S1.24 - Navigating Rough Seas: Our Passage to Greece
September 10-11: Overnight Passage & Rough Sailing
We decided in the morning to head straight for Greece, ditching our original plan of making six shorter stops along the coast. We fueled up and set off from Roccella for what we hoped would be a smooth overnight journey. All our apps indicated favorable conditions, predicting a 5 PM arrival the following day (Sept 11) —perfect timing for entering the marina. Unfortunately, the reality was far different.
The seas were rough, the current was against us, and strong headwinds combined with large swells made for a very uncomfortable ride combined with the loud ‘bangs’ and jarring motion every time we hit a bow wave. Lucky Enough was relentlessly slammed by these waves, making progress painfully slow. We were barely moving at 2 knots, and despite hours at sea, our estimated time of arrival seemed stuck, or even increasing, suggesting we wouldn't arrive until 3:30 AM (Sept 12). With no other choice, we adapted to the situation. We made up the bed in the salon, which allowed us to position ourselves best against the swells, and took turns all day and all night with 2-hour watch shifts.
This is how far we had made it by 7pm our first day when I shot this video.
The night was long and dark, but at least traffic was light, and thankfully,… the stars didn’t disappoint.
We did get another great shot of the Big Dipper.
Morning came, but the conditions were worse than the day before. It felt like we were in a washing machine all day. Late in the afternoon, the winds finally shifted in our favor. Ryan hoisted the Code D sail, and we finally started making good speed—up to 9 knots which is like flying through the water when you’ve only been going 2-3 knots! We also started to see some sea turtles.
Finally some Sea Turtles!
This was the morale boost we desperately needed. Our estimated arrival time improved from 3:30 AM to 1:30 AM (Sept 12). Despite this, we would still miss our marina booking, as they don't permit nighttime mooring, so we would have to find a spot to anchor once we got close to the coast.
As we approached the final hours of this grueling passage, we tidied up the boat. Our spirits lifted further when four dolphins greeted us with a warm welcome to Greece.
With the sun setting and still 7 hours to go, I felt nervous about navigating a tight channel in the dark (which we had never done before), relying on red and green channel markers clearly marked by our chart plotter, less clearly with our naked old tired eyes.
Never-the-less, we safely made it through and managed to find a spot to anchor just outside the marina entrance around 2:00 AM. Exhausted, we finally got some much-needed sleep until the marina opened in the morning.
September 12: Welcome to Greece
We woke up around 8 AM, thrilled to be in Greece.
Waking up in Greece!
Preveza Marina, highly rated among Greece's marinas, did not disappoint.
Preveza Marina
Located at the Port of Preveza, inside of Amvrakikos Gulf, at the heart of the Ionian Sea.
After fueling up, we med-moored and Ryan handled our check-in with the Coast Guard and Customs, getting our first Transit Log stamped. We arranged for in-and-out cleaning services for September 14th and spent the afternoon doing laundry at the marina laundromat. Ryan made it enjoyable by bringing a bottle of wine for us to enjoy, much to the amusement of the other patrons. Even our once-dirty white salon cushions looked brand new again!
We enjoyed a delightful dinner that evening and were impressed by how friendly and proficient in English everyone was. We were very happy to be in Greece.
This lady is cooking up some fresh fish along the pier in the harbor.
September 13-14: Errands, Cleaning and Provisioning
Our day started with coffee at a marina café, part of a chain familiar to us from the US. Then we walked to a nearby hospital to get my toes X-rayed which were still very sore from the injury I sustained in Germany (mentioned in blog post #22).
The medical process was quite different from what we're used to. From my initial check-in at 10:53am, to seeing the doctor, to going for X-rays and having them reviewed by the doctor, to paying the €6.30 fee for my 2 x-rays, I was walking out of the hospital at 12:08pm. Talk about efficient service! Luckly, the doc didn’t see any breaks and gave me a prescription for pain relief, so I was happy.
For the remaining time we spent at the marina, we scheduled massages and had the boat professionally cleaned which was indeed a treat. We also did our provisioning at the local market, which offered free delivery to the boat—another fantastic service. We will certainly come back here again once we are done tour of the Greek Islands.