BACK IN LEFKAS ABOARD ENVOY

Read our new Blog section below – FOR FOODIES.
Last November 2014 when we left our second home – our Nordhavn 46 “Envoy” in Greece’s Lefkas Marina, we expected to be back cruising by April this year. Unexpected circumstances prevented that and just last week we returned to Lefkas to check on Envoy, as part of a wider trip to visit our daughter in London and my brother and his wife in Scotland. We knew it was too late in the season to do any cruising – winter weather generally arrives by early November and it normally takes about two to three weeks to prepare Envoy and a week to winterize her after cruising. So this trip we’re using Envoy like a motel unit – to do some land-based exploration.
On arriving aboard Envoy up on the marina’s hardstand we found everything OK with no surprises - more on Envoy technically in next post.
Obviously Greece has featured a lot in the news recently with their financial crisis and the refugee issues. We arrived into Athens, spent one night there and then made the five hour bus trip to Lefkas.

This 16th century church is nestled in the basement of a new multi-story building in Athens

So far we haven’t seen any refugees or any visible signs of the crisis. We’ve no doubt that a lot of hardship does exist, but people are out and about, tavernas are bustling and several Lefkas shop owners told Di it has been one of their best seasons ever. But we have heard that Greeks can only withdraw six Euro per day from banks or ATMs. The areas where refugees are flooding into Greece are the islands adjacent to Turkey, such as Kos and Lesvos – a long way from here.
We hired a rental car for eight days to explore some inland areas we’ve not visited previously and will mention that in our next posting.

FOR FOODIES Yes “foodie” is a real word and refers to a person having an enthusiastic interest in the preparation and consumption of great food. During our unexpected sojourn home in New Zealand I took on three months consultancy work with some old friends. One of them, Vivienne, told me she regularly reads our blog, is not particularly interested in the technical stuff, but when we mention going into this or that “taverna” would like to hear more about what we eat. So this new section is dedicated to Viv, and we'll get it going properly when we come back to the Med next year.
While staying in the village of Papingo high on the slopes of Mt Astraka looming 2,436m above sea level we stayed in a traditional inn.

Papingo is set high in rugged mountains

We weren’t particularly hungry and opted for a simple three-course organic vegetarian dinner, which turned out to be stunning with all of the ingredients coming from the inn’s garden and surrounding fields:
- Zucchini salad: smallish light green zucchini sliced lengthways very thinly with a potato peeler, doused with finely-chopped phenyl, whole red pepper corns, olive oil mixed with lemon juice and garnished with sliced lemon
- Fried porchini mushrooms: porchini mushrooms are the ones with very ragged edges. Our host, Kostas, said they gather about 100kg of mushrooms every third day from the fields around the inn. These were served fried in olive oil and garlic, and garnished with rocket leaves and ground pepper.
- Green beans: coarsely sliced lengthways and lightly cooked in a tomato pasta sauce heavily diluted in olive oil. We’re definitely going to try and replicate this back home.
Of course this was complimented by obligatory glasses of passable local red and white wines at ridiculously low prices.

Our traditional taverna served organic vegetables fresh from their own garden

Trays of porchini mushrooms drying in the sun

LEAVING ENVOY DURING THE WINTER IN THE WATER VS HARDSTAND

Envoy is on the hard in Lefkas marina, Greece and we will be back there early next week.

Having owned Envoy since late 2006 we’ve now left her unattended for periods ranging from about 5 months to 27 months, mostly on the hardstand but sometimes in the water so what are the pros and cons of each for boats in general?
Next week when we rejoin Envoy she’ll have been out of the water for about 6 months so then we’ll report more on this subject.

Envoy on the Ostia marina hardstand, Italy

Firstly it’s much more pleasant in a marina living aboard while your boat is in the water. You still get gentle boat movement (sometimes not so gentle during gales) and it’s much easier and safer to get aboard your boat and load supplies using the passarelle from the dock compared to a ladder from the ground.
In most marinas we can use our own shower rather than the shore facilities and empty the galley sink, neither of which we can do on the hardstand.
Marina hardstand areas are generally rather litter-strewn and dusty so we always find it easier to keep Envoy clean while in the water. But of course below waterline areas are a different story and while your boat is sitting unused in the water your hull will suffer more marine growth than usual.
So far as safety of the vessel is concerned each option is probably neutral. While in the water there is the risk of damage to mooring lines, cleats and hulls during storms, as well as the risk of taking on water if a leak develops. This is very dependent on the location of the marina since many are subject to surges during adverse winter weather.
On the hardstand there is some risk of damage during travel lift operations or from the vessel falling or being knocked over during earthquakes or severe storms, both of which are prevalent in the Med.
Personal safety is better with your vessel in the water as many accidents occur with people falling from their vessel or ladder onto the hardstand below.
In most marinas security is better on marina piers than it is on the hardstand where there are more people coming and going and public access is less restricted.
Cost is another factor to take into account and this depends on the individual marina and their ratio of berths to hardstand area. Sometimes it’s cheaper in the water and sometimes not. Seasonality also affects this with considerable more hardstand area being available during summer months.
Envoy’s refrigeration system has the option of air or seawater cooling but the latter is more efficient so that’s another plus for being in the water.
There are some repairs and maintenance which can only be performed out of water (for example servicing seacocks and running gear) but on balance there is more that can be achieved in the water.
Another negative for staying in the water is the possibility of galvanic corrosion and/or stray current electrolysis.
Osmosis is another risk for GRP hulls and a spell of several months out of the water can only assist its prevention.

INTERESTING INFORMATION FROM TECHNICAL TRAINING SEMINAR ABOARD NORDHAVN 68 – PART TWO

Envoy is currently in Lefkas marina, Greece and we’re home in New Zealand. But we arrive back in Lefkas late next week and soon after that will give an update on how Envoy's faring having been left for 11 months.

Our last posting introduced the technical seminar held aboard Nordhavn 68, Karajas, in Akuna Bay Marina north of Sydney.

View of Karaja's engine room with single John Deere main plus Northern Lights wing engine

Steve d'Antonio talks to course attendees in engine room

So what are a few key points others can learn from? Here is a flavour of some specifics.
- Always install equipment according to the manufacturer’s guidelines and insist that contractors do so,
as well as supplying a schematic diagram where needed.
- No AC power connections should be exposed or able to be accidentally touched.
- When working on AC power systems always totally isolate the inverter and remove the shore power
cable.
- Stainless steel bolts, nuts and washers should not be used in demanding applications like prop shaft couplings, steering couplings or engine mounts. Nor should they be used in electrical situations due to
the low conductivity of stainless steel.
- Although two hose clamps are supposed to be used for all raw water plumbing applications it is better
to use one properly than two improperly. Ensure hose clamps are marine grade stainless steel and have
solid not perforated bands. To avoid cuts and injuries use “Clamp-Aid” silicone covers on the sharp
exposed tail of the clamp.
- Only use correctly rated and marked hose for raw water plumbing and exhaust systems.
- Operate seacocks regularly to avoid them seizing up.
- Hydraulic steering rams and tiller arms should be regularly checked both at rest and under way while steering lock-to-lock to check for significant leaks and movement in fastenings.
- Test your emergency steering tiller before you need to use it.
- To reduce corrosion on aluminium masts, paravanes, booms, door frames etc bed fittings and hardware
in a PU bedding compound. This can be done retrospectively.
- In the event of engine room fire stop all engines and blowers (to maximise the effect of the extinguishing agent) and isolate the batteries (in case the fire is caused by a short circuit or overload).
- The prop shaft stuffing box temperature should not exceed about 30dF above the ambient sea water temperature.
- There is no need to change primary fuel filter cartridges too often, but as dictated by your vacuum gauge
(at about 5 inches of vacuum). Use 10 or 30 micron cartridges – finer is not better in the primaries.
- Bleeding of the fuel system should not be necessary if the primary and secondary filters are bled
correctly when changed. To ensure any air remaining in the system is passed through run the engine for
about 5 mins at 1200-1440 rpm, not at idle. This rpm range will reduce the chance of the engine stalling while passing air.
- Dry exhaust thermal insulation should be regularly checked using the pyrometer and for potential fire
and safety reasons no section should exceed 200dF. Wet exhaust system hoses should not exceed about 160dF.
- To maximise AGM battery life normally discharge to about 50% of its capacity and don’t routinely start charging much above that level.

