Maratha to Barbeque Bay

We have light wind this morning but soon it picks up a bit and we have a great sailing day. We don’t have to go very far. So we take two very long tacks to get there. The is perfect blowing about 13 knots and I get Estill and then Martha to steer the boat. They both do very well and are soon able to find the sweet spot where Jules jumps up and flies across the water. We are very impressed with how well this Beneteau 393 sails. She is a very sweet boat. A real joy to sail and pretty much big enough for the 6 of us.

We sail almost right into the Loutraki harbor and Blue Moon and crew are there to meet us. We tie up and swim then My father and I go for a walk this town is built on the side of a very steep hill. So are in the lower town around the harbor and explore that and find a street that goes up the hill side past a bee keepers hives, his chicken coops and beautiful vegetables gardens and up into the olive groves. The road is very rough concrete to give traction for the steep climb and then turns to dirt.

Above us we can see the terraced olive groves. We hit the end of the road and then walk back down through narrow twisting alleys to the waterfront and around to where we are docked. It’s just about time for dinner so we change and meet in a local cafe for our briefing and we have limerick competition. We all enjoy hearing each others limericks. Most are about funny incidents along the way. Then we chat for a bit and then head to the taverna to watch the sun set. I have cabbage and carrot salad and really great lamb chops. 4 small chops rubbed in olive oil and little salt and pepper and grilled.

They were really tasty and came with thick fries. The taverna had good red wine and the owner brought us each an ice cream bar on the house. It tasted like chocolate covered pistachio. Tasty. THen we walked back to the boat and my father and I decided we needed another ice cream. We found a place that served scoop ice cream and had one scoop each. Caramel and a very strong coffee ice cream. We walked back past were a guy is putting the finishing touches on his hotel and club. Almost all greek buildings are white. He has purple lights on his building and has painted all the trim doors and tables pink and purple and has hung pink and purple cloth all over. It sure stands out from the rest of the tavernas and hotels! We finish our ice cream so the girls won’t fuss and head back to the boat. This was a great day! A 2.5 ice cream day! Good night.

Monday June 18

My father and I are up at 7am and head up the mountainside to the hilltown. We have been told that it’s very steep and to take a taxi or the bus. We find a set of stairs that leads to an old trail that has compact flourescent bulbs wired beside it. We head up and soon realize that we are on the old mule path up to the hilltown. It’s very steep and paved with old cobbles. We stop and look out over the harbor and drink water as we climb. For one section we are walking along the new paved road. We are passed by the bus but decide to continue on foot. There are lots of little shrines along the road, where people have died in car wrecks. Greek drivers are the worst in Europe by far.

The shrines look like little houses. They always have pictures of saints, cigarettes, burnt candles and sometimes bottles of what looks like orange drink. They are really cool. But it’s pretty scary how many there are! Around the next corner we see a continuation of the mule path. So we head up there. It’s very steep but soon we are on a concrete path and we are walking between house. Then we are in town and are walking through tiny streets. We see two old men sitting outside a amrket and ask them for a cafe. They point to the right. We head that way and soon are in a tiny square with tables and chairs and a church. This must be the famous Mama Mia church used in the ABBA movie. It’s quite pretty.

The cafe is not open so we walk on up and soon we see loive groves and realize that we have passed through the town and come out the top. Oops! So we head back and go sideways. When you are in the houses the space is very narrow and you can’t see past the houses. They almost all have there own grape vine covered terrace and flowers. They are all white washed and mist still have their wooden shutters. We see a few people walking by and ask a couple for the cafe. They point and we walk and soon we find ourselves back in the little square by the church.

We figure everyone must mean this cafe. We sit down under a big arbor that looks similar to Virginia Creeper at a cafe table. Soon a young guy rides up on his moped. Greets us (yessis is hello) and opens the cafe. He speaks almost no English, but brings a menu. It lists lots of breakfast items but he doesn’t seem to have any of them. So we settle on tea , coffee and toast. We see orange drink and each have one. An older gentleman comes ina gets an orange drink and sits near us. he speaks some English and is curouis where we are from. Soon the cafe guy produces a cup of coffee and tea and then two grilled ham and cheese sandwiches. They are excellent!

Just what we need to power us back down the mountain. We pay and say goodbye to him and the old man and head back down. We find the same route to start with but then find the part of the mule trail we missed for the road. The we reach a fork and take the left side which takes down to the other side of the village where we walked last night. We walk back around and lst night’s ice cream place is just opening so we have an ice cream and head back to Jules. it’s been a great hike. I grab my computer and head for the cafe. I want to charge my batteries and load some pics.

I am just getting started when Captain Andy walks up and we start talking about different work we have done. Soon Lizz joins us and she trained in art. I show them my portfolio and we talk about different designs. She likes the designs for School House Rock Live! They are not familar with the songs so I find a couple and play them on Youtube. The cafe owner is fascinated so we show her. Then my internet period runs out. She gives me another pass and i quickly load pics and text.

