Snugglepot and Cuddlepie

Today's blog title comes courtesy of May Gibbs, a famous Australian children's story writer. I wanted to describe something about the process of being 'at home' on a boat, and the title seemed appropriate.

A couple of Gumnuts

Somewhat similar to camping and caravanning, we make our home whenever and wherever we arrive at a new site. However, a boat that is affected by its environment magnitudes of times more than those other modes of travel, and being somewhat perilously attached to the land, I think we can lay claim to a more fraught process of creating home. Given that feeling safe on a boat is so central to our well-being,  I thought I'd try to describe the sensation of a 'safe harbour'.

A Snugglepot of the first degree 

My metaphor for a safe harbour is a 'Snuggle Pot'. This is a place that prevents winds and waves from entering and allows for a secure attachment, either via 'good holding' for the anchor, or alongside a dock, or a dock with tailing lines to BIG BLOCKS. The map above shows a wonderful snugglepot in the North Aegean. Dhiaporos is a small island in the Khalkhadiki. There is one or two houses built on the island, no roads and no cars. You can see the small bay, with a narrow channel leading to the sea. Once you're in that channel, you're effectively isolated from any wind or waves from the sea outside.

A serene and sheltered snugglepot

Also, good snugglepots have a sense of containment, and exclusion of the outside world. Sometimes, when you're moored up to a Greek town port, and the night club is still blaring disco music at 0600, and people keep staring into your living room, you can feel just a bit invaded by the outside world. Some bays might also be safe from the environment, but if you get crowded out by day-tripper gulets who threaten to over-run you while you're snorkelling, you don't get the snugglepot feeling.

A visiting puss in cat heaven

And just every now and then, you find an oasis of bliss and calm. You breath out slowly, embrace the moment and murmur 'home' to yourself. These are snugglepots of the first degree.

Snugglepot heaven

One happy camper

Rafting up in heaven

Snugglepots of course, attract lots of other cruisers, but generally cruisers of the 'right kind'. You have to have been cruising for some time before you learn where the good snugglepots are. Casual charterers, limited by their one or two week sojourn, seldom learn of the good snugglepots.

Dave, of S/V Scarlett

Shani, of same.

A Cuddlepie in the making

And like bees to honey, cruisers are drawn to snugglepots. This of course, leads to cuddle pies. A Cuddlepie is where several cruisers raft up in a Snugglepot. We were initiated into the wonders of Cuddlepies by S/V Scarlett, an Australian couple Dave and Shani. We even survived that rite of passage, Mexican Train.

What happens if you fail to find a Snugglepot of adequate degree? Well, according to May Gibbs, then the Banksia man might get you.

A Banksia man - what happens when you lose your snugglepot!

We found that this is quite true! We left Dhiaporos, and ventured over to Ammouliani. We were short of cash and food, and needed to stock up. Ammouliani is one of those small Greek ports with very heavy ferry traffic, water taxi's and small fishing vessels. Now, this might look like a snugglepot but its full of lurking Banksia men. Let me describe our particular Banksia man.

Small caique's in Ammouliani. Imagine the tangle of tailing lines underneath!

We'd heard how small Ammouliani was from Dave and Shani, and knew we had to squeeze in next to the water taxi. We tried to get in between two caique's but the tangle of tailing lines on the bottom was terrifying. We motored forward until we could see a clear patch of sand with no rusty anchors or old chains. We dropped anchor here and it set okay, then backed down on the dock, nice and close to the water taxi.

Cute taverna in the port

Megan climbing up to the dock. Note the water taxi close by.

Another cute taverna overlooking the port. Note the ferry squeezed next to Pav!

Pavlov, in between the water taxi and the small ferry. The Big Ferry is yet to dock.

We were quite snug, particularly when the large day ferry, which takes tourists to see Mount Athos monasteries, squeezed in next to us. We had a comfortable night after exploring the town.

Pav, between the ferry and the water taxi. Tight squeeze

Ammouliani chapel

Street down to the beach

Small beach with sunshade

Quick beer in the taverna....

... before a swim. Note Mt Athos in the background

View of the taverna

The water taxi was amazing. Late at night, it ferried revellers back to the mainland. Several times during the night it departed at high speed. I couldn't believe how it got back into its berth. The captain gunned it at full speed in reverse, and just slammed it back in the dock like a hammer driving a nail. I had a fender in my hand to ward it off, but didn't even have time to raise it over the lifeline!

Bougainvillea's everywhere

Next morning, it was raining and we decided we wanted to stay. Well, our Banksia man had other ideas! One of the small ferries docked way inside the pier decided to make a rash departure. Of course, we'd laid our chain over all these tangles line trying to find a clear place to drop. His chain was, of course, under ours. He snagged our chain with his huge grapnel, and was stuck. Lots of calls of Mallaca (Greek for arsehole) and shaking fists. I stripped off and dived in with a face mask. It took a few dives in 3-4 metres, but I managed to clear his anchor, to the applause from the watching taverna crowds. I then saw what had happen to our anchor. It was completely dislodged and dragged near to Pavlov. Lots of call to Megan to start the motor and hold the boat off the dock. The bottom was also really rocky and I knew that even if I could reset the anchor, we would not hold well here if a blow came through. Instant loss of snugglepie factor, replaced with lurking fears of the Banksia man. So we listened to the small nagging voice that doesn't allow us complacency, and upped anchor. We headed back in the rain to our previous snugglepot and joined a new cuddlepie. That's how we met Bob and Joanie!