Communique

s/v Emma.

D ATE : 29.08.10
T IME : 22:25:27
L OCATION : 37 420 4000 N
◦

24◦ 30 4700 E
W EATHER : Sunny
W IND S PEED : 28.0 knots
WAVE H EIGHT: 2.0 m
V ISIBILITY: 12.0 NM

Heading Back

Hydra - wow! Everyone has to visit this place - it’s amazing, sun,
sea, sand, climbing, swimming, boutique shopping, artists, donkeys.
Such a beautiful place (even if it’s a nightmare to get into in a
yacht). Fantastic meal ashore with the other skippers including a
ride on a donkey before an early night to head back. Crew weren’t
pleased (again) as we had to start at 7am and it’s windy and rough.
They’re so knackered/hung over that I end up helming upwind for 7
hours - I love it, they hate it. Saw 2 pods of dolphins, a turtle and
some flying fish - God I love sailing!

Skippers had a final beer on the quay in Lavrio watching the crews
check the boats back in - there has been some damage during the week -
some of the crews seem amazed that they have to pay for what they’ve
done (Tip: read the paperwork you signed) My crew broke a broom and
lost a fender (they used it as a pillow without tying it on and it got
washed overboard) - charges seemed a bit steep (25 euros for a broom
handle?) so they set off in search of a hardware store and a
fisherman’s co-operative to buy replacements.

Final thoughts on the trip:

Boats:
The boats are very poorly specced. The safety equipment is a f***ing
joke - the lifejackets look like the kind the GIs wore at Omaha beach,
the boat, despite having crew harnesses, had no strong points to
attach them to, the VHF radio was powered by some nicely installed 1A
cable with a 750mA fuse, unfortunately when set to high power it draws
2.5A and immediately blows the fuse. Like many Bavarias, it had
difficulty sailing upwind in anything over 25 knots, not helped by the
fact that things that needed adjusting to help this were locked in
place. If they spent some money on these boats, they’d be a lot
better.

Crew:

Nice people, but the majority were here to dance, party and sunbathe.
This meant I’ve spent many hours effectively single-handed sailing a
big yacht. I’m knackered! Still at least I could convince them to
help park.

The Sailing:

Fantastic! Beautiful locations, beautiful islands, beautiful food.

Hydra is one of my highlights. This is such a good sailing location,
but beware the Meltemi winds, they’re boat-breaking.

The Company:

The major selling point is the DJs, the parties etc. but I think they
overlook their unpaid workforce a bit too much. They made some bad
decisions - I had words when in Plaka, and I didn’t think their
handling of the high winds on day 1 and 2 was well done. They put
skippers in a very awkward position and openly criticised skippers who
took the decision not to depart (personally, I think I made a mistake
going out, a couple of other skippers think they made the same
mistake). The party when anchored in a secluded bay got out of hand -
whilst the skippers met for a BBQ, the crews got massively drunk, when
on a raft of boats 50 miles from the nearest medical facilities, and
started trying to climb the masts. This was a bit too risky if you
ask me.

Me:

I learnt a load, my confidence is higher, and I loved the sailing.

Will I do it again? Yes! Will I do it with this company? I don’t know
- I need to think. I’m hoping to keep in contact with some of the
skippers - they were fun.

Anyway - Blighty, cold, sausage sandwich, real beer!

Emma Out.