8/s640/image1.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">This year I arrived back to the boat in
Kilada over a month later than usual. My brother in law Uffe came with me to
help get Aquarella ship shape and ready for launching. He could only be here
for three days so it was a matter of working effectively all the daylight
hours. The day before launching I tried to raise the anchor chain that had been
lying under the boat on a pallet all winter. The remote control to the windlass
responded when I pressed “down” but not “Up”. I tried my usual solution with
contact spray, cleaning the plug and using fine sand paper to remove any
corrosion. Nothing helped.<br />
In the end Uffe pulled the 80 meters of chain and the anchor up by hand while I
continued the work of painting the antifoul on the hull.<br />
When Aquarella was launched we could tie up to a mooring buoy in the middle of
the bay so fortunately there was no need to anchor.<br />
However I had to find a solution to the windlass problem. Uffe had gone home
and I was now alone on board. If I needed to anchor anywhere I could easily
drop the anchor but there was no way I could pull up to 80 meters of chain and
a heavy anchor up by hand.<br />
I rang my ground crew/backup/support/ dearest friend, alias Rolf in Sweden.<br />
He suggested he took me, step by step, through the procedure of rewiring the
plug under deck instead of the vulnerable position it was in on the foredeck. <br />
</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I had never
undertaken a project like this before so it was outside my comfort zone. Rolf
told me which tools I would need: contact spray, a pair of pliers, a wire cutter, a
multimeter, a stripper, ( I thought they only had those in night clubs) a small
screw driver, electric tape and cable ties.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">He
told me to find the place from below where the wires went up through the deck.
That was the first problem as they were completely hidden and baked in the head
lining.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I
eventually found a place where they were exposed but I could only get to them
by lying on one elbow under a shelf over the V berth. Add to this the fact that
it was dark and the boat was heeling over and bouncing up and down in the
strong wind and waves, it was not going to be easy. I was then told to
carefully and precisely cut the red wire without touching any other metal bits,
then the same with the blue and brown wires. I could only use one hand as I was
leaning on the other elbow. As the sweat was running down my face in the
afternoon heat I thought the situation reminded me of the classic cliff hanger
in an old action movie where the hero has to choose the right wire to cut off and neutralise a dangerous time-bomb while the seconds ticked away! Rolf told me
to turn the switch of the multimeter to Ohm. Wheres ohm? I asked, feeling
stupid. The greek omega sign he said. Ah, that one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">After
checking that the different wires were not broken and connecting the multimeter
pins to the metal plates on the windlass’s control box I could actually get the
chain to go up or down, fantastic!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Now
it was a matter of making the new connections hold under strain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Following
Rolfs precise and patient instructions I connected the three wires to the
remote again in a connection box and screwed them tightly in place. Up on deck
I checked that everything worked and triumphantly announced that the mission
had succeeded!<br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM8gGgMqcQPR_IedR0038ym7woxhPZqRoXiSOl5_yIpHfv7k1qhjKMBdaseMwWGHfljU9rSSeml0NOErWN6h8IyvBpBs15I8BWlsB6ABbiauhPACb0vCymSbVjB7bXjufcO8v94Gi99V4/s1600/image2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM8gGgMqcQPR_IedR0038ym7woxhPZqRoXiSOl5_yIpHfv7k1qhjKMBdaseMwWGHfljU9rSSeml0NOErWN6h8IyvBpBs15I8BWlsB6ABbiauhPACb0vCymSbVjB7bXjufcO8v94Gi99V4/s640/image2.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
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</div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">However
when I had pulled the coiled wire of the remote as far as it could go towards
the anchor well, it was dead again! I had to undo the electric tape, cut off
the cable ties and start screwing again, this time I used all the strength of
my fingers, hand and wrist. But this time it worked!<br />I could then embark on the seasons first voyage knowing that I could anchor up should it be necessary along the way.<br />I did have another problem though.<br />The outboard engine for my dinghy didn't work. Black oil was pouring out of the cooling water intake. I rowed ashore and asked at the boatyard if they could fix the problem. Expensive they said. After receiving a second and third opinion I decided it wasn't worth repairing. The engine had worked well for 22 years in 9 different countries so it had had a good innings. After the 9 hour sail to Poros I arrived to the mooring buoy I usually use there. The owner of the buoy had told me I was too late this year and he'd let someone else have it. But on arrival he undid the ropes of the other boat and towed it away so I could have my buoy back, great service for a regular customer.<br /><br />This was fortunate as its the only buoy near enough to be able to row ashore. So this is what I will do until I get a new engine.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjj79yAMiLXhmwPBy5_f7WAJlokBYAYZXh2Hl_m1yRkbVov_ZL2S8y5evkyQz5LaXUerAYCxryaF7LeTon10p95XE7vJgqtUoIE2Dg15Lvm0GOd-SAKHazThQH2h8V1dwuuT87NbNxj2M/s1600/image3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjj79yAMiLXhmwPBy5_f7WAJlokBYAYZXh2Hl_m1yRkbVov_ZL2S8y5evkyQz5LaXUerAYCxryaF7LeTon10p95XE7vJgqtUoIE2Dg15Lvm0GOd-SAKHazThQH2h8V1dwuuT87NbNxj2M/s320/image3.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">rowing ashore in the dark with my headlight on<br /> photographed by Sarah Bridges</td></tr>
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Elizabeth Tylerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01482687743657528587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-620403212075740620.post-84771959244495339552018-12-07T14:07:00.000+01:002018-12-07T14:07:32.149+01:00Awards
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Through time my paintings have won several prizes and awards but for the first time in my life my writing has also received recognition. Firstly I was given an honorable mention in a writing contest organized by the international Sistership Magazine based in Australia. The contest was eligible for women only and the theme was Facing your fears. Not only was it a writing contest but Sistership also published a book called Facing Fear Head On. The book consists of an anthology of short stories about fear written by 46 women on the water, from all over the world. <br />I felt it a great privilege that my essay “ What If” was included in the book. It is now available on Amazon <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Facing-Fear-Head-Stories-Women-ebook/dp/B07HFTQ7JM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1544103864&sr=8-1&keywords=facing+fear+head+on"><span class="s1">https://www.amazon.com/Facing-Fear-Head-Stories-Women-ebook/dp/B07HFTQ7JM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1544103864&sr=8-1&keywords=facing+fear+head+on</span></a></div>
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In November I also received an honorable mention for an article called “Report from a sailing widow” I had written for the Swedish sailing magazine Odysse. Their motivation was: “A well written story about the authors development from passive passenger to competent captain on her boat Aquarella.”<br /><br /><br />Then, in this months Odysse magazine there was yet another of my watercolours reproduced to illustrate an article about the recent "medicane" in Greece. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3JL-W3i-MMmS1VoMRryq43wAq6dQaqlPaAc_dvekCudiHNN2ZZ77ctd8YBGDCBRfANE9VmNBQ8k4vHrexVr5jp6JEi1ULwzMLOXLNoYrwsNDC1kChXmbB8YsH5pdB1Tg1bIQlelHXJCs/s1600/storm-akvarell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1156" data-original-width="1417" height="521" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3JL-W3i-MMmS1VoMRryq43wAq6dQaqlPaAc_dvekCudiHNN2ZZ77ctd8YBGDCBRfANE9VmNBQ8k4vHrexVr5jp6JEi1ULwzMLOXLNoYrwsNDC1kChXmbB8YsH5pdB1Tg1bIQlelHXJCs/s640/storm-akvarell.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Elizabeth Tylerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01482687743657528587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-620403212075740620.post-56074345158131592142018-11-26T10:18:00.000+01:002018-11-26T10:18:00.737+01:00Trailer for my new full length videoThis post is more arty than boaty but I hope sailing enthusiasts might also like to see it.<br />I know I have promised this several times but here it is, actually finished at last!<br />
This is the video I have been working on for months. Now called <b>Sailing Through Watercolours</b> the 71 minute film closely follows my work as I paint four different watercolours. Three of the paintings were done in the heat of the summer on board my boat in Greece and one in the middle of winter on a frozen beach in Sweden.<br />
This is my fourth film produced for Pulsar Productions in Australia. They source the best art instruction DVDs and films from all over the world and it is a great honour to work with them. The full length video can be bought to watch online and download via Vimeo as VOD ( video on Demand) or as a DVD disc.<br />
<a href="http://www.pulsarproductions.com/" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">pulsarproductions.com</span></b></a><br />
<br />
The trailer for the film can be seen here:<br />
<a href="https://vimeo.com/ondemand/sailingthroughwc" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Sailing Through Watercolours </b></span></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOeSkkzDVSk49ocNGfhWbDyUzSXsqMa3ELLC9MxtSF3NyA3WV-pIs32DjpP9_I25TQHNZH4tGRqTs3-5BQ4ECX65GGKGL9cBv8Cc66EldHbmJ_ufGubUHhCxVIUAkZY3tSbGmeN5mG1zWx/s1600/dvdcover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="931" data-original-width="1417" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOeSkkzDVSk49ocNGfhWbDyUzSXsqMa3ELLC9MxtSF3NyA3WV-pIs32DjpP9_I25TQHNZH4tGRqTs3-5BQ4ECX65GGKGL9cBv8Cc66EldHbmJ_ufGubUHhCxVIUAkZY3tSbGmeN5mG1zWx/s640/dvdcover.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">The cover for the DVD which is produced in both PAL and NTSC versions<br />
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<a href="http://www.pulsarproductions.com/" target="_blank">pulsarproductions.com</a></div>
