7 days chartering in Greece: Day 2 – Poros

November 24, 2019 / SV Gimme Shelter / Leave a comment

The first morning waking up on the boat set the tone for the rest of the vacation. Four of us woke early to have coffee and breakfast and prep the boat for an early departure, and three of us slept. We put the sails up for awhile, but there was little to no wind. We passed by Aegina and some large rocks to enter into the harbor near Poros. We saw our first and only flying fish

We took some time to anchor in a cove by ourselves, don our wet suits and do a bit of swimming. We saw a few fish but not a lot. Lots of old moorings and nets. Sea urchins were everywhere on the shores.

Pulling into Poros it was impossible not to be overwhelmed by how beautiful the city was. It was as if the city rose up out of the sea on the mountain and we were moored at the base of it.

We had our first attempt at med mooring. After picking up a tire on the first try we got ourselves settled in. We did a short hike up to the clock tower and explored some old churches.

We began to see why Greece is known for its cats.

Me and Fred took off to get some good night time shots, while everyone else settled in at the one cafe with wifi.

7 days chartering in Greece: Day 1 – Planning and Paperwork

November 21, 2019November 21, 2019 / SV Gimme Shelter / Leave a comment

A “last minute” birthday invite from a friend led us on an adventure chartering a 42ft Fountaine Pajot Cat in Greece this fall. Last minute for me is only have three months to plan provisions, anchorages, and our sail plans.

We stressed over the plans for the entire three months, but in the end picked a fairly well-traveled path around the Saronic Gulf just west of Athens.

I used the same method as my last trip to plan the provisions. You can read those details here. The only difference this time was that everything was in KG and G and so it took a bit more math on my part. We sent the list off to a provisioning company this time instead of doing the shopping ourselves, and had the supplies delivered to the boat.

We got in early to the marina Saturday, but the food arrived late. The charter manager sat us down to sign paperwork and pay all of the remaining money owed. He explained to us that there would be a $3600 deposit paid, and if there was any damage at all to the boat that we would be out the cost of repairs or all of that money if the repair was higher than their insurance deductible. We could however pay $300 up front to have the insurance put into our name, and we would then be covered for damages. After much debate we decided to go ahead and pay for the insurance money. It was worth it to not have to worry throughout the week.

The marina was a busy place. The docks were just big enough for cars to drive down, and they did. They drove full speed, forwards and in reverse.

After loading the provisions and signing paperwork it was too late to head out. We opened up a few cans of Mythos and headed over to a local place that our captain recommended. He helped us to order a hearty Greek style group meal that ended up being enough food for three days.

We all went to bed excited to start our adventure on the open ocean in the morning.

Southeast Texas Cats Mercury Cougar Club

November 15, 2019 / SV Gimme Shelter / 1 Comment

It was about a year ago I met Thomas Folk in person in a Home Depot parking lot. It was during a Saturday evening car show, but neither of us had our Mercury Cougar’s at the event.

When you invest the time and effort into a classic car, you want to talk about it, and it only took about a week before Mary was completely tired of hearing about problems with pulley alignment and my hypotheses as to why the dash lights weren’t working.

Tom and I talked cars and discussed the potential for creating a local club. He stepped up and did the networking with the Cougar Club of America and tracked down other Cougar owners in the area. I put together a logo and a Facebook page, and in December 2018, we had our first meeting of the Southeast Texas Cats.

Our December meeting will mark the one year anniversary, and while our event attendance isn’t breaking any records, I think it’s pretty remarkable that a free organization run by enthusiasts has made it an entire year.

The November event was a cruise I suggested in the Clear Lake area that started at the Seabrook Waffle Company and ended at the Lone Star Flight Museum. Apparently I wasn’t the only person who thought the Seabrook Waffle Company was a great spot for a Saturday morning car meet because the local Volkswagen club was there as well.

We had a nice drive down Nasa Road 1, then up Space Center Parkway around to State Highway 3 to end at the Lone Star Flight Museum, which was having some nice activities in conjunction with Memorial Day.

Here’s a quick video recap of the cruise, and if you’re in the Houston area and want to know more about classic Mercury Cougars, stop by one of our upcoming meetings.