June 16, 2014
Deggendorf
Guten Abend
We scraped bottom once or twice today. The water level on the Danube is very low. There’s one more stretch up ahead that’s also shallow but hopefully it will rain here or the rising levels of water upstream from us will get here. As of tonight we’re planning to rent a […]
Big locks and the Great Divide
Day 155…Overgrown Tobacco Shed
Welcome to day 155 of 365 photos…this overgrown tobacco shed (at least I think that is what it was) sits amidst tobacco fields on the Swansboro-Belgrade road. I have passed this building many times and wanted to take a photo but never stopped. Today, on my way home from a Coastal Photo Club meeting in… Continue Reading
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LIve and Learn
Back into a predominately Muslim Malaysia and staying at a common vacation spot, Langkawi, i am once again fascinated by the Islamic female attire. Yesterday i met a lovely Saudi couple on their honeymoon, common here. She adorned the full head to toe black covering with only her dazzling eyes showing. i erroneously called it a Burqa in a facebook post. The “why” question haunted me too so a leap into Wikipedia and i am now better informed. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burqa and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_types_of_sartorial_hijab
The garment she wore is actually a Abaya, it does not cover the eyes, it is common in Arab countries, the actual veil over the head is a Niqab, which is the head covering. It does allow for the eyes to be seen, and oh they are. When only a woman’s eyes are seen they tell a lot. This young lady was clearly in love, strong and protective. I approached the husband, thought it was the right thing to do, but the lady intervened stating she spoke English, (and she did perfectly). i asked if they were on their honeymoon–it was obvious, She said yes in a blush that glowed through her black veil. I invited them to come to the boat, and to have their picture taken on the boat. Those that follow the blog know i regularly invite couples aboard for wedding pictures, about a dozen have done so. After a bit of explanation to the husband, who looked confused, she graciously declined as she was very tired and thanked me profusely. i wished them the best and off they went.
in a world where we are constantly told to fear Muslims i found them far more apprehensive of me than I of them. Understandable as i am an old white guy in a bright pink flowered shirt aggressively seeking friendship, might scare me too. As soon as they realized i was really trying to be friendly they relaxed and were puzzled but happy, i hope i am part of their honeymoon memories.
So back to the attire, the Burqa is the rarely seen garment that actually covers the face, more common in Afghanistan and Persian countries than Arab. There is great confusion and fear over these garments. Australia tried to ban the Burqa as simply being “not Australian”. Other countries have also tried to legislate attire. Many modern feminists have concern as to women being forced to wear the covers, and rightly so in some places but not most.
By and large it appears Muslim women choose to wear garments that reflect their faith. When given the choice they chose the coverings. It also identifies and units them with other of their faith, much like wearing a cross.
The non PC comic in me sees the practical side, imagine ladies, if all you had to do was put on eye makeup (and oh they do!) and paint your fingernails.. and off you go! Add a few pounds, no problem, forget to do laundry and wear ruffled clothes, no one knows. Forgot to pack sunscreen, who cares! But seriously who is the more oppressed, the western woman who toils endlessly over superficial appearance, starves themselves, waxes (primeval torture) binds into push up bras and spends a fortune on hair color or the fully covered Islamic girl? the girl can only be judged by her actions. Ok that and of course those eyes.
As with the Christian Bible, the Qur’an has been used to mandate activities it does not include. There is no requirement in the Qur’an for full cover, the two passages that refer to attire are:
The Qur’an has been translated as stating:
“O Prophet! Say to your wives and your daughters and the women of the faithful to draw their outergarments close around themselves; that is better that they will be recognized and not annoyed. And God is ever Forgiving, Gentle.”
— Qur’an, Surah 33 (Al-Ahzab), Verse 59
Another verse in the Qur’an is translated as:
“And say to the faithful women to lower their gazes, and to guard their private parts, and not to display their beauty except what is apparent of it, and to extend their headcoverings (khimars) to cover their bosoms (jaybs), and not to display their beauty except to their husbands, or their fathers, or their husband’s fathers, or their sons, or their husband’s sons, or their brothers, or their brothers’ sons, or their sisters’ sons, or their womenfolk, or what their right hands rule (slaves), or the followers from the men who do not feel sexual desire, or the small children to whom the nakedness of women is not apparent, and not to strike their feet (on the ground) so as to make known what they hide of their adornments. And turn in repentance to Allah together, O you the faithful, in order that you are successful”
— Qur’an, Surah 24 (An-Nur), Verse 31
It is also interesting that some Jewish women choose to wear a similar garment.
Most common in Malaysia is the head covering, the Tudung or Kerudung. They are often adorned with sequence and jewels and color coordinated with other clothing. Usually long pants, although often tight western jeans, and long sleeves are worn with the Tudung. i find the Tudung alluring, and quite fashionable.
So i know have a better understanding of a simple piece of cloth that brings such a fearful reaction to many. We often put such power in symbols and things we do not understand when a little bit of learning and compassion can diminish that power so greatly. Hey maybe the bride in this story is blogging about her bewilderment of old white guys in pink flowered shirts?
Nuremberg 2
Marina Saal
Guten Abend,
If this is Saturday it must be……? We really are moving quite quickly with quick visits to many places. Today we visited Regensburg and while there I bought a small book about the cities and towns along the Danube. Each has just a short entry, but then we don’t stop anyplace all […]
ARRIVING IN ITALY
Envoy is in Porto Empedocle, waiting for a Scirocco (southerly blow) to pass before cruising further westwards along the southern coast of Sicily.
