VIII - Life back in Kas Marina.

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VII - Back into Turkey.

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I - Life back in Kas Marina (2015).

Log Entry Monday 3rd November - Our so called friends turn up to make sure we leave?

Well, we have certain formalities to complete this morning, then Sailaway is shut up, covered up before we leave for quite a period this time. Baylis, always returns to the UK with us, he sits in the car for every mile we drive. For the return trip, my drive back to the UK from Kas last year, for 3000 miles there was only Baylis and I. Baylis needs to say good bye to Plant, we then drop Plant off with Mick & Pepi, Mick will run Plant up to Ian and Adrianne's for the duration until we return. Plant is no stranger to travel either, she drove from the UK to Kas (circa 5000 miles) last year with us, being at that time no taller than the white plastic label in the pot?

Sailaway is then, eventually sealed up, all sea cocks closed, all services disconnected and left, she looked so sad?

Friends turned up to say good bye, until the moment the car left we laughed and joked around - good friends.

Log Entry Sunday 2nd November - Our last night on Sailaway.

We met up with friends in Meymekan's for Happy Hour, a few beers and farewells, then back to Sailaway for dinner. The night's are now cooling down and very damp, very uncomfortable for my knees. For the last couple of nights we have used our oil lamps to heat down below - perhaps a little too much heat at times?

Log Entry Friday 31st October - Jennifer's birthday, another evening on Talisman.

We celebrated John's birthday on the 24th, tonight it is Jennifer's turn, we are invited back onto Talisman.

Ann and I arrive, in Ann's usual tormenting manor, she cook's Jennifer a jacket potato and decorates it with candles as she did for John. Out of devilment and her knowledge of John's love for the same, a second potato is prepared, only to be offered to John after the presentation to Jennifer - some friend she is?

We had seen Andy & Val earlier, Andy had been working on a birthday son for Jennifer. With Andy on the guitar and Ian on the mouth organ the song sheets are handed around - what a brilliant performance!

Then, of coarse, the traditional cake!

Log Entry Wednesday 29th October - The packing away of Sailaway continues.

On Monday we left the yard wall, pumped out our waste water tanks and returned to our berth in the marina. Before leaving the wall we placed the dinghy on the foredeck, where we store it for long periods. Prior to covering over, a few bits of TLC (tender love and care) to see it over till our return, the rain is on it's way, black skies coming?

Log Entry Saturday 25th October - Peter's flight home today!

Peter is to picked up for the airport around mid day, time to reflect on the week, achievements and of coarse his visit next year, where ever we are?

We spent some time down on the waterfront chatting, then, moved up to one of our favourite street cafes for lunch - no, not chicken shish for Peter, chicken wrap?

Log Entry Friday 24th October - More rain during the night, but things looking good for Peter's last day.

Peter walked down, it was market day, we had hoped he would get the chance to walk him around it but with the weather closing in we had little time?

Once again we had heavy electric storms during the night, we knew the power was lost a number of times during the night as I could hear the marina generator "kick in".

Again, when Peter arrived we were already at it, re-attaching all of the fittings, no issues with water ingress last night, the hard work is paying off.

As late afternoon approaches we had little to do other than chat and watch the boat yard fill up with numerous vessels turning up to be lifted out for the winter.

To night we were invited to John's (of Talisman) birthday, a mere 71 years young - not sure I should be broadcasting that? One of John's favourites is "Jacket Potatoes", Ann had prepared one for him, well, I did help a little. We place into it three candles only as it was cooked enough, lit them and sang "Happy Birthday" to John at the bow of Talisman.

We heard very little from John for about twenty minutes as he tucked into his potato, not even an offer to share? The chatter and humour bounced around the cockpit, in time his real birthday cake appeared!

Unable again to walk far, we left Talisman and walked again up to Meymekan for dinner, our last evening together before Peter,s flight tomorrow. Peter gained another plus, a further addition to his beer glass collection, this time "Tuborg".

It has been an extremely hard and tiring week, with a great deal achieved, thank you for your assistance with that Peter.

