Travel Details to date … Facts and figures
44 journeys in 77 days
47 days of sailing.
1122 nautical miles
150 hours of motoring
650 litres of fuel purchased with 150 litres left in the tanks
1 fish caught. (we seriously need bigger fishing hooks … I need to become a better fisherwoman!)
Seas crossed
:
Adriatic Sea
Strait of Otranto. (near Albania)
Ionian Sea
We haven’t ran out of gas yet … we have no idea how much we have in kitchen gas bottle (10.8kg)
We also have a gas BBQ which we inherited. We couldn't purchase the gas for the bottles that were on board so we bought local Greek camping gas and had a camping gas regulator bought out from the UK to fit it. Bazaar that we can purchase the gas cylinders but could not find a regulator to fit them anywhere. Luckily we had family visiting so we purchased one in the UK that we reckoned would do the job ... and it did!
We have used a laundrette once.
We have eaten out 8 times
We have dragged the anchor twice. (With our new anchor once ... it doesn't really like weed). We realise now that we have to test it and make sure we are confident it is in and fixed. (It gives a resounding bounce back feel when you pul against it).
We have stayed along side a quay 6 times and been anchored the rest of the time.
We have had rain on three days out of 77 days
We have spent €600 a month on groceries (a lot more than we ever used to spend). Food is expensive here but it does have a hell of a journey to get to these little islands.
We have drank 125 litres of bottled water.
We can go a maximum of 9 days with 250 litres of tank water (washing and cooking). We don’t drink it except if boiled first. We do now do a lot more washing in the sea (ourselves not clothes). And we are wearing less clothing because it is too hot to wear much here in July and August. We have filled the water tanks 9 times to date.
We have learnt two words in Greek … this is appalling and will be changed right now!
Things I want to achieve in the next few months:
- I would like to read up about Greek history as the islands seemed to have been occupied by all and sundry of the centuries.
- I would like to understand the farming here. Who milks the goats.
- Learn more Greek.
77 days and using a washing machine only once during those 77 days? Or do you have one installed on board? It's certainly possible to wash clothes by hand, but of all the modern household electric equipment I believe the washing machine is perhaps the most important ... only second to the fridge. Doing a proper laundry by hand is ... a lot of work!
We inherited a little portable washing machine thing ... but it only does a few things at a time and uses a lot of water. I am used to doing our 'smalls' by hand because I found the marina machines soon wrecked my nice lacy underwear. Out in the Med of course we are wearing less and less clothes as the days get hotter. I don't mind a weekly wash. I also wash pillow cases etc in my hair washing water, I will make every excuse possible not to use a laundrette. Here in Greece our clothes and sheets dry in no time.
I haven't yet tried the real sailors wash method of dragging your clothes behind you in a net bag as you sail along. I am looking forward to trying that .... but only heavy duty jeans etc of course!
Oh. I also haven't tried that. Think I've heard of that. I can't imagine the clothes will feel quite fresh after such a salt-water rinse followed by drying.
no .... more like cardboard, I expect. I will try it with the dog towels first I think.