Hauled Out

I thought it would interesting for you to see a 186 ton vessel being hoisted out of the water. The dock guys at the marina must have done this hundreds of times, since it only took about an hour to get from the water to its final resting spot. It has been awhile since the bottom haul has been protected with a special paint so that needs to be redone along with a full body wax and polish. I've seen this done dozens of times but it seems a little different when its the boat I am working on.
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Bonjourno...

Well, I finally made it to Italy. After some amazing days/nights at sea and some not so amazing days we made it. It took us about 5 days stopping twice and 945 nautical miles. I got some great night experience at the helm, and it was a little overwhelming to know I was responsible for a machine worth more than my allowance would cover! We got a chance to venture out in Genoa (even though we haven't checked through immigration) and enjoyed some REAL Italian pizza and the prosecco was just as good as I remembered. One things is for sure though, a good day at sea makes you forget about any past bad days at sea.
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Day One, The Corinth Canal

On day one of our trip to Genoa, we traveled once again through the Corinth Canal. The canal bridges the Ionian Sea to the Aegean Sea with a length of nearly 4 miles, the canal cuts nearly 430 miles of travel distance. The base has a distance of 70 feet from wall to wall and the rock walls reach more than 300 feet from sea level. It dates back to 1893 and its quite an experience traveling the modern marvel. More than 11,000 boats travel the canal each year making it a popular route for tourist and also a BIG income for the government. The canal is a crucial time saver and also a once in a lifetime opportunity, well make that twice now for me.
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Ciao, Italia.

We're all fueled up and ready to make our 80 hour trip from Athens to Genoa, Italy. We're tossing off lines tomorrow at 0600. If all goes smooth we should being sipping Italian Prosecco and eating Margarita pizza by Sunday or Monday. After 3 weeks of delays it has been decided that we have finally had enough of Greece! Actually I had enough of Greece 2 months ago. Although I am ready to come home I can't think of a better country to spend my last month on the job. Hopefully I'll back home Dec. 21st, if all goes well. Praying for good weather and calm seas! It's going to be a long trip with each of us taking a 3 hour watch followed by 6 hours off. Ciao!
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Greek Cuisine

Tonight I went out for a traditional Greek meal, the gyro. As I sat enjoying my gyro with some dirt cheap house white wine, I wondered where the gyro came from and how long have the Greeks been enjoying this simple but delicious meal. The gyro, pronounced like euro was brought to Greece over 100 years ago. Throughout the Mediterranean and other parts of the world the gyro has taken many different forms. The way I and many Greeks enjoy this dish is with pork, tzatziki sauce, tomatoes, onion, fried potatoes, all wrapped in pita bread. The gyro to Greece is like the hamburger to America, cheap, fast, and tasty.
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"Simply Scenic"

I couldn't help but make another picture video. These days it seems I have an endless amount of time on my hands, so I figured it would kill some time. The pictures are some of my favorite scenic pictures, and with out people in them. The video includes pictures of Greece, Italy, & Croatia. I'll let you figure out where each picture was taken ;) Enjoy!
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Yacht Path

A lot of people ask, "How do you get a 100ft, 160ton boat across the Atlantic?" For this particular trip we are traveling with Yacht Path International. The process of loading the boat is almost the same as hauling the boat out for the winter. We will place several straps under the boat at a precise location so the boat is level. Then, once in the air the boat will be placed on "stilts," or metal risers keeping the haul off the big ship. The ship is capable of loading up to 180ft and 250 ton boats! It should make for an interesting day when we finally load! And many pictures to follow.

Bored out of my mind.

Since Bethany has left almost 4 days ago, things have got increasingly boring. I try to fill my days by listening to podcast such as This American Life or The Dave Ramsey Show, things I find to bring at least a little bit of joy to each day. The marina here (just east of Athens), is almost completely deserted except for the yard guys hauling out boats for the winter, which almost asks the question, "What are we still doing here?!" But, we were told we will be loading up and ship across on Nov. 3rd. With two possible stops in Italy and Spain before venturing on to St. Thomas. I am told it's about a 20 day journey from here. With the weather looking better and the hours counting down, I am one step closer to being the Caribbean sun and not to mention seeing my wife again!
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