A mad morning of tidying and cleaning.... and Esmé continually asking, "Is it nearly time yet? Has she landed yet?" Eventually though, she caught us by surprise and I had missed her call so Esmé and I quickly rowed over to the pier, asking Patrick to message Justin that she had arrived so he could pick his paddleboard up. On arrival at the Pier she was nowhere to be seen and we were a little worried that she had been taken to the other end of the harbour, however Esmé soon spotted her already ensconced in the closest Taverna with a Pina Colada where we quickly joined her for a drink.
Justin soon turned up to collect the paddleboard and took the old battered suitcase she had brought full of stuff for us (old and battered so she could ditch it and not pay for hold luggage on the way back, but more importantly so we wouldn't have to store it all week!) We leisurely finished our drinks (perhaps Dutch courage) before the dinghy ride to Laurin.
Before long Esmé was revelling in the girlieness that is Tiffany Rose, the pink suitcase was opened and the boat was filled with sparkles and glitter!
We had dinner on board that night before Tiffany and I headed over to Dizzie to collect Lynita for a girls night out. I'm not sure Tiffany expected to be going out for cocktails in a rubber dinghy but she handled it very well! We had a great evening, the waiter being even more drunk than we were, and then on the way back the guy in the supermarket gave us free soft drinks! Back in the dingy was slightly more challenging in the dark and after cocktails but we all made it back safe and sound!
Sunday
As the wind was forecast to increase and go into the south early Monday morning (they are normally in the northwest here) we, along with Dizzie, decided our only real option was to head for Vathi on Ithaka. It was a pleasant motor round but sadly not enough wind to sail, however Tiffany did introduce Esmé to the delights of snapchat! We tried a beautiful inlet for a swim but couldn't get the anchor to hold so stopped a little further along the way. Some Greek kids were jumping in off a really high rock which Esmé and AJ were in awe of, however we just settled for a swim and a go with the swing that Tiffany had kindly brought out. Justin by this time had pumped his paddleboard up and was itching to give it a try but was quickly accosted by the kids!
All too soon though the wind picked up and, afraid for our tenuous anchoring we quickly got under way again for the last leg round to Vathy. At this point the wind continued to increase and the sea got a little choppy, I thought it might ease once we got into the inlet of Vathy itself but unfortunately this was not the case and it took us quite a while to find a suitable place to anchor. We voted against going ashore in all the chop and ate on board again! Patrick enjoying watching the flotilla tango for most of the rest of the afternoon while later on AJ enjoyed the dusk, dancing on the foredeck!
Monday
So Monday we woke to a very drizzly morning, but also to the sight of an amazing solar powered boat gliding into the anchorage. There seemed to be kids on board so the kids and I took that as an excuse to row over and introduce ourselves. Unfortunately we didn't get an invite on board but we did get to see it rather close up and it prompted lots of questions about how much solar was needed to power the engines.
Once back on board we saw the Dizzie crew heading for the town so we quickly got ready and went ashore in the rain.
We found them hiding in a lovely café which we seemed to visit frequently over the next few days. It was a strange occurrence as usually we are too budget conscious for leisurely visits to cafes but the terrible weather and the fact that we both had guests meant that the shelter of a café with music videos on a big screen was an attractive prospect. We had also brought colouring and reading so we managed to while away a good hour or so while the kids were kept entertained. The waffles and baklava weren't too shabby either!As we spotted a gap in the rain we decided to move Laurin onto the Town Quay.... a bit of a luxury for having a guest on board, but also for us as it meant we could leave Tiffany babysitting whilst we had an evening out. We ate on board but Patrick and I went out for drinks and desert while Tiffany had got enough sweets to fill a sweet shop for her evening with the kids!
Patrick and I took some time to mooch around the town before settling down at the outside seating belonging to the café we had been to earlier in the day. Here I managed to get a margarita while he drank beer and we shared a lovely slice of baklava with ice cream!
All too soon though it started to rain, so we moved inside and continued our night out watching football with an equal quantity of locals and tourists alike, all cramming in out of the rain!
Unfortunately the rain then turned into a torrential downpour and I decided we needed to rush back, this was quickly followed by a text from Tiffany asking how to "close the door". By the time we ran the 20 yards back we were absolutely drenched and I was in fits of giggles. I then decided we needed to put a waterproof cover over the kids hatch as it had been leaking and we hadn't had time to reseal it yet. Once this was done I was a shivering wreck but very quickly warmed up once out of wet clothes. A damp end to a damp day!
