Friday 2 June 2017 – Leros

Well as you can see from the heading we have not moved.  It was all going so well.  We got up early, had breakfast and went to the office to pay our final bills and say our goodbyes.  We were not charged for rigging the lazy jacks, so that was good.

The weather was very sunny and getting warmer each minute.  Back at the boat we put away the hosepipe, disconnected the electricity and took up the passerelle and put it away.  Richard took off the cover on the mainsail, in case there was any wind, which was unlikely.  So all we had to do was start the engine and then…nothing.  There was nothing from the engine starter.  Total silence.  So we called up the office and asked for an engineer.  We really couldn’t understand it.  The boat was launched only 3 days ago and was motored over to the berth.  We therefore assumed all was well.  Mistake number 1.

The engineer eventually came over and said immediately the problem was electrical.  He was pretty certain that the battery was flat.  At that suggestion Richard put in the crossover key and hey presto the engine started fine from the domestic batteries.  So at least we don’t have a duff engine.  But we really can’t set out on a 6 week trip using the domestic batteries for the engine.  It just isn’t safe.  They are only meant to be used in an emergency.

Then the fun began.  Richard went to the chandlery to see if he could buy a new battery.  They didn’t know if there was one available on the island at all!  They might have to get one from the mainland and the commercial ferries stop running today because it is a holiday weekend. That meant that there was unlikely to be a battery available until Tuesday!  In the meantime Richard was advised to get the electrician around to test the batteries. Apparently they have clever machines that automatically give all the information you need about the state of a battery.  So we waited for ages for the electrician to come.  At noon he turned out.  Luckily he spoke good English because although Greek he lives in England and just came out as an emergency for the Marina.

He tested the engine battery and it came up as just fine.  Nearly 13 volts of charge and in good condition.  A lot of head scratching went on to try to work out the problem.  After a while he was so confused that he called in another electrician.  After three hours they thought they found the problem.  The switch to the engine battery was broken.  It is plastic and part of the plastic which held the cable had broken off.  This sounded good and repairable.  So our spirits rose a bit.  But it was not that simple.  Even after a new switch was put it the engine wouldn’t start.  By now it was 5pm.  The electrician now thinks that the cable to the switch is also faulty.  By now the chandlery has shut so he will come back tomorrow morning to finish the job. He keeps being optimistic but we are less so.


So perhaps my concerns about leaving Leros were too premature.  We shall see what tomorrow brings.  Meanwhile we take photo of the calm conditions in the marina.


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