If you plan to spend any time on a boat you will eventually have to wash and hang your laundry for all to see. So bring your best skivvies or be ready for some funny looks.  Best to buy bras that look like bathing suits, and if you want to tease the other boats or passerby, bring lacy thongs. And I don’t mean sandals.  For the men boxers without holes are best.  Whitey tighties? Be ready. We have to hang it all out there. I write this while sitting at a dock and hiding inside from all the tourists checking out our boat, and then checking out the laundry. Nuff said.

After a week with Lucretia joining us on board El Gato, I am alone. On an island. On a boat. In the Greek  Islands. No it doesn’t suck, but I miss my man fiercely. This is the first time we’ve been apart since we started this journey in May. We knew at some point we would have to fly home for something unscheduled. With 5 collective kids, lots of siblings and mates, kids and grandkids, and incredibly wonderful friends all over the world, we are blessed. But that comes with a price if you care. And we do. So while we await another baby on the Gardner side – go Aubrey go! – we also mourn the loss of a great man in our extended family. Eric’s father in law from his first marriage left the planet earth last week. John Sias was a rare gem. And he loved Eric as much as any father in law can – a lot.  We are orphans. Which means we are next. WTF! NOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

On that note, we will live each day as if it is the last and honor it as if it was a gift. Thats why they call it the present. Gotcha!

Where am I? Cephalonia. Last night downloaded Corelli’s Mandolin. It takes place here so seems like a good idea. We’ll see.

On Monday we start the long sail west. Sicily to pick up our friend Lewie Wake, and then to the Balearics to meet his wife Marie and friends Rick and Brenda Hall.

Meanwhile I will share some photos and then get back to laundry, swabbing decks, cleaning fridges, making to do lists (I can check this one off soon) and looking for turtles who are said to be abundant here in Argostoli.

Still pinching my self for finally getting back to the sea with an incredible person, an incredible boat, and not missing racing one little bit.

Dolphins coming!

On our way to Navpaktros then Ithaca

Typical tourist attraction? No one here collecting money, no explanations, and it is supposed to be where Odysseus Palace was.

Lunch and a swim on Ithaca.

Ski lessons in warm water is a plus. Cretia got up and nailed it!

The Cyclops lives here

Naked people everywhere coninued

Zakinthos and the blue caves

Haven’t tried the goat meat but the lamb is delish!

Cruising doesn’t always smell like a bed of roses. We’ve had months of toilet trauma thanks to our dear friends at Catana who told us the holding tanks worked but never bothered to check or fix them as needed.

Once we left the barn and were on our way, we of course used our holding tanks as every responsible boat owner does. We just had one problem. They wouldn’t empty.

The pilot books say there are discharge stations at the fuel docks in France. Every single one we went to did NOT work. In other words, no one used them.  And ours would not empty through the bottom of the boat so we were desperate to have them sucked out.

There were many attempts, and every time we tried, it backfired and we literally had poop in the bilge. Under our bed!!!!!!! It was SO gross we wanted to throw our French broker in there. To clean it up of course.

After at least three different occasions of cleaning it spotless which included bleach, we left them alone. And we hid behind our sadness of not finding anyone who could help, and not having the parts to fix it ourselves.

So this week we celebrate the fact that Eric had the parts, had the time, had some good advice from the factory, and then last but not least had the guts to go for it ONE MORE TIME. We both held our breath for more reason than one, and he did it!!!

Both holding tanks work now, and we are good responsible cruisers once again.

This chapter of the poop diaries is officially closed (fingers crossed).

Finding the balance between developed islands and those that have been less touched by the present is important to us. We want it all!

Ancient ruins, lovely cafes, fruit stands, boutiques, fishermen, windmills, scooters, hiking trails, water only accessible beaches, umbrellas for hire, gyros stands, concerts, museums, ice creams stands, bakeries, and nude beaches.

The Naked truth on Nisos Donousa

This island has a small harbor called Stavros that was empty of all but one small sailboat. We set our hook, pulled out the binos for scanning our new surroundings, and saw lots of tents on the beach with nudists a go-go.  That night the restaurant blasted Reggae until 4 AM. Wherever we looked, flashlights were traveling over the hills and on the beach. We wondered how anyone slept as there were young families camping too.  The next morning we wanted to go hiking over the hill for a look and supplies. OK, we were curious.

The question before hopping in the dinghy was “do we shed our clothes so we blend in, or not?”

After much pondering, my partner in crime and I decided that we could go to the beach, walk to the town, and on our way back shed our suits. Good plan!

As we approached the beach in our dinghy, we saw lots of bodies of all different sizes and shapes. This was not like the nudist camp in St Martin where I once counted 100 male who ha’s before deciding enough was enough. Those were mainly old, wrinkled, small, and surrounded by hair, balls, and fat bellies. The first two were tall, tan, lanky men walking by, and the next was same but lying down, uncircumcised. Looked a bit like the sausages I’ve been buying.

Then we noticed an extremely large woman lumbering towards the water and we both said “beached whale” quietly at the same time. She was obviously seeking bouyancy and we can only imagine how good that felt. Good for her! We love how everyone here swims. Everywhere.

There were naked families too and one mom was naked and her son had a shirt but no shorts on. Guess they were protecting him from the sun. Good parenting!

