Now we are in Gerakas, a tiny village in a fjord a little north of Monemvasia. The small blue and white houses are reminiscent of the Aegean. Above the entrance to the fjord are the ruins of the ancient acropolis Zarax. Pure idyll!
We had said goodbye to our visitors, Annegret and Christoph, the day before in Monemvasia. It was a wonderful time for the four of us, although completely different from what we had planned. We wanted to sail in small stages in the Argolic Gulf. On the first day of sailing, we had to motor a bit. The engine failed. We had already reported about that.
As it turned out, it was due to the contents of the two diesel tanks. We feared diesel plague, i.e. microbes that form sponges in the tanks. Willi, the mechanic called in by the Coastguard, pumped about 150 litres of diesel out of our two tanks. Probably no diesel plague, but lots of sludge at the bottom of the tanks. It must have accumulated over the years. It all had to come out. All two tanks were cleaned and filled with "good" diesel licensed by Shell. 300 litres. That's a real blow to the boat's budget. But we want to sail and not motor. So hopefully we won't need a new tank filling any time soon.
The whole thing took three days. A lot of work for the mechanic, a really nice person, although we had a hard time communicating. He no English, we no Greek. But he has a brother who lived in Berlin for ten years. So there was translation work by mobile phone from time to time. Yesterday everything was ready. And dear Willi came over especially to give us a bottle of olive oil and a bottle of wine, surely from his own production. At least he assured us that the wine doesn't make a head. After our experiences with him, we take his word for it.
Fortunately, Annegret and Christoph were there with a rental car. This made excursions into the surrounding area possible. In a very uncomplicated and spontaneous way, they got to know what there was to discover here - from the bakery in the neighbouring village, which also sells very good olive oil, to the drive into the mountains and through the villages. Not to mention the many flowering plants they determined. And they cooked super tasty meals, which you probably hardly ever manage in the patry of a boat. And then there was the live on-board music every evening. It was great with you both! Thank you!
