Stay
in Peak - Haghios Nikolaos
11 to May 17, 2002 Loans at the beginning After many months of work, I finally
managed to convince my tender and soft wife that to spend one week on board a
sailing ship is an exceptional adventure not to miss - and that not, us will
not fail of an atrocious sea sickness, before being carried at the bottom by
immense waves raised by an unchained wind! A concession however, we will be
satisfied to coast, and to return each evening to the port; after all my only
experiment in veil being limited to short but splendid cruising on Texoma, I find that also wiser.
The
appointment is taken by mall with Fred. It will be the Peak, in bay of Haghios Nikolaos. The problem of the
flight will be regulated by one last-minute on a German company. Fortunately,
the scheduled flights Air France in 2000 Euros would
certainly have discouraged us. But this time, nothing can any more retain us.
Not even the indentity card of Suzy, out-of-date
since 3 months. We measure for the first time the convenience of what is Schengen space, as well as Euro, which saves any
preoccupation with an exchange to us.
Arrival
in peak We thus arrive without encumber at the end of
the afternoon to the airport of Héraklion, overloaded luggage, in
spite of the recommendations of Fred. The contact is made by GSM. They await us
on the boat. The various hirers out of cars presenting of the tariffs as
whimsical as high, we decide for the regular line of bus. The narrow road which
skirts the coast plunges us in the environment of the Peak. A clear water,
broad beaches, many tourist, new hotels as a whole, and of innumerable
unfinished buildings which massacre the landscape. The bus and crammed, and the
radio creates an environment very local colour. The
ceaseless ringings of GSMs
recall us in spite of very that, here also, each one profits from the benefits
of modern technology.
We
arrive the night fallen at the port where we find Fred without difficulty. We
distinguish the silhouette of perception in the half-light, and first of all
let us discover it by the interior. Its interior is cordial and pleasant, with
the image of its inhabitants. Very of wood covered, bathed with a well
proportioned light, installation is very worked to
offer all comfort to the passengers. Phyl accomodates
us of a great smile. Fred did not change a iota
since Concerto. I offer with a double relief - content
at the same time with me to discharge some and that Fred do not have of them
still the balls of games of bowls which I transported with me from France. Famished, we leave all
to the restaurant the corner the beach, and we level grills Greek and of local
wine. Satisfied, we return on board and we slip into our berth. The first night
on board is calm, no matter what the light sommeille
by the light swell and the small noises of the marina.
Pleasure
In the morning, the sky is clear but the null wind. We discover Perception in
detail more. It is a splendid sailing ship of 45 feet (I try to pose it by the
thought in my garden; it is longer than my house), bright burning coal new and
glowing. Thereafter, we will learn that it is also equipped with all
technological refinements: radar, sonar, GPS, water-softener, etc. Fred
prepares us an American breakfast; no doubt that it aims at 3 stars to
Michelin! Fault of wind, the morning will be devoted to a discovery with foot
of the sympathetic nerve town of Nikolaos. Circulation is
chaotic, and the shops of tourists do not miss. From an
culturo-archaeological point of view, this extract of
our guide summarizes in a characteristic way what one finds in this country
"the site of the current prefecture was occupied, at the time Venetian, by
the castle of Mirabello, from where the gulf
and its area drew their name. The building, seriously damaged by an earthquake
in 1303, was tiny room at the state of ruin at the time of the war which
opposed the Venetian ones to Ottomans, then abandoned. Certain parts of the
building remained until the end of the occupation Ottoman, but there does not
remain today any more any trace about it " In
short, a historical last rich person, in a beautiful natural ECRIN, revived by
treasures of imagination!
The
afternoon, the gently rising wind, we leave for our first cruising in bay. We
discover with joy the rudiments of navigation, that professor Fred, with a
patience inébranlable, évertue
to be communicated to us. We start by assimilating a minimum of marine
vocabulary in English, whom we connect to large pains with that exposed in our
book bought for the occasion. Two languages to be learned at
the same time. Some indications pointed by the index will make the
remainder. Perception moves with a disconcerting precision and a facility. We
are conquered and we let rock with pleasure with the soft nonchalance the
pleasure.
The
come evening, it is Phyl and to Fred to follow their initiation. Under l..il amused local population, we
make our first parts of game of bowls. The US ones undergo a cuisante demolished against France. Let us bet how the
latter regularly work to improve and that the meetings with the next passengers
of Perception could proceed differently! The moments spent to the port are of a
great user-friendliness with the other yachtmen. We
particularly have the memory of a French couple, very busy with the restoration
of their boat, which often reserved some selected comments to us. Extract
(comment on civilization minoenne)"Whereas the
rest of the world was still to fight for a river and an end of meadow, the
Greeks them had already invented homosexuality"
The
3 following days will be passed on the same model, with increasingly strong
winds. This day, the wind is supported, and we try to achieve our goal, which
is to sail round the island of Spinalonga to reach Bay of Elounda and to spend the night
there to ink. The sky will decide some differently, and it is another
experiment which awaits us. Indeed, the sky covers dark clouds and the wind forcit. It is the Fred captain who takes the bar. The
temperature fraîchit and the rain tomb start to fall
thick. Perception leans to wet the bridge. We beat on this occasion his record
speed with more than 10 n.uds.
Vis-a-vis this eagerness of the elements, we renonçons and return like each evening to the port
Tourism and culture - the palate of king Minos. The 2 following days,
the wind will not weaken, and we will benefit from it to make tourism. Having
rented a car, we leave for Knossos and the ruins the
palate king Minos. The site is vast, and can easily accomodate the hordes of tourists in evil of culture with
which we mix. There still, imagination comes to our help to fill the gaps of
the restorations, which pain to decently reconstitute the few vestiges
remaining of these antiques civilizations. We also visit the archaeological museum of Héraklion, rich person of some
spectacular parts. The evening, we push until Elounda
which we discover with feet. The following day, Fred and Phyl will remain on
board, to deal with the replacement of one of the batteries which during the
night had the absurd idea to start to boil, while we visit the back country in
the car. We discover the landscapes of the plate of LASSITHI and the
surroundings, under blue sky. Splendid!
The
last days will be devoted to improve our very new science. We try in particular
to assimilate the art of the marine n.uds. At the
last day, the engine helping to leave us the "infernal triangle of the
calm wind", we finally manage to see the fort of Spinalonga
by the sea. Alas, the hour turning, we must leave quickly, and let us benefit
only little from transparent water of this splendid bay. The return is not that
a formality - our planet really became quite small - and it is a good when that
enables us to re-examine our friends so easily.
Tighten
with the wind!
Suzy
and Francis