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Bringing Eureka home

May - July 2016
Having purchased Eureka, now all we had to do was bring her home! 😳 Read more
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  • TravelerBringing Eureka home

    I become the owner of Eureka

    March 2, 2016 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    I found Eureka on the internet in October of last year before getting a bit of sense and deciding it was a mad idea to be buying a boat in Italy.

    Then Vittorio, the broker selling Eureka got back in touch in February and said she was still on the market if I was still interested.
    I thought about it for a few minutes and then decided to try to leave him down gently by saying I probably could only afford a ridiculous low amount, only to get a reply,

    "That might buy it!".

    Well, you know what came next? Yes, I had to go and see it!

    On the 2nd of March I travelled via Dublin to Rome , viewed Eureka made an offer and discovered that there was going to be a lot of paperwork involved.
    The following day having increased my offer, I was doing the tourist bit around Rome as I waited for a decision and learnt my second offer was accepted just after I had left St. Paul's.
    When I told Vittorio the broker, where I was, he said the boat was blessed.

    I had to be present for the survey so it was back to Rome via Stanstead, this time staying in Ostia, close to the marina.
    Having had a brief trip under engine, we hoisted the sails, there was no wind but I got to see them.
    We headed up the Tiber where she was lifted out at a boatyard for the survey.
    Unlike Ireland, both seller and buyer are expected to be present. A sensible idea as this helps if issues arise as they could be dealt there and then with the help of the broker and surveyor.

    On my third visit, Maeve accompanied me as she had only seen photos of Eureka and we sat in the shipping agents office in Anzio as the contracts were signed and the money left my account before I could change my mind.
    Having signed our lives away we returned to Rome to have a good look around and had a look around the Sistine Chapel before a bit of vino to celebrate our new boat.

    Now all we had to do was bring her home.    Read more

  • TravelerBringing Eureka home

    Getting to know Eureka

    May 21, 2016 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    I woke early and quickly realised my back was complaining about the abuse it had been subjected to the previous day. I ignored its complaints and made a start on tidying up after the mess I had left the night before and began exploring Eureka and getting to know her equipment and where everything was.

    The steering cables and rigging were adjusted and I paid a few visits to the local chandlery for bit and pieces that I needed.
    The owner's smile grew wider each time he saw me as I handed over more and more euros. He did however try to reduce the pain a little with some discounts.

    All the hatches were open and I had a wind scoop rigged to try to get a draft down below. It would have been wonderful if I didn't have to work.
    Hot as it was down below at least I had shade and I didn't stick my head above deck without being liberally coated in factor 50.

    By the time I has finished exploring Eureka, stowed all the gear and tidied up, it was 20.00 so I decided to treat myself to a shower, a beer and dinner in that order at a nice family run restaurant near the entrance to the marina.

    As I ate, I noticed families strolling along the promenade beside the marina. The height of fashion was on display and while I know nothing about Armani etc, these people certainly know how to dress up.
    Feck it! There's nothing wrong with my t-shirt, shorts and sandals.

    Today was Saturday so no work for them tomorrow as they enjoyed the last of the evening sun. But for me there was going to be no rest. While there was plenty done there was still plenty left to do.    Read more

  • TravelerBringing Eureka home

    Phone home, ET

    May 22, 2016 in Italy ⋅ 25 °C

    It was very windy over night but luckily except for the noise in the rigging very little of the gale was felt in the marina.

    Sunday was not a day of rest for me but the list of jobs was getting shorter as I continued to get to know Eureka and was able to tick more and more off the 'To Do' list.
    I even felt I was able to take a break and have lunch ashore at the same restaurant that I had dinner at last night

    The marina was busy with the arrival of many of the boat owners, down from Rome for the day. However most of them just washed down the decks and sat in the cockpits drinking and chatting.
    Very few yachts left the marina and went sailing. It seems that many of the yachts are just used as houseboats.

    In the afternoon I had a visit from the previous owner and his English speaking friend who did the translating.
    I was having problems with the shore power. Turned out there is a change over switch from the inverter that he had forgotten to tell me about. Problem solved!

    I was able to work at a slower place during the afternoon and felt happy at the end of the day that I was almost ready to receive my crew tomorrow.

