winding roads of Lefkas, working
alone long into the night. He told
me: ‘People who ring up often
think they’re the only people
with a boat, but we’re available
to help 50 or 60 boats.’
Simon though, like Joe, will
always help whenever he can
and as soon as he can, but lack
of parts and the distances involved
can cause problems. Michelle
said: ‘In the UK, parts arrive
overnight, but here they can take
days. It can be so embarrassing.’
Michelle does the admin and
runs the small chandlery on
Sivota’s pretty quayside. ‘Working
together is hard, but it makes us
stronger,’ she said smiling. ‘When
we started out we lived in a
camper van in a boatyard in
Preveza for the fi rst six months!’
Simon and Michelle have
two children, Coral and Bertie,
who attend the local school and
are, like Joe’s boys, bilingual.
Despite the long hours and
demanding workload, the
Trippiers love the lifestyle.
The ‘super fi xer’
Between Sivota and Lefkas town
lies Nidri, and it’s here you’ll fi nd
Helen Morgan, if you can catch
her. Helen is a sort of ‘super fi xer’
and is always rushing around,
paperwork in hand. ‘I know all
the Port Police personally,’ she
explained, sitting in the Flisvos
taverna on Nidri’s quayside. It
was here many years ago that
Helen got her fi rst job, as a
waitress. The Onassis family
used to be regulars, along with
many of their celebrity guests
including Henry Fonda, William
Holden and the original Batman,
Adam West, and their photos
adorn the walls.
Helen is married to Vasilis, a
local Greek businessman who
runs a dayboat hire business, and
the couple have three children.
Helen’s fl uent, not just in
the language but also in the
culture. She sorts out the most
complicated paperwork on boat
purchases as well as arranging
holiday accommodation and
house buying for those yachties
who want a foothold on dry
land. She’s also engaged by the
local courts when they need a
translator, and even arranges
weddings for British couples who
want that Mamma Mia! moment.
Helen makes regular visits to
the Port Police to help British boat
owners, and warns: ‘If people
don’t have updated crew lists
and their paperwork in order, they
may face large fi nes.’ Her advice
is: ‘when it comes to the Port
Police, respect the uniform.’On the go
Pinning these people down for
interviews wasn’t easy: they’re all
constantly on the go, but despite
the demands they all seem to
love their jobs and the lifestyle.
Joe Charlton puts his
success down to ‘optimism
and obstinacy,’ and a ‘can-do’
attitude which is shared by
Simon, Michelle and Helen too.
It’s all summed up by Joe, who
said that whatever the problem,
‘I refuse to be beaten. I’ll make
it work somehow.’Cruising Notes
Free anchorage!
Gometra harbour
Call 01202 440832 to order
our playing cards, with
54 top spots: just £4.99+P&PSend in your free
anchorages and win
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cards for published
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Email [email protected] or write to
the address at the top of page 5Helen Morgan, centre, with two of her
clients, the Nisos Yacht Charter owners
Helen liaises with the Port Police
to help British boat ownersT
his is a favourite bolthole
for sailors on passage
around the west side of
Mull, or having a rough time
out at the Treshnish Islands.
Gometra harbour certainly
attracts lots of boats, but
there is plenty of room.
The cruising website http://www.
scottishanchorages.co.uk
advises that there are two
anchorages on Gometra island
(which is connected to Ulva
by a causeway), these being
Gometra harbour in the south
and Acarsaid Mor in the north,
so it’s good in all winds. There
is a pleasant stroll to be found
along a farm track, with stunning
views to Mull, Iona, Treshnish
and Coll. There’s also an idyllic
beach at the head of the fi rstbay west of Gometra harbour,
and before that an unkempt
burial ground just up from the
anchorage – Bail’ A’Chlaidh, in
which three unidentifi ed men of
the British merchant navy from
the Second World War are
buried. Nearby is a small
honesty shop selling local
stamps, jewellery and art.
Gometra House is an
18th century building with a
well-organised farm,
and has signposts to
direct visitors around
the place. It is said that
grain was once grown
here for the monastery
on Iona. Now the
resident population of
the whole island is less
than 10, which is not
too surprising given
the diffi culty in getting
supplies from the
mainland to Mull, then
Ulva and Gometra.GometraSCOTLANDThe Bail A’ Chlaidh burial groundThere is plenty of room in Gometra harbourRoc Sandfordhttp://www.scottishanchorages.co.uk