Plantis Harbor to Marantha

Thursday
I am up at 7:15 and my father is still asleep which is unusual. he is usually sitting on his berth reading when i get up. I get my book and go on deck and read. He shoes up about 45 minutes later. We were going to hike but his gout is acting up in his hand and he didn’t sleep well so we vote to eat breakfast. This involves waking up more of the crew as usually my brother and one of my nieces is sleeping in the dinette. We go down and start opening cabinets and drawers, pulling out cereal, milk, yogurt fruit and boiling water for coffee and tea.

This wakes up my bother who wants coffee and the niece wants cereal. This wakes up the other niece and Martha in the forward cabin (forecastle pronounced fok-sul) When everyone has tea or coffee and my father and I have our food we retreat to the cockpit to eat in peace and let the others fight it out. Usually we then go for a walk while the others are getting ready. Today we just read. Soon we are pulling up or anchor and headed North to the next island which is uncharacteristically flat.

Most of the islands are very steep and mountainous. This one is flat and low and has a lighthouse as it has wrecked many ships. it’s not very big but at the north end there is a sunken town that you can see from the surface. The sea is very calm today so we motor up there and anchor in the unprotected north bay. While my father stays with Jules we motor out in the dinghy to look for the sunken town.

First we drop Martha on the shore to beach comb then We get in the right area and I put on my snorkeling gear and they drag me around behind the dinghy. i can see lots of piles of rocks covered with weed and some small reef fish. Then I see rocks that look shaped and stacked in a straight line and there are more rocks in a circle next to it. I wave to stop the boat and look again. I figure this must be it. So we all swim around and look. This has been underwater for a long time and picked over by lots of people.

This is probably it. Looks like a section of laid rock that could be a boat ramp of donkey path between rock walls that could have been structures. All covered with sea growth. Soon the girls are tired of swimming so back in the dinghy and they tow me around a bit more and then back towards Jules. That was the most town like section I see. When get close to Jules the outboard motor starts to sputter and we don’t have the oars. So my brother cast me off and sputters off to Jules and i swim in.

We both make it and spend sometime trying to get the motor to start again. It will start with the choke out but just sputters and dies if you push the choke in. We decide to give it a rest. maybe it got hot towing me. Randy rows back to shore to get Martha and when he gets back we try to start the motor. Same thing. I have him check the fuel tank which he says is still a quarter full. I know lots of small motors that don’t run well on low fuel. So we fill the tank and she starts right up. We pull up the anchor and head back south around the other side of the island. We get a bit of wind and sail some.

My back is much better but a little stiff. I lie down and fall a sleep with the motion of the boat expecting to wake soon in Monastery Bay to hike up to the Monastery. But we are short on time and sail on by and into Kira Pana yia the south bay. There are different arms to this anchorage. We pull behind a little island that gives shelter from the current wind next to big sailboat (at least 50 feet) that is swing one one anchor. We are close enough to shore that we can run a line out to tie to a rock if too many boats come in. I am feeling good so I take the dinghy and motor over to Blue Moon anchored at the other end and borrow Captain Andy’s wind surfer. I used to windsurf a lot but haven’t in many years.

The wind is pretty perfect so I get on and it comes back pretty quick. I do well considering I weight more than I did then and he is using a lighter board that I ever had. Turns out Andy is just learning so we talk a bit about it after I finish and then I dinghy back to Jules and get there in time for dinner. Martha has made eggplant and rice. Tasty with a cucumber and tomato salad. We are in a Nature Preserve and no fishing allowed. A couple of other sailboats have come in and one fishing boat.

Soon a Police or ranger comes in and circles all the boats and stops next to the fishing boat. It’s there a long time. I am ready ot dry dishes when my Martha wants to walk. There is no beach so I drop her on a rock and back to Jules. Dishes are almost dry so I play cards with the girls. Go Fish. Brings back memories. As the light falls my brother thinks he sees some lightning for the predicted storm. SO we take in a laundry and batten down the hatches. We have plenty of room to swing so we stay on one anchor and call it a night.


Friday
I hear my brother on deck at least once during the night I was awakened when the wind shifted but we never got any rain or serious wind all night. We are all up pretty early. Still no storm but the humidity is rising. We have some wind so we start sailing back to Skeopoles Town. Soon it gets very bouncy and the wind dies so we crank up the engine and head straight down wind with the sails up. The motion puts everyone else to sleep for a while. There are no other boats around that I can see.

The air is misty with the rising humidity and seems to be getting thicker. There are no ferries as the head into Skeopoloes Town harbor this time. Blue Moon there are we get our instructions and drop anchor and back in-between two other boats. The storm is coming in tonight so we leave a big space between our stern and the dock and because these huge ferries dock just across the harbor from us and they create waves. We don’t want to hit the dock. We have spring lines on both sides to keep us straight and the anchor chain pulled in tight. We are ready for a blow. We have lots of time before dinner so we walk around town.

My father finds ice cream right off and it’s good. We have cappuccino and chocolate. THen we walk up and down the narrow streets dodging mopeds and motorcycles. We take some good pics and notice apricot trees in yards with the fruit on the ground like florida. We can’t get to it. We are supposed to be working on a cocktail for a competition with the other boat. We are going make something with fresh fruit. Then my father finds a whole branch of ripe and nearly ripe plums thrown in the street. So we taste and when the plums are good gather a bunch for our punch!

