Lost Luggage

 Jessie had a challenge at the Vancouver airport since her flight to the UK was July 2023 and her return flight was Jun 2024. That exceeds the length of time you can stay in the UK without a visa. She was totally prepared and had her follow-on flight to Greece well documented but that seemed to be beyond the Air Canada system’s ability to process. After a harrowing hour in line at the Vancouver Airport, we finally got her checked into the flight. Thankfully we were at YVR with plenty of time to spare so we easily made our flight to Montreal and the connecting Montreal to Heathrow leg. We made it. My bag made it, but Jessie’s bag didn’t. That was August 29th.

Lucky I packed 10 meters of rope to tie that bag to the scooter

After numerous phone calls to Air Canada baggage services (and I use the word service quite liberally here), Jess was assured her bag would be in Preveza on the 31st, but they didn’t know flights to PVK from Heathrow come on Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday.The challenge was that we were not connecting to an Air Canada affiliate flight so Air Canada thought they needed to send the bag to Heathrow, which they did, but it took a while for them to realize that Preveza is in another country 1000+Km’s away and they needed to send the bag on BA to get it to PVK. Well to make a long story short, that did not happen for about a week. We reckon that her bag had a lovely London holiday.

I was really impressed how Jess kept it together after getting the runaround and having to make about a dozen phone calls, many of which included lengthy waits to talk to an agent. Check the website they would say. You mean the website that never is updated? She received information, disinformation, assurances, and disappointment. She finally got a call on Sunday the 6th that the bag was at PVK, so I went and rented a scooter and rode it to the airport to pick it up. When I got there the Greek airport computer didn’t know about her bag (uh oh). The agent who was helping me walked to another computer terminal in the building. I went with her and luckily, I saw the bag sitting there on the floor and said “there it is!”

Jess happy to have her wardrobe back

She was very happy to have more than one swim suit and to be able to wear clothes other than her mother’s boat duds.

Tara’s 2023 Starts

After about 24 hours of travelling, Jess and I arrived at Cleopatra and put our luggage onto Tara and started the cleaning and reanimating process. 

Hooking up the aircon. Priority #1

The first two things we typically do is connect the batteries and the shore power. This lets us get refrigeration and run the portable air conditioner we bought a couple of years ago.

It is best to do the on-deck work either early or late unless you want to bake in the sun

JJ the best teak scrubber in the business

We did a good job cleaning up the boat The teak really gets filthy and requires a lot of scrubbing that Jess took to with vigour. A day and a half of steady work and we were ready to go into the water. First order of business is to raise the jib as it is frightening to do that on land. Once the sails were up, we were good to go … all the way to Preveza (About a 1/2 mile) and we backed into the quay with about 50 meters of chain out, and then filled up with water, groceries, ice and booze and we were ready to go. First stop, Ormos Varkiou.

Tied up safely at the quay in Preveza

2023, back blogging after a bit of a Hiatus

I has been quite a while since we’ve updated our Blog, like four years. One of the challenges with Covid and the missing year is that so many other things changed, we were busy and we fell out of our routine.

Kida lived in West Van but always loved the snow

Meeting Ross at the Peach Arch Park that never closed let us see him for the first time in more than 6 months. All bagged up and masked. How easy it is to forget how difficult the COVID times were.

Both Jess and Ross have graduated from university, Ross moved to the USA, did his Masters in California and got a job in Phoenix. JJ moved to Calgary to start her career and got a dog, (little) Joe. Our dog Kida lost her fight with cancer, and we got our new dog Woodley. Marina guided her tennis club through the difficult Covid period as President and managed to keep the club open and available for play in spite of some folks who seemed determined to defy the rules set down by the Provincial Health Officer. I continued to work but part time instead of full-time, which I have adjusted to quite well.

Meanwhile Tara stayed in Cleopatra across from Preveza. We had abbreviated trips in 2021 and 2022 with a total of two weeks each year, and this year we (I) decided to take a longer trip since I am between assignments. With Marina working and me not, it seemed like an ideal time to head to the boat. Add to that Jessie and Kyle deciding to take a travel year in Europe, I had my partner to get the boat ready, and then put it away too. The only real drag is that we need to leave the dogs at home, which meant that Marina wasn’t going to come for as long which sucks.

Joe is quite a character. To play with him and a ball you must have two since he will not share.