I would certainly recommend any serious cruiser to attend a course run by Steve or a similarly qualified industry expert both to learn specifics and to stimulate thought.

INTERESTING INFORMATION FROM TECHNICAL TRAINING SEMINAR ABOARD NORDHAVN 68 – PART ONE

Envoy is currently in Lefkas marina, Greece and we’re home in New Zealand, heading to Lefkas next month.
Last week I attended a technical training seminar run by noted industry guru Steve D’Antonio.
Steve has owned and managed marine engineering companies, written numerous technical articles and is a marine engineering consultant. The course was held aboard a very impressive near-new Nordhavn 68, Karajas, berthed in the stunning Akuna Bay Marina within the Ku-ring-gai National Park about an hour’s drive north of downtown Sydney, Australia. Attendance was limited to 13, both to maximize interaction and to make full use of Karajas’s impressively large full-headroom engine room for some hands-on instruction.

Nordhavn 68, Karaja is an impressive vessel

Attendees pose on Karaja's wide Portuguese bridge

There was some interesting discussion on why buyers of many brands of new boats seem to suffer an unreasonably long time before “teething problems” are resolved. Although there was no conclusion on this, Steve noted that compared for example with cars, production numbers of each type of boat are very low, no two boats are the same (as owners specify so many different options), and many trades people involved in their building don’t have the knowledge or take the care they should. Add to this the salt water and air environment and Murphy’s Law!

Boat owners in general vary in both their technical aptitude and desire to undertake maintenance work from doing nearly everything themselves to doing nothing at all, but Steve emphasized that as a minimum an owner should understand the function of installed equipment; have all switches, breakers, fuses, and controls clearly labeled; and be able to change primary and secondary fuel filters, vee belts and pump impellers.
The general theme of the seminar was that paying attention to detail will pay huge dividends in reducing operating problems. This not only applies to owners undertaking work themselves but also to ensuring contractors undertake work correctly, something which Steve says is sometimes sadly lacking due to one of or a combination of attitude, lack of knowledge and experience or ingrained poor practice (“what’s wrong … we’ve always done it that way”).
During a very full day we covered topics such as using multimeters for fault finding (particularly engine starting), using infrared pyrometers for bench marking and preventative maintenance, electrical connections, electrical safety, AGM battery security and charging, water and fuel plumbing systems, hydraulic steering systems, filter cartridge changes, prop shaft cooling, engine mounts, engine room fire suppression, aluminium corrosion protection and correct selection and use of fastenings.
Within the context of these broad subjects numerous other interesting points emerged, many of which will be of practical benefit to myself and other attendees. See our next posting for some useful tips.

WHERE TO GET THE INFORMATION YOU NEED FOR CRUISING

Envoy is currently in Lefkas marina, Greece. We’re home in New Zealand but heading to Lefkas next month.
PassageMaker, published in the US, is the undisputed leading magazine dealing with passagemakers – that is boats from about 40 to 70 feet in length able to undertake extended voyages with minimal crews across open seas in most weather conditions (although like all small power or sailing vessels avoiding hurricane and cyclone seasons).
Passagemakers are a growing market with over 500 Nordhavns sold along with similar brands such as Kady Krogen, Selene, Fleming and Ocean Alexander as well as other brands and custom-built vessels.
While some passagemakers have done some very impressive blue water cruising (for example Nordhavn 46, Kanaloa, has recently commenced her fourth circumnavigation), I believe it’s true to say the great majority of passagemakers are purchased because owners like the traditional style and economy of a “small ship” rather than they intend to do much offshore cruising. We fall into this category ourselves and have only done coastal cruising aboard Envoy with our greatest distance from land having been about 60 miles.
PassageMaker has recently celebrated its 20th anniversary and this reminded me how this magazine was the first source of information we turned to when we decided to buy a passagemaker, eventually leading us to purchase our Nordhavn 46.
So what sources of information are available to those interested in adopting the cruising lifestyle?
Information requirements generally fall into two categories – technical and destinations - including formalities needed, and here are the sources we have used and still use to meet these requirements:
- Our on board Nordhavn 46 technical Manual, constantly updated
- Our on board equipment instruction Manuals
- Manufacturers of the equipment in question
- Technical books such as Nigel Calder’s Boat Owners Mechanical and Electrical Manual
- Articles we have copied from boating magazines
- Discussions with other cruisers
- Selected cruisers’ blogs
- Local marine engineering companies and/or agents for equipment
- Internet searches and youtube
- The Nordhavn factory
- The Nordhavn Owners website
- Previous owners of our vessel
- Technical questions at passagemaker.com
- Charts and cruising guides
- Tourist guides such as Lonely Planet
- Google Earth
- Navionics on our iPad
- www.noonsite.com a website offering cruisers a wealth of information

Passagemaker’s special 20th anniversary edition mentioned some amusing reflections on maintenance:
- No boat project can be accomplished without creating new projects and the more complicated the first project the more new projects it will spawn
- You will never have all the parts, supplies, fasteners etc required to complete a project no matter how well you plan, and the final item needed won’t be identified until after the stores have all closed
- All projects except the tiniest will result in the entire boat being torn up
- The more deeply you are involved in a project the more people will stop by the boat for a chat
- Any dropped object will end up in the most inaccessible place possible, including Davy Jones locker

Next week I’m attending a technical training course run by well-known guru Steve D’Antonio so our next post will be about that.