Leaving the Albanian port of Sarande we sailed west to the Greek island of Erikoussa for an overnight stop, positioning ourselves for the next morning’s seven hour cruise to Santa Maria di Leuca, our port of entry for Italy. It wasn’t a great re-introduction to Italian marinas as there was no answer to our VHF radio calls and no sign of help available for berthing until a reluctant marinara eventually arrived to allocate a berth and take our stern lines as we backed into the pontoon. Again we used an agency – JLT Yacht Agency (affiliated to A1 Yachting) as we needed sound advice on meeting Italian documentary requirements in the best way. 1930s fascist dictator Mussolini and his cronies had their holiday villas at Santa Maria di Leuca, and many of these still remain. He was also responsible for the construction of an impressive stepped walkway to the lighthouse overlooking the harbour..JPG)
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Leaving the Albanian port of Sarande we sailed west to the Greek island of Erikoussa for an overnight stop, positioning ourselves for the next morning’s seven hour cruise to Santa Maria di Leuca, our port of entry for Italy. It wasn’t a great re-introduction to Italian marinas as there was no answer to our VHF radio calls and no sign of help available for berthing until a reluctant marinara eventually arrived to allocate a berth and take our stern lines as we backed into the pontoon. Again we used an agency – JLT Yacht Agency (affiliated to A1 Yachting) as we needed sound advice on meeting Italian documentary requirements in the best way. 1930s fascist dictator Mussolini and his cronies had their holiday villas at Santa Maria di Leuca, and many of these still remain. He was also responsible for the construction of an impressive stepped walkway to the lighthouse overlooking the harbour.
Looking down Mussolini steps to the marina at Santa Maria di Leuca
Laurie and Chris pose with statue of Pope Beneditto 16th who visited here in 2008
There’s not a lot to see along this stretch of coastline, but we enjoyed berthing alongside the quay in the port of Ciro – a typical small Italian working town with few traits of tourism. Here we found a Vodafone shop and were able to get Italian SIM cards for phone and Internet connection. This process is always a bit of a hassle in a new country, and like at home the Vodafone shops are always busy, but they do try their best to help.
Laurie organizing Italian phone and Internet connection
Entering the port of Rocella, further south, can be daunting in a heavy swell as the entrance is only about three metres deep and a very shallow sandbar protrudes from the starboard side of the entrance. In 2004 a 37 ft yacht attempting to enter the harbour in Force 5 winds and large swells was rolled over by a wave estimated at six metres high, fortunately with no loss of life and only minor injuries. We saw a Spanish yacht hit the sandbar with a sudden stop, but conditions were good and she was able to maneuver her way off.
Map showing Rocella Harbour’s dangerous entrance
In the nearby taverna they sell mouth-watering pizza by the metre
SICILY
As we cruised down the “boot” of Italy, the island of Sicily gradually came into view and we spotted a mountain that we thought was Mt Etna. But as we came closer another mountain came into view, and at 10,700 feet high it dwarfed the one we’d seen. It’s sobering to view the mountain and realise it’s still very active with typically 25 minor eruptions annually.
Sicily is the largest Med island and the main focus of this year’s cruise, as we plan to spend about four months here. The wind had been light with glassy calm seas on a gentle swell as we approached the Strait of Messina. Looking ahead I observed whitecaps and closer inspection through binoculars showed an approaching squall. In about ten minutes we had 30 knot winds and breaking two metre seas on our beam. Our stabilisers were coping well, but Envoy still rolled up to 20 degrees each side. At one point our starboard side rolled downwards off a wave just as an extra large wave hit us, breaking over the starboard gunwale and filling the cockpit with water. The water drained out through the scuppers within about ten seconds, but not before some seawater came up over the 150 mm high lip into the saloon. Fortunately the carpet soaked up most of the water and later we found less than ten litres in the bilges.
Taormina
For the first three days we anchored off the town of Giardini Naxos, close to the enchanting medieval village of Taormina – playground of the rich and famous.
View of Taormina from Envoy’s anchorage
In Italy we have to be more careful about personal security as theft is a problem, and it’s always recommended to lock your dinghy to the quay, something we’ve never needed to do in Turkey or Greece. We wanted to leave the dinghy for the day to visit Taormina, and as we approached a jetty in Giardini harbour a young guy came to take our lines, introduced himself as Gabriel and said we could leave our dinghy there. He’d recently had a great holiday in Australia and took a shine to us antipodeans. Diane asked where we could find a butcher’s shop, and Gabriel immediately offered to drive her there.
Di with very helpful Gabriel at the pier we left the tender
Later that day I picked up Chris from the shore from a different jetty, and as he climbed into the RHIB a guy came running down the jetty, waving to us. He told us this was a private jetty and there’s a 10 Euro (NZ$16) fee for using it. We thanked the guy for letting us know and said if we use it again we’ll know to pay.
Chris and Laurie enjoy morning coffee by ceramics shop in Taormina
Taormina street scene
Beautiful Taormina church
There are many street vendors in Taormina selling everything from sunglasses to cheap toys. We had to laugh when it started to rain and immediately the sunglasses and hats disappeared and the same vendors were offering umbrellas and parkas!
This Taormina shop sells sweets and cakes to die for
One of several Taormina antique shops
TECHNICAL – nothing to report
LOG As at 26/5/14, we’d spent 48 days aboard and cruised 431 miles for 73 engine hours.
Nuremberg 1
Saal Marina near Kelheim on the Danube
Guten Morgen,
Yesterday we left the Main Donau Kanal and started down the Donau itself (Danube.) We are now at Marina Saal where we will spend a few days. We will take the train or rent a car to visit Regensberg just down the Donau but which has no […]
[KensBlog 2014-02] Welcome to Italy!
Greetings all!
- Restrictions on Cruising in Europe
- Montenegro
- Departure from Montenegro
- Our first over-nighter of the season
- Welcome to Italy!
- And, something for the boat geeks
- And, in closing
Greetings all!
This summer’s cruising season is now officially underway, and our journey has begun. The last month was spent readying the boats for departure, and mostly just “waiting.” During our final week in Montenegro we were like racehorses before the start of a race, nervously pacing, impatient for the action to begin.
Schengen Rules
For immigration reasons we didn’t want to enter the European Union (EU) until around June the 15th. However, a few days ago we saw a weather window (a period of excellent weather) and decided to jump on it. There is a rule, called Schengen, that restricts non-EU residents to only 90 days inside the EU out of any rolling 180 day period. There are workarounds to this rule, but none that are easy. The usual workaround is to apply for residency in a Schengen country, but the application process is virtually impossible in some countries. Most cruisers find it easier to simply exit the EU within the 90 day period.
