Another sailing season draws to a close. We returned to Leros marina right at the beginning of October, fully expecting to get out again for a few more days sailing. However, a combination of meltemi winds (will they never stop?!) and a realisation that we had a lot of work to do, meant that we have stayed in the marina, and will be here until Merryn is lifted out in just a couple of days.
We have been busy, though… For a few years Merryn has been plagued with leaks from the port light windows. We tried to fix them as long ago as 2018 – our first season on the boat, when drips of water were evidently leaking in with every Cornish downpour. Our own efforts didn’t work and we paid a boatyard to fix them – they still leaked, and continued to do so despite further strenuous efforts on our part to remove every window, clean and reseal. Leaks seemed less of a problem in the Med (it doesn’t rain as much as Cornwall!), but as the problem was getting worse, with water leaking in every time we washed the boat, we resolved to ask the boatyard here in Leros to fix them. To show them the problem, we had to remove the frame of one of the windows – and the source of the leaks became obvious: the rubber strip joining the windows to the frames had perished, which was why our previous attempts at a cure (renewing the seal between the frame and the coachroof) had failed. We thought we would give it one more go: we bought a tube of sikaflex sealant for €20 and replaced all the window seals. The result: success! Not only that, but the day after our own repair the boatyard sent us an estimate for the repairs – they would have charged nearly €2500, so we felt mightily relieved.
Apart from the shenanigans with the windows we have removed the sails and rigging, serviced the engine, swapped the canvas for the winter covers, pickled the water maker, and generally washed, cleaned and tidied up.
Between jobs we have got out and about on our folding bikes – cycling inland it turns out that the beaches we visited by boat are not far away at all, and we have been back to Xirokampus and to Pantelli for some late season swims (the water is getting cold!) and meals in the tavernas.
An unexpected surprise, and great pleasure, was to meet up again with Martin and Anne, who sailed their boat across from Astipalaia to winter her here in Leros. We joined them for a meal in town on one night, and invited them to our boat for a curry on the second. Unlike our meet up with them in Asti, this time I even remembered to take a picture of them!
We have had a very sociable time in Leros – further down the pontoon we have met a delightful couple – Amanda and Jonny – who have also sailed from the UK, albeit leaving a couple of years ahead of us. They have entertained us more than once, including an invitation to meet other couples from the Southwest. There is a sizeable expat community in the marina!
We will soon be back in the UK. When Merryn is lifted out on Tuesday we will stay on for a few days to complete a couple more jobs that can only be done on the hard. Our next blog is likely to be the first of the winter season, and we are looking forward to getting out to our place in France where, we hope, the builders will have finished their work and we can look forward to a great ski season ahead.
Wow! What a summer you’ve had and we look forward to hearing all about it in January. Xx
Thanks! I hope you are in training, we’re looking forward to seeing you both in Ste Foy