BOATING ETIQUETTE

Envoy is still in Lefkas Marina, Greece and we plan to return there in September.
In New Zealand we’re fortunate that the majority of skippers have some degree of competence and sense of courtesy to others, and that we have a sensible and reasonably enforced set of Navigation Safety Rules.
But cruising around Mediterranean countries it’s an entirely different story and we frequently observe poor behavior on the water ranging from the discourteous to the downright dangerous - for example failure to observe collision regulations, crew bow riding on high speed vessels, anchoring too closely, and speeding or water skiing between anchored vessels and close to swimmers.
Most aggravation that occurs seems to revolve around anchoring, speed, wakes, jet-skis and noise and I’m going to take a light-hearted look at these issues.
The first people in an anchorage have priority and should expect skippers of later arrivals to respect their space and peace as much as possible. But this doesn’t mean they can have the anchorage all to themselves; how often have you slowly cruised into an anchorage to see one or two other skippers standing on deck, unsmiling, with hands on hips and negative body language intently watching your every move? You approach their stern and drop your anchor about two metres behind them.
“Why don’t you drop your anchor in my cockpit?” is sometimes asked aggressively.
I’m often tempted to reply, “yeah I was aiming for it but missed”.
There is nothing wrong with laying your anchor immediately astern of another boat or even close alongside it, as your own vessel will drop well back behind them respecting their space and privacy.
Sometimes you will anchor your boat safely clear of and in front of another whose skipper will yell out, “hey your boat’s over my anchor.” There’s nothing wrong with being over someone else’s anchor, provided you move your boat if necessary when they want to retrieve it. This is not to be confused with laying your anchor or chain over the top of somebody else’s, an understandably annoying practice.
It can be a good idea to buoy your anchor in rocky anchorages so that if it gets fouled you can retrieve it more easily (though this doesn’t always work). However some skippers have the annoying practice of using buoys wherever they anchor, probably with the aim of keeping other vessels away. The problem here is that as boats move position with tide and wind changes the buoy’s line can foul another boat’s running gear. Buoyed anchors and stern anchors have no place in a busy anchorage where all boats must be able to swing freely, and if another vessel’s anchor buoy becomes a hazard you should politely ask her skipper to remove it.
Nowadays we see much larger planing vessels than were apparent several years ago and most of these cause considerable wakes. Unfortunately many skippers helming this type of boat seem to have more money than sense or experience and a regular widespread problem is planing boats approaching anchorages at a speed just off the plane, pushing up huge wakes, their skippers seemingly oblivious to the fact they will cause every vessel at anchor to roll alarmingly. Good seamanship requires approaching an anchorage at a speed which will cause the smallest possible wake.

We now see ever larger high speed planing boats putting up dangerous wakes

In the Med people driving dinghies or jet skis at high speed or water skiing within a few metres of anchored vessels is a major problem, and extremely dangerous since people are often swimming around their vessels. In six years cruising here we’ve never seen any type of action by authorities to prevent this.
Many boaties enjoy listening to their music over a few drinks in the evening as they recount the day’s events, but these days there are so many high-powered sound systems that an anchorage can sound like a raging battle of the bands. If a nearby boat was anchored first and has a good sound system, why not listen to their music rather than try to drown it out with yours?
Many people like to enjoy themselves and make a bit of noise until a reasonable hour, but if you intend to party loudly all night long, best anchor well away from others.
Boating remains one of the great pleasures in life and can be made that much more enjoyable if all observe regulations, show consideration to others, keep their cool and avoid confrontation.

MARINAS IN THE MED ARE VERY DIFFERENT TO THOSE IN NEW ZEALAND

Envoy is still in Lefkas Marina, Greece and we plan to return there in September.
Marinas in the Med are totally different to what we are used to in New Zealand, and some of them can be quite a daunting experience. Ironically the only two boating-related injuries we’ve ever sustained have been in Med marinas.
The first one occurred while sheltering from a storm in a marina in Turkey. We were enjoying a cup of coffee in a local taverna when a horrendous gust of wind imploded its large sea-facing window, showering us with shards of glass and requiring us both to have a few stitches in hospital.

My ear was half ripped off by broken glass from the window

The second one happened just last year in a Sicilian marina when I stepped on a concrete paving stone that collapsed under me, lacerating my foot.
In the Med many marinas are not well-protected from the open sea, so during strong winds, especially during winter storms, swells and surge can make them uncomfortable and in some cases untenable with large waves cascading over their protective seawalls. For example, one day in Italy’s Ostia marina there was such a large surge that we couldn’t safely disembark from Envoy and the boat next to us broke its stern lines and went adrift dragging its power cable and water hose astern.

Huge waves crashing against a seawall. One boat on hardstand to left has been knocked from its supports. Concrete blocks weighing several tonnes were moved more than 5 metres. Even if waves don't come over the wall (and they do!) they can cause a heavy surge inside the marina

Med marinas don’t have pontoons or poles between the boats, which are moored stern-to the dock protected only by their fenders, and with a lazy line or sometimes your own anchor to secure your bow.

In six years cruising this is the only time we had a berth with a pontoon on our side

If a blow with some surge is expected it’s a good idea to use two bow lines, or at least ensure the one you have is strong enough to hold. Also to use additional long spring lines secured from amidships back to the jetty, as surge can easily break short stern lines and damage cleats, or indeed pull them out of your deck. Most marinas provide staff to assist with docking and to help make boats more secure if strong winds and surge are expected.
Apart from surge, wakes from ferries and fishing boats passing nearby or through marinas can be problem too.
Access to your boat in a marina is generally by passarelle (boarding plank) from your stern to the dock, and these should be used with care as accidents are common. We generally rig a safety line to hold onto while using the passarelle, especially when we have guests who are not used to this procedure.
Most marinas provide water, but it’s rarely potable and most cruisers buy bottled water for drinking. It’s a good idea to regularly fill your water tank in case of any problems with the marina water supply. Sometimes the water supply can be a considerable distance from the boat so long hoses should be carried.
Electricity is also commonly provided, but maintenance levels are poor - many power sockets don’t work or have low voltage, and power outages are particularly common during heavy rain and thunderstorms. Often the power outages are not just on the marina but for the whole local area. Power costs are mostly included in the marina berth charge, but in other cases it’s charged extra, normally using a pre-pay card. It’s a good idea to maintain a large selection of plugs and extension leads as the power sockets vary and sometimes there are not enough for each boat. In these cases a neighbouring skipper will generally agree to share his power socket with you, or the marina staff will make that decision for him.
We have always found security in marinas good and theft is rarely an issue provided that normal sensible precautions are taken.
Many cruisers in the Med don’t anchor at all, simply travelling from marina to marina without ever removing and stowing their fenders. This is particularly the case with chartered yachts, which are often poorly equipped with ground tackle, and with crew who aren’t confident in their anchoring ability and want to enjoy the marina’s action, restaurants and atmosphere. We try to avoid marinas as much as possible because they’re expensive (typically about $70 to $130 per night). It’s also time-consuming to set up mooring lines, power cord and passarelle, and many marinas and harbours require you to go through the inconvenience of reporting to the authorities to have your ship’s documents checked. Another factor is we like to swim as much as possible, which is generally not possible in marinas (not only forbidden but potentially dangerous to swim in areas close to poorly maintained shore power terminals).
Much as we prefer not to, during a typical year we inevitably spend some weeks in various marinas – preparing our boat for cruising at the beginning of the season and for winter at season’s end, when guests arrive and depart, in locations where there are no safe anchorages, for maintenance, for shelter from adverse weather (above Force 7) and when we want to leave our boat unattended for inland travel.
All marinas allow living aboard your boat in the water, and most allow living aboard on the hardstand (even if their advertised terms and conditions say this is not allowed).
Most marinas provide clean toilets and hot showers, but few have facilities to empty holding tanks so it’s a good idea to pump them out at sea before entering a marina.
It’s rarely a problem to discharge grey water or to use a washing machine in marinas. Laundry facilities are common in larger marinas but tend to be very expensive. Cheaper options can often be found in nearby villages.
Shops and markets for most supplies are generally plentiful.

