Rhodes

By Scott Dodgson

We secured the sails as we rounded the point of Rodos city. We prepared to go stern to. My one piece of advice for anyone sailing in the Greek Islands is to contact an agent before arriving at any port. Usually when bringing a boat into the harbor there is any number of agents hanging around the quay looking for your business. They have a tendency to claim you as a client once they touch your lines. In some cases they may even demand payment. So make arrangements first. They can make arrangements with other agencies for a fee, but it is well worth it. I use Makis at Yacht Rhodes International. Makis can arrange anything and that’s a fact. I called him on the VHF to tell him I was entering the harbor. We passed through the gates of Mandraki harbor where the Colossus of Rhodes once stood. I scanned the docks and saw him driving up on his scooter waving his arm. He stopped in front of an open space on the quay and directed me to berth there. A few minutes later we were tied up. I lowered the passé rail and Makis boarded welcoming me back to Rhodes. At this point I had two days to turn the boat from ocean cruiser into a charter boat. Makis and I went over a list of services I would need. Makis was the charter broker for my three week charter so he had been in contact with the guests. Since I’ve gone through this drill a few times before we only spent a few minutes ticking of the list of services. I instructed Laura and Beth to gather all the laundry. Three thousand miles, seven countries, and five weeks on board makes a lot of laundry! A minivan stopped behind the boat. A British woman who specializes in cleaning boats inside and out stood with three other employees waiting for the go ahead. I have found that after a long sail the crew is pretty tired and although they are willing to clean they generally lack the enthusiasm for this kind of detailed work. I waved them on board to get started. I gave Makis my documents and we left together on his scooter. Laura and Beth would clean out the fridge. I dropped off Makis at his office and returned to the boat with his scooter. Scooters are essential! The cleaning crew was hard at work when I returned. The laundry was in their van ready for transport and Laura and Beth were sitting on the quay talking. I hoped there wasn’t any drama coming my way since I need both of them to do their jobs for three more weeks. My trusted mate wouldn’t be joining us for another a month. Within the first two hours of arriving, I was having the boat cleaned to perfection, laundry being washed, dried and pressed, flowers ordered, a mini bus arranged to pickup the guests from the airport, drinks ordered, a rented scooter for transportation and my clearance papers stamped. Next I was taking Laura and Beth for lunch at one of my favorite restaurants.