It’s a Small World

The shopkeeper had all day. Good thing Zach C and I weren’t in a great hurry either. He thought we were nuts, having flown 20hrs to visit Greece. We must be very rich, he said. I told him not so fierce rich, we had had to budget and I mean honestly, 20hrs are peanuts when you end up at a country with the best Gyro’s in the world! Once we had discussed the price of tickets, the political situation in the USA and Greece, the duration of our stay, and why we didn’t carry cash, we were finally allowed to pay for our 10 drinks and two rolls of bin liners for the bathroom. There is nothing quite like the beautiful Mediterranean culture of good food and friendly chatting.

Our group is comprised of 8 adults and one charming 10month old baby. Zach Paul, Camille and Kindi from AB, Rob n Avril from WA and Heath n I with Zach Charles and Forrest. Some old friends, some new. Truly a fun crew. We are on a 43’ Beneteau Sailboat name Belmour. Its cuddly. We met in the Kos airport Saturday evening and took a shuttle across the island to the Marina. It took a bit to locate the boat in the dark, but eventually we found it and proceeded to unpack and stow and stow and stow stuff in every tiny cubby hole and storage locker we could find. It all seemed very relaxed. The marina wasn’t locked, boat was open, no locks on the public restrooms… totally unlike the marinas at home.

Several jet legged souls went shopping and came back with stuff for spaghetti with sauce and sausages. Topped with all you can eat fresh grated parmesan, it was fit for a king. Hot tea finished off the evening and after taking hot showers in the marina, we staggered off for bed.

I slept like the dead, but apparently no one else did. Some cried, some walked, some were just pop eyed. Breakfast was at 8:00 since we had boat orientation at 9-ish. Ish being the key word here.

Sunday Morning the 19th

The sunrise was spectacular and Avril n I shared a happy hug of joy on the pier. It really was too exciting for words. Yogurt and granola with hot tea made a spiffing breakfast, and then it was business. The skipper and co-skippers, aka Heath, Jeanie and Zach had orientation with Thora, while the rest went after provisions.

It was afternoon before we pulled out of port and headed North. We spread out a fine sandwich board on the deck, and enjoyed the views. It was a little rough, so before long the crew was getting less animated. Seasick patches were applied and the afternoon ambled on with some drowsing, some writing and a lot of visiting. We were beating against the wind and waves, so sailing was touch and go. We had the the sails up for a few hours, but then ran out of energy and just headed into port. Seems jet leg is rearing its ugly head.

Port was on the island of Leros. There was no marina as such, just a charming town, a few anchored boats and way up on a hill, a castle.

It was dark by the time we had the boat tethered to a mooring ball, but the guys had enough spunk left to hop in the dinghy and motor to shore. Us girls had tea and visited, happy for the calm and quiet. With Avril along we have no shortage of tea. Pot after pot gets steeped and we happily partake. The men came back bearing gyros and wet bums. Think 5 large men in a little rubber dinghy:/. The gyros were fantastic and most of us consumed them with great joy, if not a little exhaustion. The land lubbers among us, not naming names here, didn’t look quite as joyful, as their stomachs had words to say, but the rest just cleaned out their food too. I was wondering if I should worry a little about them, but suddenly inspiration struck and all the crew leapt into sea barring the skipper and co skipper. Skipper showered and I sat on the deck and held a sleeping baby. A great splashing, diving and canonballing commenced, followed by vigorous soaping and scrubbing. The night was gorgeous, with its bright stars, twinkling town lights and the big moon. It wasn’t just a totally calm spot, but a big blow was on the way so there really wasn’t calm available. The joys of being at the mercy of the sea!