S/V BeBe

This visit is almost at an end

2012-02-01T03:48:00.012Z

Finally, Bill's biopsy results..........non-malignant. In our ignorance we are considering that the same as benign, with full expectations that the next physical might require another biopsy if the labs are still not within normal parameters.

Waiting for the biopsy results was not a pleasant experience, especially since it took so danged long. We knew on 5 December that Bill likely had a health problem. The labs were repeated......same results. Drugs administered for 10 days. Labs repeated......almost same results. Biopsy scheduled -- required 2 weeks to get into the scheduling queue. Biopsy performed. Then had to wait 3 full weeks for official results to be provided. That was the difficult part. Online research revealed that the biopsy results should have been available in 1 week or less; yet we had to wait 3 weeks to meet with the doctor and learn the specifics. And Americans think we have the best health care. HAH!

I'm sure the family members on whom we have relied for places to stay and vehicles to drive for the past 2 months are more than ready to see the last of us for awhile. Our thanks to Bill's brother, John, for the use of his townhome and cars. Even more thanks to our elder son, Trey, and daughter-in-law, Kristina, for allowing us to hang out at their home so often and for such long periods of time, displacing grandson Zachary from his bedroom to sleep on the sofa for weeks on end. And thanks to Trey for loaning us his truck; we are sure he didn't really want to drive his old hot rod Mustang for the commute to work all those days. Our younger son and his family lucked out because we didn't stay will them as often; their daily lives are much too busy to be bothered with us; but we managed to see them several times for a night or so and spent one weekend babysitting while the parents enjoyed a weekend in the California wine country.

Embroidery machine

Barbara & Judy in embroidery room.
The wet mark is sizing to remove the hoop imprint.

One week we drove up to NE Texas to visit friends Barbara and Bob. They have a lovely small spread and it was so relaxing to be in the rural town areas. Barbara operates a business embroidering logos and names on hats and shirts, etc. and applying heat transfers. She digitized the semaphore (nautical flags) spelling out BeBe and embroidered this onto a number of shirts and hats. Great job!! Everything turned out looking great. We very much like having 'crew shirts' with the boat name spelled out in flags rather than in letters. Wonder if any sailors will recognize the flags and understand our boat name.

Smiling Pete

Barbara and Bob have 2 horses, 4 dogs and a cat. One of the dogs was a country stray that they adopted shortly after moving to this property. His name is Pete. Pete is a sweet dog but a character. He smiles or grins to get what he wants. It looks intimidating at first.....with those lips pulled back and teeth bared. But that is his smile. He is a rather large dog and I think there must be some boxer somewhere in his lineage. When he comes up and smiles at you then you know he wants something. Pete would make a great second dog for our grandson but I don't think Barbara and Bob would ever part with Pete.

Buffalo

A touch of the old days. On a narrow twisting country road in East Texas we passed a ranch that is breeding bison. What a sight to look out the car windows and see buffalo spread out grazing on the rolling hills. Made us sort of expect to see an Indian come riding over the horizon on a paint pony.

native Texas Longhorn steer

We also passed 2 ranches that are breeding the almost extinct Texas longhorn cattle. Didn't stop to snap photos of the longhorns, but they were impressive. You have to respect the breed of animal that was able to survive desolate topography and weather conditions. Since we didn't take our own photo, here is an image taken from the Y.O. Ranch photo album on Facebook.

One weekend we visited Bill's youngest brother and his family in College Station. We didn't have much of an opportunity to visit with them at Christmas......simply because it is impossible to really visit when there are 22 people talking at once. We wanted to catch up with them and this weekend was the perfect opportunity. Bryan/College Station has really grown!! It looked like just about anything one might want could be found in Bryan/College Station today. What a great area to live. The student population at Texas A&M University must help keep prices low. For example, matinee movies still are only $3.50 to $3.75 rather than the $6 to $7 that we have been paying in Houston. And it is only an hour or 2 to Houston, depending on your in-town destination. Maybe we should retire there.

Galveston old homes

Another weekend we visited our home town of Beaumont again; then down to Galveston. Found a particular area of the old Galveston style Victorian homes where homes are being restored to their original grandeur. Many are completely restored; some are under restoration now; and some are very dilapidated and awaiting new owners to begin the process. It would be easy to let ourselves be sucked right into that! Found ourselves reaching for cell phone to call realtors before we had a sanity check. We had to keep reminding ourselves that we do have a boat in Cyprus waiting for our return. Now is probably the right time financially to buy one of these homes because of the poor real estate market; but now is not the right time to buy one of these homes because we intend to remain cruising full-time for years to come.

East of Crystal Beach. Very close to the water now!

We also drove down Bolivar Peninsula to check on the progress of reconstruction after Hurricane Ike. We drove through Winnie and High Island and turned west on the beach road. In the opposite direction, TX Hwy 87 is closed between High Island and Sabine Pass because the Gulf of Mexico has reclaimed that area. That highway is long since covered in sand and water.
This photo shows TX Hwy 87 headed west towards Galveston, just west of the intersection of the highway from Winnie. Wonder how long this section of Hwy 87 will remain usable. The sea is awfully close and the efforts to keep it at bay appear minimal.

Very old horse still pumping oil

Driving this route puts one close to dozens of horses. Not the breathing type of horse.....the oil field type of horse.....the kind that pumps oil up from those deep wells.....24 hours per day, 7 days per week for over a century. One would think these oil fields would have long since been depleted.

Oil field horse

Folks from other places might consider these eyesores and blights upon the landscape. Not us. This is home. The beach is supposed to have oil field horses slowing moving up and down.

Driving onto one of the ferries

Following this route took us to the Bolivar Ferry.....then across over to Galveston. The new ferry docks are really nice and can handle at least 6 times the vehicle traffic than the ferries of our childhood. Your taxpayer dollars at work.

Driving on top of Galveston Seawall

Enjoyed driving the Galveston seawall and out down off the seawall onto West Beach. Those big homes now built out on the low-lying west end of the island look like big mistakes. Why anyone would spend that much money to build such large fancy homes in such a low place makes no sense.

A hurricane will clean those all away one day. And then insurance rates will skyrocket again for every homeowner in Texas.

We had driven the Crystal Beach/Bolivar beach road about 3 months after Hurricane Ike and the devastation of that area was surreal. Block upon block of homes wiped away by the storm. And the sea moved inland about 3 blocks in most places. We had no doubts that the area would be rebuilt; just no idea how long it would take before people would brave the elements again.

Bolivar light house

It has always been in the back of our minds that we would buy a small place on the beach for final retirement after we eventually tire of boat life. Now we are kicking ourselves that we did not stop on our last drive through the area and inquire about buying some property. Right after the hurricane the average lot near Crystal Beach was selling for $10,000. Today those lots are selling for $35,000+. Now, as saying goes, we are a day late and a dollar short.

The Bolivar lighthouse still stands. Bolivar Lighthouse Wonder how many hurricanes and storms this old lighthouse has withstood.

Return of the pelicans

When we were small children Bolivar Peninsula and Galveston were filled with pelicans. The pelicans almost became extinct because of the prevalent use of the pesticide DDT. DDT caused the pelican eggs to have such thin shells that the eggs could last for the chicks to grow inside. Good news is that since DDT was banned all those years ago, the pelican population has replenished and now live back in their native grounds.

One day we watched the implosion of an old building in the Houston Medical Center. We knew it was scheduled to be imploded that day but had no idea of the scheduled time. Driving through the area we noticed a lot of people standing around and decided to stop and join them. Five minutes later a series of 10 or so very loud booms vibrated the air and a huge dust cloud rose. Lucky for us, the wind took the dust cloud away in the opposite direction.... along with all those nasty things one would not want to breathe. We took a series of photos using an iPhone. Unfortunately, regardless of how I edit or save these photos, they appear sideways when uploaded to this blog. So, no photos.

Tonight we are meeting up with fellow Amel owners, Jan and Craig. They own an Amel 54 named S/V Lone Star. Lone Star recently sailed crossed the Atlantic and they are now cruising in the Caribbean; but due to a death in the family they are now home in the Houston area for a short time. We last saw Jan and Craig in Marmaris last April. Looking forward to hearing all their stories of cruising westward through the Med this past summer. If you look on the left-hand side of this blog you will see a link to the blog site for Lone Star Times. In case anyone else wants to follow their adventures.

Thoughts ending 2011

2012-01-01T08:03:00.048Z

2011 was quite a year! It is hard to believe that one year ago tonight we sat in the cockpit in Patong at Phuket and watched the fantastic fireworks display. And those thousands upon thousands of lighted Chinese lanterns floating skyward all night were unforgettable. A cherished memory.

Little did we know that night that about a week later we would be caught in a circulating tropical storm in the Bay of Bengal, with the eye repeatedly changing directions unpredictably. Unlike circulating tropical storms with which we are familiar, in the Bay of Bengal storms move with no predictable pattern. The storm seemed to jump around all willy-nilly. We broke out of the storm 3 times and were sucked back in each time. 29 people were killed on the island of Sri Lanka and more than a million people lost their homes during this storm. One fellow sailor abandoned his boat less than 20 miles from us during one of the worst days of the storm. Luckily, he and his crew were safely picked up by a commercial freighter, but the sailboat was lost. Our 1100 NM passage from Phuket to Sri Lanka took 1608 NM, as I remember. Hope we never go through anything like that again! The experience proved to us that S/V BeBe is stronger than her owners.

While docked in Sri Lanka we met the Danish owners and crew of S/V ING. The family of 5 and their 2 crew members were later captured by Somali pirates a short distance before they would have entered the eastern end of the IRTC. A 3 million dollar ransom was later paid and all 7 were released after 7 months of the horror of captivity. We also met the owners and crew of S/V QUEST in Sri Lanka.

After another rough sail from Sri Lanka to Cochin, India, Bill updated our records of pirate attacks for the previous 90 days and we immediately saw there was no way we were going to continue through the Arabian Sea. Pirate attacks had increased 13 times higher than the same 90-day period the previous year. In 2011 the pirates inundated the entire northern Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea. We decided to transport BeBe on the deck of a container ship. Bill asked the owner of S/V QUEST if they also were interested in transporting, but Scott said it was his lifelong dream to sail a complete circumnavigation. We did not press the matter.....as with everything involving sailors, it is always the captain's decision where and when and how to go. Two weeks later, all 4 persons aboard QUEST had been captured by Somali pirates and murdered. We will always regret not showing Scott our updated chart reflecting how severe the pirate activity had become during the previous month. Maybe he would have continued to sail; but maybe he would have considered transporting his yacht to the Med instead. No one can know now.

We are forever grateful to Randal on M/V DORA MAC for forwarding us the contact information for Mike Heffer, the agent for SevenStar Shipping. Bill worked with Mike and located 13 other sailboats that also wanted to transport. Thanks to Michael on S/V B'SHERET for helping in the rate negotiations. Four boats sailed from Cochin down to Male, Maldives to join the other boats awaiting transport. The final number of yachts participating in this transport shipment totaled 18. And all arrived safely in Marmaris, Turkey in late April.

We enjoyed a couple of months in Turkey, then 3 months cruising the Greek Isles, joined by 2 of our grandchildren. Our youngest son and his family joined us for 3 weeks. Then we sailed from Crete to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, where we are docked for the winter in the new Karpaz Gate Marina.

In early December we returned to Houston for the Christmas holidays and for Bill to do his annual physicals. One lab test had questionable results, requiring a biopsy for which the results will not be available until late January; thus delaying our return to Cyprus by at least a month. We are spreading our time in Houston between Bill's brother's townhome and our sons' homes. We figure 2 weeks at each home is enough to intrude upon the lives of others. Lucky us that we have so many relatives and friends living in Houston and that they all have extra vehicles to lend us. Saves us the cost of hotels and rental cars.

Old school friend Tim Mulally

The highlight of this visit for Bill was an impromptu reunion of several high school classmates. Bill attended a Catholic high school and was in a relatively small class. Eighteen people met for dinner at a Cajun seafood restaurant in Beaumont.....some driving in from Austin, Dallas and even as far as Baton Rouge. After dinner several of us gathered at a local pub for several more hours of visiting. Bill thoroughly enjoyed visiting with his old friends and wished there had been more time.

Christmas 2011

Christmas Day was celebrated at our older son's home and most of the family attended. Dinner for 22 people requires days of cooking. It was wonderful to see everyone. Just wish we had more time to visit with each person. The day passed too quickly.

Christmas 2011

As always, Christmas is mainly for the children. Wrapping papers and ribbons and bows were strewn throughout Trey's house. It was a lot of fun.

Grandson Damien

Damien loves trains

On New Year's Eve we visited our good friends Donna and Bruce at their country home. Donna is a fabulous cook and the meals and pies were delicious. We enjoyed a very quiet evening and watched the movie "The Help." Four adults in the room and 3 of them had been reared by black maids in the South. They could relate to this movie. Bill did not like the part where 1 maid said they didn't get any Social Security. Bill's father always paid Social Security for their maid, Clara. He wanted to make certain that Clara would have retirement income during her old age. It was nice that a few of the maids in the movie told positive stories about their employers. Not all employers of housekeepers of the time were like the white women in that movie.

Fireworks at midnight and then we were quick to bed. We are too old for late night celebrations. It was really nice visiting with Donna and Bruce and we hope to see them again before we fly back to the boat. They gave us a lovely gift......a framed stained glass mounting of nautical flags spelling out our boat name -- BeBe. We like this so much that we are having flag graphics produced to put on the mizzen boom and also on the stern of BeBe. Below is a graphic of our boat name spelled in semaphore by nautical flags. I cannot include an image of the framed stained glass that Donna and Bruce gave us. It is already packed away with lots of other items we are accumulating for the trip back to the boat next month.

BeBe in semaphore -- spelled out in nautical flags

Remember these?

2011-12-27T17:27:00.002Z

New Singer can be operated manually

We saw a stack of boxes of these Singer sewing machines in the local village recently. One was set up for display. These were not used machines. These are newly produced sewing machines. These are electric machines that also have a foot pedal and drive belt for manual operation. That drive belt is not installed on the machine in this photo, but you can clearly see the attachment points to install it. I assume this type of Singer sewing machine is marketed in countries that have limited or unreliable supplies of electricity.

These are not the heavy solid metal machines of yesteryears. The foot pedals are wrought iron, but the machine heads are plastic. The wooden cabinets are not solid wood, of course.

Wonder if these machines will last 80-plus years like the old sturdily built Singers our grandmothers used.

Time for a trip home

2011-11-27T12:43:00.005Z

Ruth & Randal

We invited the only other American couple in the marina, Randal & Ruth on M/V Dora Mac, to join us for Thanksgiving dinner. There is one other American man in the marina......married to a British woman......but he had already mentioned that he does not like to celebrate Thanksgiving; so we did not extend an invitation. There are no turkeys sold in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Instead, I baked 2 chickens. Also cooked cornbread dressing, giblet gravy, green peas, cranberry sauce and homemade yeast rolls. Ruth provided a delicious dish of roasted vegetables. For dessert I baked a fresh apple cake with pineapple glaze.

We enjoyed the bottle of champagne recently gifted to us by our friend, Glenn, who visited last month. We had much to be thankful for this year, not the least of which is the company of good friends.

Cliff & Charmaine

Here is a photo of Cliff, the other American in the marina, and his wife Charmaine......holding a very lucky little puppy. Charmaine found this abandoned puppy while on a countryside walk early one morning. She picked it up and nursed it to health; visited the vet for all the routine shots; and found it a good home with the family of an American physician working at Girne. The family has small children and divides their time between Cyprus and their home in Virginia. Lucky dog!!

Today I dug out duffel bags and packing organizers. Time to start thinking about what we want to bring back to Texas on this trip. One thing that should go is the ATN Gale Sail. We have carried that sail for over 5 years and never once used it. Time to Ebay that sail. Get the unnecessary weight out of the sail locker in the bow of the boat.

To do our part for Black Friday and help the economy, I browsed through Lands End online and ordered winter clothes. Very much needed since we have been on the equator so long and have no cold weather clothes on the boat. I will bring almost nothing home, and will return with lots of new clothes. Cool!

A boat here in the marina is owned by a British couple who live in southern Cyprus. They will be visiting their boat later this week and have kindly offered to drive us to the airport late Friday night, saving us more than $200 taxi fare. This is going to be a tough trip.......total 17 hours flight time divided into 3 flights.....beginning by sitting in the airport all night. We will depart the marina at 10 p.m. Friday night for the 2 - 2 1/2 hour drive to the Larnaca airport, where we will sit until our flight departs at 4 a.m. to Frankfort; then to Chicago; finally arriving in Houston shortly after 3 p.m. And traveling 'back' 8 hours in time zones. We are going to be some tired puppies!

Looking forward to seeing family and friends for the next month.

Lovely day for a walk......to an ancient basilica

2011-11-23T12:00:00.007Z

Bill & Judy at the ruins of Trias Basilica at Sipahiay

A few days ago we joined Ruth and Randal for a short walk through the countryside near the marina. They had already walked this route in August and knew where to find the ruins of a basilica dating back to 535 A.D. Randal said the floors were covered in tiny tile mosaics. One of the rooms had mosaics in the pattern of sandals and pomegranate branches. So off we headed on a less-than-perfect day for a country walk. We hoped to make it back before the skies opened up and poured again.

Lovely day for a walk?

As normal for us, we forgot to bring our camera.......yet again. Ruth kindly offered to let me use hers; and later she also shared her photos with us. Frankly, I don't remember which of these photos I took and which ones she snapped.

Walking past small herd of sheep

After reaching the top of the small hill we turned off the road to enter the field where the ruins are situated. Soon a couple of small boys walked over and collected the 5 TL entrance fee from each of us and presented us with printed sheets providing basic information on the ruins.

Today I looked on the internet and found a bit more information about this place.

Randal & Ruth at basilica ruins

The Aya Trias Basilica is located near the village of Sipahi. It was built at the start of the 6th century, although one source stated that the earliest construction found thus far dates back to the 5th century. The basilica has been used for different purposes in different times, and various annexes were added at different times. This is not a huge complex. At least not what has been excavated thus far.

Basilica ruins as seen from original rear entry

The basilica was destroyed during the Arab raids of the 7th century. It was then abandoned, and a small church and other buildings were built to the south of the original basilica. These buildings also were abandoned and destroyed around the 9th century. All memory of the basilica disappeared until it was rediscovered by chance in 1957, at which time it was partially excavated. Some parts are still under the earth. There is still a great deal for archaeologists to do; however, no excavation is ongoing nor is any planned as far as we can ascertain.

Randal on north side of basilica ruins

The original entrance atrium is located at the western end of the basilica, the end farthest away from today's entrance gate. That entrance atrium leads to an entrance lobby, or narthex, spanning the width of the basilica. (According to what I have read, the narthex or entrance lobby was always located on the western side of the earliest Christian churches. I have no idea why.) The narthex leads to a 3-sided nave, with a number of columns still standing. Inside the nave is the remains of a chancel.

