This Page has some of our unfortunate advents, which I will be adding to all the time. Some are worst than others and some are just plan silly, but made our journey a more colourfully adventure. Enjoy!
Funny Story 1Money Afloat! Funny story
Pushing ourselves off the muddy bank, rowing through the shallow waters and sea weed until it was deep enough and free of weeds to put the motor on.The dingy (tender) loaded with shopping from the market, and tired kids. We headed back to Lady bear. Getting off the dingy first, as I climb on to the boat, Arthur screamed at me " MUMMY, MUMMY"
I turned to see what was the matter, there on the floor of the dingy was ten euros.
phew!!! I thought, but then realised he was pointing towards the water on the other side of the dingy 20 euros was floating on the water. Being on a budget it was more than we wanted to lose. Dave looked at me, he couldn't dive in and leave the boys in the dingy on their own, I couldn't it was too far for me to get there in time and it was floating further away plus I had a bag of shopping and holding on to the dingy.
Dave gave me a look of QUICK... !!!, while handing more shopping, as fast as I could move I tied dingy to the boat dumping shopping into the cockpit . Arthur clambered up into boat over me, and Dave picked up Lolli and handed him up to me and I quickly put him into the safe cockpit on top of all the shopping.Then it was a belt, wallet, and watch, hat and mobile phone as Dave dives into the water as I watch the floating 20 euro sinking slowing under the water.
Ten minutes later .....
Any excuse for a swim not only because we are living on a budget of course.
story 2
Silent engine. Silly story
Sailing happierly along the Turkist coast the fantastic dry burnt ruggered cliffs. We sailed between a small rocky island and the mainland when the wind dropped completely, nothing the boat came to a stop and just bobbed about close to the rocks. No problem just start the engine and motor on, but nothing the engine didnt start... we bobbed about in silence for a while....
Now what are we going to do, being new to this sailing lark, I started to see us bobbing here for hours, kids getting fed up. Maybe with no wind we wont have any control and get pulled about by the current and we will head into those rocks and break the boat and then maybe sink and we will have to get the life jackets and try and swim with the kids to land, or maybe we will DROWN!!
..........!??!!!
Dave looks down and sees the engine kill switch was out and casually pushes back in, and turns the ingnition and the engine fires back into life.....
Its amazing what goes through your mind in a matter of seconds, isn't it!
Story 3
Journey from Brindisi to portugal. Scary Story
By midnight the wind was blowing so strong that Dave was full on in the cockpit while the boys and I held on tight in the back cabin, rolling mostly to port side. Lolli clung on to me anxious with the occasional giggle. I thought 'we are never going to sleep through this'
But just as we were all finally drifting off to sleep a large wave hit the boat washing over the back cabin hatch.
An awful shock of cold sea water rushed in socking us all wide awake again. I had forgot to lock the hatch. We lay there wet but not cold so we just stayed wet nothing else to do couldn't move without getting knocked around.
It got rougher and rougher, I had to stop the kids from rolling about too much.
Drifting of to sleep again when the loudest bang and the boat went starboard now we were falling on our heads. It felt like we were in a washing machine. Dave jumped about the cockpit trying to correct the boom as we had just jibed.
It went on all night. It was a long night !
Although Dave was on all night, he did manage to make himself a coffee and have a nap.
He explained that when it jibed the boat was lifted up and turned into the wrong direction.
Becca had slept thought it all only waking once when we jibed.
The glorious day that we had had before and then suddenly turning into a night of horror. It was the roughest storm I will ever want to experience.
Becca helped us hang the wet bedding around the boat to dry it.
It was still rocky and couldn’t relax on deck today. I spent most the day in back cabin with the boys rolling about, but calmer this time.
The coast line appeared and we could see our target Roccella Jonica, doing about 5/6 knots. Hoping we would be there before dark.
But then Dave realized the bilge pump wasn't working again it was the electric wires again.
Not long after we were motoring away with only a few hours to go, the engine sounded strange. Up goes the floor boards again and everything out of the back cabin bedding and boards, everything was everywhere now with nowhere to go but feet up in the cockpit. A shout of horror came from Dave to turn the engine off quick. The bloody electric wire, loose wiring was working its way around the prop shaft…...........
If Dave hadn't found it it in time it would of tangled around the prop shaft and pulled the whole steering out of action..........
I could hear water, strange you may say being on a boat but this was different it was inside the boat, a trickling somewhere. I thought it was in the bilges but felt there was something wrong. I mention it to Dave for him to discover that the prop shaft that runs the propeller was leaking. Dave had to try and makeshift and fix it
So not only the bilge pump didn't work but now we were leaking.
Dave with his quick thinking manage to get things together again and temporary fixed. We approached Rocella Jonica in the dark. It was classed as a dangerous port to come into if there is off shore wind, which we didn’t have plus it has a silty entrance into the harbor so the depth is unpredictable. Just as we were looking for the best place to moor the gearbox decided not to work it wouldn't go into gear nothing we couldn't move so Dave got into the dingy .