It turns out that Woodley and Joe are the best of friends and love to spend time with one another whenever they can

Sailing Away to Greece by Sol & Taylor (Part 2)

August 3: We had (a delicious Marina made) breakfast on board before motoring to Lefkas to wait for the bridge to open so that we could pass through the canal.  It opens only once an hour so boats line up and jockey for position as they wait. 

Little bit of excitement when the horn finally sounded signalling the opening especially as the boat in front was attempting to rescue a fender.  We came close to t-boning them as they blocked the way through the canal but we managed to evade them after a tongue lashing from skipper Matt. 

Once through the canal we anchored in the Lefkas marina to take the dinghy in for provisions and the best-ever gyros, yummy! 

After lunch we continued our journey south to Back Flip Bay (so named by the Alexanders for the time Jessie taught some other teenagers how to front flip off a boat while learning how to back flip from them).  Got in nearer to twilight so we didn’t swim ashore and had to re-anchor as we were getting a bit close to a sailboat astern of us.  Had dinner on board as there were no amenities on shore, just a taverna closed for the night.  So Greek salad with leftover chicken kebabs, hot pita bread and hummus.  Delicious!  

August 4: Next morning a very friendly man from Barcelona chatted to us while on his morning swim.  His life had taken him and his family to various places in the world but they seemed to love living in Costa Rica just outside San Jose, where life is more relaxed and less regulated and restricted than other parts of the world.  Pura Vida!!  A lot like Greece I’d say.  

Our motor over to Atherinos afterwards was uneventful which was a juxtaposition to the excitement later on while watching other yachts trying to find an anchorage in the small bay with a strong wind blowing .  But before I relate that part of the story, I’ll just interject that Jim and I went for a snorkel before all the excitement and made our way close to one of the shores.  There were more fish the further out we went but not much on the bottom which was almost silt-like. In the meantime, Matt and Marina had gone ashore to one of the two tavernas where Matt was able to set himself up to watch the Hungarian Grand Prix. 

Marina was back on board with us when the fun began.  Matt somewhat missed the “shit show” as “Upside down dinghy boat” spent 45 minutes looking for an anchorage while dragging his dinghy upside down, “Foul your prop/run aground boat” actually bumped into shore having wrapped a rope around his prop,

The boat at right is almost ashore with the wrapped prop. 

“Lift the anchor boat” snarled a neighbour’s anchor, “Italian bumper boat” whacked a smaller neighbour, and “Blue Knight also known as ballsy or stupid” came to the rescue repeatedly.  Talk about great entertainment - like watching 13 year olds in a go kart race!  Marina even had to jump in the dinghy to help two boats with anchors wrapped around each other get untangled while we stayed aboard letting boats know where our anchor was. The large Dutch contingent (the same crew from the Pargas water taxi, with 8 or 9 boats) that was responsible for most of the chaos finally tied up to the mole successfully before crowding into the taverna above for dinner.  We did the same a bit later and had a delicious meal alongside this big group while feeding bits of lamb fat to a couple of cats.  A female grey tabby was especially sweet and affectionate.  

A peaceful next morning

August 5: The next morning we had breakfast at the other taverna before Matt and Marina went for a long walk up the hill and Jim and Sol headed back to the boat.  Jim went off to snorkel and Sol just relaxed aboard until the alarm for the anchor went off which panicked her a little as she was alone.  After texting with Marina, though, her fears were put to rest as the 180 degree swing from the night before triggered the alarm.  Sol took a quick dip to cool off and managed to unfortunately break the cold water knob on the outdoor shower when she was closing it.  Ugh!!  Luckily Matt, handy man extraordinaire, was able to replace it when they returned with little effort as he had a spare.  We were then off to Nidri but via Mitikas first.  We saw two pods of dolphins (unfortunately they didn’t come over to play in our bow wave) as we motored into Mitikas which has a beautiful mountainous island to its south. 

We anchored for a bit, enough time for Jim and Sol to swim ashore and back. 

Marina got a bit leery of a white baseball-capped swimmer who was hanging around the boat so we decided to pull anchor and head to Nidri rather than take a look around town.  That turned out to be an excellent decision as we caught some awesome wind (20 knots gusting to 25) and were able to sail on a starboard tack all the way to Nidri. 

So much fun with the music blaring and nary another boat in sight until we got close to shore.  M&M were very patient with us amateurs, showing us how to read “puffs” of wind (super hard to do for a rookie) and get a feel for how to steer a boat at over 8 knots with a beer in hand.  We sailed into Nidri around sunset with magical lighting. 