    I eat my dinner in the cockpit in the cool of the evening, watching the sun go down before having a long phone conversation with Maeve.
    I reassured her that everything was going well and she reassured me that everything would go well. Then it was time for an early night.    Read more

  • TravelerBringing Eureka home

    Shelves left empty

    May 24, 2016 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    After a restful sleep it was soon time to get the crew up and put them to work. This was no holiday!

    Paul now lives in Spain and might be used to the heat but Mick and I weren't and even if it was a bit cooler today, it was still nice to freshen up under a shower.
    Once we were all human again, we headed back to the ‘Friends’ restaurant for a very pleasant breakfast.

    First job was to provision Eureka for the first leg of the voyage so we headed off to a supermarket but hopefully our navigation will be better once we’re at sea.
    The supermarket was down a side road that ran parallel to the main road but due to some roadworks and one way diversions it took us about four or five attempts before we finally got on to the right entrance road and arrived at the supermarket.

    I just stood back and left the lads at it. I had made enough decisions over the past few days to last a lifetime and they knew what they wanted anyway.
    Soon we had two trolleys full, loaded them into the car and were heading back to the marina without any wrong turns this time.

    Once the shopping was stowed on the boat, I left the lads to scrub the decks while I took off back back up the road to the outskirts of Rome to hand back the car as we didn't need it anymore. But I first had to call to the boatyard where the survey had been carried out to thank the owner and make sure nothing was owing for the work they had done before ‘Eureka’ had been put back into the water. Luckily it was only five minutes from the marina.

    It didn’t take me long to bring the car back to the office and got a taxi to bring me back to Ostia.

    When I returned the lads had completed their chores to my satisfaction so we cleaned up and headed ashore for dinner followed by a ‘Fitzy’s nightcap’ before bed.
    We were planning to depart the following morning so we didn’t do the dog on it.

    It's hard to think that it was only five days ago that I left Cobh and at last we were ready to begin the voyage. First stop Sardinia.    Read more

  • TravelerBringing Eureka home
    Day 1

    On our way

    May 25, 2016, Tyrrhenian Sea ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    We had an early start getting the last few jobs done such as topping up the water tanks etc. and by 09.30 we were ready to leave the marina.
    It was hot and sunny with NW winds 10-20 knots and there was still a swell at the mouth of the harbour after Saturday night’s high winds but everything else looked good.

    We cast off the two stern lines and the weight of the ropes on each side of the bow pulled us away from the quay. Paul then untied them and left them drop into the water. So far so good!

    We motored out slowly, meandering through the marina until we reached the fuel berth near the harbour mouth.
    As we crossed to the opposite side of the harbour entrance we could see and feel the swell outside which was quite severe as the coast here is shallow.

    We had to wait for about twenty minutes before going alongside the fuel berth as another yacht was being refuelled.
    When we began to refuel, we found that the fuel was foaming and backing up the hose. Limiti had warned me that he had a problem the last time he filled up but when I had checked the hose I could not find any obstruction. It seemed like an eternity trying to fill the tank.

    The heat and trying to drip feed the tank so that the flow didn't back up was causing me to get cramps in my knees and back so I gave up after about thirty minutes but then discovered that I had only got sixty two litres into the tank which was now reading just over half full, so I reckoned we had about one hundred and ten litres and more than enough for our first leg to Castelsardo in Sardinia which is one hundred and seventy five miles to the west.

    We then remembered that we still had the key fob for the marina gate that we had been asked to leave on another boat, so we had to head back near where we had left from and dropped it off before headed back out a second time.

    It was 10.30 before we eventually motored out between the two breakwaters of the harbour into the swell to begin our journey to Castelsardo in Sardinia. Only two thousand five hundred and eighty miles to go.

    The swell soon eased as we left the coast behind.
    At first we motored as there was little or no wind but I had wanted to try out the engine and the autopilot anyway.
    We motored for about half an hour before hoisting the main and then after another half hour we unfurled the genoa as the wind increased enough for us to sail and we were able to turn off the engine.

    We were finally on our way on fairly flat seas and light winds.
    The wind was to the NW, off our starboard bow and we were on a close reach doing 4 knots.

    Paul had the helm and was enjoying himself so I had to wait patiently for my turn.
    By 13.00 our speed had increased to 5.4 knots and we were settling into a relaxed mood as we began to eat up the miles. We hoped to reach Sardinia tomorrow morning.