On the hardstand
When your boat needs to be slipped for anti-fouling and below water maintenance it’s a big advantage to continue living aboard and most Med marinas allow this.
Ensure your ladder is stable, securely tied top and bottom, and used very carefully as serious injury-causing accidents involving ladders are common.

It’s a good idea to check your boat’s hull supports periodically, particularly wooden ones, as we have found they can move and need adjustment.

When wooden hull supports are used they can move and need regular checking

Most marina hardstand areas are very dusty and turn muddy during rain, so ensure your cockpit is well protected from dirty footwear and you have a mat at the bottom of your ladder. Keep an old hose especially for use on the hardstand as hoses generally can’t be cleaned sufficiently for normal use after being used there. The power cable also gets very dirty and needs a thorough clean after use.
Grey water cannot be discharged directly onto the hardstand so we place bowls in the galley and head sinks, and empty them periodically into marina storm water drains. In case we get caught short during the night we place a bucket in the head and empty it first thing in the morning.
Although living aboard on the hardstand is probably the least enjoyable aspect of the Med cruising life, it’s often improved by the fact that you’re probably looking up at some nearby ancient temple or castle, and after that time comes the great consistent weather, fascinating historical destinations and wonderfully interesting cultures and cuisines.
The next Blog posting will discuss boating etiquette.

PREPARING YOUR GRAB BAG

Envoy is currently in Lefkas marina, western Greece, while we are home in New Zealand.
We plan to return to Envoy in September.
You’re cruising along the coastline enjoying idyllic conditions and keeping watch as your autopilot does its work. Your boat has a gentle motion in the slight seas and you sniff the aroma from your mug of fresh coffee, ever hopeful of hearing the screaming zing of your trolling line’s reel.
The last thing on your mind is having to suddenly abandon your vessel, but at sea the unexpected can and does occur, especially during night time, and you should always be prepared for dealing with emergencies such as collision with another vessel, hitting a heavy floating or semi-submerged object, striking a rock or reef, going aground, fire, capsize, or taking on water. It’s easy to say these situations couldn’t happen to me, but Coastguard incident records tell a different story, and whether you’re aboard a high speed trailer boat or a 20 metre cruiser a little forethought and preparation will improve your chances of success in dealing with an emergency.
Most emergency situations are either resolved or kept under control until assistance arrives using your own safety equipment:
- Correctly installed and regularly tested bilge pumps of adequate capacity
- Fire fighting equipment including an engine room extinguishing system, strategically located high capacity fire extinguishers and fire blankets
- A comprehensive tool kit including tools to quickly make and secure emergency patches
- A repair kit including a selection of soft wooden plugs to use as bungs, small sheets of plywood and aluminium to make patches, sealant, duct tape, hose repair kit and hose clamps

Abandoning ship is an action taken only after all other options are exhausted - as old salts say - you step up into a life raft not down into one. It’s safer to stay aboard your boat even half-full of water than taking to a dinghy in open waters, and you will be easier to locate and rescue; many vessels have been found floating long after being abandoned.
However situations arise, particularly serious fires and imminent sinking, where there is no option but to leave the vessel. Most vessels over about seven metres in length carry a tender, and as few coastal cruisers carry certified life rafts the tender is the primary means of escape and survival. Most tenders used today are RHIBs and will stay afloat even in very adverse conditions, but if your tender is aluminium or wooden consider installing watertight, foam-filled compartments.
If your tender is being towed or carried on a boarding platform it should be possible to deploy quickly. However towing tenders is unwise in rough or potentially rough conditions as they can overturn or become swamped. Larger tenders requiring a crane to lift them are difficult to launch quickly in the event of fire, sudden sinking, power failure or rough seas, and it’s worth having a second smaller tender available for rapid manual launching in event of an emergency.

Our larger RHIB shown below would be impossible to launch using the crane from Envoy's boat deck quickly in an emergency, so we also carry a smaller RHIB that can be launched by hand

All boats should have a Grab Bag (or Ditch Bag) in case you have to abandon ship quickly, and these are available from most chandlers. It should be immediately recognisable, and have a line attached to reduce the chance of loss while abandoning ship. Although you are most likely to be rescued within a short time, victims sometimes spend overnight or longer in their RHIB, so Grab Bags typically have the following contents (packed in individual plastic bags to keep them dry):
- Hand-held VHF radio in a waterproof case with spare batteries
- Fully-charged mobile phone in waterproof case, preferably with spare battery
- EPIRB
- Hand bearing compass
- Binoculars
- Orange safety square
- First aid kit
- Fresh water
- Snack food
- Hand held searchlight and waterproof torches with spare batteries
- Strobe light and spare batteries
- Flares kit
- Air horn
- Whistle
- Signaling mirror
- RHIB repair kit
- Sharp knife
- Length of line
- Rescue quoit with floating line
- Sun hats, sunglasses, sun block, lip screen
- Notebook and pencil
- Thermal blankets
- Toilet roll

This list assumes that the crew is already suitably dressed for the conditions, including life jackets and footwear in case of landing on a rocky shore.
Some Grab Bag items such as your mobile phone may be in regular use – so keep these conveniently located to add later if necessary.
When we do passages at night, or in heavy weather or a long distance offshore we keep our Grab Bag, lifejackets, RHIB pump and all other necessary items together in the saloon or cockpit so they’re available immediately if needed.

These comments are related to coastal, not offshore cruising - for which considerably more extensive preparation and equipping is required.
The next posting will be about living aboard your vessel in marinas.

THE CRUISING LIFE - FIXING YOUR BOAT IN EXOTIC LOCATIONS

Envoy is located at Lefkas Marina, Greece.
Cruisers have a popular saying: “the cruising life is fixing your boat in exotic locations” and this carries a lot of truth - during our several months of cruising the Med each year we meet many fellow cruisers – mostly with sailing yachts, and inevitably conversation soon turns to the subject of what equipment needs fixing. Regardless of the type of boat or its age we have yet to meet a cruiser who says nothing on his boat needs attention.

Anchoring in great bays like these is a major part of cruising but not without some technical work too

Most cruisers are very pragmatic about this and don’t let a technical problem spoil their cruising. For example we’ve cruised for a whole season without a working water maker and another without our hydraulic stabilisers. Of course there was some irritation about these circumstances but we didn’t let them interfere with our cruising plans - if you become overly pedantic about non mission-critical problems you may never cast off from the marina to start your adventures.
In New Zealand we’re fortunate in having a tremendous infrastructure of qualified and competent marine technicians and spare parts availability, but this is often not the case when cruising overseas and can be further complicated by a lack of knowledge of the local situation and by different languages. Cruisers like us, who mostly relied on service contractors when boating in home waters, soon learn to become independent and try to tackle as much as possible themselves.
Fortunately there are many sources of technical information available to assist the cruiser, and at various times we’ve used most of the following:
- Our own boat’s technical manual originally prepared by the manufacturer and added to by owners
- On board instruction manuals and spare parts lists from original equipment suppliers
- Contact with the boat’s manufacturer, previous owners and owners’ associations
- Contact with the manufacturer of the equipment in question
- Technical reference books carried aboard (such as Nigel Calder’s “Boatowners Mechanical and Electrical Manual”)
- Technical articles copied from boating magazines
- Talking with other skippers
- Local marine engineering companies
- Agents for the equipment in question both locally and back in New Zealand
- Internet searches for information
- The many available You Tube videos showing how to perform numerous technical tasks