Log Entry Thursday 23rd October - A horrific down pour during the night reveals more work to do!

Peter's walk down gives him a view as what the level of rainfall was during the night, flooding every where.

We were already at work when he arrived, we had numerous fitting removed from the deck to ease the repairs and painting, all of the holes left by the missing fasteners let in water. On top of that we discovered a further section of known corrosion needing attention, we could not abandon Sailaway without repairing first, the damage over the winter would be horrendous? On top of all that we also had two leaking windows, a positive point of last nights flooding was that it would show any flaw any where?

The next couple of days forecast had changed significantly, rain, rain and more rain, we had to work fast. Thank goodness we had fitted the new plate on the stern quarter yesterday, the ingress of water through that aperture would have been disastrous. The rear quarter was now looking good, and, to take Peter's existing record further, we found another footprint in the paint - that was five times in less that 24 hours? He tried to blame Ann so I told her of his intension's?

The required front repairs was under the dorents and vetus vents, I removed the hardware and took some dimension. Peter went up to the fabricators and had him make a 5mm plate to suit. With a good price and delivery made, only three hours, Peter and I set about preparing the area in between showers. During the heavier showers we covered the hole with the bowl from the galley sink.

With the plate in our possession Ann and I set upon welding it in place, Peter was on "fire watch". It took a couple of attempts as some of the showers were significant, I would stop welding when Ann received an electric shock - she was my canary that miners used down the mines? Just joking obviously she only received one small shock during the entire period.

Dinner was a very easy choice for me this evening, on board, not even a shower walked too! Still another jolly evening passed quickly.

Log Entry Wednesday 22nd October - The efforts begin to look as if they are drawing to a close?

Ann ploughs ahead with the painting, hindered by Peter, or, predominantly by his feet! Over the coarse of the day, four times he stands in wet paint, this has to be some form of record.

I work on another of the jobs, a removal, and reinstalling of one of the anchor windless switches, an endless form of rust re-appearing? Peter focuses on our storage box, and varnishes, Ann paints around us both and now the showers too!

Once again the day disappears and darkness falls, Peter stilled crazed by the quality of his very first chicken shish, not his second, third or forth, he pushes for us to return to the first venue in the harbour.

And that's what we did - ignore the miserable git!

Log Entry Tuesday 21st October - More work, Peter is really enjoying his holiday now!

With the full extent of the damage to Sailaway's port quarter understood, we need to grind, sand and weld, all of which cannot be under taken in the marina so we agree with the marina management to move over onto the yard wall. We can work away to our hearts content there, once over on the wall we move every thing from the rear to forward deck.

Peter arrives and after his traditional coffee sets about breaking into the corrosion, then grinding and smoothing off. Some thought is put into this area regarding it's repair as the area is above the autopilot control module and it's harness runs directly underneath. I am reluctant to un install the system and remove it's harness, nor would I risk welding over head of it? I decide to plate this section using countersunk fasteners as apposed to welding, with a plan we move forward.

I cut 5mm plate into the required dimensions on the quay, Peter drills it off while Ann cleans up the stainless framework.

With the rear quarter prepped, and the plate positioned it's matching holes drilled and tapped, but a second area of corrosion is discovered. I cut a further plate, weld it on and fill in. Ann is now able to move in and paint a minimum of three coats before we fasten the plate and stanchions down. Both sides of the plate is also painted simultaneously on the quay.

With darkness falling and a couple of beers opened, one look down below makes our decision to eat out very simple. At least that way we have little clearing up to do before climbing into bed this evening?

The choice of venue is straight forward - "the closest" we opt for Meymekan's in the marina complex.

It was a good evening to close off good results for the day, not sure who this "miserable git" is but his face is not reflective of the evening or company - just a tired, sore gent!

Log Entry Monday 20th October - Work, work, work and more work!

Peter's holiday is now over, we said we would meet him on the out skirts of town, just across from where we intended to have the tie bar straightened, Ann and I bring the tie bar with us.

