Author: Gisela Wuerfel

Today with our car: Our destination was Astakos at the Ionian Sea, from where the ferries to Ithaca depart, about 45 km from Messolonghi.
The landscape: Aetolia Arcania. Messolonghi is located in the lagoon nature park Messolonghi- Ätoliko.
So first we went along the lagoons, which remind strongly of the Camargue, here salt is also extracted on a large scale. With one difference: the lagoons are bordered on the land side by a wild steep rugged mountain range, where there are vertical rockfalls and which is covered with maquis, if anything grows there.
Ätoloko is a small town completely located on an island, it has two access roads on a narrow arched bridge.
In this area there is agriculture - olives, maize, wine, watermelons…….and there is fishing, namely - because of the shallow water - eels. They are smaller than the ones we know in Germany, they are not smoked, but fried and taste very good. Sometimes, as in Messolonghi, the flat wooden houses of the fishermen stand on stilts like pile dwellings in or near the water.

To the north, the route continues into the mountains, in serpentines and narrow curves. You have to be careful, because behind a curve suddenly a herd of goats can stand. Already here you have wonderful views of the strongly structured coastal landscape of the Ionian Sea, brown-red limestone cliffs and the deep blue sea, partly green between eucalyptus or cork oak trees.

The rock formations are wild and varied: right next to each other there are calcareous layers, volcanic forms like weathered lava rivers and then again huge sloping plates like slates.
Astakos is a tiny beautiful town with a pier where fishing boats, but also sailing boats moor. There are restaurants preferably with fish dishes - we have tried one and can recommend it.

The car ferry to Ithaca drives with its bow flap directly onto the pier, 20 meters further you can swim, an idyll.

On the return trip we made several small detours into the bays and drank a very good espresso freddo in Ätoliko - a completely successful Sunday trip.

Yesterday, light wind was predicted - we wanted to use this to finally try out all sails and test the sailing characteristics of Aglaya. No sooner said than done: First out of the long channel (Messolonghi is located in a lagoon) under engine. Then at sufficient depth the sails are hoisted - three out of four are brand new.
They can be set very well. Then they stand well - very well. Nevertheless, with mainsail, jib, furling genoa and mizzen it is of course hard work - especially at 30 degrees outside temperature.
Aglaya sails beautifully - and the sea behaviour of the hull is just as we had imagined: Calm, softly setting into the wave, very stable, no need to balance with the rudder, even when the waves come from the side.
So: A beautiful sailing day all around with a wonderful boat.

for Prof. Dr.-Ing. Hans Gerd Dohmen, my dear brother-in-law

The main energy source for the sailor - wind, of course. But if you want to live on a boat, that's obviously not enough. Aglaya has two bathrooms, each with a toilet, shower and washbasin, all cutely small of course. Furthermore a kitchen with a four-flame gas stove with upper and lower heat (very rare on such boats), a sink, a refrigerator, a freezer. And of course a complete water supply system with a total of 8 pumps. And of course a diesel engine.
The stove is supplied with energy by a gas bottle, which is still relatively simple.

Electricity (voltage) comes from the socket - but only if the boat is moored at a jetty that has a power connection - shore power. This supplies the batteries with electricity via a charger, which works very tricky, and charges them.

At the same time it regulates the distribution of the electricity, because there are four additional solar panels attached to the railing, which can be placed so that the sun shines on them. Then they bring up to 13-15 ampere into the boat. There is a starter battery that starts the engine, it is separated from all other consumers. There are also three large batteries for everything else - a total capacity of 670 ampere hours, in a 12-volt system.

The engine is an 86 hp turbo diesel. Pretty big, the boat we sailed across the Atlantic in 20 years ago had a similar engine, but was two metres longer and six tonnes heavier than ours. A lot of power when you have to manoeuvre, that's reassuring.
Of course, there are various navigation instruments, an A.I.S. radar that shows ships nearby, two GPS receivers, depth gauge (echo sounder), log (speed indicator) and much more. All very complex, very tricky.
When you are outside, you can't even go to the garage if there is a problem. Of course there are also shipyards and repair shops, but they are usually far away and you have to try to repair or replace as much as possible yourself.