'What are you doing “ I thought leaving me to steer a non motor boat into an marina
He hooked himself onto the side of ladybear and push us.
It was difficult to steer like this I shouted as the boat wanted to go to starboard, so Dave turned the outboard motor to the side and then our boat being pushed from the side I could steer just about but we thought this too difficult and dangerous so we turned about and lined up lady bear along side the harbor wall away from other boats, but here we had no water or electric. But least it was free.
All tied up Becca and Artie headed off to get a takeaway pizza. Which took almost an hour and finally tired and relived we made it, we eat our tasty pizza on deck. Well we had made it in one piece but poor lady bear had taken a beating. As we were arriving at Rocella jonica we notice her boom had a large split through the centre.
I was sure we would all feel better after a good nights sleep. Somehow I didn't feel worried , it all seemed part of the adventure. I am sure we will make it in the end. Although getting to mallorca on time seems very unlikely.
Well we ended up spending four days in Roccella Jonica doing repairs and of course just to chill out.
Have to share this story
7th January 2014
I have to share this story, as life show us its law of attraction and how it works in the strangest of ways.
Firstly the story starts with Lorenzo getting a new ( second hand) tag trailer bike. He loves it after cycling with him along the sea front, we decided his legs and hands were getting too cold so we took him back to the boat. He won't wear gloves, but I suggested, that leg warmers would be a good idea, do you remember in the eighty's they were very fashionable. I thought where would I find any now here! Anyway I forgot about it. Its been cold here so keeping warm in the boat.
Late the other night after Dave came back from having a drink with our new neighbouring boat next to us on the pontoon, Dave went straight to bed a in a little drunken way. While I sat up reading for a while, just as I got into bed and turned the lights off, I could hear my neighbour shouting, I took no notice for a while until I felt that something wasn't right and better to check.
The shouting got more desperate, and it sounded like someone on their own, I couldn't hear anyone else. I popped my head out there was the shouting but I couldn't see no one on the pontoon. I had the horrid sudden realization she was in the water, 12.30am dark and very cold water. So there I was in my pink P.J running to where she was holding tight onto one of the pontoon legs. I tried hard to help her and i called Dave as I was leaving our boat so I thought he was coming but he wasn't coming. I shouted several times for Dave but nothing. The women was very tired and drunk and desperate to get out, but she was losing all strength. Holding on to her hand encouraging her as I thought I was going to lose her under the water. I told her to HOLD tight, I wasn't even sure she could speak English, I ran back to get back as I was no good on my own. I shouted back to her the whole time to hold I am coming back. Dave in his sleepy way totally unaware of the situation came to help. We got her back to her boat and to her sleeping friends. They were a little shocked. Anyway we left them to get her warm and dry again and went back to bed. Talking in bed about the situation and how lucky it was I was still awake to hear her.
Anyway today she thanks us and gives us some hand made LEG WARMERS for the boys !
I have to share this story, as life show us its law of attraction and how it works in the strangest of ways.
Firstly the story starts with Lorenzo getting a new ( second hand) tag trailer bike. He loves it after cycling with him along the sea front, we decided his legs and hands were getting too cold so we took him back to the boat. He won't wear gloves, but I suggested, that leg warmers would be a good idea, do you remember in the eighty's they were very fashionable. I thought where would I find any now here! Anyway I forgot about it. Its been cold here so keeping warm in the boat.
Late the other night after Dave came back from having a drink with our new neighbouring boat next to us on the pontoon, Dave went straight to bed a in a little drunken way. While I sat up reading for a while, just as I got into bed and turned the lights off, I could hear my neighbour shouting, I took no notice for a while until I felt that something wasn't right and better to check.
The shouting got more desperate, and it sounded like someone on their own, I couldn't hear anyone else. I popped my head out there was the shouting but I couldn't see no one on the pontoon. I had the horrid sudden realization she was in the water, 12.30am dark and very cold water. So there I was in my pink P.J running to where she was holding tight onto one of the pontoon legs. I tried hard to help her and i called Dave as I was leaving our boat so I thought he was coming but he wasn't coming. I shouted several times for Dave but nothing. The women was very tired and drunk and desperate to get out, but she was losing all strength. Holding on to her hand encouraging her as I thought I was going to lose her under the water. I told her to HOLD tight, I wasn't even sure she could speak English, I ran back to get back as I was no good on my own. I shouted back to her the whole time to hold I am coming back. Dave in his sleepy way totally unaware of the situation came to help. We got her back to her boat and to her sleeping friends. They were a little shocked. Anyway we left them to get her warm and dry again and went back to bed. Talking in bed about the situation and how lucky it was I was still awake to hear her.
Anyway today she thanks us and gives us some hand made LEG WARMERS for the boys !
