Our Last Night

After a collaborated effort we were untying the lines at 8am and waving goodbye to Galaxidi! Our game plan is that if the winds are too strong then we will head to Trizonia, if Navpaktos is full then we can turn back to Trizonia and if all fails there is always Galixidi. Initially, it seemed like the winds were picking up once we were out into the gulf but then it calmed and we had what wind there was behind us pushing us along. We made really great time and arrived to our destination in the early afternoon. Our coveted spots were full but there was room on one of the walls. And thankfully there was not a whiff of wind because this is a small harbour. Our first attempt found us in too shallow water up against the quay and we were churning up mud and most likely funneled in a groove with our rudder. Our neighbor then came by and said he was getting ready to leave and we could take his place. Only this was further inside the harbour and a tight squeeze in between a motor boat and of course, the Coast Guard boat. And with the neighbors advice we set our anchor a bit to the west since that is where the prevailing winds come from and Mike did an amazing job maneuvering us into place. And there we were, snug as a bug, in Navpaktos Harbour!

Heather tried to capture the sweat. You'll just have to believe us.

I think Lucca is ready to go home.

We were happy to be here (although a little hot) because another factor in all of this planning was the Perera’s bus to Athens that they had to catch on Friday (tomorrow). It was a bit iffy if there was one from Trizonia, and if we were forced to anchor outside of Navpaktos, it would have been hard to off load everyone and their luggage if the weather was at all unsettled. So we were all resting a bit easier knowing that we had made it. Although, I have to say that initially I was a bit uneasy with our place in the harbour. We just looked so big in our corner and I even had thoughts about moving into another spot but the afternoon and evening just flew by with the clock ticking until our friends would have to leave.
While Shan and Mike took Lucca to the beach, Heather and I went on some errands, including finding the bus station to figure out their tickets. Again, it was siesta and when are we going to learn to follow instead of running around, getting all sweaty and accomplishing nothing? But at least the bus station was open which gave us time to sit in a shaded café and enjoy being in a new place!


With plans of having a final dinner out, we headed back to the boat and had a little pre-funk! Everyone was in fantastic moods and there was even a bit of dancing going on! And another snuggle puddle with Lucca. I am already finding myself missing him. We were then off in search of a restaurant away from the busy streets so Lucca could have room to play and explore at a safe distance while keeping eyes on him. We found a nice spot with an amazing tree and fountain which had him mesmerized and entertained for a long time. He drank from the fountain, washed his shoes and buba in the fountain. By the end he was drenched and loving it.






But the euphoria quickly turned into exhaustion and another meltdown ensued. And this one was the mother of them all. But we gotta give it to Heather and Shan, they held fast despite it being really hard. Just one of those things that you have to deal with when traveling with a two year old. But we made up for some personal time lost at dinner when we got back to the boat. We continued to celebrate our last night together in our cockpit with the rest of the town partying all around us at the different cafes and bars. We even ran out to the beach behind us and went skinny dipping in the sea that felt like bath water. One of my favorite memories is Mike and I quickly heading back to the boat since Lucca was sleeping (and with the plan of letting Shan and Heather have some alone time). All we had on were the towels wrapped around us as we casually walked past the cafes packed with stylish Europeans all decked out as we made our way back to the boat. People were staring. It was awesome. Shan also presented us with the most precious and thoughtful gift. A ‘monkey fist’ that he has carried with him since moving away from Sri Lanka (really Shan?) with the dream of sailing one day. He passed it on to us and it immediately went on our engine key. Thank you so much Shan. But eventually we were down one by one and our final night came to an end.