Because we have now entered the EU, our 90-day clock has started ticking. It’s really sad, because it adds a sense of time pressure, forcing us to constantly be thinking about the clock instead of leisurely cruising. There are rumors that rule-changes are coming which make it easier for world cruisers to spend time in Europe, but we are a tiny group and have little influence.
Montenegro
Our two boats (Seabird and Sans Souci) spent the winter moored in Croatia. As soon as the maintenance had been done on the boats we ran miles south to Montenegro for several reasons.
First, we deliberately tucked the boats away for the winter with empty fuel tanks. Montenegro offers fuel to visiting yachts tax-free as an incentive to bring the larger yachts into Montenegro. It’s an incentive that works! Instead of paying an equivalent $9 USD / gallon we would be able to take on fuel for under $4 USD per gallon. Sans Souci takes 3,000 gallons of fuel, so there was a powerful incentive to wait for Montenegro to take on fuel.
Second, Montenegro is outside the EU. I mentioned that there is a 90-day clock ticking on when Roberta and I need to leave the EU. There is another clock, which has an 18-month duration, that is ticking on our boat. Non-EU boats are permitted only 18 months for cruising within the EU before they are subject to VAT tax, which can represent 20% of the value of the boat. Our visit to Montenegro reset that 18-month clock as well. Sometime next year we’ll need to be thinking about where our next non-EU destination can be. My best guess is that we’ll be heading to Morocco.
And, another reason for going to Montenegro: We wanted to! It’s a spectacular place, with a wonderful marina.
Sans Souci’s home for the last two weeks. They describe themselves as, “The Mediterrean’s Leading Luxury Yacht Homeport and Marina Village.” We agree!
Other marinas should study the Porto Montenegro Marina and learn from it. They do things right, and that is attracting the big boats to Montenegro. I know how much money we spent while there, and when you add moorage, electricity, provisioning, meals and hiring of local technicians, it adds to a significant number. And we were a relatively small boat on our dock; there are docks with a lot bigger boats than ours! On a bigger scale, some percentage of the visitors are buying slips and the fancy condos that line the marina.
It isn’t just the cheap fuel that is drawing people to Porto Montenegro. The marina is world-class.
- Fiber optic internet plumbed directly to the boat slips. I had a true 20mb download, and upload, speed that worked flawlessly throughout the two weeks we were there
- There are five restaurants within the marina, including a sushi restaurant, an Italian restaurant and a wonderful gelato shop
- A market, with high-end specialty items
- The electricity was solid, and worked reliably
- The marina team was exceptionally friendly and helpful
- There are customs/immigration/police agents ALL based right at the marina. The marina staff stayed with us through clearing in and out of the country
- Each slip is plumbed for black water pump-out
- You can park your car right at your boat slip!
- There’s an incredible swimming pool adjacent to the marina, which welcomes marina guests
- A wide variety of upscale specialty stores in the marina: Wine, Ice Cream, Fashion, Realty
- An easy walk into town, if you want “more.”
The pool at the Porto Montenegro marina, complete with a rooftop restaurant/bar.
We drove south about an hour to vist a small island with a quaint town connected to shore by a thin Isthmus, called Sveti Stefan. In ancient times, this was a monastery and small walled town. Nowadays this island and walled town is owned by the Aman company (of the famous Aman Hotels) and is called Aman Sveti Stefan. For Roberta and I this was important sightseeing because we had stayed in that very hotel in the late 80s (way before it was part of the Aman family of hotels) when Montenegro formed the southern tip of the now non-existent country, Yugoslavia. At that time Yugoslavia was communist, and there were already signs that the country was collapsing. This was just before the breakup of Yugoslavia when war broke out. At that time you could sense the tension everywhere. We remember having a hard time putting together a meal (unless at the hotel) and having to settle for sharing one box of Frosted Corn Flakes bought at a small mini-market during an all-day drive through the countryside. Why did we go to Yugoslavia then? We were young and naive, and it was an adventure. I remember that most housing at the time were big, identical run-down apartment buildings that we called rabbit hutches. Today, Montenegro has been reborn, and Aman Sveti Stefan is an ultra-luxury hotel.
The beach next to the hotel at Sveti Stefan.
We and the doggies have been on the boat for a month. We took them with us to Sveti Stefan and their eyes lit up at the chance to run – and pee — on REAL grass! Here we see Steven and Roberta, running with Toundra and Keeley.
Adjacent to Sveti Stefan is the summer home of Tito, former ruler of former Yugoslavia. Apparently, being dictator of a communist country paid well. It’s a grand place! It is now a luxurious hotel. Here we see Carol Argosy checking the place out.
The best thing about Europe is that our dogs are welcome anywhere there is outside dining, and often for inside dining (we’re not sure… I doubt we dine indoors more than a handful of times per season.) I missed taking the picture, but a tuxedoed waiter had just served the dogs each their own personal bowl of water seconds earlier.
On the way back from Sveti Stefan we stopped in the Montenegran town of Budva. Several people have described Budva as similar to St. Tropez, including one person who suggested that tripping over supermodels was a serious hazard while walking the beaches. However, we saw no indication of anything like that. Generally, we weren’t that impressed with Budva. We saw some indications that many tourists to Budva are Russian, and one restauranteur told us that the Russians are here in significantly lower numbers this year, due to the political situation in the Ukraine. Maybe we were just in the wrong part of town, or here in the wrong season, but overall, Budva was a bit of a let-down. Anyway… This picture shows the pups at a Thai Restaurant when we stopped to eat in Budva. It was awesome! The dogs weren’t sure what to make of their swinging chair though!
Leaving Montenegro
Finally! After what seemed an eternity of waiting, the time had come to depart Montenegro and start the summer’s cruising. Our first leg would be a 15-hour run across the Adriatic Sea to Brindisi, Italy. If you think of Italy as a leg, with a foot facing west at the bottom — we would be arriving at the ankle, on the east side.
The procedure on departing Montenegro is to take fuel and clear out of the country simultaneously. Once you have fuel you need to get out of the country immediately, and are not allowed to go to anchor. It is imperative to leave or hefty fines could be coming your way. One of the things that concerned me in the days prior to departure was that we needed to make our fuel reservation days in advance, and couldn’t easily bail on the trip if the weather turned bad. We heard stories of one boat that decided to drop their anchor, to hide from weather, and was caught doing so. They had to pay a large fine, PLUS pay the taxes on the fuel they had taken (an extra $5 per gallon.)