Among many other tasks during 2015 our main rudder bearing needed replacement

............as did our toilet's joker valves

But we inevitably need to have work done by contractors when we don’t have the knowledge or skills to carry out a task and recent examples have been changing injectors, setting valve clearances and reconditioning a starter motor and alternator.
When we need a contractor we try to find out who the best ones are by talking with other cruisers, and we always remain on board while the job is done. This is necessary because contractors normally arrive without any manuals or information, and often without even adequate tools to complete the task - recently an electrician arrived for a fault-finding job on our electric head and needed to borrow our multimeter! Working alongside contractors is also a great way to increase our technical skills.
Contractors in some overseas regions often don’t deliver the service we expect and mostly receive in New Zealand; example – an Italian service agent for a well known European engine brand “fixed” an engine oil leak by placing a plastic container under the leak to catch the drips. On the positive side we have found many skilled and resourceful contractors very adept at repairing failed components rather than replacing them with expensive and difficult-to-source new ones.
To maximize your technical security and independence it’s essential to carry onboard a comprehensive toolkit, complete spare parts and manuals for all installed equipment, and an extensive range of chandlery items.
It’s often said that the cost of maintaining a cruising boat is about ten per cent of the boat’s capital value each year, but over six years we’ve found between five and six per cent to be closer to the mark (not including fuel and oil). Our philosophy is to maintain our boat in tip-top condition mechanically, better than average condition cosmetically and to strike a balance between preventative maintenance and “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.”
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LOOKING BACK ON THE UNIQUE PLEASURE OF OUR VERY FIRST BOAT

Envoy is currently located at Lefkas marina, Greece.
We have fond memories of all six power boats we’ve owned, each one being a great experience and serving us well during different phases of our lives. But one stands out in our minds as extra special; our very first boat purchased in 1982, a 5.3 metre Seacraft Valencia powered with a Mercruiser 140hp petrol sterndrive. We still remember seeing this boat for the first time in the Seacraft showroom, thinking how big she looked sitting high on her tandem-axle trailer and admiring her rugged no-nonsense GRP clinker-hull styling.

Mokruiser on trailer

Then we met Seacraft director Lionel Sands and discovered this boat was special as she’d been built for his family use and included many optional extras. The boat was called Mokruiser, and Lionel explained the unusual name was based on the contraction of Mercruiser and Moko Hinau Islands (off the north-east coast of New Zealand’s North Island), where Lionel made regular fishing and diving expeditions from the family beach house near the Whangarei Heads. These Moko Hinaus, some 35 miles out from the Heads, can be a rough trip but the rewards are excellent fishing for snapper and kingfish as well as diving in the clear waters for large crayfish.
Mokruiser’s pedigree was sufficient to convince us that she would meet all our needs at that time, and during the two-year-long steep learning curve we owned her we logged 154 days cruising Auckland’s greater Hauraki Gulf, as well as trailering Mokruiser north to explore the incomparable Bay of Islands.
Most of our leisure time with our two kids was spent boating, our son introduced to boating from just a few months old strapped into a car safety seat adapted for use aboard Mokruiser. John obviously got a healthy dose of salt water into his veins as he later became first mate on a super yacht cruising Mediterranean and North American waters. After our skills and confidence grew we joined Coastguard’s volunteer Search and Rescue Group, and Mokruiser became a familiar volunteer “Rescue Cutter” back in the days before dedicated rescue craft.
We remember a day when our kids were building sand castles on a beach in Northland as we chatted with an older and wiser man who advised us to make the most of these special boating days as you don’t get a second chance. How right he was, and we never forget those early boating days and our various firsts – our first cruise around Kawau Island, the first time our kids rowed the dinghy and the first time they caught a fish with infectious excitement.

A family day out with Mokruiser in the early 1980s

Mokruiser on the right - we wouldn't be doing this with Envoy

Thirty two years later we meet Lionel again. Of course time changes us all, but there is instant mutual recognition and we express our gratitude to Lionel for putting us on course for lives which have largely revolved around boating, logging thousands of days skippering various boats in seven different countries. Lionel proudly guides us around Seacraft (now called Seacraft Miller Moyes), and explains the various stages in the production procedure for the highly respected Haines Hunter range of outboard-powered GRP trailer boats consisting of six core models ranging from 4.85 metres up to the flagship 7.25 metres.
This is an occasion for some reflection, and Lionel recounts how they started producing wooden boats. All the early boat shows he attended comprised only wooden boats. Then GRP boats first appeared during the mid-1960s, and within a short time there were few wooden boats to be seen. Later along came the rise of aluminium boats and RHIBs, so that today’s market has a wide diversity of offerings including imported boats.
These days Lionel goes to sea in a Haines Hunter SP725 and still sometimes ventures to the Moko Hinaus, but showed us some recent photos proving that he can always catch plenty of excellent snapper much closer to the Whangarei Heads largely negating the need for such a long round trip.
We enjoyed our time with Mokruiser so much that our next two trailer boats retained the same name, and it was both satisfying and intriguing for us to meet Lionel again to be reminded of our boating roots which have stood us in good stead for many years.

ENVOY’S FUTURE CRUISING PLANS

Envoy is currently in Lefkas marina, Greece while we’re home in Auckland, New Zealand.
Although we had planned to continue our Med cruising aboard Envoy this year, circumstances are keeping us home until late August. Bearing in mind it takes around two weeks to prepare Envoy for the cruising season and that the weather turns wintry during November, we’ve decided to skip cruising this year. However we plan to visit Lefkas for a few weeks from September to check on Envoy, do some maintenance and explore some of the nearby Greek mainland by car – something we’ve not had time to do during normal cruising years. Meanwhile our friends at Sailand have arranged to lift Envoy from the water onto the hardstand where they will continue regular inspections, battery charging and dehumidifying.
We plan to keep the blog updated every 10 days or so with material related to cruising and to Envoy, so keep watching this space meantime.
Next year we’re planning to spend from late February to late November aboard Envoy, a longer period than usual, We’re intending to cruise up to Corfu, cross to southern Albania and cruise the Albanian coastline north (bypassing Montenegro) to Croatia, fairly quickly transit the southern half of Croatia’s coastline that we’ve already visited to explore the northern half, visit Venice and other areas of Italy’s north-east coast, call in at Montenegro on the return journey to take advantage of tax-free diesel and end up back at Lefkas once more.
If you’ve got a dream to go cruising, do it sooner than later while circumstances allow. As Mark Twain said: “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bow lines, sail away from the safe harbour, catch the trade wind in your sails. Explore, dream, discover.”
Fortunately, from our home we look out across Auckland’s constantly changing Manukau Harbour, so are constantly reminded of our strong connection with the sea.

LONG TERM CRUISING – what do you do all day?

Envoy is currently in Lefkas marina while we are home in New Zealand.

Having spent most of the past six years cruising the eastern Med aboard our Nordhavn 46 passagemaker, Envoy, “what do you do all day?” is the question commonly posed by family and friends.

