Into the industrialized wasteland

Pavlov has taken a beating lately. What with emergency 'Pan Pan' tows back into harbour (failed engine transmission), anchoring mishaps, clutch plate problems, failed generator and a windlass that has given up the ghost, it was time to take some remedial action.

Sousaki petroleum refinery

We were lucky to meet a skipper down in Crete who recommended a British mechanic, David Hartley. Mechanics are a rare and priceless thing in Greece, such competence is hard to come by. So we hooked up with Dave in Spinalonga, who shook his head at our (comparatively) new Mastervolt generator. It had so little use, but it had died a premature death from under-use. Its strange, but on boats, things die when you don't use them. Anyway, he said that a new generator was a cheaper solution than repairing the old.

Abandoned boat yard.

Megan had also had a gutful of our recalcitrant windlass, which she wrestled with on a daily basis. Our chain had been re-galvanized (wrongly, we discovered) in Turkey, and now jammed up at the slightest provocation. This is always highly stressful. In Greece, there are no tailing lines to the dock. You must drop your own anchor about 50m out from the dock, back down to the dock and then attach your stern lines. If the anchor jams, then the wind is at liberty to blow the boat wherever it may. Stress city! Our schemes to measure the length of chain that we'd laid had also failed (paint wore off, coloured lines jammed the windlass more). So we decided, a new generator and a windlass was the ticket.

Pavlov's new home.

We arranged in Crete to meet Dave at his home boatyard in Sousaki, just outside of Athens in the Saronic Gulf. In our travels up there, we were damaged by another boat (necessitating some fibreglass and teak repairs), and our engine developed some transmission issues. So it was a godsend that we were on our way to meet some-one who could make it all better!

Parliament building at Syntagma, Athens

However, Sousaki is located in an industrial wasteland in the depressed hinterland of Athens. Our neighbours were a large petroleum refinery and a roadstead of huge tanker ships. To escape our rather bleak surroundings, we took a trip by train into Athens. Our first stop was the Ministry of Silly Walks, or should I say, the changing of the guard at the national Parliament in Syntagma.

Here comes the band.

Check out the pom-poms.

Man, these guy's know how to march! The crazy asymmetrical steps with one foot extended to shoulder height before being slammed to the ground, the opposite hand fluttering in the air, with a different step on the other side, made for quite a spectacle.

Longer skirts and flashier boots.

The senior guards were distinquished by longer skirts and stripy boots, but they lost the pom-poms.

These guy's had little daggers!

Quite an impressive display of pomp and ceremony, perhaps only outdone by the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace.

The incoming guards.

We also wandered around the Plaka and Monistraki, and took a wander through the Acropolis.

A trophy, Ancient Greek style

Heat exhausted Megan, taking shade in the Plaka

Break dancers in Monistraki

The Pantheon and temples on the top of the Acropolis were stunning, and recreated a sense of ancient Athens.

Doric column at entrance to Acropolis

Heavy reconstruction on the front of the Parthenon

Temple of Athena, with carved statues.

Another view of the Parthenon

Beyond these marvels, Athens showed advanced signs of urban decay. The economic crisis is real, with people complaining bitterly of cut salaries (one teacher we spoke to went from 1200 Euro per month to 800) and increased taxes. Perhaps the ever present graffiti is a mute testament to urban unrest.

Ancient graffiti or current angst?

But the industrial blight around Athens inclined us to up-anchor and move to a pretty part of the Saronic Gulf.

Perdika, on Aigina.

We headed for Aigina, a weekend and holiday destination for Athenians. We bypassed the main town and settled in Perdika, a picturesque little village

Quayside and church at Perdika

Another view of the quay.

So Pavlov can rest here awhile, replete with new generator and windlass. Then its back for another round of repairs at Lavrion, another major port in Athens.

Pavlov currently in repose

Skinning a stingray - tough eating fish!

I guess we've come to accept that things will be tough in our first year. We're shaking down the boat, everything seems to be breaking all at once. I know that our second year will be easier, but I'm hoping for a low-maintenance few weeks to recover from this current onslaught.