52 AEGEAN RALLY..... WHAT HAPPENED ?... WHY WE WILL NOT RACE AGAIN .....

The 2015 Aegean Rally was a bust... After preparing for the event, booking rooms at the Islands that would be visited, arranging for crew transportation... the organizing body HORC cancelled the event 10 days before the start gun.... so that now all our deposits on rooms,etc where lost... The resultant cost loss was extreme, had the HORC cancelled 15 days before the start gun then deposits could have been saved, and we would not have lost so much money.

This was how my Aegean rally started... I had invited fellow crew members to come and race with us in the 52 Aegean Rally. I had gathered 10 of some of the better sailors that have come though the sailing school and offered them a chance to go and race with the big boys. Full on, no holds, a professional operation, Rooms in all the ports of call to stay in, meals on board when racing meals ashore at venues, supplied by the organizer.. a very professional event.. Crew uniforms, plus training before the event so that the crew would become one ...

What Happened ..
Well once the cancellation was issued,  we went into a bit of a daze... in the following days the HORC was bombarded with complaints ... the economic crisis should not effect sailing, the bank closures would not stop racing, similar rhetoric was forth coming. So finally they conceded and offered to run 2 weekend courses and call this the Aegean Rally. The first weekend race would take place on the original start date and the second weekend race would follow a week later... what happened in between was up to the individual boat..
I was committed, I had 8 individuals coming to Europe from all over the world, and had to some how provide them with entertainment , sailing big winds and competition..
Crew arrived and we went though training, including the tricky dip pole gybe on the spinnaker.. actually it went very well .. at the dock... and when we went out that first day if went just as well. Mind you it was not blowing the 20-30 knots it would on the race but it went well... Second and third days training went along with out a hitch with crew member getting to know each other and confidence was building in the crew.. the day arrived for our trip to Athens and final race inspection.. as well as the skippers meeting.
The HORC had convinced the Greek Navy to loan the Battleship Averof for the skippers meeting and cocktail party, it was a nice event with plenty of food and drink as well as a well presented outline of the courses.  The next day loomed on us and we had a few issues still to take care of on board least of all was a mainsail that had blown the first reef... all was at hand and was being repaired as the crew was enjoying itself. The following morning the crew replaced the main back on to the boom and we where ready to race.

The First Race...
It was blowing, when I say blowing, wind speeds at the start line hit 30 knots just for openers , the RC laid a long start line with a windward mark to turn around before we went down wind to the North tip of Hydra island. The start was off Falrio Marina with the windward mark close to the the retaining quay off Flisvos. To say that these where survival conditions would not be wrong we opted for a no3 and one reef, which made us over powered in the gusts but otherwise where OK. The start was a bit of a joke, the RC basically sent off everyone together with no class separation. We had a decent start 3 over the line and 4th around the windward mark. It was at this point we had to decide spinnaker or no spinnaker, it was a solid 35 knots true down wind Apparent wind was hit 27 knots, and we where already surfing with just the main and jib up...

I had promised the crew a ride and so we did it, hoisted the 2.2 storm chute and went for it... blew the reef out and off we went like a bat out of hell !! Boat speed jumped from 9 knots under main and Jib, to over 13, 14 knots with the chute up... and we where flying...  we quickly caught up the yachts who opted for white sails passed them and then set out to catch the only 3 other yachts who set chutes... this is where things got interesting as we did finally catch up with them by the windward mark (some 35NM down course), how ever there consistent high boat speeds finally beat us on corrected time... (more about how that works later ).
Needless to say K3 performed extremely well, she is stable at high speeds and does not roll excessively, we surfed waves and manged not to wipe out at all... off Aegina Island wind speeds became very gusty, with recorded gusts hitting 47 knots, and still the chute hung in there... actually it became and issue the chute is up, and the only way it was coming down again was for some one to cut it down,(which was not going to happen!!)....
We reached the North tip of Hydra and where in a solid second place with the IRC yachts still not in site, a very successful gybe in heavy air ( all those practices we did guys), took us around the corner of Hydra and in to BIG seas and gusty wind conditions, steering was getting tough and we did almost wipe out several times, but thanks to a rudder that goes down 2.60meters and some luck we manged to stay on our feet...
All this action and it was still only 5 pm in the afternoon, we had sailed some 38 nm in less than 4.5 hours... not bad all in all.. however the pay back was about to begin...

The spinnaker take down was a little rugged, .... yes it went in the water and was almost a shrimp net but through some quick thinking by the fore deck crew most of it ended up on deck.  We turned the mark and started the chase for first place.... we had up a No 3 and a reefed main, boat speed was in the high 7's low 8's, how ever the seas conditions made for a very square and rough ride.
The return back to the finish was shaping up to be long slog up hill... dusk fell and we where still on the heals of the lead boat, he was easily in sight and closing slowly...by the time it got dark we had lost him to view, but still had him on the web site transponder, he went further west than we wanted to go, we hung on to a more rhumb line course in the hope of closing distance. 

The finish line was set off the point of Voulagemei, and we hit the coast west of the line which meant that we still had to tack up to the line in order to cross. I had been following the lead boat, and going west more had paid off as he had pulled away somewhat, but was still insight, however a second yacht had creeped ahead of us and was some minutes ahead... we crossed the line 12.45 minutes behind the leader and 3 minutes behind second place, which made us third across the line.

The Final Results

In most international races world wide the handicap system is based on a time over distance correction, based on the size of yacht. There are other factors also to consider but essentially these are the criteria. The race was run under the IMS/ORC handicap system, (which as far as a handicap system goes, is truly mystifying). The K3 was second from the bottom in our class as far as handicap was concerned, with all the other yachts (12) owing us time.

The race course was over 45 miles long... the yachts that crossed in front of us owed us a considerable amount of time, and when corrected out we should have them and finish on top. Unfortunately the Greek interruption of the handicap system has alot to be desired... it seems that the greeks take a few more calculations in to effect when they calculate the final handicap, amongst them is the average wind speed that the yacht sailed in (how they guess that is a mystery), guessing the wind speed for each yacht over a 45 mile course is a good trick, almost impossible...
Koralia 3 corrected out 4th in class, which quite honestly is ridiculous given the distance/time we finished behind the leaders. 

