Bad day!
They come along from time to time. It rained most of yesterday and looked as though it was going to do a repeat performance this morning. My milk had gone off again so I decided to head back to Savonlinna, do some shopping and go to see La Traviata. It was raining as I got the boat ready and I tripped over a fender and fell heavily on deck. Nothing broken thank goodness but what a bruise. I took off and after an hour the wind really got up. I sailed 30 miles in a near gale and got drenched. Over 7 knots under heavily reefed genoa alone! When I got to the two bridges at Savonllina which you have to telephone to ask them to open my telephone credits had run out. So I had to hang around for another yacht to arrive, which one did after an hour and a half. Then I had fun and games berthing in a strong cross wind. Fortunately there were some guys around and SIX of them were hauling on one of my bow lines at one stage trying to straighten the boat up. Eventually got in and tied up safely but my leg is so stiff now I can barely walk or climb on and off the boat. I think I’m going to be stuck here for a day or two, but that’s no great hardship. At least I know a decent place for lunch tomorrow, but it's a long walk!
Bad day continues
When I had to get up to answer the call of nature in the middle of the night it tookme a full four minutes to get out of my bunk. Apart frommy bruised leg refusung to work my back had joined in. Hauling on my stern line yesterday against a strong cross wind when I was berthing had pulled something and that something was making its presence felt! And I had to go walkabout this morning to solve my mobile phone 'no credit balance'problem.
When I tried to call the Savonlinna bridges yesterday to ask them to allow me through my phone received from the airtime supplier, Sonera, a message saying I was out of credit. So this morning I sought out their local outlet, R Kioski, and put another Euro 20 on my account. I was told it would be operational 'within a few minutes'. Four hours later and after hobling round Savolinna four times I was still receiving the same 'out of credit' message. At first R Lioski, who sold me the top up told me there was nothing they could do about it, the matter rested with Sonera. I asked them to call Sonera on my behald since my Finnish is limited to one word (biere please). R Kioski refused saying they didn't have Sonera's no but they soon found it when I refused to move out of their shop and continued to argue my case in front of all their customers. Then they (Sonera and Kioski) tried to fob me off by sending me to another telecommunications shop to sort out the problem. 'Not b***** likely' I said. 'You sold me the top up that refuses to work, you sort it out!' Sonera eventually suggested that R Kioski supplied me with a new sim that did work. R Kioski refused. I asked if R Kioski really wanted me to go to the local paper and smur their reputation over a miserable Euro 20. 'No' they said but they still refused to budge. So, I went to the local papert who were most sympathetic. The article is due to appear in Saturday;s edition. That'll show'em! But I'm still Euro 20 out of pocket!