DAY 92 SAILING DAY 20 Finally Skipper Dave calls out to us that are still below deck to “get up, we are coming into Athens”. Now we are moving. It is still windy, but warm. We enter the marina and it is full of boats as the weather has been rough. We find a place to moor, freshen up, dress and get off that yacht. We have breakfast at a cafe along the beach and hop on a tram into the center of Athens. Bill comes us us. That being Angie, Francine and Yvonne. Bill was here for nine days prior to sailing so he knows the city well. We get off the tram and walk to the parliament building where there is a small crowding gathering for inspection of the guards. It is not as ... read more

DAY 84 SAILING DAY 12 Bright eyed and bushy tailed this morning. Francine and Yvonne head off to the super market for some fresh produce. First, stopping to have a coffee with Bill. The super market is at the back of the town and they got lost on the way. A lovely Greek lady helps them with directions. Finally they make it back to the boat. All ready to set sail and off we go on our way to Syros, about a 5 hour trip. There is a nice wind and today we get to sail for a few hours. This morning Angie is at the helm and gets a lesson in sailing with the sails. So the routine commences. Sailing, siesta and eating. We arrive in Syros at about 4pm. This town looks very much ... read more

DAY 78 SAILING DAY 6 Francine gets up at about 3am and checks that the boat has not moved. At 5am the motor starts up. Angela (G) has woken the captain as the boat has moved very close to the small beach. We assume positions and set off for the day. After about an hour Francine goes back to bed as she hardly slept during the night, whilst worrying about the boat hitting the rocks. We are on our way to Santorini. There isn't much wind to begin with but later in the morning we are able to use the sails without the motor. Santorini is one of several ancient volcanoes lying on the southern Aegean volcanic arc. The circular island volcano erupted in about 1450BC causing the centre to sink, leaving a caldera with high ... read more

THE RED, THE DEAD, NOW THE MED DAY 73 We wake up on the boat in our little cabin and can't wait to get up and start our sailing adventure. Breakfast is hand squeeze OJ, bread, butter, jam, coffee, juice, cheese. Breakfast lingers on and Angie especially getting impatient. Finally the boat is underway however the winds are not favorable. So we have to motor out till we can catch the wind. The captain allows each of us to steer the boat. We find that steering with the sails up is a tricky business and needs constant and full attention to catching the wind. We are enjoying our ride even though the boat is leaning to one side while the sails are up. So most of us are on the starboard side to compensate. Some of ... read more

DAY 67-70 We depart this morning on the 8:30 hydrofoil from Fethıye to Rhodes. The trıp takes about 90 mınutes. Our time in Turkey has been amazing and surprising. Good Bye Turkey!! ISLAM Since we are leaving the Muslim countries we want to include some basic information and observations. The word Islam is an Arabic word meaning peace and submission. Islam is one of the Abrahamic religions, as are Judaism and Christianity. Some of the prophets of Islam includes but not limited to, Abraham, Moses and Jesus. The Muslims believe in: One God, The Angels, The Prophets, The Books of Allah and Fate and Divine Decree and Resurrection. The also have 5 pillars of faith that include Shahadah (Testimony), Salah (5 daily prayers), Sawm (Fasting) and Zakah (Purification of Wealth) and Hajj (Pilgrimage to Mecca, Those ... read more