We saw 2 lovely ladies in the water entwined, and bodies everywhere without a hint of tan lines. Reminds us of our friends from France last January who eagerly showed us their calendar that had photos of her in the nude for every month. Taken locally. Everywhere. No tan lines. Anywhere.

So over the hill we go, bought too many delicious pastries and headed back.

At the top, we took photos of El Gato with that amazing blue water beneath her,

and talked again about shedding the clothes. It’s one thing to do this on your own boat, it’s another to take it all off and walk around in front of others. I’ve never done it before (Eric has a few times!) and it’s scary to think about taking the bottoms off. Top? Not such a big deal. Still in the getting to know my husband phase, turns out Eric doesn’t want to share me so we opted out. Except for our tops. We wanted to blend a little. We walked down the hill and over to the restaurant where the music was coming from. 

Eric was looking for the menu because he was certain they would have sausages and bearded clams as the special. But no such thing, and… surprise! I was the only topless woman in there! Agh! We did a quick turn around into their garden and headed straight back to the beach. Well that was embarrassing. For me anyway.

Back on board El Gato, our comfort zone, we shed it all as we pulled up anchor. Our routine is I drive and he makes sure our anchor comes up. Right then a small local ferry almost sinking with so many people on board came from behind us and within 5 meters of our starboard side. The side I drive on. So much for modesty! In the middle of our operation we could not hide, so those tourists got a good view of these two nudists in action handling their cat!

Death of an Octopus
We found an empty harbor off Nisos Schoinousa where soon a yacht with Italians showed up and set close by.

While checking our anchor for secure holding, Eric found an octopus hanging out by the chain. Excited he yelled to me and I mistakingly shared this with the other boat. Thinking they would jump in and come see it, instead one came over by dinghy, another swam, and they caught it within a minute with some kind of dangly hook contraption. WTF?

It’s sick to watch them peel the outer skin off while it’s still alive. I’ve witnessed this twice and it tears my gut. Of course I eat these creatures but seeing what happens gives a better appreciation for what is going in my mouth.

Kinda like when I asked the butcher in Amorgos if they had lamb and he went in the freezer, brought out a whole skinned lamb, eyeballs and all, hung it on a hook, and pointed while asking which part did I want. Then he took the cleaver and hacked the leg off. Eating that leg was the closest I’ve come to truly owning what it means to eat meat. I can relate to vegetarians much better now. But I’ll still eat meat and octopus thank you very much! The lamb was delicious.

Siros has the capitol of the Cyclades

Sometimes you just get lucky. While strolling around Ermoupolis, the capitol, the we saw a building colorfully lit up and changing hues. As we walked towards it we noticed a crowd forming. Out timing was perfect. We walked up to the stage with no clue who would play except it was someone from Crete, and the band began to play 2 minutes later. The guitars and sounds and the lead singers voice? As good as it gets. Very sexy man cooing his ballads with younger hip musicians and all ages were there to listen. It was in the plaza where diners could listen and enjoy their meals.

Our last Cycladic island was Kea, close to Athens.

More ancient ruins including one dedicated to Athena.

And yesterday we arrived to rendezvous with our Aussie mates who bought boats in France same time as us. Really nice to have friends who understand our lifestyle, saw each other from the beginning of the journey, so there was dancing and laughter and sharing of stories both good bad and ugly. Kindred spirits!

And that is the naked truth!

MILOS, POLYAIGOS, FOLEGANDROS, SIKINOS, IOS, AMORGOS

Reader beware: This blog is long because there was a lot to write about and even so I edited much out. If you like reading the stories, be ready for the book.

If you prefer photos, there are 86 in this post! Just scroll down and they tell their own story.

EAT – favorite foods in Greece so far: Mousaka, Fried eggplant (aubergine), Lamb, Greek salad, stuffed zucchini flowers, pork and chicken gyros, tzasiki, pastries, caramel icecream, peaches, and tomatoes. We haven’t been brave in the fish department which is a shame because it is so abundant. So far we prefer to catch our own.

SAIL – We’ve seen the most wind here while sailing at 42 kts, and lately it’s been so light we must motor.

LOVE – we have met more friendly people in Greece going out of their way to be helpful than anywhere so far. The graciousness and genuine hospitality and giving spirit is contagious and we wish we could bottle it up and spread it across the world. People should come here. You will love it! Their money troubles reflect bad management and a culture that doesn’t like change. Their history is so much longer and richer than ours, we can’t begin to understand how tangled the webs are. They try to explain it to us, and even they have to scratch their heads sometimes.

We just departed Amorgos, definitely one of our favorite islands as it is smaller, wild, and beautiful.

They filmed the Big Blue here and we swam off the cliffs where the movie was shot.

But starting where I left off…

MILOS

As hard as it was to say goodbye to our dear friends, and I did have to hold back the tears, it is also nice to have some alone time on El Gato.  Being a people pleaser means no naps, keeping folks safe while teaching them how, and seeing as much as possible because they came so far. As soon as our friends left, we did laundry as in lugging the loot to the laundromat, had a gyro lunch, and slept. And slept. And slept.

We know they are reading this and that they slept in their air-conditioned rooms in Athens with unlimited water for long hot private showers!

