Good ship Fortuna

Hello from the island of Poros. Lynne, Brett et al have left us and it seems very quiet with them gone! We had a great 2 weeks on the boat with them and visited many amazing places. James is quite heartbroken not to have Meagan to fawn over. He has been busy telling us about when they get married, how many children they will have, and how nice they will be to their kids...

We liked the sailing so much that we arranged another boat for 6 days ( a Bavaria 41) and have headed out to explore the Peloponnessos. Very different from the other Greek islands and coast. Our boat sails very well, and we are enjoying sunshine and warm temperatures. Poros is beautiful - the harbour is loaded with luxury yachts - however, the water really stinks as there is no sewage system! Yuck! This morning we were rudely told to move our boat as our anchor was near the town's fresh water pipe. Turns out it was; I can see how they'd be upset if the harbour water got into their drinking supply.

We are back to Athens on Wednesday, and will explore there until the 6th of May when we head back to Italy. Sounds like Spring is arriving in Calgary - get out and enjoy it while it lasts!!!!

Greek Islands

Hello from the island of Ios - hippy backpacker centre of the ancient Greek world. We have had a great first week on the boat with our skipper, Steve, and have visited many excellent places. We've also dealt with the super high winds of the Meltami, and no wind at all. Very nice to stay in the ancient port of Rhodes, and to share the caldera harbour in Santorini with cruise ships that are actually floating! While there, we had a bit of a thrill as our bow line let go of the mooring bouy at about 1am. Fortunately, we werer still sitting up having a nightcap on the back deck and managed to re-tie. Didn't sleep as well after that, though. Yesterday we had an excellent sail - reaching across in a rare East wind to Ios, going 8-9 knots the whole way in the sunshine. Very nice sailing.

In our last week on the Agean, we will be heading north towards Athens, visiting Naxos and Mikanos on the way. The big cat Sparanza sails really well off the wind - we've been up to almost 14 knots at times. However, sailing upwind is a bit of a chore. Today, we're back into the wind... Good thing the kids have found their sea legs.

Sorry to hear about the Flames going down. Sounds like it was bound to happen. Must head back to the boat now to get underway.

Agean Voyage

Good day from Greece. Brett and Lynn, Kate and Meagan arrived last night and are stoked for the strong winds of the Agean. Our Cat, Sparanzia (Hope), is stocked with frosted flakes, chips, Mythos beer and Ouzo. Our skipper is Steve Hooker from Australia and he is tolerating the kids well so far (first day).

Over the next two weeks we will be in and out of small towns and ports. I haven't been able to update pictures recently but will do so as soon as I am able. We have enjoyed Kos, and have visited ruins and the tree supposedly planted by Hippocrates. with his blessing, all will be well with us on our voyage. We certainly hope that we will not end up like the cruise ship at Santorini. The story around here is that the owners ordered it sunk on purpose so they could collect the insurance money... Scandal in Greece...

Thanks for the messages - GO FLAMES!

Umbria and Kos

Hello blogwatchers - we have been relaxing with Deirdre's cousin Ann and family in the hills of Umbria, and are now in Kos, Greece, where the weather is sunny and the winds are strong. As I write, we are in a pub having a Mythos and gazing across the channel at Turkey. Nice to be here.

To backtrack, thanks so much to Ann, Allen, Joshua and Serena for a wonderful visit. Their Casa is built on a site used as a convent 300 years ago. On Easter Sunday, we were treated to a lunch of roast lamb cooked in the fourno (outdoor oven) by Allen. I must say all the food was amazing, but even more so the friendly company. Conversation around the table with all the relatives was a mix of Italian, French and English, with many jokes and a lot of laughter. A grand time. David and James had a great time getting to know new cousins and can't wait to see them again in Dublin in June.

Yesterday, we drove to the Airport Roma early in the morning, dropped the car and flew to Athens. We had a 2 hour lay-over and discovered the Athens airport is the most expensive place in the world. 4 Euro for a slushy??!!! That's 7 bucks!!! Then we boarded a smaller plane
to Kos and were met at the airport by Deirdre's Aunt Susan, who lives in Turkey. We are all staying at Hotel Yourgos right beside the yacht basin and are looking forward to our sail charter aboud the cat with Lynn, Brett, Meagan and Kate starting Saturday. The boys are well, and now trying their Italian on the Greeks... Always a step behind when we switch countries so fast... You can get a look at the boat we're on by googling Istion Yacht Charters and checking out the Lagoon 440.

The sun is shining and the wind is blowing. It is 24 degrees today and the locals are swimming in the sea. Far away from snowy Calgary, but we are missing the gang back home. If anyone would care to update us on the Flames, David would be happy. Deirdre has also realized that she no longer has her address book, so if anyone wants a post card, please sent us your address to robanddeirdre@shaw.ca Thanks Becky for your updates - you rock, even though you're getting a dog.

Opa!

Chianti

Sorry for not posting in a while - we have been busy. Since arriving in Italy, we have spent some time by the sea, and visited many interesting sites and cities. We started at the Marble quarries of Carerra - deep in the mountain where Michelangelo selected the stone for many of his most famous sculptures. The hostel we stayed at in Marina da Massa was an Italian villa taken over by the Nazis in WW2, and then converted to a hostel. A grand beach house made entirely of marble with NO CENTRAL HEATING!! We slept with 5 blankets each, but enjoyed the time there. On our last night, we were joined at the hostel by 14 Italian bikers from Rome. Nice guys, but really loud Harley D. bikes...

We also spent a day at Cinque Terra where David and James did some fishing with a very old man. They each landed a fish, and thought it was really cool. We have visited Lucca, Pisa, San Gimignano and Firenze as well. So far, our favourite spot is the small town near our farm house in Chianti - Radda. It is beautiful here, and the people are very nice. Francesco and Elinora, who own il Paggino, have done a great job of restoring the old stone farm house. They have about 10 ha of land, a pool, and a playground! There is an English family on vacation here as well. They have 3 children age 6 - 11 so the boys are happy to have made some friends.

I will try to add a few more pictures of our adventure if this computer will let me. We are doing well on our adventure, and looking forward to seeing Deirdre's cousins over the weekend. Also looking forward to sailing in Greece, and seeing Lynn, Brett, Kate and Meagan there.

Sorry to hear about all the snow in Calgary. Sunny and 20 in Chianti today.