Nidri is a larger town with lots of tourists and ferry boats too.  We had dinner at L’Approdo, an Italian restaurant that is a favourite of Matt and Marina’s.  And gelato for dessert, of course!!  Even managed to find Jim a replacement Aussie hat which he wore jauntily as we made our way back to Tara for the night.

August 6: Breakfast was ashore again after going to a couple of stores for some groceries, beer and water.  We met Matt, who had ventured off to find some marine supply store, at a cute cafe where Tom & Jerry cartoons were playing on a TV at the back and large fans were blowing mist to keep customers cool.  The eggs Benedict weren’t as good as at home but the pancakes were delicious with all of the fresh fruit on top.

The seas were calm as we set off so we motored for a while before arriving at Atokos where there is a small chapel set back from the beach.  Unfortunately our timing was a little off as the wind had come up making it a short visit. 

Matt stayed aboard while Jim and Sol swam to shore with Marina paddling in with the SUP.  We visited the chapel to remember loved ones no longer with us, reflecting privately as we formed a circle and watched the flame of a BBQ lighter (had to make do with that as there were no candles in the chapel to light). 

Then we swam back to the boat where Matt relayed that a piece of paper with a journal of our trip had flown overboard in a strong gust of wind.  We searched for it a little with no success so off we turned in the direction of our next destination - Vathy on the island of Ithikas.  

We took advantage of the wind and put out the jib sail on another starboard tack.  We even managed 8.9 knots at one point, so exciting!!  Jim helmed some more and Sol took a turn as we came nearer the island.  Matt raced another sailor into the harbour passing them easily which the other skipper didn’t seem too happy about. 

Vathy is a lovely town ringed by various small hills with houses climbing their flanks.  We counted at least three churches identified by their steeples and crosses.  The harbour was full of boats of all sizes and shapes but our eyes were drawn to the super yachts tied up at the mole.  Some of them were like small cruise ships, at least 200 feet long! 

After making our way to shore we chose a restaurant for dinner away from the shoreline as the wind was still blowing very hard.  Unfortunately the food wasn’t that great and the wine they brought Marina was undrinkable.  We probably should have joined the Dutch contingent we had spotted at the restaurant next door.  A walk after dinner on the boardwalk led us to where we could ogle the super yachts up close. Their sizes are so impressive but they must go through so much diesel as they make their way around the Mediterranean.  Jim and Matt capped the night off with, you guessed it, gelato before we returned to Tara and our beds.

August 7:  After another lovely breakfast on board, we headed northwards with little to no wind.  So lots of powering, unfortunately, but it gave us time to laze about, read our books and journal about our trip.

We motored past Nidri to the west and Meganisi to the east before arriving at Back Flip Bay again.  The wind was quite heavy but we managed to anchor without incident.  Jim went off to the southern end of the beach to snorkel (and saw an octopus!) while Sol went for a swim into shore.  We eventually met up with Matt and Marina at the small taverna for some drinks and then siestas on the lounge chairs set up on the beach.  A swim and paddle back to the boat for our final night: dinner on board courtesy of Marina’s fine cooking (Sol and Jim were typically on dish washing duty), then Matt’s guitar playing with chats about politics, kids, formula one, how Christopher Columbus navigated by sun and stars, and many other things.

August 8: We powered back up past Lefkas (sadly no time for those yummy gyros this time!), trying to make the 12 o’clock gun through the canal, as the floating bridge only opens on the hour. 

With five minutes to spare, we passed through behind a pushy Slovenian sailboat and then unfurled the sails for a relaxing sail on a port tack to Preveza.  For the first time, Matt took Tara in stern to the mole (smooth and easy, with his back to the steering wheel), so we could tie up, power up and fill Tara with water.  We forgot to put a bumper down at the back of the boat and Jim made a hash of tying up one of the ropes, but a little help from an American in the neighbouring yacht got us in with little trouble). Preveza was busy with tourists strolling along the water front, stopping in at the many tavernas and cafes.  Even more were checking out the shops one or two streets back from the sea side, which we did as well - this is a good place to find gifts for family and friends.  

Sol and Jim found nothing but a lot of sweat while shopping in the mid-afternoon heat, so retreated to the refuge of a fan-cooled taverna next to Tara.  M&M joined us after a little while, pausing to help a 55 foot yacht settle in beside Tara. 

We had a nice and cheesy, meatless lunch and then Marina very kindly took us out shopping to her favourite places, where we found everything we needed, while Matt stayed in the cafe enjoying WIFI.  We ate supper at the same seaside cafe as lunch, though the food was not as good this time.  At least the rosè and beers were tasty, and there were some very friendly community doggies around our table.  What do the doggies eat in winter when there aren’t any tourists around? 