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Elizabeth Tylerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01482687743657528587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-620403212075740620.post-56426423465785986472018-11-03T20:10:00.001+01:002018-11-03T20:10:10.905+01:00New video<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3UCP49MQa-j8Kb5b9XmMTLeuGMkSuhMqfqN5Rl2mbZJiJI2ipgskZH0TFApx6TUApsyZvzpPWNK3UlZQdmYEi4qrQTb1Sn8juFiS6L8p_IbqELWXRcCzfxsJWs_F-dQ7LpQmDcZeLYCU/s1600/me-at-wheel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1021" data-original-width="1484" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3UCP49MQa-j8Kb5b9XmMTLeuGMkSuhMqfqN5Rl2mbZJiJI2ipgskZH0TFApx6TUApsyZvzpPWNK3UlZQdmYEi4qrQTb1Sn8juFiS6L8p_IbqELWXRcCzfxsJWs_F-dQ7LpQmDcZeLYCU/s400/me-at-wheel.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sailing towards a new destination (scene from the video)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi79MA5vsOFFuCyGLuR-zvm7Idlp_wOM6iPzeRRYgIur6SAdO-PcoXarFVs00rSak4H1iI51M4qjBotVv1-nqQLZ7qm9d4I4SGTuzuW1DfrUmCszRg_MnfYWS616vuBtWSbbBbavBew588/s1600/me-on+deck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="594" data-original-width="674" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi79MA5vsOFFuCyGLuR-zvm7Idlp_wOM6iPzeRRYgIur6SAdO-PcoXarFVs00rSak4H1iI51M4qjBotVv1-nqQLZ7qm9d4I4SGTuzuW1DfrUmCszRg_MnfYWS616vuBtWSbbBbavBew588/s400/me-on+deck.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From the video "Sailing on Single Handed #5"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic0-2GKYPjAF-4dXLLXlHBYMO4F3VwlKCdxLVMgZDernHR5Olem4PXwrlz-PyZv9etcpBEUALFAwJXS3jVvb1Kb2t_dXlf3L1oOZF3a8p_aBoM0VmpxMyQtnOGpxHxpPzGuLFFog3ry6g/s1600/me-on-deck2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="916" data-original-width="1600" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic0-2GKYPjAF-4dXLLXlHBYMO4F3VwlKCdxLVMgZDernHR5Olem4PXwrlz-PyZv9etcpBEUALFAwJXS3jVvb1Kb2t_dXlf3L1oOZF3a8p_aBoM0VmpxMyQtnOGpxHxpPzGuLFFog3ry6g/s320/me-on-deck2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">screenshot from the video footage</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So here it is, finally. I have edited a new video with scenes from this summer's short sailing expeditions and some footage of the work I did during the hours, days and weeks of painting watercolours on board my boat Aquarella. This is all boiled down to a 4 minute video on YouTube but much of the remaining work involved is now edited and will shortly be released as a 70 minute art educational video on DVD and VOD. The working title is "Watercolour on the Water" but may be changed in the final stages of production. <br /><br />I will post on this blog when it is available.<br /><br />Until then just click here to see the video<br /><br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-qK-tbBARk&t=0s&list=UU5M74YxUJXXKy8r39bHAUbg&index=2" target="_blank">sailing on single handed#5</a><br /><br />It looks best if you have the resolution on HD<br /><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5CgspDZRgUOwWnozxUnO3IneSlDgHGZ-Gg_odkZ5nSrBGJoYc-9E82ayGtQnqPzq3gzGSAkcsIq25bVdrigq-cQuEniVeJ7Gun9yb5TIYOluZgm_BGj70yX7DkSi8iavF4k0bZSxVG-I/s1600/paintingsea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="911" data-original-width="1412" height="127" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5CgspDZRgUOwWnozxUnO3IneSlDgHGZ-Gg_odkZ5nSrBGJoYc-9E82ayGtQnqPzq3gzGSAkcsIq25bVdrigq-cQuEniVeJ7Gun9yb5TIYOluZgm_BGj70yX7DkSi8iavF4k0bZSxVG-I/s200/paintingsea.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">painting the sea</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Elizabeth Tylerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01482687743657528587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-620403212075740620.post-4652231355642610162018-10-07T14:20:00.000+02:002018-10-07T14:20:11.025+02:00The sky's the limit<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZVqQ1WBT491I046cBakxZXs3I2zDV49nc1JQhwL6_nh-w3uzoGyqdIGu2Of_JE5BYvG-qejf1r7kWrJc2Nxmq5Tp5A9b8kFM2-4ALQVKnduprnl-qzv6BWejL6TWWyD3Mw7FgoBx_2Zo/s1600/selfie-at-sea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="890" data-original-width="1600" height="354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZVqQ1WBT491I046cBakxZXs3I2zDV49nc1JQhwL6_nh-w3uzoGyqdIGu2Of_JE5BYvG-qejf1r7kWrJc2Nxmq5Tp5A9b8kFM2-4ALQVKnduprnl-qzv6BWejL6TWWyD3Mw7FgoBx_2Zo/s640/selfie-at-sea.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">While Aquarella plodded along on autopilot I went forward to prepare the anchor. (Screen shot from the video I filmed.)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN2M5sKUXQPIM1zi9Swxuz7OBSFFn_q617sOeoNP_U6gAlUcQwbtjj4YQq1BC20Vffb-0ZZseFnSjM-QgUM5kip76kolflh8ZJjnAQiG6ppKbT_rQHgq9KjQoF19tqIvBBD9KO43A1IkA/s1600/camera-to-mast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="872" data-original-width="1181" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN2M5sKUXQPIM1zi9Swxuz7OBSFFn_q617sOeoNP_U6gAlUcQwbtjj4YQq1BC20Vffb-0ZZseFnSjM-QgUM5kip76kolflh8ZJjnAQiG6ppKbT_rQHgq9KjQoF19tqIvBBD9KO43A1IkA/s320/camera-to-mast.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My GoPro camera screwed onto a Cullman clamp<br />with a Manfrotto 492 micro ball head. <br />I attached this to both ends of the spinnaker hallyard <br />to pull up the mast (and down again) for aerial footage. <br />To steady it I pulled it tight under the spreader. <br />My ipad could be used as monitor and remote control.</td></tr>
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<h4>
<b>I </b>spent a lot of time this summer experimenting both with my drone and GoPro action-camera to get some aerial shots and videos. Some of the video footage will be included in my latest art educational video which will be released shortly. It's difficult to film situations in action when sailing alone but with some planning, a lot of practice and the right equipment it is possible. I realised I have to practise a lot more and there is always a certain degree of risk involved but I'm getting better at it.</h4>
<br /><h4>
<br /><br /><br /><br />I also spent some very valuable time with friends, some of whom came aboard for a while when we discussed, laughed, giggled, ate lunch, drank wine and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. So, for a while my life wasn't just painting, sailing, writing and filming. I allowed myself time to enjoy and be inspired by others and hopefully give something in return.</h4>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg-u5jJQg99yyILw9k6Ui7ox_ORmI_2_k0xhgD9SxI6Ls0qBk2Nt1sYVC3XvBv_p8Vzkr34FXg3t3HSoWTIazcXTe7Yp7gMsZLdGaCEbsgvGsnlDZUasaIeUfMgbx11nomJmdn0CoGcgs/s1600/cheers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="711" data-original-width="835" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg-u5jJQg99yyILw9k6Ui7ox_ORmI_2_k0xhgD9SxI6Ls0qBk2Nt1sYVC3XvBv_p8Vzkr34FXg3t3HSoWTIazcXTe7Yp7gMsZLdGaCEbsgvGsnlDZUasaIeUfMgbx11nomJmdn0CoGcgs/s320/cheers.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Celebrating a short trip with Charlotte and Jane from Denmark</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmfh60QYssnDU6dBI4lmW97Md4lqt0I6w8saZmEO-oMlxLYtYPu3RiKFPvoLp5QlVqsuZm2F1NOSDXH0oJ0g5DxclH5XSgWEK-Vij63h8JnGEVYCcxrE8ipiI9GRgmOBEpGV00Syb3C-E/s1600/friends-in-dinghy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1020" data-original-width="1290" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmfh60QYssnDU6dBI4lmW97Md4lqt0I6w8saZmEO-oMlxLYtYPu3RiKFPvoLp5QlVqsuZm2F1NOSDXH0oJ0g5DxclH5XSgWEK-Vij63h8JnGEVYCcxrE8ipiI9GRgmOBEpGV00Syb3C-E/s320/friends-in-dinghy.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gaby and Josef from Austria came to say hello</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpmsChpSpo_TLDVMINwiOO8KnYm4va9fTVRMieoiZxP3vw8lOOWqnc0NbESqQnmJHAh_lpygRT2rOpI7m0ZeMHQLg4T3bfza-maFU3JVNCDqwk_uDLvbNc4iEmiBTw9HfFt_5msYrpc6I/s1600/ruby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="850" data-original-width="1397" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpmsChpSpo_TLDVMINwiOO8KnYm4va9fTVRMieoiZxP3vw8lOOWqnc0NbESqQnmJHAh_lpygRT2rOpI7m0ZeMHQLg4T3bfza-maFU3JVNCDqwk_uDLvbNc4iEmiBTw9HfFt_5msYrpc6I/s320/ruby.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">David and Sarah from England <br />on their boat "Ruby" filmed from my drone.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZersF_K5eDBGJsQHX07yBnzm1J4Or99RFN5Ji1mPXmLBkAdtGHSmX7ad1bffr7ULCX8sPzeYqy6BAj3p_9BZJySKnkrqZ7P7_vAVG0FzMeTeD_8vbzYogpYdkrYUe9FmLVefC_oRRicw/s1600/selfie-with-genua.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="865" data-original-width="1600" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZersF_K5eDBGJsQHX07yBnzm1J4Or99RFN5Ji1mPXmLBkAdtGHSmX7ad1bffr7ULCX8sPzeYqy6BAj3p_9BZJySKnkrqZ7P7_vAVG0FzMeTeD_8vbzYogpYdkrYUe9FmLVefC_oRRicw/s640/selfie-with-genua.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me taking the Genua down in a dead calm before the oncoming storm. ( screen shot from the video)</td></tr>
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<br /><br /><br />
<h4>
At the end of September there was a disturbing weather forecast of a very severe storm over most of Greece including the area I was in. I had to return to Kilada and the boatyard where I have Aquarella in winter so I decided to make a mad dash for it. Sailing alone it took me 10 hours to get there in moderate winds and I arrived in a dead calm.<br /> The following day I rang the boatyard and asked if I could be lifted out as soon as possible. I was put on stand by as 25 other boats had the same idea that day. The following morning they called me on the VHF that it was now Aquarellas turn. The wind was quite strong by then but when I arrived at the lifting dock six strong Greeks helped by holding, pushing and pulling my boat in position under the crane. An hour after getting on dry land all hell broke loose and the storm was over us. I'm so glad I made it ashore in time. The storm, also called medicaine Zorba lasted 5 days and although Aquarella was secured on a very well constructed cradle it still felt scary rocking and vibrating all day and night in the howling wind. It was not safe to go out of the boat as parts from surrounding boats were flying through the air. In the torrential rain the boatyard was partially flooded by a fast flowing river of brown water.<br />Aquarella will stay where it is now parked for the winter next to a farmyard with chickens, goats and pomegranate trees. The next door neighbour came over before I left and gave me a whole bag of delicious pomegranates. He then calmly went back to slaughter a goat and hang it up in one of the trees.</h4>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQsoFzrM-Osj59f6OWkUffcwNYsmXEQ39qc2HV6zqwxoCaNgOazNV3RzNr0I0xlx81nX_eEo5CDELzLWs5CNqCW2lfVWuTwvaq6LZsRR19MizKg412eyH9tVB16kEoWd1xLVh6PAQktCM/s1600/Storm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="817" data-original-width="1181" height="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQsoFzrM-Osj59f6OWkUffcwNYsmXEQ39qc2HV6zqwxoCaNgOazNV3RzNr0I0xlx81nX_eEo5CDELzLWs5CNqCW2lfVWuTwvaq6LZsRR19MizKg412eyH9tVB16kEoWd1xLVh6PAQktCM/s640/Storm.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Basimakopoulu boatyard during a lull in the storm.</td></tr>
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<br />Elizabeth Tylerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01482687743657528587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-620403212075740620.post-18319162177295415812018-08-26T11:29:00.000+02:002018-08-26T11:29:42.771+02:00Drama again!<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica;">I had invited
my Poros friends Catherine and Sarah for lunch on board Aquarella and we piled
into my little dinghy to get across the 200 meters of water between my boat and
the quayside. It was calm weather so I asked them if they would like a short
sail across the bay before lunch. Sarah had not been on a boat before and Catherine was not used to it either but they bravely said that was a great idea. I
thought I would show them the bay where the old shipwreck lies; the one I had
been painting recently. Stopping about 150 meters from the wreck, I anchored in
10 meters of water and let 40 meters of chain out. Then we settled down for
lunch.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOx3lVoipEKUmu0DQz0C3V14SzlmdR4jc79vx83DNH4YCEfD7LjAcHoSKyHK4OIlvUkwxmowQimUw5X_NQeT0DKLG-lERw3ysUPyi6J8b8aVEZDuSjrnRcb5PD9w-FticPe4gUe3Rt1Lg/s1600/three-girls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1124" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOx3lVoipEKUmu0DQz0C3V14SzlmdR4jc79vx83DNH4YCEfD7LjAcHoSKyHK4OIlvUkwxmowQimUw5X_NQeT0DKLG-lERw3ysUPyi6J8b8aVEZDuSjrnRcb5PD9w-FticPe4gUe3Rt1Lg/s400/three-girls.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sarah, Catherine and myself eating lunch on board <br />before everything went pear shaped.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /> Sarah wanted a swim and the water looked inviting until she saw the
enormous (OK, about plate size) jellyfish. Catherine kept a look out while
Sarah climbed down when the coast was clear. Suddenly she was surrounded by
them and she shot out of the water like a flying fish. We reckoned they then
regrouped under the dinghy waiting for any of us to dare climbing down into the
water again. So we didn’t. <br /><br /><br /><br />The wind was gradually increasing so I decided to
return to the buoy in Poros.
When the anchor was almost up I saw it had caught
on something. It had fastened into a big and heavy ship’s ladder of rusty iron!
