Friday 4th May

Friday 4^th May

Woke up to cloudy sky that quickly became clear blue and very little wind.

We sat on an old boat in the bay and watched the Hermit Crabs and small fish feeding in the shallows in front of us whilst we ate breakfast of bread and cheese. Arthur the shepherd wandered back with his mixed flock of goats and sheep and after much handshaking we presume he wished us luck and wandered off. We told him his cheese had been good and we had had it with dinner and he grinned his toothless smile at us.

We set sail at 10:15 and ran out into the bay until the wind dropped and we had to motor back in Vonitsa bay where it picked up top a steady F1-2 before settling down to a F2 with the odd hole. We sailed across the gulf on a decent reach for about 6 miles arriving in Koronisia at 113:15 and show boated a bit for the locals coming in and berthing under sail!!

Just after we berthed the wind increased from the steady F2 to a steady F5 with lots of white caps and decent swell and stayed that way for the rest of the afternoon. We were intending to sail back out to one of the islands for the night but as it was so windy found a little corner of the harbor to tuck into for the night.

One down side of sailing a small boat is having nowhere to sit inside but because we were sitting on the quay side we did get a cracking view of a big turtle swimming about in the harbor and watched it for about 20 minutes or so.

We decided to eat in the nearest restaurant after they came and asked us if we were coming in, dinner was either fish or meat, no menu and they seemed to make the price up to suit. Dinner was a large plate of squid, octopus and some sort of mullet with a Greek salad. The amusing thing was Viv had to converse in German with the staff. After we had set up the tent in a good force 5 with waves breaking over the breakwater a testing experience to say the least we went back for another wine before bed and were given a plate of anchovies and garlic potatoe salad.

The speed with which the wind picked up was a good reminder of what can happen and although we could have managed it I was glad we were safely tucked up in a sheltered harbor for the night. A rocky sleep but we could hear the fishing boats coming in through the night so they must have a really rough time as it blew a hooley until the early hours