Greek racing is reserved for those upper class greeks that have joined a yacht club and found a yacht that they can race on. The cross section of competitors and questionable yacht owners reflect the state of private yachting in Greece. 
Until such time when clubs openly encourage outside competitors, and the handicap system comes in to line with accepted international practices, racing a foreign yacht in the Aegean Rally will make it impossible to win against the Greek system. 

5 VERY GOOD VIDEOS ABOUT IMPORTANT SAILING TECHNIQUES...

These videos demonstrate very well various sailing techniques that you will learn with our sailing school when you join on of our "BARE-BOAT SKIPPERS' 10 day course.

Sailing on and Off your Mooring

Sail Shape Part 1

There’s a big difference between setting your sails and trimming your sails, using your boat’s controls to tweak the canvas and provide you with the best ride possible. In this video, we explore the concept of draft, or the amount of curvature in the sail, and how controls like the outhaul, backstay, forestay and jib car position effect both its location and depth.

Sail Shape Part 2

The second of two videos focusing on trim, this video employs more great on-water video to give a better idea of how sail controls like the outhaul, halyards and jib lead effect the various curves comprising overall sail shape in the interest of maximizing performance.

Retrieve a Man Overboard

Knowing how to single handedly navigate your way through a man-overboard scenario is absolutely necessary if you want to be a sound and safe sailor, confident in your abilities to sail even with just one other person. Here are two methods you can use to get back to your victim and get them back aboard

Master Slab-Reefing

When the breeze kicks up, that’s no reason to go back to harbor. Instead, learn how to reef safely, even if you’re sailing alone, and you’ll be able to minimize your sail and stay on the water when it’s blowing. In this tutorial, we review the basics of how and when to slab-reef your mainsail.

Memories of a Great sail.....

Memories of a Great sail....

 

 Its winter and sitting behind the desk in the office made me think about the time a few years back when I took a New J boat from Athens to Paros island. The trip was suppose to be a quick delivery... My self and a couple of friends, well add on the owner and his friends and there friends and all of a sudden we had 8+ people.... what follows is the video we took after passing though the Kea - Kithonos Channel, forecast had been for 5-6 out of the North what greeted us after the channel was 8-9 Beaufort rolling seas and a down wind sleigh ride to Paros..... I watch this video and it puts a smile back on my face.........

Ryan Breymaier Ocean Racing

A great video describing a passion for ocean racing that I definately support and understand, it's a short video well worth the quick look...

mile building information at www.athenssailingacademy.com

ASA SCOTLAND SUMMER CRUISE 2013

The ASA cruise to Scotland, actually started a few days before the guests arrived on June29th. An advance team left Athens, and flew into Glasgow on the 25th and started checking over the area, talking to the agents in Largs and visiting the yacht club where the Opening evenings Dinner reception would take place. Capt.Chandler had meetings with the Flotilla guide 'Muir Anderson". He immediately gave JC the update on problems including the conflicts we would have with the Fife Regatta, when we sailed to Rothesay on the first day. Alternative arrangements have since been made.
What yachts where in harbor have been inspected and checked over, the marina has very good facilities and an excellent yacht club with unbelievable views of the area and surrounding bay... we are almost all set to go... just need our sailors and then we can begin this adventure...

Saturday arrived, and the crew gathered at the Holiday express Inn. Because of increased airport security we had to abandon the "bus" idea and use smaller private MPV's (Multi person Vechiles), that could carry 6-8 persons. By 1030 all crew members had been dispatched to Largs and the adventure was under way. The first day was going to be a list of forms collecting gear, fitting out of foul weather gear and the mandatory check out of the yacht and familiarization of the yacht systems. By late after noon all crews and skippers where on their yachts and had provisioned and finished all formalities.

Dinner had been arranged for the crews at the local yacht club, so by 5pm everyone was at the club bar meeting and chatting with each other. A beautiful mixed buffet of seafood and cold cuts awaited everyone for dinner which was followed by a brief out line of what was to happen the next day.

The Fife Regatta was due to start there race series the same day we would leave on sunday. Our Flotilla guide suggested that we hang back and watch the start then follow at our own pace. So sunday started watching the start of 100 year old yachts jousting for position on a start line like americas cup pro's.... all very exciting as the weather was starting to freshen and signs of fog and rain  appeared from over the hills.

Around  noon was when we slipped our lines in Largs and set off with the rest of the flotilla into a freshen wind, gusting 25-27 knots and drizzle. Skipper Charlie called for the first reef and 50% genoa un-furled. We sailed around the bay in front of the marina while the rest of the flotilla came out. Finally we all had our sails sorted and off the group went head for the Port of Bannatyre, just north of Rothesay. half a beat to the head land of Cumbrae

The sail was in drizzle and gusting winds with the first half being a tacking  exercise. The flotilla had to round the southern part of Cumbrea before heading north to Port Bannatrye. Today was a good chance for everyone to get to know thier yachts, as it was a blustry day and wet. It took us in our little Jeanneau some 4 hours to complete the trip, being rewarded at the end by spectacular sights of the green hills and vistas of the scotish highlands... the rain soon stopped and by early evening the sun poked it's head out. Port Bannatrye was a sleepy town on a Sunday evening, not having much in the way of tourist facilities so this crew spent the evening and ate on board.

Day 2 started with wonderful sunshine beaming though the main hatch, to day was going to be a sail around the isle of Bute and on to Loch Ranza...what no one knew where the special surprises that lay in store along the way..
Firebird and Swift where the first yachts to clear the marina and ambled out to clear water to hoist thier sails, the remainder of the flotilla slowly slipped there lines and joined in the procession up the channel around the Isle's of Bute.
The Fife yachts had been moored in Rothesay just south of us. As we started our tacking course we could see the old yachts starting to gain on us. It was not long before "Swift" and our yacht "FireBird" , where in the thick of the Fife Yachts. it seemed that every tine we tacked we had another old yacht on our quarter or looking to exercise it's starboard right of way. It made for some very interesting sailing. All this excitement and the area we where sailing inn was spectacular, the sun even shone on us for most of the day.