I fetched my trusted slip-hook and line to hook onto the ladder and fasten it
to a cleat on deck while I lowered the anchor to free it. However the following
rung of the ladder prevented it from this. It was locked between the rungs.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN6NFCQtG20S1U14xxvBlRM022XTymD6pCEKhPtKJugBNRXA_KLw5blvz6idYGCw6RahIOJOlM_uUkyTO5w0qYw3Zj4fP1WqXbYl9IQhe8R1j4cTNmV9ewcmQqUAddM68ssCHKwutygGo/s1600/ladder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN6NFCQtG20S1U14xxvBlRM022XTymD6pCEKhPtKJugBNRXA_KLw5blvz6idYGCw6RahIOJOlM_uUkyTO5w0qYw3Zj4fP1WqXbYl9IQhe8R1j4cTNmV9ewcmQqUAddM68ssCHKwutygGo/s640/ladder.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aquarellas anchor firmly attached to an old ships ladder.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I thought of taking my dinghy to get a line through the back of the anchor and
try pulling it out the same way it came in but abandoned the idea as the sea
was quite choppy by now and having no anchor down meant we were drifting fast
towards shallow water. Catherine called out the depth to me every half meter: 9
meters, 8.5, 8, 7.5 and so on until it was 1.5 meters. Then I had to get back to
the helm.<br />
The only thing to do now was to sail slowly back to Poros with the ladder
hanging from the bow. If I put on any speed it would go backwards and damage
the hull. I reckoned if I could secure the boat to my buoy I could then find a
way of getting the ladder off. If not there was a good chance of getting
someone to help. We talked about the attention the sight of our catch might get
and that people might think we didn’t even know what was hanging from the
anchor. Sure enough the crew of the ferry shouted “ Hej! You’ve got something
hanging from your anchor!”<br />
It’s difficult to get hold of the buoy in any circumstances but even more so in
any kind of wind. With Catherine and Sarah each brandishing a boat hook I
thought we might succeed. Two hookers trying to pick up a buoy (excuse the
pun!) However the wind was too strong and the ladder was in the way so even
though Sarah had caught the buoy she couldn’t hold it long enough to secure it,
it was wrenched from her hands and she had to let it go. I then asked the crew
of a French boat nearby if they could help. The two men got down into their
dinghy and came across. They had misunderstood in that I just wanted them to
help us pick up the buoy but they started to try and unloosen the ladder. In the
meantime we were drifting through the mooring field so I had to keep to the
helm. They then understood it would be best to tie up to the buoy first. When
we got near it the elderly gentleman in a life jacket who was still in their
dinghy suddenly fell backwards into the sea! I thought he had had a heart
attack and I was about to jump in to try and save him when I saw he was
swimming with my mooring line. He attached it swiftly and swam back to
Aquarella. The younger man was also in the water by now to try
to attach a line to the bottom rung of the ladder but in spite of pulling and
winching it didn’t budge. He borrowed snorkel and flippers to dive down
while I slowly lowered the anchor and ladder. With the weight of the burden lifted
off it was then possible to release the anchor from its locked position.<br />
We were so grateful to this wonderful father and son duo for their patience and
perseverance in helping us out of this predicament. <br />
Merci beaucoup, messiers!<br />PS Sarah kissed the quay went I took them ashore in the dinghy.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
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Elizabeth Tylerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01482687743657528587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-620403212075740620.post-56759024827613201322018-08-18T21:26:00.000+02:002018-08-18T21:26:34.327+02:00In search of inspiration<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Ormos Vidhi is not far from the mooring buoy I hire in Poros, just an hour’s sail. I had wanted to go there for quite a while but the wind was too strong. There were two reasons for waiting for less wind. The first reason was that I wanted to send my drone up over the bay and my Mavic Pro drone is quite sensitive to a strong wind. The second reason was that I also had to be able to pick up my mooring buoy when I came back and that is not easy to do alone in any sort of wind.<br />
The weather forecast looked good so I set off in the morning in no wind at all so I motor-sailed over to the bay. My object of interest was a shipwreck that has been lying there for years. I had painted a watercolour of it a few years ago and wanted to give it another try from another angle. The last time I had filmed the whole work in progress but only published a few minutes of this on YouTube. This time I wanted to show more of the work involved painting the watercolour and also get some areal footage of the whole scene.<br />
I dropped my anchor in 10 meters of water at a safe distance from the wreck. ( last time my anchor caught in one of the wrecks cables) From there I could take my dinghy over to take some close up reference photos.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhKerrE4tpeVyu133-dW7FdP5yeX_-ogaXl6n8xCiI6PHS1rnqlUR4QUb2JUUy77BqBfOAa0dT6dywEEnJn-rGyjAE7OvkZzd__ltmWPDuEmd4Hc6pXhMR5oT_Q-fQ5TI6jD23hsDkr38/s1600/me-and-wreck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="987" data-original-width="1380" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhKerrE4tpeVyu133-dW7FdP5yeX_-ogaXl6n8xCiI6PHS1rnqlUR4QUb2JUUy77BqBfOAa0dT6dywEEnJn-rGyjAE7OvkZzd__ltmWPDuEmd4Hc6pXhMR5oT_Q-fQ5TI6jD23hsDkr38/s640/me-and-wreck.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taking photographs of the wreck for later use as reference for paintings</td></tr>
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<br /> There was more rust on the hull than before and the original paint was almost gone but nevertheless the colours were beautiful. I filmed this little excursion with my GoPro action camera. It was either attached to the dinghy engine or on my head. <br />
In order to send my drone up and safely retrieve it again I went ashore and pulled the dinghy up on the beach. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigPrEsEg3q_nHZqnKBP8dzyX_TM-y8YyuxMg6c0ibWNp9-QuCvlnHGCrazm63kqppENahyphenhyphenoeg6guw4Y3gRhy7VB2iNFaZyyOq8GmgMSC1ivdiog5oOgQwC-she2bfry6xWLDhph4IrXJI/s1600/Photo+15-08-2018%252C+12+53+31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="1600" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigPrEsEg3q_nHZqnKBP8dzyX_TM-y8YyuxMg6c0ibWNp9-QuCvlnHGCrazm63kqppENahyphenhyphenoeg6guw4Y3gRhy7VB2iNFaZyyOq8GmgMSC1ivdiog5oOgQwC-she2bfry6xWLDhph4IrXJI/s400/Photo+15-08-2018%252C+12+53+31.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Manoevering my dinghy ashore between stones and pointed things</td></tr>
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<br />The heat in the sun there was almost unbearable and there was nowhere to stand in any shade. With the remote control almost burning my hands I wondered if it would work OK. When it had flown the over 400 meters to the wreck, I filmed for a minute before activating the Return to Home button. It disappeared from sight! I was convinced I would never see it again when there it was, suddenly hovering over my head. I got it down with an immense sigh of relief and headed back to Aquarella. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUXKLZnvfGsrzi1hD9Dwm0qyfKvjWWF4yvdgmWWoChcaT4F0uX3T164WunnmgKb5U1qSNF8vFXLIiFHuoKN3bsCmuLSoOZfc6jMarRLPQ88KaE3iBes65cqOFqTPN828khOOMNDUZDZ7g/s1600/aquarella-and-wreck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="792" data-original-width="1126" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUXKLZnvfGsrzi1hD9Dwm0qyfKvjWWF4yvdgmWWoChcaT4F0uX3T164WunnmgKb5U1qSNF8vFXLIiFHuoKN3bsCmuLSoOZfc6jMarRLPQ88KaE3iBes65cqOFqTPN828khOOMNDUZDZ7g/s640/aquarella-and-wreck.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Screen shot from the drone footage I took of Aquarella and the wreck</td></tr>
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<span class="s1">While the going was good I took the anchor up and motor sailed again back to Poros and my mooring buoy. There was quite a lot of wind when I got there and I missed the buoy the first time. I was determined to get it even if it might have taken 10 times. Round again, slow forward, starboard, port, reverse, missed again! <br />Gritting my teeth , I tried once more and YES! got it on the third try. Mission succeeded!<br />
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Elizabeth Tylerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01482687743657528587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-620403212075740620.post-26637213744173478402018-07-17T11:59:00.000+02:002018-07-17T11:59:16.975+02:00Family visit
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHekoN3LAvS2JetK59JZDs-n4pNkg1wtt8bLpepQrbmWVkK1NFDBSoZUG2djdTyPd0ZrZ67mWnsl9T0XqtTddqvGmSJHY91hz78lfTCg3R-q_oFUy4guQpRiYKKL2F53zrXS46qmmBo1U/s1600/olivia-diving.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="717" data-original-width="681" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHekoN3LAvS2JetK59JZDs-n4pNkg1wtt8bLpepQrbmWVkK1NFDBSoZUG2djdTyPd0ZrZ67mWnsl9T0XqtTddqvGmSJHY91hz78lfTCg3R-q_oFUy4guQpRiYKKL2F53zrXS46qmmBo1U/s640/olivia-diving.jpg" width="604" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Olivia diving after a clothes peg. Screenshot from the video by Philip Elberling.</td></tr>
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<span class="s1">My son Philip, daughter in law Henriette and granddaughter Olivia came to visit me on Aquarella last week. I had been contemplating about possible destinations to sail to and decided on a few places nearby that I had seen for the first time last year. <br />
The first short voyage was to the bay of Mandraki on the island of Hydra.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Tl0KSGSxsE3L2DiTVVrDFMxEl9KaiPQC7sJ7Q2c1nW4s_OM7aI7ej0Tp-WlWr45HLFZORilud6tTcpNBhSaDL771xFdL4gOk2dRwdIJhOH45mXJglc9unATNPuYrfpMg__iA7qoI7Yw/s1600/mandraki.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Tl0KSGSxsE3L2DiTVVrDFMxEl9KaiPQC7sJ7Q2c1nW4s_OM7aI7ej0Tp-WlWr45HLFZORilud6tTcpNBhSaDL771xFdL4gOk2dRwdIJhOH45mXJglc9unATNPuYrfpMg__iA7qoI7Yw/s320/mandraki.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aquarella looking very tiny between the other boats in Mandraki</td></tr>
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With my experience from last year I knew this wasn’t going to be easy. But with planning, only a little wind and daylight this time I was optimistic. There were a lot of anchored boats with lines criss crossing ashore when we arrived and more were coming in. Henriette manned the remote control for the anchor windlass, I was at the wheel and Philip was to use the dinghy as tugboat. Knowing my long keeled boat is nigh on impossible to steer in reverse I thought this was the best strategy. Last time it took me 9 attempts before I succeeded getting my boat in place between the others. Most other boats have either twin engines or bow thrusters and short keels which makes maneuverability simple but not for 42 year old Aquarella. This time though I made it on the fifth attempt. Henriette let all 80 meters of chain out and Philip pushed the side of the boat with the dinghy at all the effort the little old 2 hp Yanmar outboard engine could manage. With my finger nails I hung on to a big catamaran on one side while Philip took lines ashore and tied them to rocks. After pulling 10 meters of chain back we were then perfectly in place.<br />
We left the boat there to take the beautiful walk along the hilly coastal road to Hydra town to eat dinner. The only traffic was one of the locals trotting along on a donkey. After dark we returned by watertaxi which took about 3 minutes and cost 20€.<br />
The next day we sailed to the uninhabited island of Dokos and anchored in the bay. It was a beautiful place and a magnificent sunset there. In the morning Philip and I took the dinghy ashore to send my drone up from the beach. I managed to fly very near to the boat for the first time but was nervous when I lost eye contact with it. I took care of the remote control while Philip kept an eye on the monitor until a warning popped up stating high wind velocity. Then I activated the go-to-home button and the drone became visible again and returned to land at our feet. <br />
Then I realized I hadn’t activated the record button!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8NAf5MtHgaTF7YyIGbCF8bsaHaNb_d2Sc1N8n15204qtBbwdSKsGbE8Qcvzi5YA9mMSfjyZX1i9V-gcmvXOOsQUm0pk888uJYYG-GF8m8Nxs_Sn6lt3_qymJRiJYZizmcF3Mk3vD2LYQ/s1600/aquarella-dokos2018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="685" data-original-width="914" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8NAf5MtHgaTF7YyIGbCF8bsaHaNb_d2Sc1N8n15204qtBbwdSKsGbE8Qcvzi5YA9mMSfjyZX1i9V-gcmvXOOsQUm0pk888uJYYG-GF8m8Nxs_Sn6lt3_qymJRiJYZizmcF3Mk3vD2LYQ/s400/aquarella-dokos2018.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I couldn't see the drone anymore but it could certainly see the boat.<br /> This is a screen shot from the video</td></tr>
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<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> <br />Classic mistake. <br />
Retake. <br />
I will post the final result when I have edited the film but so far it looks promising. <br />