Pomegranates & Sandals mosaics on basilica floor

The floors of the narthex and nave are extensively covered with tiny-tiled mosaics in mostly geometric patterns. There are also mosaics depicting leaves, crosses and other early Christian symbols. In the northern nave there are several very different mosaics -- of pomegranate trees alongside a pair of sandals. Pomegranates were used by the early Christians as a symbol of resurrection and everlasting life. According to the literature found online, the sandals are a little bit more of a mystery. It is possible the sandals were a reminder of the time when Moses took off his sandals in order to meet God in the desert. Or it could be a reminder of the time that John the Baptist described the coming of Christ, explaining that he was not even important enough to remove the sandals from Christ's feet. It is assumed, however, that because the sandals are placed next to or between squares of pomegranates, the sandals simply represent the journey through this world to the next. Although sandals as a symbol are found elsewhere in the Middle East, this is the only known example in Cyprus.

Basilica sponsors

One thing that is known about the basilica is who paid for its construction. At the western end of the nave is seen the names of Aetis, Euthalis and Eutochianos as benefactors. Embedded in a tablet in cube-shaped tesseras in front of the main apse is an inscription which credits a deacon (assistant of the priest) by the name of Heracleos (Heraclios) as the maker of the mosaics.

Cross shaped baptismal chamber

To the southeast of the basilica (on the left at today's entrance) one can see the remains of a large cross-shaped baptismal chamber. This is the largest known baptismal chamber on the island of Cyprus.

The usual form of baptism among the earliest Christians was for the person being baptized to be immersed totally or partially (standing or kneeling in water while water was poured on him or her).

Cross shaped baptismal chamber

This baptismal chamber is large enough and deep enough to have been used in that manner, and it is not even completely excavated. Dirt still fills the lower parts of the chamber.

Ruth & Bill in Bishop's Palace ruins

It is thought that the other structures around the baptismal chamber are the remains of the Bishop's Palace. Again, more archaeological work needs to be done in order to learn more about this site.

One mystery remains for now. The basilica is much bigger than would be needed for the use of the village that has so far been discovered. Was there a bigger village somewhere nearby? If not, why was this basilica built?

Bill in basilica ruins behind ancient olive tree

Hail!! Followed by rainbows

2011-11-23T08:31:00.008Z

Fellow Americans, Ruth and Randal on M/V DORA MAC, returned last week after a 3-month visit home to the States. They had left Cyprus a week before we arrived in August. We first met Ruth and Randal in Malaysia; they also were part of the group of yachts that transported aboard the BBC EVEREST with us from Maldives to Marmaris last April. We had been looking forward to meeting up with them again.

We drove down to the airport to meet them. Unfortunately, their flight arrived 20 minutes early while we were sitting in the coffee shop. By the time we walked to the arrival meeting area, they had already hailed a taxi to the marina. Not to make it an entirely wasted trip, we drove to the south side and purchased another month of insurance allowing us to drive the rental car across the border. Now we are set with the rental car through the date of our departure for our trip home in December. Later, back at the marina we hooked up with Ruth and Randal and offered to drive them to the supermarket so they could stock up on the things one always empties from the boat when leaving for any extended period of time.

Hail several inches deep

It rained buckets during our drive to the supermarket. As we pulled into the supermarket parking lot tiny pieces of hail were pelting the car. Later, on the drive back to the marina we encountered large deposits of marble-sized hail. The little pellets of ice covered the fields and looked like snow. The road was covered by hail at least 3-inches deep. None of us had a camera, so Bill used his cell phone to take photos. Hence the crappy quality of these photos.


Hail!!!

There were skid marks all through the hail. And one car was resting in a field about 4 feet below the road level. It did not appear that anyone was injured and several people already were attempting to assist, so we continued on our way. Not like our little car would be capable of towing another vehicle up from down there anyway. This is the third time we have seen hail in the past 2 weeks. A guy who has lived here several years said he had never seen hail here until 2 weeks ago. Weird. The brief heavy rain also had caused many mud patches across the road. Some of the fields looks like small lakes. It has been raining almost daily for a few weeks and I guess the ground is so saturated that it could not absorb this downpour. Farmers have a hard time on this island. For 8 months it does not rain a drop; then it rains very frequently for 4 months. Rainy season starts in November. Looks like we will have a wet cold winter.

Not long after passing the accumulated hailstones we were startled to see the brightest rainbow any of us had ever seen! It was actually a full double rainbow, but the outer rainbow was very dim -- especially compared to the brilliant inner rainbow.

The crappy low-quality camera in our cell phone captured these images of the rainbow. These photos do not do justice to just how bright this rainbow really appeared. I have not edited these images other than to crop them. The colors were remarkably brilliant.

Wish we had brought a camera so we could have gotten decent photos.

The ends of the rainbow were so bright they appeared to be glowing. Most amazing rainbow I have ever seen.

Eastern tip of Cyprus looking south

One day last week we got stir-crazy and felt compelled to get off the boat and out of the marina for a few hours. Since we had not yet been to the eastern end of the island, we opted to drive that direction. Others had told us about high white sand dunes that they have walked on the beaches on the eastern tip of Cyprus. We followed the tourism signs for a monastery supposedly located there. Never found the monastery; the signs just ended. Also never found those high white sand dunes. We did see beaches filled with huge flat stones extending many hundreds of feet out into the sea. Very definitely not an area for yachts to anchor, assuming the sea is ever calm enough for anchoring. The sea was roiling the day we visited this area; strong winds and surging seas.

Wild donkey in valley

We drove past the first fee entrance to the wildlife preserve area (no attendant present, so no entrance fee paid). The road past that entrance was very narrow and not well maintained; driving was slow. About an hour later we arrived at the second fee entrance to the wild donkey preserve area (again, no attendant present).

By this time we were tired of driving. We stopped to stretch our legs; realized how cold it was in the wind on the hillside right on the sea; and quickly got back into the car for the long ride back. As usual, we had forgotten to bring the camera and only had the cell phone to snap crappy photos of the beach a few of the wild donkeys seen alongside the road. There was a large valley through part of the area that looked like the most fertile earth we have seen on this island....surrounded by mountains on all sides and very protected from the wind in all directions.

Turkish type of zucchini

Recently Bill mentioned on Facebook that we had tried a strange vegetable that turned out to be something like zucchini. It has a large bulbous end and a very long neck. The one in this photo does not have nearly as large of bulbous end as most of these do. The inside flesh is sort of a pinkish-yellowish color rather than the typical white of normal zucchini. I cooked it with garlic and onion with a bit of bacon grease for seasoning and it was quite tasty. We asked the manager of the marina restaurant and he explained that all types of squashes translate from Turkish to English as simply 'zucchini.' He told us the Turkish name for this vegetable, but I could not understand well enough to try to look it up online. Just accept that all squash in Turkey are zucchini. He said that in Turkey this type of zucchini is cooked with black-eyed peas. And, of course, they never use bacon or bacon grease because Muslims do not eat pork in any form. So, I tried cooking the next one of these with black-eyed peas. Nope; didn't care for that. It is fine cooked my way with garlic, onions and bacon or bacon grease. But squash in black-eyed peas wasn't so good.

Diet Coke

And while on the topic of food, I must mention Scrack. Bill has become a Scrack-head. He eats this Italian snack by the handful. It looks just like the image on the package, except each piece is very small. So he can eat it by the handful and never fill up.

Diet Coke is a thing just for the United States. Almost everywhere else in the world this beverage is called Coca-Cola Light. Other countries object to the term "diet" being applied to any foods or beverages. They seem to think "diet" means something for diabetics. Notice that cans of Diet Coke look much different in Turkey and Cyprus than these cans appear back home.

One day Bill walked over to the laundry room to help me carry back the heavy laundry bag. He cracked up laughing when we saw how a worker had plugged his electric sander into the electrical wall outlet.

Wouldn't OSHA have a ball with this!!!

My hubby's freezing!!

And, last but not least, Bill is freezing much of the time -- and it is not even winter yet! He is really.... really.... really going to freeze when the temperatures drop another 20 degrees (Fahrenheit). This is how he bundles up while drinking hot tea when the temperature inside the boat drops to about 68F. Can you imagine what he will be like when the temperature inside the boat get down to 55F? Thanks again to Bruce and Donna Rill for giving us these blankets/snuggle things when we were in New Zealand. These furry-lined silky-textured 'blankets' are ever-so-warm and snuggly. We love them. Although I have never zipped up into one like Bill is in this photo. Just laying one across my lap and tucking my feet beneath is comfortable enough for me.

BTW, he did not stay like this for long. He warmed up quickly all wrapped up into a cocoon like that.

A very short afternoon sail with the Secret Sail

2011-11-16T16:44:00.061Z


The Secret Sail

While Glenn was visiting the weather did not cooperate much for sailing. We did tourist things on the island instead. But one afternoon there was a hint of wind so we did venture out for a few hours.......sailing eastward along the northern coast of Cyprus, then reversing course westward back to the marina entrance. It was a gorgeous sunny afternoon and the wind was only 10 knots or less. These were perfect conditions to fly what Amel calls the mizzen ballooner sail, a/k/a the mizzen asymmetrical sail.


Secret Sail

We call it our Secret Sail.

This sail has rarely been out of the sail locker. We flew it twice off the northern coast of Venezuela several years ago. I love the way it balances the boat. And it is good for 1/2 knot to 1 1/2 knots additional boat speed, depending on wind and sea conditions. But it was such a hassle to drop this sail and then flake it and repack into the sail bag while out sailing. I don't know how old-fashioned sailors and racers do this with all their sails. There simply is not sufficient space on the deck of a boat to spread out a sail so that it can be folded or flaked properly. And we don't like stuffing sails into the sail bags all wrinkled up. So we rarely flew this sail. Our furling sails are so much easier to deal with that we usually fly only the sails that furl.

While in Thailand we add this sail put into a sock with the thoughts that we might fly the sail more frequently if it was easier to douse and store. In August this year we flew the sail between Santorini and Crete.....first time since it was installed into the sock. It was infinitely easier to raise the sail, once we remembered that the tack is shackled to the attach ring on the deck on the inside of the main boom rather than outside the main boom. And it was really easy to douse the sail with the new sock. We are going to like this!!!

The afternoon of sailing with Glenn afforded us perfect conditions to fly the Secret Sail. This was the first time he had seen this sail. It is much easier to raise and douse this sail with the assistance of a third person. Bill and I can handle it on our own, and it surely will become easier with experience.

Side-tied inside the outside wall at Karpaz Gate Marina

Wish we had installed the Secret Sail into a sock years ago.

After sailing a few hours we returned to dock alongside the breakwater dock.

Kyrenia Castle & the Shipwreck Museum

2011-11-15T01:45:00.014Z

St. Hillarion Castle on top of distant mountain

One day a few weeks ago while Glenn was visiting we set out to drive to St. Hillarion Castle, sometimes called the Snow White Castle because it is commonly thought that the castle depicted in the Disney movie was modeled after St. Hillarion. The castle is located high in the Five Finger Mountain range near Girne (current name for the old city of Kyrenia). Only the physically fit person should attempt to visit St. Hillarion. It is touted as a one-hour climb/steep hike up from the car parking level to the castle. Bill thought that I would never be able to handle the steep walk up at that altitude. I brought a walking stick and figured I would go as far as I could; Bill and Glenn could go up ahead without me. Bill didn't have the opportunity to be proven right because we got side-tracked in Girne and never made it up to St. Hillarion. We visited the Kyrenia Castle at the old harbor in Girne instead.

Kyrenia Castle, a/k/a Girne Castle

Kyrenia Castle is also called Girne Castle today, but is far better known by its former name. This is one large castle! It is situated right on the old city harbor. The first historical reference to the castle is 1191 A.D. when Richard the Lionheart captured the island of Cyprus from King Isak Komnen when Richard was on his way to the Holy Land during the Third Crusade. No one knows who originally built Kyrenia Castle. It has been modified and enlarged many times over millenia. Excavations throughout the castle have revealed Hellenistic-Roman traces which date back to 7th century B.C. It is likely that the castle was originally built to defend Kyrenia from Arab raids.

Glenn outside Kyrenia Castle

The three of us must not have been very bright this particular day. We walked completely around this large castle searching for the entrance. Never found it. The walls were unbroken completely around this big structure; no entrances, not even window openings in the stone walls.
We then decided to walk around the adjacent old Venetian Harbor on the western side of the castle.
There we found a tourist information office and the kind gentlemen directed us to the castle entrance -- at an upper level.

Judy outside Kyrenia Castle

No wonder we didn't find the entrance; we hadn't been looking high enough. Silly us; we were looking for an entrance on the ground level. Seems that at some later years a moat of sorts was added surrounding the land side of the castle, and the only entrance through those very high castle walls was on an upper level that crossed the moat (which is now a road).

Old Venetian Harbor

Settlement in the area dates back to the neolithic era. During the 10th century B.C. the Phoenicians settled on the island of Cyprus and established Girne as a trading post. During the Bronze Age the population in the region grew. Until 312 B.C. Kyrenia was an independent city kingdom, but then was taken over by Salamis. The name Girne is believed to date back to that time, so both Kyrenia and Girne are found throughout history used interchangeably for this small seaside city. Ptolemy (of Egyptian fame) was known as King of Salamis. Ptolemy referred to the town as Keravnia, which means Aphrodite with the Thunderbolt.

Sidewalk cafes around old Venetian Harbor

Looking down from top of castle wall

During Roman times the area was granted a relatively large amount of autonomy, allowing Cyprus to develop along its own lines. Girne was Christian even before Christianity had become the official religion of the Roman Empire. During Roman rule the importance of the port for access to markets in Asia Minor helped the city grow in both stature and status.

Collapsed Roman seawall extension

Looking down from the top of the castle wall, we could see the remains of an extension of the harbor wall that had been built by the Romans. That extension has long-since collapsed but is still visible beneath the surface of the water. Also, nearby are some Greco-Roman rock graves.

Inside castle courtyard

After a short period, King Richard sold the island first to the Templar Knights. Then shortly afterward King Richard sold the island to his cousin Guy de Lusignan, the former King of Jerusalem. Thus began the Frankish Lusignan rule of Cyprus which lasted for about 300 years (1192 to 1489). The Lusignans divided Cyprus into feudal states.

Way down to the dungeons

Initially the castle was fairly small. It was first enlarged between 1208 and 1211 during the reign of King John d'Ibelin. Its main purpose was military, which was reflected in the buildings and functions of the castle. Using the Byzantium style of fortification, a new entrance was added. Also added were a square, several horseshoe-shaped towers, strongly built embrasures for archers and several dungeons.

St. George Church inside castle today

The castle was almost entirely destroyed during the Genoese raids in 1373. By 1489 the Venetians took control of the island. They also adapted and enlarged the castle and it took on its present day structure.

During this period, thick fortified walls were built adjoining and encasing the original castle and walls. Wide embrasures for cannons were built.

Dome of St. George Church; old Venetian Harbor

When renovations to the castle were completed, the walls of the castle also encompassed the small church of St. George. The church of St. George is thought to have been built by the Byzantines during the 1100s.

On top of castle wall

In 1571 the local people of Girne surrendered to the Ottomans without a single shot being fired in Girne. In the corridor leading up to the Lusignan Tower there is a tomb of the Ottoman Admiral Sadik Pasha. This bloodless surrender likely resulted because the local folks had heard of or had seen the horrific shelling of Famagusta on the southern side of the island and felt it was fruitless to fight the Ottomans. Girne entered a period of decline after the Ottoman conquest due to the fact that as part of the greater Ottoman Empire, and surrounded by lands under Ottoman control, the strategic and economic value of Cyprus was neglected.

One of the tourist brochures claims that all additions made by the Ottomans were destroyed during the British colonial rule.

Another of the tourist brochures claims that after the British took over the administration of Cyprus in 1889 they attempted to improve and renovate Girne harbor with the idea to increase trade and shipping. However, it was difficult for the harbor to shake off its reputation as a 'ship-wrecker.' When one sees how destructive winter northerly winds can be in this area it is easy to understand how this harbor came by this reputation.

Inner courtyard top level Kyrenia Castle

So it is unclear to me whether this city languished and declined during Ottoman rule or if the Ottomans did indeed make any improvements during their ruling years.

The British took control in 1889 and remained in control of Cyprus until 1960. During this time the castle was used as a prison and a police academy for new recruits. Since 1960, it has been open to the public.

One of several 'modern' artillery mounts on top of castle walls

However, between 1963 and 1974 the castle was used mainly for military purposes by the Greek Cypriot army. Mounted on top of the castle walls are several stands for automatic weapons used by the Greek Cypriot army. Since 1974 the Department of Antiquities and Museums of The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus has been responsible for all aspects of the castle's preservation and use.

Ancient cistern inside castle

Inside tiled cistern

One thing we found particularly interesting is that inside the huge courtyard of the castle there is a large underground water cistern. This answered our question as to what in the world the people on this island did for fresh water.

Exterior opening to cistern

It does not rain on Cyprus for a minimum of 8 months per year. The farmers wait all year for a very small amount of rain during only a couple of months. We could not figure out how people lived on this island with so little water, especially back in the days prior to desalination. We assumed there must have been cisterns or wells but had seen no evidence of these anywhere on the island. This was the first cistern we had found.

Shoot arrows through this narrow slit

Archers must have been short

As we roamed around the tops of the walls surrounding the castle, Glenn noted that the archers of those ancient times must have been fairly short. Glenn is 5'6" and could just fit inside the places where archers stood to shoot arrows down upon invaders. Like Kantara Castle, which must have been built and modified at around the same times as Kyrenia Castle, there were many very narrow long slits for archers to shoot outwards.

No idea what this was

I never figured out what this crumbling part of the castle might have been used for. The crumbling upper part of this "structure" was open on the top of the outer castle walls. People were climbing all around this open area. Loose stones made for non-secure footing. And inside the circle was a sheer drop of more than 50 feet. Can you imagine such an unsafe area being open to the public in the United States!!

2300 year old sunken Phoenician merchant ship

Close-up of strakes

Inside the castle is housed the Shipwreck Museum. This is what we really wanted to see! This tiny museum is dedicated to a tiny Phoenician merchant ship over 2300 years old. A local sponge fisherman found the sunken remains in 1965. The wreck was about 1.5 kilometers north of Kyrenia at a depth of 18 meters. It was salvaged by marine archaelogists from Pennsylvania University between 1967 - 69. The tiny ship is the earliest trading vessel yet discovered anywhere. I had read about this discovery years ago and had wanted to see it for a long time. Did not know that it was located here on Cyprus. Neat!!

Cross view replica of how ship was loaded

The ship was 15 meters in length and was constructed of Aleppo pine. The wooden surface of the ship was coated with a strong lacquer to protect it against Mediterranean wood-boring maggot.

Replica section showing lead covering hull

The hull was also covered with vertical lead panels. We thought these were copper, but the signs stated the panels were lead. These also were to protect the wooden hull from marine growth, worms and maggots.

Amphoras salvaged from wreck

Cargo on this final voyage that was found still with the shipwreck included 400 large amphoras (storage vases), 29 basalt millstones and 9000 almonds. Finding the almonds was a big deal because scientists can learn much about ancient crops and insects by testing these almonds. About 300 lead weights found with the wreck indicate that the ship was also used for fishing. Or, at least the crew did some fishing, even if just for their own needs.

salvaged cargo of almonds

We got a real kick out of one of the statements on a sign in the museum. The marine archaeologists determined that this ship had a crew of 4 during her final voyage. They determined the number of crew based on the number of drinking cups found with the wreck. Also by the number of wooden spoons found with the wreck. Excuse me? Because only 4 cups and 4 spoons are found with a 2300 year-old wreck one assumes that there were only 4 persons aboard? That is faulty logic. Wooden spoons could have easily been separated from the wreckage during the past 2300 years. And to assume that the crew numbered 4 because there were 4 cups is quite a stretch. Bill and I very often share a single drinking cup during passages. It is easier than having 2 cups or glasses sliding around in the cockpit, so we share a single glass. Does that mean there is only a crew of 1 on our boat? Or, if one wanted to count all the drinking glasses on our boat, would that mean to a future marine archaeologist that there was a crew of 22 on our boat? Maybe there was a crew of 4 on this old ship. But it is a stretch to arrive at that number of crew simply based on the fact that only 4 drinking cups were found with the wreck.

