Yachting and Boating World forums: When the going gets tough

Well, we three intrepid mariners were in a bit of a pickle - well two if you're counting. I was sweating and not due to the heat, while a Greek bloke affectionaly known as 'Big Dick' had disappeared with the starboard starter motor and a promise that he could repair it I was trying to resolve the issue of registration, or lack of it. And to make matters worse, I was sitting in a marina staring at the most perfect MoBoing weather you could imagine - sun and flat, flat sea with not even a breath of wind, knowing full well that according to all weather charts tomorrow was going to blow a hooley!

With scant regard for my mobile bill I was talking hard and fast to just about anyone in the UK who I thought might help - RYA Legal were patient and sympathetic but powerless to help. Lombard were unable to release any papers but did promise to get the solicitors dealing with the registration to call me as matter of urgency to see is they could get the registration papers sent out. So with all my current options exhausted there was only one thing for it - go for another beer.

It is worth giving you a time check at this point. By now we are at about 1.30pm local time, seven hours after landing and nineteen hours after getting out of bed the day before. It is fair to say that this was fast becoming one of the most stressful days in my life and it was only halfway through. The really annoying issue was even IF bigus dicus managed to repair the starter, I had now been told by the port police that under no circumstance were we to leave port. We considered a heroic run for it, but after Magnum's well reported run in with the Guardia Civil I wasn't in the mood to be fined or worse.

I think it is fair to say that my mood was dark at this point and having received a call from Lombards solicitors it got even worse - not only did they not have the registration papers yet, they hadn't actually processed the forms and sent them to the registry - which not to put too finer point on it meant we were completely screwed and going no-where, except home. At least that is what I thought until it dawned on me that the fact that the registry hadnt even seen the application for P1 status in fact gave us another option: Part three registration - the SSR!

Now I was fully aware that this was a long shot but I reckoned it was worth a go. I pride myself on the ability to argue my case with the best of folks, and any way, if reason didn't work I am a bloody good groveller. A quick call to the MCA confirmed that SSR registration takes 24 hours and they can't send me an electronic certificate. Whatever happens it looked like we weren't going anywhere today, or Friday, but hey, you still have to give it your all don't you? I rang back and asked to speak to the supervisor, a fantastic lady called Christine, who listened to my problem and immediately faxed a registration form to the marina office. Filled in with aplomb it was faxed back and Christine assured me she would have the registration completed by 3.00pm UK time - just over two hours, which I have to say, was a relief. Now my only issue was how to get the original from the UK to Kos, which is the arse end of nowhere in post terms, as I had already determined that there was no way the port police were going to do me any favors and accept and faxed copy.

SWMBO came very close to being dispatched to Cardiff but I realized that it would be much quicker and easier to have either UPS or DHL collect from the MCA and dispatch ASAP. It is in reality quite easy and, bearing in mind I was under pressure so I wasn't thinking about the cost, quite cheap to get stuffed expressed overnight. The tariff for two documents to Greece by guaranteed by 12 next day was £40, which quite frankly sounded like a bargain, so I hit the button. Only one drawback (come on, you didn't think it was going to be that easy did you?), they could only deliver to Athens, and they had to have an address, I couldn't collect it from the UPS depot. I was quickly become very adept at thinking on my feet and rang the Sofitel at Athens airport, a mere 20 metres from the entrance, and book myself a day room. You'll never guess the rate for four hours in a room on a Saturday in April so I'll tell you:

130 euros!!!!

But needs must as the devil rides so I booked in (no credit card details were taken - this is important for later) and gave the address to UPS with the assurance that it would be there by 12 the next day. I felt a small flutter of relief as I walked down from the marina office back towards the boat, forgetting briefly about the starter motor issue which, as far as I was concerned, was as yet unresolved. I wasn't thrilled about catching the 6.30 am flight to Athens, but I was less thrilled about going home with my tail between my legs and missing the ship from Lavrion. Whoever said owning a boat was like standing on the dock ripping up £20 notes seemed pretty right to me about now, and all I can say is thank wotsit for AMEX.

Upon my return to the boat there was more good news - Dick had come back with a repaired starter; where he got a replacement Volvo bendix at four in the afternoon was a mystery to me but I didn't care. He had turned up quickly, never complained, done the job in record time and was refitting the offending part as I stepped back onto the transom. Once fitted the engine purred into life and a visible wave of relief swept through the three of us - if nothing else at least the sodding thing was running and now seemed to be in fine fettle. Now this simply would have happened in most UK marinas, and a few UK firms could take a leaf out Dick's book when it comes to responding to a cry for help. How many of us could hope to get a problem like this resolved in a few hour the same day back home? When it came to the bill there was a surprise in store however. To take the starter off, clean it, supply and fit a new bendix and re-fit Dick charged a mere 270 euro! I could hardly believe it, and double checked twice. For those of you not up on exchange rates that's about £180 including parts - bargain I reckon.

So things were starting to look up, I was off to get the original registration and the boat was purring like a pussy cat after two pints of double cream. So much so we decided on an illicit blast around the bay and to fill up with fuel. She went so well I couldn't help but smile for the first time in hours, and to top it all the tank was over half full with diesel, so rather than the full tank I had budgeted for it was just a comparative splash and dash.

All things considered I went to bed that night feeling a bit more relaxed, confident that our bad luck had run its course and once I was back on Kos tomorrow afternoon we would be ready to shove off on Saturday and it would be plane sailing from there to Lavrion...

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