On our way motorsailing to Ermioni,which was our next destination, the dreaded sound of the engine revs going down told me there was something caught in the propeller. On arrival I snorkeled to take a look and found a fishing net firmly twined around. All four of us were then in action trying to free the propeller. Philip worked with a fishing knife while 12 year old Olivia, who is amazing at holding her breath and diving, pulled the lines out and tied them around a boat hook that Henriette was holding in the dinghy. I pulled and unravelled all I could get hold of. Finally, with great relief we succeeded and it was high fives and drinks all round.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHV-uDpMeP2bW8Iyj2sW-7io_Dk9gvolnej-qRBGXXowOtDDWR0XzXMLfHLrzGZ-8D6iEDw1i7OSLnWf7ffJm3SvDCHApmXyNv91TbH17EO536VKCsvpArAmKmKOcI1JsL11bO3keIL-0/s1600/me-net.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1600" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHV-uDpMeP2bW8Iyj2sW-7io_Dk9gvolnej-qRBGXXowOtDDWR0XzXMLfHLrzGZ-8D6iEDw1i7OSLnWf7ffJm3SvDCHApmXyNv91TbH17EO536VKCsvpArAmKmKOcI1JsL11bO3keIL-0/s320/me-net.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the last bit of the ghost net untangled</td></tr>
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For the last destination and overnight stay we chose Skillion, a very small bay behind a tiny island on the way back to Poros. This bay has the clearest, most turquoise water I have ever seen. We all enjoyed bathing, swimming and diving here and my underwater gopro camera was in constant use. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDH4GsHUT39gtqVVAUFOzyuxiz_Q9O1muZLdnTDGIkIGcHslgFt7g8Jjco108_SpqJjxAr6lLwsOZzFY-S2mztXcnEY26YXD_0c-YHyODwlm6-Hx1X7LGPiLFJjDtOSTYHMwKvUhlhZqo/s1600/fish-under-boat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="971" data-original-width="1420" height="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDH4GsHUT39gtqVVAUFOzyuxiz_Q9O1muZLdnTDGIkIGcHslgFt7g8Jjco108_SpqJjxAr6lLwsOZzFY-S2mztXcnEY26YXD_0c-YHyODwlm6-Hx1X7LGPiLFJjDtOSTYHMwKvUhlhZqo/s640/fish-under-boat.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aquarella as seen by the underwater audience. <br />Screen shot from the video filmed by promising marine photographer, 12 yr old Olivia Elberling.</td></tr>
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Elizabeth Tylerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01482687743657528587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-620403212075740620.post-28236232509890183042018-07-05T09:28:00.001+02:002018-07-05T09:28:46.011+02:00Another day in paradise
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp88Ga_MRmLj-WW0sLhWHgxYeyimw-4CdLEchxuL2Es_IgFn8K7FXbqQRJ6MOdFh3ol6aws6RJbPOa8j4XHi85ZQQsLWwxmq_6bl7KOK22_eh3tvFyXfvJKbA0dUnq2XMjZcjaO5iPQAE/s1600/Aliki.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp88Ga_MRmLj-WW0sLhWHgxYeyimw-4CdLEchxuL2Es_IgFn8K7FXbqQRJ6MOdFh3ol6aws6RJbPOa8j4XHi85ZQQsLWwxmq_6bl7KOK22_eh3tvFyXfvJKbA0dUnq2XMjZcjaO5iPQAE/s320/Aliki.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aquarella at Aliki</td></tr>
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<span class="s1">My friends Mike and Sam recently introduced me to a beautiful anchorage nearby called Aliki Beach which I thought would be a good destination for a short solo sail. However on a lovely warm day I asked them if they would like to accompany me there for a swim and lunch. The day didn’t start too well though as soon as they let go of my buoy. <br />
It sank.<br />
The buoy, the rope and chain just disappeared and I feared it would be a divers job to retrieve it. Then I tried using the GPS navigator, not that I needed it for the short distance but just to test the system. <br />
It didn’t work.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU9Tib5jpj8kyKw8qxtbxr-r3S9pOnqrXdAv3WxtZhZiTHG5h9bi6awl6utTj7T_HQ0nwaPW6JERYPCAyuojc4VcC4dkXjerQE-Y7-w5LqEt3z7XixIJ8usrJSJ4BILjKDfcQY2XRVioM/s1600/gps.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="941" data-original-width="1600" height="117" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU9Tib5jpj8kyKw8qxtbxr-r3S9pOnqrXdAv3WxtZhZiTHG5h9bi6awl6utTj7T_HQ0nwaPW6JERYPCAyuojc4VcC4dkXjerQE-Y7-w5LqEt3z7XixIJ8usrJSJ4BILjKDfcQY2XRVioM/s200/gps.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My 20 year old GPS</td></tr>
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No indication of speed or course. I did have my Ipad though with Navionics app and an external GPS antenna. </div>
That didn’t work either.<br />
Then while under way I thought I would prepare the anchor windlass and connected the remote control.<br />
It didn’t work.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitAjaUMep2sQtqK4JpxmBQ11mvHRo2HWhVsCpcLK8IQymhrOktDfn8o5cBIbf9G6VyfIU9H-R7ODu-8i_fh3mH300RoacrZPx_5v0U3fQNxfa80YZh9bqwslXWljX21mtXPQbd3_Ki1Ao/s1600/windlass-remote.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitAjaUMep2sQtqK4JpxmBQ11mvHRo2HWhVsCpcLK8IQymhrOktDfn8o5cBIbf9G6VyfIU9H-R7ODu-8i_fh3mH300RoacrZPx_5v0U3fQNxfa80YZh9bqwslXWljX21mtXPQbd3_Ki1Ao/s200/windlass-remote.jpeg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Testing the remote control for the anchor windlass</td></tr>
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<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I knew there was a mooring buoy in the bay so I hoped it would be vacant. It was, but I misjudged the distance to it which resulted in a “man over board manoeuvre” for the boat hook.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBHuG_Swi6d-KifV64CpWxst9qx0M1uXhMGEgZTMvBikOizhQaExUU1MQTJNa1MduJSaE1AFLP7h7uPYZtHH_uEgV_LtVbL-Jerg6puis0BCCHMClkZV0LdU9TaGHi51H1UZw6v6Lhkqo/s1600/retreiving-boathook.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="917" data-original-width="1087" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBHuG_Swi6d-KifV64CpWxst9qx0M1uXhMGEgZTMvBikOizhQaExUU1MQTJNa1MduJSaE1AFLP7h7uPYZtHH_uEgV_LtVbL-Jerg6puis0BCCHMClkZV0LdU9TaGHi51H1UZw6v6Lhkqo/s200/retreiving-boathook.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">retrieving the boat hook</td></tr>
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<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Then I finally pulled the stop button for the engine<br />
It broke.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3jdCbWpnH_5fkjp4TrTAfyulFNaz5gSS7t5aJSdxejBI7R17DZtQdkDDZjAc-_mUf_wAPYVu2JolQCLkGkW_5cngyHhDW5rf4AOvmvcZvohUJNCPGonMSGYzWeeKaRYPI9T7B55JawXM/s1600/stopbutton.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3jdCbWpnH_5fkjp4TrTAfyulFNaz5gSS7t5aJSdxejBI7R17DZtQdkDDZjAc-_mUf_wAPYVu2JolQCLkGkW_5cngyHhDW5rf4AOvmvcZvohUJNCPGonMSGYzWeeKaRYPI9T7B55JawXM/s320/stopbutton.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">my disconnected stop button for Aquarellas diesel engine</td></tr>
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I couldn’t stop the engine! It was very fortunate that Mike was with me and he showed me how to stop it by using the winch handle down in the innards of the engine. <br />
But in spite of all this we had a lovely day and I filmed with my Gopro under water and my drone in the air.<br />
There was a new mooring buoy when I got back, the owner of it had fixed it. The GPS problem on my ipad was solved by updating, downloading and restart. The remote control for the anchor windlass was fixed by a good friend David who also reconnected the cable to the engine’s stop button.<br />
Then it was unfortunately time for my next problem.<br />
The 20 year old outboard engine on my dinghy broke down. In terrible weather with strong winds and torrential rain I couldn’t get back to my boat so thankfully spent the night with my friends David and Sarah who have an apartment here.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_-0OlbkI51qIHEwCObyLTvYMLe_n15pvYUkfTaQlStxGVm2CleY6Z6Auh2qlWIizyJkEYgsYP0Q2fAXdbS-XKZF45KhR46JWl7EWdtSQ2tjkj_dXhMkYzdThFTsVF4V-KvnZYHPG3zR4/s1600/raingear.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="369" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_-0OlbkI51qIHEwCObyLTvYMLe_n15pvYUkfTaQlStxGVm2CleY6Z6Auh2qlWIizyJkEYgsYP0Q2fAXdbS-XKZF45KhR46JWl7EWdtSQ2tjkj_dXhMkYzdThFTsVF4V-KvnZYHPG3zR4/s320/raingear.jpeg" width="236" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me in my heavy weather gear</td></tr>
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The next days I rowed backwards and forwards to Poros while David took the engine apart and meticulously cleaned the carburetter and ransacked all the local chandlers and petrol stations looking for parts. He even consulted a marine engineer in England and ordered a special spark plug from there.<br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivG3ZQLdp4lk0342N2OL1xm3jV2PiZ-_7BsqOpwTHhK4kBuXesDGF0dLCXQdgrgPsrscDbvyyYxQVu1CNVYW57KuZL1JcuGErAXxs440iMSiBDKkjBhxjFVWkHTUfZxYMvXiQHUFSvIaA/s1600/repair-david2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivG3ZQLdp4lk0342N2OL1xm3jV2PiZ-_7BsqOpwTHhK4kBuXesDGF0dLCXQdgrgPsrscDbvyyYxQVu1CNVYW57KuZL1JcuGErAXxs440iMSiBDKkjBhxjFVWkHTUfZxYMvXiQHUFSvIaA/s320/repair-david2.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">David repairing my outboard engine at Cafe Fresko</td></tr>
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<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Then it worked.<br />
Then it didn’t.<br />
Then it worked again.....<br />
So now I’m training for the olympic rowing regatta for 72 year old women in rubber dinghies. As at the time of writing there are no other contestants I am hoping to win.<br />
In the meantime David has a very serious discussion with my little 2 HP Yamaha.<br />
His favourite expression is “A friend in need is a pain in the ass....”<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEOQSLtBDCI6MsYqyOlfZfcuVklu_cdg_KfzvQ66XLfPr0k-PcjTlBJ7vIBmPS9as-SPi4she3GLiQlR-JYGJkdzdWa6J-eQ_os5Aq2KGIoUi-y87LMzQRoxB4qpAws0Mw0QuhZ81MaPs/s1600/rowing-aliki.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="911" data-original-width="1600" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEOQSLtBDCI6MsYqyOlfZfcuVklu_cdg_KfzvQ66XLfPr0k-PcjTlBJ7vIBmPS9as-SPi4she3GLiQlR-JYGJkdzdWa6J-eQ_os5Aq2KGIoUi-y87LMzQRoxB4qpAws0Mw0QuhZ81MaPs/s400/rowing-aliki.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me rowing ashore</td></tr>
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Elizabeth Tylerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01482687743657528587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-620403212075740620.post-46309262763406816172018-06-12T09:24:00.000+02:002018-06-12T09:24:11.811+02:00Back again on Aquarella<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicBx87SE16R1UJ1FRK-Cn18wowuyxU8sz3CePjWhJGt32ud3aRyP6R0Vdwz498f7RdBWK58IypdG062lqQ3wctgdeRhnFnDVNFAobbNlsohtX36XcWMazpFF91O5_XBr7EOy14z7EU98A/s1600/waspnest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="929" data-original-width="1516" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicBx87SE16R1UJ1FRK-Cn18wowuyxU8sz3CePjWhJGt32ud3aRyP6R0Vdwz498f7RdBWK58IypdG062lqQ3wctgdeRhnFnDVNFAobbNlsohtX36XcWMazpFF91O5_XBr7EOy14z7EU98A/s320/waspnest.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the wasps nests. Not the "flight of the bumble bee"<br /> but the "voyage of the wasps" when I threw the nest in the sea.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAYBzZwruR0BVcOVy3By1ylJigQ8r5UH5UAWpBNONmyRreeiSsYf8s77_Ly9rY3BVYkFHKCi8PC5fx-qeTJ-QGvwsbTzC-mo2GVvx1v5LhnCZjwW8eq0zG-7WdJcqGynrlAqzrMeoLP_I/s1600/F027C0A1-9F72-4022-B6A5-D745716405A0.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAYBzZwruR0BVcOVy3By1ylJigQ8r5UH5UAWpBNONmyRreeiSsYf8s77_Ly9rY3BVYkFHKCi8PC5fx-qeTJ-QGvwsbTzC-mo2GVvx1v5LhnCZjwW8eq0zG-7WdJcqGynrlAqzrMeoLP_I/s320/F027C0A1-9F72-4022-B6A5-D745716405A0.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Uffe,my brother in law, takes a well deserved <br />rest after painting the antifouling</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC2ah_pYHE_KH70oL2gBLqbB9cgf5J1Yrx4SsHrOqpOn4B29hEYILNU-WgLXulq9i4mUjZek4TdUZkBOdkLqCQl8m2HmUHhWLpo_jtcazF8HKK3qXW4-rZai9BBgtAb9jzGZK3A4xFvSo/s1600/IMG_1995+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1194" data-original-width="1600" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC2ah_pYHE_KH70oL2gBLqbB9cgf5J1Yrx4SsHrOqpOn4B29hEYILNU-WgLXulq9i4mUjZek4TdUZkBOdkLqCQl8m2HmUHhWLpo_jtcazF8HKK3qXW4-rZai9BBgtAb9jzGZK3A4xFvSo/s320/IMG_1995+%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Climbing up and down the ladder umpteen times while Aquarella is in the boatyard.<br />Don't need gymnastics this week.</td></tr>
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I'm back on my boat again after the winter in Sweden. This time my brother in law came with me for a week to help getting Aquarella shipshape. I was very grateful for this as there is always a lot to do, and as it turned out, especially this time when things started going wrong. Firstly there was a wasp nest in the boom and the passarelle cover, difficult to get at without getting stung. We ended up spraying with insect killer and sealing all openings with plastic bags and tape, not very environmental friendly I'm afraid. <br />Then the new fridge I bought last year kept an even temperature of 19°C! That problem resolved itself after I'd turned it on and off in desperation many times. Then the car we had hired displayed a warning stating that the particle filter was full and service was necessary (I chose to ignore it, I had enough to think about) The GPS on both of my devices didn't get a fix so I resorted to the old paper charts and my smart phone with google maps (!)<br />