After rounding the Isle's we head south for the bay on Loch Ranza. The Isle of Arran is the home to Arran single Malt Whisky, and still has a very active and modern distillery in the village at Loch Ranza..first yacht into the Loch was "Swift" and they pretty quickly organized them selves , caught the local bus and where just in time to catch the last tour of the day. The rest of the yachts arrived and moored up to buoys set by the locals in the bay. It defiantly was a case of inflate your rubber ducks fellow sailors, as that is the way to get to shore. Most of the crew had not been in a pub now for nearly 36hours and signs of yearning where becoming evident. Rubber ducks where quickly inflated and crews disappeared off to the pub and a good meal.
As things progressed in the evening locals chatted with sailors, and it was not long before a little live entertainmant was conjured up. Skipper Richard Byrnes plays in a Celtic band on his USN base in Naples, at the pub he found a guitar and played afew songs solo.It was not long before a local couple joined in with thier talents... a celtic fiddle, a penny whistle and some spoons, along with Richards guitar had alll the pub patrons dancing and tapping with thier feet.
The evening drew to a close and by midnight everyone was headed back to there yachts.. It had been a magical day, from the outset, starting with glorious sunshine, sailing with the Fife Yachts around the Isles of Bute, arriving in Loch Ranza and going to a whisky distillery and then finally getting involved with the locals in a Celtic musical Jam . Great way to end the second day here in Scotland, Tomorrow is another day and the prospect of seeing Tarbert is exciting.

Day 3
I woke to the sound of a howling wind, the boat was swinging and tugging at her mooring lines. It sounded like a thousand ants where marching on the deck,  thankfully it was just hard rainthat was pounding the deck..... Good Morning and welcome to Loch Ranza mooring field. Our little fleet of ASA yachts are all tied nicely in a line in the visitors area... The weather outside suck's!!!!.... so this is Scotland in summer....hmmm... remind me next time to read the brochure more closely.... Skippers meeting at 0930....

Well the weather is not about to improve, the pluses are ... with this wind its a down wind sleigh ride to Tarbert, the village is only 18 miles away and we have a nice marina with facilities to use after what will be a wet ride there.
General consensus was to use just the Foresail to get there as wind speeds had already hit 28knts in the bay and would undoubtedly hit 30 +...
Our intrepid sailors set off one at a time all dressed in full foul weather gear and safety harness visible. It really was not until we had cleared the lee of the island did we start to feel the full force of the winds and see the size of the waves.... these seemed more than normal and often would contribute to an occasional round out.

The trip to Tarbert was quick thank fully, the wind made for high overall boat speeds, which soon brought us to the entrance. The harbour is tucked way inland behind rocks and several significant navigation obstacles.  We found the entrance and followed a fishing vessel into the harbour to be sure .
The village is predominantly a commerical fishing harbour, with most of the catch going to Glasgow.... some of the local restaurants also buy from the fisherman.
Returning back to the pub it was evident that the local talent was going to have another sing along in pubs along the is harbour.
These sailors retired back to their yacht as it was time to take stock and prepare for the sail down to Campbelltown over 35 miles to run...

DAY 4
Rain and more rain, drizzle the worse kind of rain as it just hangs in the sir for you to sail into and get wet, it gets behind the glasses you wear, trickles down your neck....finds it's way up your selves and just makes things wet, cold and miserable... Oh why do we do this to our selves ? In search of what ?....what is worse is that you have half the visibility and can not see much, not even the wonderful landscape that you know is there, expect its blocked by the drizzle of the rain.... thats how we left Tarbert.....

However, if you wait 5 minutes the weather may change for the better.... and guess what it did, the further away we sailed from Tarbert the clearer and better it got... and yes there it was a funny looking yellow thing  bright and warmth coming from it.... 'here comes the sun'...(thank you George for that song) now I can really sing it with meaning...
Things where looking up, the drizzle had faded away, we had a delightful westerly breeze the boat was making way to Campbelltown, the kettle was on the boil and a hot mug of tea was on the way up to the helmsman... was this what I have been searching for ? may be....
It was going to be a long day, nothing complicated just pure sailing in what was shaping up to be great conditions... Flat to moderate seas, a steady 15-19 knots on the beam and yes the sun... peeking in and out from behind white cotton balls of clouds.

The landscape of Isle of Arran is spectacular, green fields, steep hills rising into small mountains, it looks as if someone has painted the landscape with shades of green and brown and golden yellow. The effect is to make look like a continual painting as you sail by....

We where half way down to Campbelltown and the day was turning into one of those that you want to keep going for ever.... What a start we had.... now it was all so far gone and forgotten... ahead was a new port new friends and new adventures... Campbelltown here we come....

  

\

Day 5

After a days sailing yesterday that ended with spectacular scenery, as we sailed into Campbelltown, and to be meet by a seal who guided the yachts into thier berths at the floating dock... the Skippers decided on a day to explore the town, and experience a little island life. Crews went in different directions quite a few headed for the various trails to be explored in the area, including the walk over to the light house island once the tide had gone down. 

Others went trekking around town exploring the shops and the local distillery at Spring single malt. Torridon's skipper went in search of Bag pipes and found a local Fish and Chip shop who's young son came down and played a medley of tunes for the assorted group. Later the local bagpipe school sent 2 other pipers to play in public outside the local town monument.. it was a moving experience to hear the bag pipes played so well.

The rest day was well timed as the weather for the last day was going to be perfect. a southerly and sun was promised..

Home ward bound.....

It was an early start,0830 we slipped lines at the dock and cleared the sea bouy an hour later. We had 42 miles to sail, with a predicted southerly to arrive. At the moment we where sailing nicely along with a west South west, skirting the southern part of the Isle of Arran before we headed north and set our sights on Larrgs and home port.    

The day developed into the best days run with warm sun heating up the cockpit, Crews where even seen to take off foul weather jackets and pants....now that was a first for the week... the flotilla arrived back in Larrgs by 4pm that afternoon, and it was a matter of gathering the yachts together on the pontoons and handing them back to the agent. That evening we all gathered at the local pub and had our last evening dinner together. Good byes where said and cries of lets do it again next year ......

SO SHALL WE DO IT AGAIN NEXT YEAR...... LET US KNOW HERE....

