From: "SV Perception / Phyl &
To: Crews List
Subject: Crews
Letter # 2002 07 NEWS FROM GREECE
Date: Tue, 4 Jun 2002 22:05:18 +0300
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
We
were given our safety briefing and (more important) instructions on using the
head and we were off. Our first destination was the
On May Day we motored to the
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
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
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
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
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
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
Last Friday, on the
north end of
After that, the next stop is
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.
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