We've been here a week now. The water's warm(ish) and we're just enjoying being out on the water again. We've tried the sails and made a few tweaks, but mainly just relaxed over the Greek Easter weekend.
Met up with Andy and Steph again and had a very pleasant evening nibbling and drinking. Andy showed me where to get water in Elounda (by the windmill at the root of the northern mole, there's a beach shower with a hose connection. Across the mole, in the palm trees, there's a tap to turn it on). Nobody seems to mind and they've been drinking it all winter.
Tony and Anne on Argosea came in Yesterday. They cooked a leg of lamb on a Cobb BBQ - wonderful! A real feast. Must have been quite an achievement getting lamb at Greek Easter as the population is decimated by ravenous Greeks.
It looks like we have a couple of days of cloud and maybe even rain then we should get a nice wind to blow us North to Astipalia over Thursday night and Friday. Its 85 miles so it will probably take 21 hours or so. Poor Lucifer is going to hate it. He hasn't got his sea legs yet and threw up big time on the shot hop to Spinalonga! It's travel sick pill time for him.
In the event, we set off at 1300 on Thursday. At first the wind was Easterly and we were able to motor sail and then sail for 3 hours. Sadly, it then died and/or went onto the nose and we had to motor gently for 16 hours. It was a lovely smooth crossing with a swell so gentle that Lucifer held onto his lunch. Just as well really as it was laced with seasick tablet that had him cross-eyed and staggering for 12 hours!
The night was reasonably warm and moonless with lovely stars including several of the shooting variety and great phosphorescence. The most impressive feature though was a huge series of Thunderstorms behind us over Crete. It was hard not to feel smug at having left in the nick of time as we hate lightning on the open sea - actually it was impossible and we did feel smug :-) Hope the several boats left behind didn't have too hard a time of it.
As dawn broke, Astipalea was in view and we reached it a couple of hours later. Skala, the capital, is a spectacular Cyclades village all pure white houses with blue domed churches and red roofed windmills climbing up half a mountain to a fortress on a crag on the summit.
I can feel some painting coming on tomorrow although it is relax time today.
Met up with Andy and Steph again and had a very pleasant evening nibbling and drinking. Andy showed me where to get water in Elounda (by the windmill at the root of the northern mole, there's a beach shower with a hose connection. Across the mole, in the palm trees, there's a tap to turn it on). Nobody seems to mind and they've been drinking it all winter.
Tony and Anne on Argosea came in Yesterday. They cooked a leg of lamb on a Cobb BBQ - wonderful! A real feast. Must have been quite an achievement getting lamb at Greek Easter as the population is decimated by ravenous Greeks.
It looks like we have a couple of days of cloud and maybe even rain then we should get a nice wind to blow us North to Astipalia over Thursday night and Friday. Its 85 miles so it will probably take 21 hours or so. Poor Lucifer is going to hate it. He hasn't got his sea legs yet and threw up big time on the shot hop to Spinalonga! It's travel sick pill time for him.
In the event, we set off at 1300 on Thursday. At first the wind was Easterly and we were able to motor sail and then sail for 3 hours. Sadly, it then died and/or went onto the nose and we had to motor gently for 16 hours. It was a lovely smooth crossing with a swell so gentle that Lucifer held onto his lunch. Just as well really as it was laced with seasick tablet that had him cross-eyed and staggering for 12 hours!The night was reasonably warm and moonless with lovely stars including several of the shooting variety and great phosphorescence. The most impressive feature though was a huge series of Thunderstorms behind us over Crete. It was hard not to feel smug at having left in the nick of time as we hate lightning on the open sea - actually it was impossible and we did feel smug :-) Hope the several boats left behind didn't have too hard a time of it.
As dawn broke, Astipalea was in view and we reached it a couple of hours later. Skala, the capital, is a spectacular Cyclades village all pure white houses with blue domed churches and red roofed windmills climbing up half a mountain to a fortress on a crag on the summit.I can feel some painting coming on tomorrow although it is relax time today.
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