The memories we created with them will always be treasured, and when Eric and I forget, they will help us remember. Because each group has their own experiences and ours are all running together. I try to write it down and take photos, but sometimes it’s best to just go do it and move on. So we appreciate our friends helping in that department!

If you come to the greek Islands without you own boat, the ferries are outstanding!

Milos sunset over the town.

Day two alone, we rented a cool looking buggy, but it was noisy so we will stick to scooters.

We visited the Catacombs were where they buried locals a gazillion years ago.  They had been open for centuries and looted, so they now are protected and well lit for us to see inside. This was also the site where the statue known as “Venus de Milos” was found by a farmer repairing his rock walls. How it was buried there is still a mystery.  It is now in the Louve Museum.

This beach is famous for it’s white rocks and like the potato chip rock in SD, I had to surf it. Others jumped from high rocks as we see in Sunset Cliffs back home. This is higher and quite rough.

It also has caves which appear to be old mines.

Date night we flew up the hill in time for the sunset and had dinner on the back deck of a small restaurant that is rated #2 on Milos.

At the next table were Dafni and Miriam, Grecians who were eager to share their food and views with us.  We invited them to El Gato for coffee and in Greek style they brought all the coffee and Greek treats for us to sample and gorge on.  YUM!

We hosted a dinner party for the Argentinians anchored behind us, Luis and Teresa, and the Grecian Goddesses. In the spirit of Eat Sail Love, I decided to make Moussaka. While buying the groceries and waiting for the butcher, the #2 restaurant owner came in and helped me shop for the correct ingredients!  Lucky for me the Moussaka was good!  Even the Greek ladies thought so (whew) although maybe they were just being polite.   Sharing the Eat Sail Love photos and stories of our BVI wedding came with dessert.

We left Milos after enjoying it for a week, and saw this as we sailed along the north side.

grrrrr – beware of the rocks!

POLYAIGOS

This was a small round island on our way to Polengadros and we stopped for a swim. The treasures we found on the shores were placed in Eric’s pockets for the swim back. The cliffs were made of an array of colorful marbled stone and the beach was piled high with pebbles of all shades of pinks, grey, white and brown. I hope to make something with them.

Another bit of excitement were the colorful crabs climbing on the rocks beneath the sea. Dotted with iridescent blue, they had long dark spindly legs that made the blues pop.

POLENGADROS

We loved the small seaside village with the fishermen selling to locals right off the boats.

Kids learn the trades early.

  

Lots of hikers on the islands and sometimes sharing a road with a donkey and rider delivering water and such.

The ferry drivers are very efficient in how fast they load and unload. We’ve seen them pulling the ramp up while the last car was exiting!

We hiked up to the top of a hill to visit a church with a view.

SIKINOS

Our Greek friends told us where to go in Sikinos and after anchoring we found the bus to the top for dinner at the Manalis Winery. Owner George meets and greets at the door serving tastes and his daughter runs the restaurant.  It was as good as it gets. Not necessarily the wine, but the location, the food, the ambience, the decor, and the price was crazy inexpensive! We watched the sunset reflect off the water and later while waiting for the bus we watched the Pliades meteor shower with Turks and Greeks from other boats.

The vines grow right up to the tables!

IOS

Everyone said this is the island where all the youngsters go to party, and also where Homer was buried.  As soon as we found a place to anchor, Eric noticed a used condom float by. The beach was crowded with umbrellas and thumping music so we ran across the road and hired a scooter before the others woke up. Once on the road, we followed a sign to ancient ruins. It was from 3000BC if you can imagine.

As we left and were still on a dirt road, we discovered the best part of the day was stopping to check out some funky artwork on someone’s yard wall. The man saw us and came outside.

At first I was afraid he was going to yell at us, then he boomed out welcomes and yelled at his woman to bring us treats! He was in his underwear, and he did not care.

It was all about showing us this special fruit from the cactus that was chilled and delicious. Cactus Pear is what it must be as they are sweet, have seeds, and super juicy. Made the mistake of trying to pick one later and wound up with some sharp warnings in my fingers.

While looking for fuel we smelled something delicious and were lucky to find an excellent restaurant.  It was filled with locals and well off the beaten track.

These are zucchini flowers stuffed with rice and spices.

We followed a map to find Homers gravesite which surprisingly is out in the wild.

Instead of listening to the beat all night, we bolted outta there and found a quiet anchorage on the south side of Ios, and in the morning set off for Amorous.

AMORGOS

August 15 is a national holiday in Greece celebrating the Virgin Mary and we happy to be on a small island for this. Amorgos is where they filmed the Big Blue so the French love this island for the movie, the Greeks love it for the Monastery and old feel aspect, and the Italians love it but I can’t remember why. You do have to love it to get here by ferry as it is the last drop in the Cyclades so 4-5 hours by fast ferry, and 8-9 by normal.

We loved it here!

Being tied up directly in front of a fish restaurant means we watched the owner kill the tuna that a famous fisherman who starred in the Big Blue brought in. We invited Constance aboard and fed him my Moussaka. He had stories to share but his English was limited and our Greek zilch. Still we are learning how to communicate without the same languages.

The chora (center of town=core) was picturesque; winding narrow streets filled with shops, food and music.

   One more thought – almost every shop and restaurant in these islands bears the photos of the people who gave them life. Many generations adorn the walls and it is amazing to see the same buildings in the shots with different generations. Family is important!         