    The wind didn’t last and by 14.00 we were back to 3.5-4.5 knots but in the evening the wind increased again and we were soon skipping along making 5+ knots close hauled, as Paul took over the galley to began the dinner.

    Paul is an amazing cook who only needs one saucepan for his concoction. It is very tasty while being at the same time indescribable and is just called ‘Stuff’!

    After dinner we began the watches. We agreed on watches of three hour duration and I left it up to Mick and Paul which one they would like to do.
    It turned out that Paul liked watching the dawn come up and Michael was happy to start at midnight so the skipper got to go first….for a change.
    We began at 21.00 with the skipper, Mick took over at midnight and Paul taking the dawn watch at 03.00.
    We continued the watch system during the day but in a less formal way.

    As midnight approached, the wind died again and I furled the genoa and started the engine.
    Paul and I are used to sailing at night when it can be difficult to steer correctly but Mick isn’t, so it suited us to motor during the hours of darkness.

    Our first day at sea, everything is going well and we're heading in the right direction for home.    Read more

  • TravelerBringing Eureka home
    Day 2

    Castelsandro, Sardinia

    May 26, 2016 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    We continued motoring through the night which was lovely and calm and not cold. No need for oilskins, what a change from Ireland!

    We could see many cruise ships brightly lit loitering near Sardinia, probably waiting until dawn to enter whatever harbour they were planning to visit, otherwise traffic was very quiet.
    We had kept the main up as there was enough wind to keep it filled but eventually had to drop it at 05.30 when it began to flog.
    The lights on Sardinia and Corsica were in sight during the early morning until the sun came up.

    We entered the Straits of Bonifacio which divides Sardinia from Corsica at 11.30. The gap between Sardinia and Corsica was beginning to look very narrow as we approached.
    Officially the gap between the islands is about six nautical miles but because of islands and rocks on both sides the real gap is probably half that.
    Despite this I decided that we had to sail rather than motor through the straits and luckily the wind had come up enough from the NE to have a gentle sail towards them.
    We had expected the wind to die again once we were in the lee of the islands so we left the main down and just unfurled the genny thinking we'd be furling it again soon.

    We had a visit from some small dolphins who delighted in crossing back and forth under our bow.

    As we closed on the straits they opened up before us and while we had a little navigation to do to get through them, all went well as we kept a sharp lookout for ferries and yachts, most of latter were heading in the opposite direction which made us wonder a bit why no one was going in our direction.

    About an hour after we entered the straits the wind increased to a Force 5, a fresh breeze, but luckily was NE so we had it over our starboard quarter and were able to run before it.
    When we were well into the straits the wind continued to increase until it was blowing 30 knots (F7) and we were sailing along in front of it doing 7 knots plus, even though we had already reefed the genny.

    When we were about an hour out from our destination of Castelsardo we had to furl the rest of the genny and run under engine to head toward the harbour.

    We entered the harbour at 18.00 and were met by a helper on the marina who showed us where to berth and helped tie us up. I was very pleased with myself in making the turn and reversing into the berth without any trouble as if I had been doing it for years with Eureka.
    Luckily it was a well sheltered harbour and I didn’t have the wind to contend with but as I always say, you're only as good as your last attempt.

    Once I had done the paperwork at the marina office, I joined the lads who had a head start on me in the showers.
    The lads later did a bit of wandering in the town while I finished off and headed back to the boat.

    The weather was lovely and warm and the marina seemed to be only half full and very quite so the staff had time to answer all our questions and we soon had the name of a good restaurant etc.

    The town is on a hill topped off with a castle and while it looks lovely from the marina, we had to climb to go anywhere.
    We wandered up the main street and discovered that the recommended restaurant was at the top of the hill. Paul due to his leg had a small bit of difficulty with the climb but we eventually found the restaurant and while it was good, especially for the fish dishes, it was not as good as we expected.

    After dinner we walked back down the hill which was a lot easier and found a bar near the harbour. We had a few pints and when they closed we found that Mick had organised with the owner, a lift back to the marina.

    We had a peaceful night’s sleep or should I say, I couldn’t hear the others snores over my own.

    Leg 1 - 174 mls. Total 174 mls.    Read more

  • TravelerBringing Eureka home
    Day 3

    Next stop, Menorca

    May 27, 2016, Western Mediterranean ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    During the morning Paul & Mick headed off to find a supermarket while I attacked the rigging yet again as I had found the leeward shrouds were still too slack on our voyage to Sardinia.