Tuesday
We woke to a serene and still morning more reminiscent of Northern European waters than the Mediterranean. The kids and Tiffany told me they had met another boat kid the previous night and they had left a boat card, asking us to call them on VHF Ch68. We tried but got no reply so the kids wanted to row over to their boat. I asked which one and they pointed to the closest boat out in the anchorage so I suggested they could manage this one on their own. 
Off they went, with me watching, then I noticed they were aiming at a different boat... maybe they got the wrong one first time, then I noticed the wind picking up a bit, and it starting to rain. Then I started to feel like a bad parent and phoned Lynita to have Justin on standby with their dinghy for a rescue mission! However I needn't have worried, despite Patrick's assumption that they would come back arguing and be in a bad mood for the whole day, I could see that AJ had given Esmé his jacket and was valiantly rowing back towards us, into the wind (all be it with the boat facing the wrong way!)
I decided a big effort was needed on my part to avert a terrible mood day so as they returned I started yelling encouragement which would have rivalled Sarah Clemments at a Buttsbury sports day. By the time they arrived AJ especially was in fits of giggles just as I had been the night before... and just as soaked, yelling at us to put the radio on CH68. He then disappeared down below while I tied up the boat and by the time I was back in the dry he had answered the radio and set up a playdate! Guess the kids are learning some stuff out here!
We then arranged to go ashore and visit the museum (which turned out to be two museums) with the crew of Dizzie. First an archaeological museum which was free, small and held the kids interest for about 10 minutes. The cat outside however, added another 10 minutes to the entertainment!
We then went to the museum of maritime and folklore which was 3 Euros per adult and free for kids. This was far more interesting and the kids enjoyed looking at the traditional Greek costumes, as well as various other artefacts including an early calculator.
Esme recognised the lacemaking like in Gozo and enjoyed writing in the visitor book.
Next stop was to introduce Tiffany to Gyros for lunch, and although in the end she and I had a chicken kebab variation, we all had an enjoyable feed.
By this time we managed to have bumped into Isabell, the kids playdate for later so we headed back to the boat and then the kids went over to their boat "wildest dreams" while Patrick, Tiffany and I had a child free afternoon on Laurin drinking gin and playing Qwirkle.
Tiffany was particularly impressed when an enormous Gin Palace moored almost next to us, (rather more impressed than we were) looking to see if there were any professional footballers on board, although we figured out the best ones would be otherwise engaged!
Out for dinner but our choice of restaurant wasn't as good as it could be and I wished that we could have given Tiffany a better experience of Greek cuisine.
On our return to Laurin there was a bit of a swell in the harbour and for the first time on the trip Tiffany began to feel a bit seasick..... or perhaps it was the gin! In any case a quick look on booking.com found a reasonable hotel a short walk away so Tiffany decamped for the night... funnily enough the receptionist said she wasn't the first to get a last minute room rather than stay on a boat!
Wednesday
Today was actually quite a nice day. The forecast was for sun but with strong winds filling in from the North later on. Our friends on Dizzie decided to go back to Effumia as Lynita's Dad had a flight to catch Thursday and the forecast for tomorrow was particularly windy. We decided to stay put as although it would be bumpy the holding was good in Vathy and we were concerned that there may not be much space in Effumia. We had already been in touch with friends in Fiskardo who confirmed it was pretty full there. However rather than leave Laurin on the Town Quay we took her out into the anchorage again as we had witnessed boats having a really rough time on the quay when we came in on Sunday. By mid morning we were anchored and I had messaged Tiffany to tell her we hadn't abandoned her. I also suggested that she book a second night in the hotel as the wind was meant to pick up as the night went on and I couldn't guarantee I could get her to shore in the dinghy if she got sick. We agreed to walk round to a beach round a little headland to take advantage of the nice weather.
The kids were playing on the swing and Isabell headed over with her mum for a play, so we invited her on board and then to come with us for lunch on the beach. Patrick dropped Esmé and I off and we delivered Tiffany some more of her stuff then walked round to the beach while the others motored round, picking Esmé up half way.
The beach was lovely with only a handful of people there, including a young Greek boy who had grown up in Illinois so spoke really great English. He took great delight in diving for sea urchins and daring us to touch them!
We had a lovely picnic and then as the wind was getting up we headed back to the boat, this time Patrick having a little child free time while I took the dinghy.
I dropped Tiffany off on Laurin and then took the kids to Wildest Dreams, stupidly forgetting about the kill cord and struggling to row across in the building wind. Patrick took great delight in telling me how silly I'd been when I picked him up from the Town Quay.
