Tuesday, July 26, 2008

Friday 7/29 - Arrived in Kriti (Crete) - Our first stop in Crete was initially going to be Khania but because of high winds and a trecherous reef at the entrance we decided to go further east to Soudha instead. We went by bus to the city of Khania. Souda is a naval base so it does not have any of the trappings of a tourist resort. For many this is a blessing and the simple homespun pleasures of Soudha can be a relief from the touts of outside tavernas in some of the large Cretan resorts.

Melissa's comments:
We had heard many good things in our Greek guidebooks about the town of Hania. It was the former capitol of Greece until very recently. Unfortunately as sailors the winds will often change our schedule or even our course completely. On the day we set out to Hania the winds were stronger than expected. The waves were the biggest we had experienced yet. Greg and I held onto the rails as the boat dipped down to port, then came swinging back to starboard with the next big wave. This went on for hours, and the captain was wise enough to rework our course many miles before we were close to Hania. We sailed beyond Hania and continued on for the very small town of Soudha.

Soudha is not a tourist destination. This created a few problems with reserving a place at the docks. In the end we found the locals were so nice that it was worth the trouble to squeeze into the harbor. On our first day ashore John and I went in search of information on the port. As we walked around the docks I saw it was mostly local fisherman. Piles of bright yellow nights spotted the walkways. We came upon one man who appeared to be a fisherman scrubbing the dock. I thought this was strange, you would never see someone washing down a dock by hand. It was also a particularly rough surfaced dock made of uneven, rocky cement. As we got closer I thought I saw tentacles and suction cups coming off his sponge. As we got really close I saw it wasn't a sponge at all but an octopus! A small, purple octopus was being rubbed all around. I couldn't understand this. John later told me octopus is a very tough meat. It has to be tenderized or else it's terrible to eat. Usually meat is tenderized with a large mallet designed for this specific purpose. He gave me a big smile and threw the freshly softened octopus back into the bucket.

The next night John, Greg and I went into town. Usually we have dinner on the boat, enjoying the sunset over the water. We found a nice restaurant a short walk away. Shortly after sitting the owner invited us in to see his fish selection of the day. We were welcomed back all the way into the kitchen. He pulled out trays of fresh fish, telling us what each was. He pulled out a tray of octopus and my eyes went huge. It sounded delicious but all I could picture was the old fisherman and the tentacles swirling around on the dock. Thankfully John and Greg both wanted the large fish. We were never given menus, just presented with how he would prepare it and what was served with it. I am glad he chose for us because all of it was absolutely delicious. A real Greek treat.

Today we were able to catch the bus to Hania and see it after all. Hania is a very old town mixed with new parts, side by side. Sometimes you see a rotting old door hanging on its hinges next to a fully renovated building. The alleys were small and narrow, typical of the Mediterranean. Each small alley is packed with shops, restaurants, color clothes and more. The harbor was nice but we were all glad we had passed it by. Sharp rocks had waves crashing on them in the entrance. It was a narrow entry between two stone walls. In high winds it would have been down right dangerous to try and maneuver in. We had a nice time in Hania and came back to the boat ready for our next leg. Tomorrow we set out for a town 30 miles down the coast.


Wednesday, July 27, 2008

We arrived and anchored in the bay next to the Town of Avelomona on Nisos Kithera (Island of Kithra). The little hamlet tucked into the corner of Ay Nikolaos Bay is a sweet little place that has experienced something of a renaissance in recent years and has now been smartened up. Numbers of smart new villas have been built here, but there are still enough rough old fishermen and locals to make it real. There is evidence that the harbour has been used since antiquity and around the bay at Kastri a Minoan settlement has been excavated which was occupied from c.2000-1450 BC. The Venetians also used it and built the small fort on the W. headland of Avelomona. Just around the penninsula prior to arriving at Avelomona a large freighter had either lost an engine or their steering in a storm and had run onto some rocks. The paint on it was still in fair shape so this must have happened within the last year or so.

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Tuesday, July 26, 2008

Today we arrived at Puerto Kayio. The bay was called Psamathous in ancient times and Porto Quaglio by the Venetians, from which the present name probably comes - "Quaglio" means quail and apparently great numbers of them were caught here and salted for export. The bay was used by the Venetians, the Turks, and by various Maniote pirates of whom the most famous was Katsonis - a monument to the freedom fighter-cum-pirate stands near the quay in the SE corner.

Probably the most outstanding landmark is the Monastery on the side of the hill. In 1980 there were only a few families including the fishermen living in the small hamlet in the south of the bay. Since then the summer arrival of yachts on passage around the Peloponnisos and numbers of camper-vans has rejuvenated the hamlet.


Sunday, July 24, 2008

We arrived in Kalamatta. Kalamata was once the principal port of the Peloponnisos, but now it's commercial traffic is much diminished. The harbour and town are more undistinguished than unattractive. The recent earthquake in 1968 caused much damage and consequently parts of the town have an abandoned appearance while the rest is undergoing reconstruction.

Despite this, Kalamata is a real Greek place supported by the agricultural hinterland, especially the production of fat black olives. Famous throughout the world as "Kalamata olives". Kalamata Marina is such a friendly, helpful and well-run marina that it adds to the charm of the place and made it a pleasure to visit here.