Luckily, the weather just got better and better, so there was no issue when departure time came.
The fuel dock at Montenegro has to be one of the busiest non-commercial fuel docks in the world. I tried to guess how much fuel the boat just ahead of us took (a 200′ yacht) and guessed 50,000 liters (around 15,000 gallons.) The attendant indicated that I was way low. Personally, I needed 2,000 gallons for Sans Souci. The process to take fuel is the most organized and planned out I’ve ever seen. There is a long checklist that you must sign off on before given fuel. I forget the items that were on it, but they centered around preventing spills. As we approached the fuel dock a tender circled our boat surrounding it with a floating ‘fence.’ This fence would contain any potential fuel spills. And, I was left with the definite impression that I wouldn’t want to find out what would happen were I crazy enough to try spilling fuel. Two large fire extinguishers were brought to me while I fueled, and a large bucket of soapy water, to instantly dilute any fuel I spilled on the deck. They require that I, as the Captain, do the fueling personally. I had prepared a detailed spreadsheet showing exactly how much fuel I wanted in each tank (three of them) which helped. For instance, I knew that I wanted 4,100 liters in the forward tank. I had them call off the liters every 500, and then slowed down the pump as we got close. Other than that it was a long (nearly two hour) painful process, it went smoothly and every drop went into the tank.
After fueling we had to clear out of the country. On entry each person is given a little white card; kind of a tourist card. Mine somehow got lost. This created some last minute confusion as everyone scrambled trying to think what to do. Luckily, the customs people didn’t make a big deal of it, and waved me through. We were free to go.
Our passage from Montenegro to Brindisi
We targeted leaving Montenegro for a departure at 5pm, knowing that with a 15-hour run this would put us into Brindisi around 7am. We were late getting to the fuel dock (stuck behind a megayacht that was very thirsty) but were able to get underway before 7pm.
The seas could not have been calmer. Roberta and I took three-hour turns at the wheel for what was a totally uneventful passage.
Our biggest challenge was staying awake during the overnight run. There are custom devices that are aids to keeping crew awake on long passages, such as the Watch Commander. It is a simple device which allows you to dial in a time interval, like 15 minutes, and unless the helmsman presses a button within the designated time a truly annoying alarm sounds. It’s a simple system, but works. On Sans Souci I just use my iphone and the alarm function. I dial in 15 minutes and press START. 15 minutes later an alarm sounds that I must clear. I clear it and start the process over. I’ve never fallen asleep while on watch, but I know people who have, sometimes with disastrous results.
Welcome to Italy!
As we approached Brindisi we called on the radio for “Brindisi Traffic Control.” I wasn’t sure exactly who to call, but could see on the chart that there were designated travel lanes for arriving and departing traffic, and figured the safe thing to do was to alert Italy to our presence. The person who answered welcomed us to Italy in a thick accent, and gave us a different person to contact on another channel as soon as we reached a certain point.
Italy! Arriving in a new country is a very cool experience, and we were all thinking the same thought: Dinner was going to be excellent! We had visions of plates piled high with pasta and thick slices of mozzarella and tomatoes for caprese salad!
As we travel from country to country, we usually use ship’s agents to handle the customs formalities. It is possible to do it yourself, and when we have been to a place before, and know the procedure, it is worth it. But generally, for the $100 to $300 that an agent typically charges it can make the process much easier. It also gives you someone who knows the local lay of the land, and speaks the language, who you can talk to. In this case we wanted moorage, and preferably wanted to be able to side-tie our boats instead of Med-mooring…never our favorite thing!
Normally in Europe most boats over about 50 feet in length have crew. Our two boats are unusual in that each is run by a couple, with NO crew. Med-mooring (parking the boat with the stern to a low concrete wall, using your anchor or a bow line extended to the bottom of the marina) is simple with three or four people but can be a challenge for two people alone, particularly in the off-the-beaten track marinas which do not offer people to help work lines (typically kids you throw a few dollars to after they help with your lines.) Seabird is at the grey-limit size for two people to Med-moor alone, and Sans Souci is well into the “it ain’t happening” category. We can do it when pushed, but .. it is best avoided.
I normally find agents just by googling on the internet. In this case I found this company:
Poseidone
Ph: +39 0831 524872 – Fax: +39 0831 564025
Branch Office: 70100 BARI (Italy)
E-mail: poseidone@poseidone.it
www.poseidone.com
Skype: Poseidone – Adriano Guadalupi
I phoned to ask if they would handle the clearing in and out of our boats. They said absolutely, and I asked about moorage – especially side-tie moorage — and he said he would find something for us. He informed us that a sailboat rally would be leaving as we were arriving, and that the public dock would be taken but that he could probably find us a place to park the boats for a fee of $100 euro a night. We agreed. Later he sent an email saying he had found us space on the public dock, but with no electricity or water. I said we might prefer the private dock, but he said there was no electricity or water there either.
Approaching Brindisi. Calm Seas!
One of the best things about using agents is that often they come to you, and handle everything in the nice air-conditioned salon of Sans Souci, rather than our standing in line at immigration, customs, and the local police. Here we see Antonio from Poseidone speaking with Steven. He is asking for our “green cards,” and we are saying, “What’s a green card?” Agents tend to speak significantly better English than the local authorities but sometimes communication can still be difficult. PS — That’s Roberta’s coffee grinder sitting in front of Steven. He had borrowed it and was bringing it back…
Clearing into Italy went smoothly until the agent asked for our green cards. We had no idea what he needed and he left frustrated by our inability to produce them. This led to a serious of confused emails between myself and the Poseidone main office. In the United States there is something called a green card, which is a form of a Visa that foreigners wanting to work in the US must obtain. We were confused about why we needed one. Then for a while we thought the agents were requesting that we have health insurance. Finally we figured out that all they needed was a summary of our insurance policy in Italian. Apparently it is common in Europe to carry a card, often printed by the insurance companies on green card-stock, summarizing the policy highlights. We could not clear into Italy until we had this.
