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The First and the Last Nalu - the project boat - has the first and the last say about when and how we move across the Mediterranean seas, from island to island

Working on Nalu was the last physical activity of the MED Land project in 2018, and the first one in 2019. Last year, we got stuck three times (Chios, Samos, Syros island), doing serious repairs on the engine. And then there was bad weather: we got stuck on Aegina island. Kubilay and Melania, visiting students - volunteers, who did a also a list of WGO stories - had to leave! I decided to leave the boat on Aegina rather than sailing additional 550 miles to the home port - island of Hvar in Adriatic, since there was not enough time to get there for the exhibition that I had in Zadar (Water Dragon of Venice, together with Ivana Petan and Marko Pogačnik).

Aegina island, the winter home of Nalu, is an hour and a half away by ferry from the Athens port! In ancient Greece, Aegina was a constant rival with Athens, and for some time also an independent state. Pheidon of Argos established a mint in Aegina - it was the first city-state in Europe to issue coins, Image: The Aeginetic Temple of Aphaea, sacred to mother goddess, particularly worshiped on Aegina.

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After the exhibition, Ivana Petan and me, along with my dear friend Marko Vodanovič, (photographer from the island of Vis in Croatia, who also contributed WGO stories - MED Land 2016, Ionian island) and his fiancé Nikolina came to Aegina, and instead of finally sailing back, another though decision was made! Nalu needs to be improved for the tough Aegean see! And Aegina is the place to do it!

Last image (bottom right): Gregory Asprkis, owner of the dry marina that hosted Nalu, is still keping familly tradition of building wood boats.
We had less than a week to peeled her on the underwater part ... Ready to get her dried up over winter, to be able to do epoxy raisin lamination in spring. And we did it!
I (we) usually travel to Greece and back by ferry! It's a fantastic trip across Adriatic, all the way from Greece (Patra) to Italy (Venice), passing Albania, sometimes with a 3-hour stopover in Ancona. For me, ferry means great comfort & less carbon footprint for much less money. I can have an office day or just contemplate, with the best possible views of the sea! When I returned, a new statue in Aegina town appeared (see last image, bottom right). It was donated by Nektarious Kontocrakis, artist, sculptor and painter from Aegina. He actually made it from a still standing tree which was cut at a few meters at the top.

On February 23, I returned to Greece and worked for 28 days, ten-plus hours per day, to improve the hull, ribs, kill box, and must support. The hardest task was laminating the underwater part of the hull, which was done by Marko Paš (check out Pegasus yachts) in only three days!

Nalu is in the water again, ready to sail ON.

And on the way back home - by ferry, of course - I found 350 sweet bars in trash. They were well packed, and after trying some, I brought them to the open _FREE kitchen in Athens :-)))

Released by MED Land project / c- BB / on cover photo Ivana Petan on the ride to the Asprakis boatyard/proof reading: Tadej Turnšek

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