My bother and nieces come up for a soda. He wants to get underway so as soon I finish loading I pay for my tea thanks the cafe owner, write down School House Rock for her and head for Jules. We cast off and head out. We have a free night tonight and are on or own. We head for a tiny little port of Katigiorgis with a beach and a taverna where the Greeks go for fun. We hve decent wind so we sail past it and on up the coast aways and then back down. We see our flotilla mates on Umoya headed ino the same port. So we prepare and back in. We can see the Umoya crew standing o n the dock ready to grab our lines. We drop anchor and land perfectly. It’s nice to see the other crew. They are two couples from Northwest Britian. Nice folks. This is a tiny little bay.

There is room for about 6 boats. We are glad we came in when we did. There is great little beach and two tavernas. We get ourselves docked and go for a swim. Then my father and I go for a walk. We are supposed to create a cocktail and we want to use the plums we found and go looking for more. My sister-in-law said she saw some on the road just outside the village. We find the tree but can’t reach most of the fruit. We get a couple and then walk back. Martha has almost finished coking some fish we bought. So we prepare for dinner. Fish, green beans in tomato sauce and ric e.

Good fish. Very mild buttery flavor. Martha baked it in the oven. Then melon for dessert. We have been getting good melons. They look like a small cantaloe on the outside but inside they are green and taste like a croos between a cantalope and a honeydew. Very tasty. Then my father and I cook down the plms for our cocktail. We add the lemon and rinds from preparing the fish and some honey.

When that is all cooked down we add ouzu, Metaxa (greek brandy) and a touch of red wine. It’s pretty lethal! We filter it through the coffee press and call it done. Martha thinks it’s toxic! Should be jst right for the competition! Then we teach the girls to play blackjack, crazy eiths and old maid. We play cards until bedtime. I have finished the John McPhee book Assembling California and am now reading The Kitchen God’s Wife by Am Tan. It’s good. Then off to sleep.


The McPhee book was dense like like all of his work but very interesting. Lots of geologic terms. But to my surprise it also talked about geology in Greece. Some parts of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and some Greek Mountains were formed in the same place! Pretty cool to think about. Good Night. from Greek!

We sleep in a bit this morning. Then after breakfast I work with the girls on making a boat to sail in tne race at our barbeque tonight. We were provided with some supplies and we find a juice carton and make sails out of paper and wooden skewers. We use a fishing weight for a keel and Winfree makes a captain looking through binoculars. Soon the Bootbum Tr inket is ready to sail. The girls rename her Monster Mon. fter the other boat leaves, we try a test sail and she does well in light wind. It’s a downwind race so we rigged her wing and wing.

Then we go for a swim and the girls go to play on the beach. My father and I go to the taverna for ice cream. Martha say there is a nice walking trail so we go looking for it and find lots on plum trees covered with fruit. Too bad we didn’t find them last night. We could have used more plums in our cocktail. We gather a pocket full and head upa dirt road. Soon it’s a path and we are walking in between peoples houses. We see some artichokes that are in bloom. They have amazing bright purple flowers!

I am now loving artichoke flowers! They are incredible. We walk on up the path until it hits a road which we follow hoping it will connect with the path Martha found. It doesn’t and we end up in an olive grove. We know the captain wants to get under way so we head back down. We find the rest of the crew in the taverna having lun ch. They ordered too much food so we help thm finsh and then shove off. We have a bit of nice sailing down the coast through a spot were we had really heavy wind before. Soon we are sailing directly down wind wing and wing but have to tack as a frieghter is headed right for us.

Then the wind dies and we crank up our engine and head into the barbeque beach. It’s a tiny bay so we raft up and so all three boats have our anchors out and our kedge anchors off our sterns on the beach. It’s cooling down and going to be perfect weather for our barbeque. We go for a swim and there is some coral and fish so we snorkel around looking at them. I find what looks to be a pile of old ceramic roof tiles all stuck together into a reef. Then we dry off and gather our stuff for the party.

Up behind the beh there is a tink old hut and a firepit. Greece is very dry and has a problem with fires so beach fires are illegal. You have to be 20 meters back from the water. The lead crew has made salads and a cooking sausages and chicken kebabs. We have punch to drink. It’s strong but tasty. After dinner we go down to the shore and there is just enough wind to race our boats. There are 4 boats.

Ken the engineer wins all the races with his water bottle catamaran. Monster Mon sails the straightest and al most wins the second race whien ken’s boat gets hung up in an anchor line. But then Monster Mon catches a waves and begins to sink! Too bad. We rescue her and congratulate Ken on his design. He does have a degree in marine engineering!

The go back up and play some wacky games. The gilrs have treasure hunts for gold stones. We play boules with stones and then we play a game of mine were peollstand very close and grab hands then they have to untangle themselves into a circle. it was fun. Then a wacky games where a stone is tied bhind your back and there are 15 beer cans standing in a group. You place your feet and then tr to knock down all the cans. You can’t move your feet so you have to bend foward and back and swivel your hips to do it. It’s very funny to watch. Then we sampled cocktails. †he other group had a better prresentation and their coctails flamed so they wo n, but I think ours tasted etter. Then we all had another drink then call it anight and headed back to the boats. Winfree thought she had lost a little bag on toys but after a search we found them. Sheeew! We have had a great dy, plenty of food and drink and a ready for bed. Good night.