Boat Issues in Mykonos

The marina we were in was behind those cruise liners

Our time in Mykonos Harbour continued to be full of fun and games.  Everyday entertainment was provided by snagged anchors and crossed chains.  We were not immune to providing this entertainment.  The day after we arrived we thought we would have another go at going stern-to onto the pontoon in the morning when the winds were calmer.  This didn’t work for the northerly pontoon but we managed to moor on the southerly pontoon.  At least we were stern-to but the southerly pontoon is not the best for the prevailing winds which come from the north.  

Later that morning a hired professional skipper of a moored boat across from us came over to inform us that he thinks we had crossed over his anchor chain.  He said his clients went for a swim but should be back in an hour or so and then he was leaving the marina.  So we delayed our trip into town to wait for the clients return to assist in untangling anchor chains.

One of the many ferries zipping around the harbour

In the meantime we saw an opening which would allow us to go side-on to the dock.  We decided to go for it while we could.  As we were lifting the anchor we managed to uncross our chain from the other boat but then the anchor got snagged in a thick mooring line that runs down the center of the harbour between the two pontoons.  I quickly donned my wet suit and dove down the anchor chain to see if I could free the anchor.  The anchor was down too deep and I could not hold my breath long enough.  Plus the anchor was well and truly snagged and I would not have been able to lift it.  So we were stuck in the harbour until a diver could come and free the anchor.  At least we didn’t have to worry about our anchor dragging.  We were well and truly set in.

We should have anchored like these boats instead of going into the marina

Our first errand was to try to find a sail maker to fix our mizzen sail which had ripped along the leech edge.  We found a chandlery at the top of the hill above the town.  It was a hot, steep walk carrying a sail.  It is a puzzle why a chandlery would be so far from the harbour?  Apparently there were no sail makers in town to fix the sail but the man at the chandlery made a few suggestions of upholstery repair shops which might help.  We took a taxi to the shop and the man was very helpful and made a repair as we waited.  He had limited English but was eager to show us examples of his work on boats.  He was not a sail maker but did very nice upholstery on boats.  

We asked the shop owner to call for a taxi and he rang his mate Costas, a rogue of an old gentleman who showed up with a motorcycle –trailer with three little stools to sit on.  We climbed into the rickety trailer with our sail and groceries and held on for dear life as he took us up and down the back hills of Mykonos.  When we finally arrived at the harbour Bob knelt down and kissed the ground.  Costas thought it was great fun to give us a scare!

Costas zooming through the back streets

The pained smiles are hiding pure terror

We got back to the boat and put up the ‘repaired’ mizzen sail.  A new rip appeared just above the repaired spot.  It looks like the 12 year old mizzen is beyond fixing and a new sail is needed.  We will have to sail for the next few weeks without a mizzen until we put up the boat for repairs.  Our time in Mykonos has got to start improving!