    Before we left the harbour I decided to change our identity as we were shortly going to be out of Italian waters and the next stop was Spain.
    While Eureka was probably still on the Italian registrar as I had yet to hear officially that it had been removed and I would have to wait until I was in Ireland to put it on the Irish one. I decided that from now on I was going to fly under my own flag.
    We dropped the Italian ensign and hoisted to Irish one and became an Irish ship. I don't think many noticed the difference as both flags are very similar.

    The marina staff wanted us to move berths as there was someone else coming to our berth. Despite telling them that we’d be leaving shortly, they were fairly insistent in a friendly but firm way. As it turned out we did leave before required, just as we had told them earlier.

    We left the marina at 11.30 in lovely sunny warm weather with the light winds but once outside the harbour the wind soon increased to 22 knots, a nice strong breeze.
    We hoisted the main as soon as we had room and unfurled the genny soon afterwards.
    We were soon close hauled on a course to get us past the Pointe Della Scorna, which is the north west corner of Sardinia.

    Once we were settled down on our course Mick produced coffee and croissants which gave us a nice surprise. They were delicious. Mine was filled with lemon curd and I had a contented smile on my face by the time I had finished it.

    We had barely finished eating them and were still licking our fingers when at 13.00 we had to put two reefs in the main and furl the genny as far as the shrouds as the wind strengthen.

    Later in the afternoon the wind died and we took out the reefs again.
    Unfortunately we gybed unexpectedly and the block holding up the lasyjacks parted company from the mast and we had to tidy up lots of string while we figured out what to do with it. It looked like the block was attached to the base of the lower spreaders with a piece of light cord and that due to old age it had parted with the shock caused by the gybe.
    It was only when Dave Morey arrived at Alicante two weeks later that we had someone willing to go up the mast and got it got repaired.

    As we got closer to the headland the wind slowly died and we motored along with just the mainsail up to get through the straits.
    By 16.30 we were eventually through them and out in the open sea.

    The final three hours of the voyage were frustrating with the wind, first continuing to change direction, causing us to have to tack and then dying so we finally had to motor but we were finally out of the straits and on the way to our next destination, the Port of Mahon in Menorca.

    Any yachts were soon left behind and we found the seas empty of shipping.
    We were going to be two nights at sea on this the second longest leg of the voyage home. The longest one would be across the Bay of Biscay between Spain and Ireland.

    Shortly before 21.00 as the sun was setting, Paul went below to begin making another of his fantastic dinners as we continued to motor on calm seas at 5.5 knots to help extend of fuel as we had not filled up Castelsardo.
    Why I can’t remember but possible it was because we felt we had enough, something we were to regret later.

    We began out watches then we finished our dinner as we motored through a windless night.    Read more

  • TravelerBringing Eureka home
    Day 4

    A bit closer to Menorca

    May 28, 2016, Western Mediterranean ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    The night passed quietly with little traffic ahead of us and the following day began cloudy and overcast with light winds.
    After the lovely weather so far it came as a disappointment to feel as if we were sailing back in Ireland

    By 09.00 this morning we were one hundred and seventeen miles from Mahon which meant we were now half way.
    The fuel gauge was lower than we’d have liked so we hoisted the sails even though the winds were still fairly light.
    We later found that the fuel gauge is pessimistic and that when we later filled up, we still had enough fuel to have motored the whole way if needed.

    We had to add on the layers to keep warm and the wind increased and decreased at intervals throughout the cloudy chilly day until in the evening we were hit by squalls.
    Mick and I were on deck when they hit and we quickly put two reefs in the main and furled part of the genny as the forecast told us the wind in our area was to continue Force 3 to 5, maybe even a 6. Basically anything from a gentle to a strong breeze.

    I kept the sails reefed throughout the night as I always prefer to shorten sail before dark to avoid being over pressed and the need to have someone going on deck. Also it makes it more comfortable for those below to sleep    Read more

  • TravelerBringing Eureka home
    Day 5

    Mahon, Menorca

    May 29, 2016 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    The wind changed in the early hours and was now on the nose as we continued to head SW towards Menorca. We seemed to be making very little headway in the direction that we wanted to go, so at 08.00 I turned on the engine and we motorsailed at about 3.5 knts into what had by now become a lumpy sea.