The ship was built in 389 B.C. and was about 80 years old when it sank. To put this in perspective for our non-sailing friends, this Phoenician merchant ship is just a bit more than 3 feet shorter in length than S/V BeBe.

I was frankly amazed that there were several wooden blocks or pulleys that had survived this long at the bottom of the sea. Diagrams were provided indicating how this tiny ship was rigged. The illustration below shows where this single-sheave block was used to hold and trim sails

More photos later emailed to us from Glenn:

Kyrenia Harbor -- The old Venetian Harbor

Glenn in arrow shooting space Kyrenia Castle

It's a'blowing out thar!!!

2011-11-14T11:16:00.004Z

We are experiencing another of the pre-winter weather systems passing through the area. Winds have been in the 30+ range for a couple of days. And forecast is to continue the same for several more days.

Above is an image of the weather forecast on the Turkish Weather website. The little lines indicate the direction of the wind, and the little marks on the end of the lines (like fletches on arrows) indicate the predicted velocity of the wind. As you can see, there are winds in excess of 50 knots forecast between Cyprus and Turkey. At the moment we are in a lull with wind speeds of only 10 knots or less. This won't last long before our area is back into the yellow range with winds back up in the 25 to 30 range.

Also note the location of Alanya, Turkey. Alanya is really located a tiny bit north of where it is shown in this image, but this is close enough for you to get the idea. We have been watching the Alanya area during the past 2 weather systems......because we are toying with the idea of wintering there next year. Alanya appears to be in an area that misses the heaviest weather. This is the third weather system that has left Alanya pretty much untouched. As the system moves through, Alanya remains in the dark blue colors......meaning lighter winds. According to the weather websites we are watching, Alanya appears to experience far better weather than Finicke, Fethiye or Marmaris. I suspect this has something to do with the mountains in that area. Alanya might be a good place for us to spend next winter (if we don't join the new Red Sea Rally and spend the winter season sailing in Egypt down to Massawa and back).

Added later......the night after I posted this a storm blew through the area. Highest gust recorded by wind gauge on another just down the dock from us was 58 knots!!! For about 12 hours winds were consistently ranging 35 to 45 knots. Were we ever glad to be safely tied to this marina dock!

Marine life

2011-11-03T11:19:00.000Z

With all the dredging and construction work at this new marina during the past year, all the marine life fled. When we arrived in late August we saw almost no fish. And the few fish we did see were very tiny, not longer than an adult's index finger. One day I did see one fish that was about 2-feet long. But it left and never returned inside the marina as far as I know. The water here is crystal clear, like looking through a glass of drinking water; so if anything is swimming around inside the marina it is easy to spot.

When we first moved the boat out to dock on the breakwater wall there was a huge old green turtle that swam near our boat every day. We were docked not too far from the dog-leg to the marina from the tiny bay entrance, near the western end of the breakwater wall. The turtle left around the first week of October and has not been seen since. Green turtles have only 2 nesting grounds in the entire Mediterranean -- a location on the Turkish coastline and several beaches on Cyprus. The turtles return to lay eggs during July and August. Later when the eggs hatch, tourists go to the nesting beaches to watch the tiny hatch-lings make their way to the sea. The final hatch-ling watch was at midnight one Friday near the first of October. Funny that it was at the same time that the big old turtle left the area.

Yesterday as we were walking down the dock on our way out for the day I spotted a small cuttlefish swimming nearby. I was hurrying to meet someone; no time to run back to the boat for the camera; therefore, no photo of that particular cuttlefish. Darn it! But here is an image of a cuttlefish that I found on Google Images, and it looks very similar to the one I spotted. Cuttlefish come in all kinds of shapes and colors. If you are not familiar with this type of fish, check the images available online. The first time I ate cuttlefish was in Sri Lanka. Some of the restaurants served Deviled Cuttlefish, which was cooked in a spicy red sauce and served with rice. Very delicious. Cuttlefish is similar to calamari (squid) in both taste and texture.

In the past few weeks we have seen several small groups of squid in the marina. Yesterday I noticed a few small groups of fish, about 6 to 8 inches in length. Some of the construction workers catch fish off the inside of the breakwater wall at the marina entrance.

The only marina construction in the water is now outside down on the eastern end where there is another small bay. The breakwater wall that will protect the boatyard hardstand area is being completed down there; well separated by land from the interior marina area. So marine life is beginning to return to the marina waters now that underwater construction is completed in the interior of the marina 'harbor' area. Nice.

Rain!!!!!!!

2011-11-03T07:12:00.000Z

We are experiencing the second rain since arriving in Cyprus in late August. A lovely, slow, drenching type of rain. I hope it keeps up for the next 36 hours -- to wash away all the salt encrusted on the upper rigging from the wind-driven spray over the breakwater wall last week.

It is 70F inside the boat at 09:00 this morning. Bill is bundled up in fleece jacket and fleece pants, layered over short-sleeved tee-shirt. And wearing his fur lined moccasins that serve as winter slippers. I'm still in knee capris, tee-shirt and barefoot and quite comfortable. He is going to need much warmer clothing for the winters in the Med. How will he ever handle it when the temperature inside the boat gets down to 55F, which I fully expect it to be in February. Wonder whatever happened to his old duck-hunting clothes? The thermal long underwear, heavy waterproof gloves, battery-powered warmer socks and the L.L. Bean duck boots? Can't remember if I sold those in a garage sale; stored them in someone's attic; or gave them to our younger son. Think we better look for those when we visit Houston next month. Gotta find something to keep this guy warm! We can't stay snuggled beneath blankets 24 hours a day.

Off the wall

2011-11-01T12:38:00.003Z

This afternoon we moved off the breakwater wall to what is probably a temporary berth on D dock. Our permanent berth should be on C dock, but the electrical re-routing work on C dock likely will take a few more weeks. The power should be restored to D dock at any moment.

The government inspector signed off on the re-routed (and bonded) electrical work on D dock last Friday. An engineer inspector from the corporate office of the marina company flew down from England and inspected the repairs on Sunday. The marina is now waiting for one final inspector to sign off on the job, and then the electricity will be turned on for D dock. That inspector was supposed to be here yesterday. It is now mid-afternoon and he still has not arrived. Cypriots don't get in a hurry about anything.

Since the weather was nice and calm we opted to move to this dock today and hope this inspector shows up in a day or two. Three other boats also moved onto this dock today. Optimists, aren't we.

Re-routing of electrical lines on E dock hopefully will be completed in about a week. That is the dock for boats up to about 40-feet long. So that is the dock with the most boats. I'm glad the electrician opted to finish the D dock for 40 to 50-foot boats first. Our boat is 53-feet and we are a little too big for this dock, but all should be fine for a few weeks until we can move to C dock where the larger boats are supposed to berth.

Surely the work will be finished and approved so we can move over there before we fly home on 3 December. My mind would rest easier during our trip if our boat is berthed at the dock built for our size boat. If we have to leave the boat on D dock during our trip home, we will worry about the possibility of a winter storm and being on a dock with lighter weight moorings.

Kantara Castle

2011-10-30T13:53:00.004Z

Kantara Castle

Kantara Castle is the closest castle to our marina. Kantara is situated on a mountain overlooking the Karpaz peninsula of northeastern Cyprus. It is the easternmost castle on the Kyrenia mountain range and is situated at 630 meters above sea level. The high elevation on the peninsula affords views north to Turkey, south towards Israel and Lebanon, and eastward towards Syria. Turkey is only 44 miles north and can be seen on a clear day. The other countries range from 75 miles to 150 miles distant and a bit too far for the human eye. This was the perfect vantage point to be on the lookout for raiding Arabs arriving by sea in centuries past.

Kantara Castle

No one seems to know the original date of construction for the Kantara Castle. It is believed to have been built by the Byzantines during the 10th century to ward off raiding Arabs. The first historical mention of this castle is when Richard the Lionheart captured Cyprus in 1191 A.D. during the Crusades. Makes one wonder if dear brave Richard realized that the inhabitants were Christian or if he just assumed that they must be infidels. At the time Richard captured Cyprus, the ruler was Isaac Commenus (also spelled Kommenus) and was Byzantine, not Islamic. Makes one wonder just how many non-Muslim people were killed during the Crusades. When Richard attacked Cyprus, Commenus took refuge in Kantara Castle.

Kantara Castle

Kantara (630 meters) is the lowest of the 3 great crusader castles located in the Kyrenia mountain range of Cyprus. Located nearer the center of the mountain range is the Buffavento Castle, which is also the highest (950 meters). Nearer the western end of the mountain range is the St. Hillarion Castle (732 meters), after which Walt Disney is said to have modeled the castle depicted in the movie Snow White. I hope to visit St. Hillarion during our stay on Cyprus, although it takes over an hour to climb to the castle from the parking lot and I probably can't handle that activity at that height. It was hard enough breathing walking the steps at Kantara Castle.

Kantara Castle from parking lot

Kantara was bombarded by royalists with catapults in 1228 A.D. and the walls were severely damaged. During the Genoese attacks at Famagusta on the southern coast of the peninsula, people escaped the fighting by sheltering in Kantara Castle. One of these was the Prince of Antioch who escaped Famagusta with the help of his trusted cook. Later, during more peaceful times, the Lusignan royalty would come to Kantara and use tame leopards to hunt wild mountain goats.

Kantara Castle

Like the other castles on Cyprus, the Venetians took over when they arrived. But the Venetians abandoned Kantara in 1525 because the castle was so remote. The ruins seen today date from the 13th century. It is very picturesque and the ruins include towers, walls and a barbican, or approach fortification.

Half way up looking to south

The word kantara in Arabic means 'arch.' Kantara Castle is built on an arch and is accessible from only one side. We drove to the castle from the south side of the peninsula and the road was horrible -- very narrow and far-too-many patches in the asphalt. Very bumpy and long ride up there, with spectacular views and sheer drop-offs!. On the way down we opted to take a different route. About 1/4 way down there was an intersection and we turned north rather than take re-trace our route to the south. Much, much better! The road was all new asphalt; even had shoulders and guard rails! Definitely the better route to visit this castle.

Looking to north from Kantara Castle

After visiting Kantara at 630 meters, I have no desire to visit Buffavento Castle at 930 meters. The guide books state that the roads up to that castle are in deplorable condition. No thanks!

But Kantara Castle gets a thumbs up.

Here are a few more photos added later. Taken by Glenn and later emailed to us.


Judy at Kantara Castle looking southward


Bill near top at Kantara Castle

Glenn at Kantara Castle


Kantara Castle


Judy & Bill at Kantara Castle

Visit with a friend

2011-10-30T11:41:00.008Z


Glenn beside the travel lift tires. Big, aren't they?

Our friend, Glen Martin, arrived for a short visit. It was good to see him again; last time was when he visited us in St. Martin in the Caribbean during early 2007. And he arrived bearing gifts! A bottle of champagne! And a bag of Halloween/autumn themed goodies including candy corn, a tiny decorative pumpkin, pumpkin napkins and a tea towel with a pattern of autumn leaves and pumpkins, plus a scary movie DVD. What a nice surprise -- especially the champagne. That will be a real treat! Glenn stayed with us for almost a week, stopping in Istanbul for a couple of days en route home. Glenn works for an airline and is fortunate to get 'free' or almost free air travel, so he has traveled all over the place; but this was his first visit to Turkey and Cyprus, and his fist visit to Muslim countries. I think this trip was the first time he has seen mosques with minarets. Lucky for him, there is no mosque close to the marina so he missed the real Muslim experience of listening to the muezzin for the call to prayer several times daily.

Abandoned church near Dek's

On his first full day with us we drove down to Famagusta to see the old walled city. But first we drove to the local restaurant to find out which team had won the latest match for the Rugby World Cup. Yeah! All Blacks!

In front of this seaside restaurant there is an abandoned Greek Orthodox church. All churches are abandoned in Northern Cyprus since the 1974 war as this is now an Islamic country.

We walked down the rocky shore next to the restaurant to a landing to look at the pretty view of the sea and discovered another old stone building down there. There were dozens of white cloths tied on the stones and door. What is the world was that all about?

Full of Christian painting & white cloths

The door was ajar and we entered to investigate, hoping to solve the white rag mystery. Inside were many Christian religious paintings scattered around -- and many more of the white cloths and white strips of paper stuffed into crevices along the walls. There were some stone steps in a back corner of the building that descended into darkness. We did not have a flashlight and thought it unwise to venture farther down.

notice white strips of cloth in upper right area

We never did find out why all the white cloths and strips of white paper signify. It was obvious that some of these had been placed on the walls relatively recently. Why? Never did find out.

note white strips of cloth on right around painting

(Added later: be sure and read the comment below. Our elder son toured Italy during high school with a history teacher. The student group had a private tour of parts of the Vatican. These white cloths are explained in our son's comment to this posting. His explanation makes sense because the dark steps/passageway leading down was in the direction to be beneath the nearby church. We also spoke with a local resident from the UK. He said the small building was a church. The larger nearby church is about 300 years old and the smaller church is more than twice as old. He said there is a fresh water pool below sea level down that darn passageway. The local Christians (practicing faith in secret) consider this water sacred and use it to dampen the white cloths they leave tucked into the crevices, exactly as our son explains in his comment shown below.)

Tiniest Cooper -- an older mode

When we stopped for gas on the drive to Famagusta we saw the tiniest Mini-Cooper ever! This was apparently much older than today's Mini-Cooper autos. Maybe it was the first Cooper. The Mini-Cooper today looks like its big brother.

St. Nickolas, a/k/a Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque

In Famagusta we strolled around inside the old walled city, easily finding our way again to the old Roman Catholic cathedral of St. Nickolas. This cathedral was the largest medieval building in Famagusta. Construction commenced in 1300 A.D. Like most of the great Gothic cathedrals of the Middle Ages, it took 100 years to construct and was completed about 1400 A.D. Today the building serves as the Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque. Visitors were entering the mosque but I did not have a head covering so we did not enter. Notice the minaret added to the cathedral on the upper left of the facade. Also, all crosses had been modified to not look like crosses anymore, but we could still see where these had once been crosses in the stonework. Sometimes it is difficult to modify stones on the exterior walls of a building. In front of the mosque on the left side was an enormous tree. A sign nailed to the trunk indicated that this is a ficus sycamorus dating back to 1299 A.D. I had no idea these trees could live that long.

St. Georges of the Greeks

We walked a few blocks to show Glenn the building we noticed earlier that looked like it had been hit with artillery shells. This time we got close enough to read the sign. This building had been a cathedral called St. Georges of the Greeks, which was the Orthodox cathedral dedicated to St. Epiphanos. The saint's remains were buried here before later being moved to Constantinople (Istanbul). The cathedral was built in the 1360s and was originally a Byzantine church.

bullet holes on outside wall

Gothic elements were added to the church's northern side to create a hybrid form of architecture that makes St. Georges of the Greeks somewhat rare among Mediterranean churches. The central nave has chapels on both sides, leading to a cross nave, all with rounded apses.

Bullet holes inside wall chest to head height

In one of the alcoves we noticed hundreds of what appeared to be bullet holes from waist height to slightly above head height. For all the world it looked like people had been stood against the wall and shot. I cannot imagine any other reason for these bullet holes to be spread across the stone walls in this pattern.

Fresco of life of Christ

The upper levels of two of the alcoves were covered in painted frescoes depicting the life of Christ. On the upper level of one alcove on the opposite side of the church was a painting of crucified Christ. These paintings were faint and faded, but we were surprised they were visible at all. These are on walls that have been exposed to the elements since 1571 when the roof was blown off. We were amazed that these were visible at all after 440 years without even a roof to protect them. Also, up in what remained of the ceilings of the alcoves there were large terracotta pottery jars embedded in with the stones. There is a theory that the pottery fragments were added for acoustical purposes.

Faint image of Christ on cross

There also is a theory which suggests that the alcoves in the walls provided for the tombs of the church's founders actually weakened its structure. So, the very people who helped build St Georges of the Greeks in Famagusta may have contributed to its downfall --- literally.

In the nave are the foundations of some Roman columns where the method of binding stones with iron ties is visible. The use of iron ties for constructing masonry without cement was often used by the Romans in harbors and jetties.
What we thought were holes from artillery shells were actually holes from cannon balls from the Turkish bombardment in 1571. The vaulted roof was also blown off during that bombardment. Still visible in the interior are the remains of 8 massive columns or piers that once supported the high vaulted ceiling that was blown away by the Turks. Cannon balls still litter the area, 4 1/2 centuries later. Earthquakes during the 18th century also took their toll on this building.

We circled back towards St. Nickolas and enjoyed lunch at a sidewalk cafe beneath the trees in the lovely surroundings. We had planned to also visit Kantara Castle on our way back to the marina, but it was late in the day and we were all tired already. So that was saved for another day.

Countryside excursions

2011-10-16T13:55:00.013+01:00

Life is still uneventful for us. And that is still a good thing. During the past few weeks we have made several excursions around the countryside and the routine shopping trips. Neither Bill nor I can get enthused about doing any maintenance projects on the boat just yet. Some days the weather is hot and we are unmotivated in the heat. Some days the weather is gorgeous and we are unmotivated because we don't want to work on such beautiful days.

Any excuse to procrastinate work neither of us really wants to do. Bill hates procrastination. I revel in it.

My pet project is to remove all the carpets and clean them up in the cockpit using lots of plain water and the shop vac. I last did this in Thailand and it worked extremely well. I had been putting this off until the weather was a bit cooler. Now the weather is perfect for this job, but another electrical problem has developed at the marina and shore power is turned off during daytime hours until that problem is repaired.

Rock damaged underground electrical cable

It seems that some electrical lines were run through the ground too close to the surface -- with concrete beneath the lines. Heavy cranes were driven over these lines when the breakwater wall was built, forcing rocks down on top of the electrical lines and squashing them against the concrete below. The rocks forced holes through the insulation on the electrical lines underground. This problem did not become apparent until high winds forced waves to break over the wall and wet the ground where these damaged electrical lines ran. The moisture in the ground caused the electricity to cut in and out. Took awhile to find the problem, but now the repair work is almost complete. We had no shore power for a few days. Now the electricity is turned on at night from 18:00 to 08:00. Should be restored full-time any day now.

Installing conduit channels

Conduit channels

Work is progressing on one of the floating pontoons. The electrician claimed power would be turned on for that pontoon 2 weeks ago.

Installing conduit channels

Last Thursday he said power would be turned on for that pontoon on Monday (tomorrow). Our optimistic guess is at least one more week -- maybe another 10 days. The conduit channels are installed and about half the wires are re-run within the channels. Work does not progress quickly in this part of the world.