I was nervous because this would need to be issued by my insurance company, Lloyds of London, who I think of as a large conglomerate. I couldn’t imagine them immediately issuing the document I needed. I sent an emergency email to my insurance agent, who contacted Lloyds. They knew exactly what to do, and mentioned a Hollywood celebrity who had also been caught in the same trap entering somewhere in Italy on their yacht. Within 24 hours we had the document in hand, and our agents were greatly relieved.
Our agents worked a miracle! We were able to side-tie on a cruise-ship dock, behind security, a few minute walk from downtown. And, the best part, when I asked what it cost, the price was FREE! It was perfect moorage in a perfect location.
Here we see Carol and Roberta enjoying our first dinner in Italy. Yay! We were exhausted after traveling all night, but excited to be here! In the picture you see that we were alone. We are early-eaters; usually having dinner around 6pm to 7pm. In Europe the restaurants don’t even open until 7pm, and most people dine at 8pm or later. I should also mention that we learned quickly that everything in town closes from 1pm to 5pm. Then, reopens for the evening. This will take some getting used to…
Boat Geek Report
With our smooth arrival into Brindisi I should have known things were going too well.
The day started with a hike into town to find the vegetable/fruit market. I then had to find an ATM machine to get some euros (EU money) to pay the boat-agent.
Finally, back on the boat I noticed the odor of diesel. Ouch! This sent me scurrying to the engine room where I lifted the floorboards.
Oh [censored]! There was several gallons of diesel fuel sitting in the bilge. I immediately killed the bilge pumps and looked overboard to see if any fuel had gone over the side. Thankfully, none did. Whew!
I then returned to the engine room to find the leak and didn’t have to look too hard. There is a sight-glass on the side of one of my fuel tanks. Fuel was streaming from it. I’ve never trusted those sight glasses and keep the valves shut, but one had been opened by someone unknown and not re-closed. It hadn’t been an issue while the tanks were dry, but we topped them off before leaving Montenegro.
I called Steven for advice on how to proceed. My first reaction was to get out the wet/dry vacuum. Steven thought that was a bad idea and brought over a hand-pump he uses for these jobs. Unfortunately, the fuel was everywhere, and clean-up became a much bigger job than either of us expected.
You never really know who your friends are until you dump 15 gallons of diesel into the bilge of your boat and need help cleaning up the mess. Here you see my VERY good friend Steven hard at work!
Ultimately, we filled three five-gallon buckets with diesel fuel, grabbed from various pockets in the bilge. Anyone who has ever laid on their belly for over three hours, on the floor of a tight engine room, trying to vacuum fuel from tiny crevices, will tell you that it isn’t a pleasent experience. Diesel fuel does not smell pretty.
On completion I had three 5-gallon containers of diesel fuel. We had poured cleaning solution into the bilge, so it couldn’t be poured back into the tanks. I then called our ship’s agent and said, “Where can I dump three five-gallon buckets of diesel?” The agent was awesome. He had an environmental truck on site within minutes of the phone call. They took the diesel giving me back my empty buckets (I need them for oil changes.) The cost: $140 euro — just over $200 USD. I was happy to pay it.
This was pretty embarrassing… Within a minute of hanging up the phone with our agent I saw this garbage truck driving along the dock. Both Roberta and I started waving our arms and shouting. I ran out with two large zip-tied bags of garbage. The driver looked confused but accepted them and threw them in the back. I asked him to wait while I went inside to get a tip (I had asked Roberta for five euros.) As I was returning with the coins I noticed him setting two ten-gallon fuel cans onto the dock. OOPS! This wasn’t a garbage truck. It was an environmental clean-up truck, and he was here to collect the fuel. How embarrassing. He was a very nice guy who didn’t speak a word of english, and I helped him pour the fuel from my containers to his. He drove away with the trash, the fuel AND, his tip – made larger!
Steven lost an entire afternoon helping me, and I now owe him a big favor… With my luck it will be his black water system that springs a leak. And that said, I almost think I’d rather spend a day shoveling black water than EVER spend another day in an engine room cleaning diesel fuel. It’s really nasty stuff…
And, finally…
Our next few days will be challenging ones. We were spoiled in Greece, Montenegro and Croatia where 99% of our passages were short day-trips. Over these next few days we will be venturing to Malta, which is another country. We’ll get to clear in and out all over again. We’ll also have a couple of overnight passages, and potentially some wind in our faces to deal with.
That said, as I am typing this, we have been at sea for several hours, and I’ve been in rougher swimming pools. We’re underway, and life is good on Sans Souci!
If you aren’t receiving my blog entries via email, click this link to register:
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I should also mention that this is one of two blogs that I do. My other blog is on Facebook, although you do not need to register with Facebook to view the blog. Just click on this link:
http://www.facebook.com/kensblogdotcom
My other blog is very different than this blog. I post to it almost every day, and post whatever I happen to be thinking about, without editing or filtering. I also tend to respond instantly to any questions. Check it out!
IMPORTANT: If you received this blog entry via email and wish to respond, remove the blog entry itself from the email. Delete everything in the email before you start typing.
Thank you!
Ken and Roberta Williams
ken(at)kensblog.com
MV Sans Souci
Nordhavn 68
Welcome to Italy!
Greetings all!
- Restrictions on Cruising in Europe
- Montenegro
- Departure from Montenegro
- Our first over-nighter of the season
- Welcome to Italy!
- And, something for the boat geeks
- And, in closing
Greetings all!
This summer’s cruising season is now officially underway, and our journey has begun. The last month was spent readying the boats for departure, and mostly just “waiting.” During our final week in Montenegro we were like racehorses before the start of a race, nervously pacing, impatient for the action to begin.
Schengen Rules
For immigration reasons we didn’t want to enter the European Union (EU) until around June the 15th. However, a few days ago we saw a weather window (a period of excellent weather) and decided to jump on it. There is a rule, called Schengen, that restricts non-EU residents to only 90 days inside the EU out of any rolling 180 day period. There are workarounds to this rule, but none that are easy. The usual workaround is to apply for residency in a Schengen country, but the application process is virtually impossible in some countries. Most cruisers find it easier to simply exit the EU within the 90 day period.
