Despite the weather forecast there were fairly strong winds when we left Rhodes and that enabled us to test the new main sail and at one point we were sailing with mizzen, main, stay sails and genoa. We had a good sail down to Lindos although there were a great deal of gusts. We anchored in the bay with a line ashore and can now look forward to a week’s relaxation after all the hard work. The boat looks great now and she moved very smoothly through the water today.

After a quiet night on board we relaxed on the boat and took advantage of the crystal clear water and swam a great deal. We took the dinghy into shore and found an internet cafe on the waterfront and caught up on our emails.

Whilst relaxing on deck we noticed that the bilge pump in the engine room seemed to be working overtime. Svein checked axle and saw that it was time to change the stern gland which he did. Unfortunately it also has a problem so that will be the first thing we order when we get back to Rhodes. Despite the tripper boats it is a quiet and calm anchorage with none of the winds encountered in Rhodes.

A new day and time to go sightseeing day. We started with a dinghy run round the bay and into the next ones and found some interesting places. Once back in Lindos bay we climbed up to the town and found the bar from last year. Caryn treated herself to a fish pedicure which was very interesting and very good. Whilst checking on the internet we had the sad news that our friends on Tribal Kat had run into difficulty off the Yemen coast and that the boat had been found drifting with blood and bullet holes and no people. We can only wait for news from either mutual friends or the newspapers.

A quiet day on the boat and Svein serviced the gearbox. We again swam a great deal and went into the beach for internet to follow up on Tribal Kat.

After one week it is time to return to Rhodes to prepare for our visitor. We managed to sail under spinnaker most of way and only hit the strong winds outside Faliraki. We had dinner on board Sybaris (who had also arrived) and learned the final outcome for Tribal Kat.

The next day was a girl’s day out so Elly and Caryn spent the day in town checking out the shops. with Elly. Caryn managed to buy some items for Svein and also herself and then returned to the boat to prepare the dinner for Sybaris who were coming to eat on board.

Alex (Caryn ‘s son) was due to leave France today but we received a call to say that he had missed his flight. Fortunately he has managed to get a flight for tomorrow so will arrive only 12 hours late. Alex was due to leave France today but missed his flight. Caryn managed to cancel his ferry bookings and get a partial refund and find a direct flight to Rhodes for the next day. Took the washing in and did some last minute shopping. It was an exhausting as walked everywhere and some distances were long and uphill. We had dinner on Sybaris.

Whilst waiting for Alex to arrive in the evening we visited the Turkish Consulate to enquire about visas if we decide to stay in Turkey this winter. Caryn then took an interesting trip to the airport on the bus as it was packed like sardines. It is not a dedicated airport bus but serves all the hotels on the west coast. We had a quick meal in town before getting back to the boat. Now the adventure can begin.

We were lifted out early and then unfortunately had to wait several hours for the water and electricity to be connected. One this was achieved Caryn scrubbed down the undersides that were only covered with slime and a few barnacles so the antifouling from last year had held up well. Svein started working on the topsides and found that the bolts holding the backstays of the main mast were rusted so had to be changed. He managed to find a very good stainless steel shop and bought new ones so already by the evening the starboard ones were changed. We decided we deserved a meal out (particularly as it is no fun trying to cook on land) so we explored the local back streets and found a superb Greek restaurant. By the end of the day we were satisfied with what we had achieved. Although it is hot and windy there is a nice beach within the boatyard so it is easy to cool off.

Caryn managed to paint the first coat of paint on the port side before the heat got too bad and Svein sanded the topsides and changed the bolts on the port side for the backstay. Found a small restaurant where we had gone for a pita gyros and where we were plied with drinks by one of the locals. We also discovered that the owners of the taverna come from Nisyros

Another day and the starboard undersides got its first coat and Svein painted port topsides first coat. He had found new green paint at €6 a litre and it is the same colour.

On the third day Caryn managed to apply the second coat of anti-fouling to both sides. Svein applied the first coat of paint to starboard and the second coat on port. Sybaris arrived and we all had dinner at Drachma restaurant.

As the undersides were finished Caryn could now turn her attention to her duties and this involved a big shop at Lidl. Elly and Caryn shared a taxi both ways and managed to get everything that was needed. Meanwhile Svein finished the port topside painting and placed the aluminium strip at the waterline. He also put on the new fancy name tape on the starboard side of the boat.

The next day Caryn had promised a cheesecake so that Sybaris could welcome their family with it so whilst Svein was busy installing the rest of the name tapes she made the cheesecake. Svein also prepared the dinghy ready for antifouling and did some minor repairs that it needed. The antifouling was also completed and name tapes were also put on the dinghy. Once the work on the boat was completed we delivered the cheesecake to Sybaris, who had got a place in the harbour, and then we went into town to find internet and have a meal. On our return to the boat we cleaned up and prepared for the launch the next morning. We also took advantage of the water supply and did some hand washing. The major wash will have to be done next week in the laundry we return to Rhodes to pick up Caryn’s son.

We were ready early to launch but eventually we went in the water at 13h00 just as the wind picked up. We filled with water and washed the boat down before leaving to go to anchor in the bay. There were strong winds all afternoon and we will head to Lindos tomorrow to relax.

The strong wind led to some fun and games in the evening at the anchorage as one of the regulars (who lives on the island and leaves his boat in the bay for the summer) dragged. No-one on land seemed to care other than to tell Svein to move the boat as a ferry was coming in. We roped in a neighbouring French boat to help out and we hoisted our anchor and then using the dinghy took a rope to the distressed boat and pulled him out again so that it could be re-anchored. We dropped our anchor again and then the Frenchman on board “Mabel” fixed her anchor and brought our dinghy back to us. All in all a fairly stressful 30 minutes but all is well that ends well. The ferry duly arrived and the boat would have been in the way of his manoeuvre. Svein went to the yard to try and find someone but the office was closed although the people on their boats had watched the rescue and promised to let the owner know what had happened. As usual in the heat of the moment we could not take any pictures so only have a picture of the boat after the event. To end the story the night watchman at the yard telephoned us to hear what had happened and shortly afterwards the owner arrived to spend the night on board. Once the disco on the cruise ship closed we had a quiet night and were up early to leave the anchorage. Just before leaving Svein went over to Mabel and spoke to the owner just to ensure that there were no problems.