Electrical repair

We thought workers in Malaysia were slow. Work progresses in Cyprus just as slowly. I am happy out here on the wall, so the date of restoration of shore power isn't a big issue with us. A friend is coming to visit later this week and it will be easier to go out for a couple of day sails from this wall than it would be from the pontoon dock. (Although at this moment the weather forecast is not looking great for those anticipated day sails.)

Fender board

BTW, while docked to the breakwater wall we are using a fender board. This is a board that hangs on the outside of the fenders, against the concrete dock wall. The board protects the fenders from chafing against the concrete wall. Bill ran the board support lines through a couple of pieces of PVC to help hold the board down during tidal range changes. He placed an extra fender horizontally across the tops of the 3 vertical fenders to help keep those fenders from possibly riding up inside the board. This arrangement works very well and protects the fenders. Our fender board is very nicely finished and has a stainless steel strip that faces away from our boat. But any 2x8 or 2x10 could work just as well. An idea that people just starting to cruise might want to consider adding on their boats. Sooner or later you will end up having to dock side-to against a rough wall.

The latest cruiser rumor is that high winds toppled 20 yachts in the boatyard at Yat Marine in Marmaris this week. Yat Marine is where we hauled out last May. This is not something that would likely be reported in the mainstream news media, so as yet I have not been able to confirm if this rumor is true. There was a bad early winter storm a few days ago that hit that area of Turkey hard. And if it did hit Marmaris, it would not surprise me if boats would fall as most of the boats are braced up with cut tree trunks rather than with proper hardstands. But as yet all info we have received is second-hand or third-hand. Until someone tells us he personally witnessed the toppled boats, I withhold judgment as to the truth of this rumor.

Turkish style outdoor wood-burning oven

One day while out driving around we stopped for several photos. These outdoor wood-burning ovens look quaint to me. These are common out in the rural areas of Turkey and here in Cyprus. These ovens are usually rounded and are placed out behind homes. I know that mountain bread is cooked on or in ovens such as these. There are also a number of Turkish dishes that are baked in ovens such as these.

Wild olive tree

The rest of the photos are olive trees. Olive trees dot the countryside -- especially out in the Karpaz area of Northern Cyprus. Some resident British folks told us that the tops of these trees are cut back so that the trees remain short. I'm not so sure if that is true.

Bill picking olives

Pruned to remain low? Wild on the hillside

These trees are all over the mountainsides and hillsides. These are not planted in groves. Yet every one of them has a very thick trunk and is low-growing. Some do appear to have had the main trunk pruned back, but there are far too many of these olive trees growing wild out on the hillsides that look just the same. Certainly there are not people going out and pruning back every wild olive tree on this island.

Gnarled olive tree. How old is this!

I do love the gnarled thick trunks on these trees.

Olives--very fresh!

Still wonder................what the heck does one do with fresh olives?

Uneventful

2011-09-28T12:10:00.007+01:00

The past 2 weeks have been uneventful. Uneventful is a good thing.

We are enjoying a nice, quiet time doing nothing. Bill moved the "television" with DVD player and speaker system into our aft cabin, and we enjoy lying in bed watching movies in the air-conditioning each evening for a couple of hours. Then read books. That has become our evening routine -- also going out for dinner at least once each week.

One day we made a car trip to Nicosia with the German couple, Tati and Hoenning, who share in the car rental arrangement with us. They showed us the way to the border crossing. We bought the mandatory insurance for the car to be driven in Southern Cyprus. Others in the marina had said this was expensive, but it costs only 25 Euro per month. And that is for the vehicle, not per driver. That is hardly what we would consider expensive. Try renting a car in Houston with a foreign drivers license and buying insurance to allow you to drive into Mexico. IF that can be done (seriously doubt it), it would certainly cost more than $35 per month.

Hoenning then drove to a large shopping mall that is adjacent to a large Ikea. The mall also contained a Carrefour supermarket. Know where we will be doing major provisioning in the future. On the way back to the border crossing we made a detour to a store called Lidl. Lidl is found in Germany and carries some products that Europeans enjoy. Tati and Hoenning found the Swedish pickled fish in little jars that they had been searching for. We found packaged pound cake which is a treat. It is still too hot to bake anything on the boat. And bakery cakes in Turkey, Greece and Cyprus are not like cakes in America. Their cakes are far too sweet and have an unpleasant texture. We sometimes miss little treats like good cakes. Not something one wants often, but something missed when it is not available. The big find at Lidl for us was the very good ham sold there. We will absolutely return to Lidl when it is time to provision the boat before heading to Turkey late next spring. We will want to stock up on pork, bacon and ham since those items are difficult to find in Turkey.

UN building inside the Green Line

Last Saturday Bill and I made another trip to Nicosia -- on our own this time. It is a long drive so we planned to spend the entire day on this trip. And all day it was. We made two wrong turns before we found the border crossing. There are no signs pointing the way and the maps don't indicate any of the crossings. Cyprus is divided by the Green Line and even today is guarded by UN troops. What a waste of UN assets. There are only a few places on the Green Line where crossing is allowed. But it really is a joke these days. There are lots of people who live on one side and work daily on the other side. There have been no shots fired for a couple of decades. Wonder how long the UN is going to continue to spend money 'guarding' this Green Line. BTW, the UN building inside the Green Line at this border crossing appears very long since abandoned. Cameras are prohibited in the area of the Green Line but cell phones are allowed; hence, this poor quality photo.

After the border crossing we turned left instead of right. We drove about 5 miles before deciding this was definitely the wrong direction. So we backtracked to the border crossing and went the other direction. Success! We drove straight to the same shopping mall. This time I took notes. It is a good distance to this mall but now we have good directions for the next trip.

Bill had suggested we see a movie. Haven't seen a movie in forever. I think the last movie we saw was in Malaysia with Bill and Amy on S/V Estrellita. A long time ago. And more than 5,000 NM away. Unfortunately, all the movies showing were like kid movies. Nothing appealed to either of us. The theater was next to the food court so we decided to eat lunch in the TGI Fridays. Whoops! Nope! Not after perusing their menu. We placed the menus on the table and walked out. This restaurant was packed and had a line of at least 20 people waiting for tables. How can these folks spend this kind of money? A burger on the menu was 14.80 Euro and a soda/Coke was 3.80 Euro. So a single burger and drink costs 18.60 Euro, or just over $26 USD. Are they crazy? Are TGI Fridays priced this high back in the US? It has been years since we had visited a Fridays, but I know prices were nowhere near this ridiculous back when we used to eat there once every month or two. $26 for a burger and a Coke!! Out of our price range for a casual lunch. We don't spend $52 for lunch unless it is something special; not a simple burger and Coke. Yet these Cypriots were lined up and waiting. They have a different money value than we do.

Expensive pecans!!!

The only items on our shopping list were sandwich bread and new speaker headphones to use with Skype. Bill found the headphones right near the food court. Like this one-stop shopping. We browsed through Carrefour for the bread. While browsing Bill noticed small bags of unshelled papershell pecans and had to take a photo for our grandson, Zach. There are several pecan trees in Zach's yard and he collects the nuts whenever he wants his dad to cook something special. Hey Zach, bet you wish you could sell those nuts over here. At the price of 6.56 Euro ($9.18 USD) for a bag no larger than my hand, Zach could make a small fortune.

We walked to the adjacent Ikea. Man, it has been years since we have walked through one of those stores. My big purchase there was a package of flexible acrylic cutting sheets and two silicone trivets. Bought the cutting sheets just because this is the first time I have seen them outside the USA. They are not quite right (the ones sold in the USA are much better), but they will do. The silicone trivets are to place beneath things on the galley countertop to prevent sliding when underway. We did not need these things but I bought them anyway. Gosh, I feel just like an American consumer again.

We stopped at the Lidl store and stocked up on bottled drinking water. I do not care for the taste of the water at the marina. Their desalination facility does not produce the same quality as the desalinator on our boat. We are no longer using our watermaker because there are too many occupied boats in the marina now, and I am certain that not everyone walks up to the toilets every time they answer nature's call. We filled our tanks with water from the dock. It tests within WHO guidelines, but I don't care for the taste. Our watermaker produces potable water with TDS of just over 100. The marina dockwater has TDS ranging between 360 and 490. That is safe to drink, but it doesn't taste as pure as what we are accustomed to drinking.

Finding the border crossing from the south side by reversing my written directions was a breeze. In Lefkosa (the Turkish name for Nicosia, just to confuse people as much as possible), Bill snapped a photo of this building. Democrats are everywhere now. Wonder if Democrat means the same thing in Northern Cyprus as it does in the United States? Probably not. I looked it up when we got back to the boat. The words translate to Democratic Youth Movement. Not sure what the bee symbolizes.

Along the roadside today out in the countryside there were young boys holding up plastic bags as we drove by. They were obviously trying to sell something; but what? It reminded Bill and me of when we were children in Beaumont, Texas. Young black boys would stand on the side of the road and yell, "dewberries" -- actually sounded more like "dewwww--berrrieees."
My older brother and I would also go to the drainage ditch off old Florida Avenue and pick dewberries and sell these in the neighborhood. But I think we sold too cheap at 25 cents for a half-gallon container. I think the young black boys were smarter than us and demanded higher pricing.

Sheep crossing

Anyway, what were the boys holding up the plastic bags trying to sell? Took awhile but we finally figured it out. Olives!! They were selling fresh olives just collected from the olive trees all out in the countryside. We didn't buy any because I have absolutely no idea what one does with fresh olives. Put into a brine? Press into oil? Cook in some way? Don't know. Won't be trying any fresh olives.

The other thing we saw while driving in the countryside were lots and lots and lots of sheep and goats.

Cleaning plastic bags out of the cabinet

One day I decided to clean out the bottom section of one upper cabinet in the galley. This is to the right side of the stove. Frequently used spices and a cereal container are on the top shelf, and the bottom section is a catch-all. You know how every kitchen has a drawer where junk is accumulated. That is the lower section of this cabinet. It really is a small space. Inside I found plastic bags, and more plastic bags, and even more plastic bags. Every time I buy produce at a supermarket I toss the plastic bag into that cabinet. These bags are used to dispose of garbage like onion peelings, carrot peelings, etc. Stuff that I won't place in the big trash container beneath the kitchen sink because that doesn't get emptied daily. Bill was shocked that so many plastic bags were stuffed into such a small compartment.

Which bank issued your credit card?

This last photo is one taken in Famagusta a few weeks ago. We stopped at a service station (gas station) to stock up on oil for future engine oil changes. On the cashier's counter there was a lazy-Susan covered in credit card processing machines. The cashier was the owner of the station. I asked her why so many machines. She said many customers want to collect points with their credit cards and that the banks only give points if the card is processed on their own machine. So she has machines for all the local banks. And, no, she does not pay merchant fees for either machine rental or processing. At first glance, I thought they were behind the times because of so many machines. On second thought, I think this might be the way to do it. I certainly hated paying all those merchant fees when I owned a business in Houston. Bank competition here is so strong that they can't gouge the merchants or the consumers like is done at home.

The electricity is still not restored on the floating docks. I am afraid it might be quite some time before electricity is restored to all of the docks. This week the police stopped repairs on the dock where the accident happened; stating that their investigation was not yet closed. This makes positively no sense because the wiring has already been removed from that dock. There is nothing left as it was on the day of the accident, so it begs belief that the police have any further investigating to do on that dock. But when police say stop; you stop. So there will be no further electrical repair work on that particular dock -- which just happens to be the dock to which BeBe was assigned for permanent berthing. Hopefully, the electrical re-work will continue on the other docks and boats can be reassigned to those docks with functioning electricity and water. Others are more concerned with this than we are. It is fine out here on the breakwater wall. And out here we have 63 amp electrical service rather than only 15 amp service, so I don't have to worry about blowing a breaker by turning on the microwave while the a/c is running. Also, a friend plans to visit us next month and it will be easier to go out for a few day sails from this wall than it would be from the dual-bow lines med-moored to the floating dock.

52 year old Weller Soldering Gun still working

2011-09-26T10:48:00.003+01:00

My kids know this story. When I was 12 my mother bought me my hearts desire...a brand new Weller Soldering gun. By the age of 12 I had already been repairing radios, stereos and TV's. I had a dream to build a Heathkit Ham Radio, but never got the money.

I used this Weller Soldering gun thousands of times over the years. Although I have replaced the tip, I have never had to repair the gun. Yesterday I attempted to use this gun because I needed to cut some 12mm nylon line. Originally Weller did not make a line cutting tip for my gun...but in later years added a line cutting tip (apparently Weller knew I was sailing at this point).

The gun would not work...it would not come on. I used to be able to hear the transformer's hum when I pulled the trigger...these days I have to hold the gun near my ear to hear the hum. The hum has either lessened or my hearing in the last few years has "lessened." I pulled the trigger and held it near my ear...nothing. Then the ultimate test---I wet my finger and touched the tip...nothing, nada. Judy knows this soldering gun as "the soldering gun my mother bought me when I was 12." So, I said, "Judy, you know the soldering gun my mother bought when I was 12?" Judy: "Yes, I know it well!". I said, "it has quit...I am not going to work on it now, but I will fix it tomorrow. Judy: "Yeah, sure!"

Well, today is tomorrow and I took "the soldering gun my mother bought me when I was 12" apart and discovered the problem. A broken wire! This wire needed to be partially replaced and soldered into place for a permanent repair. I know what you are thinking...Nope, you are wrong! About two years ago while shopping in a Singapore electronics store with me, Judy said, "you know that soldering gun your mother bought you when you were 12?" I said, "er, yes." Judy said, "that thing is over 50 years old and will surely soon fail...you should buy something just in case." I hated to admit that "the soldering gun my mother bought me when I was 12" would ever fail, but agreed and for $4.00 bought a cheap soldering iron which was made in China. When I asked the guy if he sold additional tips for when the original tip wears out, he laughed at me...so did Judy. He dug around and found another slightly used tip and gave it to me, NO CHARGE!

So, armed with my soldering iron that Judy made me buy when I was 62, I repaired "the soldering gun my mother bought me when I was 12."

The soldering gun my mother bought me when I was 12
Note the line-cutting tip

WiFi - Something new?

2011-09-13T15:44:00.002+01:00

We are at Karpaz Gate Marina in Northern Cyprus.

I had a problem with our main computer and its external USB WiFi adapter receiving the marina's WiFi signal. I had no problem with my Apple iTouch receiving the signal. I have been trying lots of things and finally opted to replace the WiFi adapter with a spare. My old USB WiFi adapter was bought in the US 5 or 6 years ago and the spare bought in the US about 1-2 years ago.

Magically, the new USB WiFi adapter found the marina's access point. I looked a little closer and determined that the marina's access point is using channel 13. This is a new channel and generally not used in the US because of low power restrictions placed on the channel. I assume my older WiFi adapter was not made to receive channel 13.

So, there you are folks...one more thing to think about. It is beer-thirty here in Cyprus, so that is it for the day.

Bill

On the wall

2011-09-13T11:36:00.010+01:00

Northern coast of Cyprus

On our final day with this first rental car we opted to drive west along the northern side of Cyprus towards Girne. The map indicated a road following the coastline but others had warned us that the road is not marked. Sure enough, there was no road sign for this road; but it was easy enough to find. At the first roundabout we encountered we turned north rather than taking the road to Famagusta on the southern side. This put us on what appeared to be a brand-spanking-new very nice road across the mountains. It appeared that work was still in progress; there were no side barriers on steep drop-off curves and no lines painted down the center of this road. And no road signs whatsoever.

Northern coast of Cyprus (lots of large caves)

Soon we could see the sea on the northern side.

We followed that for an hour or so and then turned around because I was nervous about how much fuel remained in the gas tank. There was absolutely nothing on that new road and it was not an area where one would want to run out of gas. We saw only 3 other cars. The scenery was beautiful and we will drive that route again in the future.

"Fun Park" (Campground?)

At one very isolated spot there was a collection of shacks on stilts built out right on the cliffs of the shoreline. A sign called this a "fun park" and it looked like places for basic camping -- raised up off the ground. Not sure why it is called a fun park rather than a campground. (But then why are fried shrimp called fish stew?) Gorgeous views, but I am not into camping without shower facilities. And Bill doesn't believe in camping without an RV complete with air-conditioning and heat, microwave oven and television, as well as hot showers. So don't think we will be utilizing any of the fun parks on Cyprus.

Fun Park

Then we decided to turn in the rental car early because we knew we would not be getting out again that evening. This worked well as the marina receptionist could drive the car back to her village and return it for us when she finished her work day. All in all, renting a car for 3 days every month or so would work well during our stay here for the winter.

However, the next day another cruiser dropped by and inquired if we would be interested in sharing a full-time rental car. The car rental company will allow 3 named drivers on a contract, and 1 of the current partners in their rental agreement was leaving for at least 6 months for medical reasons; so they were looking for a replacement partner to share in the rental agreement. We understand that this rental agreement includes the special insurance to allow us to drive the car in both Northern Cyprus and Southern Cyprus. Count us in!! This sounds like a great arrangement. We don't know how frequently we will want to use the rental car, but this affords us an opportunity for wheels more often than only 3 days per month. With the bonus of allowing us to also visit Southern Cyprus if we want to. We will know later this week if this arrangement will happen or not.

Karpaz Gate Marina

On Monday a sister-ship Amel moved off the breakwater wall where they were connected to electricity and water and returned to their normal assigned berth. The owners are returning to Chile until next March or April. Bill and I think that power will not be restored to the docks for at least another month, so we moved out to the breakwater wall to enjoy the luxury of electricity and air-conditioning until that happens. We are now docked on that long wall, down near the entrance which is on the left side and out of view in this photo. The marina anticipates restoring power to the docks in about 2 weeks, but for a number of reasons we believe the actual time period will be at least a month or more.

Karpaz Gate Marina

They are re-routing the water supply from the conduit channel to run down the center beneath the docks. A type of sheathing has been ordered to shield the electric and TV cables that will remain inside the conduit channels along the edges of the docks. The sheathing will protect the cables from abrasion caused by the aluminum panels that cover the conduit channels. Until that sheathing arrives, the job cannot be completed. Government approval of the repair solution is still pending. I am certain that power will not be restored to the docks until all the repairs are effected and the governmental authorities sign off on it. Governmental authorities are the same everywhere; delays will happen. In the meantime, we can enjoy air-conditioning when wanted and will not have to run the generator twice daily to charge the batteries. The trade-off is the long walk around to the toilets and showers and restaurant/bar.

BeBe in her assigned berth

BTW, Bill sent a photo of how the electrical cables are routed through the conduit on these docks to a friend who has built 7 marinas in SE Asia. He responded and said that they also build the docks exactly the same way. To me, this still does not excuse not grounding the docks in the first place; something that any electrician at home would certainly have done. And absolutely something that any building inspector at home would have checked before allowing anyone on the docks and signing off on the job.

On a positive note, however, the laundry facilities are now operational and open for use. Nice, new machines and not outrageously priced at only 2 Euro per load. Now I won't be polluting the marina water by doing laundry aboard and discharging all that soapy water into the ultra-clear waters of this new marina. I hope that the toilets and showers right next to the new laundry room will open soon. That will cut our walk by more than half the distance. I very much prefer to shower on our boat, but that discharges soap and shampoo directly into the marina waters; so we both normally use the marina showers to do our part to keep the marina waters clean.

