UNEXPECTED GREECE

A SUMMER CRUISING WHERE THE WIND TAKES THEM BROUGHT ONE FINAL SURPRISE FOR RICHARD AND MAXI THOMSON

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The wind was dying with the light after a lively passage down the western Peloponnese, but a lumpy sea remained. As we sloshed around in the swell, my wife Maxi and I easily made the decision to fire up the Volvo Penta for the last handful of miles into Pylos. Fifteen minutes later the engine note suddenly wandered, before the motor groaned in protest and promptly died. I dashed inside to investigate. Our engine bay is vast and lies under the saloon floor of Namika, our Angus Primrose-designed 1983 Trident Marine Voyager 38. I secured the trapdoors, then climbed in. The engine is just two years old, the seawater filter was clear, the shaft still spinning with our momentum. Nothing looked untoward, but fuel seemed the most likely culprit.

An attempt to depress and release the manual priming pump confirmed this so, as we wallowed around, I set about changing the pre-filter then tried to prime again. Nothing: the rubber boot remained depressed. Maxi hailed a yacht heading our way, doubtless bound for Pylos. They kindly agreed to shadow us, but were afraid to tow us into Pylos in the swell and were insistent we should call the coastguard. We hoisted more sail to try to get some way on Namika but the zephyrs had completely gone and the sails banged furiously as we rolled. We tinkered some more. With just two miles of sea room and the waves gradually sweeping us ever-closer to the rocky shore of the Peloponnese, our usually very patient dog Minca growing restless, and our own nerves somewhat fraught, we decided to heed that advice and called the coastguard. They arrived about 40 minutes later and helped us into port.