CHARTER A YACHT IN GREECE

WWW.SAILCHARTER-GREECE.COM

JUNE BARE-BOAT SKIPPERS COURSE AND EXTREME SPINNAKER TRAINING

About 2 weeks ago I was sailing in the Greek islands, with JC and several other students who where attending a bare boat skippers course. The sailing school 'Athens sailing academy' regularly runs 10 day live aboard sailing courses that cover most licensing requirements. Today's charter companies require that you have a current  charter skippers license in order to qualify for taking out one of there yachts on a bare boat basis.
Now there are companies that will let you charter with a note from your yacht club etc.. but the more serious companies and the ones with the better yachts want to see a real qualification... after all they are giving you a yacht valued at €150.000 to over €300.000 depending on the size, for you to go and crash around the Greek islands or where ever ? makes sense that they want to see something that indicates you have had some kind of training....

So I enrolled in the 10 day course that the Athens Sailing academy runs. Its a live aboard course, you have your own cabin with head,(bathroom), shower,etc...think of it as luxury camping with high quality linens and towels... the course is based out of Poros Island, and its here that you spend the first 3 days of your time learning about all the basic skills of sailing. JC has a selection of small yachts that are available though his friend Richard of "Greek Sails". This time we took a nice Jeanneau 32i for 3 days. Every body takes turns working the sails,learning how to tack and gybe the boat in the bay of Poros. A full day just doing that and then the next day its your turn at the wheel to skipper and repeat the first days tasks, the final day is spent practicing motor handling skills and emergency skills.. Man Overboard, Heaving too, stopping the yacht quickly (Crash Stop)...
It was a great 3 days playing around with the little boat I think every bodies confidence levels where boosted 100%... after that first night boarding K3 and looking at the size of everything, the winches are huge, the lines are massive 18mm genoa sheets. I was think to my self how the heck where we going to deal with all this on this monster yacht..
Now it all seems so rudimentary and straight forward, size just means more power, more power is more speed, which is good and like in a car more speed means more respect for the car/yacht and what you are dealing with....No problem..hmm

3 days into the course it's time for the first exam, ASA 101.... endless definitions , language questions, rules of the road... I found it a breeze mostly because I knew some of the stuff from reading novels about sailing... CS Forester and the Hornblower series, Although it seems the ASA does not use the Cat of Nine tails any more, they just train and hire instructors like JC....(that one will get me in trouble!!)...

So on the morning of the 4th day we weigh anchor  (actually slipped mooring lines, but weighed anchor seems more nautical)... and head out to see on K3. The training yacht is a 57ft ketch, fully optimised and ready to ocean race any where... her training sails where a fully battened mainsail with carbon fibre battens, a new hydranet fabric genoa, 135% or No.2... the mizzen and down below a selection of spinnakers and staysails which according to Jc we would be working with when the wind allows.

The plan was to head over to the Cyclades and find wind so that we could continue with sail training. Now that we where away from land it also gave us and opportunity to keep navigation watches and learn ore about the basics of navigation... starting with my easterly DR line and hourly position fixes using nothing more than compass and speed log. Course was set for Kithonos Island and off we went... a good wind out of the NNW had us reaching along under full sail at about 8.75 - 9.35, wind was a steady 18-20 knts with gusts to 22+...
Todays leg was going to be around 50/60 miles, and what you do not realize is that steering a large yacht by hand at speed takes alot of concentration and constant watching by crew members to sail trim and wind speed. In the gusts the K3 liked to lean over slowly and absorb the wind into her forward motion, as it became too much for her she would hint to the helm that she wanted to round up into the wind. The best trim adjustment was to give a little weather helm and easy her genoa first, followed by easing the mainsail traveller, before easing the mainsail.

Result more often than not was a jump in speed of 2-3 knots, all of which was very satisfying.

Our arrival at Loutra in Kithonos was some 6 1/2 hours after leaving Poros, fortunately it was early enough to get a good spot in the tiny harbor here. Later in the afternoon by 1800 the harbor was full, 3 large Lagoon cats doing a very effect job of blocking and filling 6 monohull spots with 3 cats... not what one may call effect use of harbor space..

Our stay in Loutra was short but very enjoyable Micheal from the Sofrano's "yacht Club" made our stay worthwhile with great draught beer and excellent food, his free wifi also made life easier for those of us wanting to skype home. The next day was going to be more of the same good winds and great sailing, heading down to Paros island and a rest stop as well..
We left the harbor and headed out into the bay to hoist sails, the wind was a clean 18 Tw out of the N-NW, which made it a great opportunity for us to hoist one for Chutes. That morning while waiting in harbor we had folded and tied the red 1.5 Asymmetrical  red spinnaker, as well as the 2.2 storm chute and the mizzen spinnaker. Jc had already given us instruction on how to hoist and control the sails, it now remained to see if we could do it ourselves.

Once clear of the island effects on the wind we set course for Paros entrance. Jc called for spin pole to be rigged low and for us to get 'Big Red' up on deck and ready for a hoist. Once she was all hooked up, Jc ran K3 off down wind and we hoisted the sail in the shadow of the mainsail. He slowly brought K3 up to course and we trimmed chute so that everything was drawing correctly. Boat speed jumped straight into the low teens, well before we had hoisted the mizzen. Once she was up the boat speed continued to climb, holding steady at 13.3.
Paros is about 45 miles south from Loutra and that morning the wind perfect for some downwind sailing and yacht sailing skills.
The NW had strength and we where now sailing in 25tw, with alot of canvas up and slowing down this wagon train would be a challenge....