Fish and chips for the third consecutive Friday night were delicious yet again. This time I paid more attention to the batter since a friend had asked about it. Silly me!! They use a regular beer batter, just like I use when we catch Spanish mackerel and fry it on the boat. Only difference is that I add a very generous dollop of Old Bay Seafood Seasoning and a half-teaspoon of cayenne pepper to "kick it up" as Cajun chef Emeril Lagasse would say. Mix flour and Old Bay Seasoning (or Zatarain's if you prefer). Beat eggs and add to the flour mixture; mix well. Add beer until medium-thin batter results. Toss in fish fillets which are at room temperature, not cold from the fridge. Coat well with batter. Remove each fillet with a fork and let excess batter drip off. Drop into hot oil, enough oil to cover the fish. Don't crowd and cause the oil to drop too much in temperature or the fish and batter will absorb too much oil and be greasy. Doesn't get any better. (Okay, Candy; now you know how to cook British Fish and Chips. Their chips are nothing but plain ole French fries.)

Tomorrow night we plan to try the 'barbeque' at the marina restaurant. We know this will not be real barbeque. It will be a selection of grilled meats. Very definitely not what we Texans know as barbeque. Last Wednesday there was a guy playing guitar during the barbeque special. We were walking back from the showers just as he started to play. He sounded nice and the evening weather was perfect and most diners were sitting outside. We are hoping for the same experience tomorrow night.

Veggie delivery

While visiting the Old Venetian Walled Town in Famagusta the other day we saw several produce vendors driving around the city. They would drive a block or so and stop for about 15 minutes, allowing local residents to make their fresh produce purchases without having to go to a market. Very nice and convenient. I wish a produce vendor from the nearby village of Yenierenkoy would visit our marina once per week. But there are not nearly enough people berthed here yet to warrant such a thing. Maybe as more people arrive it will provide incentive to some enterprising vendor to attempt visiting the marina once weekly.

We have heard from 2 separate friends who might come visit in the next 2 months. Hope 1 or both makes it here. They probably will be bored but hopefully we can at least go sailing for a couple of days during each of their visits.

Another anniversary

2011-09-08T09:45:00.003+01:00

Celebrating 42 years of married life

Bill and I celebrated our 42nd wedding anniversary on 6 September 2011. It has been a long time since that hot Saturday on a Labor Day Weekend in 1969, that momentous day in St. Ann's Catholic Church when we stood and kneeled before Father Pucar and exchanged vows. We have such an easy anniversary date to remember, whether using American style of dates or the style used by the rest of the world. 9-6-69 in America and 6-9-69 everywhere else.

We hired a rental car for 3 days, not just to celebrate our anniversary but also to see a tiny bit of this island and to find where we will be shopping for the next 8 or 9 months. The first day it was just the 2 of us exploring; the second day another yachtie couple joined us.

Today is the 3rd day of having the car and we haven't decided exactly where or what today's adventure might be. As yet the only thing we have planned for today is to take a couple of jerry jugs to replenish diesel used to run the generator for charging batteries, making water and operating the washing machine. The main tank should be left as full as possible in order to prevent condensation causing moisture inside the fuel tank. We had bought 2 jerry jugs in Girne to re-fill the main tank for diesel used to get from Girne to Karpaz. We were not prepared to run the generator 2 - 3 hours daily because of the electrical problem in the marina, so we now need a few more jerry jugs so that we can continue to top-up the main fuel tank and prevent that dreaded condensation inside the tank.

St.Peter & St. Paul Cathedral; Old Venetian Walled Town

The receptionist in the marina office delivered the rental car to us Tuesday morning. She lives in the same village where the rental car company is located, so she kindly offered to deliver the car to us when she drove to work this day. Another yachtie had provided us with maps of the major cities in Northern Cyprus and a tourist brochure. We pulled out of the marina and turned right -- with no idea of where we were going. Because of insurance requirements of the 2 countries, this rental car is not allowed to enter Southern Cyprus, so any exploring we did would have to remain on the Northern side.

Rear side St.Peter & St. Paul's

The nearest village west of the marina is called Erenkoy. It is also called Yenierenkoy. All the villages and towns in Northern Cyprus have at least 2 names -- their old Greek names and their newer Turkish names. This really makes reading maps and road signs challenging when driving as the 2 often use the different names interchangeably. By the time one figures out what a sign means, you have made the wrong turn or passed the turn you should have made. Getting around is easy though; there aren't a lot of roads and it is an island after all. Hard to really get lost on an island.

According to the tourist brochure, civilization in Cyprus dates back 9,000 years. The island has been occupied by a succession of peoples from Europe and Asia. In the 8th century B.C. it was part of the Assyrian empire, then the Babylonian, Egyptian and Persian empires. In 58 B.C. the island was seized by the Romans. Richard the Lionheart settled on the island in 1191 A.D. during the third Crusade.

typical street in Old Venetian Walled Town

Then, after selling the island to the Knights Templar, he permitted Guy de Lusignan to buy the island. (Richard sold it twice?) Cyprus remained in Lusignan possession until captured by the Venetians in 1489. From 1571 to 1878 the island was ruled by the Ottomans until they leased its administration to Britain. Britain annexed Cyprus in 1914. British colonial policies promoted ethnic polarization, as citizens identified themselves as either ethnic Greek or ethnic Turkey, with both groups identifying even more strongly with their own island of Cyprus rather than either Greece of Turkey. The British applied the principle of "divide and rule", setting the two groups against each other to prevent combined action against colonial rule. Independence was granted in 1960. But after Greek Cypriot and Greek military coup in 1974, Turkey was 'forced' to intervene to safeguard the interests of the Turkish Cypriots. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was proclaimed in 1983.

Remains of St. Nikolas Cathedral in Old Town

The TRNC continues to be the country that does not officially exist. Turkey is the only country that recognizes the TRNC. NATO and the EU continue to insist that Northern Cyprus does not exist and that the entire island belongs to Greece after the Greek military coup in 1974. There is a Green Line separating North and South. No shots have been fired in Cyprus in decades. Tourists are allowed to freely cross the Green Line and travel both North and South sides of the island; but citizens of the 2 countries are not allowed such free movement between South and North. We have met several UK citizens who are residents in South Cyprus. They are allowed free movement between North and South because they are citizens of the UK and merely residents on this island. However, Greek citizens and Turkish citizens of the respective South and North are not allowed this free movement. And yachts that visit Northern Cyprus are prohibited from then visiting Southern Cyprus -- the authorities in Southern Cyprus claim they will seize your boat if this is attempted.

A building in Old Venetian Walled Town at Famagusta -- note holes from artillery in 1974 civil war

St. Nickolas down the street

It takes about an hour to drive to Famagusta on the southern coast of Northern Cyprus. The city's new Turkish name is Gazimagusa, but everyone still calls it Famagusta and it is considered the historical capital. In the center of the city near the seaside stands the old walled town.

The town of Famigusta was built on the ruins of the ancient city of Arsenoe, which itself was built to replace the ancient city of Salamis after being sacked by Arab raiders in 648 A.D. Arsenoe eventually grew into a small fishing port. In 1291 A.D., after the fall of Acre, Crusaders began to settle in the town; bringing with them the vast wealth they had accumulated during their conquests of the Holy Lands.

Remains of Old Venetian Royal Palace

This resulted in creating Famagusta into the richest city in the Eastern Mediterranean at the time. To proclaim the superiority of Christianity and to appease God for their sins, the inhabitants built churches all over the city. At one time there were 365 churches in Famagusta; one for each day of the year. Later, conflicts between the Venetians and the Genoese in the city, coupled with the increasing amount of resources and energy spent on defense against a probable Ottoman invasion, seriously hampered trade and the further development of the city.

St. Nickolas Cathedral

In 1571 the Ottomans took the city and Famagusta, no longer having any strategic or economic importance, reverted to the insignificant port town that it had been in the past. During the British rule from 1878 to 1960 much of the architectural heritage of Famagusta was lost when stone was taken from many historical sites to build the Suez Canal.

Claire, Peter & Bill in Old Town Famagusta

Yesterday we returned to Famagusta accompanied by Claire and Peter, fellow yachties berthed in Karpaz Gate Marina and also former residents of Southern Cyprus for 5 years. Claire and Peter showed us where the bus departs from Famagusta for our future use to/from the marina. Then we drove into the old Venetian walled town area. This reminded me somewhat of the walled city of Cartagena, Colombia; but not nearly as economically vibrant and with only a fraction of the number of tourists that fill Cartagena. (LOVED Cartagena; gotta go back one day)

We walked around only a short distance; then settled at a sidewalk cafe for lunch. I had a fabulous halloumi cheese salad. Previously I have only eaten haloumi cheese brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with oregano and black pepper and fried. It does not melt and this traditional Cypriot cheese is very distinctive. The salad was simply shredded lettuce with chopped tomatoes and onion, topped with finely shredded halloumi cheese with a few olives sprinkled around the edge. It had no dressing and none was needed. It was delicious. Now I know a new use for halloumi cheese.

We then walked a short distance around the interior of the walled city. The hot afternoon temperature was not conducive for a longer exploration. Soon we were back in the car and back to the marina.

Grilled entrecote

Last evening almost all the yachties gathered in the marina bar for drinks. It was fun and enjoyable to meet more of the other folks planning to spend the winter here. BTW, we ate dinner in the marina restaurant on our anniversary Tuesday. Bill enjoyed a steak and grilled vegetables. It was delicious, perfectly prepared and more than he could eat.

Fish Stew???

I opted for "crispy calamari and fish stew" -- mainly because I love calamari and had no idea what this dish might be. I usually try the unfamiliar in restaurants. When the waiter delivered my meal, Bill and I looked quizzically at one another. Bill said, "The menu said fish stew." The waiter smiled and pointed to the 2 fried prawns nestled in the center of the fried calamari rings. He nodded and said, "Yes -- fish stew." I think something is lost in the translation of the word stew between English and Turkish. It was served with a lemony olive oil filled with herbs for dipping which was very delicious.

Some of the other yachties had complained to us that the marina restaurant is expensive. I beg to differ. By rolling the 2 for 1 happy hour into an early dinner, we enjoyed 3 large glasses of excellent red wine, 2 large beers, an appetizer of mixed olives and various breads, a salad for 2, Bill's steak and grilled vegetables and my calamari and "fish stew" -- all for a grand total of 101TL or $56.90 USD. All beautifully presented and delicious. A bargain in my opinion. Sure, there are less expensive meals to be found locally; but not as nice as this. Chalk off another cruiser rumor. This marina restaurant is not at all over-priced for what they serve.

Nothing much happening

2011-09-04T09:00:00.003+01:00

That blog title pretty much sums it up. Been here for 10 days and nothing much is happening. Still no electricity on the docks, which means there also is no water on the docks as these are both controlled together by a master control unit in the marina office. Thankfully, the water is this marina is exceptionally clear and clean and there are very few occupied boats, conditions which have allowed us to run the watermaker as needed.

Construction of the building that will house the mini-market and the laundry is complete. The gondolas and other equipment for the mini-market are on site and the washers and dryers for the laundry are also here. The contractor needs to finish a few interior items in the building (like the air-conditioning......a very important and much needed item in this climate) before the building can be turned over to the marina. That should happen next week, so hopefully the mini-market and the laundry facilities will be operational within 2 or 3 weeks.

The best guess on restoration of electricity to the docks is "mañana" -- which as we learned in Venezuela does not mean tomorrow. Mañana means "definitely not today."

The so-called electrician is working ever-so-slowly on the docks. He is installing grounding straps between each section of the pontoons and electricity pedestals, and he is almost finished with that part of the work. They removed all the aluminum panels covering the wiring conduit for all the docks. There were several areas of chafe through the insulation on at least one of the large wires. That (those) chafed wires obviously will have to be replaced. And that just happens to be on the dock where we are now berthed. I do not think any electricity will be restored to any of the docks until the job is complete and inspected. My best guess is another 2 weeks, but who knows.

BTW, we were informed by a local restaurant owner that it is normal here to NOT earth or ground the electricity when constructing homes or buildings. He is from the UK (there are a lot of UK residents in Northern Cyprus) and owns a newly constructed home nearby. He had a friend who is an electrician in the UK re-wire his new home and his restaurant so that everything is properly "earthed" or grounded as we would say in America. I find it amazing that anyone anywhere would install anything electrical and not have it grounded. In fact, I find this so amazing that I must doubt the veracity of the statement.

At any rate, the electricity on the docks were not grounded and this fundamental error cost the life of a hard-working young man. His widow visited the marina one day last week with her family to see the place where her husband died. It was so sad. And his death was so preventable! I know what would happen in America -- the electrician would be sued; the project contractor would be sued; the dock manufacturer would be sued; the electric pedestal manufacturer would be sued; the marina management would be sued; and the developer would be sued. One or all would pay dearly for their part in causing (or not preventing) the death of this young man.

The marina moved all the occupied boats that need electricity to the breakwater dock. That is the only part of the marina other than the office and restaurant that currently has power. About 5 boats moved out there so they could enjoy air-conditioning. We have the built-in generator so we opted to stay on the regular docks. It is a very long walk to the showers, restrooms, restaurant or office if you are berthed way out on that breakwater wall. We prefer to deal with the heat rather than move out there. The dockmaster moved us to our 'permanent' space a couple of days ago.

Other than this electrical issue, this appears to be a first-class marina. A huge amount of money is being poured into this project. We have never seen a breakwater constructed so sturdily. Shouldn't ever have to worry about bad northerly weather damaging yachts berthed in here! The marina is extremely well-protected and sheltered. The entrance involves a reverse dog-leg, with high breakwater walls on both the northerly and the westerly sides. One could not envision a more sheltered marina. Even if at the moment there is not much for entertainment in the area for liveaboards, this still would make a superb place to leave a boat for the winter.

We enjoyed properly prepared Fish & Chips at the local Brit restaurant both Friday nights since our arrival. It is prepared from frozen cod, of course, and it is cooked to perfection. A real treat since we have not had any form of seafood since arriving in the Med other than fried calamari a few times. We have missed having fish. This isn't fresh; but it is good nonetheless. They had to explain 'mashy pease' to us; having never seen this before. Mashy pease taste okay -- sort of like solidified split-pea soup -- but we both prefer normal garden peas. We had never been served fish & chips with peas before, but apparently that is the traditional British way.

It has been too hot to think about doing any of our planned boat chores. No hurry since we will be here so long. Might as well wait for cooler weather. We will be very glad to when dock water is restored so we can wash off all the salt topsides. That is the only chore bothering either of us so far. No one likes being on a dirty salty boat.

Our time thus far has been spent reading books, watching DVDs and playing on the computer. One of the marina workers had a cable made that will work with our "TV" so when electricity is finally restored we should have TV on the boat. I understand we will receive about 25 channels, the only ones in English being BBC and CNN. Guess that will be better than nothing although I would have liked something more entertaining other than just news channels. Bill fell in the water (don't ask) with the iTouch in his pocket; so it instantly died. He immediately filled it with alcohol and then submerged it in a sealed container of rice for several days. It now turns on again and apparently works except for the touch screen -- which means it doesn't work since the touch screen is necessary to do anything with this device. He was disappointed because he enjoys using it for mobile internet access when off the boat. I was disappointed because that meant no more music until our visit home in December when we can get a new one. I can't go 3 months without music!!!! But Bill saved the day. He loaded a few gigs of music on a USB thumb drive . It is plugged it into the front of our JVC radio and music again plays at the nav station and in the cockpit. I am a happy camper again. Plus, this music is not our normal iTunes library; so it is a nice change of pace. Mostly jazz, but a nice mix.

We have reserved a rental car for 3 days this week so we can explore the island a bit.

Passage Crete to Cyprus; now docked in our home for the winter

2011-08-26T13:13:00.006+01:00

We cleared out of Greece 8 days before our 90-day Schengen Treaty allotment expired. The weather forecast looked good for the approximate 425 mile passage to the marina where we would be spending next winter. Why tempt fate by staying another week in Crete and then face the possibility of another meltimi. Besides, both Bill and I were tired and ready to get somewhere "permanent."

Clearing out of Crete is simple and convenient at Ayios Nikolaos. Both Customs and Port Police are located right on the tiny old town harbor, just a 15-minute walk from the marina. However, clearing out of Greece is a tad more difficult than simply clearing out of Crete. To clear out of the country we were required to visit the real Police station, and that was about an hour's walk away. Eventually we found the Police station -- after stopping to ask directions 3 times. Each time we were told to continue on to the "corner" and turn left up the hill. The "corner" was about 3 miles down the street from the old harbor. And the hill felt more like a mountain as we hiked up the steep incline. But find the Police we did. However, getting our passports stamped was a major accomplishment and a testament to persistence.

The first 2 police officers had no idea what to do with us. I guess not a lot of boats clear out of the country here. Most boats go on to Rhodes to clear out, but that made no sense because we would be sailing northeast to then turn directly south. We much preferred to simply sail east directly to our destination. Why sail 2 sides of a triangle when sailing 1 side of that triangle gets you where you want to go. One of the first 2 guys called a women on the phone and yammered away in Greek; then handed the phone to me. The gist of the conversation was that when we wanted to leave the country then we were supposed to come to the Police Station 2 days prior to when we wanted to leave. I explained to her that could not possibly be correct. No country requires tourists to report to Immigration and notify of impending departure 2 days prior to actually leaving the country. We went back and forth a few times but I wasn't giving in. We had already cleared out with Port Police and Customs and we did not want to hang around another 2 days waiting for our passports to get stamped out of Greece.

Next, the nice officer led us upstairs to talk to his supervisor. We continued to insist that we must have our passports stamped that we were departing Greece. This man called someone else on the phone. A lot of yelling and stern voices ensued, the end result being that we were to go wait downstairs. We found a place to sit. About 20 minutes later another man arrived; took our passports; and soon returned them to us -- all stamped out of Greece. The reason we were so insistent about having the passports stamped OUT of Greece is that earlier this summer we met another American couple who did not have their passports stamped when they departed Greece last year. When they cleared out the official told them that it was not necessary to stamp their exit in their passports. So they left; went to Turkey for 6 months; and then returned to Greece. When they attempted to enter Greece this year (at a different clearance port), they were fined 500 Euro each for not having cleared out properly and recorded in their passports. As far as Greece was concerned, they had never left the country. They also ended up having to hire an attorney and it cost them dearly in both time and stress (as well as money) to have this issued resolved. We did not want to take a chance on something like that happening to us when we again return to Greece next year or the year after. We wanted our passports in proper order officially indicating that we had departed Greece prior to the Schengen Treaty 90-day limitation.

Winds were about 18 knots when we left the marina at 06:45 Sunday morning. This was a fantastic day of sailing! The best this year. Winds built to solid 25 knots from 155-160 degrees on our port side. Following 2-meter seas. Bill adjusted the autopilot response to a higher setting to allow for faster response time due to the large following seas. We poled out the jib to starboard. With jib and mizzen alone, we were sailing at 8 - 9 knots all day. Perfectly flat downwind sailing. Just lovely.

Fishing for birds?

Just before we put the spinnaker pole in place our fishing reel spun out loudly. A solid hit! Maybe we would catch a fish in the Med after all. We have trailed a fishing lure almost every time we have motored or sailed this summer, but the only thing caught thus far were 2 plastic bags. This time it sounded like a real hit, not a flimsy plastic bag. Bill started reeling it in as I adjusted course to slow the boat down as much as possible to make it easier for him to reel. Then he said it wasn't a fish after all. We had caught a bird. And, man, did we catch this bird. The fishing line was wrapped completely around its neck. One dead bird now. Bill reeled it up onto deck and then pitched it overboard. YUCK!!!! I could never bring myself to touch a bird -- live or dead. They are such nasty creatures.

