SERENITY NOW

  23rd July 2018 (Samos) After spending the morning sweating profusely in the oppressive heat, we decided to get underway a little earlier than planned. Advised our convoy companions, let the lazy line go, and we were off. Pythagorio has been lovely - we will return, beautiful leafy cobbled streets and a good array of restaurants. The nightlife has again disturbed our sleep (as it did in Kardamaina) - but not to the same extent. Glad to be heading for a supposedly peaceful anchorage for a few days at Posidionia. The sea is again flat, no wind, and stinking hot. Turkey is about a kilometre away as we motor along. The entertainment for the day is on channel 16 - with the Greek and Turkish Coast Guards firmly warning fishing boats who have strayed into the wrong territorial waters to “Consult your navigation equipment - IF YOU HAVE IT!”.. one suspects this is a daily to and fro pantomime that has gone on for some time. Arrived to a fairly busy anchorage - about 15 yachts in the ...

  18th July 2018 (Lipsi) Woke to clear skies, and flat calm waters. We’ve now spent a week in Lipsi waiting for the Meltemi to ease. It has, for now at least, appeared to have packed its bags and gone back to the Balkans for a few days. Picked up fresh bread and pastries from the local bakery, then headed out from the town quay without incident. Roughly following Jaxon we said a fond farewell  to Lipsi, heading North to Samos. Made coffee, and sat down to enjoy pastries and the serenity... both with a ‘This is the life’ glow. We needed to pass through a few little outlying islets before turning North..  As we were happily motoring between them, our peace was shattered: a juddering, wrenching crash shuddered through the hull. 6 knots to dead stop in zero seconds flat - this sent us, coffee cups, and various odds and sods flying. Panic stations!  We’d grounded on rock. Chez instinctively backed us off. After a quick look up front, we radioed Jaxon to gi...

  14th July 2018 (Lipsi) Today finds us grimacing at each other in the cockpit, and wincing as our stomachs clench every time the wind re-intensifies it’s gusts... not much fun. We’re med moored (stern to) with the Meltemi wind trying its damnedest to lift our anchor or push us onto the hard stone quay at our stern in Lipsi. Our previous neighbours have relocated: Dave & Shirl after a departing German boat caught their anchor, and Paul & Jill left this morning, after some frantic midnight adjustments were needed last night to keep them off the wall. This leaves just us, with the wind picking up, alongside a 30 foot Bavaria with 5 Belgiums on board...who have incidentally just beaten England to claim 3rd place in the World Cup ...  neither of us have slept very much at all in the last 24 hours, so both a bit snappy...and we are unlikely to be getting much sleep for the next 24...like I said: not the best of days today.

  (4) 7th July 2018 (Kos) Last night: (Tied to jetty / Kardamaina) Went to bed on my side of the ravine on our hard uncomfortable mattress. That was around 10:30pm, this was just before the end of the Brazil v Belgium World Cup quarter final game. Managed to drop off - woken by a late Brazilian goal and associated cheers ( too little too late - Belgium won 2-1) The temperature slowly dropped back to a tolerable level as the football finished and the DJs came out to play for the night.  From midnight to 3am a strange mix of upbeat dancey tracks was pumped straight through our hatches, past our deeply inserted earplugs and into our brains - rattling all the gristle in our inner ear along the way. As the music faded the laughter & the now familiar screaming began.. Tonight’s highlights: Episode 1: A Scottish girl repeatedly shouting to her friend ‘Emma!!’ who’d decided to run down the jetty at full pelt and jump in.. ‘ Och Emma, you’re scaring me’ Emma did...

            3rd July 2018 (Kos) Arrived in Kardamaina on the island of Kos on Friday of last week. We had a little angst initially about where exactly we’d be able to moor, and had to anchor outside of the marina, but we are now safely tied to our own little jetty. We’re staying here, awaiting the forecast Meltemi wind, which is supposedly a bit too brisk for safe enjoyable sailing.  This is no great hardship, the town is a mix of tourists (mainly Brits and a few East Europeans) and fisherman. It wouldn’t have been our first choice of places to stay : nightclubs banging away until 4am... not the peaceful Greece we signed up for - but as I say, no great hardship, and there are a lot worse places we could be than this. heading off in hire car tomorrow for a look around Kos