end of Prt1

Now it's not often that a novice sailor find's himself with a group of like minded 
individuals, sailing full bore before a big wind on a yacht with all the sail possible 
hoisted.. folks it is a sight to see, I would have thought that it would have been quiet 
almost sirene. It's noisy wind really howling, it whistles around the bar tight lines, the 
noise of the sea is immense as the yacht surfs and pushes mountians of water out of her 
way as she scoots between the waves..
It was not long before the skippers voice was shouting at me, "Tom are you going to star 
gaze all day or would you like to join us and help sail this bitch...trimmmm.!!
I grabbed the two handed winch and start turning the drum, it was the main spinnaker 
sheet and fully taught, Vic was pulling at the business end of the line as he watched the 
main spinnaker leech curl and come back into shape.
JC was behind the wheel now, having replaced Mike who was sitting and looking aft as 
he watched the waves chase K3, while JC skillfully placed the yacht on each crest to 
maxize speed and stability... The cry of 'Trimm" came again from Vic as the main 
spinnaker started to collapse, the mizzen chute was already soft and had collapsed, I 
glanced down at the boat speed, 15.4,16, 16.6, we had caught a wave and where 
surfing, it was a big wave as we stayed on it for over 2-3 minutes before we slid off the 
back of it. All I could feel was my wet feet and the fact the yacht was now at a crazy 
angle, I was gripping the handle tight and winding like crazy as Vic was endeavoring to 
control the spinnaker, we had sailed into our own sails basically, and as we slid off the 
back of the last wave the yacht started to cork screw to windward. JC was fighting the 
wheel, trying to a-line her stern with the next incoming wave.... it was like a crazy dance, 
everyone scrambling to hold on as we rolled, others desperately trimming sails to bring 
her back under control... all played out in a matter of seconds....

The old girl started to come back under control as JC forced her nose down the next 
wave,he was screaming to dump the main sail and trim on the chute again... the mizzen 
crew did the same.. we had both sails spinnakers back under control and off we went 
again...only this time things seem a little more controlled...I turned again to look at the 
helm,.. be dammed if the skipper was lighting a cigar, and smiling...

The next few hours saw us knock off miles quickly, we where approaching a critical point 
where we had to gybe the boat and re set the spinnakers on the opposite side of the 
yacht. The wind had eased somewhat, but the seas where still up there 2-3 metres... 
boat speed was still high with spurts of 15-16 but constant 12-14 knts... the crew looked 
ragged and tired, I could feel my arms ache and I was starting to feel cool, after sweating 
so much earlier on now we had settled in to a routine with the sails and things seemed 
more controlled. The coming gybe would I'm sure create a little tension and excitement..
Lex the Crew boss was going around talking with us about what our role would be in the coming manouvre, he went over what would happen and how timing was most important... first things was to take down the mizzen spinnaker and the spinnaker staysail on the foredeck... once those where bagged, JC started to slowly turn the yacht down wind and the main chute was brought back square with the yacht ready for the gybe.....

ATHENS - TEL AVIV OFFSHORE TRAINING

The delivery and advanced ocean passage that the school has just finished has been an interesting experience in different sailing philosophies and safety at sea. The 
school in an attempt to broaden its winter income base, has expanded into the yacht restoration business. We maintain a winter maintenance crew that service our 
school yachts and also do a certain amount of freelance work. The current Greek crisis has meant the decline in school business has required we diversify into more broad 
yacht services. Using our highly skilled winter staff to do yacht restoration was a logical step.
Our first client has been an Old school student that bought a used charter yacht and then requested that we renovate it back to its original condition. This included new teak decks, new standing rigging, upgrading of deck gear and replacement of all running rigging. We also installed a fully comprehensive navigation package from Raymarine, that included their new radar/AIS/plotter interfaced computer screen, with all yacht instruments and the auto pilot. A truly one button navigation system. The system is also very addictive, and in my opinion will create some very bad habits, more about this later.

The owner of the yacht required that we deliver the yacht back to Israel once all work was completed. He was going to accompany the delivery crew with his 90 year old father. The crew was to be 6 but was shortened to 5 when a crew decided that the current situation in Tel Aviv made them uncomfortable. Our first leg was to be Athens to the island of Kos, where the yacht would refuel and then continue on to the remote island of Kastellorizo. Here the yacht and crew would check out of the EU and then continue out into international waters.

The trip started with a short shakedown sail to Poros island. It was a good chance to check out the new Raymarine toys and to do a more detailed tuning of the mast 
and new standing rigging. It was a good 5 hour sail in about 15-20 knts of breeze that came pretty much from all directions.

The following day was a hive of last minute adjustments, both to the rig and to the safety equipment. The yacht left late that afternoon heading out for the Cyclades 
island group and the further island of Kos. As the owner of the yacht was on board, he assumed the role of Captain with my self being more of an advisory role. The other crew members already had there  ASA and RYA licenses, so this was more a mile building exercise as well as offshore experience for them. The first night of any offshore sail is always one that has  sailors getting use to watch systems again as well as finding their sea legs. So a little irregular behaviour needs understanding and flexibility. I have always found that a good evening meal on the first night if possible goes along way to ensuring confidence and comfort for the coming nights watch.
When quizzed about watch our captain was fairly non-committal about what he wanted and said that it was better if everyone did what they felt like. He further went on 
to mention that food was not a priority with him and that a little bread and cheese was all he needed.  At first I was very disappointed with his answers, he had been 
one of our first students to come though the school, he already had a huge back ground of sailing but no real paperwork when he joined the school course back in 
2005. Since then he had completed this very same 'run' Greek islands to Israel some 5 times with his and other yachts.. so he was well aware of the changing weather 
patterns and changing sea states that one can encounter...

We finally arranged ourselves into 3 watches, 2 hours on and 4 off with the owner and father doing their own thing.. the yacht was extremely comfortable with a huge 
cockpit and cockpit table in the middle, long side benches that you could lie out on, full dodger and Bimini, and all major control lines lead back to the cockpit 
coaming allowing for easy dry access to trim and control the sails. Unfortunately the cockpit was so well sheltered that keeping a 'good' watch out at night meant alot 
of craning your head and neck around lots of supports and fabric... which is when the huge computer screen mounted by the helm station became a much more 
easier and dryer way of keeping a watch out.


The trip to Kos is about 190 miles as the crow flies, we logged 230nm with a couple of tacks thrown in. As a result it took us over 38 hours. The latter half of the trip  was in heavy rain and limited visibility.  The Raymarine package with its Chartplotter and interfaced AIS+radar was a very nice toy to have, making identifying shipping  and other objects a simple matter. However what it did not see was more troublesome, the local Greek fishing fleet do not carry AIS.... nor do there fishing long line markers or drift nets... making the old skill of looking at the sea and horizon ie:- keeping a watch still the primary skill to learn..
Once in Kos it was a short stop over with the crew taking a break ashore and looking for some breakfast while the owner took charge of refuelling the yacht. Some 
supplies where purchased but as the crew had not eaten a "Galley cooked meal' since the first night and where self-feeding themselves, not much in the way of 
immediate supplies had been consumed. The yacht was soon under way again this leg was to take us along the Turkish coast, north past Rhodes island and then to 
parallel the coast until we arrived at Kastollrozio island.