Adult Meltdown

The morning didn’t start off as early as we had all hoped for. I had all intentions of waking up around 7am to take another look at weather, start stowing stuff and preparing the boat to leave. But found myself struggling to get out of bed at 8am. Since Navpaktos was about 30-35 miles away we needed to get an early start since the winds tend to pick up in the afternoon. Mike and I also spent a little time this morning looking into a bail out point of Trizonia which was only 15 miles away. Since we couldn’t get a real hold on what the winds and seas were doing out in the gulf, we wanted to make sure that we had a good shelter to go to. Even that bail out was iffy for lack of knowing if there would be room for us or not. I think our biggest fear was being in some weather and not having a place to retreat to with Lucca on board. So with the lack of planning the night before (our fault for not sharing with the Pereras what all was entailed and what had to be accomplished before we could comfortably and safely leave Galaxidi), the uncertainty about the weather, the risks of full harbours, and the time getting later and later, Mike made the decision not to go anywhere for the day. To be honest, this was not one of our better mornings. We were all getting cabin fever and wanted to travel to new grounds. There was a bit of stress and frustration in the air from both parties and it was not how we wanted to spend our precious time with our friends. Mike was feeling terrible for having to be the one to make the decision not to go but he just didn’t feel comfortable with heading out into the ‘unknown’ and felt hugely responsible for Lucca’s safety while he was on board. After some time of private conversations and time off the boat, we were able to sit together and ‘debrief’ the morning. It wasn’t long before everyone was trying to make the best of another day in Galaxidi. Heather and Mike ‘made up’ over beer and backgammon. We then moved the party to the cockpit where more beer was consumed to pass the time.

Another 'Liberty' pizza

Heather and I joked how we are getting really familiar with the local folk. Tweedle Dee who is 52 and looks like he is 82, chain smokes and listens to his radio hanging from the tree branch. The lady who has had a ton of plastic surgery and looks like she smothers zinc oxide all over her face (the black afro only adds to the look) and arrives to town at the same time, to go to the same café, while carrying her round plaid pillow. The old man who lives above the harbour and opens his shutters every evening around 6pm, then after calisthenics on the balcony he takes a walk along the dock. Yeah, hopefully we can seek new pastures tomorrow! To fight off the boredom and heat, Heather and I took Lucca back to ‘Club Med’ but it just wasn’t the same with the 2 of us since it took us both to chase after Lucca the whole time. After returning back to the boat, it took us all a bit to get organized but after some changes in plans, Mike and I went shopping for provisions (looking good to leave tomorrow) while Heather sat in the square and watched Lucca play once again with the local kids. And this was only made better while sipping on g&ts at the café after a long day.

Heather's new 'Fendi' bag

And since no one wanted to cook or clean dishes, the Pereras had the great idea to go on a horse carriage ride and then get gyros to go. Perfect! Most nights Lucca would ask to go and pet the ‘horsie’, so we all piled in to take a quick jaunt around the town. It was quick all right, but so much fun. Once back to the boat and after Lucca crashed, we ate our dinner and again, Heather and ‘Doris’ were the last ones standing. But did a better job at getting to bed at a reasonable hour for an early start tomorrow!

Navpaktos-The 1st time

Today we rented a car for a few reasons. To get off the boat, get out of Galaxidi and the most important…air conditioning! So we all piled into our tiny sub-sub-compact car and headed down the road. After a couple of loops through town trying to find the way out we made it to the highway. It was then we began to notice these little ‘houses’ dotting the sides of the road. Some were simple, some very elaborate, all with a place inside for a candle. We started to notice more and more and Heather asked “What are those there for?”. Since no one wanted to think about the reason they were there, as we were being passed on blind corners by crazy drivers, we just decided to call them ‘spiritual mailboxes’ to make us all feel better.

Well, that only lasted until our rental car started to putter and quickly come to a stop. Mike was able to get the hazard lights on and get mostly off the side of the road while we tried not to think about being stuck in a hot car waiting to be rescued. But luckily the car started back up and it was then we noticed the air conditioning wasn’t working. After fooling with it for a bit, it came back on but then the car started to putter and decelerate again. We will happily choose no air conditioning over a stalled car next to one of those spiritual mailboxes anytime. So we all rolled down the windows and thankfully it wasn’t much further to a bustling town we finally realized was our destination, Navpaktos. We were really happy that we didn’t ask a local “Where is Navpaktos?” only to find ourselves in the heart of it! After scouting the beach, we parked the car and unloaded our goods. Only Americans would travel to a beach lined with trendy cafes with a 5 gallon cooler.

