Tuesday, 27 May 2008

Always the bulb at the top that goes!


About 10 minutes after writing that last entry, I noticed the navtext had started working. It had only been able to tell the weather in Algeria up to now, but was now saying that where we were was expecting f8 winds with severe gusts - thanks Bruce & Caroline for giving us that!


Half an hour later we were motoring across the bay in really gentle conditions as the wind had died to 10kts, towards Marseille Vieux port - stuff the budget. We squeezed in into the outer breakwater as a massive cruise ship came out at the same time, Mayuri worrying when he pipped his horn 4 times - 5 would have mean't he wanted to know where we were going!


We berthed on the CTNL pontoon at 2120 - I even got to test out my new stern light! The Scott lookalike who had been anchored behind us in the bay (and who had to move when we nearly dragged onto him - he did park right behind us!) was already tied up and came out and in his broken English said "you will get better sleep here". He was a charter skipper and had been reseting his anchor single handed in the day, and taking his charter guests backward & forward in the dingy to the island, so if he thought it was a good idea then it was good enough for me.


I didn't think the exhaust leak had been too bad the other day as after 6 hours of motoring the water was still below the foorboards, although the space under the bed was full, but after the 1 hour motor across the bay there was the same amount again, so it really had been a good idea to come into port. Another 102 Euros and we have a new exhaust pipe that's cured it!


At 22 Euros a night I thought the wind better be bad now - and it is. Even the guy anchored to the steel pegs is on the same pontoon as us now. It is nice here though, right in the centre of town and with a 37 million euro mega yacht -Zenji - across the harbour from us, we're in good company!
Hoping to leave Wednesday but will only be another shortish hop before the next lot of wind comes through on Thursday.

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