We have recovered from Easter and in particular the enormous firecrackers that were being set off day and night. On Good Friday there was a procession of the statue of Our Lady round the harbour of Pali. People have been going to church every day and the culmination was the Saturday when the service started at 23h00 and went on until gone 02h00. Caryn went to the first part and left the church just at the firecrackers were being set off in front of it. Svein went out to get some more video and was met by Anna (our sewing friend) and was dragged in to sit through another hour. It was a strange ceremony as the congregation kept wandering in and ut all during the service and lighting candles whilst the priest chanted. Then just before midnight the lights were dimmed and everyone rushed forward to light their candles from those held by the priest. Pictures

Caryn cooked an Easter leg of lamb which was shared with Niels and Ellen from “Laerke”. The weather is still not settled with strong wind from all directions. We have been into Mandraki several times to shop and also made a visit to Kos as we wanted to stock up before our trip to Turkey as we have heard that everything is expensive there except fruit and vegetables. We also saw “Laerke” in Kos harbour where they have left the boat whilst they take an emergency trip back to Denmark.

Svein did some work for Antony in the pitta gyros restaurant and we were treated to a homemade moussaka as a thank you. We have also said goodbye to all our friends on Nisyros. It was sad leaving but we will be back there in July.

Svein has installed the remaining 85W solar panel on the coach roof. Originally there should have been two but unfortunately the second one got smashed to smithereens when Svein tried to take off the frame. We have also scrubbed the dinghy bottom as it has managed to get very dirty lying in the harbour water. Pictures

Another very busy time where the improvements have come along very rapidly. We at long last received the solar panels and wind generator. They were quickly installed but only the solar panels were connected as we still had not received the regulator for the generator. This, however, duly arrived and now the wind generator has also been installed. The new lazy bag has also been installed and is looking very good. The remaining sewing now is the new bimini that is coming along nicely with the top already made and installed and the sides are being made as I write. Pictures

There have been several anniversaries that were duly celebrated in style both in a restaurant or on “Laerke”. Pictures 

We also found some time to visit the island again and found some places that we had not seen before. It really is an incredible spot and this time Caryn went down to the crater. Pictures

There are still new flowers to be found growing wild and they are really unbelievable. The pictures already out on the net have been added to and there are still more to come! Pictures

We are eagerly awaiting Easter and the island celebrations that seem to be out of proportion in relation to the size of the island. As soon as Easter is over we should be moving on and starting the season as we will have finished all the tasks we set ourselves and made the boat shipshape for the new season.

Already nearly one month since the last update. Time is flying but we have been very busy.

As we were expecting strong North winds we moved across to Kardamena (on Kos). It was also logical to leave the boat there during our trip to Kalamata as we had been unable to get any reliable information about ferries. We consequently booked flights to Athens. On our arrival we hired a car with “Charisma” and visited all the shops so that we were well stocked. We also found the padding for the seats whilst “Charisma” ordered the stainless steel for their targa. Lidl and Carrefour (the new one beside the airport) and the local Chinese shop were well plundered so that our cupboards were once more fully stocked.

We duly left for Kalimata to see Laurent and Anne Laure on their new Venezia “Catanelo” and to attend the christening of their two boys Antoine and Arthur. After an interesting journey by taxi, plane and bus we duly arrived and starting catching up on the news. We had not seen each other for one year. We spent a great deal of time in Kalamata eating and drinking. There was a memorable BBQ of lamb as a christening lunch and this was held in the garden of the house Anne Laure’s parents have rented on the outskirts of the town. A lovely spot with the house in an olive grove and the beach and the sea across the road. We also had a second BBQ there with 10 kilos of beef a couple of days later once everyone had recovered from the christening. Pictures

The christening was held in an Orthodox Church that is lent to the Catholics once a month so we assisted as both the baptism of the two boys and a mass that was conducted in both Greek and French. It was conducted by 3 priests and turned out to be an interesting experience.

We were very lucky with the weather in Kalamata to such an extent that some of the more hardy ones went swimming after our beef BBQ. The boys also played football and rugby on the sand whilst the ladies relaxed and enjoyed the sunshine.

