Season’s Greetings

We hope this finds you and yours in good health and the best of spirits.

Life is good. Cruising beats working.

Fred skied Colorado with the Frisco bunch. That happening continues to work in spite of the odds. Phyl had a surgery to rework the end of her nose. We were on schedule to return to Turkey in mid March.

Then came delay. C. Northcote Parkinson identified delay as the most negative of possible replies. Fred needed eye surgery and it didn’t happen until early March. That delayed our departure for the Med until late April. The second day that we were there, the ladder slipped off the stern of the boat with Fred on it. The sudden stop at the end of the fall broke his arm. The surgery and rehabilitation resulted in a sailing season that didn’t start until mid July.

In May SV Perception was recommissioned. The first cruise was south to Rodos on Rhodes, Greece. Friends from Scotland met us there for a two week cruise of the Dodecanese Islands. This cruise was a combination of good to strong winds and equally good to strong sailors. We called on Bozekale, Symi, Kos, Pserimos, Kalymnos, Lerros, Levitha, Astipalia, Kos, Telos, and Khalki, starting and ending in Rodos.

Next out we joined up with a yacht from Tucson. The boat named Traumerei is a Bavaria and the owners / crew are doing about the same style of cruising that we are. We tagged along with them through the Dodecanese and Cyclades Islands as far as Paros. From Paros we headed north and west calling on Patmos and Samos. Patmos was the island where St John wrote the Book of Revelation. Samos was the home of Pythagoras. The history, technology and art of each is very interesting.

From Samos we worked our way back into Turkey and joined up with two other boats: Different Drum and Mardling. Their owner / crews are from Scotland and England. We had some relaxed cruising ending up back where we started the season.

The people of this region are a joy. Their hospitality and good humor is wonderful.

Best discovery of the year: Agios Nikolaos, a.k.a. Saint Nikolaos, a.k.a. Santa Claus, is the patron saint of sailors and children.

See http://gogreece.about.com/library/weekly/aa120899a.htm

The older we get, the more we believe.

Perception is on the hard at Yat Marine in Marmaris, Turkey. We are back in Texas for the good things: family, holidays, shopping, skiing, and the bad things: doctors, dentists, and taxes.

Life is good. Cruising beats working.

If you are Internet ready and are interested in photos or detailed reports email us at denton@flash.net and we will invite to join our email group.

May the Season and the New Year have a special impact in your life.

Phyl & Fred

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