He won't mess with any more fishing lines

We trailed a line for the entire trip to Cyprus, but this was our only strike. And it was a darn bird.

At 14:30 we dropped anchor in a tiny bay on the southern tip of the island of Kasos, just west of Karpathos, latitude 35.20.73N longitude 036.52.29E. Today's sail was 58.5 NM, average speed 8.66 knots. Nice! This tiny bay is extremely windy all the time. There are high mountains and the wind funnels through constantly. Normally I have the engine in neutral when we drop the anchor, but the wind was so strong that the engine was at 2500 rpm when the anchor was dropped this time. It took that high revs just to hold the boat in place against the strong wind. However, once the anchor was set it was perfectly comfortable anchored in the strong wind. We enjoyed a very pleasant night with quite cool temperature. It was so cool that I pulled out long-sleeve gear, thinking we would need it during the nights on the passage to Cyprus. Wow, was I ever wrong.

We departed Kasos at 07:45 the following morning. I was just freezing and wrapped up in a blanket for the first 3 hours out. Winds were strong and we saw top boat speed of 10.01 knots. By the time we cleared beneath the island of Karpathos, the wind was gone. Just gone entirely. The rest of the passage to Cyprus was spent motor-sailing or motoring. There was to be no more sailing on this trip. And when the wind died, the coolness immediately disappeared. Soon it was swelteringly hot. And it has remained hot since then.

At approximately latitude 35.22.2N longitude 027.51.3E we began to hear Israeli Navy monitor marine traffic off the coast of Israel. That was 410 NM away! This was an anomaly because VHF radios normally work strictly on line-of-sight, with a distance limit of approximately 25 miles. We also heard Haifa Port Control. Later we also heard Turkish Coast Guard and Alexandria Port Control. We were also picking up AIS targets (commercial ships) for hundreds of miles in all directions. This is the second time we have experienced such an anomaly. The other time was halfway between Ashmore Reef and Bali, where we picked up VHF conversations and AIS targets up to 768 NM away in the southern Indian Ocean off the NW coast of Australia. It feels very odd to be listening to radio conversations hundreds of miles away.

We spent 2 nights at sea. I love nights at sea. The stars and the Milky Way are awesome. The first night there were a couple of shooting stars -- one of which was the lowest and brightest that I have ever seen. It looked like a fireworks display. There was a waning tiniest sliver of moon that rose very late during my watch each night -- almost yellow orange. Very pretty. We arrived at Delta Marine in Girne at 09:00 Wednesday morning. From Kasos, we had sailed (motored) 317.6 NM in 49.25 hours; average speed 6.45 knots and a lot of diesel burned. Clearance into the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus took only minutes. They were most concerned about whether we had visited Southern Cyprus -- the Greek side of the island. Nope. We came straight from Crete. The clearance official acted as if he had never cleared anyone into TRNC direct from Crete. Guess we took the route less traveled.

Girne is the Turkish name for this city. Kyrenia is the Greek name. Kyrenia has been under Turkish control since the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974. Those Turks and Greeks just cannot get along very long. All the islands and many of the cities on the 2 mainlands have changed names repeatedly as control switched back and forth between Turks and Greeks. The island today is divided into Southern Cyprus (Greek side) and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. We are staying in the TRNC. This removes us from EU countries and gives us respite from the Schengen Treaty 90-day limitation. No other country recognizes Northern Cyprus except Turkey. This means we cannot leave here and go back to Greece. We must first go to Turkey. Passports are not stamped in Northern Cyprus. So once one clears out of Turkey, there should be no problem entering Greece because there is no record of one every having been in Northern Cyprus -- that illegal unrecognized country where we have chosen to winter.

Kyrenia Castle (a/k/a Girne Castle)

Kyrenia dates to the time of the end of the Trojan War. It was founded by the Achaeans, ancient Greek colonists from the Peloponnese. Neolithic artifacts in the area date back to 5800 - 3000 B.C. Mycenaean tombs in Kyrenia date to 1300 - 500 B.C. The earliest written reference made to the town of Kyrenia is found in Egyptian scripts dating from the period of Ramses III, 1125 - 1100s B.C. Along the coastline there stands a large castle. Kyrenia Castle is one of the most impressive castles to have survived since the Middle Ages. Supposedly, it was built to protect the city from pirates in the 7th century A.D. However, remnants left from the Roman Age show that the history of this castle dates back to older times -- probably around 37 A.D. King Richard III of England had captured the island during the Crusades in 1191 A.D. and the Knights Templar used the castle. The castle was heavily demolished by the attack of Genovese in 1373. The Venetians rebuilt the castle in order to gain protection from the Ottoman fires. New city walls and round towers were added. When the castle was finished, the church of Saint George, used by the Knights Templar and supposedly built in 1100, was within the city walls. We had a good view of this castle but did not take a tour. It was too hot. Maybe we will return when the weather is cooler.

Cyprus is interesting in the simple fact that the island has retained the same name all the way back to when it was owned by ancient Egypt. Very few islands in the Med can make that claim.

The marina office manager offered us a ride into town, which we gratefully accepted. It was really hot and neither of us relished a long walk into town. We found a place to purchase a new TurkCell simm card for our phone. The TurkCell simm card from Turkey will not work here. I inquired about a 3G simm card for internet access, but the shopkeeper seemed to not know what I was talking about. Guess they do not have 3G here yet. We walked around a bit; found an ATM to replenish our supply of Turkish Lira; and enjoyed an early kebab wrap lunch. No more of those pita gyros; we are now back in the Turkish land of kebab wraps. Both are delicious, but I will miss that yogurt sauce on the gyros.

Early the next morning we moved to the 24-hour fuel dock at the tiny marina and filled up with diesel. Bill also filled 2 jerry-jugs with diesel so he can top-up the tank after motoring the additional distance to Karpaz Gate Marina. We want the fuel tank filled to the brim for the winter in order to avoid condensation inside the fuel tank. Water and diesel don't play well together.

At 08:00 we departed the harbor at Girne and motored eastward. Still no hits on the fishing line although we did see one 4-ft fish. So now we know there really are a few fish in the Med; they are just very few and very far between. At 15:00 we docked at Karpaz Gate Marina, which will be our home for the winter. Today's trip was 46.5 NM, with average speed of 6.64 knots -- all motoring in windless heat on flat seas.

After tying up we were informed that there currently is no electricity available. Awhh, shucks! We were so looking forward to sleeping in air-conditioning tonight. It was 94.8F inside the boat when we docked. Later, we learned that a marina worker had died the previous day due to an electrical problem. All electricity to all the docks has been turned off pending completion of the police investigation. Rumor has it that the metal pieces along the edges of the docks are conducting live electricity. The worker was standing on one of these metal pieces when he leaned over and touched a steel boat, sending electricity through his body. He fell into the water and the other workers retrieved his body, but he was already dead before he hit the water. How sad! This marina is being built by a company in Israel and they brought in a lot of workers from Israel. I do not know if this man was a local or if he was one of the imported workers. Sad, either way.

We think it will be several days (or weeks, IMHO) before electricity is restored to the docks. There are 32 yachts in this new marina now. Over the next 3 weeks they are expecting another 20 yachts to arrive from Marmaris, all of whom will be wintering here. Hopefully, the power will be restored before they arrive. Otherwise, it will get really noisy with everyone running their generators to keep boat batteries charged. The other bad thing is that the water is controlled by an electrical panel in the marina office. No electricity to the docks means no water to the docks either. None of us wants to run our watermakers inside a marina. But, at least the water here is exceptionally clean if that becomes necessary. It is very hot here. August is the hottest month, so hopefully it will start to cool off very soon. Last night we slept beneath 4 fans; and it was still too hot all night long to sleep well. By 05:00 I gave up and moved to the cockpit. If I was going to enjoy a cup of hot coffee, it would have to be well before the sun rose to heat things up even more. It was 85F inside the boat at 05:00 this morning. It is 15:30 as I type this, and temperature here by the nav station is again nearly 95F. I will longingly look back on these days when we are freezing our tushes off this winter.

Tonight we are going to Fish & Chips night at a local restaurant operated by a British couple. (There are a lot of Brits in Northern Cyprus for some reason.) It is a regular Friday night event. They even send a car to the marina to pick us up for dinner. Nice. Especially since there is absolutely nothing to do around here. This week we will try their Friday night Fish & Chips. Next week we will try their Saturday Barbeque. Although we know from repeated experience all around the world that what will be served will not remotely resemble barbeque as defined by Texans.

Will add a photo or 2 later.

Santorini and Crete

2011-08-20T13:37:00.019+01:00

"Whitewashed towns balanced on plunging cliffs......."
".....Santorini's landscape is nearly as dramatic as the volcanic cataclysm that created it."

So states our travel guidebook.. And that is a perfect description. This truly is a special place.

Towns are all on top of the cliffs, only a couple "docks" at sea level

City on top of cliffs at Santorini

The eruptive past has led some to believe that Santorini is the lost continent of Atlantis. That would be a stretch of imagination to me. Plato first recorded the Atlantis legend that has baffled historians to the present. His description of an ancient island civilization which vanished as the result of a great natural catastrophe has been variously fixed in the Antilles, America, an island somewhere on the continental shelf off the Mediterranean (slightly northwest off Africa) and Malta. In the last 40 years the location of Atlantis has moved to Greece and many eminent authorities now believe that Thira was in fact the fabled island.

Oia on cliff top

Oia on top

The Venetians gave the island its name (Santorini) in the 13th century, as a reference to Saint Irene. Before that it was referred to as Kallisti, Strongili or Thera. Our electronic C-map charts refer to the island as both Santorini and Thira. We have noticed that today many of names of the cities and islands are spelled with interchangeable "e" and "i" -- almost as if the Greeks cannot make up their minds which vowel best translates their language to English.

Road / walkway up to Oia

The island was an outpost of Minoan society from 2000 B.C. until around the turn of the 17th century B.C., when an earthquake destroyed the wealthy maritime settlement of Akrotiri. All hope of recovery vanished when a massive volcanic eruption spread lava and pumice across the island around 1627 to 1660 B.C. There is an archaeological dig currently going on at the settlement of Akrotiri. It is supposedly preserved by the volcanic eruption similar to what happened at Mt. Vesuvius. We did not visit this site, but maybe we will make it back here another time to see this wonder.

One of the 2 sea level settlements

The archipelago of Santorini is located about 120 miles southeast from mainland Greece and is a group of circular volcanic islands in the Aegean Sea. It is the southernmost island of the Cyclades. In 2001 the population of Santorini was estimated at about 13,600. Santorini is an enormously popular tourist destination. Large ferries and cruise ships move about inside the caldera almost constantly. The 2 major cities are Fira (the capital) and Oia on the northern tip. Another popular town is Pyrgos, located at the top of the island and where an ancient Venetian fortress is located. Pyrgos also is enclosed by medieval walls. The blue-domed churches dotting the hilltop settlement are a visible legacy of the Ottoman occupation. The archipelago of Santorini was annexed to current-day Greece in 1912.

Note different rock colors due to eruptions

Archaeology interests me. But rather than bore our readers with facts about tephra, basalt, rhyolite and ash lines, I will limit my remarks to snippets gleaned from guide books, sailing guides and websites.

The volcanic eruption likely was preceded by numerous small earthquakes spanning a period of 4 to 6 months, which would have alerted the residents that something was amiss and provided them ample time to flee the island. the fact that no human remains have been found at the Akritori excavation bears out this theory.

Eruptions layered different colored rocks and ash/debris

The eruption was really 3 separate eruptions -- 1 being rocks, dirt, ash and debris and the other 2 being gases and ash. Supposedly one of the gas eruptions caused a tsunami estimated between 115 feet and 490 feet traveling at minimum speed of 100 mph that devastated the northern coast of Crete, just 65 miles south. The tsunami is believed to have destroyed the Cretan-based Minoans. The Minoan civilization ended soon afterwards throughout all the islands in the Aegean Sea.

There have been at least 12 large explosive eruptions, at least 4 of which were caldera-forming. The earliest eruptions were beneath the sea near the Akrotiri Peninsula and were active between 650,000 and 550,000 years ago. In 1707 an undersea volcano breached the sea surface, forming the current center of activity at Nea Kameni in the center of the caldera. And eruptions centered on it continue -- 3 occurring in the past century.

Nea Kameni in caldera of Santorini -- new volcano dome?

Santorini was also struck by a devastating earthquake in 1956. Although the volcano is quiescent at the present time, at the current active crater steam and sulphur dioxide are given off.

We anchored overnight off Nea Kameni and the effects on my respiratory system was noticeable but dissipated as soon as we sailed away from the area.

The main point to us being that this underwater volcano is still active and could erupt again. But scientists claim it could never erupt again with the impact of the 1626 - 1660 B.C. eruption.

Nea Kameni -- sharp hard lava

A good explanation of the major eruption can be found at:

Minoan eruption at Thera

During our circumnavigation adventure we have had several opportunities to experience active volcanoes first-hand. The first was underwater Kick-em-Jenny in the Caribbean, just northwest of Grenada. That one requires daily monitoring because periods of high activity can cause boats to sink if sailing in the area. Gases in the sea can cause less buoyancy and the water literally will not hold up the boat. Most of the time it is perfectly safe to sail over Kick-em-Jenny. We hiked to the top of a dormant volcano on St. Eustatia in the Caribbean. We hiked to the top of a small dormant volcano in French Polynesia. In the Kingdom of Tonga there were 2 underwater volcanic eruptions very near to where we were anchored, also a couple of earthquakes that made our boat vibrate at anchor like a car does going over a ribbed bridge. There was minor volcanic activity while we were in New Zealand. In Vanuatu we literally walked around on top of an active volcano spewing hot rocks on the island of Tanna. Not the wisest thing we have ever done, but quite the unique experience. And now we have visited Santorini and anchored overnight inside the caldera of an active volcano. I think we are now done with volcanoes.

Our Secret Sail

On Monday 15 August we sailed south from Santorini to the tiny island of Dhia, just 6 NM north of Crete. Absolutely fantastic sailing conditions this day!! We even dug out the Secret Sail (asymmetrical 'genniker' for the mizzen). In Phuket we had this sail put into a sock. This is the first opportunity we have had to try it out. SO MUCH EASIER to deploy and retrieve. Should have done this years ago.

We anchored overnight in the easternmost bay on the southern side of Dhia, with hopes of arriving at the Old Venetian Harbor in Iraklion at a time in the morning where a boat might be leaving.

Dhia Island -- very rocky & barren

This harbor is extremely busy and almost impossible to find a berth there. We needed to be docked somewhere with access to the airport, and there are not that many places to dock in Crete. The next morning when we were almost to Iraklion, Bill decided to try the marina at Ayios Nikolaos one more time. They had already told us "no space available" at least 5 times. As luck would have it, they said they could fit us in if we arrived the following day -- but we would have to vacate the slip early Sunday morning. That worked perfectly with our plans.

Crete in background looks like Afghanistan

We did a 90-degree turn and headed east toward the marina 40 NM away. As we turned south to enter the large bay, the wind skyrocketed and we heeled way over. Scared the beejesus out of Zachary, but there was never any danger. We have sailed heeled farther over than that, but Zachary never had "enjoyed" this experience. He did not like it. Soon we were anchored just north of the marina. The mountains on the far eastern side of this huge bay reminded me of Afghanistan -- tall, rocky, barren and forbidding. We entered the marina the following afternoon.

Ayios Nikolaos from the anchorage

On Thursday we rented a car; found a gas station (since they give out the rent cars on flat empty); stopped at a large Carrefour supermarket and picked up a few things that we think will not be available in Cyprus; and at 03:00 Friday morning Bill and Zachary headed off to the airport 40 miles distant. They flew to Athens; Zachary boarded his flight to Houston; and Bill flew back to Crete and was back at the boat before 16:30. It is so nice when everything falls into place and schedules are followed. Today we cleared out of Greece -- had to be very insistent to get our passports stamped OUT of the country. At first light tomorrow morning we begin the sail to Northern Cyprus.

Inner harbor, Ayios Nikolaos, Crete

Ayios Nikolaos is a charming town on days that there are no cruise ships in port; swarming with way too many tourists on cruise ship days. There is a small outer harbor and a very small inner harbor surrounded by shops with all the designer

Outer harbor--Nikolaos

labels and with neat little eateries of all sorts. Charming place to sit by the sidewalks, drink coffee and watch the locals and the tourists pass by -- and one can easily tell them apart.

Live escargot climbing the Cokes in a small market

Hard to believe our time with the grandkids and family flew by so quickly. But I must admit that we both are tired and a bit worn out. We are now looking forward to getting back our regular routines with just the 2 of us. And I don't mean that statement to discourage any future visitors. We love having guests; we are just tired. I am very much looking forward to sitting in the marina for months, There are several little projects inside the boat that I would like to tackle. Looking forward to no schedules of any kind.

Ios -- BeBe's birthday

2011-08-14T14:00:00.100+01:00

Aaron and Lynn took a ferry to Santorini to celebrate their wedding anniversary. Elisabeth and Damien stayed on the boat with us and Zachary. Such a shame that BeBe will miss seeing Santorini. Guess she will need another trip at another time for that.

Damien did not ever seem to realize that his parents were gone. I guess having your big sister and a big cousin and 2 grandparents to occupy your thoughts doesn't leave a lot for a 2-year-old boy to think about his parents. I had been a bit concerned about how he would handle this because he really does not know me or Bill. This is only the 4th time he has even seen us, and the first time he was only 4-weeks old. He certainly does not remember us from our visit last November. This time he had 2 1/2 weeks with us living on a small boat, so I guess he knows by now that we are 'acceptable' people -- even if he doesn't know who the heck we are and how we fit into his family.

While in Ios we all ate lots of pork pita gyros for lunches and had an enjoyable time in general. The beach there was the dirtiest beach we have seen in Greece thus far. All those young party animals drop plastic bags, bottles and cigarette butts in the water and it all washes up on the beach at the end of the bay. And here we have been complimenting Greece on how clean the waters and beaches are. This beach is worse than Galveston or Bolivar Peninsula in regards to washed up trash.

The summer time with the grandkids was winding down fast. Bill decided it was time to administer their midshipman tests.

They had watched the Horatio Hornblower series when they first arrived in June and the Master and Commander movie, so they are aware of the ranks in the old British Royal Navy. Bill told them that if they learned enough about boats and sailing this summer and they could pass a test, then they could become midshipmen. Something they both wanted.

At the first spreaders

The test consisted of being able to tie off on a deck cleat and dock bollard; tie a 'midshipman's knot' (a/k/a double clove hitch), tie a bowline knot, feed a sheet or halyard onto a winch, use a fender when approaching another boat or dock, general basic navigational knowledge regarding port and starboard and give-way vs. stand-on vessel scenarios, ability to read the electronic chart and adjust to a plotted course, understanding of AIS targets shown on the electronic charts, and go up the mast in a bosun's seat to an undetermined height.

Note Zach's expression -- "you're kidding me"

BeBe was scared to death of the bosun's seat for some reason. She barely got her feet off the deck -- even though she was certain we had raised her 10 feet into the air. I kept telling her that her head was at the height of mine while standing, so I am that high all the time. But she wasn't buying it. When we showed her the photos later, she could not believe that she really had not been way up in the air. She passed all the other requirements of her grandfather's test; so she attained the rank of Midshipman.