We walk on and find the street on supermarkets. Then we walk back to our boat. When it’s dinner time we all meet in the Action taverna. The host welcomes us in English and announces his specials and gives a tour of the food in his display case. His rabbit dish is highly recommended so I order that with a cucumber salad and some red wine. My brother orders a cheese pie (local specialty) which comes out in a long coil. It’s like spankoptia with out the spinach. It’s very good but way too filling. All the food is excellent. After dinner we are offered a free ouzo, brandy or coffee.

I have an ouzo. In Turkey I drank a lot a raki which is similar to ouzo but a little harsher. THe ouzo is good. After dinner I go off with our lead crew and the folks from the other boat to a bar. They are serving Mojitos. They are tasty and I buy a round for our lead crew. Soon we are all drinking Mojitos and the owners of the bar are lighting the bar and the walls on fire! Guite the pyro show. Soon we move to a quieter Jazz bar. They were playing Rudy by The Specials when I walked by earlier. Now they are playing bluesy Jazz. We have another drink outside under a huge tree. Then we are done.

The other crew is headed back to the boat. Captain Andy is talking to the club owner and her pours our a shot of Jagermeister for us all and then another half. Fairly nasty stuff. Then back to the boat where I have to hoist the plank off the dock and on to the stern then walk it to get aboard and then haul the plank on board after me. The air is very humid and the storm is expected to arrive in a couple of hours.

I crawl into my bunk, batten down my hatches and crash. In a few hours I am awakened by the wind howling over head. It’s really blowing b ut we are tied securely to the dock and I go back to sleep.

Sat. June 16
We all sleep ina a bit. I wake up with a bit of a hangover. Not surprised really. The wind has reduced but the sky is still over cast and the waves are still big. We eat breakfast and then Father and i walk to the supermarket street and buy more supplies. My father stops and buys some beautiful hand painted tiles for my stepmother. She will love them and will set them in concrete in some type of mosaic. I am looking forward to seeing what she makes out of them. Then we haul the groceries back. We won’t be leaving until at least noon when the sea is a bit calmer. The wind and waves are blowing straight into the harbor.


I grab my computer and head for the internet cafe. It’s 3 Euros for an hour. I quickly load some pictures and text and charge my computer in my hour and have a cup of tea. THen I head back to Jules. We aren’t ready to leave yet so I take one more walk around the water front and pickup some piece of broken tile for my yard then head back. We prepare for a rough sail and head out. The sea is pretty rough as we head out of the harbor and around the point. I am feeling the motion of the boat on top of my hangover. Not fun.

We get the sails up and sail a bit. I go down below and make sandwiches. It makes the motion sickness worse so I finish quickly and head back up to the cockpit. Getting some food in my stomach helps. It’s still pretty wavey and the wind is dying. Soon we have to crank up the engine and the wind is blowing the smell of the exhaust into the cockpit. It’s making my stomach turn so I go below and get in my bunk. I read for a bit then I am fast asleep.

I wake about an hour later and I am feeling much better and the sea is a little smoother. Still not much wind. I go up on deck and steer for a while. Soon we are heading into the harbor. There is a bit hotel on the hill over the harbor one of the prettiest beaches in Greece, This is a beach of soft sand. Most Greek beaches are stones large or small. THis one is sand and lots of beach chairs and little drink stands.

We all go for a swim and then I cook some pasta with an improvised sauce of garlic, onions, canned spiced eggplant, lemon juice and some canned smoked mackerel on the side. And a salad of cucumbers, tomatoes and feta cheese.
We teach the girls to play blackjack. They are in a card playing kick these days. Then off to bed. I am looking forward to bed. But soon I m hearing a singer up at the hotel and it’s getting louder and louder. It goes late.

Sunday June 17

My father and I are up fairly early and go for a swim. Feels good to wash off the night. Had a bit of a bad stomach early last night but it’s gone now. Probably from the hangover and the rough seas. After breakfast we all get in the dinghy and row to the beach for a hike in the hydrobiotope ( Greek English for nature preserve)

It runs along behind the beach. Winfree is walking slow and looking at nature. Soon she and Father and I have fallen behind and we come to a few forks but cannot tell where the other went so we just walk on. Soon w e come out the other side in a Parking lot. We walk back and come out at the other end of the beach. There is a drinks stand so we stop for ice cream. There is a plank walk along the back of the beach just wide enough almost for two people to pass. We walk along that and it’s fun to listen to all the different languages. There are a few topless women bathers. Always fun to see.

This a big family beach. Lots of kids. The girls go swimming and I take another walk. Soon we go back to Jules. We rafted up last night with the other boats and ran a long line to the pier. The middle boat is gone already. I get in the dinghy and row to the pier to release the long line. I tie up to the Pier and tie off my dinghy and my brother discovers some of their towels on the bottom and goes diving for them.

Then I realize that a ferry is coming in to dock at the pier. There are three drunk Russian guy who have tied their sailboat in the ferry docking place. There is a lot of yelling and the Russians are running around. Finally they jump on, swing a hard circle almost hitting a fishing boat and the rocks. The ferry came in and threw me their lines. Soon we we are able to lose out lines and we were away!