Our return plans were changed a little when we discovered that the French contingency would be returning to France on Wednesday and Anne Laure and Laurent would not be returning to Kalamata until the Friday. Consequently we took a bus back to Athens and met everybody at the airport. After the goodbyes Anne Laure, Laurent,Svein and Caryn went on a shopping spree in the stores next to the airport. Leroy Merlin and Ikea were duly received some of our hard earned cash. It was fun wandering round the stores as it had been quite some time since our last visit to such a place. After having exhausted ourselves in the shops we headed for the hotel in Porto Rafti that we were treating ourselves to for the night and spent time in the jacuzzi restoring our weary bodies. Fit once again we dined in a superb Italian restaurant where the food was excellent as was the service and the view over the bay. Once we had eaten we returned to the hotel for a good night’s sleep. The next morning, after a substantial breakfast, we were driven back to the airport where we said au revoir to Anne Laure and Laurent and caught the plane to Kos.

Back on the boat we found everything in order and were glad to be back. We spent the next day in Kardamena and returned to Nisyros on Saturday.

Once back in Pali harbour we buckled down to finishing the seats so the padding was fixed and then the sewing machine was brought out and the covers were fitted. We managed to get everything done just before the arrival of “Laerke” who had returned to Leros and sailed down to join us. Svein has also installed the targo on “Charisma”. So all in all it has been a very eventful time.  Pictures

Our solar panels and wind generator on on their way but have still not reached us. Once they arrive it will be a case of installing them and we shall be ready for the new sailing season. Our plans are not finalised yet but we will be meeting up with “Sybaris” at the end of April and will take things from there.

After a week of heavy North winds again the weather is now warming up and it is nearly time to start the swimming season again. The island is truly in bloom with a wide variety of plants and flowers. Pictures

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Caryn has returned from a frustrating and cold trip to the UK. It took her nearly a week to recover with plenty of sleep. The journey worked well but it very tiring particularly the return journey as it means two nearly sleepless nights. However it is cheap and comfortable.

Svein has been very busy. He has serviced the bicycles that take a beating in the sea air. He has also covered, at long last, the ceiling in the saloon and above all he has really made progress on the new seating arrangement. It is built and now needs to be treated and fixed into place. It looks good and will give us valuable extra storage as well as the possibility to entertain on deck and enjoy the scenery when we sail. It only remains to find the cushion material and cover them with the material bought in France.

Once the sewing machine is out we will also change the lazy bag on the main sail and make new sail bags for the sails and also new bags for the bikes.

We are still waiting for solar panels and wind generator from the UK and hopefully it wil l not be too long now as we are getting itchy feet and trying to plan the summer sail.

Before we leave here we will be visiting Kalamata where our good friends on “Catanelo” will be christening their two boys. We have not seen them since March last year so it will be fun to catch up.

The ferry is still out for servicing and it looks to be out for another month so before the trip to Kalamata we will sail over to Kardamena (Kos) and hire a car as we need to do a big shop. It has been over two months since the last one so the list is long.

We are also busy sorting out Sven’s pension that he can now receive from the age of 62. As he left Norway many years ago we now have to apply via France so we hope that all will go well.

The weather has been very unsettled since Caryn’s return with thunderstorms and hailstones that have covered the boat. It has also made driving into Mandraki very uncomfortable as the roads have been flooded and awash with mud from the hills.

One can feel the island getting ready for the new season. Restaurants are starting to open again after the winter and buildings are being renovated and spruced up.

The island is now very green and more and more flowers are in bloom. The trees are also starting to flower and the hens have started to lay again, according to the locals a sure sign that winter is over and warmer weather is on its way.

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Been a busy period since I last wrote. We received our first packages from Germany and as it included a new PC Sven has been busy installing it and creating an internal network within the boat so that all the computers are linked. In addition the parcel also contained a Christmas present for Caryn in the form of an e-book. Svein has already uploaded some 1800 books so there is plenty of reading material in the days ahead. We are still waiting for a package from Germany that has pingponged its way between German towns to such an extent that the supplier has sent out another package so it looks like we might end up getting the items twice over. Lastest news the goods were in Athens so we are keeping our fingers crossed.

The new structure for the solar panels and wind generator is also complete and we are waiting for their arrival from the UK. Again we hope that it will not be too long so that all the winter projects can be completed in time.

Caryn is busy preparing her trip and has booked a boat trip from Nisyros to Athens and then a flight to London. It will be interesting to see how the journey works out. Svein could not resist the temptation and has ordered himself an underwater camera – well he has not had a present for a long time and with all the work he is doing deserves it. Hopefully we shall have fun using it when it comes.