The Monastery was something else!  Built into the shear cliff 300 meters above the Aegean, it’s vertical rooms and steep stair cases are an amazing marvel of design and construction.  A steep hike in hot sun, and then you had to be covered properly so they actually leave a pile of clothes outside for folks to borrow. No photos allowed inside.

A kitten stood watch. We’ve never seen so many cats as on these islands. Evidently no one spades them so they run wild. This one was tame since it was laying on the clothing and everyone pet it.

We lit candles for our kids and our journey.

And the view, well the view was a deep blue. Big Blue some would say.

After we hiked back down, we went to the place where the movie was filmed.

Back to our beloved yacht and to return the scooter.

Sadly we found that our anchor had been pulled free by another boat, and we were banging against the seawall with only fenders keeping us off. Very little damage but it was a scramble to get the anchor back out there. McGiver hung it from the bow of El Raton, backed up and let her go. Funny thing is when we pulled up the anchor to reset it, there was a boat hook stuck to the chain. Now we have a spare. That was their price for jerking our chain!

El Gato sailed two days from Taormina Sicily to Greece, 300 miles, and it was Christy’s first experience for an overnighter.  The wind cooperated and we had great sailing conditions! Catching a tuna was a bonus!

Upon arrival we sailed under a beautiful bridge with El Gato colors so we pulled out our SDYC burgee, and headed to Navpaktros.

Navpaktros has Venetian walls and a castle with cobblestone stairs winding through the city to reach it.

Seeing El Gato down below, the only boat in the harbor (again), is something we never tire of.

View from the boat.
We loved eating our first Greek meals.  And since we are here a month we will continue to love them!

After putting Christy on a bus to Athens, we sailed towards the Corinth Canal and were lucky to enter without having to wait, and entered all alone, close to sunset. It was stunning.

We met our next guests, Cheri and Jeff Husted, Megan Bryan and Bruce Peeling in Voiliagmeni, at the Astri Marina, and set off to see the full moon rise at Sounin over the Temple to Poseidon.

First Greek Island stop was Kythnos.

We found a nice harbor all to ourselves.

The next stop was Sifnos, and as we passed Sefros the wind topped out at 42 knots!

Grateful we had 2 reefs on, and the small solent up. The wind increases near the islands and this time it blasted.  We were never overpowered going downwind and the cat is so stable the guests were comfy and happy.  We felt really good about buying our Catana.  El Gato performed well!

Figuring out where and how to anchor in the bay was another story. With strong gusts at 360 degrees we finally decided to tie up to rocks.  By nightfall there was a line of boats along the rocks.

The buses on the islands are cheap and nice and take you everywhere so we hopped on board and explored.

Every island has a “specialty” and Sifnos is famous for ceramics.

Met Americans Barbara, Lilly, and Elouise on the bus and invited them to come jump on the trampoline. Small world so of course we know some of the same folks from the midwest!

The sail to Milos was easy breezy. We anchored at Adamas, the big harbor and played with our toys.

Next day we did a circumnavigation of Milos and found the caves that were in all the travel brochures. Milos is known for mining. The natural beauty when you leave the main town is gorgeous.

  

This rock we called the “Cookie Monster”.

This channel/cave was our favorite to swim through and under.

Day trippers loaded up on a small sailboat to come see the caves.

Spent the night under the stars in a pirate cove, and had a BBQ with young men from Athens who were chartering for the first time.  Magical evening eating our tuna, their mixed grill, watermelon, and all while sitting on rock ledges that pirates used to hide on. The proof was there was a rock cleat the pirates carved to tie up their boats. The pirates would light candles and spread them around to make it look like a city to lure the ships in. Then pounce.

The next morning was hectic though. The wind came up hard and even though we were in a cove it swirled and blasted and when Eric went up to see if all was OK he saw the boys boat had lost it’s stern line and was dangerously close to being loose. He shined our spot light on them and one of them woke up. Since they were up until 3 and it was only 5 they were not easy to rouse.  After lots of maneuvering and close calls with us they bolted out of the small enclave into the Meltimi (strong Greek winds) to anchor. We finally slept.

Today we put our friends on the fast ferry to Athens and are looking forward to riding around the island tomorrow on a buggy!

Christy Racecic arrived on Monday!

Backtracking a bit,

We LOVED the Eolian Islands north of Sicily.

Lipari was our favorite when it came to the locals. From the woman who gave us samples of her favorite olives, to the man who was opening sea urchins while his young daughter watched, we found everyone friendly and warm.

Pina! She requested us to write on her FB page.

Locals selling us a fish.

Kiosks selling nuts and herbs.

Grecian influences.

We rented a scooter and found a vineyard where the 3rd generation owners were generous and warm.We bonded and they brought out old photo albums to share their lives and history with us.

The winemaker put the label on upside down at our request.

Now stored in our wine cellar AKA the dry bilge.

We bought herbs on the side of the road from a new mom and as we looked over a steep cliff from her stand, we saw the next place we would anchor.

In the morning before departing Eric jumped in the water and was stung badly by a medusa (jellyfish) and we quickly read on line what to do. DO NOT PEE ON IT!  Depending on the medusa type you can use alcohol or vinegar, but first wash with salt water to get the tentacles off and use a credit card to scrape it if necessary.  Then pour the hottest water you can stand, and then cover with shaving cream. Really.   Antihistamines help with the swelling

.