That evening was a busy time on watch, identifying shipping coming out of Rhodes and other ships heading to Rhodes. The weather again deteriorated to rain and squall fronts rolling off the Turkish coast. The Rhodes channel can at times have a heavy wind driven surface current running east west; this particular night it was  running at least 2-3 knots which made our SOG as little as 3knts at times. This is not a good speed to be trying to avoid shipping traffic, despite the fact we where  motor sailing for most of the time. Again the Raymarine AIS/Plotter package proved its worth, however it was still imperative to keep a physical eyes out over the horizon  watch and not become glued to this very addictive screen like some video game.

The rest of that evening was a mixture of squalls and washing machine like seas that caused the yacht to pound and bounce around the sea slowly on its way to 
Kastellorizio island.  Up to this point the yacht had been steered almost exclusively by auto pilot, with neither the owner nor our crew steering by hand for more than 
30 minutes. I think I had the most time on the wheel with our 12 hours since leaving Athens.
The rest of this delivery continued with little change in the way things operated or the prevailing wind conditions as once the yacht left Kastellorizo for Tel Aviv, we had 
to face a remaining 350 nm of pretty much windless sea and intermittent rain. The extra jerry jugs of fuel we carried on deck proved necessary and the yacht finally 
made it to Tel Aviv.

Looking back at this particular trip, has brought up quite a few significant issues that where faced and perhaps not dealt with as well as could have been, for example the dependence on too  much modern technology. I am not some one who believes that the Old School Way is the only way, but a healthy mixture of both old and new can prove to benefit all concerned.  Before that is reached you have to start with a Captain that has an idea of what he wants and how to implement his desires and discipline on the crew, skilfully.  Having no plan or idea of what is required from the crew can be more damaging than having too much sometimes. The modern acceptance of just opting out or passing the buck I'm afraid does not cut it on a sailing yacht. Clear leadership is what was required, and having 2 captains on a yacht can complicate things. It was not my place to challenge the decisions made at the time.
However, my observations have lead me to believe that even though the advance of electronic navigation instruments is wonderful and extremely helpful, our addictive 
nature as humans makes us rely on them much to heavily, forgetting our old skills as seaman.
I really do not think it is a good thing to come on deck watch and check the computer screen first for traffic before you have scanned the horizon. I prefer to hand steer as much as is required rather than let a yacht be steered by auto pilot 100% of time come wind or sea state. Auto Pilots allow a yacht to pound and bounce into potholes. There will never be a replacement for hand steering or a good helmsman.
There has been alot of studies on watch systems, sleep patterns and nutrition at sea. Unless I am mistaken they have all basically come to the same conclusion,  regular watch/sleep rhythms and regular feeding time, make a happy and efficient crew. Arbitrarily sleeping and eating leads to fatigue and mistakes. My lesson from all this has been to emphasis more the interaction of modern and old ways but never ever to rely solely on modern technology.

SPRING CLASS SCHEDULE AND SUMMER RACE PROGRAM

SPRING 2012 CLASS SCHEDULE NOW AVAILABLE:

• APRIL 7 - 16.... EASTER SAILING SCHOOL MILE-BUILDER 10 DAYS.. €1800 A PERSON

• APRIL 20 - 29...NOVICE TO BAREBOAT SKIPPER 10 DAYS.....€1700 A PERSON
• MAY 5 - 14......NOVICE TO BAREBOAT SKIPPER 10 DAYS.....€1700 A PERSON
• MAY18 - 27.....NOVICE TO BAREBOAT SKIPPER 10 DAYS.....€1700 A PERSON
• YACHT RACING THIS SUMMER, 'AEGEAN RALLY'..'AEGEAN REGATTA'..

Yacht racing has for a long time been a sport that has challenged the masses. For many years it has been the sport of the rich and famous. However, to day it is possible to charter a fully equipped race yacht and go racing. That's assuming you know all about the racing rules and how to man oeuvre one of these complex machines.

So how about becoming part of a crew that races in the Aegean Summer series.

2 race series to choose from, 2 different island groups to visit

The ASA along with Athens Sailing Academy is offering the opportunity for sailors to participate in these prestigious events. The yacht you will Crew on is a 55ft performance Ketch designed by the French naval architect Guy Ribadeau-Dumas. KORALIA3 was built in the French yard of Jeanneau 1990. The yacht has the pedigree to be competitive on the race-course and is able to highlight well any sailor who wishes to see themselves in the winner’s circle. The Aegean Rally is a well-covered media event, both on television and on the radio.

There will be 20 crewing  places available for each event.  These are events are for people who enjoy or wish to experience offshore yacht racing, as crew you will sail between 300 - 400 miles. You will play a full part in sailing the yacht, including navigation, keeping watch, and taking a turn in the galley. You will have ASA Instructors on hand to help you should you require advice. Although aimed at the more experienced sailor, it is possible for members who have passed their ASA 101 to join these events.

   

JULY 14 - 23...... 2012

10 days racing price per person

WOR 60 per/p  €2000 

57ft ketch per/p €1800

Start in Athens Palio Faliron, racing to Crete the town of Chania then returning via the island of Milos and finishing in Athens

25 BERTHS AVAILABLE, CREW  TRAINING INCLUDED PRIOR TO RACING.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 AUGUST 18 - 26.. 2012

7 days racing price per person

WOR per/p €1800

57ft ketch per/p €1600

Start on the Island of Lesbos, race to the island of Chios. Third leg will be to race around Chios Island. Final leg will be to race to Syros island in the Cyclades.
25 BERTHS AVAILABLE, ALSO DELIVERY BERTHS, CREW TRAINING INCLUDED.