<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The day after launching we decided to sail non stop from Kilada to Poros. I had sailed this trip on my own the previous year and it had taken 9 hours. This time however because of the wind and current against us it took 12 hours. But we arrived at my reserved buoy in Poros just before sundown so all went well.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq-USa6vCcFAZFm_J6Gk1h9jCNtOlQLmSAcAN4mSPp_AvfZOjI6Jdz_qCoUB6dON9w9LZMnHGgs19yKtUS1USdpxMePShyphenhyphenASt6JS2HmoGkq76Cts-7xfZXZHWMuPUVH-cao_eGkM6M7t0/s1600/706129CB-687D-4338-862C-E36755C739AC.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq-USa6vCcFAZFm_J6Gk1h9jCNtOlQLmSAcAN4mSPp_AvfZOjI6Jdz_qCoUB6dON9w9LZMnHGgs19yKtUS1USdpxMePShyphenhyphenASt6JS2HmoGkq76Cts-7xfZXZHWMuPUVH-cao_eGkM6M7t0/s200/706129CB-687D-4338-862C-E36755C739AC.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">arrived in Poros in time to see the sun go down from Cafe Fresko</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguUHIWitxGx76lTX0wtBeCRmO3AWaH1p9sC9klAZy788EmkBf0TPOAriiI7zqgDAIgepL7IduvKS1QbRONpJWJzg2u6YfcOn-2ZM_dqTC0jdiVHZPiays76Q7d3iaK3NsefHeQrPPLwos/s1600/Oddandkatinka.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="848" data-original-width="1276" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguUHIWitxGx76lTX0wtBeCRmO3AWaH1p9sC9klAZy788EmkBf0TPOAriiI7zqgDAIgepL7IduvKS1QbRONpJWJzg2u6YfcOn-2ZM_dqTC0jdiVHZPiays76Q7d3iaK3NsefHeQrPPLwos/s320/Oddandkatinka.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Friends Odd and Katinka from Gothenborg on their yacht Ellem. <br />Read Katinkas very interesting blog here<br /> <a href="http://katinkabloggen.se/2018/06/08/5-8e-juni-spetses-andra-ansikte/" target="_blank">http://katinkabloggen.se/2018/06/08/5-8e-juni-spetses-andra-ansikte/</a> </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAGBOe9Bd9nDwZEiJqkzmqAyHaIvUaawQoP6f5VC2zzaT0os3vpeMBI07HuMfuS8gWYPLwkaZjtbcIG99E3b28hnROWDETGBJx4S7JlViNi8Wadwxlntre0T4ytFwN8gld4o8gOYetYGw/s1600/IMG_2056.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1293" data-original-width="1600" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAGBOe9Bd9nDwZEiJqkzmqAyHaIvUaawQoP6f5VC2zzaT0os3vpeMBI07HuMfuS8gWYPLwkaZjtbcIG99E3b28hnROWDETGBJx4S7JlViNi8Wadwxlntre0T4ytFwN8gld4o8gOYetYGw/s200/IMG_2056.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Uffe taking the ferry from Poros to Athens <br />after a busy week helping me with Aquarella</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCLh8IXavnIAP2OHBOLjkeElOauNMlticrX2Ts76ldZbNsoAMbMnXgdBiaiA3XdaQZ0LhVeCi7S16N_Ph38D24STlBsIgonsbHPFY-tAMOmwZf8YboejhaGIjWN39ef1_QiJu0vKYd13Y/s1600/IMG_2069.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1453" data-original-width="1201" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCLh8IXavnIAP2OHBOLjkeElOauNMlticrX2Ts76ldZbNsoAMbMnXgdBiaiA3XdaQZ0LhVeCi7S16N_Ph38D24STlBsIgonsbHPFY-tAMOmwZf8YboejhaGIjWN39ef1_QiJu0vKYd13Y/s640/IMG_2069.JPG" width="528" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waving goodbye to my friend, the author Katinka Bille. <br />I have started rowing the dinghy now, when possible, instead of using the engine, saves petrol and builds up my muscles.</td></tr>
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Elizabeth Tylerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01482687743657528587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-620403212075740620.post-89572195317322613872018-04-30T19:51:00.000+02:002018-04-30T19:52:26.609+02:00My painting on the cover of Odysse magazine<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhatBzfcQ9eTDc-egOt5uQ2bEk6lLwyWixiSLlGpqJGpFT30le62QK7806HOQZiy2-K6LHaSBKkLfXwSMeJsF6WFcCeCwMsO1AzDiZ3-42fyI-V4U458_0REogh8tUdCRn2nf2Rk8CAs-I/s1600/IMG_1644.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1171" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhatBzfcQ9eTDc-egOt5uQ2bEk6lLwyWixiSLlGpqJGpFT30le62QK7806HOQZiy2-K6LHaSBKkLfXwSMeJsF6WFcCeCwMsO1AzDiZ3-42fyI-V4U458_0REogh8tUdCRn2nf2Rk8CAs-I/s640/IMG_1644.jpg" width="468" /></a> My watercolour painting is now on the cover of the quarterly Swedish sailing magazine Odyssé<br />
I was asked to write an article for the magazine about my background and my adventures, trials and tribulations as a solo sailing artist in Greece.<br />
After seeing the article the editors asked me if they could also use one of my paintings on the cover. Although the watercolour had to be cropped to fit the A4 format I am very pleased with the result.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWL5GMMcfWjo5oqIiFGoIsPQ3rXPS7Vu7DZgZ3dCy-m5_VqYZE4r5bShQl_D5yZ_pRX1gZEKldnPG_fkv61TYtp43BxMOuY1i7YtaWRMq4LJxxu2AVVczv7vyvTP4aX2aOHJTCrCMXQ3M/s1600/IMG_1645.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1189" data-original-width="1600" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWL5GMMcfWjo5oqIiFGoIsPQ3rXPS7Vu7DZgZ3dCy-m5_VqYZE4r5bShQl_D5yZ_pRX1gZEKldnPG_fkv61TYtp43BxMOuY1i7YtaWRMq4LJxxu2AVVczv7vyvTP4aX2aOHJTCrCMXQ3M/s640/IMG_1645.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The article I wrote is in Swedish but there is a summery in English</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzXossCXLmN75Ud0QsFUeObXxWhvp8ufgjhTH1teaPhWB3yhtbRt7kaTzCsQFsBa3Shvs9Cd2UfC2MxpmOXGmA_eTfTohkc_NSiy4RFBcp3X0LMaCtsv-zlk52KW-_R15xzZKndckuXss/s1600/IMG_1646.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzXossCXLmN75Ud0QsFUeObXxWhvp8ufgjhTH1teaPhWB3yhtbRt7kaTzCsQFsBa3Shvs9Cd2UfC2MxpmOXGmA_eTfTohkc_NSiy4RFBcp3X0LMaCtsv-zlk52KW-_R15xzZKndckuXss/s640/IMG_1646.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another article was published in the magazine by the author Katinka Bille who wrote about about my lecture in Gothenburg and an interview with the renowned yachtswoman Christine Schildt. In both an editorial and article Claes Wessberg wrote about my talk in the Mediterranean Sailing Association at Lomma. </td></tr>
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Elizabeth Tylerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01482687743657528587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-620403212075740620.post-86714400699402918192017-12-19T11:06:00.002+01:002017-12-19T11:06:27.797+01:00Attitude<div class="post-footer" style="background-color: #fbfbfb; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(240, 240, 240); color: #737373; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6; margin: 20px -2px 0px; padding: 5px 10px; text-align: left;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A New Dawn 26 X 33 cm © Elizabeth Tyler 2017</td></tr>
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<span class="s1"><br /><br />I began to paint this watercolour of the view from my cockpit while anchored in the bay of Dokos island in Greece. The sun was about to rise and sent a bright yellow glow across the sky, splitting up the dark clouds of the night. The hills were still in darkness but it was possible to see the sparse vegetation on the slopes. The sea reflected some of the light that was promising to brighten the day.<br /></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjywK-ZEi3N3nGHrc3nfjpWBaOgW4vB8Vtz8_S1YtXyBInLAepUu0EnIw-845GKBedEfKUHpAF8zN8ztbJ7IOAsc3oP6a8Shq3x59gSPVuBEj0PXvtYwV5Pfj1f8ujNQJeALL7eKjWN8xA/s1600/IMG_0490.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjywK-ZEi3N3nGHrc3nfjpWBaOgW4vB8Vtz8_S1YtXyBInLAepUu0EnIw-845GKBedEfKUHpAF8zN8ztbJ7IOAsc3oP6a8Shq3x59gSPVuBEj0PXvtYwV5Pfj1f8ujNQJeALL7eKjWN8xA/s320/IMG_0490.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The anchorage at Dokos just before dawn.</td></tr>
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<span class="s1">When I started the painting I was in a very sad and pensive mood, absorbed in deep and serious thought about my life. I was soon to leave my boat, my friends and Greece for the year and, at this age, could not know for certain if I would ever return. Not only was the summer but also, I felt then, a period of my life over. I painted the clouds even darker than they were and the hills as silhouettes in ivory black. The sea was only suggested with a few strokes of grey.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">After returning home to Sweden I left the painting out of sight for a couple of months. I considered it a worthless failure, which also reflected my mood at the time. However after gradually and step by step regaining a grip on myself I took the painting up again and used it as a kind of therapy. I lightened the clouds, brightened the details and created more light by washing the darkness away.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">A promising new year was about to begin.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Either you only see the threatening clouds, the dark landscape and the murky water, or you see something quite different;</span></div>
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<span class="s1">The promising sunlight, the warm glow, the fascinating landscape and the refreshing water.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">It’s the same scene but it’s your choice how you look at it.</span></div>
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Elizabeth Tylerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01482687743657528587noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-620403212075740620.post-9970284382551034932017-10-30T09:37:00.001+01:002017-10-30T09:46:27.973+01:00Video<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aquarella photographed from my friend's boat</td></tr>
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It took some time to edit all the footage of video I had filmed during the summer. I had wanted to do more but had always put it off to another day. Suddenly the summer was coming to an end so I put my act together and actually got round to doing it. <br />
This time I had a little help. I attached one camera to a friends boat going the same way so I could get some sequences of Aquarella from a distance under sail.<br />
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Another friend Kirsten was with me for a while and was able to film during a period of hard weather. It is otherwise very difficult to even think of filming in bad weather as all concentration is on sailing the boat in the safest way.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A scene from the video, bravely filmed by Kirsten in hard weather.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sailing alone again</td></tr>
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After 9 hours of solosailing I arrived at my last destination for the year, at the bay of Kilada. After a long rest I managed to paint a watercolour of the colourful scene there, just before sunrise. The work in progress can also be seen in the video.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNsVGXRQz72Gk6Cz4rkFNJmjz8A3UsMcx8v4sEqz2tIhGUwujiak01ddZ4_p8YJiVuuwduFIyuZSAUQEQLkKF0vnoa5I19T2VO666SVsEwg0-nFcyBVGTPvZibHo1JOqOjfaCjMCgPmb4/s1600/IMG_0651.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNsVGXRQz72Gk6Cz4rkFNJmjz8A3UsMcx8v4sEqz2tIhGUwujiak01ddZ4_p8YJiVuuwduFIyuZSAUQEQLkKF0vnoa5I19T2VO666SVsEwg0-nFcyBVGTPvZibHo1JOqOjfaCjMCgPmb4/s320/IMG_0651.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaBdlM-WNIAzHGHD0NrdfpRqNBV55cZw6J36FolsFHUC70tb4CWKvPXaR98uCeSXZpMmVYW_-Ba8HU-c9N-ArqmVtLhc0pH-4Wg3vhwOIX7gVSbLP1DX68FxxpXf7Wkr4d1hZkbqTxAMs/s1600/IMG_0584.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaBdlM-WNIAzHGHD0NrdfpRqNBV55cZw6J36FolsFHUC70tb4CWKvPXaR98uCeSXZpMmVYW_-Ba8HU-c9N-ArqmVtLhc0pH-4Wg3vhwOIX7gVSbLP1DX68FxxpXf7Wkr4d1hZkbqTxAMs/s320/IMG_0584.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">painting aboard</td></tr>
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Elizabeth Tylerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01482687743657528587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-620403212075740620.post-26840354574776434922017-10-08T13:32:00.000+02:002017-10-09T13:17:27.872+02:00Drama - again!<div class="p1">
After two weeks in Sweden and Denmark I returned to the boat at it's mooring off Poros . It was the first time I had left Aquarella in the water which I was nervous about but everything was fine and as I had left it. It was great to see all my friends there again. One of them was selling his boat and needed some video footage of it under sail. We decided to swap cameras and take a sail while filming and photographing each others boats. This is the first time I actually see Aquarella under sail. The film footage taken will be included in a video I'll upload to Youtube when the editing is finished.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs04ydq_9jeJGqxSTNKX9UjouwVM1vC495kitmmJPc_2miXxAauAtPAHB_IK9kQN4fg_kCeGYTtUptosreuZX37CnALtvE8GSuLP99lktPqVahIeOpM0wsyLZ_4iGo03aH01i-4eat9wc/s1600/aquarella.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="332" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs04ydq_9jeJGqxSTNKX9UjouwVM1vC495kitmmJPc_2miXxAauAtPAHB_IK9kQN4fg_kCeGYTtUptosreuZX37CnALtvE8GSuLP99lktPqVahIeOpM0wsyLZ_4iGo03aH01i-4eat9wc/s640/aquarella.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me sailing Aquarella</td></tr>