Because we have now entered the EU, our 90-day clock has started ticking. It’s really sad, because it adds a sense of time pressure, forcing us to constantly be thinking about the clock instead of leisurely cruising. There are rumors that rule-changes are coming which make it easier for world cruisers to spend time in Europe, but we are a tiny group and have little influence.
Montenegro
Our two boats (Seabird and Sans Souci) spent the winter moored in Croatia. As soon as the maintenance had been done on the boats we ran miles south to Montenegro for several reasons.
First, we deliberately tucked the boats away for the winter with empty fuel tanks. Montenegro offers fuel to visiting yachts tax-free as an incentive to bring the larger yachts into Montenegro. It’s an incentive that works! Instead of paying an equivalent $9 USD / gallon we would be able to take on fuel for under $4 USD per gallon. Sans Souci takes 3,000 gallons of fuel, so there was a powerful incentive to wait for Montenegro to take on fuel.
Second, Montenegro is outside the EU. I mentioned that there is a 90-day clock ticking on when Roberta and I need to leave the EU. There is another clock, which has an 18-month duration, that is ticking on our boat. Non-EU boats are permitted only 18 months for cruising within the EU before they are subject to VAT tax, which can represent 20% of the value of the boat. Our visit to Montenegro reset that 18-month clock as well. Sometime next year we’ll need to be thinking about where our next non-EU destination can be. My best guess is that we’ll be heading to Morocco.
And, another reason for going to Montenegro: We wanted to! It’s a spectacular place, with a wonderful marina.
Sans Souci’s home for the last two weeks. They describe themselves as, “The Mediterrean’s Leading Luxury Yacht Homeport and Marina Village.” We agree!
Other marinas should study the Porto Montenegro Marina and learn from it. They do things right, and that is attracting the big boats to Montenegro. I know how much money we spent while there, and when you add moorage, electricity, provisioning, meals and hiring of local technicians, it adds to a significant number. And we were a relatively small boat on our dock; there are docks with a lot bigger boats than ours! On a bigger scale, some percentage of the visitors are buying slips and the fancy condos that line the marina.
It isn’t just the cheap fuel that is drawing people to Porto Montenegro. The marina is world-class.
- Fiber optic internet plumbed directly to the boat slips. I had a true 20mb download, and upload, speed that worked flawlessly throughout the two weeks we were there
- There are five restaurants within the marina, including a sushi restaurant, an Italian restaurant and a wonderful gelato shop
- A market, with high-end specialty items
- The electricity was solid, and worked reliably
- The marina team was exceptionally friendly and helpful
- There are customs/immigration/police agents ALL based right at the marina. The marina staff stayed with us through clearing in and out of the country
- Each slip is plumbed for black water pump-out
- You can park your car right at your boat slip!
- There’s an incredible swimming pool adjacent to the marina, which welcomes marina guests
- A wide variety of upscale specialty stores in the marina: Wine, Ice Cream, Fashion, Realty
- An easy walk into town, if you want “more.”
The pool at the Porto Montenegro marina, complete with a rooftop restaurant/bar.
We drove south about an hour to vist a small island with a quaint town connected to shore by a thin Isthmus, called Sveti Stefan. In ancient times, this was a monastery and small walled town. Nowadays this island and walled town is owned by the Aman company (of the famous Aman Hotels) and is called Aman Sveti Stefan. For Roberta and I this was important sightseeing because we had stayed in that very hotel in the late 80s (way before it was part of the Aman family of hotels) when Montenegro formed the southern tip of the now non-existent country, Yugoslavia. At that time Yugoslavia was communist, and there were already signs that the country was collapsing. This was just before the breakup of Yugoslavia when war broke out. At that time you could sense the tension everywhere. We remember having a hard time putting together a meal (unless at the hotel) and having to settle for sharing one box of Frosted Corn Flakes bought at a small mini-market during an all-day drive through the countryside. Why did we go to Yugoslavia then? We were young and naive, and it was an adventure. I remember that most housing at the time were big, identical run-down apartment buildings that we called rabbit hutches. Today, Montenegro has been reborn, and Aman Sveti Stefan is an ultra-luxury hotel.
The beach next to the hotel at Sveti Stefan.
We and the doggies have been on the boat for a month. We took them with us to Sveti Stefan and their eyes lit up at the chance to run – and pee — on REAL grass! Here we see Steven and Roberta, running with Toundra and Keeley.
Adjacent to Sveti Stefan is the summer home of Tito, former ruler of former Yugoslavia. Apparently, being dictator of a communist country paid well. It’s a grand place! It is now a luxurious hotel. Here we see Carol Argosy checking the place out.
The best thing about Europe is that our dogs are welcome anywhere there is outside dining, and often for inside dining (we’re not sure… I doubt we dine indoors more than a handful of times per season.) I missed taking the picture, but a tuxedoed waiter had just served the dogs each their own personal bowl of water seconds earlier.
On the way back from Sveti Stefan we stopped in the Montenegran town of Budva. Several people have described Budva as similar to St. Tropez, including one person who suggested that tripping over supermodels was a serious hazard while walking the beaches. However, we saw no indication of anything like that. Generally, we weren’t that impressed with Budva. We saw some indications that many tourists to Budva are Russian, and one restauranteur told us that the Russians are here in significantly lower numbers this year, due to the political situation in the Ukraine. Maybe we were just in the wrong part of town, or here in the wrong season, but overall, Budva was a bit of a let-down. Anyway… This picture shows the pups at a Thai Restaurant when we stopped to eat in Budva. It was awesome! The dogs weren’t sure what to make of their swinging chair though!
Leaving Montenegro
Finally! After what seemed an eternity of waiting, the time had come to depart Montenegro and start the summer’s cruising. Our first leg would be a 15-hour run across the Adriatic Sea to Brindisi, Italy. If you think of Italy as a leg, with a foot facing west at the bottom — we would be arriving at the ankle, on the east side.