The sail was about 70  miles and all in daylight. Left at 7 and arrived at 7PM to Taormina where we spent the week.

Sailing through the Messina Straights (which separate Sicily from the mainland of Italy), we saw the local boats fishing for Swordfish/Spada.

They are approx 50’, with 80’ towers, and 70’ sprits.

The traditions of the sea in the different countries are so wonderful to see firsthand and we felt honored to watch them swoop around the mouth of the Messina Straights as they looked for the sleeping fish so they could harpoon them.  The currents were swirling and we would sail from 5 kts to 11 within minutes as we sailed against and then with the water flow.

As soon as we hoisted the spinnaker the wind died.  And the dolphins came out to play in mass. One in particular was loving El Gato and showing off in style. He kept jumping for joy as we sang to him and laughed and encored him to do more. Was he a he? We think so.  Teenager for sure. haha

Sicily is crowded. There are buildings everywhere, and the history is complex.

Many influences including Arab, Basque, Greek, Norman, and Roman, so the people are indeed a mix.

As we set our hook at Taormina and looked up, we discovered Mt Etna was emitting gases. IT is the highest active volcano in Europe at approx 3350 meters, or 11,111 ft. Approx because it keeps erupting and did so as recently as May this year!

We loved seeing the Greek ampitheatre and the Castel Mola at the top and met some friendly Canadians on the bus to share some giggles with at a famous bar known for it’s sexy artwork.

Mt. Etna

Our harbor at Taormina.

Christy arrived and we took a day tour of Mt Edna with 2 fellow cruisers and 2 newlyweds. Being on a live volcano that erupted 2 months ago? Well we figured the odds were good that we would live through it!  Lunch at a vineyard and swimming in a gorge were included.

French fries anyone?

Fabio was riding by the gorge!

Ran into a famous martial arts teacher and tested my sparring skills. He almost killed me and he is 88!

We hiked down into caves created by lava flows.

A water maker problem has delayed our sail to Greece so we are making the most of it.

Haircuts and shopping and eating! 

As we sit at the fuel dock next to the super yachts while the local electricians try to solve our issues, Christy and I are downloading photos and I am uploading this blog. We hope to sail to Cephalonia in a couple hours. The local markets here in Riposto are filled with fresh fish including Spada, and tons of beautiful fruits and veggies.

It will be our longest sail of 250 miles and we are psyched! The reels are ready!

And so is Christy!

So here’s the deal.

We are cruising in the Med, we are not alone, but we are.

It is such a different world out here compared to the life back home.

This is the new home, and it is sinking in.

Learning how to be safe, how to completely trust and rely on each other, how to sail El Gato safely, efficiently, share her with others, and to trust her with our lives.

We divide and conquer the tasks.

There are pink jobs and blue jobs, and all sort of jobs that overlap.

Eric is Chief Engineer, I am the Communicator. Eric makes sure all things are running smoothly; I cook. I drive when we anchor or dock, and he climbs out on the spinnaker pole to lower the last bit of anchor chain, or throws lines around cleats or to people. I navigate, he teaches me new tricks on our B&G systems.  Everything is integrated but we can also play on different displays at the same time and not disrupt the other person.  We are grateful to those who guided us towards these purchases, and this who helped us install them. Mainly Ray Marchetta and Gloria Borrego.

The jobs are endless, there is not a whole lot of down time. And despite the notion that this is cruisey, it is actually a lot of work. And we love it. The jobs are rewarding. El Gato was gently used, loved, and it shows. As the new owners, we have much to learn about her systems. They are complicated, and Eric is comfortable with doing whatever it takes to keep her running well. Trust me you don’t want these details.

We read about places we are interested in seeing, then make it happen. The Pilot books and Mediterranean Guide are always on the table, usually open to the next stop. With a Plan B. Just in case.

We watch the weather religiously as mother nature rules the show. Right now she is gentle.

Predict Wind and Navionics have become our best friends.

And when we don’t have phone service/internet for these apps, we keep our eyes open and our fingers crossed. Iridium Satellite will come into play eventually but for now Europe and T Mobile are our sources for info. Our B&G electronics are on until we anchor or dock and we check them tirelessly. Radar, AIS, creating routes, checking depth, it is a full time job staying on top of the situations. We are a good team. Strengths complementing, we respect each other and also learn who does what, when, how, and it is working really well.

We read how quickly the weather can change here, and it does.

But other than our not so nice experiences in Villafranche, where we certainly learned to be even more cautious than we already are, we have enjoyed good weather. Sometimes strong winds, but no more lightning or dragging anchors. Not that these things wont happen again, but we are learning to be more prepared.  And how thankful we can be after bad things happen.

At night the skies are clear and beckon us to look. Shooting stars, satellites, bright planets, the Milky Way, rising moons in deep rich hues of red and orange, sunsets and sunrises the same.

We take turns/watches, and spend 2 hours alone at night, and 3 in the day. We overlap during the day, and love our time together when we are both awake and present.

At night we wear PFD’s with tethers hooked onto lines (jacklines) we’ve tied to the boat so we can’t fall off. Even when it’s calm. Just in case. There are no do overs here.

The days are spent doing projects.

