Pictures

We left Turgutreis with no wind but eventually got some side wind so hoisted sails. We spoke to Keith and Angie on VHF as we passed each other (they were on their way to check into Turkey).  We rounded the head after Kos town and hit  winds 25+ and then nothing!. We had winds from all directions today which meant we managed to sail a good bit of the way. With just two yachts on the water we had a very close encounter with an Italian boat under engine (whilst we were sailing) that had nobody on deck as a lookout. Caryn managed to attract their attention whilst Svein was fixing the bilge pump in the engine room. They hit the davit fixture but it was a very close call. We  came into Kardamena to find the harbour full but after some negotiations with the harbour police we managed to get a mooring amongst the tripper boats although some of them were not pleased. Whilst there we decided to do a shop and were kindly lent a car by Veronica. The boat is now stocked up again (we were down to our last 6 beers!!!!) before leaving for Nisyros. We had dinner at our usual haunt in town. The evening however was very tense as the town was  teeming with English students living it up after their exams who were up until 6h30 the next morning. There is no way that Caryn is going to spend  2 weeks here on her own with the boat whilst Svein is in Norway.

We left the mooring and made our way to Pali on Nisyros where we were due to meet Prydwen. We arrived late morning to be welcomed with open arms by everyone. It was good to be back. Jean Francois and Francoise had already arrived together with Corinne and Philippe Jeantot who are on their way to Thailand the long way round. Svein worked on satellite telephone problem for Philippe and we all had dinner in Aphrodite. Nikos presented Svein with eggs from his farm.

Time to tidy the boat but only managed to wash half the floor before the heat got to be too much and got the washing done. With the sunshine the first load was dry by midday. It is very hot despite the breeze. Corinne and Philippe left for Crete and Svein helped Jean Francois with his computer. Michael  (from the car rental company) asked him to paint a sign for him. We had drinks on Prydwen after Francoise and Caryn had been to the beach where Francoise had her first swim of the year. We had dinner at Antonio’s and came home with a bag of home grown tomatoes.

Finished the washing and washing the floor before the heat set in. Svein completed the sign for Mike and we all swam off the beach. Had drinks on board C’est la Vie and  finished with a meal at Aphrodite. Unfortunately we have been told that we much leave the harbour for 24 hours as there is a regatta coming. We have had confirmation that Sybaris is on its way so Prydwen has decided to stay and see them. We shall both leave tomorrow morning and anchor of the island of Yiali.

The anchorage is beautiful although the island is very scarred from the excavation of the sand. We went ashore and found a strange phenomenon in the water – bubbles of air coming  through the sand.  We had a BBQ on the beach and managed to get a very good sunset photo. As soon as the regatta leaves we shall return to Nisyros and get the boat settled in before Svein leaves for Norway.

We waited until 10h30 for the  regatta departure. We thought that as there was quite a bit of wind in the bay we would have a good sail across and  prepared all the sails. As soon as we hoisted the anchor and were underway the wind dropped so we motored back to Pali.  We moored on the North wall of the harbour.  Sybaris arrived and we all had dinner together with Prydwen at Aphrodite. Temperatures are rising again.

After a quiet day with visits to the beach we all had a farewell dinner for everyone on board Sybaris with orange cheesecake, far breton and nasi goreng.

Prydwen left to continue their travels. It has been very difficult to finalise how Svein is going to get to Kos to catch his plane as there are uncertainties about the ferries and the taxis so when Sybaris offered to take him as they were going to spend the night in Kos it was the perfect solution. Svein went of board and they left for Kos. It was apparently a bumpy ride that took 6 hours as they battled winds that at one point were 32 knots. In Nisyros it was windy and unpleasant on the beach. Svein caught his flight after a long wait in the airport so he will probably arrive very tired.