A WEEKS ASA "YACHT CREW" IN THE GREEK ISLANDS

We just dropped anchor in a rather secluded bay and secured the ship for the night when Captain Jonathan gestured us back to the stern with a secretive air. Casting a darkly suspicious glance at the few other yachts floating nearby, as if they might harbour spies or worse, he lowered his voice. “See that point over there? Just about ten meters off the shore there’s a very plentiful oyster bed on the bottom. If a couple of you will put on your snorkel gear and go get some, we’ll have grilled oysters with our dinner tonight. But most people don’t know about this place, so you mustn’t tell anybody, OK?”

He shared our burst of laughter. Who could we tell? We were on the last day of our week of sailing the Greek islands of the Saronic Gulf, and in a mere 48 hours we’d be back to our ordinary lives an ocean away. Would anyone back home even know where we’d been, let alone comprehend its magic? Greece conjures images of ancient civilizations, modern sophistication, and maritime beauty; and this week had brought all these things and more.

Our vacation began the week before, in Athens, with drivers who appeared right on schedule to bring us from our hotels to our home-away from-home for the week, the Koralia 3. She’s a 57-foot Jeanneau racing ketch with teak decks, cosy staterooms, and an ample galley, all of which promised a week of comfort. Her three cabins would be accommodating just five students: Peggy and Steve, from North Carolina; Rachel and Michael, from New York; and me, Phil, from Texas.

Our Greek-english captain, Jonathan Chandler, greeted us dockside with perfect king’s English, a legacy of his very proper British boarding school education. He’s owner of the Koralia 3, and takes his ship — and his sailing — very seriously indeed. His background includes a couple of years on Dennis Connor’s America’s Cup teams, so it’s not surprising that he’s rigged his ship for speed and safety. A quick stop at the local super market to select wine and beer for the larder, and we were on our way.

Our cruise began due west, and in no time the busy seaport was a smudge on the horizon. The Saronic Gulf is a broad body of water to the south and west of Athens, bordered by the mountainous

Peloponnese’s peninsula and dotted with islands large and small. As a result, the entire week was one breath-taking view after another; broad calm waters were dotted with picturesque islands and charming fishing villages, all set against the backdrop of the towering peninsular mountain scape. Our first stop was the village of Korfos, with its historic domed church and delightful quay dotted with tavernas. We explored the village a bit, then returned to make dinner plans. Jonathan, it seems, had a good friend who knew a friend who had cousin in Korfos who owned a good restaurant, and thence we all went. Nor were we disappointed; the meal was really excellent, and the owner stopped by our table with an extra dessert treat for us from the kitchen. A short time later we were back on the ship, being rocked to sleep by the yacht’s gentle motion.

We arose the next morning rather late. An indolent languor settled on us all, setting the pace for the entire week. Jonathan ran thru the sailing school schedule explain how we would be divided into ‘watches’ and take turns in preparing the yacht for sea each day. ‘Mother’ watch would prepare the interior of the yacht and do the domestic chores as well as prepare breakfast and lunch. ‘Deck’ watch would ready the exterior of the yacht sails, dock lines fenders, hoist sails and put the yacht to bed at the end of the sailing day. 

Daily theory classes would run in the morning following breakfast and would encompass practical and book learning. Jonathan’s familiarity with these waters proved invaluable in his choice of routes and anchorages, which permitted us to experience many different aspects of navigation in the first few days. 

The next port was certainly one of our more memorable stops: the ancient city of Epidavros. More than three millennia ago the temple of Asclepius was here, god of healing; and, in consequence,

Epidavros was a major centre of health and medicine in ancient Greece. Pilgrims sought relief from illness through prayers, ritual meals, and medicated baths, leading to the night when Asclepius himself visited the patient in sleep to effect a magical cure. In the extensive ruins can still be seen the temples and bath houses, the halls where the sick pilgrims stayed — essentially an early hospital — and the spectacular amphitheatre. The latter is especially noteworthy for being very well-preserved and still acoustically perfect: the softest whisper spoken in the centre can be heard with perfect clarity to the uppermost row of seats. We visited the site in the morning, and consequently we had it all to ourselves. Knowing I’ve had more than a little vocal music training, the others demanded an impromptu recital. To be honest, it didn’t take much persuasion; the chance to sing in a 3000-year-old amphitheatre doesn’t happen along just every day. Nothing too ambitious, just a simple setting of a Robert Burns poem; but what I had failed to notice was the crowd of Italian tourists just beyond the lower platform and immediately behind me.

So the surprise was on me when the last note faded and a burst of applause from behind let me know that my “private” recital had been widely broadcast by that acoustically perfect amphitheatre!

After a hasty retreat we were soon back on the yacht making her ready for sea and on our way to the next port of call. As the day warmed, the southerly started to fill in, wind speed hit 12 knts true and the engine was shut down. We quickly went on to a port tack and trimmed in the genoa with the big lewmar 65’s. K3 quickly started to accelerate up to speed.  Smiles appeared across every ones face, and Capt. Jonathan called for a tack. It was time to put into practice for real all that training we did at the dock. Deck watch was going be the new sheet and mother watch was releasing the lazy sheet.  Ready about…..came the call… ready from deck watch…ready from Mother watch…. ‘Wheels over’ came the call from aft,  K3 eased up right and started to turn thru the wind… genoa released… Michael and Steve started grinding and tailing like crazy .. stop came the call from Peggy and the Genoa was home and driving K3 on her new tack.

And then we rounded a point and came upon the lovely town of Poros, situated on either side of a narrow channel between the mainland and an island. We could see the ruins of ancient fortresses which, in bygone eras, guarded both ends of the channel to prevent unwanted invaders from entering — and sometimes to prevent the escape of ships trying to sneak an unauthorized departure. We were eager to dock, and Jonathan decided it was a good time to do an alongside docking practice. With the help of Vangelis the local tavern owner we brought K3 slowly along side the concrete dock. After clearing up and putting the boat to bed, we showered, dressed and spent a delightful hour walking the steep and narrow streets of the town.

Every home was immaculate, and nearly all had some sort of garden ranging from a few potted plants to spectacular displays of bougainvillea and hibiscus. We returned to the ship hungry, and by happy coincidence, Vangelis was there to meet us again. He owned the tavern across from where we docked that afternoon. So with little persuasion we readily agreed to be hosted by him, again we feasted on an excellent meal in authentic local style — expertly prepared seafood including fish and octopus, juicy grilled lamb, superb eggplant and other vegetables, litres of house wine, and hearty ouzo to finish.