The procedure on departing Montenegro is to take fuel and clear out of the country simultaneously. Once you have fuel you need to get out of the country immediately, and are not allowed to go to anchor. It is imperative to leave or hefty fines could be coming your way. One of the things that concerned me in the days prior to departure was that we needed to make our fuel reservation days in advance, and couldn’t easily bail on the trip if the weather turned bad. We heard stories of one boat that decided to drop their anchor, to hide from weather, and was caught doing so. They had to pay a large fine, PLUS pay the taxes on the fuel they had taken (an extra $5 per gallon.)
Luckily, the weather just got better and better, so there was no issue when departure time came.
The fuel dock at Montenegro has to be one of the busiest non-commercial fuel docks in the world. I tried to guess how much fuel the boat just ahead of us took (a 200′ yacht) and guessed 50,000 liters (around 15,000 gallons.) The attendant indicated that I was way low. Personally, I needed 2,000 gallons for Sans Souci. The process to take fuel is the most organized and planned out I’ve ever seen. There is a long checklist that you must sign off on before given fuel. I forget the items that were on it, but they centered around preventing spills. As we approached the fuel dock a tender circled our boat surrounding it with a floating ‘fence.’ This fence would contain any potential fuel spills. And, I was left with the definite impression that I wouldn’t want to find out what would happen were I crazy enough to try spilling fuel. Two large fire extinguishers were brought to me while I fueled, and a large bucket of soapy water, to instantly dilute any fuel I spilled on the deck. They require that I, as the Captain, do the fueling personally. I had prepared a detailed spreadsheet showing exactly how much fuel I wanted in each tank (three of them) which helped. For instance, I knew that I wanted 4,100 liters in the forward tank. I had them call off the liters every 500, and then slowed down the pump as we got close. Other than that it was a long (nearly two hour) painful process, it went smoothly and every drop went into the tank.
After fueling we had to clear out of the country. On entry each person is given a little white card; kind of a tourist card. Mine somehow got lost. This created some last minute confusion as everyone scrambled trying to think what to do. Luckily, the customs people didn’t make a big deal of it, and waved me through. We were free to go.
Our passage from Montenegro to Brindisi
We targeted leaving Montenegro for a departure at 5pm, knowing that with a 15-hour run this would put us into Brindisi around 7am. We were late getting to the fuel dock (stuck behind a megayacht that was very thirsty) but were able to get underway before 7pm.
The seas could not have been calmer. Roberta and I took three-hour turns at the wheel for what was a totally uneventful passage.
Our biggest challenge was staying awake during the overnight run. There are custom devices that are aids to keeping crew awake on long passages, such as the Watch Commander. It is a simple device which allows you to dial in a time interval, like 15 minutes, and unless the helmsman presses a button within the designated time a truly annoying alarm sounds. It’s a simple system, but works. On Sans Souci I just use my iphone and the alarm function. I dial in 15 minutes and press START. 15 minutes later an alarm sounds that I must clear. I clear it and start the process over. I’ve never fallen asleep while on watch, but I know people who have, sometimes with disastrous results.
Welcome to Italy!
As we approached Brindisi we called on the radio for “Brindisi Traffic Control.” I wasn’t sure exactly who to call, but could see on the chart that there were designated travel lanes for arriving and departing traffic, and figured the safe thing to do was to alert Italy to our presence. The person who answered welcomed us to Italy in a thick accent, and gave us a different person to contact on another channel as soon as we reached a certain point.
Italy! Arriving in a new country is a very cool experience, and we were all thinking the same thought: Dinner was going to be excellent! We had visions of plates piled high with pasta and thick slices of mozzarella and tomatoes for caprese salad!
As we travel from country to country, we usually use ship’s agents to handle the customs formalities. It is possible to do it yourself, and when we have been to a place before, and know the procedure, it is worth it. But generally, for the $100 to $300 that an agent typically charges it can make the process much easier. It also gives you someone who knows the local lay of the land, and speaks the language, who you can talk to. In this case we wanted moorage, and preferably wanted to be able to side-tie our boats instead of Med-mooring…never our favorite thing!
Normally in Europe most boats over about 50 feet in length have crew. Our two boats are unusual in that each is run by a couple, with NO crew. Med-mooring (parking the boat with the stern to a low concrete wall, using your anchor or a bow line extended to the bottom of the marina) is simple with three or four people but can be a challenge for two people alone, particularly in the off-the-beaten track marinas which do not offer people to help work lines (typically kids you throw a few dollars to after they help with your lines.) Seabird is at the grey-limit size for two people to Med-moor alone, and Sans Souci is well into the “it ain’t happening” category. We can do it when pushed, but .. it is best avoided.
I normally find agents just by googling on the internet. In this case I found this company:
Poseidone
Ph: +39 0831 524872 – Fax: +39 0831 564025
Branch Office: 70100 BARI (Italy)
E-mail: poseidone@poseidone.it
www.poseidone.com
Skype: Poseidone – Adriano Guadalupi
I phoned to ask if they would handle the clearing in and out of our boats. They said absolutely, and I asked about moorage – especially side-tie moorage — and he said he would find something for us. He informed us that a sailboat rally would be leaving as we were arriving, and that the public dock would be taken but that he could probably find us a place to park the boats for a fee of $100 euro a night. We agreed. Later he sent an email saying he had found us space on the public dock, but with no electricity or water. I said we might prefer the private dock, but he said there was no electricity or water there either.
Approaching Brindisi. Calm Seas!
One of the best things about using agents is that often they come to you, and handle everything in the nice air-conditioned salon of Sans Souci, rather than our standing in line at immigration, customs, and the local police. Here we see Antonio from Poseidone speaking with Steven. He is asking for our “green cards,” and we are saying, “What’s a green card?” Agents tend to speak significantly better English than the local authorities but sometimes communication can still be difficult. PS — That’s Roberta’s coffee grinder sitting in front of Steven. He had borrowed it and was bringing it back…
Clearing into Italy went smoothly until the agent asked for our green cards. We had no idea what he needed and he left frustrated by our inability to produce them. This led to a serious of confused emails between myself and the Poseidone main office. In the United States there is something called a green card, which is a form of a Visa that foreigners wanting to work in the US must obtain. We were confused about why we needed one. Then for a while we thought the agents were requesting that we have health insurance. Finally we figured out that all they needed was a summary of our insurance policy in Italian. Apparently it is common in Europe to carry a card, often printed by the insurance companies on green card-stock, summarizing the policy highlights. We could not clear into Italy until we had this.