Even better, sit on the sand right next to a café table to take a beer break while making our way down the beach. But we ended up finding the perfect spot underneath the shade of a big chestnut tree. And the wind was howling today. The gulf was brewing with white caps and the beach was full of breaking waves. Not exactly the best swimming water for Lucca but he was able to fully entertain himself, as well as us. The adults spent the afternoon lounging and trying to nap while enjoying not sweating due to the brisk breeze.






We then packed ourselves back into the car and found an even nicer part of the town right by the old harbour. This was one of the places Mike and I had thought about coming with the boat but the uncertainty of not finding room in the harbour may us wary because there was no nearby second choice if it was full. Except for anchoring off the beach in calm weather which today was absolutely not. But after a talk with the Port Police (much safer since the boat was miles away) and hearing that several boats were clearing out tomorrow, we had thoughts about coming here for a change of scenery if the winds let up. At this point, we are getting a little bored with Galaxidi and will brave the lack of electricity for a livelier setting.

We had a gorgeous drive home in the beautiful late afternoon light and arrived back to Galaxidi safe and sound. While Mike was getting the boat settled, since the winds had picked up in Galaxidi as well, Heather, Lucca and I headed to a restaurant where we had been eyeing the bowls full of mussels. We were then joined by Mike and Shan, and that’s when the meltdown began. Poor Lucca’s nap schedule was totally interrupted today and he was not satisfied with anything. After a tiny bit of a scene, Shan headed back to the boat with Lucca and then the rest of us followed. By this time it was 10pm and we made an attempt to check the weather for tomorrow (totally inconsistent, either a Beaufort 3 or a Beaufort 8!) but by then Mike was really tired and headed to bed. Heather and I managed to stay up for a bit longer, until 1am, where does the time go?! And even then we had to make ourselves go to bed so we could get up early to see where tomorrow brings us.

52 Degrees Celcius!

Upon Mike and I awakening, he was the first to talk about his feelings of stress and fatigue and how he didn’t want those to interfere with enjoying our friends while they are here. We talked about how a lot of the potential stressful conditions have lessened because we made it through the Aegean which he stated would put his mind at ease. Also how we are now in more protected waters and doing short days due to having Lucca on board. And we need to soak in every minute with our friends because it is going to be a long time until we are with loved ones again. Just talking about his feelings seemed to lift a weight off and ‘Mikey’ was back! He was playful and engaged with Lucca and the difference between the two of them was so apparent. It’s funny how Lucca would call Mike ‘Michael’ or ‘Mikey’ depending on the mood. Michael when Mike was in his ‘boat mode’ and Mikey when he was just simply having fun. On our second day in Galaxidi we realized that we were not going to be able to anchor in this heat again. We heard from a local that it was unusually hot and was going to peak on Wednesday and Thursday and subside on Friday. Perfect timing for the Pereras! At this point we realized that we weren’t going to be able to anchor out anymore because it is just too uncomfortable and possibly dangerous for Lucca. While Lucca napped, we rode out the heat wave in the shaded cockpit and watched the thermometer rise. At noon in the shade it read 42 degrees celcius. A bit later we put it in the sun and the thermometer maxed out at 52 degrees celcius! Despite being in the shade and drinking beer to help us ignore the sweat dripping down our bodies, we all had some pretty good laughs together including Mike who was back in true form! Heather and I even cooled off our toes in Lucca’s ‘swimming pool’ complete with cracker bits floating between our toes! It really was amazing how just putting your feet in luke warm water could make you feel so much better.

