NOTE: Sorry for the delay, the technical problems with our blog host came back again and delayed posting till now (Saturday Oct. 8th) and the formatting is off a bit so thanks for your understanding while we once again try to sort out the blog host problem.
Just to show that we will go to any lengths to keep you well entertained, I’ve typed up this second installment of the latest update from the Good Ship Möbius. As I noted in the previous Part 1 Update, this past week has been quite the ride up and down the twists and turns of the Good News/Bad News Rollercoaster of life. I decided to break this up into two Updates; in Part 1 I covered the ride up to new highs on the roller coaster ride with my trip up to Gardner in the UK to take part in the dynamometer testing of the new Mr. Gee 2.0. If you have not seen that Update Part 1 already, you can go read and watch that HERE.
This second part picks up as the roller coaster ride peaks after the very successful dyno testing and the ride started to plummet downwards when I flew back into our neighboring island of Kos from Gatwick airport in the UK. As you will soon understand, things have been a bit hectic since then and so I’m a bit late in getting these updates put together and posted but here you go and thanks for your patience.
Part II; the Rollercoaster ride down;
Everything that goes up most go down and so this second Update is about our most recent Rollercoaster ride down. Buckle your seat belts!
I’ll keep this one short as it is just a “SitRep” or Situation Report to update everyone on the latest challenge we have run into and that there may be some delay in bringing you the next updates about getting the all new Mr. Gee 2.0 installed so we can head back out to sea and continue our travels West and most likely out of the Med.
Short summary is that our 90 day Schengen visa time has run out, and when I flew back into Kos on Thursday was informed that our application for an extension was rejected at the last minute . We had been trying to get this extension for over a month when we saw how long it was taking to get Mr. Gee shipped up to England since the beginning of August. However in the brilliance of bureaucracy they won’t process an extension application until a few days before it expires. A lot of discussion ensued but in the end they said that I needed to leave Greece and the Schengen area …………………….. NOW!
Christine and Möbius were another ferry ride away over on on Kalymnos and so fortunately, after a good bit of persuasion, I was able to talk the Immigration officials into allowing me a day more to take the ferry over to Kalymnos so I could at least pack some clothes and make some kind of arrangements to leave Möbius docked there for some undetermined amount of time.
Christine has a bit more time left on her visa as the two weeks she was back in Florida don’t count towards her total Schengen time so she could stay in Greece longer but given that we had no idea of when we will be able to get back into Greece, we decided to both leave Greece for now while we figure out how to resolve this latest challenge. If need be, Christine can go back to Möbius using her remaining 17 days.
And so, I find myself writing this update and SitRep to you from a lovely little AirBnB we were fortunately able to find on such short notice that is located just outside the Turkish town of Bodrum. Turkey is not a member country of the Schengen Agreement (more on that below) so we are allowed to be here while we sort out things for getting back into Greece.
For those of you shaking your heads wondering what the heck this is all about, a quick bit of background on how this Schengen Agreement works. The Schengen Agreement which was first signed on June 14, 1985, is a treaty that led most of the European countries towards the abolishment of their national borders, to build a Europe without borders known as the “Schengen Area”. It is a truly amazing agreement that allows for borderless travel by land, sea or air between all the current 29 member countries and the agreement remains one of the world’s biggest areas that have ended border control between member countries.
You will notice that Turkey is NOT a member of the Schengen Agreement and therefore we are able to be here on our resident permits which fortunately are still valid for another year.
For visitors such as ourselves from non Schengen countries, you need to have a visa which is very easy to get and is essentially granted upon entry into any Schengen country. This Schengen visa allows you to stay in any of the member countries for up to 90 days out of any 180 calendar days since you first arrive. For most people, three months is plenty of time but for Nauti Nomads such as us, and most other cruisers, three months can be very short. The tricky twist is that unlike visas in many other countries where you can reset the duration by simply leaving and then combing right back in again, the Schengen agreement rules are that you can stay for up to 90 days within any 180 day block of time on the calendar, starting when you first enter. What this means is that after you have used up your 90 days you have to leave the Schengen area for at least 90 days before you are allowed back in.