I was nervous because this would need to be issued by my insurance company, Lloyds of London, who I think of as a large conglomerate. I couldn’t imagine them immediately issuing the document I needed. I sent an emergency email to my insurance agent, who contacted Lloyds. They knew exactly what to do, and mentioned a Hollywood celebrity who had also been caught in the same trap entering somewhere in Italy on their yacht. Within 24 hours we had the document in hand, and our agents were greatly relieved.
Our agents worked a miracle! We were able to side-tie on a cruise-ship dock, behind security, a few minute walk from downtown. And, the best part, when I asked what it cost, the price was FREE! It was perfect moorage in a perfect location.
Here we see Carol and Roberta enjoying our first dinner in Italy. Yay! We were exhausted after traveling all night, but excited to be here! In the picture you see that we were alone. We are early-eaters; usually having dinner around 6pm to 7pm. In Europe the restaurants don’t even open until 7pm, and most people dine at 8pm or later. I should also mention that we learned quickly that everything in town closes from 1pm to 5pm. Then, reopens for the evening. This will take some getting used to…
Boat Geek Report
With our smooth arrival into Brindisi I should have known things were going too well.
The day started with a hike into town to find the vegetable/fruit market. I then had to find an ATM machine to get some euros (EU money) to pay the boat-agent.
Finally, back on the boat I noticed the odor of diesel. Ouch! This sent me scurrying to the engine room where I lifted the floorboards.
Oh [censored]! There was several gallons of diesel fuel sitting in the bilge. I immediately killed the bilge pumps and looked overboard to see if any fuel had gone over the side. Thankfully, none did. Whew!
I then returned to the engine room to find the leak and didn’t have to look too hard. There is a sight-glass on the side of one of my fuel tanks. Fuel was streaming from it. I’ve never trusted those sight glasses and keep the valves shut, but one had been opened by someone unknown and not re-closed. It hadn’t been an issue while the tanks were dry, but we topped them off before leaving Montenegro.
I called Steven for advice on how to proceed. My first reaction was to get out the wet/dry vacuum. Steven thought that was a bad idea and brought over a hand-pump he uses for these jobs. Unfortunately, the fuel was everywhere, and clean-up became a much bigger job than either of us expected.
You never really know who your friends are until you dump 15 gallons of diesel into the bilge of your boat and need help cleaning up the mess. Here you see my VERY good friend Steven hard at work!
Ultimately, we filled three five-gallon buckets with diesel fuel, grabbed from various pockets in the bilge. Anyone who has ever laid on their belly for over three hours, on the floor of a tight engine room, trying to vacuum fuel from tiny crevices, will tell you that it isn’t a pleasent experience. Diesel fuel does not smell pretty.
On completion I had three 5-gallon containers of diesel fuel. We had poured cleaning solution into the bilge, so it couldn’t be poured back into the tanks. I then called our ship’s agent and said, “Where can I dump three five-gallon buckets of diesel?” The agent was awesome. He had an environmental truck on site within minutes of the phone call. They took the diesel giving me back my empty buckets (I need them for oil changes.) The cost: $140 euro — just over $200 USD. I was happy to pay it.
This was pretty embarrassing… Within a minute of hanging up the phone with our agent I saw this garbage truck driving along the dock. Both Roberta and I started waving our arms and shouting. I ran out with two large zip-tied bags of garbage. The driver looked confused but accepted them and threw them in the back. I asked him to wait while I went inside to get a tip (I had asked Roberta for five euros.) As I was returning with the coins I noticed him setting two ten-gallon fuel cans onto the dock. OOPS! This wasn’t a garbage truck. It was an environmental clean-up truck, and he was here to collect the fuel. How embarrassing. He was a very nice guy who didn’t speak a word of english, and I helped him pour the fuel from my containers to his. He drove away with the trash, the fuel AND, his tip – made larger!
Steven lost an entire afternoon helping me, and I now owe him a big favor… With my luck it will be his black water system that springs a leak. And that said, I almost think I’d rather spend a day shoveling black water than EVER spend another day in an engine room cleaning diesel fuel. It’s really nasty stuff…
And, finally…
Our next few days will be challenging ones. We were spoiled in Greece, Montenegro and Croatia where 99% of our passages were short day-trips. Over these next few days we will be venturing to Malta, which is another country. We’ll get to clear in and out all over again. We’ll also have a couple of overnight passages, and potentially some wind in our faces to deal with.
That said, as I am typing this, we have been at sea for several hours, and I’ve been in rougher swimming pools. We’re underway, and life is good on Sans Souci!
If you aren’t receiving my blog entries via email, click this link to register:
http://www.kensblog.com/register
I should also mention that this is one of two blogs that I do. My other blog is on Facebook, although you do not need to register with Facebook to view the blog. Just click on this link:
http://www.facebook.com/kensblogdotcom
My other blog is very different than this blog. I post to it almost every day, and post whatever I happen to be thinking about, without editing or filtering. I also tend to respond instantly to any questions. Check it out!
IMPORTANT: If you received this blog entry via email and wish to respond, remove the blog entry itself from the email. Delete everything in the email before you start typing.
Thank you!
Ken and Roberta Williams
ken(at)kensblog.com
MV Sans Souci
Nordhavn 68
Day 154 – 365 Project…Storm Clouds
Welcome to day 154 of 365 photos…these storm clouds were building when I reached the beach. I woke up early and after a couple of cups of coffee, I decided to head for the beach for my daily walk. I was pretty surprised to see how many people were out and about but it was… Continue Reading
The post Day 154 – 365 Project…Storm Clouds appeared first on Moosetique Musing.
Boston Adventures: Arnold Arboretum and the Emerald Necklace
Better than 17 days have past since my last article describing our wonderful 71st birthday celebration on May 26 in Boston with Myrna, Lesley, Scott and Amelia. Since then we’ve been busy and having great fun exploring our new world. This i…