There is never enough time to do all the things on the lists.

But each day brings improvements to the boat, as well as upkeep.

We like a tidy boat, but are not obsessed.

The time alone with each other on our boat is a beautiful thing.

We love sharing this with our friends.

We make new friends, and it is part of this journey.

Learning about other cultures firsthand.

It is in fact a small world.

But it isn’t really because we’ll never get to see it all.

So we pick and choose and sometimes let fate take us to the next place.

So small we are, and so alone, but we aren’t.

Written at 3AM, Annie on watch.

Here is a photo of me trying out the escape hatch in our bathroom. Hope we never have to use it except for fun!

And now for more fluffy bits!

(Written during the day at a cafe on Panarea, an island north of Sicily, just south of Stromboli.)

Forgraves, Cagliari, Carloforte, Stromboli, Panarea

We left off on the 4th of July so here are a couple of photos of our night in Cagliari, pronounced Cayleri with all kinds of rollings of letters. No matter how hard we try, they still laugh at us. View from the top, and inside a grotto where we ate. Marci ordered eel. Yuk. An Italian Johnny Depp cooked the pizzas.

We had a beautiful week of sailing balanced with shoreside adventures including renting motor scooters in Carloforte, on the island of Pietro, the SW side of Sardinia.  Riding motorized bikes was a BIG one for me as I am very much afraid of motorcycles. But they were slow and easy and on an island it is the best way to see many miles in a shorter time. I can see this happening again. Eric can’t wait. He grew up with bikes and I can see how much he loves them.

Carloforte had colorful buildings and homes and lovely people.

Marci and I enjoyed some street shopping. Linen dresses made in Italy for $25!

My new uniform when not in a bathing suit.

Carly’s initials are CF and we found this sign to celebrate her!

The water is warm now and it feels great to jump in, especially with the heat wave that Europe is experiencing. Feels like a southern Cali Santa Anna, dry, hot, and windy.

One highlight of this week was water skiing behind El Raton!

Eric and John found emerging from the water more challenging. In fact the only way Eric was able to get all the way out of the water was to shed his baggies. 🙂

We left San Pietro early evening and sailed to Porto Pino, a long white beach known for kiting and tourists with umbrellas.

A new addition to the helm stations is our very own umbrella. It works downwind, upwind not so much!

The sail back to Capitana to deliver the Forgraves was perfecto.

The boys cleaned up their faces too. Eric grew his first facial hair ever in his life and hated it. John shaved his beard when he arrived and by the time he left he had a new one.  We loved how he used Carly’s blush mirror to trim his face!

We put every sail up except the Code zero, and had wind from 5 – 30 its from all directions.

Eric and I left for Siciliy’s surrounding islands and the day started with catching a big fish!

We’ll have steaks and tartare for weeks.

Sailed all night so we took a short stop at Utica to look around. No anchoring allowed as it is a marine preservation area. Met some Italians doing same and invited them for tuna dinner at Stromboli.

Stromboli – wow!
The Greeks left their influence and we cycled through very narrow streets and white buildings. Dinner as promised with the Italians who insisted on hosting us and cooking for us. It was entertaining and we all wound up singing opera at the top of our lungs!  Then Eric and I took El Raton to see the volcano erupt.  Sitting back on the bean bag chair, no one around, just mother nature doing her thing, it was better than any firework show. People make the trip to Stromboli to hike up for 3 hours to witness it, and 3 hours back down. Too hot now but definitely would do it in the Fall or winter.

 

Basilica was a short swim to cool off.

Now in Panarea.  The Pilot book barely mentions it. But it is also Greek influenced and is a small beauty. Last night we hiked to the highest restaurant and sat on a big table/bed with pillows overlooking the village and the sea. Not crowded, all alone except for one dinner party nearby.

Today it is hot and no wind. We will finish our internet and go to Vulcano, where we are told the word volcano originated.  Right now as I look out to sea from this cafe, I see Stromboli and some huge rocks jutting out from the water where boats are anchored for swimming. We will be there soon!

Sailing down the East coast of Sardinia was spectacular!
First stop was Santa Maria where the water color was as blue as it gets.
We settled into our spot and then watched as the “trippers” continuously arrived and departed every 1.5 hours.
We then sailed to Liscia and discovered we were in kiting and windsurfing heaven.
The super yacht neighbor had all the toys.
We all rented boards at porto Pollo and thoroughly enjoyed the ambience of the locals on the beach who are passionate about summer and sailing. Windsurfing is NOT dead!

Couldn’t leave without a day trip to the big island of Maddalena for lunch and food supplies!

That night we found Phi Beach.  Same place Annie’s been to for super yacht parties and was a miracle we stumbled up on it. Raised the ESL flag!

Watched a flying dinghy do touch and go’s next to us?

Then Marco shows up and says what time would you like a ride in to the beach? We say after dinner, around 9 please. And how much is the mooring? Free!

He hovers at 9 until we are really ready. And now that we have lived in Europe for awhile we know 9 does not mean 9. He is patient…

Beautiful Claudia greets us at the dock with a big white book to persuade you to buy into the roped off area. We gently skirt that by saying we will have a drink at the bar. Cost for 4 mojitos which BTW were wonderful? 60 Euros. There is no free lunch!