Time for a traditional gelato stop and then off to the taxi stand at the end of the seawall, where we said goodbye to our amazing hosts M&M.  

One last comment...if you are looking for an airport hotel in Athens and the Sofitel seems pricey, consider the Holiday Inn on Attica Avenue.  The only added costs are a 15 minute, 30 euro taxi ride (zero cost if you wait for the free hotel shuttle) and a very reasonable 15 euro for the buffet breakfast.  All told, the Holiday Inn costs about half the Sofitel and you’ll get a good night’s sleep with WIFI, AC and lots of space.

Sailing Away to Greece - By Sol & Jim Taylor (Part 1)

Another exciting adventure with the amazing sailing duo Marina and Matt Alexander on Tara!  This time our visit would coincide with their time sailing in the sunny Ionian Sea.  Weather is ridiculously predictable, sunny and hot mid 30s with “cool” evenings in low 20s.  Winds come up around 2pm in the afternoon reaching low 20s knots, and Tara can sail!

July 29: we met Matt, Marina, Ross and Ross’ old friend Philip in Corfu town after a 23 hour journey from Vancouver via Toronto and Athens. 

The plane flew in low over Corfu island’s green hills, close to the coast and just over the heads of sea side homes.  We stayed in the town centre, close to Corfu’s old and new castles.  There is so much heat in Corfu compared to wet coast Pacific cool.  After a 10 minute walk through winding, narrow streets to one of the Alexanders’ favourite Italian restaurants, we had a chance to catch up, with Ross and Philip telling stories and sharing a video about their recent visit to a Munich hofbrauhaus where Ross was the last man standing! 

Matt and Marina shared plans for the coming trip and we had our first taste of ouzo (yuck!).  Got to bed around midnight with plans to see the old town in the morning but...

July 30: Old style Hotel Konstantinopolis had a much too comfortable room and AC, so we slept in by accident!  We agreed to meet Matt at 11am at the NAOK marina but only woke up at 11:11 am.  After a quick change, we rushed out the door and trundled our carry on suitcases through sweaty hot Corfu town’s shopping district to the marina.  Curses!  No brekkie, sad not to visit the impressive Venetian castles around town, and feeling bad about being late, on a day when M & M were up at 5am to see Ross and Phillip off to Corfu airport and on their way back to Vancouver.  In any case, we climbed aboard Tara’s dinghy with Marina, made our apologies, and finally boarded ship!  After powering our way southeast to Sivota town on the mainland, we anchored in a narrow channel between Muertos Island and a very nice marina on the mainland, just around the corner from the town.  Time for a swim with lots of silvery blue fishes under the boat.  We met another Canadian (rare!) from Montreal who had bought his 40 foot hurricane damaged catamaran for peanuts, then brought it back to life, and now sails around the Med on a five year plan - tough life!  We took a dinghy into shore, walked through a posh marina, and then wound our way up and over a hill past small olive orchards (occasionally with a friendly doggie) to the small town and harbour.

The town had a lot of nice restaurants with a wide boardwalk, and we had a very nice meal followed by gelato (a nightly ritual) before retracing our steps back to Tara.  Back on board, we had late sundowners (the sun had already set) leading to Matt and Marina figuring out the precise location of Corfu town with much arm waving and laughter, before our first night’s sleep in the heat - no need for covers!

July 31: woke up early, hung out with a book and lots of brown and silver fingerlings around Tara.  Seems the fish hang out waiting for bread crumbs tossed over board, but only the bigger fish (silver with a black ring around the tail) take part in the feeding frenzy - fun to throw crumbs and watch!  After a morning swim to cool down, we went into town for breakfast and groceries, on a scorching hot day, in a town over-run with day tripper boats and tourists.  Back on board Tara, we powered out and around Muertos island, then headed southeast in rolling seas towards Lakka on Ormos Paxos Island - the ride was a little uncomfortable for Solange, but we were starting to get our sea legs.  Lakka is a smaller town than Sivota, but again it was really busy with tourists from all over Europe. 

We had a relaxing, long supper at a restaurant owned by a 30 something friend of the Alexanders, Giorgio, who helped Matt and Jim get nicely buzzed, finishing with a shot of grappa (yuck again!).  The restaurant was crazy busy, a young British server was literally running to and from the kitchen to keep up with orders.  Seems that sea side restaurant owners in Greece have to make hay while the sun shines, then pack up and go home to do other things for the winter. 