The shop is open, we had previously arranged on Friday with Ramazan, to bring the bar to him - he understood our needs. Ramazan and a colleague quickly stuck into the task of straightening the tie bar, within 15-20 minutes it looked good to us! It actually bolted straight back into place with the minimum of effort, great savings on having a new bar fabricated.

We were back on board Sailaway within an hour of leaving - next job to do! We had to remove the rear port side pushpit as it too had been bent, two stanchions had been leaking corrosion too, they had to come off. This meant the removal of sections of interior roof and cupboard panels below, while I did this Peter sanded down our deck storage box for varnishing.

The deck stainless was then removed, the push pit was not only bent but an area of the deck to which it was mounted must have been some what corroded - the vessel that hit us had pushed it's foot through the deck. The removal of the stanchions revealed corrosion, welding, grinding and painting required? Ann too had been busy, Sailaway looked like the outside of a Chinese Laundry!

With the day over, we ate on board Sailaway in the marina - no chicken shish for Peter, the nearest Ann could get was chicken wraps and salad, with beer of coarse.

Log Entry Sunday 19th October - We meet Peter for breakfast, then, it's almost time for hard to work!

We met with Peter for breakfast in the Anoitli Hotel on Kas seafront, a beautiful setting over looking the Greek island of Kastellórizon, a lovely morning too. We sit chat and drink coffee, before we know it, it is lunch time, time for a short walk down to the harbour.

The square is relatively quiet, still relatively early for tourists, it is now just a case of where Peter eats his next chicken shish?

The venue is chosen, next door to that of last night, the food although good, does not equal that of last night!

Now, after some hours of catching up, the niceties are now over - down to the marina for work to be done, Peter's real reason for his visit!

Once in the marina, Peter re-familurise's himself with Sailaway, just over one year since his last visit, where does the time go? The first job is to dismantle the rear port side tie bar supporting the solar panel frame and davits that carry our dinghy. The tie bar was the most obvious causality of our damage while at anchor at Rodos, I hope to have it straightened by one of the small workshops in town tomorrow, worst case, re-manufactured?

The tie bar is removed and dropped down onto the pontoon, darkness is falling and there are strong winds forecast for this evening and during the night, Peter rolls back and secures our boom cover that we use for shading our cockpit from the sun.

Before Peter's arrival he had set us a challenge, to find some where where we can eat, drink and watch the Green Bay Packers play American football? We qualified on all three but at half time the transmission was lost, possibly due to the passing storm? Still, Green Bay, had an impressive lead at half time, Peter, fortunately, was able to keep up with progress via his smart phone. Peter also had a further plus to the evening, he was able to add to his personal beer glass collection (legally) "EFES" this time.

Log Entry Saturday 18th October - Peter arrives safely, a chicken shish kebab to source.

It was good to see Peter again after twelve months and he looked so well, he arrived at the hotel as planned, threw his bags into his room and then?

Ann and I had a small wager, I believed that after the "greeting" the first thing Peter would crave for would be a chicken shish kebab - I won clearly!

Time was now getting on, we walked down to the harbour and the town square in search of Peter's chicken shish, lots of chat to catch up with.

We found a venue and sat with a couple of drinks, we had eaten much earlier as we do so, unfortunately we could not join him. There appeared to be a celebratory recognition in the square of Peter's arrival and his chicken shish - fireworks, he thanked us for them!

Log Entry Saturday 11th October - We are after nine weeks, back in Kas Marina, we have Peter arriving Saturday and plenty of work for him to do!

We popped into town to pick up some "bits and pieces" we sat in the "Papa Noel" cafe in the harbour and reflected on the last two months out of Kas, the breakages, the damage, my knees? Sailaway is well maintained if I say so myself - all down to bad luck, or perhaps age? Realistically, probably a bit of both, although age almost certainly with regards to engine and gearbox, engine 1986, the gearbox older, I have not been able to identify it's age? Ann and I are getting on too!

Still, looking forward, we have our friend Peter arriving from the USA, he has enjoyed past visits with us, this one will be slightly different, instead of sailing, Peter will be fixing, unpaid of coarse - who could ask for more?