    Luckily the sea began to calm as we got into the shelter of the island and with the fuel gauge showing we still had enough diesel to motor the rest of the way, we increased speed as the seas calmed.

    The weather had also improved and was now nice and warm again so we were back in t-shirts and as a result the mood aboard had greatly improved. We were looking forward to getting ashore after two nights at sea.

    We reached to mouth of the Mahon Harbour which reminded me much of Cork Harbour. It had a narrow entrance, widening inside with a couple of islands and protected by gun emplacements. It's a large harbour and about five kilometres in length with many forts.

    We motored slowly into the harbour taking in the sights as we headed towards our berth.
    I had booked a berth before I left Ireland as I had heard that it's a very busy place but when we called on the vhf we got no answer.
    We motored up and down the quay hoping to attract the attention of someone from the Club Maritimo. Well, it was a Sunday and it was during the siesta, what did we expect!

    From the pilot book I had a rough idea where the club's berths were so I picked an empty spot and reversed into the space and we tied onto the quay.
    It was now 15.00 so we had a bit of lunch as Paul rang Laura his wife, to let her know we had arrived. Laura had flown in from their home in Spain and had joined her sister and brother in law who were already holidaying on the island. She would be joining us till we reached Alicante.
    Also joining us later today was my sister in law Máirín O'Donovan and her friend Chris Browne who are both experienced sailors.

    Alex our marinero arrived as the siesta finished. He proved to be very helpful during our stay and had a great sense of humour. Best of all, he was happy to leave us in our berth so we didn't have to move.

    We went to the club to book in and to freshen up.
    Later Laura arrived and stowed her gear aboard before she and Paul went to join her family for dinner.

    Mick and I picked a restaurant close to our berth and had a nice dinner.
    He had decided rather than stay till Mallorca that he was going to head home the following morning which I was sorry to hear. I tried to change his mind but he had it made up.
    I had noticed that he had got very tired on this leg which was probably the reason. It's easy to forget that none of us are as young as we once were.

    After dinner I got a taxi to the airport to pick up Máirín and Chris. Once back aboard I found space for everyone. Luckily there are seven berths on Eureka as we had six bodies that night which is the most I've ever had aboard.

    The crew had the cabins while the skipper slept in the saloon among the baggage. Something was not right!

    Leg 2 - 224 mls. Total 398 mls.    Read more

  • TravelerBringing Eureka home
    Day 6

    Splashing around in Cala Taulera

    May 30, 2016 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Michael was leaving today so while the rest of the crew were still asleep I saw him off, as he headed for the airport.
    I was sad to see him go and had hoped he'd stay a few more days as he had done the hard work of getting us to here and the next few days were now going to be fairly relaxing.
    I'll be forever grateful to him for his help and advice in the early days of planning the voyage home and for crewing to Menorca.

    Alex had told us that Cala Taulera was a lovely place to visit, so despite Paul and I still being tired, we decided a short sail there would be perfect for bedding in the new crew for the sail to Mallorca.
    We invited Laura's sister Ann and her husband Jeff to join us for the day.

    We left the berth at 11.30 and stopped at the fuel dock to fill up. We were not going to make the same mistake twice!
    Strangely we had no problem filling up this time and it turned out we still had about 30 litres left in the tank when we arrived yesterday.

    Leaving the dock, we hoisted the sails and had a nice gentle broad reach down the harbour.
    I took a back seat as Máirín took the helm as we sailed passed Ille De Rei with its old fever hospital and then past Isla del Lazareto before turning north into Cala Taulera.

    We discovered a nice sheltered bay with about six yachts already anchored there but with still plenty of room.
    We dropped the sails and prepared to anchor Eureka for the first time.
    Eureka has an electrical windlass but as I discovered, it only works then lifting the anchor, it's freefall when dropping it.
    Everything went as planned and soon Máirín and Chris were swimming off the stern while the rest of us just just got started on the wine and beer.

    We had a lovely salad for lunch washed down with some cerveza and vino as we chatted, swam and lazed around for the afternoon.

    We headed back to the berth under genny alone before freshening up and heading for dinner.

    Mmmm, this is what sailing is all about.

    Distance 5mls. Total 403 mls.    Read more

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