From: "SV Perception / Phyl & Fred Denton" <denton@flash.net>
To: Crews List
Subject: Crews Letter # 2002 07 NEWS FROM GREECE
Date: Tue, 4 Jun 2002 22:05:18 +0300

Good Morning Ladies and Gentlemen:

Sara has sent the following report: We forward it to you without change.

NEWS FROM GREECE

My friend Gail and I recently had the pleasure of spending ten days in the Greek Islands sailing with Fred and Phyllis Denton. We arrived at the new airport in Athens on April 30 and immediately took a taxi to Kalimaki Marina where PERCEPTION had been held captive by the Greek port authorities for several days. Fred had been successful in securing her release (after the payment of more than a few euros) and he and Phyllis were anxious to set sail. Perception is beautiful - a 45 foot Elan equipped with everything you can imagine.

We were given our safety briefing and (more important) instructions on using the head and we were off. Our first destination was the island of Aigina and our port was Aigina Town. We got tied up at the dock the Mediterranean Way and set out for Fred's favorite vendor - a young lady selling fresh fruit and vegetables from the deck of her boat. We loaded up on strawberries, cherries, eggplant, tomatoes, green peppers, apricots, etc. After washing and putting everything away, Fred fixed some nibbles and we had a glass of wine. The restaurants in Greece don't open until 8:00 so we had a late dinner at a nearby taverna and turned in for the night. We all had a restless night since the motor scooters were zooming by until well after midnight. The next morning we got Fred to go with us to buy pastries for breakfast - a delicious accompaniment to our strawberries.

On May Day we motored to the island of Ydra since there was only about 5 knots of wind. It was a beautiful day and there were many sailboats and some yachts. In some places you can see the ocean floor. Fred and I fixed a great lunch - Greek salad, cheese, sausage, crackers and fruit and cookies for dessert. The harbor at Ydra Town was very noisy and crowded with a lot of ferry traffic. Fred consulted the chart and found a very pleasant anchorage about ¾ of a mile down the coast. There were a couple of taverna there and Gail and I found that we could easily walk to Ydra Town in about 45 minutes. There were some beautiful summer homes and we detoured up the mountain to a small chapel. Along the way we spotted a donkey who eyed us with curiosity, but let us pass.

That night we met Fred and Phyllis at one of the taverna for a fish dinner (four whole expensive fish!). It seems the waters in the area have been fished out.  We were serenaded by a group of Germans who were enjoying an extended bachelor party. However, the next morning we were treated to whoops and hollers from the Germans who were enjoying swimming in the nude.  Time to check out the binoculars.  Fred then fixed us an excellent omelet with jambon and Gail and I decided to do some serious shopping. First we had some Greek coffee and then Gail decided we should ride some donkeys. It turned out we had to ride horses (my favorite) and due to some language problems we had a ten minute ride up and down the streets of the town instead of going up the mountain to the monastery. Gail managed to find some jewelry she liked and we then had an excellent lunch on the side of a mountain overlooking the Saronic Sea. The temperature was perfect - about 75 degrees and the sky was a brilliant blue. Later we had dinner at another taverna and met some nice Greek folks who were visiting their summer home. He recognized our accent and told us he was a nuclear engineer and had worked at NASA. We actually did not meet any Americans, but all of the Greeks we met had all been to Houston.

The next day we left about nine - still not much wind but we put the sails up for a while. Since we were not making much progress we motored the rest of the way to Gerakas, a very small quaint village with only one taverna. As we were trying to dock, Fred had his first run aground. We were all happy to be present for that event! Fred decided we would motor on down the coast to Monemvossia, the Gibraltar of Greece. There's more civilization here, but still not many boats. The people next to us were completing their charter and planning to spend the Easter weekend with their captain's family on this island. We got the boat tied up (no thanks to me - still haven't mastered the bowline much to Fred's chagrin) and relaxed outside with our pistachios (local) and a glass of wine. Had a great dinner - moussaka and a tomato salad - then visited Fred's favorite pastry shop. Took a stroll through the town. There were quite a few people out because it was Good Friday. There was supposed to be a parade, but we couldn't find it. When we returned to the boat, Fred and Phyllis turned in. Gail and I decided to sit outside and enjoy the stars. What a sight! When we went down below, I heard a strange noise - like a big bowl of rice krispies popping and cracking. We checked everything and remembered Fred's caution - if you see or hear something strange - tell us about it. I was chosen to awaken the captain and admiral and after searching the whole interior and exterior, Phyllis decided it was sea urchins nibbling on the bottom of the boat. I was never convinced and heard the noise every night until I left.