Kalamata was the capital for the Franks when they controlled the area and the redoubtable Guillaume de Villehardouin (1218-1287) was born and died here - above the town are the remains of the castle he built, though most of what remains are later modifications and additions from the Venetians. Modern Kalamata was built by the French in the 19th century, though many of the old buildings from this period have decayed.

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Monday, July 21, 2008

We arrived in Greece and anchored in a deserted bay called Porto Longos on the SE end of Nisis Sapientza. There is nothing here but two fish farms and a lighthouse. The bay is next to an island the Greek Airforce uses for bombing practice. We saw several F111 jets but they did no bombing. That was just fine with us. Now please ready your crying towels..... I was seasick the entire two day journey here. I must say it was a very unpleasant experience and do "NOT" recommend it.


Saturday, July 19, 2008

Left Siracusa on our way to Greece, crossing the Ionian Sea between Italy and Greece.

***** We have been informed and are very honored to find out that the 7th grade class of Mrs. Carol Ragas, at St. Paul Lutheran School in New Orleans is using our website for some of their studies. Thanks to all of you for your confidence and we hope we will do justice to your studies. Thanks to each and every one of you!


Thursday, July 17, 2008

Nowhere is the aesthetic unity of the southeast of Sicily more visible than in Siracusa (Syracuse), one of Sicily's most visited cities. Settled by colonists from Corinth in 734 B.C., Siracusa was considered by Cicero to be the most beautiful city of the ancient world, rivaling Athens in power and prestige. Under the demagogue Dionysius the Elder the city reached it's zenith, attracting luminaries, such as Livy, Plato, Aeschylus and Archimedes, who flocked to his capital, cultivating the sophisticated urban culture that was to see the birth of comic Greek theatre. As the sun set on ancient Greece, Siracusa became a Roman colony and was looted of it's treasures.

We have had a most enjoyable 5 days here. It was free to dock at the public pier and there were little restaurants and ice cream stands (gelaterias) all along the boardwalk. In the evening throngs of people come down and just walk the area including right behind the boats. There are small amusement type rides available for the kids. It is like being docked at a carnival and we are part of the show. It was a little weird at first, having people stand at the back of the boat and stare at you but we just learned to wave and say hello, good ambassadors that we are. We even talked to a couple of girls from the United States. One was from Massachusetts and had a jewelry business in Florence, Italy. The other was a medical consultant from Minnesota. We found lots of food sources available including a large fish & fruit/vegetable open air market very close to the boat. We found a nearby internet cafe that allowed me to use my own computer so I could update the website. We even had a small sand swimming beach about a block away.

We will be leaving Italy Saturday morning for Greece. It will be the longest "at sea" journey so far. It will take about 2.5 days to get there. We will be visiting a couple of ports there and then drop down to Crete. Thanks to all of you for following our adventures and I hope it's been at least a fraction of the fun we're having.

Click here for the pictures.


Wednesday, July 9, 2008

We are now at Riposto having traveled through the Strait of Messina between the "toe" of Italy and Sicily. This is the home of Mt. Etna, a live volcano. It was fairly calm the first day but from then on gave us a spectaular show. It was booming, day and night, like thunder, from the explosions in the crater and at night the exploding lava was incredible. The pictures don't do it justice but I think you will still enjoy them. The nigh lava picture is thanks to Melissa and her great photography. I took a picture but didn't have the zoom to capture it. Speaking of "thanks", I need to thank my son & daughter-in-law, Tyler and Monique, for the great camera they gave me. Their generosity is making these pictures possible. Take a look at the swordfish boat. They are incredible. One or more spotters stand in the high tower watching for the fish. Another fellow, the harpoonist, stands way out on the front ready to shoot the fish. The captain puts the harpoonist over the fish before he even knows they are there.

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Sunday, July 6, 2008

Arrived at Volcano Island today. It's in an island group just off the southwestern coast of Italy. From their appearances they were all volcanos at one time or another. John and Melissa hiked to the top of the volcano. I was not feeling too well so didn't make the trip. I got a sliver of sea sickness and I think that activated a touch of stomach flu or something. Watch the "at sea" movie and see if you get a touch of the willies yourself. "Caution: BIG 29 megs"

Click here for the pictures.
Click here for the movie.


Thursday, July 3-4, 2008

Left this morning for a coastal town called Bacoli. It is on the tip of the peninsula next to Naples. We arrived safely but did bump into a sandbar. We enjoyed a veggie dinner with Couscous for our protein supplement. Melissa refuses to let us die of starvation. It is a nice looking harbor and is very attractive with lots of lights shining on the water at night. Apparently there is a date challenged American somewhere ashore. They set off some spectacular fireworks at about 9:15pm on the "3rd."). It was a great prelude to our Fourth of July celebration except we don't have any fireworks aboard. Well, maybe we'll just go ashore and find a way to celebrate.

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Tuesday, July 1, 2008

We left Nettuno this morning for an island called Ponza. It is another single day sail. Ponza is the largest in a group of islands about 40 miles off the coast of Italy. We spent two days there. The water was very clear and the view fantastic. Our only problem was the stinging nettles. They are fist sized brown jellyfish. We were warned about them by an Australian but he didn't tell us what the consequences of a sting would be and we forgot to ask so we just kept a sharp lookout. The water temperature was perfect. The days were hot and humid so a swim was an often and wonderful relief. Oh, the rigors of sailing.

Click here for the pictures.