Our next port of call was the village of Ermioni, and here our visit was inaugurated with a highly entertaining argument between Jonathan and a pompous mega-yacht captain who seemed intent

on wedging his mammoth boat into the tiny sliver of space next to the Koralia 3.

Nor were we surprised to watch, from a safe distance, as the big boat circled off to find another mooring.

We added olives, crusty bread, and taramosalata to our snack, then explored the narrow picturesque streets and beautiful water vistas of this delightful village. A short while later we returned to our boat,

Jonathan had set out our 101 exam papers and after some question and answers sessions we all sat down and started the grand adventure.

Why is that after a stress full time food and drink seem to be the next logical thing the body desires.

Wouldn’t you know it, Jonathan told us of a cousin whose taverna, just up the street, was really quite excellent, if we cared to go. Cousin Joseph, the only 6 ft ginger haired colour greek in the Peloponnese, just happens to have the oldest Taverna in the Saronic, and the best Pizza. Wood fired oven with olive and apple wood gives the pizza a unique taste and the crust is always perfect.

Jonathan came to dinner with our 101 exam results… all past with flying colours !!! time to celebrate…

The next day was planned as a long day of sailing. We left Ermioni at a suitably indulgent hour of the morning, and soon found ourselves in strong winds from the north. Capt. of the day had input our destination as Leonidio or as Jonathan calls it ‘Plaka” because of the long perfect beach by the harbour.

The trip today was already starting out with a few new twists, Jonathan called for the first reef in the mainsail, we had practiced at the dock but now it was for real, lots of wind and a sail that was not going to co-operate. A little team work from the cockpit and some instruction from Jonathan and we had the first reef in. We rounded the southern tip of Dhokos island and set course for Leonidio, some 30 miles south. It was going to be a good sail, wind was north at 25 knts and we were running south.

Jonathan called for the Mizzen staysail to be hoisted, this sail is a free standing luff sail, small but when hoisted lots of fun… we end up with 4 sails up, all full and drawing… time for a water drink.

We were about 15 miles from the port and the skyline started to fill with massive mountains, a vista of red rock emerged from the north as the sun started to drop low on the horizon.

Leonidio was spectacular, a tiny fishing village lodged below a huge mountain, with a beach just as Jonathan mentioned, 4-5 miles of sand and small pebbles, calm turquoise waters and rocky cliffs. The evening was spent with the ‘Pirate”, Barba-yannis who kept feeding us Greek delicacies one after the other and all as we sat looking out over a magical sea covered in the shimmers of moon light.

The following morning we woke to a spectacular picture of the sun shining on the red cliffs above Leonidio. Breakfast and Capt. day input the next port destination Spetsai island. We clear out of the harbour and set sail, it was not longer before we had visitors  “Dolphins!” someone behind me yelled, and immediately all eyes went port side as the yacht was brought around. For the next half hour we admired a pod of at least two dozen dolphins leaping, splashing, and chasing the boat’s bow. The show was as wondrous, as if they had known we were watching, which no doubt they did. And then, tired of the game, they vanished as quickly as they’d appeared. The ghosts of ancient sailors who admired these beautiful creatures thousands of years ago seemed to whisper, and we recalled the lively frescoes and mosaics of dolphins we’d seen dating to the very earliest Greek civilizations.

Soon we found ourselves approaching Spetses. It might be supposed that the parade of quaint Greek fishing villages might have started to blur together. Not so; each one carried a unique charm that rooted them distinctly in our memories.

In Spetses the road from the quay meandered by the harbour and then over the ridge of a short hill to the main part of the town, abounding in notable architectural details, picturesque churches, and amazing views. We explored them all, netting a few noteworthy finds at the artist galleries and, of course, the obligatory ouzo at one of the many delightful tavernas along the dock. Then it was back to the yacht for a hot shower and fresh clothes, followed by our last exam. Jonathan prepped us well and we all sat in the saloon and with heads down ASA103 began.

An hour or so later and after a cocktail or two, we were off to a restaurant owned by yet another of Jonathan’s many culinary cousins.

Alas, we had reached the furthest extent of our travels, and the next day it was time to begin making our way back to Athens. The town of Hydra was our next stop, and it is difficult to say enough about its charms. Nestled in a broad valley near the centre of the island of the same name, Hydra seems carved out of an era now lost. On its steep streets can be found only pedestrians and donkeys; years ago the village outlawed all motorized vehicles except the island’s three garbage trucks. Hydra boasts three small but very interesting museums, a spectacular overlook above the harbour entrance, and an especially vibrant town centre of shops and tavernas. Craft jewellery is a specialty of the local artisans, indeed, we all took advantage of this last chance to find special mementoes of our island holiday, and Hydra did not disappoint. What most captivated us about Hydra were its many quirky surprises, such as the provocatively modern paintings of one local artist in the town’s art gallery. Or the dozing cat curled up on a ledge outside one of the shops, beside a basket containing a few coins and a sign that read, “Pet me, €1.” And, not surprisingly, we were lured by a cosy little restaurant up a steep flight of steps that offered memorable views across the town and the harbour, where we enjoyed delicacies made from fresh local produce and even fresher local seafood.

And then our last full day was upon us; unfurled sails carried us across waters of the deepest blue,

blown by the same winds which have carried adventurers across these waters for uncounted centuries. The magical week which blended past and present counted down its final hours, and Steve and I found ourselves pulling on snorkelling gear to harvest oysters at the secret oyster bed. “Surely they’ve both got sense enough not to haul up more than we can eat,” remarked Jonathan to the others as we swam away, and then a few minutes later rolled his eyes in exasperation as we returned with plastic bags strained to the bursting point. Half went on our grill, and the rest to passengers on one of the nearby boats who, no doubt, still can’t quite figure out what was up with the crazy Americans delivering free seafood. The sun set and the light faded. Food and wine, laughter and stories all flowed freely. Adventures were recounted, plans were made. And overhead,

those same stars and constellations named and admired by the mariners of these islands for millennia gone by gazed down with soothing tranquillity.

There was magic enough yet in Greece to last one more night — or longer.

And that secret oyster bed? Sorry, we promised not to tell. You’ll just have to visit for yourself

and find out.