When we finally got up the next day (May 4) we went into town for some supplies and then had breakfast about 11. After that we caught the bus for the old town of Monemvassia. Gail and I climbed to the top of the mountain to see the church. It was very rocky and quite a climb but well worth it for the view. Once again we had a delightful lunch overlooking the Saronic Sea. When we returned to the boat there were a couple of permanent live aboards tied up next to us. Fortunately we had moved the boat in the morning and now had access to water (a shower!) and fuel. After we were all clean, Gail made sangria and we enjoyed the beautiful harbor and chatting with our neighbors.

The next day we left Monemvassia for our next destination Kythria. It was a very small settlement with a rather difficult harbor. Fred & Phyllis did an excellent job of anchoring us (double anchor) since we were practically surrounded by volcanic rock. This was Easter Sunday and when we arrived the people on shore were dancing and having a grand old time. Fred launched the dinghy and we went into shore to explore and take pics. We ended up at the only traverna and due to our misunderstood dialog our dinner turned out to be liquid - cokes and iced coffee. Never did get anything to eat!

On May 6 we set out on our longest sail - to Hania which was 62 miles or maybe it was kilometers away. We sailed almost all the way in 12-17 knot winds - beam reach all the way. Gorgeous. We found a place at the dock to tie up and then relaxed and finished off the sangria. A gentleman from England stopped by to chat and said he had been in Crete on a walking tour and was staying on in Crete for another week. He had made an Atlantic crossing so Fred had a lot of questions.

The next morning I was awakened by Fred's "Oh My God". We all scrambled up to see what was the matter. It was just a huge tugboat which had anchored directly behind us. The captain was unperturbed - he just asked Fred if we would mind moving Perception up a little ways so he could fit  on the dock. Fred said no problem, of course. Once again, Gail and I went exploring and shopping and found we were quite dizzy whenever we went into the small shops. Back to the sea for us. We left around noon and our last stop was Rethymno also on Crete. Crete has some very large mountains and there was still snow on the mountaintops. We actually could not find a very satisfactory place to anchor or dock. The docks were mostly for large ships, but we ended up tying up near the ferry. I could tell Fred and Phyllis were very nervous about leaving the boat there, but we were safe through the night. It was pretty exciting the next morning when the overnight ferry arrived from Athens though. Fred and Phyllis thought it was best to go on to their next port, so they left us in Rethymno. We had a very pleasant day exploring the town and having a great lunch of spaghetti carbonara. We decided to take the ferry back to Athens rather than fly so we took the only seats available - the deck seats. Neither of us was looking forward to that - like airplane seats and you sit up all night. We did luck into what is called a first class cabin at the last minute because of a cancellation. Hallelujah, we had two beds for the night and an almost real bathroom. We had a bath and washed our hair for the first time in several days and then went to the bar and partied with all the Greeks. They are really a lot of fun - very family oriented. It's fun to watch the men and some women playing with their worry beads. Early the next morning we arrived in Athens and were off for the airport.

This was a delightful vacation. Fred and Phyllis were great hosts and if you get a chance to sail with them, you won't be sorry. We went to places I had never dreamed of going and confirmed all the beautiful pictures I have ever seen of Greece. It was great to get back to the good old USA, but I'm almost ready to go again!

 Sara and Gail were just what we are looking for in crew. Not so knowledgeable as to make the captain look bad, eager to experience a small part of the world from a cruiser's perspective, and willing to sail at a slow pace from place to place. Their cruise was from Athens to Rethymno calling on Aigina Town on Aigina, Mandraki Bay on Idras, a short walk from Idras Town, Monemavassia on the Peloponnesus, Avlemonas on Kithra, Hania and Rethymno on Crete. They logged 279 miles in the Saronic, Ionian and Agean Seas. They had the first swim of the season.

 Last Friday, on the north end of Rhodes, in the Rodos' town marina, a harbor called Mandraki, Perception had her first collision. She was properly moored at the yacht quay. Dave and Carol, Fred and Phyl were off sight seeing when a day boat smashed into her. But that's another story. We are on hold in Mandrakis harbor until the repairs are settled.

After that, the next stop is Turkey. We are still in need of crew for June, the first half of July and August through October.

Keep a Tight Luff,
Fred

Note: It's all Greek to me. When attempting to develop English words and names for Greek things and places, two translations are required: the alphabet is different and the language is different. If that were not bad enough, many of the concepts that were first defined by Greeks have been mutated and disemboweled by English speakers. Little wonder nothing is spelled the same. Turkey should be even more interesting.

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