Met a character who is building a resort next to Phi with hair braided down his back, a huge medallion on his chest, and stories galore. Also 2 British young ladies on holiday. It was a treat to be able to communicate with people and not struggle with language.

Next morning we sailed south all the way to Pta Frails. Beautiful downwind sail with spinnaker, catching fish, and enjoying the scenery. Thank you Platt for cleaning them for us!!!

Lunch? Tuna tartare of course! Dinner? Sashimi and fish steaks. Mmmmm Next day spent hiking and found a resort tucked on the tip of the coast with beaches entwined in boulders

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The next day we left for the 2nd half of the coastal slide.

Landed in Pta Molentis and awoke to a herd of tourists on the beach in front of us.  The best part was watching the fishermen clean their catch for the little restaurant on the beach.  Eric and I rode our bikes up the hill to see the view and watched as cars were lined up to get to this beach.  Summer has arrived!

Sailed to Capitana Beach and Pietro Porcello SUP’d out to greet us!

A tour of his house, sunsets and vino on his roof, and horse back riding the next day overlooking the harbor with our guide Abba, Nancy and Annie.

Then Pietro picked up the Forgraves from the airport and the Johnsons moved to his house.

The Forgraves came from a Roman Holiday!

Big dinner party to celebrate the crew change and Pietros wonderful Italian hosting. A new record on board with 12 when Pietros kids joined the fun!

Handsome husband sporting his first whiskers in his entire life! Kinda sexy no?

Beautiful young Carly.

Windy day and we picked up a windsurfer from Pietro’s collection with Eric swimming in and sailing out. Gusts to 22 kts! Full main and El Flecko (opposite of El Gordo in Sardinia so not sure if it was lost in translation but we like naming our sails), the tiny solent, and we were off!

We managed to get the board, sail and Eric onboard safely.

Up to Viilasimius for the full moon…

and the Forgrave’s first night at anchor onboard. Very peaceful…

Marci brought Cryptonite!

The customs missed that one.

and the next day back to Isle Cavoli for a swim, lunch, and naps!

Porto Giunco was next. The boys swam ashore for exploration of a fort, and for more fruit.

That evening we enjoyed the almost full moon again, followed by a beautiful sunrise. Eric and I woke up early to run ashore and climb the hill for photos.

Early bird special!

We definitely caught the worm!

Yesterday we arrived in Cagliari which is the capitol of Sardinia.  And it was the 4th of JULY!!!

We had THE BEST taxi driver on the planet!

He blasted American tunes and we all sang at the top of our lungs as he drove us to the top of the old city to a castle. Windows down, he totally let freedom ring for us!

The dinner was in a grotto with all kinds of lovely foods. The walk home through the streets at 1 AM? Busy! Everyone out on the streets, even little kids.

That is one 4th of July we will all remember!

On a more sober note, we love visiting Europe but very much appreciate our society back home. It’s not perfect, nothing is, but it’s pretty darn good compared to other places that’s for sure! Our dad’s fought for our freedom in WW2 and so even though the 4th is not about that, it does make us proud that our father’s were committed to our country and keeping the world safe.

Off the dock now and back to the sea!

On Thursday the Forgraves leave us for California, and Eric and I will sail solo to the islands above Sicily and then through the Messina pass to pick up Christy Radecic.

Sail ho!

6/20

The sail to Calvi was spectacular! Dolphins hung on our bows for almost an hour, and we saw whales on the horizon. The boat handled it well, and so did our new guests who are seasoned sailors. 

Upon arrival a young man zoomed up asking us if we wanted a mooring and we said YES!

We got front row seats for the Citadel and once again were struck with awe on how old and beautiful Europe is.

The young man also told us in broken English the Jelly Fish had just arrived and when we looked overboard we were shocked at massive quantities of jellies swarming El Gato.

Eric found a way to avoid them and check the mooring and no stings! No one else dared. He is, as Helena says, a “baddass”!

We had a very nice dinner of moules (mussels) and pizza on shore overlooking the port viewing our yacht in the background. A perfect ending to a very long day.

The next day we hiked around the point and saw where the Corsicans claim Christopher Columbus was born. Napoleon Bonaparte was born here too.

Photo taken from our bathroom (head) window!!

Next stop was Girolata. After 5 hours of superb sailing we rounded a corner and were blessed with huge red rock formations reminding us of Moab – just add water.

Day Trippers were weaving in and out of the rocks and Platt was snapping away with his nice camera. Wishing Christy was here to take photos too!

A French couple invited us onboard for fresh caught tuna and a special rum drink. Michelle had a garden down below on their 32’ Beneteau named Clipper. They joined us later for dinner on El Gato and it was fun evening sharing stories and ideas of where to go next.

We sailed to the Isles de Sanguinaires, close to Ajaccio, the capitol, dropping anchor next to a big blue trimaran. Ajaccio is a typical big Euro city. Not as charming as others, but the fresh  market was great with dried meats and cheeses and vendors giving us rose vin and laughing at my “OMG!” exclamations on the size and flavors of the fruits. We lunched in a back alley with the owner showing us photos of his family in his 400 year old section of a building that was a bit cave like.

The French desserts are the best. No contest.  We sometimes have them before our meals they are so ridiculously tasty.

This market was small and abundant in the heart of Calvi. We bought some wine for our new cellar (clean and dry bilge) and it has my name on it. One bottle for each special port when we can.