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Back in Poros many hours, days and weeks were spent writing my book about painting the sea.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Wqj3xmq8S7MEUjiS1V5jGhI3q8bSHDaZs6S1dPpdMxb1kpuSNzJeJ4mFWrv1Alh98_3keDVnPcJ2-95mBu8FjB4IXOrJuhV0F_R0x6VbmEmpiNEUMxLvHecTqPchAT6xUVQqh1ARO6k/s1600/dinghy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Wqj3xmq8S7MEUjiS1V5jGhI3q8bSHDaZs6S1dPpdMxb1kpuSNzJeJ4mFWrv1Alh98_3keDVnPcJ2-95mBu8FjB4IXOrJuhV0F_R0x6VbmEmpiNEUMxLvHecTqPchAT6xUVQqh1ARO6k/s400/dinghy.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Towing the dinghy</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEjkrEDp_RXlqZx2YtY5nLZwTqCgQbqCJNBqfKA3RkiCTuxpe-XFQV7W04La-vFHjkjxBlSUsxc1fizOsXHQD2fkyuTETTO6rPmwBLMCbUJ8oozgyriPHSyevJabjnjK6BDRx8dyCSSsI/s1600/chart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEjkrEDp_RXlqZx2YtY5nLZwTqCgQbqCJNBqfKA3RkiCTuxpe-XFQV7W04La-vFHjkjxBlSUsxc1fizOsXHQD2fkyuTETTO6rPmwBLMCbUJ8oozgyriPHSyevJabjnjK6BDRx8dyCSSsI/s400/chart.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The search area between the mainland and Hydra</td></tr>
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At the end of September a dear friend Kirsten came to visit me on the boat. She also paints watercolours and the idea was that we would sail and paint together for a week. Other friends suggested they show us some beautiful anchorages I had never seen before so we sailed off on a two boat flotilla. We anchored in the bay of Skillaion and bathed in beautiful turquoise water surrounded by yellow ochre cliffs. The island of Hydra was not far away so we decided to go there too. <br />
Then something I've often had a nightmare about actually happened! The brand new dinghy we were towing behind was gone! <br />
Vanished, nowhere to be seen. I thought if we just backtracked our route by motor we would have a good chance of finding it. We searched and searched to no avail. It was so hard to see anything behind the small waves and we imagined what it would be like if it was a man-over-board situation. Then the wind changed direction and we closely followed the Peloponese coast westwards to Metokhi in the hope the dinghy would have washed ashore there. <br />
Our eyes were sore from staring into binoculars and after an hour or so we decided it couldn't have drifted that far so I turned and followed the coast east again. It was impossible to know where to look considering the wind shift and changing current. It was now getting dark. We would have to stop searching and find somewhere to anchor for the night. Then Kirsten suggested I call on the VHF radio and ask if anyone had seen the dinghy. I tried calling "All ships, all ships, all ships. This is Aquarella, has anyone seen a blue dinghy near Hydra" but I was unsure the old radio was actually working. I thought not, but then after 15 minutes the radio crackled to life. "Person seeking a blue dinghy? WE'VE GOT IT!" Wow what a relief! It turned out to be 6 Russians on a chartered yacht who found the dinghy in the open sea. We arranged a meeting point outside Hydra and tried to give them a bottle of whisky as thanks but they wouldn't have it. We blew them kisses instead.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aquarella (the smallest yacht) in Mandraki the following morning</td></tr>
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I then motored into Mandraki bay in the failing light. The bay is very deep and there were many boats anchored there with lines ashore. This is a worst case scenario for me. My long keeled boat can't steer backwards. I had to drop the anchor from the bow and let 60 meters of chain out, then reverse in a cross wind in pitch black darkness between the other boats to get a line ashore. Fortunately someone from another boat took our line and tried all he could to help but I was tired and stressed and had to try the manoeuver 8 times before it succeeded. The spectator boats gave me 10 points for the evening entertainment. I just needed a drink.</div>
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The following day an attempt to film from my drone ended up with it drowned in the sea and even though I fished it up, both the drone and the camera were ruined. When I removed the battery it was red hot and thick smoke bellowed out from it. That was another 700€ gone. On the way back to Poros we encountered such hard wind and rough seas that the drawers with all their contents finished up sliding around the cabin floor.</div>
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Despite all this we really had a great time, could laugh at all the drama and enjoyed ourselves so much we almost forgot to paint.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The sun rising over Hydra with the island of Dokos in the foreground</td></tr>
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After Kirsten went home I sailed 9 hours to Basimakopolou shipyard in Kilada where Aquarella is now taken ashore for the winter.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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Elizabeth Tylerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01482687743657528587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-620403212075740620.post-12598166509176587992017-08-23T09:54:00.001+02:002017-08-23T10:04:20.798+02:00Dinghy kaput!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My wind scoop</td></tr>
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I haven't actually sailed for a while. I've been spending every day aboard working on my new book from 7 am to 7 pm with a break for lunch and a nap at the hottest time of the afternoon. <b>The temperature is often 35 c in the cabin</b> and my "air condition" consists of a wind scoop which catches the lightest breeze and sends it down through the boat. <br />
When the heat gets too much I cool off by taking a swim in the sea followed by a 1 litre fresh water shower.</div>
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For a few days I stopped writing to paint a new watercolour of the view. This will be an illustration in the book.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGCS47yKi9_AzmlQjp1J10D-W0ZFhzl5K3seM99cl_Vkspz6CbgGsQBh34LgjksPWa9zSMq7wRtBGAE5OmbXKawnHuQesseCMqCvFii3AWBG09DToFjZFDZ2SMyDiDJncZDnGBW8XwgL4/s1600/IMG_0006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="826" data-original-width="880" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGCS47yKi9_AzmlQjp1J10D-W0ZFhzl5K3seM99cl_Vkspz6CbgGsQBh34LgjksPWa9zSMq7wRtBGAE5OmbXKawnHuQesseCMqCvFii3AWBG09DToFjZFDZ2SMyDiDJncZDnGBW8XwgL4/s320/IMG_0006.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Painting the view from the boat</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR012-pY0Xu-KXlnw_LdZXdCKfmSgMDsPFLYdypqYaYkLkxSYlz0h3wWX_h2kfXODi4wINSAQ-weLWtJNH3YsSoNFN72VWcKfmG73Jbr7tcCw1DriqLNt_wuNz1c5HxO_c_LrumddNaSs/s1600/IMG_0016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR012-pY0Xu-KXlnw_LdZXdCKfmSgMDsPFLYdypqYaYkLkxSYlz0h3wWX_h2kfXODi4wINSAQ-weLWtJNH3YsSoNFN72VWcKfmG73Jbr7tcCw1DriqLNt_wuNz1c5HxO_c_LrumddNaSs/s640/IMG_0016.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A storm rolling in, Galatas can be seen here on the right, Poros to the left</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifEI_Xela5r8kiATP9QMuhyphenhyphenoZwxj9NCzXY3-ISfFzZz1jlgsFZNQ6fQgLnpwLSxd9I0ySzSwpRs67tYyhnMFW_SkAhoVS5BC6IiS0qt_LxG6IMEm1PJuMY85pMwB25LdaTgdPzqV98wyQ/s1600/IMG_0013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifEI_Xela5r8kiATP9QMuhyphenhyphenoZwxj9NCzXY3-ISfFzZz1jlgsFZNQ6fQgLnpwLSxd9I0ySzSwpRs67tYyhnMFW_SkAhoVS5BC6IiS0qt_LxG6IMEm1PJuMY85pMwB25LdaTgdPzqV98wyQ/s320/IMG_0013.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what you might call "a Greek bail out"</td></tr>
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Unfortunately one problem was becoming a serious issue. Having my boat tied up to a buoy a few hundred metres from the shore I am totally reliant on my rubber dinghy to transport myself to the town quay to get provisions, water and diesel.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyjyVTyAHEHv7eFtYUOgg7PG8SDp05w3Z5H1LY5UL3_zoFI7Uc7Z8Mz61q3SbZWtfY5iAGEdEv1UoPpfis68yy9kptA57zMdsNP4De5qj2L3BCcL5KB7MJyxRxnxk9OIKLIdSQrG_q1ck/s1600/IMG_0389.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="1119" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyjyVTyAHEHv7eFtYUOgg7PG8SDp05w3Z5H1LY5UL3_zoFI7Uc7Z8Mz61q3SbZWtfY5iAGEdEv1UoPpfis68yy9kptA57zMdsNP4De5qj2L3BCcL5KB7MJyxRxnxk9OIKLIdSQrG_q1ck/s320/IMG_0389.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">balancing in the dinghy to use the foot pump</td></tr>
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<b>The dinghy was loosing air again</b> and having to be pumped every morning which meant there was a new leak somewhere. I took the cover off and wiped soapy water over the surface but couldn't find a specific leak, it looked like I had washed it in champagne! I ended up alternately pumping and rowing like mad over to Galatas where a dinghy specialist has his workshop. After taking a water taxi back to my boat I felt rather isolated. The following day I got a phone call with the verdict. <b>"Dinghy no good, total kaput!"</b> It was a right off, with all the seams disintegrating! <br />
This meant I had to buy a new dinghy to be sent from Athens for the grand total of 650€. I had to use the water taxi service several times the following days at 10€ per trip before I finally could row my new dinghy back home to the boat.</div>
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The next morning I was picked up by watertaxi again for the first leg of my trip back home to Sweden for 2 weeks. I had been asked to participate in an exhibition in Denmark called the <a href="http://elizabethtyler-artist.blogspot.se/2017/08/world-wide-watercolour-exhibition.html" target="_blank">World Wide Watercolour exhibition</a> and wouldn't miss this opportunity. I had to leave Aquarella to fend for herself in the meantime which I didn't like but there are many other boats left at buoys here so I reckoned she would be safe enough.</div>
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The watertaxi came half an hour too early when I was standing there in my nightdress! (No picture of that)</div>
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To be continued...</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pick up with the watertaxi</td></tr>
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<span class="s1"><a href="http://www.elizabethtyler.com/"><br /></a></span></div>
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<br />Elizabeth Tylerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01482687743657528587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-620403212075740620.post-40839764068093234552017-06-23T16:45:00.000+02:002017-06-23T16:45:46.576+02:00A new book<br />
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After sailing to my favourite island Poros, I tied up to the mooring I have hired before in the middle of the channel betwwen Poros and Galatas.</div>
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Here I can relax and take it easy for a while, knowing that the boat is safely secured.<br />After months of hard work with paintings and exhibitions in Finland, Sweden and Denmark it was time to take a break and do something else. Something I have wanted to do for quite some time.<br />So I am now sitting here in my cockpit writing a book. This time the book will printed on real paper and not an ebook.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvcCLngbEKr0bnoNHrE67HgU5TQ9-IK0CeUQ9w8XO8H58qXLlYfBSZWnTBH_4pdRdxMNtmxJJjSeomwFSgbix30bgCXL-7F-yEkAHd2xzhyphenhyphenTqpRRTkTbWThMb8N_wBNVtXExUT0SwjE_4/s1600/storyboard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="986" data-original-width="382" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvcCLngbEKr0bnoNHrE67HgU5TQ9-IK0CeUQ9w8XO8H58qXLlYfBSZWnTBH_4pdRdxMNtmxJJjSeomwFSgbix30bgCXL-7F-yEkAHd2xzhyphenhyphenTqpRRTkTbWThMb8N_wBNVtXExUT0SwjE_4/s320/storyboard.jpg" width="123" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A few of the pages</td></tr>
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<br />Actually “writing” is not really a description of the work I’m doing as the book will mostly be comprised of<span> </span>photographs of my artwork. There will be short descriptions of each piece and small anecdotes about the work. The theme of the book is the sea, so as I sit here surrounded and inspired by the sea, the book is gradually taking shape.<br />Bit by bit, page after page the layout is created on my computer with the over one hundred photographs of watercolours and acrylic paintings. </div>
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I know I can’t keep away from painting and sailing for very long so I willl get back to that in due course. Until then I spend every day in front of the computer while rocking gently in the breeze.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYRPdh6sok8llnVjS5WgkpWomevgnCcd9OaYuqhS29I7Ygv2xNouDVDQ5t9k_Z-UKT_P9MgK9_nKE2Mw4aa2wYYHde5phOJt_9wBiHseuQk-k6ZzHM4pcEZKoKbdWGCHZigchI341PMDs/s1600/sitting-in-cockpit-s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="929" data-original-width="1339" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYRPdh6sok8llnVjS5WgkpWomevgnCcd9OaYuqhS29I7Ygv2xNouDVDQ5t9k_Z-UKT_P9MgK9_nKE2Mw4aa2wYYHde5phOJt_9wBiHseuQk-k6ZzHM4pcEZKoKbdWGCHZigchI341PMDs/s400/sitting-in-cockpit-s.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the cockpit, working on the book.</td></tr>
