Kisti Two Travel Log: June 2016

Gozo 30 May - 3 June 2016.

Kisti Two departed Licata for the final time at 0520 hrs flying our smart new Ensign given as a present by Kate to Guy. The sails were soon up and we romped along with a following steady NW wind of Force 5 accompanied by a good swell directly towards Gozo. The wind and swell steadily increased throughout the day up to F6 forcing us to put in a reef. We roared across and were accompanied by 4 playful dolphins as we approached Gozo. We entered Mgarr Marina and were tied up safe at 1700 hrs. The whole trip of 71 nm took under 12 hours and was a most exhausting, but exhilarating sail. We met up with Dave & Anne from Serenity, Desiree & Chris from Skylark 2 and also John & Lynne from Tumbleweed, all from Licata.

The New Ensign. Thanks Kate.

Dolphins Off Gozo.

Mgarr Marina.

John, Guy & Lynne

Mgarr Marina

We took the opportunity to explore The Citadel and Rabat in the centre of Gozo. The Citadel is under restoration with a very good job being made with EU money. Although small, it is very impressive and the Cathedral quite beautiful.

The Citadel Of Rabat.

The Cathedral.

Rabat Cathedral.

The Painted Dome. Very Clever.

The Majestic Cathedral.

The Stunning Dome.

The Organ Balcony.

While Ginny went off with John & Lynne to visit the Ggantja Temples, allegedly the oldest free standing man made structures in the world, Guy took the opportunity to explore the coastal area and buildings around Mgarr. He also bade farewell to Serenity and Skylark 2 who true to form departed together returning to Sicily.

Ggantija Temple.

Mgarr Marina.

Anne & Dave On Serenity Departing.

Desiree & Chris On Skylark 2 Departing.

One Of 365 Gozo Churches!!

Mgarr Marina.

Old Fort Now A Block Of Expensive Flats Overlooking Mgarr.

Looking Across To Comino Island.

Looking Towards Africa.

We departed Mgarr Marina on 3 June 2016 and headed out to sail directly to Dwerja anchorage only to be overtaken at speed by John & Lyne on Tumbleweed as we dawdled up the coast. You can never take speed out of a Lightning pilot! We first looked at the Azure Window, almost 100m in height and width and then the entrance to the Inner Sea before finding a most peaceful anchorage in Dwerja Bay, Guys favourite on Gozo. We enjoyed a most wonderful swim and sunset followed by a tranquil evening surrounded by the beauty of Dwerja Bay and Fungus Rock.

Sailing Round To Dwerja Bay.

The Cliffs Of Gozo.

The Azure Window.

Entrance To The Inner Sea.

Swim Time In Dwerja Bay.

Tumbleweed Anchored In Dwerja Bay.

The Entrance To Dwerja Bay.

Fungus Rock At Sunset.

Dwerja Bay.

The Calm & Tranquility Of Dwerja Bay.

Departing Dwerja Bay And Azure Window.

Malta And The Arrival Of Sarah & Paul 4 - 6 June 2016.

John & Lyne departed on Tumbleweed for Sicily in the early hours while we head for Malta under motor and calm seas after a leisurely breakfast. We filled up with fuel and then moored back in Msida Creek to re-stock and prepare for our guests.

Sarah & Paul joined us on the 5th June for what was to be an exhausting and fun filled 10 days of culture, sailing, eating and generally mucking about. It was like having two teenage lovers on board constantly glued to each other or their phones!! We all spent the 6th of June touring around the main attractions of Valletta eventually returning exhausted to Kisti Two after too much food and alcohol which was to be the theme for the rest of the week.

Valetta At Night.

The Happy Couple!

AAHHHHHHH!

Fort St Angelo In All Its Glory.
Malta - Flags & Fireworks!!

Valetta Gun Salute.

Daddy, Do We Have To Do This Culture? Do They Sell Gods Wine?

Siracusa, Sicily 7 - 8 June 2016.

Kisti Two departed from Malta at sunset on a calm windless morning and headed for the SE corner of Sicily. It was to be a long day of motoring and sunbathing interrupted with stops for swims and by dolphins throughout the day. One set of dolphins were exceedingly active during a feeding frenzy and Sarah’s use of the ‘Amazing’ word became the norm for the day. We completed the 90nm in 15 hrs and managed to arouse the Siracusa Coast Guard on Channel 16 for permission to anchor and save ourselves a €400 fine!

Another Dawn Departure.

Goodbye To Valetta, We Miss You Already.

Dolphin Feeding Frenzy.

Jumping Dolphins.

Playing Dolphins.

Ginny Doing The Marilyn Monroe!!
Looking Gorgeous.

Sarah & Paul were sent off to do the ‘NAC’ culture bit while Guy tried to complete all the paperwork as directed only to be told after an hour that it was not required! There has been much on the Cruising Association web about the heavy handed Mafia style led Harbour Master at Siracusa so we were pleased to leave without fine or incident. We anchored once more close to Serenity & Skylark 2. After more culture and a good liquid lunch, we returned back to Kisti Two in preparation for another early start.

Siracusa Culture.

Siracusa Cathedral.

Siracusa Cathedral Square.