We don't feel the need to be constantly "doing things", sometimes it's nice just to feed visiting ducks

Before going to the Med we spent over 25 years cruising the north-east coast of New Zealand’s North Island, mostly between Whitianga and Whangaroa, when many of our days were filled with fishing and diving. Even when setting off for a few weeks we’d only take meat for the first night out, knowing the rest of the time ample delicious bounty from the sea would feed us.
The Med seems to have plenty of fish. Now this seems a controversial statement, but virtually every coastal town or village we’ve visited has its own commercial fishing fleet and a fish market displaying species ranging from sardines to swordfish.

Most of the larger villages have a fish market

But we’ve observed very little leisure fishing in the Med and most fishing boats use long lines or nets, so we’ve mostly given up fishing except for trolling to put the occasional tuna on our table.

We don't spend much time fishing, but our late friend Brian caught this small tuna, trolling a lure

We do plenty of snorkeling in the Med’s largely pristine clear waters, but in most areas you can only scuba dive in an organised group; this is to protect the many easily-accessible historic relics.
Get the picture? We have plenty of time on our hands compared with our NZ boating – how do we fill it?
So here’s another controversial statement. While the North Island’s north-east coast has some stunning coastal and offshore island natural scenery (as does much of the Med), in our opinion there are very few coastal towns or villages offering much of interest to see. Yes we enjoy visiting Whitianga, Coromandel, Oneroa, Tryphena, Warkworth, Whangarei and Russell, but even some of this pick of the crop are losing part of their olde worlde charm to over-development. On the contrary the northern Med coastline and offshore islands have countless delightful towns and villages, dripping with atmosphere and loaded with quirky shops, rustic tavernas and historical features to explore.

When you anchor off a Med village there's always heaps to see ashore (off Cefalu, Sicily)

Tavernas don't come more rustic than Alibaba's in Turkey

The dynamics of living on a boat overseas are quite different to going away for a few days or for the summer holidays in your own country. For a start you have to navigate yourself safely through unfamiliar waters without the support structures we take for granted in NZ such as Coastguard, VHF-radio trip reports and weather Nowcasting. Then you need to do time-consuming routine things like replenishing stores, laundry and the maintenance that back home you’d leave until your return to the marina.
So what does a typical Med cruising day look like?
It always starts with checking the anchor, bilges, fresh water tank levels and engine room. This takes from 30 minutes to about an hour, depending on what needs attention; for example topping fluids, adjusting vee-belts or running our diesel polishing system to fill our day tank. After checking the latest weather forecasts online, next on the agenda is nearly always a swim. What we do next depends on whether we’re going to remain at anchor or cruise somewhere.
At anchor we run the generator for about 90 minutes to charge our batteries, run our refrigeration and heat our hot water tank. Sometimes we extend the generator’s running time to do some laundry and operate the water maker. After breakfast we usually spend several hours using our RHIB to explore the nearby coastline and interesting areas ashore.
Buying supplies is very different overseas – you can’t drive your car to a familiar supermarket and load up! With our granny shopping cart in tow we first have to find a shop then locate the items we need among the unfamiliar and foreign-language printed goods. To complicate matters large supermarkets are rare so we generally have to visit several shops to buy all we need. In countries like Turkey, Greece and Italy the shopping process is regarded as one of life’s pleasures rather than a chore, and involves tasting different delights such as olives, cheeses and salamis while bantering with shop assistants and other customers.

In most Med countries food shopping is a pleasure rather than a chore

Very often the owner-operated shops will then offer a complimentary glass of wine in appreciation of your custom, and more discussion follows. Finally we have to hump our purchases to the RHIB and take them out to Envoy. To reduce the need for mammoth shopping expeditions we nearly always buy small quantities of heavy stuff like vegetables, milk, beer, coke and wine when going ashore.

Humping supplies back to Envoy using the RHIB - note all the small commercial fishing boats

Back on board we allow one or two hours daily for the ever-present maintenance, then 1800 hours will generally find us in the cockpit, cold beer or wine in hand reflecting on the day’s activities and making some plans for the next few days before we fire up the barbecue for dinner.
If moving on we up-anchor after our swim and get under way before we have breakfast – one of the advantages of a stabilised displacement hull is that you can do most everything underway except in particularly rough waters. We find the next exotic location, and do it all over again!

BUYING NEW VERSUS PRE-OWNED and ARE SURVEYS WORTHWHILE?

Envoy is currently in Lefkas marina, Greece and we are home in New Zealand.
This is an article we wrote that was recently published in NZ’s Pacific Powerboat magazine.
It must be great to experience the sheer pleasure of buying a brand-new boat without the slightest blemish detracting from its pristine appearance. We wouldn’t know for sure as all five boats Diane and I have owned over more than 30 years have been pre-owned, but over the years we’ve been surprised to meet a sizeable number of new boat buyers who’ve been disappointed to some degree. So what are the real pros and cons of buying new or pre-owned?
What follows mainly applies to larger vessels as we’ve not heard the same level of discontent with trailer boats, although we were recently told of a situation where somebody bought a complete new alloy fishing boat and had problems on his first three times out.

Purchasing a new vessel 
Many buyers prefer the appeal of a new vessel for some of the following reasons, all of which are valid to some extent.
- With many brands they are able to customise a vessel to suit their boating requirements and tastes by specifying layout, engineering options, equipment types and brands, decor and furnishings. However in some cases the option to make more than minor changes is limited and usually adds considerable expense.
- They may be able to visit the builder’s factory to see their vessel take shape during the build stage, form relationships, and gain a better understanding of the vessel’s construction and systems.
- They experience the joy of taking delivery of a brand new vessel, never used by anyone else, and if this spins your wheels it’s hard to put a price on.
- They have a complete knowledge of the vessel’s history from day one.
- They receive a warranty and more ongoing support from the manufacturer and agent than could normally be expected with a pre-owned option. However support levels vary considerably and the prudent buyer should carefully research this aspect.
- They should benefit from lower maintenance costs for the first few years, certainly during the warranty period, although there’s no question some new buyers are disappointed with what they consider to be undue numbers of problems occurring. It seems that many new boat brands need to cruise for a few months to resolve initial teething issues, and even if successfully resolved at no cost they are frustrating, inconvenient and reduce the boat’s availability for use.
- They are able to spread payments over the vessel’s construction time, though financing options are also available for pre-owned boats.

Purchasing a pre-owned vessel 
Other buyers prefer to purchase a pre-owned vessel for some of these reasons, again all valid to some extent.
- They can generally take immediate delivery; there is usually a wait for new vessels ranging from several to many months.
- They pay a significantly lower investment cost and then have spare cash available if required to make the boat more suited to their needs and replace outmoded equipment.
- They suffer less depreciation cost because like cars, a new boat generally takes its biggest depreciation hit early on from new.
- They believe a pre-owned vessel is tried, tested and reliable, and while this is true to some extent, when vessels age they become prone to more maintenance, especially with ancillary equipment. Some of her electronics may also be outdated.
- A used boat is likely to have more equipment included at little or no extra cost – many are purchased complete with spare parts, tools, chandlery, bedding, cutlery, crockery, galley utensils etc. For example we only had to add two fire extinguishers and stores to our Nordhavn 46 before commencing cruising.

