We do several "man overboard" practices along the way. It consists of throwing a boat fender weighted down with ropes over the side and then going back to recover it. It's good fun and everybody gets involved. When we arrive in Vathi we do some stern-to mooring practice, and Laura and Eileen do a bit of knot-tying. Clove hitchs, round turn and two half-hitches, bowlines.
We are pretty exhausted from our long journey with sleepless nights, so we are glad when Dan helps get us moored up safely for the night and heads back to Vlikho. We have the entire evening to relax and explore the village, then go for dinner.
We take a walk around the tiny village and discover hundred year old olive trees, with huge gnarled and twisted trunks, wild flowers, and clear turquoise-blue water. On the way back we chat with the couple in the boat next to ours, who are live-aboards and have been in Greece for 2 years now. They tell us how it still surprises them to see a local pull up to the mini-market on a scooter, leave the scooter with keys in and bags of shopping attached while they run in for a few more things, and come back to find everything just as they left it. It's true that in many parts of the world you would come back to an empty parking spot.
It's early in the season, so there isn't much choice of restaurants. There are several tavernas on the quay, but only two are open. The nearest one has a bunch of locals around a table, which is usually a good sign. We choose a table near the water's edge, and a waiter comes over to take our order. When he hears our English, he just grunts and disappears. We are not quite sure what to do next. Did we insult him? Is this a Greek thing?
A minute or two later an elderly woman (his mother?) comes to take our order. She has a few words of English. She says "We have Greek salad and omelette". OK, we'll have Greek salad and omelette! The food is simple but the portions are generous and the ingredients are absolutely fresh and the taste is wonderful. The salad has a huge slab of feta cheese on top, drenched in olive oil. Underneath are tomatoes, green pepper, olives. The onions are especially powerful.
A minute or two later an elderly woman (his mother?) comes to take our order. She has a few words of English. She says "We have Greek salad and omelette". OK, we'll have Greek salad and omelette! The food is simple but the portions are generous and the ingredients are absolutely fresh and the taste is wonderful. The salad has a huge slab of feta cheese on top, drenched in olive oil. Underneath are tomatoes, green pepper, olives. The onions are especially powerful.
These islands are filled with cats. We have seen stray cats of all shapes, sizes and colours and Laura loves cats. They tend to swarm around the tavernas at night, hoping for a handout or some leftover scraps. Laura soon discovers that some of them can be unfriendly, as she is scratched by a cat who was probably expecting food and didn't get any. There are a few tears, but she is probably more shocked and disappointed than hurt. She will be more circumspect regarding cats in the future.
Back on the boat to prepare beds, brush teeth and change into pyjamas. The headroom varies all over the boat, and there are bits sticking out everywhere. Bump, ouch! I'm sure we'll get used to it eventually.
We settle into our bunks, and listen to the strange noises. Snap, crackle, pop. According to the Sail Ionian documentation, that is the sound of small fish eating crustaceans off the hull of the boat. Whatever it is, it is much more relaxing than vibrating light fixtures, and everyone sleeps like a baby, until ...
The mosquito.
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