We then enjoyed a little more child free time before the wind and sea picked up another notch and we decided it was time to retrieve the kids and deliver Tiffany ashore. By this time we had decided that Esmé could have a sleepover with Tiffany as she had wanted a girls night with her and this was a good opportunity. It also meant that AJ could have his wish of watching X-Men with Mum and Dad.
I voted Patrick to do the chauffeuring and yet again it was wet bums all round. We got lovely photos from Tiffany of Esmé being pampered and dressing up to go out.
Meanwhile we were trying to pay attention to AJ's film but taking it in turns to check out on deck to make sure nobody had dragged their anchor!
Thursday
Tiffany was by now determined that she would spend the next night on board, we had slept late due to a restless night and by lunchtime were ready to get off the boat. Tiffany and Esmé were all ready in place at our favourite café and we took turns to mooch round the shops. Eventually the kids had had enough and so Patrick took them back to the boat, meanwhile Tiffany and I stopped for kebabs and picked up some food for tea before calling Patrick to taxi us back to the boat.
Once there we spent the afternoon "blinging" Esme's clothes!
We sat in the cockpit for as long as possible, eating cooked chicken and salad for tea before eventually hitting the sack.
Friday
I woke at 4am to hear the wind still howling much to my dismay. The wind was supposed to drop but it hadn't, and the forecast said for more wind during the day. Luckily by the time I woke again at about 8am the forecast had changed and the wind had dropped. We had a quick breakfast and headed towards Effumia, although we had already spoken to Dizzie about the idea of meeting at Kala Limona, the little bay we had anchored in a week or so ago. It was a lovely sail, we even got the kite up, and I was really pleased that Tiffany was actually getting to SAIL!We finally agreed to go to Kala Limona and it was lovely to show Tiffany the beauty of anchoring in a quiet little bay. The paddleboard and swing came out and we all had time to play before we headed over to Dizzie for dinner.
Dinner on Dizzie was both a happy and sad affair. We have been travelling with these guys on and off since we met in Port Napoleon in September last year. They have been the one constant in our life and we have become great friends. However this time when we part we have no idea when we will see each other again. For sure our plans for the rest of the season send us in different directions although we all hope to see each other again at some point in our lives! We arrived bearing wine and "bling". Kynan and Leora dug out clothes they wanted decorating and Tiffany and I set about making them sparkle. We then attacked Lynita's sun hat too!
Then the wasps arrived and all but the men hid down below. Usually on these evenings the kids eat downstairs and we eat up top, however there were soooo many wasps the food was passed down through the tiny galley port hole and the men chose strategic moments to climb down below too. Even so 2 pesky wasps managed to sneak in which entomologist Lynita quickly caught and released back outside. It was a lovely evening, ending in the usual giggles getting back into the dinghy after a couple of drinks. We then had a little time to admire the stillness of the night before a last game of qwirkle for the adults and bed.
Saturday
An early morning as we needed to get back to Effumia so that Tiffany could get a taxi to the airport. We waved Dizzie goodbye and then spotted Soledad, a new friend to be on the AIS. It took about an hour to motor to Effumia and then a couple of shots at dropping the anchor... this time not because of dragging but because just as we had dropped the anchor the first time, a better spot further in became available. Then a quick transfer ashore for Tiffany via dinghy (quite a pro now!) and a last minute mooch round the shops before I waved her taxi goodbye.
We were still in chaos when Soledad arrived but rowed over and offered to take their kids ashore to the playground so that the adults could catch up on sleep after their night sail. In the end the parents came too and everyone except Patrick went ashore. They grabbed some take away lunch and we headed to the playground where the boys played football while the girls were on the swings. However suddenly I caught sight of Esmé looking all sad at the picnic table. She had fallen off the swing onto her arm and was crying. This was somewhat concerning as usually she bounces back quite quickly, picking herself up ready to play again. The crying went on for about half an hour so I decided to take her to the pharmacy for them to take a look. They advised taking her to the hospital at Argostoli. A quick phone call to Patrick and he concurred that I should take her and he and AJ would stay with Laurin. We went back to the boat to pick up passports, ehic cards and some other supplies and then Patrick took us ashore to find a taxi. 45 minutes later we were at our second Greek hospital and within 10 minutes were seeing a doctor, then on to an x ray. In the end there was no break and the Doctor bandaged Esme's arm up with instructions to take it easy for a few days..... let's see how long that lasts!Dinner was a quick affair and then we all had a well deserved and needed early night!
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