Photo taken by Zachary at the first spreaders

Zachary also passed all the items on the test, but he went up the mast to the first spreaders. He said next time he wants to do all the way up. Or maybe at least to the second spreaders. He got rated as Midshipman 1st Class because he showed a little more bravery about the bosun seat requirement. Zach took a photo from up there to show his other grandmother.

Bill printed a glossy little certificate for each of them. And I explained that these certificates have no legal standing whatsoever; they are only good for crew aboard S/V BeBe.

10th birthday

6th birthday in Bonaire

8th birthday in Cairns, Australia

9th birthday in Singapore

Elisabeth, a/k/a the BeBe, celebrated her tenth birthday on 12 August -- the day her parents returned from their trip to Santorini. Celebrating her birthday aboard S/V BeBe almost has become a tradition. She celebrated her sixth birthday with us in Bonaire; her eighth birthday with us in Cairns, Australia; her ninth birthday with us in Singapore; and now her tenth birthday in Greece. One very lucky little girl, IMHO.

10th birthday in Ios, Greece

We gave her a toe ring. Bet she was not expecting that from her grandparents. We also gave her an elephant coin purse from Sri Lanka and a doubles-doll from India.

It has become a tradition to take her photo standing by the main boom on S/V BeBe on her birthday.

The following day Aaron's little family left on a ferry back to Piraeus (Athens), where they will spend a few days sight-seeing before returning home to Houston. It was great having BeBe with us for most of the summer; she is really maturing rapidly at this stage of her life. And we enjoyed getting to know baby grandson Damien a little better. Maybe he will remember us when we next visit Houston in December. That isn't so far into the future. And we thoroughly enjoyed visiting with Aaron and Lynn. They are so fortunate to have jobs that allow such lengthy holidays.

Half-underground church

The night after they left, the remaining three of us went out to dinner.

a very windy dinner

Zachary scouted the little town and found a restaurant he thought we should try for our final night in Ios. There was a tiny church built half-underground adjacent to this restaurant. Very picturesque. The food was pretty good. The wind was blowing so strong that it was hard to enjoy dinner. Zachary enjoyed an enormous Oreo crepe for desert. Not my thing, but he loved it.

The next morning we sailed off to Santorini.

Ios -- the sailor part of our visit

2011-08-14T13:22:00.002+01:00

The sail from Sifnos to Ios on Monday, 08 August, was lively and fast! Aaron probably did not think it was a fast trip -- laying down in the passage berth doped up with seasickness meds. But the rest of us had a great time.

Sailing to Ios

And we need not have worried about the baby getting seasick again. He did just fine on the last trip and did great today. I really believe that his seasickness the first trip was caused by eating and drinking too much prior to departing the dock and then reading and focusing on a book. This time we closely monitored how much liquid he consumed; fed him only dry foods; and made him look up at the horizon frequently. Takes some effort to

Cold sailing in August

convince a 2-year-old to stop concentrating on his magnetic trains sticking to a book and to look at a bunch of boring water

Too rough sailing -- just sleep

swooshing past the boat. He did great even with the rougher conditions today.   The kids each handled sailing in his or her own way. The baby never slept and remained active; BeBe was cold but remained awake; Zach was not cold and he slept most of the way.

As we approached Ios the wind increased to sustained over 25 knots from the north. We entered the long harbor and scouted out the tiny harbor to the right. Boats are no longer permitted to anchor off the beach in this bay because the large ferries need that area for turning room. Yachts must moor/dock to the harbor wall or docks. This was not our most successful docking.

Bill dropped the anchor and backed toward the outer dock on the right-hand side of the harbor. We were going to the starboard side of a red motor yacht, with an old steel Italian yacht on our starboard side. What a grizzled old dude that Italian was! Huge bushy gray beard; skinny as a rail; brown as a cigar; and wearing a Speedo. We had a horrible time getting in because of the wind blowing our bow toward the Italian yacht. And, then, once we were finally tied up, the motor yacht on our port side said that our anchor was dropped over his and that he was leaving first thing the next morning. We needed to pull the anchor and re-set. So, we untied the dock lines; motored forward; pulled the anchor; and did it all again. Our performance was no better the second time.   Eventually we were tied up. Then the Italian man said we were now over his anchor. Why the hell didn't he say something BEFORE helping us tie off the dock lines! And he also was planning to leave the next morning. But he agreed that he would handle it the usual way described below.

Bill found the Port Police and had our transit log stamped. We planned to be in Ios until Sunday, 14 August. Next we all walked to a harbor side restaurant called Enigma for a nice lunch.   Shortly after arriving back at the boat, a charter catamaran arrived carrying the most enormous speakers and elaborate sound system that we have ever seen in a boat of any kind. This cat was tricked out like the booming cars one sees back in Houston. And it was filled with young men, playing their choice of music loud enough for the entire town to hear -- including the mountaintop chora area. Ios is well-known as "THE" party island of all Greece, and is very popular with the younger set. But this was really too much. We stayed mostly inside our own boat and ignored the party music. Several hours later a resident on the hillside walked down to the Port Police and complained about the loud music. The Port Police visited the cat and the volume was lowered to a somewhat more acceptable loud level. Still wasn't really bothering us. I liked the kind of music they were playing. We turned on the rear air-conditioning to drown out the music noise so the baby could go to sleep that night.

The music volume crept higher and higher and soon the Port Police were back down at the cat asking for the captain. The captain was not aboard, but the Port Police did manage to make the charter customers turn down the volume. This was around 22:00. The captain returned and learned of the second visit by the Port Police, and the music was immediately turned down to an acceptable level. Around 23:00 everyone left to go party.

At 06:00 the following morning Bill and I were awakened by 2 girls standing right at the stern of our boat and yelling at one another in German. They were surrounded by several of their friends, most of whom were carrying bottles of beer. It looked like they were going to go to fisticuffs any second. But the smaller girl ran back to the catamaran and returned with some keys. She threw the keys at her 'friend' and the group dispersed. Ah, hah. The smaller girl had returned to the catamaran with one of the charter guys and she had the hotel keys belonging to the taller girl. Harbor drama early on a Sunday morning by drunk young German women, aided by also-drunk young American men. As the 6 or 7 German girls walked away toward town, the catamaran slipped its dock lines and motored away from the dock to retrieve its anchor. The second the dock lines were uncleated from the dock, the music was turned up to full volume -- where it remained until the cat departed the harbor. So childish! They were showing the Port Police that they would do what they damn well pleased as soon as the Port Police had no authority over the captain. By this time I was sitting in the cockpit drinking coffee and enjoying the harbor drama. When the music cranked up, heads started popping up out of hatches all the way around the harbor wall and docks. It was funny.

The motor yacht on our port side departed without incident. The Italian yacht on our starboard side had all kinds of difficulties. Sure enough, our anchor chain overlapped his. The way to deal with this is that the boat #1 pulls his anchor chain in until the overlapping chain of boat #2 is brought up near the surface on top of the chain of boat #1. Then a short rope is looped beneath the top chain and tied off on boat #1. This normally requires that boat #2 let out additional chain, sometimes quite a lot of additional chain depending on depth and how far out the overlapping occurs. Then boat #1 lowers his anchor a little and maneuvers his boat until his anchor can be brought completely up to the bow roller. Then the short rope securing the chain of boat #2 is released and boat #1 goes on his way. Boat #2 takes back up any additional chain he had to let out. Simple. We have done this before when we overlapped their chain in Sri Lanka. And we have watched many people do it here in the Med. Tangled anchor chain is a common problem in tight spaces where boats Med-moor. That is why the lazy line system is much preferred -- no tangled anchors.

Only problem this time is that the Italian guy had a large fisherman's anchor. Unwieldy thing. It turned and twisted round and round with our anchor chain as he brought it up. It was a huge mess and there was no way he was going to be able to extricate it. So Bill dropped our dinghy into the water; quickly mounted the outboard; and zoomed out to help. The entire time this was happening I was sitting in the helm seat with the engine running and the bow thruster down just in case we needed to maneuver our boat. Bill and the Italian finally got the anchor chains untwisted and the Italian boat left the harbor. I began pulling in the excess anchor chain with the control at our helm.

And it just kept coming and coming and coming. I had let out 68 meters in order for them to free the overlapped anchor. Soon there was only 22 meters out. That would never do. It should have been more like 40 meters; definitely no less than 36.

At this point a Greek man on the dock offered to help Bill re-set the anchor. They went out and tried pulling up the anchor into the dinghy.   They struggled and managed to get the anchor up into the dinghy, but the anchor chain was so heavy that the 15hp outboard was not able to propel the dinghy and anchor and chain out to where the anchor needed to be dropped in order to re-set it. This was getting a bit ridiculous.

And, just to add more drama to the mix, another charter boat filled with twenty-something guys and gals arrived while all this was going on and decided to back up on our port side where the motor yacht had left. There were several empty spaces; I do not understand why they chose the one space that had a spring line tied across it to a bollard on the dock. In anticipation of dealing with the overlapping anchor mess, Bill has tied a long spring line to a far dock bollard after the motor yacht departed. This prevented the wind from moving our boat into the Italian as he motored away from the dock and dealt with the fouled anchor chains. The charter guys asked me to remove the spring line. I told them, "Sure. As soon as we finish dealing with the fouled anchors." This question / answer scenario was repeated at least 6 times. Finally I got annoyed and told them that they could see we were dealing with a fouled anchor before they backed in; that I was not going to remove the spring line until the anchor was re-set because it was holding us from turning in the cross-wind; and that they could wait until we were finished or they could move to another space. Their choice. They decided to wait.

Since Bill and the local man could not bring the anchor out because the chain was so heavy, the only remedy was for me to retrieve all the anchor chain and then lower the anchor and chain into the dinghy. This is what we did. I let out 50 meters of chain into the dinghy. They motored out to the correct spot and dropped the anchor. We let it settle about 1 minute and then I started bringing in the excess chain. Sure enough, at 39 meters the chain snugged tightly and the anchor was well-set. Now I removed the spring line and the charter boat finished docking. Told them all along that I would remove it when our anchor was re-set. Don't know why they kept bugging me about it when they could see we were dealing with the anchor.

About 5 minutes after we were properly re-set the local man who had helped Bill returned and suggested to Bill that we move to the inner harbor wall. The winds were predicted to start howling from a more northeasterly direction on 11 August and he said the dock area where we were would become completely untenable. There was an empty space right next to his boat on the inner wall. Another boat had just left there while we were dealing with our anchor. Bill made an instant decision to move before another boat arrived and took that spot. Release the dock lines; pull the anchor back up; turn around and back up to the inner harbor wall; picking up the lazy line to secure the bow. Loved it!

The local man was right. By Thursday morning all boats had vacated the outer dock. Waves 1.5 meters high were crashing into the docks out there. Whitecaps covered the outer harbor and bay. While in the very tiny inner harbor there was barely a breeze. The only bad thing about being on the inner harbor wall is the surge from the fast large ferries. That surge causes the boats to move back and forth. It is essential that your boat be docked at least 2 meters from the harbor wall. We have a long passarelle, so that was not a problem. But that forward and back movement when the ferries arrived or departed really got to me. I am accustomed to boats moving side-to-side. It is not normal for a boat to move forward-to-backward. I had to hold onto something every single time.

Naxos and Sifnos

2011-08-14T05:00:00.191+01:00

Saturday, 30 July 2011, we sailed from Finikas on the island of Syros to Naxos Town on the island of Naxos. This time Aaron took a couple of scopace pills and slept the entire way down below in the passage berth. That is better than lying down in the cockpit with all the kid noise. Being seasick is miserable. I know well, because I was seasick every time I even looked at a boat for more than 20 years. I finally got over that, but can still sympathize. This worked pretty well for Aaron and he will likely continue the same practice on future sails this summer.

Texan friends Craig and Jan on S/V LONE STAR, a newer model Amel 54, had visited Naxos a month or two previously and had passed on their recommendation for a Mexican food restaurant. They know how much we Texans miss Mexican food when in foreign countries. Everyone aboard S/V BeBe loves all sorts of Mexican food, so we were all looking forward to visiting Picasso's. Craig had also forwarded us the cell phone number of the dock master at Naxos. We called just prior to our arrival and were directed to dock. This harbor is very tiny; and, like most harbors in Greece, it is filled with local small fishing boats and small pleasure boats and larger day-tripper boats. We got the last space available for a 16-meter boat.

While Bill visited the Port Police to have our transit log stamped, Aaron and Lynn took the kids for a walk around the harbor front. Dozens of restaurants and bars. Quite the tourist scene, with frequent ferries arriving and departing. I enjoyed the peace and quiet on the boat for an hour alone. When everyone returned we tidied up and set off to find Picasso's. This was easy enough and not that far a walk.

Aaron and Lynn treated us to dinner at Picasso's. Fajitas for everyone else; soft tacos for me. And it was good! Aaron and Lynn wanted margarita's, but Bill and I could not bring ourselves to pay 13 Euro for a margarita. Or to allow them to pay that much for margaritas for us. That is $18.72 USD for a simple freaking margarita!! Nope; not in my world. I realize the selling price includes 23% VAT, which means the actual price for the drink was $15.22 plus tax. But even that is too expensive for a simple margarita. I like Texas prices much better. After our meal, the server surprised everyone with shot glasses of frozen margaritas for the adults and slushie-type shots for the kiddos. That was very nice of the restaurant manager! The margarita tasted fine, but confirmed our decision that it was not worth $18.72.

It was funny watching Damien tear into the Mexican food. That little boy likes spicy food; his older sister cannot tolerate any spice at all. This Greek version of Mexican had no jalapenos so was not very spicy. The seasonings were tasty, but different. The best that one is going to find in Greece. They simply do not grow or import the right ingredients.

We stayed in Naxos for 4 nights. Aaron and Lynn took the kids swimming several times. There was no sandy beach nearby, but there was a rocky area where people swam. The kids were find with that. One day Zachary found a very, very tiny starfish and picked it up. Elisabeth filled her shoe with seawater and they carried it back to the boat. They wanted to keep it. Bill convinced them that it would die because we could not keep enough fresh seawater at the correct temperature for it to live very long. So Zach released the starfish back into the sea at the dock's edge.

Venetian Museum looking down toward Naxos harbor

One day we walked up through the winding narrow alleyways of Naxos Old Town. It was very similar to the Mykonos Old Town, except not as large and not as commercial. More people still live in Old Town on Naxos. At the top is an old Venetian Museum. When we reached the area where the alleyways turned into steps, I turned around with Damien in his stroller and let the rest of the group go all the way up to visit the museum.
Eventually we met up again down near the dock area.

Naxos harbor

Zachary was kind enough to take photos of every single display in this museum so that I could see what I had missed.

The prettiest photos were shots of looking down toward the harbor where our boat was docked.

Temple of Apollo at Naxos

There was yet another Temple of Apollo on Naxos. How many does this make now that we have seen? Seems like every island in this area has at least one. The only thing remaining of this temple was the outline of one end of the structure. Who knows if that is even original or if has been "reconstructed."

The weather forecast called for yet another building meltimi. We had seen enough of Naxos and none of us relished the thought of spending another 6 days on the same dock. On Wednesday, 03 August, we sailed west to the island of Sifnos.

People on another boat had told us how much they enjoyed Vathi Bay on the western side of Sifnos and how beautiful it is. The sailing guide stated that Vathi Bay was an excellent anchorage for sheltering during a meltimi. Turned out that both statements were accurate.

The sail there was a bit rougher than most of the sailing in Greece had been thus far, but we enjoyed it. After rounding the southern tip of the island and heading north, it became rougher. There also is an adverse current on that side of the island. The sailing guide had not mentioned that or we would have rounded the northern tip and taken advantage of the current and wind behind the beam rather than motoring into adverse current and headwinds.

The entrance to Vathi Bay is quite small and can be difficult to identify. Of course, electronic charts and GPS have eliminated these difficulties. Finding the bay entrance was a breeze. Once well inside the narrow entrance through the rocky mountainside, the bay opens to both side directions. It is a huge bay and so well surrounded by the mountains that it affords excellent protection. The bay entrance is so long and narrow that the sea does not work itself around and cause swells as is common. This was a good choice to visit until the meltimi blew itself out.

Aaron and family again took a bus into the main town on the opposite side of the island one day. They did not find much of interest. Our guide book states that the island of Sifnos has 365 churches. That is its claim to fame -- 365 churches. Oh, boy. With a population of 2442 persons. And I thought Tupelo, Mississippi was 'over-churched.' Another day Aaron and Zachary and Elisabeth went into town together for a gyro lunch. Zachary bought me a nice small ceramic flower vase; he remembered that I had looked at one in Mykonos but did not buy that one. He is a very thoughtful boy.

Homemade boats to race

We stayed in Vathi Bay for 5 nights while the winds blew, checking the wind forecast several times daily. We wanted to be in Ios on 09 August because Aaron and Lynn were supposed to take a ferry from Ios to Santorini on 10 August. We all hoped the wind would decrease enough to make sailing there possible. It would have been no problem for Bill and I. But everyone else would not have enjoyed the sea and wind conditions.

boat BeBe

One day the kids built boats out of styrofoam and various bits of odds

boat Zach Attack

and ends found on the boat. They took these to the beach and raced. There are several beaches in Vathi Bay. The northernmost one up behind the small harbor dock area is exceptionally well protected and calm. Even when winds are blowing 30 knots, that particular area is totally calm. Perfect for kids to play.

The first night in Vathi Bay a dark-hulled Ocean Star monohull charter boat dragged anchor through the anchorage and struck an Italian private cruising boat. I was sleeping in the cockpit with Elisabeth when it happened and woke immediately, so I saw almost the entire episode. The Italian woman was screaming bloody murder! The charter boat never turned on any lights whatsoever. Maybe they thought they could remain incognito. The charter boat ever-so-slowly moved behind all the boats in the anchorage and re-set its anchor on the opposite side of the bay behind us. All this in total darkness.

And the wind was not even blowing all that hard during the wee hours of the night. The wind often calms during those hours, even in a meltimi. The charter boat dragged because -- like every other charter boat we have watched -- they did not put out enough scope on the anchor chain!!!!!! I am sure these charter boats are not equipped with chain counters. And the charter customers have no idea how much chain they put out. We have watched thousands of them; and they NEVER put out even half the length of chain needed to properly anchor.

The next morning the dark-hulled charter boat pulled anchor and motored out of the anchorage -- while the Italian man was yelling at them to stop. There were several marks down the starboard side and at the bow of the Italian boat which were caused by the charter boat striking it and dragging down its side. The Italian boat had a dinghy in the water, but no outboard engine (heaven help me; I will never understand this European thing about paddling dinghies or using a 3 h.p. outboard rather than using a decent sized outboard engine!) There was no way for him to go after the charter boat. This charter customer should have paid for the damage he caused. Bill blasted an air horn at the charter boat, but the driver steadfastly ignored all yelling and departed the anchorage. We noted the name of the charter company and Bill sent them an email identifying the boat and describing the incident. Don't know if that will do any good or not, but they should not charter to this guy again.

On Monday, 08 August, winds were down to 18-20 knots; so we sailed to Ios.