Envoy was 16 years old when we purchased her, and so well-equipped we only added cruising stores and two additional fire extinguishers, saving us thousands of dollars

Enter the professional surveyor 
Whether your preference is for new or pre-owned most of the risks can be significantly reduced by contracting a professional surveyor, who acts for and is paid by the buyer. This is particularly so for pre-owned vessels, but should also be considered for new vessels as these are not immune from poor practice and resulting problems.
Surveyors not only have considerable technical expertise, but follow a logical documented process for an objective examination of the vessel, whereas the enthusiastic buyer may be prone to overlook or downplay some negative issues. An initial survey is also helpful when arranging insurance and provides a benchmark for later surveys.
The survey will include a sea trial and an out of water inspection, and in most cases the surveyor will discover some defects and then discuss their level of importance with the buyer, who must then negotiate with the seller to remedy them. A survey for a pre-owned 14 metre vessel typically costs between NZ$1,800 to $3,000 depending on its value, plus lift-out fees, so is a relatively small percentage of the investment cost.
The buyer of a pre-owned vessel should also examine her service records and discuss her service history directly with the relevant engineering contractors so that a full inspection can be arranged if there is any doubt about her mechanical condition.
Exercising great caution during the purchase process for your either new or pre-owned vessel should maximize your cruising enjoyment.

DEALING WITH FOREIGN CRUISING REGULATIONS (part two)

Envoy is currently in Lefkas marina, Greece while we are still home in New Zealand.
Our last posting set the scene on Med cruising regulations and discussed those affecting the vessel - now we discuss those impacting the skipper and crew.

When cruising there are many idyllic scenes like this but to sleep well you need to understand the pertinent regulations

Nearly all countries place limits on the time you are allowed to stay in their waters, and this surprises the cruising community considering the large sums spent on provisions, repairs and maintenance, marinas and internal travel etc. As hefty fines are imposed on overstaying cruisers it’s important to be aware of these time limitations.

Turkey is a great destination but allows visits of only 90 days

Since 2012 Turkey allows visitors to stay for only 90 days in any 180 day period but this limitation can be overcome by taking a berthage contract with a recognised marina and arranging through the marina for a residency permit.
Several other Med countries including France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal and Spain are signatories to the Schengen Treaty which allows non-EU passport holders from most countries including Australia to spend up to 90 days out of a 6 month period in the signatory countries. This is rather limiting as it means you can only spend 90 days cumulatively in these signatory countries not 90 days in each one. Fortunately for Kiwis the rules are slightly different and we are allowed to spend up to 90 days in each signatory country. The good news for Aussies and others is that the time limitation is currently being reviewed with the objective of changing it to what Kiwis currently enjoy; 90 days in each signatory country – and this will make cruise planning much simpler.
In the meantime there are some ways around this; one is that if you have a UK or other EU passport the Schengen limitation doesn’t apply.
Another is to spend the allowable 90 days in signatory countries, then 90 days in non-signatory countries (like Albania, Croatia, Montenegro or Turkey) and then return to signatory countries.
Another is to cruise in countries which are nominally Schengen Treaty signatories but don’t seem to enforce it among cruisers, however there is a risk that some over-zealous official could provide problems.
Another option is to try to use an exemption for cruising vessel skippers and crews, which is generally available provided that you arrive and depart aboard the vessel (not for example by air). In this case you don’t get your passports stamped on entry and exit and you can cruise for up to six months in the selected country (we have used this system in Greece and Italy). However there are complications to this; you probably need to do this through an agent who understands this “loophole”, you must only sleep aboard the vessel (not ashore) and may not undertake any inland travel away from immediate harbour areas except after obtaining a special permit from the harbourmaster. The latter condition is frequently ignored but a problem could result if you were involved in some form of incident away from the harbour area without permission.
In some countries (for example Greece, Italy) when you enter a harbour or marina you are supposed to see the Port Police, submit your ship’s documents and have your Transit Log stamped at a cost ranging from nothing to Euro 50 (NZ$72), depending on the port. If you are only anchoring you are still supposed to periodically report to the Port Police, and to advise them of any crew changes. In our experience this only applies to new crew arriving, not leaving.
Using agents 
Some countries, for example Turkey and Croatia, require cruisers to employ an agent to handle clearing-in and out and this generally costs about 100 to 150 Euros (NZ$145 to 217 for each). We often use agents regardless as they handle the process quickly without the lengthy delays and hassles that are usually otherwise encountered, they often know how to circumvent overly onerous regulations and they have good contacts that can assist in solving any problems encountered along the way.
Documentation summary 
When clearing-in, clearing-out, entering a marina or harbour and when being boarded by authorities you will need to show various of the following documents (originals not photo copies):
- Passports; always
- Registration Certificate; always
- Proof of Insurance; nearly always
- Cruising Log relevant to that country; always unless clearing-in when this log is purchased at that time
- Crew List; nearly always
- Skipper’s Certificate of Competency; often, although it doesn’t appear to matter what level of qualification is held
- Proof of payment of harbour dues; sometimes required for departure
- Radio Station License; rarely
- Radio Operators License; rarely
- Proof of VAT status; we have never been asked for this
- Ships Log; we have never had to show this
We have always provided authorities with English language documents and have never been required to provide translated copies. It’s also a good idea to have an official looking ink stamp made up showing your vessel name and registration details to stamp onto official documents and in some cases this is mandatory.

When cruising in the Med different countries are sometimes tantalisingly close together and it’s a big temptation to cruise for example from the Turkish mainland to a nearby Greek island for a few days and then back to Turkey without worrying about any documentation.

The Greek island of Kastellorizon is only a few hundred metres from the Turkish south coast, but theoretically you need to clear-in to Greece to visit there

Although many vessels do this, it’s not legally possible to do so and in the above case it’s necessary to clear-out of Turkey, clear-in to Greece, then later clear-out of Greece and finally clear-in back to Turkey – all of which is both expensive and time consuming. Local authorities rarely pay much attention to visiting sailing yachts (they all look much the same don’t they!) whereas visiting motor vessels do seem to attract their interest, so more care is needed.
If you want to enjoy your cruising to the full, sleep well at night and avoid potentially expensive problems with authorities it’s a good idea to be fully conversant with applicable regulations.

DEALING WITH FOREIGN CRUISING REGULATIONS (part one)

Envoy is currently located in Lefkas marina, Greece, while we are back in New Zealand (NZ).
NZ must be one of the last bastions of virtually regulation-free recreational boating, where registration of vessels is not required and the only qualification required for skippers is to be over 15 years old to operate a vessel capable of over ten knots (it’s a very different situation for those operating vessels commercially, but that’s another story.)
Whether this regulation-free environment is a good thing or not prefers on your point of view – my own is that I see no safety advantage in compulsory registration (only revenue gathering) but some form of skipper qualification should be required.
One thing is for sure though - cruising in most overseas destinations involves dealing with a myriad of officials and regulations, and generally requires some form of competence qualification. My own experience mostly relates to the Mediterranean so I’ll provide an overview of the situation there. Bear in mind that the waters of the Med lap the shores of about 22 countries, each having slightly different regulations and interpretations, so it’s vital to obtain specific updated information relating to the countries you intend to cruise (a great source for this is www.noonsite.com).
Regulatory requirements fall into two categories; those involving the vessel and those involving the skipper and crew, and they vary according to the vessel’s country of registration and the nationality of the skipper and crew.
Depending on the country and the port you are in you will be dealing with all kinds of officials – Port Authorities, Coastguard, Police, Port Police, Customs, Immigration and Health Officials. They only want to deal with the skipper, so if any crew are present in a discussion ask them to leave you to handle the situation. Officials in that part of the world are more formal than we encounter and it’s a good idea to show respect by being clean and tidy, being patient when procedures seem to take a long time and speaking slowly and clearly as English is not their first language. Answer their questions and provide requested documents but don’t volunteer other information or documents as that may complicate the situation. Officials in Egypt and some other North African countries expect some form of gift (baksheesh) to facilitate proceedings, but we have not found this elsewhere.