Michelle and Jean Marie sharing their fresh catch with us.

The Eat Sail Love flag flies for the first time in the Med!

The best part of our lunch.

Early evening we motored to what we called Santa Barbara (Sainte-Barbe) and typical of our California city, some young adults who were inebriated paddled over on a funny boat with a slide, and boarded us for more wine. Corsicana pirates! 

Porto Pollo was all about hiking to Filatosa, the prehistoric capitol of Corsica. The Menhirs, mysterious carved granite monoliths are dated back to 1800BC. They were like Stonehenge. 

Next morning was Father’s Day and we cooked the men a champagne breakfast and gave them their new shorts we bought in Ajaccio. Nice legs! 

Bonifacio. We were warned of it’s beauty upon entering. The photos almost do it justice…  Mooring at rush hour was a new challenge. And mooring in a calanque, a narrow fiord, with a catamaran in a side wind, and trying to find a mooring line that actually had an anchor attached was not easy. Thankful we had seasoned sailors onboard to help and not panic as we needed all hands on deck except for Eric’s as he jumped in the dinghy to tie us to rocks. All worth it in the end. Our elder neighbors were not so lucky. They blew right onto us. Nancy and I fended them off with every fender we had and the boys ran lines to them with El Raton. 

As for the city, it was great!  It was our one year anniversary evening so we all dressed up and went to town. There were live bands and Dj’s along the waterfront, a regatta of Bordeaux’s in sizes ranging from 52-65’ celebrating, and super yachts showing off front and center. But the best part was the sky. Looking up and seeing pink streaks between the fiord, the castle lit up with changing colors.

A delicious dinner of thon (tuna) and home by 1AM. Yep, when you arrive at 4 and have put off your late lunch so you can see the entrance, then struggle with finding then implementing a mooring, you have lunch at 6PM and dinner at 11PM.

So far it’s my favorite venue.

Never too many Moules!

Corsican mascot.

Sardinia has same guy times four on their flag.

A sea of cairns.

Helping our elders.

On to Sardinia!

We sailed past Lavezzi to Santa Maria. Mostly rocky islands and beautiful blue waters.  Then we anchored in Liscia, right across from a big windsurf and kiting beach, and close to 2 superyachts owned by same person who clearly loved toys. Every water toy imaginable was seen including the kind that shoot you out of the water. We rented sailboards and played together and it felt good to use some old muscles.

Now as we sail south towards Cagliari to meet friends, we are catching fish and eating it raw and cooked. The Johnson’s are very good chefs and eaters so there is no chance of losing weight or being hungry and everyone is enjoying the different meals that Platt loves to prepare.  Shopping is a trip on it’s own and we are slowly trying to remember to say things in Italian and not French.

The cruising life is taking over slowly but surely and Eric is even testing out facial hair. He’s never gone this long without shaving so it’s fun watching the transformation! The other night we went to Phi Beach and I swear he looked like Richard Branson but handsomer.

Leaving the French market in Antibes.  Now we look forward to fresh pasta!!!

Backtracking first. VilleFranche was very beautiful. But Eric and I also found it extremely challenging to anchor there. Grateful we marked our chain and added more because the stray cat day turned out to be nothing compared to the morning we woke up to 40 knots and lightning.  We were 2 boat lengths from the rocks with pelting rain and full engines to keep off. Long story with a good ending.  We survived.  And are constantly being reminded  that Mother Nature rules, and we can never be too prepared. For anything.

Meeting new friends Suzanne and Brian from San Diego but now live in Nice was the bonus.  We have mutual friends Rags and Cathy and invited them aboard to meet and greet and hopefully gain some local Med knowledge.  They have an ocean crossing power yacht that they brought from San Diego a couple years ago. It wasn’t the plan, but they decided to stay.  Super people.

The Johnsons arrived on Sunday and we shuttled them aboard and decided enough of the VilleFranche dramas, let’s go to Cap Ferrat around the corner. Another beautiful view, and now we could share this journey with others.

The next AM we sailed to Cosica departing at 5:30.  Conditions were perfect.  10 knots on the beam increasing all day up to 25 upon arrival. We had Dolphins playing with us for an hour and Nancy and I went up to the bow and watched them swim in front of the bows and jump. It’s so cool to lay on the trampoline, hold the Martingale, and feel the waves lift you up and down while seeing the water and mammals play under you.  That was a first on El Gato and it was awesome.

Then while talking to Platt I noticed  a grey streak on the horizon. Whales! We all saw their exhales and I for one had no idea there were whales in the Med.

When we finally saw the mountains it was like discovering land and felt very special. Especially since none of us have ever been here before, and had no idea what we would see.   Magestic.  And the peaks have snow!

Christopher Columbus was born here. Some say Geneva, but we hiked and found his home, and there are hotels and plaques and statues honoring him here. So I vote for Calvi Corsica, also spelled Corse, for his birthplace.

Last night Platt cooked lamb stew and we all sat on the back porch with a front row view of the Citadel all lit up and twinkling. Toasting our good fortune and loving and appreciating life, we are a happy sailing group ready to explore and see what we will see as we travel south.

Today we depart for Porto, about 25 miles south.  It’s sunny and looks to be like a fun sail in 20 knots.