In Search of Power

Wow. Last night was hot. Probably from the absolute lack of breeze and being surrounded by high rocks. I woke up on deck and for some reason thought I would sleep better in the aft cabin. Only to wake up again sweating while Mike came in looking for a blanket. The temperatures sounded much better outside so I followed only to find that Mike had moved onto the big cushions. I attempted to sleep on the cockpit cushion but the very narrow width just wasn’t comfortable…so went back to the aft cabin. The discomfort went on for the rest of the night and morning which was also experienced by the Pereras. As I was making my way in and out of the cabin in search of a comfortable, cool spot I felt so bad for them knowing they had to be so hot. And only to hear in the morning how Heather woke up literally dripping wet with sweat. So much that she went to the v-berth (notoriously to coolest place in the cabin) to beg Shan to switch places with her, only for Shan to find himself on Heather’s sweat soaked sheets. Needless to say we were all slow to wake up but the best part was Lucca joining me in bed for another snuggle puddle! As we were drinking our coffee the day just started to heat up again. I had to set my cup down to jump in the water and cool off. And why we decided to make French toast and bacon for breakfast in this heat, I don’t know. I guess it sounded good and it was delicious but we all probably lost 5 pounds of water weight while just cooking it. Heather and I over the stove in the cabin and Mike and Shan on the BBQ with the bacon. It was all followed by more swimming and thoughts about how it would be nice to stay one more night and enjoy this amazing place.

The boys cooking bacon on the BBQ. In 100 degree weather.

Figuring out the best way to get Lucca into the water.

But our limited provisions and the heat made us leave in search of a harbour with electricity! We all realized how truly sweltering it was when Lucca put his ‘buba’ in his mouth and complained it was hot. So we pulled our lines with aims of Galaxidi and hopes that they have had electricity installed since the pilot book was published. As we were motoring along in very little wind, Heather commented how it looks like we could be in Kansas or North Dakota with the stark, barren mountains and no other traffic on the road/water. Then the jokes just kept on coming which was good for some comic relief. Where’s Wall Drug? Hmmm…should we pull over in Bismark or Fargo? And the event of the afternoon was spotting another boat. It even made Shan get up from his napping place to take a look! And we were all so excited when we saw a pod of porpoises(?) with big hopes that they would swim over and provide some entertainment but no luck. Despite being on the water in Greece, it really felt like we could have been in a RV just motoring down the highway. In August. With no air conditioning. And no beer! Lonely Planet doesn’t even talk about this part of Greece. I have to say that Mike and I felt a little badly for their big Greek vacation being a tour of probably the least touristed or desirable places in Greece.

Our need for electricity even became more apparent when Lucca gave me a little scare. He was standing next to the sun filled dodger window (his favorite spot) when we realized that all of a sudden he got really fussy, was absolutely drenched in sweat and his saliva looked like taffy. After laying him in front of the fan (which can be run while the engine is on) with Heather and a wet towel on his chest, I realized that we need to find a place to cool off. We all had our fingers crossed when we pulled into Galaxidi…and there was electricity on the dock after all! With the town locals, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum giving us way too many conflicting directions for docking and tying up, Heather and I were off in the search for beer! After strolling by the endless rows of cafes, we got 4 styrofoam to-go cups and enjoyed the cold, very refreshing beer back on the boat. We are definitely not in Kansas anymore. We have arrived to a small resort town for rich and hip Athenians. Mike and I found the town very enchanting with its narrow cobblestone streets leading up to the church which sits atop of the town and could have roamed through the streets all evening. But to celebrate being back in ‘civilization’ we showered, Heather and I put on our new dresses and went in search of some dinner. We found the town square and sat at one of the restaurants while Lucca was able to run and play with the local kids. It was really good to see him stretch those legs and not be watching a ‘show’. While we were getting ready for dinner we were all feeling a bit guilty about Lucca spending so much time on the daybed in front of the DVD player. I joked that it was his ‘man cave’ but in reality there just isn’t much for him to do while we are motoring or trying to stay out of the heat.

The boat isn’t really kid proof so there isn’t a whole lot for him to do, and the things he wants to do, such as climb up and down the companion way ladder or walk on the decks by himself, just aren’t the safest. But in the cool night air, we all had a great evening and enjoyed some delicious wine and food while watching the locals. Then after Lucca went to bed we continued to enjoy a cocktail or two ‘close’ to the boat and felt for a little while that we were on a vacation without a 2 year old. Except for every 10 minutes