THE VESSEL
All vessels are required to have a certificate of registration. If you buy a used boat in the Med it will probably be registered in an EU country and be VAT-paid. In this case your vessel can remain indefinitely in EU waters. If your vessel is not VAT-paid you may elect to register her in a non-EU country, for example NZ. In this case there is no initial requirement to pay VAT, but your vessel can only remain in EU waters for up to 18 months before VAT will have to be paid at rates which vary by country but are in the order of 18-20 per cent of your vessel’s value. Once VAT is paid in one EU country it is paid for all. Fortunately this 18 month period can often be extended at the discretion of local Customs who can hold a vessel under bond for reasons such as she is left unattended and unused, the owner leaves the EU or she is in a boatyard for repair. In any case the 18 month time clock can be re-set by clearing-out of the EU, cruising to a non-EU country (such as Gibraltar, Albania, Montenegro or Turkey), clearing-in there for a few days and then returning to the EU.
In NZ pleasure vessels are registered in Part B of the NZ Register of Ships administered by the Maritime Safety Authority. When I last renewed Envoy’s registration in late 2011 the cost was $436 but it’s now a whopping $736 while a new registration is $920. These are unbelievable costs for the work involved and for issuing one piece of paper, so it may be worthwhile to investigate registration in an alternate country where costs are cheaper, but remember you have to fly that country’s flag.
All vessels must be insured including third party and public liability cover, and you will need to show proof of this when clearing-in to a different country, when entering a marina and in many cases when entering a harbour.
Most countries issue your vessel with some form of cruising permit, for example we paid about NZ$548 for a three month permit (known as a Vignette) in Croatia during 2013. This sounds expensive but in reality is only $6 per day to cruise in a fantastic area. Some countries apply a “cruising tax” on visiting cruisers so this situation needs to be checked for each country. Italy abandoned their tax in 2013 while Greece has a tax, but in practice it’s not currently being enforced.
Read about regulations affecting skipper and crew in my next posting in a week.

WHEN DID YOU LAST CHECK YOUR INFLATABLE LIFE JACKETS

Envoy is currently in Lefkas marina for the Med winter.
Safety is a prime concern aboard Envoy and we aim to check all safety equipment according to manufacturers’ recommendations. But last year in Lefkas marina we had very-red faces when most of our pristine-looking inflatable life jackets failed their safety test. As well as foam-buoyancy offshore jackets we carry eight inflatable jackets fitted with crotch straps, retro-reflective tape, lifting rings, whistles and strobe lights. These all looked like new, some still in their original packing, and we wrongly assumed that because they'd only been used for drills without inflation and not used in the water they didn’t need testing. How wrong we were.
The inflatable jackets are all a well-known US brand and we’d never had them professionally tested during the seven years we’d owned Envoy before having them tested by Ionian Marine Safety (IMS) at Lefkas Marina in Greece. This turned out to be a wise and potentially life-saving decision, though one we should have taken much earlier. Imagine our shock when IMS’s Nikos Stamatakis reported that only two of our eight pristine-looking jackets passed the test. He apparently detected our surprise as he invited us to visit his workshop where he patiently explained the problems to us at first hand.
IMS service about 600 lifejackets and a similar number of life rafts annually, so Nikos is very knowledgeable and experienced. He explained that a lifejacket should be professionally checked annually, in particular after the first two or three years, and if well looked after could last up to 10 years. As lifejackets are likely to be our last line of defense in an emergency his advice sounds excellent, especially considering the small cost involved at €8 (about NZ$12) each for the two certified jackets and no cost for testing the failed ones. Nikos then showed us the problems with our jackets, explaining they are common faults.
The biggest problem occurs with the oral inflation tubes as they can tear away from the main body of the jacket, particularly as they age when the tubes become more rigid and exert more leverage. The tubes can also develop air leaks through their valves, even within a very few years from new.
Some of our jackets also had another common fault; air leaks through pinholes in the thermally welded jacket seams.
Many jackets are inflated using compressed air cylinders, and although our cylinders were like new Nikos showed us how regularly used jackets often have corroded cylinders that abrade and damage the jacket material causing air leaks.

Nikos shows Laurie a rusty air cylinder

For jackets with water activated inflation valves Nikos suggests replacement of their inflation bobbins every two years. Hydrostatically activated jackets don’t have this issue but are prone to invisible cracks in the transparent gasket joining the hydrostatic device to the jacket.
We also saw some jackets sent in for testing by other cruisers which had been incorrectly re-packed after use making them impossible to deploy quickly and safely. For example the straps, which are supposed to be left loose within the outer cover had been tied in bundles in an apparent attempt at neatness and this would have prevented inflation. Others had holes which had been patched using bicycle puncture repair kits - definitely not allowed.

Life jacket with “illegal” bicycle puncture repair

While there is no doubt that inflatable jackets are a great deal more comfortable and convenient to wear while moving around the vessel (because while not inflated they are very compact), we were surprised how fragile the jackets appeared to be when worn fully inflated, giving us the impression they could easily become damaged if snagged on a sharp protrusion - if we ever need to use them we’ll be taking some traditional style jackets along too.

Laurie wearing a life jacket before inflation using the cartridge

And after

Nikos shows Laurie the correct arms position for jumping in the water with an inflated jacket, to reduce the chance of neck injury

LUCKY ENVOY

Envoy is safely tucked away at Lefkas Marina.
During February we received an email headed “Lucky Envoy” from Andreas of Sailand, the company looking after Envoy while she’s in the marina.
By way of background Envoy’s 12 volt start and house battery banks are charged from shore power through an isolation transformer to a 220 volt charger. However the 24 volt bow thruster bank has a 120 volt charger so needs to be charged using our inverter to generate 120 volts while the house bank is on charge. Andreas explained that when their electrician went aboard for a routine battery charge and turned on the inverter, he noticed a very significant increase in amps, leading him to inspect the bow thruster bank. On checking it he immediately noticed some heat coming from the battery bank so immediately turned the inverter off. A closer inspection revealed a positive battery cable, which had not been properly secured when this bank was installed in Turkey. It had rubbed against a battery terminal causing abrasion of the cable’s insulation and eventually a short circuit.
Andreas considers that had this not been noticed a major fire could easily have developed – hence the title “Lucky Envoy”. It’s reassuring to know the Sailand guys are alert and on the ball.

Abraded battery bank insulation nearly caused a fire