If you want to sail in Greece, you have to pay a TEPAI, a cruising tax (similar to our tourist tax). Already in March we made an account on the website of the Greek tax authorities (you can only do this digitally) for our boat. Then we tried at least Seven times to geht into the Account again. Without success. Then we tried again when we were here in Messolonghi. Without success. The account already exists, says the form. Or: account blocked……….Gisela tried it, Walter tried it. The visit to the Port Authority was unsuccessful because they didn't get anywhere either. Then suddenly, at the Marina bar, we were in the account. Then we went to the harbour police again and the very friendly and helpful policewoman there helped us - then it worked out, she was quite happy about it herself. Then you get a payment code, with which you have to go to the bank or to the post office, where you can pay it - but only cash.
We are very happy - because if you don't have the paper and you are checked in a harbour or a bay, it costs more than 1000 €.
So we arrived in Greece also for tax purposes, crusing tax per month: 33€. Now we can really start.

Today we have the last of the new sails on the mainsail. The new sails are great - but of course the fabric is still very stiff, so attaching them into the grooves of the main boom, jib and mizzen boom (at 31 degrees) was hard work - as you can see.
That's why we got up shortly after sunrise today and tied the mainsail.
Then we put the blue sail tarpaulins on it, sun canopy over the cockpit again - done! And then a Sunday breakfast in the Marina-Bar - life is beautiful!

Unpacking, putting things away, sorting out ... that is also part of arriving at Aglaya, our second home. Beatrix and Peter, the previous owners, have left us many useful things on board and everything is in perfect condition. Nevertheless, we also want to store our own things, which we really appreciate - for example in the kitchen. But we also want our own style to be visible - for example with one of our favourite pictures in the salon. So for the first few days on board we are busy making everything look the way we like it and stowing things away so that we can find them quickly. We also take a close look at how the supply systems work - especially electricity and gas - and whether everything is OK after the winter and the corona-related break.

On deck we'll also have a lot to do - go through all the ropes, again, so that we're sure what's for what while Sailing. And last but not least we have to put on the new sails. Ehen that is Dome we can start sailing. So there is a lot to do. 

Actually we had a ticket for the car ferry Venice - Patras, for April 7th. This was converted into an open date ticket, due to Corona, the ferries only transported trucks for three months. The first date on which cars were transported again was July 1, which we booked. 

Purely by chance we learned two days before that in order to enter Greece, one had to answer a questionnaire online, which was then converted by the health authorities into a QR-code, which one had to show when leaving Italy and entering Greece.

Departure was scheduled for July 1, 12:00 noon, you should be there at least two hours before. The crossing then takes 33 hours. 

So we left on Tuesday, June 30th, about 19.00 in the evening and were at 6.00 in the morning at the ferry port, just outside Venice, picturesquely situated between refineries and power plants. It was good that we arrived so early: a group of truck drivers and a slightly smaller group of tourists were already besieging the ferry office. And QR-codes that had been sent, but not to the mobile phone, which had no reception, so we had to help out with our mobile phone - a colourful hustle and bustle. "You look so German! Could you help me with the QR-code?" 

A large ferry boat of the Minoan-Line, which is operated by Grimaldi. Grimaldi? That's right. The Italian noble family that has represented the Princess of Monaco since the 12th century. 

At the ferry port: chaos. Two ferries, but timing and Stufe for only one. So we weites from 8-12.00 in the hot sun. And from 12.00 again waiting: for 5 hours. At 17.00 we started after the car was parked in the third basement (below the entrance level), accurate to the centimetre. 

The ferry was full and there was no trace of consequent mask duty. We had a deck passage, so no cabin - that would have doubled the price. So we got to know the ship, ate something, drank something, read and passed the time also with some sleep.

5 hours delay meant: Instead of the planned arrival at 21.30 we were in Patras at 3.30 local time.  Now 50km to Messolonghi - we were on our ship at dawn - time for a glass of wine. Independent of the time of day.