Not sure if it will help or just give you a bigger headache than you already have, but this illustration might help understand how this works.
We have been to Europe and the Schengen areas quite frequently over the past 10+ years and have previously been able to get an extension without much trouble, just a lot of paperwork. But not this time!
So What’s the Plan Stan?
At this moment, we don’t know.
I have provided the Greek Immigration authorities all the details on our rather unique situation where Möbius is our full time home and that we can’t leave, on Möbius at least, until the new engine arrives back from the UK and I can get it reinstalled and be able to leave. The tentative plan is that I am to provide them with proof that Mr. Gee has arrived in Kalymnos and is ready to be reinstalled and then I can submit a new application for an extension of 10 days or so to give me enough time to reinstall the engine and get Möbius sea worthy and then we will leave. IF this extension is approved then I can use it to re-enter Greece and travel back to Kalymnos, complete the installation and the sign ourselves and the boat out of Greece and the EU and head to either Turkey or Tunisia most likely.
As you can tell, a very tentative plan with no assurances or promises that they will approve the 10 day extension either, but best we can do is keep our fingers crossed and that some logic will prevail. If not then we’ll just need to regroup and figure out next best option.
I also want to be clear that the Immigration officials are simply doing their jobs and following the rules for Schengen visas. Greece is well known to be the most strict enforcers of the Schengen rules and we are but the latest of many we know who have been caught up with these kinds of situations. We all hope for some leniency and understanding when there are extenuating circumstances but just as with agents at any border crossing, you have to deal with the ones you get and whatever interpretations and decisions they make. None of this has or will affect our feelings about Greece and her wonderful people. This is just the most recent speed bump in our nomadic life.
Mr. Gee 2.0 Update:
As I type, Mr. Gee is being transported by truck and ferry, having left the UK last Friday 28th Sept. I received this photo from the logistics company on Tuesday 4th October that he had arrived in Piraeus the port in Athens and was awaiting clearance procedures into Greece. He needs to go through the Customs clearance procedures for entry into Greece and then put on another truck and ferry to get from Athens over to Kalymnos.
As your long history with it has proved, nothing ever goes smoothly or cheaply when it comes to shipping and so this past few days have been a flurry of Emails, WhatsApp texts, wire transfers and phone calls trying to get all the various people and companies involved with the whole process to have all the paperwork and fees they require. As of a few minutes ago (Friday afternoon here on Oct. 7th), I *think* things are finally all sorted, but I won’t believe it till I get the photo of Mr. Gee sitting on the dock beside Möbius.
As of now, I’m told that they have all the paperwork and the various clearance fees (don’t ask!) and so he should be fully cleared and ready to be picked up in the next few hours, end of day on Friday over here. IF that all goes well he is due to be on the ferry out of Piraeus/Athens tomorrow (Saturday) and due to arrive in Kalymnos on Sunday. (Oct. 9th) Once he makes it to Kalymnos he still has to go through the final customs clearance which is due to take place on Tuesday and
For now we are on hold and “in exile” in Turkey until the engine is on the dock beside Möbius and then I can submit the new paperwork for a 10 day extension and see what they say. Once Mr. Gee arrives and we know if they have approved the extension or not, I will be able to post a new SitRep for you and you can continue to follow along the adventures of the Nauti Grandparent Nomads.
Do stay tuned for the next installment of “As Möbius.World Turns” and we hope we are living up to your entertainment eXpectations?!!
– Wayne
I am exhausted for you. Having spent a lot of my life offshore, I do understand. The first thing that went through my head was “get out of there!” By that, I mean get Mobius out of there. I would have her towed to a place where you can do Mr. Gee’s installation (Turkey?). Christine can even be with the tow. I’d just get it done. If not, you could have a delay and run into the ten-day barrier being too short and then screwed again.
