On the 4th of September 2008 I met AEOLUS.  She is a Motor Sailer of the Greek traditional “Liberty” (rounded stern) hull design, built in 1994 from Samos island pine wood.  Her length is 18.5 meters, width 5.5 meters and draft 2.2 meters.  She is registered as a commercial charter boat in Piraeus Reg. Nr. 8612. All the decks are inlayed with teak and the companionways are wide and comfortable.

The gangplank (a.k.a. ‘Pasarella”)

leads on to a wide and spacious aft deck with a pick-nick table, where guests can spend many happy hours enjoying the Greek blue seas and the bright sun 🙂

The stern surrounding, nicely carved wooden stanchions, add class to this livable deck, while four wooden bollards, two on each side, allow for secure boat line fastenings in  the traditional Greek fishing boat manner.

Then on to face the main saloon, covered throughout with a deep pile plush feeling wall-to-wall carpet.

The saloon is airy and incorporates a glass doored bar/cupboard cabinet on the port side.

At the same time, it is modernly configured with an “L” shaped settee, also on the port side, with two veneered bar tables in front,

while the ergonomic and spacious Galley is placed on the starboard side.

A double refrigerator/freezer is embedded into the cupboard by the entrance, a convenient spot for serving refreshments and catering the food to the guests while on the aft deck during the summer months; all along the fridge is right next to the cook hands (his or hers)!

Onwards is the Helm Station, with an array of instruments to monitor the double Valmet-Bowman diesels, VHF, Simrad Radar, a GPS/Chart Plotter plus an intercom, and of course a multitude of electric switch breakers and so on… On the starboard side there is a pilot’s sliding door which facilitates quick movements during handling and adds to the saloon cross ventilation.

The steering is hydraulic and I am not sure if there is an auto pilot fitted (in fact some instruments were removed from the dashboard, I assume to prevent theft).  What seems to be missing is a helmsman’s chair 😦

Moving below deck there are three double cabins.

The Owners cabin features a Queen sized bed while there is ample storage in well crafted cabinets and additional storage under the mattress.  The cabin is well ventilated and day lighted from two large size rectangular marine sealed port holes.

The spacious en suite Loo is fitted with a shower and a luxury sink and good sized mirror.  The lady owner will appreciate it!

The other two cabins feature double bunk beds, in a style of older passenger liners, again well ventilated and illuminated, with good storage areas.  Both these cabins share a spacious Loo with shower and amenities, accessed individually via separate doors from each cabin.  Convenient.

The Fore Deck is lovely, spacious and means business!

There are mattresses and awnings to add to the comfort and pleasure of the guests aboard the classic M/S AEOLUS!

A closer view of the Fore Deck.  Nice touches are the lovely teak decking, the stainless steel fender rack, the sky-light hatch leading to the crew cabin with its own Loo, the strong double anchor handling Lofrance electric winch, the wooden bollards…

and the “belicima” bowsprit with its black net underneath! 🙂

Oh! I would love to encounter dolphins on the way and photograph or video their playful dances at the bow,  while laying face down towards the sizzling seas on this net! 🙂

The Mast and dinghy derrick.

The Dinghy is of the RIB type, a worn out by the sun Gommonautica 3.70 meters, while its 40 Hp Mercury outboard has not seen smooth bottoms, the prop is well beaten up 😦

The Engine Room is fitted with 2 x 218 HP VALMET-BOWMAN diesels

The engine room is accessed from a large sized lockable lazarette located on the port side of the aft deck.  A small ladder leads down to the engine room which is clean; the bilges do not smell nor do they have lots of oily water.

The Finish, quality made twin Valmet-Bowman 218 HP turbo diesels, provide a steady cruising speed of 9 knots.  They look well taken care of.  There is ample and well fitted sound deadening material on the bulkheads and an auto fire extinguishing system sitting above each engine.  The fuel capacity is 2.000 liters.

The Gear Box, the coupling and the shaft all look in very good condition, while no sea water leaks are noticeable.

The Household battery bank looks clean and together with the 13 KW Onan GenSet must provide adequate power for the vessel.

The Fresh Water pump system looks heavy duty enough with an incorporated large size pressure tank.  A boiler is also fitted for hot water supply. The water  tanks have a capacity of 1.500 liters.

The twin props & rudder

The Twin Props look very clean (no marine growth) despite the dirty waters of the marina.  The rudder is of good size, also free of marine growth.  The combination of twin screws should provide fairly good maneuverability for this heavy wooden traditional Greek caique.

M/S AEOLUS’s hull has been repainted white (from blue) during the spring of 2008 and appears to be generally in good condition.

A thorough sea trial is necessary in order to further asses her condition, and outline her strengths or weaknesses thereof.