Back to Finikas on Syros

2011-08-14T04:00:00.001+01:00

Wednesday, 27 July 2011

A meltimi was forecast to be brewing (yet again!) and we did not want to be 'caught' in the harbor in Mykonos. Friends had been stuck here 8 days recently during a meltimi; it is not a place easily departed when strong winds blow from the north. We are out of here!

Not happy sailing

Aaron was worried about getting seasick but didn't take any medication. Within 15 minutes of leaving the dock he was down for the count. Next time he will definitely take seasickness meds of some kind. Shortly after Aaron laid down, Damien started upchucking. He had the funniest look on his face -- like this had never happened before. I thought, "Oh, no. Don't tell me we are going to have to deal with a seasick baby for 3 weeks!" But my fears were unfounded. This turned out to be the only passage that caused him any motion distress. Maybe it was due to the fact that he was reading books. That might not be such a good idea for kids who are not accustomed to sailing.

Oh, almost forgot to mention that we departed the dock with no problems. No wind blowing this time to force us onto that very low concrete dock down our port side. And our anchor came up without fouling the lazy-line system in the fairway. Thank our lucky stars!

Docking as Finikas town quay was almost old hat -- we have done it so many times already. This time was even easier because Aaron was up and about again to help with the lines. We really like this place. This time we stayed 3 nights, 27 - 30 July.

Curling up on the floor for a short nap

One day Aaron and family took the bus into Ermoupoulis, so they had the opportunity to see a bit of the island. One day Damien refused to lay down for a nap in any of the beds. He gathered bath rugs and his blanket and curled up in the little space at the aft end of the passage hallway, at the entry to our aft cabin. Why this space? Who knows what goes through the minds of children!

The forecast meltimi did not materialize. The forecast kept delaying onset of the winds. By early Saturday 30 July we decided that it would be a good idea to head on down to Naxos. Get a little closer to where we needed to be by 9 August. Off again!

Ancient Delos -- one of the 'must-see' places of Greece

2011-08-14T03:00:00.003+01:00

At Ancient Delos

On Tuesday 26 July we visited Delos. We were surprised to encounter Chuck and Lynn from S/V CYAN on the same ferry. Small world. We did not even know they had made it to Greece yet. Last we heard they were still in Turkey. It was nice to catch up briefly. They were in a guided tour group and we did not see them again once the ferry docked.

Carvings at base of pillar

In ancient Greek, delos means clear, brought to light. According to the myth, the island of Delos appeared from the waves when Lito took refuge there and gave birth to twins Apollo (god of light) and Artemis (goddess of hunting). One could easily spend days visiting the ancient site and still not see it all.

Ram carvings at base of pillar

But one day was sufficient for us -- there being not an archaeologist or historian among our group. Just regular old tourists who didn't know exactly what we were looking at. It is advisable to visit Delos with a guide to make the most of it. But being the thrifty folks that we are, we did not want to spring for the big bucks and pay for a guided tour. That gets a tad costly for a group of 7. Besides, with a 2-year-old in tow we knew this would not be an easy day and none of us would have been able to really pay attention to the guide or retain much of what he or she might have told us.

Seeking shade in the heat

The island of Delos is located just a few nautical miles from Mykonos. There are several ferry trips daily except on Mondays. You are not allowed to approach Delos in a yacht unless first obtaining a special permit (if you can get it) from authorities in Mykonos. Therefore, it is best to take the tour ferries. Delos is hot and there is no shade anywhere, so bring lots of drinking water and an umbrella. Delos has always been a religious (since 1000 BC) and commercial center (since 478 B.C.). The island is tiny, comprising only 4 square kilometers; but is home to the oldest and largest open-air archaeological site in Europe. Modern excavations began in 1873 and continue even today by Greek and French archaeologists, although we saw almost no work underway today.

Partially restored house

The site has many houses, temples and sanctuaries as well as an indoor Archaeological Museum. The museum was built in 1904 and originally had 5 rooms. Today the exhibitions are held in 9 rooms. Six of them house the statues and other findings from Delos. Two rooms are filled with pottery from various places (from prehistory to the Hellenistic period), while the last one contains an exhibition of daily objects found in private houses. Within the exhibition there are funerary statues (7th -1st century B.C.), pottery (25th -1st century B.C.), clay figurines (2nd-1st century B.C.), jewelry (2nd -1st B.C.) and other small objects, as well as mosaics (2nd- 1st century B.C.).

Temple of Apollo at Ancient Delos. Note statue remains in center.

According to mythology, after Zeus (the philandering king of the gods) impregnated the mortal Lito with Artemis and Apollo, he sent her away from Olympus in an attempt to shield her from the wrath of his jealous wife Hera. Lito desperately sought a place to give birth. She wandered the Aegean Sea; but was refused by island after island, each afraid of Hera's fury. At last the exhausted Lito came upon a floating island shrouded in mist, but it also cowered under Hera's threats. Lito swore by the river Styx (the most sacred of all oaths) that if she were allowed to give birth on the island that it would no longer have to float and that her son Apollo would bring fame and riches to its shores. Upon hearing this vow, the reassured island stopped drifting and welcomed her.

A window in time

Unhappy and vengeful, Hera made the goddess of childbirth prolong Lito's labor for 9 days in revenge. When the infants finally arrived, the mist disappeared and the island basked in light. The island's name thus changed from 'Adelos' (meaning invisible) to 'Delos' (meaning visible). True to Lito's vow, Delos soon became the seat of her son's worship. Attracting a multitude of pilgrims, Apollo's sanctuary grew to be one of the most important religious and cultural centers in ancient Greece.

Aaron at top of mountain

Zach at top of mountain

Although Delos was colonized by the Ionians in the 10th century B.C., its status as a center of worship arose only in the 8th century B.C. After it emerged untouched from the Persian Wars, Delos became the focal point of the Delian Legue. During these years, the Athenians ordered at least 2 'purifications' of the island in Apollo's honor. The second 'purification' in 426 B.C. decreed that no one should give birth or die on its grounds -- an order that worshipers took retroactively. They exhumed graves and moved bodies to a 'purification pit' on nearby Rheneia island. After Sparta defeated Athens in the Peloponnesian War, Delos enjoyed independence and wealth. This prosperity soured, however, during the Roman occupation in the 2nd century B.C., when Delos became the slave-trading center of Greece. By the end of the 2nd century A.D., after successive sackings, the island was left nearly deserted. Today its only residents are thousands of lizards and a few members of the French School of Archaeology, which has been excavating here since 1873

Mosaic tiles on floor in Trident house

There were far too many ancient temples and sanctuaries and houses on this site to mention here. Some of these are: Agora of the Competaliasts, Sanctuary of Apollo, the Propylaea, Temple of Apollo (a/k/a Temple of the Delians, completed 4th century B.C.), Terrace of the Lions (an entire story in its own right), House of the Lake, the Sacred Lake, the Roman Agora, Temple of Isis, Grotto of Hercules, House of the Dolphins, House of the Masks, House of the Trident, House of Dionysus and the House of Cleopatra. Many pages could be devoted to each of the civilizations that occupied this island, particularly the Roman period.

We were impressed with the remains of the Dexamene, an extremely deep and large cistern beside the amphitheater. The cistern had 9 huge arched compartments visible down in a valley-like indention in the mountainside. There was a lot of water in the cistern on the day of our visit, even though there had been no rain here for months. At the time the island was inhabited there was a large lake for a fresh water supply. This lake was drained in the early 1900s in efforts to prevent mosquitoes carrying malaria. When Aaron and Zachary hiked to the top of the mountain, they saw a very, very deep cistern with a lone huge tree growing in the middle of it. There was no mention of this in our guide pamphlets.

All in all, a pretty darn impressive ancient archaeological site with very interesting history. But one day was enough for us.

Fresh Pasta

Pasta display on streetside

When we returned to Mykonos Aaron and Lynn treated everyone to a lovely lunch at a fresh pasta restaurant inside the winding narrow alleyway-streets of Mykonos Old Town. We had passed their pasta display the previous day and just had to return to sample their fare. Each of us tried a different pasta dish (different shapes, different flavors and different sauces) and all were fantastic. Delicious! Absolutely delicious!

All shapes & colors of fresh pasta

Mosaic tiles on floor

Sitting in amphitheater

We were also impressed with the size of the amphitheater.

And most especially impressed with the mosaic tiles on some of the floors and walls of the 'mansions' and temples. Colors were still visible on the mosaic tiles -- laid up to 3500 years ago.

Note 3500 yr-old wall plasters & floor mosaic tiles

Plus several interior walls of the mansions and temples had remaining sections of layers of plaster. Amazing

Mosaic floor tiles

Mosaic floor tiles exposed to full sun and still in place after 3000 years.

A day in Mykonos

2011-08-14T02:00:00.000+01:00

Monday, 25 July 2011

Mykonos Old Harbor

Since the ferries to Delos did not operate on Mondays, Lynn and I decided to take the kids and spend the day exploring Old Town of Mykonos. Bill wanted to install some of the boat parts that Aaron had brought in his luggage. We had ordered a couple of pumps and had these delivered to Aaron's house. It is so nice to have visitors from home. Nice to visit with them and nice to have them deliver things to us.

Mykonos Old Harbor -- for mega yachts only today

It was mid-morning before we got the kids together and walked to the bus stop, where we waited almost a half-hour standing in the hot sun. (Note to self: bring an umbrella next time.) Old Town of Mykonos is only about 6 kilometers from the new harbor but there is no space on the ultra-narrow roads for pedestrians. Really, the bus is the only way into town -- regardless of what the guide book states.

We wandered around the very narrow alleyway-streets of Old Town. Lovely, lovely place. There is a plethora of jewelry shops and more places to eat than one can imagine. Shoppers heaven. They must love having so many cruise ships make Mykonos a port of call.

Isn't he adorable!

Zachary bought a lovely pair of earrings for his mom. And a nice black bracelet for himself and a black hat very similar to the one he wore when he visited us in Australia 2 years ago. Lynn found a pair of beach shoes for the baby and a beautiful blue bracelet for Elisabeth. I just enjoyed looking; jewelry is not my thing.

The first ATM we visited was broken; so we backtracked to eventually find one that did spit out euros as requested.

Stairs to old windmill area; Little Venice in background

Then we set off on a search for an area known as Little Venice. This turned out not to be really like Venice. It was just some restaurants and bars built right on the water's edge. Pretty; but not with canals like Venice.

Old windmills at Mykonos

Nearby were the old windmills -- another sight that should not be missed. Damien insisted on getting out of his stroller and walking up the long steps to the top of the hill. Fine by us; wear yourself out little boy. He actually was a real trooper this day and on very good behavior all day long, even though we knew he was getting very tired. It is a lot to expect a baby to adjust to an 8 hour time change and spend his first day in new surroundings out in the hot sun all day. What happened to my nap!

At the old windmills

We found a place to sit outside and eat pita gyros for lunch -- the worst we have had since arriving in Greece. But the kids were happy enough when they got ice cream for desert. Then we set off trying to find a produce market.

Market search

We really wanted a supermarket but could not understand directions from anyone we asked. We twisted and turned around and around the narrow alleyways and did eventually find a produce market. What a strange place to put a produce market! The selection was not very good, but it was enough to last us a couple of days until we returned to Finikas on Syros.

Enormous pelican!

Huge & pink!

We wound around again in the alleyways and found our way out to the old harbor area. Just as we were emerging from the Old Town area we encountered the largest pelican any of us had ever seen. I had no idea that pelicans could grow this enormous!. It was white with a pinkish tint. A very strange looking bird, IMHO.

Posing for photos

The next morning when we were walking to the ferry dock to go to Delos, we again passed this same pelican. This time he was actually posing for photos for the tourists.

Oldest church in Mykonos

Shortly after passing the pelican we found the oldest church that is mentioned in the tour guides. This was very tiny and right on the water's edge of the inner old harbor. Don't know how we missed it the first 3 times we walked past.

By the time we started back to the bus stop on the other side of the old harbor, we were all beat. Walking for a few hours in the heat really does wear one out. Where is the wind when you want it!

When we got back to the boat the washing machine was working right again. The new pump solved the problem of water not pumping out during the spin cycle. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I cannot imagine what a hassle it would have been to have 5 visitors (including a 2-year-old) on the boat for 3 weeks without having a functioning clothes washer. Aaron also had delivered a new something or other for the accumulator tank, but Bill had opted not to install it just yet. He had adjusted the pressure setting and that also seemed to be working fine. If it acts up again and causes the pump to stay on too long, then Bill can replace the whatever to repair it properly. At least we have the spare part now, whatever it is. (I really don't want to know. It is not something that I will have to work on.)

Tomorrow we go to Delos for the day.

Mykonos

2011-08-14T01:00:00.000+01:00

So excited to see her baby brother again

On Saturday 24 July we sailed to Mykonos. Family members were due to arrive the following afternoon via ferry from Piraeus (Athens). Elisabeth was very excited anticipating the arrival of her baby brother. The island of Mykonos is comprised mostly of granite; and, as all the islands in the Cyclades, has little water. Mykonos lies almost in the center of the Cyclades Islands of Greece. Cyclades means the circle islands, because they form a circle around Delos. More will be written about Delos in another posting. BTW, for our American readers, Cyclades is not pronounced like one might assume. The correct pronunciation is Cee-CLOD-eees -- middle syllable strongest and pronounced as in a clod of dirt.

Yachts are no longer allowed to enter the old town harbor (except mega-yachts apparently, as we saw several docked in there). Yachts are required to dock at the "new" harbor about 6 kilometers away. There are also a couple of nearby anchorages but these can become untenable if winds build. We arrived in the "new" harbor with winds blowing at 20 to 25 knots -- right across the beam. There was plenty of space on the inner side of the first dock, so that is where we headed. A quick look at the other docked boats revealed several using the lazy lines and several using their anchors for the med-mooring. Bill decided to dock BeBe just inside in the last space next to the very low concrete dock. This would place a very low concrete dock at our stern and a very low concrete dock all along our port side. There was no lazy line visible for this space, so we dropped the anchor and backed in. Much to our distress, all the fenders were tied too high to fend off the very low concrete dock. I quickly adjusted 3 of the fenders to the correct height and had just untied the fourth when I had to run back to the stern to handle dock lines. There was no one to help us tie up and Bill was having a difficult time at the helm controlling the boat in the high wind. I asked Zachary to hold the loose fender between the boat and the dock until I could return to tie it off correctly.

Then I rushed to the stern, stepped off (normally I cannot step off because docks are usually far too high, but this one was far too low). I looped both stern lines around the bollards, running the lines back to the boat deck cleats. Then back to help Zach with that fender. As this was happening, the wind blew the boat against the side concrete dock. The 3 fenders that I had lowered did their job, but Zach didn't hold the loose fourth fender down low enough and we scraped the wall slightly. No real damage done, but Bill was very upset as this was the first scratch we have put on this boat. It wasn't really Zachary's fault because we shouldn't rely on a visiting child to know how to handle boat-related tasks, especially during rapidly occurring events. And Bill did not realize that the fourth forward fender was not yet correctly in place or he would have been more diligent with the bow thruster keeping us away from the side dock. After we added 2 spring lines on the starboard side to hold us straight in the high winds blowing across our bow, then Bill compounded the scratch on the port side. It is not noticeable but to completely remove it will require the electric buffer. That can be a job for during the winter while sitting in the marina in Cyprus.

This was not a pleasant docking experience. What kind of pissed me off is that there was a man standing 25 feet away who never even offered to help with the dock lines. Later this same man departed in his motor yacht and Bill assisted releasing his dock lines. Not sure why Bill helped him when he couldn't be bothered with helping Bill. Maybe the guy will pay it forward now.

Rolling car seat. Great idea for traveling!

On Sunday afternoon all 4 of us walked around the harbor to the ferry dock to await arrival of our younger son Aaron, his wife Lynn, and the youngest grandson Damien. The ferry was on time. The sleeping baby was in a rolling car seat. Now, that is neat invention! It is a flat device with wheels and a pull-out handle that fits onto a car seat. Great for travel in airports (and ferries too). They also had a stroller, but this rolling car seat was a great idea. He didn't wake up until we arrived back at the boat.

Christmas in August -- boat parts delivered by guests

Aaron and Lynn were tired from the flights from Houston and the ferry ride. So we sat in the cockpit and chatted for hours, ate dinner aboard, and made it an early night. Bill figured out where to catch a bus and went into Mykonos Town to have our transit log stamped in and to add Aaron, Lynn and Damien to our passenger list. Different countries handle crew and passengers differently. In most countries, each yacht has only a crew list. Makes no difference if people are guests or actually real working crew members; they all go on the crew list. But Greece requires children to be at least 16 years of age in order to be on the crew list. So we have a separate passenger list for Zachary and Elisabeth. So now there are 5 passengers on that list.

What?

While in town Bill found the place to buy tickets for the ferry to Delos and learned that the ferries do not operate on Mondays.

Shucks!! I had planned for us to visit Delos tomorrow. Now that trip would have to wait until Tuesday.

Meltimi Winds

2011-08-13T10:28:00.000+01:00

What an effect the meltimi has on the main harbor in Ios Town on the island of Ios!! When we first arrived in Ios we Med-moored on the outer dock area. A local man suggested we move to the inner harbor quay as soon as a space became available. We did; and we very much appreciate his advice to move. When the meltimi built a few days later then the outer dock area became completely untenable. Winds blew hard pushing yachts onto the concrete wall. One-by-one the yachts pulled anchor and left the harbor in the 30+ knot winds. And there is no sheltered anchorage to move to anywhere nearby. I don't know where they went. Soon the outer dock was empty. And we were snug in the inner harbor with barely a breeze watching the wind howl across the bay 200 meters in front of us.

Since arriving in the eastern Med we have wondered exactly what causes the meltimi winds so well known to this area. There must be some explanation for what causes this phenomena. In the Bay of Bengal the pervasive LOW is controlled by the high-pressure systems moving up and down the high Himalayan mountains. Maybe the meltimi is caused by something similar? A HIGH or LOW pressure system occurring in some mountainous area on the mainland nearby?

The best explanation of meltimi winds that I have seen can be read at:

http://www.sailingissues.com/meltemi.html

Been busy

2011-08-03T15:56:00.000+01:00

Just realized it has been 2 weeks since I updated this blog. My, how time flies when there are 5 visitors on the boat -- including a 2-year-old! All is fine aboard S/V BeBe. But it is hard to find time to upload photos and write blog postings when everyone seems to talk at once and want computer time. Will get back to this later........

Damn Windows 7

2011-07-28T19:35:00.000+01:00

Either I have turned into a certified "old fart," or Microsoft never considered people like us when they developed Windows 7.

Our grandson, Zachary, is visiting us for the third summer. It is really nice to have him onboard BeBe. He offers to help with anything and wants to learn everything...he is 10. I have promised him a Midshipman's rating if he continues to learn all the nautical stuff I am teaching him...frankly, he deserves it now, but I am not telling him until the end of the summer.

Well, anyway, Zachary brought his own laptop with him this summer, and it is loaded with Windows 7. It seems as though Microsoft decided that Windows 7 will update itself without any user input. Zachary's computer downloaded 3 gigs of MS updates today. Not so bad if you are sitting in Fort Home, USA, but when you pay 10 Euro per gig, it is a little upsetting to get dinged $43.00USD and not know what the hell it was for! Damn Microsoft!

Let me hear from you. Do you agree, or what?

Bill