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Elizabeth Tylerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01482687743657528587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-620403212075740620.post-39067153243745994702017-06-10T13:58:00.000+02:002017-06-10T13:58:48.221+02:00The fresh air of freedom<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">I'd forgotten it was the Whitsun holidays so I had to manage without my dinghy being repaired for 5 days. In the mean time, with help, I was able to squeeze Aquarella into the local fishing harbour so I could come ashore. The four year old dinghy was in worse shape than I'd feared and came back with two big patches and two new valves. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH23FuA18IAK7PFhzjYciDS471Jk5yWOh5sjqS6HHsdUkFPnUYW4xyPVZ75oeqA7qkpWooc_8yfLPLltsAHXOCyECPSow2WgpvdKOpOyC8HbV0zclA9sJnZodriNT2QGJYDOar9JBoVuI/s1600/dinghy1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH23FuA18IAK7PFhzjYciDS471Jk5yWOh5sjqS6HHsdUkFPnUYW4xyPVZ75oeqA7qkpWooc_8yfLPLltsAHXOCyECPSow2WgpvdKOpOyC8HbV0zclA9sJnZodriNT2QGJYDOar9JBoVuI/s320/dinghy1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My dinghy with the patches concealed under it's new cover<br /> which doesn't quite fit yet </td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: '.sfuitext'; font-size: 23px;">The next day I started off by taking up my stern anchor for the first time alone. I only have an electric anchor windlass on the bow and Aquarella with her long keel was not made for steering backwards. It took me 45 minutes to pull the boat by hand towards the anchor and raise it from the sticky mud.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">The first sail of the season was just over 2 hours to Porto Heli. I'd looked forward to having the full use of the navigation app Navionics on my new Ipad air. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">That wasn't a great success, It stopped getting a fix as soon as I left the harbour! It turned out the ipad air version I had bought only has the option of a wifi connection and no cellular data. I could use the chart function but without the red marker updating my position. I found my way easily though using the boat's built-in, 20 year old AP navigator.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpyMHMqfi-1D7st1elLqkh-3qHW3vDqOQHQu8q4TDdgkEML3tgneGjLFRfu4ilMrq8vIMC6m_GsMY1qs7niwviPmwO-YaP6cyXDZQsXwQv4YmwQlpWTsmRK9-5jVRCSE1A1GMoRoWYnyY/s1600/portoheli1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpyMHMqfi-1D7st1elLqkh-3qHW3vDqOQHQu8q4TDdgkEML3tgneGjLFRfu4ilMrq8vIMC6m_GsMY1qs7niwviPmwO-YaP6cyXDZQsXwQv4YmwQlpWTsmRK9-5jVRCSE1A1GMoRoWYnyY/s320/portoheli1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arrived at Porto Heli</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: '.sfuitext'; font-size: 23px;">Greece has introduced a new cruising permit this year which is obligatory for all boats over 7 meters. The paperwork for this is not made easy however. The skipper must apply at the nearest port police/coastguard after paying the amount of 50 € to a bank, not over the internet. (the police are apparently not entrusted with handling money) There's no bank in Kilada nor Porto Heli. The nearest is a 20€ taxi ride away inland to the town of Kranidi. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">With bank receipt in hand I knocked on the door of the Port Police office and presented all the other necessary papers: passport, certificate of competence, old cruising permit, boat license, insurance. The officer in charge did not ask me to sit down, he yawned, sipped his cold coffee and leafed through the documents. The proof of paid insurance was translated into English, German, French and Spanish but not Greek. He struck the paper with the back of his fingers in disgust and declared his outrage in no uncertain terms! " Greek law demands this document should state </span><span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt; text-decoration: underline;">in Greek</span><span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;"> that it is valid according to Greek requirements and the insurance sum must be written in Euro. This must be officially verified by your insurance company" He told me to contact them and demand they <u>immediately</u> send the Greek translation to them by email. I obediently phoned the office in Mariehamn on the Åland islands. The lady in charge of the Mediterranean boat section was at lunch and would call back after an hour. I asked the officer if it was okey to come back when I had talked to her. "You are not going anywhere" he said while closing the door. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">He then asked who the captain of the boat was.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">That's me</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">The names of crew members?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">There's just me</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">Then with loud bangs he proceeded to stamp all the papers and hand them over.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">"Give me 2 euros for the photocopies and you may go."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">He got them</span><br />
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">I got the papers</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 17pt;">Wow, what a feeling! Out into the fresh air of freedom!</span></div>
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Elizabeth Tylerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01482687743657528587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-620403212075740620.post-49061538519018606502017-06-04T13:37:00.001+02:002017-06-04T13:37:46.164+02:00That sinking, deflated feeling ...<br />
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">I'm back at the Basimakopulos boatyard in Kilada, Greece after a long busy winter in Sweden.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">For months I had been looking forward to completely relaxing on my boat and just looking at the horizon in the warm Greek sun. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">It didn't turn out that way at all.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju_toNsrqhuiFSKnBxplmM5DjpGKqUs64wIuFQuNyeolitJtlX-lkm9SIi1mbJVteefuwCNmIfheI0fbI78KT_ou3EgNrLDWE-2Z9wPRJ7yMX0GO3nnwB1zBJreaD-baNQfDz1lNNt1xM/s1600/IMG_2094.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju_toNsrqhuiFSKnBxplmM5DjpGKqUs64wIuFQuNyeolitJtlX-lkm9SIi1mbJVteefuwCNmIfheI0fbI78KT_ou3EgNrLDWE-2Z9wPRJ7yMX0GO3nnwB1zBJreaD-baNQfDz1lNNt1xM/s320/IMG_2094.jpg" width="274" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">climbing up and down the ladder every time I'd forgotten something</td></tr>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">Firstly my brother in law Uffe who usually helps me for the first week couldn't join me this time as his wife Kerstin was ill. We had to cancel his tickets at the last moment. Really sad, especially for Kerstin who was so sick but also sad for him as he'd been counting the days to the trip. My thoughts were with them both but the prospect of being alone with all the work of making the boat seaworthy before launching was nevertheless daunting. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 23px;">With only 3 days to the launching date, I had to work non stop 12 hours a day. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">And where was the warm Greek sun? It was pouring with rain and 15 degrees!</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">I quickly realized I could only manage to do the absolute necessary. That was: cleaning the hull and painting the antifouling on the bottom, polishing and waxing the waterline, changing the zinc anode on the propeller shaft and replacing the bottom plug. Everything else had to wait.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW9OFx0q5QS8drlPqoiwnlOnzfpqpeJlq8fclEnX8tNQuYwCKZ7cglJXeXMNuc8qmvL4sh95pVR2hhGWST9QQsGc-BdIvSMNBoE96reh6MezoKjLYuHdJ4NTELRQ61DdYW0NeJe3yHbIM/s1600/IMG_2096.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW9OFx0q5QS8drlPqoiwnlOnzfpqpeJlq8fclEnX8tNQuYwCKZ7cglJXeXMNuc8qmvL4sh95pVR2hhGWST9QQsGc-BdIvSMNBoE96reh6MezoKjLYuHdJ4NTELRQ61DdYW0NeJe3yHbIM/s640/IMG_2096.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aquarella about to be launched (notice the fully inflated dinghy on deck) </td></tr>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">The sun came out at last, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 23px;">Aquarella was launched on schedule and I could tie up to a mooring buoy in the middle of the bay.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">I'd inflated my rubber dinghy, the only life line I now have to civilization ashore. The first trip with it went fine and the engine started on the first pull. It must have looked very entertaining though when I collided with the quayside at full speed without being able to slow down or stop the engine. I had to use the choke to stop it. This problem resolved itself without my intervention on the way back. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">I noticed in the evening a little air had gone out of the dinghy but I thought it might be owing to the cooler temperature. The following morning I realized there must be a leak somewhere. I climbed down to attach the air pump and the next thing I knew the dinghy was rapidly on its way down! </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 23px;">Nearly all the air had gone and the engine was sinking fast. I quickly took a line and secured it, then took the first dip of the year, albeit unintentional. I had to unscrew the engine mount from the transom in order to pull it aboard. Wearing my life-jacket as an extra precaution I swam around taking oars, the pump, the seat etc before I could climb aboard again to hoist the dinghy on deck.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">I still don't know what the problem is but I suspect it must be the valves. I won't be able to get help or get ashore before Monday so I'm stuck for the time being.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdt1LJfBzKJOORHjeigPnSCMjyfcBLQbbyqlvbMWbCix9oFNUWRz8am3t0Et9oJrG-KU3DNs-Jsvlwq7boyYij0FLasYhXC_j6zLSAcWCJDMIQbGmMXtkr2mXpgvqHothXKc4-uC2R3Yw/s1600/deflated-dinghy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="544" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdt1LJfBzKJOORHjeigPnSCMjyfcBLQbbyqlvbMWbCix9oFNUWRz8am3t0Et9oJrG-KU3DNs-Jsvlwq7boyYij0FLasYhXC_j6zLSAcWCJDMIQbGmMXtkr2mXpgvqHothXKc4-uC2R3Yw/s640/deflated-dinghy.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The deflated dinghy just after I had secured the engine with a line</td></tr>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">To be continued...</span></div>
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Elizabeth Tylerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01482687743657528587noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-620403212075740620.post-20372241401394200722017-01-08T22:04:00.000+01:002017-01-08T22:04:20.850+01:00New video (sailing and painting)I have finally finished editing this video with clips of my solo sail around the Sardonic Gulf in Greece, in the summer of 2016. There is also footage of me working on one of my paintings. That was the view of Poros I had as seen from my mooring there.<br />
Hope you like it. Click here: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yc6j_5XfAns&feature=youtu.be" target="_blank">Sailing on single handed#3</a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy_9bMVNvrLnP5B1MevpaywCUY8vrqM1ftcRRNh_xbWPu9SsfSIuHbRX6NoV2J3pgr6L_43kaPKWLsGDO64vlqMiy_GPOzZxeDWYba1666kmFKhTHTUelfeb4wAHNjSGsHODHJIAxPMxg/s1600/at+the+wheel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy_9bMVNvrLnP5B1MevpaywCUY8vrqM1ftcRRNh_xbWPu9SsfSIuHbRX6NoV2J3pgr6L_43kaPKWLsGDO64vlqMiy_GPOzZxeDWYba1666kmFKhTHTUelfeb4wAHNjSGsHODHJIAxPMxg/s640/at+the+wheel.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From the video</td></tr>