Hard working Northern European tourists (and the occasional Canadians) finance this so called “lazy” Southern European lifestyle, but we saw a lot of hard working Greeks while tourists (mostly French, Italian, Dutch and German) lazed around, in and out of the water!

August 1: Garbage day!  In the morning, we headed into Lakka town and walked up to the garbage dump (stinky!) before breaking our fast at a sea side cafe with fantastic savory crepes and a view of Tara at anchor in the bay - another Alexander favourite and totally yummy. 

We motored over to Anti Paxos next, a picturesque bay with only two tavernas.  Typically, Marina manages the anchor and Matt the steering while we stay out of the way, and then we watch that nobody anchors on our anchor or too close to Tara.  Sometimes, it’s a “shit show,” as amateur hour can lead to hairy eyeballs from each skipper, occasional shouts and warnings, and ultimately boats bumping into each other.

The anchorage was windy and risky so M & M stayed on board while Sol and I swam into shore and then walked up perhaps 200 feet to a fancy taverna with a view to die for.  But our wet clothes and the somewhat posh surroundings led us back down the stairs (Sol nearly stepped on a lizard along the way) and across the beach to a more casual taverna where Jim tried lemon Fanta for the first time, not too sweet, try it!  After a refreshing swim back to the boat, we pulled up anchor and set out for Pargas next.  

Pargas was perhaps the largest town on our trip, two bays split by a hill maybe 1500 feet high with a large old Venetian fort on top.  The anchorage was crowded and the town was far enough away that a water taxi for only 5 euros each was the best way to get to and from supper.  This was our first encounter with a group of perhaps 30 Dutch tourists in roughly 8 rented 40 foot sail boats, who all piled into the water taxi with us.  After disembarking at the boardwalk in town, we set off towards another favourite M&M restaurant, climbing steadily up the hill past the entrance to the old fort and many tourist shops filled with crafts, leather goods, souvenirs, and gelato. 

Only the castle walls were above us when we reached the restaurant, sadly finding that they were booked and we would have to wait for a table.  Luckily, a very nice Norwegian couple (Inga(?) and Helga) overheard and came over to offer us their table.  After a short wait, we were treated to a corner front table with a fantastic meal (lamb stifado for Jim, lamb for Matt, sea bream for the ladies) and a breathtaking view of the harbour perhaps a thousand feet below. 

Tara rested at anchor in a line of five sail boats, with roughly 30 in total at anchor, and many more tied up, stern to, along the harbour wall.  Small colourful houses dotted the hillsides with olive trees and bougainvillea climbing the walls.  This was a highlight meal - thanks again to the Alexanders for sharing it with us!  On the way back to Tara, we stopped for a brief visit at the fort, checked out an art gallery, had more gelato, and then climbed back into the water taxi with the same Dutch tourists as before.

August 2: Brother Pete’s birthday so Jim texted happy 50th wishes!  We heard that Jim’s cousins Lisa and Rachel would be sailing in Greece as well, but unfortunately their timing did not coincide with ours.  After another breakfast in a seaside cafe and then fetching more groceries and ice,

Matt went for a long walk in town while Sol and Jim went for a snorkel.  Waving goodbye to Pargas, we headed out to Two Rock Bay, named for, you guessed it, two nasty rocks that stick out in the middle of a bay, lying in wait for unwary sailboats.  This bay has not yet been overrun with tavernas, cafes and tourist shops. 

There is a sheltered sandy beach with a lot of local Greek tourists and a food truck on the hill over-looking the bay.  Limestone bluffs have been undercut by waves creating sea caves, and the calm waters are perfect for SUPping and snorkelling. We saw more marine life in Greece (including a Mediterranean eel) than in a previous visit to Croatia, but the snorkelling is not as diverse and vibrant as Maui! We swam into shore, played volleyball in the shallows (record 39 touches before splash down) and then headed up to the food truck for a few beverages and a snack.  

Sadly for Jim, he left his Aussie-looking hat at an outdoor shower near the food truck and the hat is now gone to a new owner.  Marina barbecued chicken kabobs on board and Matt broke out his guitar to sing Toby Keith tunes, “I’m not as good as I once was, but I’m as good once, as I ever was...”. There were a few mosquitoes buzzing around our ankles, but Matt’s G&Ts and guitar play helped us ignore their bites, and the night sky was brilliant with stars (Marina taught us how to find the North Star), shooting stars, and the Milky Way).