We also tried to come up with some ideas of what we can all do to entertain ourselves the next 4-5 days while the Pereras are still on board. This town is cute but there really isn’t a whole lot to do. We came up with the idea to rent a car with air conditioning tomorrow and drive down the coast to check out some of the places we could have visited by boat. Ahhhh, air conditioning sounded so divine. But to cool off today we headed to ‘Club Med’ to spend the afternoon. This is where all of the tourist from Athens were spending their day. After much scouting for an empty table, we finally found one and planted ourselves for the next several hours. We spent the time swimming with Lucca and watching Heather do her impressive synchronized swimming tricks to make Lucca laugh. God, there is nothing like his giggle when he is playing in the water. We ordered cocktails, shared some food, stepped on sea urchins, watched the beautiful people. And I have to say it is a bit alarming when you are sitting next to a 12 year old girl in her thong bikini and padded bikini top, in her big sunglasses (and I swear peroxided hair) and thinking she is uber cool. Weird and a little sad.

We finally pulled ourselves away from the rich and hip to head back to the boat and get ready for dinner. The ladies mission was to grocery shop for dinner tonight. And this was a second attempt since earlier in the day we failed due to everyone being closed for siesta. We need to take a lesson on this. But we headed out again after 6pm when everyone emerges from their shaded courtyards again. We stopped at the grocery store (a glorified mini-mart), the ‘fruit shop’, a mini-market that should have been called the grocery store, the bakery, the butcher, and then another mini-market. We were a sweaty mess when we were done. But all was made better by mixing up some mojitos while Shan made his delicious Black and Blue burgers. And it must have been the heat because Mike and Heather were the first ones to crash tonight.

It's Still Hot

As we were on the boat getting ready to find a café for some coffee, we heard the Port Police on the dock talking to our neighbors. Mike quickly came into the cabin because we don’t want to talk to them, only due to completely forgetting to add the Pereras to our crew list in Poros before we left. This is one of the requirements when cruising through Greece and I am assuming you get fined if you are caught. But of course, we then hear “Captain! Captain!” and Mike was told to come to his office in 20 minutes with our boat paperwork. After a few minutes, Mike returned for passports. Shit. Instead of waiting on the boat we found a café for some coffee and intercepted Mike on his way back to the boat. Thank god all was well only after 16 euros. The Port Police took down the Pereras information but of course didn’t give us a copy of the paperwork so hopefully we won’t have to talk to the Port Police again while they are here. Coffee at one café then turned into beer and lunch at the Liberty café behind the boat. We found ourselves sitting there for a long time, just ordering one more beer.

Well, for Lucca it was icecream.

A hot and sleepy Lucca

Earlier in the day I was rejoicing that it was noon and I wasn’t sweating under the shade of the trees. But that didn’t last long. The beer eventually made us sleepy so we returned to the boat to take a nap. Only to find ourselves sweating through the sheets which made us give up. To cool off, we decided to walk around the bay to find a spot to swim. It was a long, hot walk and we found a nook in between 2 rocks that offered a sliver of shade. The water was cool but full of sea urchins that you had to maneuver around. We were all pretty tired and still hot so decided to get ready for dinner in eager anticipation of the evening when the temperatures go down. We showered, only to sweat some more and then returned to the same courtyard for dinner. Tonight didn’t quite live up to the prior evening. We picked the neighbor restaurant and the food wasn’t nearly as good. They also didn’t give us that yummy cinnamon wine at the end of our meal, dangit. Mike was a zombie at dinner and his stressed mood was being noticed by Heather. So after all of the boys went to bed, Heather and I found a little café where we could talk and drink some wine. We sat on the balcony while we sweated through our dresses and constantly crossed and un-crossed our legs to try and keep from sticking to the seats. And this was at midnight! But we still enjoyed our girl time thoroughly. We talked about the stress of this boat and the heavy load that Mike can sometimes feel with the responsibility. Heather was also surprised how Lucca hasn’t quite bonded with Mike and feels that this could be due to Lucca picking up on the fact that Mike is stressed and the one ‘in charge’. And this is really strange because I always feel like the evil witch around children whenever Mike is around. In case you don’t know, children and dogs LOVE Mike. But it just felt really good to talk with a girlfriend about the stresses of the past 4-5 months and all of the things that I love/hate about the boat. And all of the things that I miss so much about home. Having my friends here is making pretty home sick.

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