Good luck.
Hi JZ, we’re exhausted too! Perhaps more mentally than physically, but we’ll just leave it at exhausted for now.
Putting it all into perspective thought, this is not all too far from the “norm” we have come to expect and accept from our decades of living this life, as the price required for “living the dream” as full time liveaboards exploring the world by sea. So we just keep using the “how to eat an elephant” method of one bite at a time and take on whatever the next challenge is while also doing our best to be grateful for the many joys and highs that this life brings us.
Towing is tempting and something we certainly considered very seriously but as soon as we arrived and it became known that we were doing engine work on the boat, the Greek Coast Guard effectively “impounded” the boat in the harbour and we were required to sign a declaration that we would not move the boat until after they had inspected it and seen a sea trial to prove that we were seaworthy again. So moving the boat, other than under her own power and after they lift this do not move order is not an option for us. Right now we are still working on getting the new Mr. Gee released in Athens where he sits now, and on its way by truck ferry over to Kalymnos, through customs there and then delivered to the dock beside Möbius. Once we reach that milestone I can ask Greek Immigration to approve a 10 day or 2 week extension and return to the boat with that to install the engine, do a quick sea trial and then finally go with your “get out of there” recommendation.
Wish us luck! and thanks for your continued encouragement and suggestions.
-Wayne
Shocking, but not unexpected. I feel for you. Diane and I are now on our epic tour of Eastern Turkey, visiting the cities that comprise ancient Mesapotamia. I will be watching how your engine delivery, movement through Customs and installation goes. Wishing you the best of luck.
Ahoy there Wade & Diane, great to hear from you and get this brief update on your travels. Depending on how things go with us getting back into Greece, Christine and I may get a change to meet up with you in Eastern Turkey! Will keep you and everyone here posted with ongoing SitReps as things change and hopefully progress for us.
As you said and know from your many years out sailing the world, this latest Schengen challenge is not too unexpected, just unfortunate. Right now the engine has made it as far as Piraeus/Athens and we are now working on getting it released there and then onto a truck and ferry to bring it over to Kalymnos. Once the engine is on the dock beside Möbius I will try to convince Greek Immigration to grant us a 10 day or 2 week extension which should be more than enough time for me to get the new engine installed and we can finally head back out to sea again.
Thanks for your good wishes, I’m sure we’ll need them!
-Wayne
Wonderfully written Wayne I think you and Mobius ,Kristen and pups should start your novel !!
I am sorry but you made me laugh !! I remember from my trip on our boat the neccessity to follow Schengen rules leaving our boat and headed to UK and back to Canada then our relationship crashed ,so your story was a reminder to all Nautical families..
Hope your enjoying some lovely days in Bodrum ,I didn’t get there but loved the Kas area../Fethiya
Hope you get the extension and back to Mr Gee but I would have a second plan in mind you know how the beurocracy can be ….Maybe Christine can return to Mobius and install Mr Gee.!! Oops what do you think Christine …with your young friend who looked after M in Finike , forgot his name again but very nice young man….Wishing you all Happy Thanksgiving from ..
Hi Marj, glad to help bring some chuckles and memories to you and we’re doing our best to stay positive and just deal with this latest challenge. As in storms at sea we remind ourselves that “this too shall pass” and carry on with getting out of the latest situation and back to sailing the world. As in those situations we are exploring and considering all options and we will keep you and others updated here as things progress.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and all our Canadian friends. Even in situations like we find ourselves in right now, we also remind ourselves that we do have SO much to be thankful and grateful for.
Enjoy your Thanksgiving with friends and family. And we will do our best to keep you laughing with our ongoing updates.
-Wayne
I see. As usual, you are on top of it and way ahead of my thoughts. Good luck to you both.
Well, we’re doing our best anyway and Christine has just reported back from her time with the immigration officials today (Monday) that things are looking promising and we should get their decision tomorrow and know if/when we can go back to Möbius so stay tuned and thanks for the good luck. We’ll need it!