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<br />Elizabeth Tylerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01482687743657528587noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-620403212075740620.post-23947643133454498772016-11-27T00:03:00.000+01:002016-11-27T00:03:11.535+01:00Flying dinghy!<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have been very busy with my artwork the last couple of months and have had to let this blog rest for a while. Sorry about that! Now I'm back at my computer and have time to write about the remainder of the summer of 2016 on board the boat.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A great deal of time was spent sitting in the cockpit painting 9 hours a day while Aquarella was patiently waiting, tied to a mooring. I had a deadline to keep for an exhibition in Finland in October.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me taking the dinghy back to Aquarella between Poros and Galatas</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the evenings I took the dinghy ashore to sit at Cafe Fresko under the stars in the company of my many wonderful new friends on Poros. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The "Harbour master" on watch at Perdika on the island of Aegina</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jane, Charlotte and myself celebrating a successful trip</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then, in September two friends Jane and Charlotte from Denmark, also widows, came to visit. So we three merry widows went sailing, talking, laughing, dancing through the night and thoroughly enjoying ourselves for a week. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After a few more days saying goodbye to people and studying the weather forecast it was time to make my way back to the shipyard where I keep Aquarella for the winter. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rolling the mainsail down</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With no threat of any strong winds for the next few days I made a mad dash for the next anchorage. It took only 7 hours but I stayed the night there and continued the next day for three hours to anchor in the bay of Kilada near the shipyard.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAhVRPWfWjpkeZjpBNMQWbUNJ7MKY4gIUUZW6epEVE9IMEuArM1nu3uOZhpZ5YpRUGI47poAaXfEGa0otjbfisiCCGui2S2GAm_eLku1vCcNiPFzyUYe7EQZg1Qo7CmSA_8l3RyDVDFQE/s1600/flying-dink.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAhVRPWfWjpkeZjpBNMQWbUNJ7MKY4gIUUZW6epEVE9IMEuArM1nu3uOZhpZ5YpRUGI47poAaXfEGa0otjbfisiCCGui2S2GAm_eLku1vCcNiPFzyUYe7EQZg1Qo7CmSA_8l3RyDVDFQE/s320/flying-dink.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The dinghy flew like a kite!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;">The following morning I prepared the boat for lifting out. I took the furling genua down in the early morning, thankfully before any wind got up. In the afternoon the sky blackened and a stiff breeze stretched the anchor chain out. I took the outboard engine off the dinghy but I still needed to lift the dinghy up onto the foredeck in order for the crane to lift it out with the boat. By attaching it to the spinnaker halyard I had enough strength to hoist it up using my body weight by jumping from the cabin roof onto the deck. But even though I lifted it I still couldn't pull it over the foredeck. It flew like a kite in the strong wind. I had to give up, lowered it again and tied it back onto the stern. I just hoped the boatyard would help me with it.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;">I couldn't do anything in the gale force wind, the boat was rocking and rolling and the wind was screaming in the rigging. Suddenly I heard a knocking sound, dashing up into the cockpit I saw a smiling face sticking up over the railing. It was my kind mechanic who does the winter maintenance of the engine. He had come over in his own dinghy to help me get onto a safe mooring. I was so grateful to be able to have a good nights sleep before lift out the following morning. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;">At 8 am sharp the shipyard called over the VHF that I should be the first boat to be lifted. Which meant now...</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWN-oq4vb4BzkIvjFOrSYEfcwWWKvOE2XysVTWXPwGh867n-8ZfW5Kdw0YOc4Q0ZRPV0uGj_ec15yKZ-phq-S0w5c7GJ2o5rmk5XneMUvgohXGsfa0cvPocKkfmIDVNH0Uy1cPSCd_21s/s1600/IMG_0689.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWN-oq4vb4BzkIvjFOrSYEfcwWWKvOE2XysVTWXPwGh867n-8ZfW5Kdw0YOc4Q0ZRPV0uGj_ec15yKZ-phq-S0w5c7GJ2o5rmk5XneMUvgohXGsfa0cvPocKkfmIDVNH0Uy1cPSCd_21s/s320/IMG_0689.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;">The wind was still very, very strong so I had difficulty loosening the mooring ropes. I pulled with all my might and finally could lift them off the cleats. Immediately the boat shot backwards dangerously near the mud bank. I charged back to the engine controls in the cockpit and put the engine in full ahead while I steered out towards the outer end of the dredged channel to the shipyard. I'd forgotten to reattach the forward mooring ropes ready to tie the boat onto the quay. I was already in the channel and there was no room to turn around so I slowed down and put the autopilot on. Then I charged forward, attached the ropes to the cleats and hung their ends over the safety lines. By the time I got back to the cockpit the boat was about to bump into the channel marker buoy. Back on course I crossed my fingers and toes that someone would help me tie up alongside the quay because I wasn't sure I could stop Aquarella in this wind. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;">Five strong men stood ready when I came and caught my mooring lines with boathooks and with a great relief I stopped the engine for this year. I didn't even see when they lifted the dinghy out and put it onto the boat trailer, it was suddenly there safe and sound.</span></div>
Elizabeth Tylerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01482687743657528587noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-620403212075740620.post-78520658597880378152016-07-14T15:48:00.002+02:002016-07-14T15:48:42.005+02:00Houston, we have a problem!<div class="p1">
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Last week I was joined by my son Philip, daughter in law Henriette and 10 year old granddaughter Olivia. They flew down from Denmark for a weeks sailing with me here in Greece. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0JeiNClUITLxsPiB0h1p-mRpwrm8LFW-7Pl0ddMC5w4J-tAjYWw2RR-HVAg6btb2iekpil1nJh53nBNECkuwJ-QrxT0vFjunKh3oY3Uokptbs6kedWDH15wZirZfS9hf_IDxk3T27Fwg/s1600/handle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0JeiNClUITLxsPiB0h1p-mRpwrm8LFW-7Pl0ddMC5w4J-tAjYWw2RR-HVAg6btb2iekpil1nJh53nBNECkuwJ-QrxT0vFjunKh3oY3Uokptbs6kedWDH15wZirZfS9hf_IDxk3T27Fwg/s200/handle.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My home made winch handle</td></tr>
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Before they came I had to fix the problem of a missing anchor windlass handle. The original fell and sank in the mud of the sea bed. With no spare part to be bought anywhere I had to find a usable solution. At the local ironmongers I found a scrap of copper pipe of the right dimension but too long. Copper is of course too weak for the heavy job of winching up the anchor chain. But then I found a bit of a steel tube, too short and wide but the one could fit in the other and after an hour of sawing and filing I got a reasonable result.</div>
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The first destination we sailed to was to Vagionia bay where I never had been before. It was a beautiful place and we were completely alone there after the day trippers had gone. With no light pollution ashore the moonless sky unfolded an unbelievably clear view of the stars. I have never seen stars so bright before. With the app "Sky view free" it was possible to put names to the constellations and planets we were seeing so this was the evening entertainment. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDV91JEarnu-Op1qanv-XaRUQ-1ugGCkTi8E7jbyb877gJp4Y67bQg3pu4t_8_gzT7PgV1W9oTImXvvy8stIIQJgqOJ_PffbOFPij0P-W4AEEMyrDbbKlZqbRVSYQ0YtZzGM5k3NVcx_0/s1600/stars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDV91JEarnu-Op1qanv-XaRUQ-1ugGCkTi8E7jbyb877gJp4Y67bQg3pu4t_8_gzT7PgV1W9oTImXvvy8stIIQJgqOJ_PffbOFPij0P-W4AEEMyrDbbKlZqbRVSYQ0YtZzGM5k3NVcx_0/s320/stars.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
During the night there was a very uncomfortable swell or surge even with no wind. The boat rocked violently for several hours making sleep only possible for Olivia who slept like a log. We heard the engines of fishing boats arriving in the dark with no lights on at all. I also became aware of my solar anchor light which went out at 4 in the morning. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ-MXIdIJP5eFZeKrzywIAhSAT93tVIbFRIQE87CUwacAT15A6fkFELKRr_KpDje88IK3uJQdR2_mTeiJU-UIBofAeZpnu4LVfMAY9DquVVKMfYBVkIwqRycAdXfVFEPhkXm4z9FIlJis/s1600/aquarella.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ-MXIdIJP5eFZeKrzywIAhSAT93tVIbFRIQE87CUwacAT15A6fkFELKRr_KpDje88IK3uJQdR2_mTeiJU-UIBofAeZpnu4LVfMAY9DquVVKMfYBVkIwqRycAdXfVFEPhkXm4z9FIlJis/s320/aquarella.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aquarella alone in the bay of Vagionia</td></tr>
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Not good, another problem to be fixed.<br />
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Olivia's favourite expression is "Houston, we've got a problem" This was used several times on our trip. We had a nice sail to Vathi on the peninsular of Methana. Again we were the only yacht there in the beautiful tiny harbour. Sailing towards Epidavros the next day we told "Houston" there was another problem. The GPS on my ipad was not working so the Navionics chart plotter couldn't find out where we were. Fortunately we didn't have far to go and it was a matter of eyeball navigation. Apart from the fact that we landed in the wrong bay to start with it turned out fine in the end. I still have charts after all. We spent two days in Epidavros, swimming and enjoying the surroundings before it was time to return to the bay of Poros. On the way we had stronger winds and it was exhilarating ploughing through the waves with a considerably higher speed than my 40 year old boat is used too. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHGhNyWmCpLFZzHEWOZcHFb0RK8xcu83uRauxkCV1slvCosn2690fpund5nPRUXIG8KI_VuQngAWd8Px6XCDVG91AVq1i2D0u6iZ5CksAJTfbzJknAB8ADX-RpPvZLNJh0p_tFhANEN2g/s1600/me-sailing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHGhNyWmCpLFZzHEWOZcHFb0RK8xcu83uRauxkCV1slvCosn2690fpund5nPRUXIG8KI_VuQngAWd8Px6XCDVG91AVq1i2D0u6iZ5CksAJTfbzJknAB8ADX-RpPvZLNJh0p_tFhANEN2g/s640/me-sailing.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A selfie with the gopro camera attached to the boat hook</td></tr>
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But then -<br />
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"Houston we have a problem" </div>
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Aquarellas 20 year old Philips GPS instrument stopped working. We now had no position, no course, no log, no waypoint, no track for the autopilot. So back to using the compass, paper chart, dividers and a sharp pencil.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN9oO6345UBWL1X5iePRgX-tVhHvirLhthdMZjoNdUv9Ln7tChDs2hicOkXp1rdHv8T6X8GpBMm1wMLG1d-Hh6JGm4GmkIRC4ztehcuzofEELVrUp9Z_fEuTenBSlj0cR9ZnWQWA4l9f8/s1600/oliviafishing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN9oO6345UBWL1X5iePRgX-tVhHvirLhthdMZjoNdUv9Ln7tChDs2hicOkXp1rdHv8T6X8GpBMm1wMLG1d-Hh6JGm4GmkIRC4ztehcuzofEELVrUp9Z_fEuTenBSlj0cR9ZnWQWA4l9f8/s320/oliviafishing.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Olivia retrieving the fishing net in Russian Bay</td></tr>
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We found our destination Russian Bay easily as I had sailed past it many times. Although my slip hook had to be used to free the anchor from anpther chain (without calling Houston) we could settle down to a lovely evening listening to the crickets while Olivia demonstrated her amazing diving skills and tried her hand at fishing.<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgglmC1QcTIe1PhTZLM0JHXKGZmJQuvqWR-pknCsNu_HlQ53gz_jijX9mvbUl390l5AXLCOguC568nhQ4K3yTx5aK9llscuFXYP05n6zQ9bcIXPiF0GNNiBYD2PeLJYabf6twTiKr17kos/s1600/cooking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgglmC1QcTIe1PhTZLM0JHXKGZmJQuvqWR-pknCsNu_HlQ53gz_jijX9mvbUl390l5AXLCOguC568nhQ4K3yTx5aK9llscuFXYP05n6zQ9bcIXPiF0GNNiBYD2PeLJYabf6twTiKr17kos/s320/cooking.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Henriette cooking in the cockpit, it was too hot in the cabin.</td></tr>
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<br />On return to my rented buoy at Poros the next problem emerged. The dinghy's outboard engine wouldn't start. We couldn't even pull the cord out. With four people and many kilos of cumbersome luggage to get ashore this was quite a rowing challenge in a tiny dinghy.</div>
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Henriette rowed us safely out of the path of an oncoming ferry and afterwards Philip repeated the feat with all the luggage so they got to the ferry to Athens in time.</div>
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It was sad to see them go but we had a great week together.</div>
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Alone again I faced the problem of rowing against the 2 knot current and increasing wind to get back to my boat.</div>
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I thought I'd check the engine's propeller. I couldn't lift the engine up, something was locking it down. Bending precariously over the stern I saw a length of line waving in the water. There was the culprit! I climbed ashore to borrow a knife from a nearby restaurant and went about the task of cutting the line under the water. I could then lift the engine into the dinghy to unravel the rest of the line bit by bit. Now I will always carry a knife under the dinghy seat.<br /></div>
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The engine then started and ran perfectly.</div>
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Back in the boat I screwed off the flush mounted navigator to change the back up battery. That helped, but I still don't know how to solve the problem with the lacking GPS reception in my Ipad.</div>
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Houston, sorry to bother you again...</div>
Elizabeth Tylerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01482687743657528587noreply@blogger.com2