The Girls In Siracusa Cathedral Square.
Tallest On The Left Shortes On The Right. Go.

Lunch Time.

Siracusa Waterfront.

The Renovated Siracusa Waterfront.
Free Boat Mooring At Present.

Syracusa To Corfu 9 - 11 June 2016.

Kisti Two once again departed at dawn and the crew soon settled into our watch routine under motor on a calm sea. The day was punctuated with dolphins and swims until about mid-day when the cruising chute was hoisted which pushed us along for 4 hours until the wind picked up to a F5. We lowered the cruising chute in a muddle, put in a reef on the main and continued our progress with a strong following wind and swell for a couple of hours until sunset when it all died down. The 10th June was spent motoring along as the traveller spread all its ball bearings around the deck, although to be fair with a following swell, the wind was never strong enough to keep the main full and prevent it from flapping and banging the rigging.

So after 52 hours and 290 nm, we entered Gouvia Marina on Corfu at 0900 hrs on 11 June, filled up with fuel and completed entry formalities at the Customs Office. Sarah & Paul headed into Corfu to complete more ‘NAC’ culture and sample the local beer and wine while Guy sought ball bearings and stop ends for the Lewmar main sheet runner. As usual everything would come from Athens in a few days! The main reason for motoring so quickly was to allow Guy to watch the 1st rugby test, England v Australia in the Beer Bucket and what a great game it was! Well done England.

Ginny On Dawn Watch Departing Siracusa.

Not More Dolphins.
Just Love Them.

Playful Chaps Again.

A Loving Couple.

Playing With The Bow Of Kisti Two.

The Sunset Sky.

The Teenagers.

The Damaged Traveller.

The Broken Ends.

Lakka, Parga And Corfu 12 - 19 June 2016.

Time was short for the ‘young lovers’ and Guy was determined to give them a good feel for the Ionian, so we made a jury rig for the main which involved a team effort when tacking and we sailed our way down to Lakka on Paxos Island. It is an ‘Amazing’ place and we had two fun filled nights here despite rain falling on the second day. Swimming, chill-axing, eating, Greek dancing and drinking were the order of the day. The new hammock proved a great success. Just purrrrrfec.

We motored around Paxos looking at the various inlets and Gaios before sailing across to Parga on the 14th June enjoying another meal out and then sailed back to Corfu the following day. The sail proved to be a challenge with raising the Cruising Chute, but after several attempts, much unwinding and a determined crew, we got it flying and had an enjoyable sail until the wind died again. Sarah & Paul departed back to England on 16 June while we was able to watch England beat Australia again at Rugby in the Beer Bucket before meeting friends for a party on the north of Corfu Island. Guy was also able to complete the repair of the Main Traveller.

Corfu Fort.

Drinks At Romantica, Lakka.

Lamb On The Spit.

Greek Dancing.

Joining The Greek Dancing.

Lakka Bars.

It Always Rains On Us In Lakka.
Helps Clean The Decks

One Very Contented Skipper.

Lakka Bay.

Swim Time.

More Swim Time.

Paxos Cliff's

Bios On Paxos

Too Much Sun For The Crew. Pauls Gone Mad!

Chilled In Parga Anchorage.

Lady Of The Boat.

The Teenagers And Their Toys.
Paul And Sarah.

The Beauty Of Parga.

Overlooking Parga Anchorage.

One Very Chilled And Relaxed Skipper!

Guy & Sarah Having A Rest.

The Cruising Chute All Sorted.

Ay Stephanos, Petriti, Lakka And Vliho 20 - 26 June 2016.

It was a final goodbye to Gouvia Marina after re-stocking and cleaning Kisti Two on 20th June and we enjoyed a gentle sail North to Ay Stephanos were we anchored, swam, cleaned the bottom of the boat and enjoyed a restful evening with a bright full moon.

Kisti Two sailed and motored down to Petriti on the 21st June where we again anchored and once again enjoyed a good meal in ‘Del Boys’ restaurant for old times sake.

We returned to Lakka on the 22nd where we were to spend 2 enjoyable nights again. We met up with two Norwegian couples, Moreton and Anne along with their dog (Lion) and another Norwegian couple with cousin in tow. The nights were spent enjoying a drink at Harbour Lights before moving on to a restaurant eating and drinking too much again!

Imminent storms and heavy rain, plus the final Rugby Test in Australia coaxed Guy into leaving Lakka on 24 June for the long slog down to Vliho Bay and Yacht Club. We enjoyed a wonderful sail down and reached the Levkas Canal just before it opened to let all boats through. We motored right through stopping for a quick swim before entering Vliho and anchoring with 7 times length the depth of Kisti Two to ensure we didn’t drag. It proved to be a windy night and several boats dragged overnight but we held lovely and firm. Lesson learnt from last year!!

The Vliho Yacht Club was as welcoming as ever and a large crowd enjoyed England's whitewash of Australia before the thunderstorms hit us with rain, strong wind and lightening. This proved helpful as it helped to clean Kisti Two of all the salt from the decks. Sunday is roast dinner day so we booked in and spent the day catching up on admin, washing, shopping and using the wifi to complete the blog.