We are really efficient at breakfast these days, usually beating the wasps to it. It does however mean that we seem to eat below instead of on deck, but that is just convenient. Anyway we made a sharp departure from our clear water spot and headed back down to Patiteri for shopping et al. Amazing how that can excite the girls. The harbour was full so we anchored, motored ashore and settled in one of the many Tavernas for refreshments because it was steamy hot. These kind of decisions are usually made based on who offers free WiFi. Next door was an environmental centre promoting awareness of the diminishing monk seals which live around the Northern Sporades islands (a marine sanctuary). Meanwhile, believe it or not, Astrid had stayed on board to catch up with work matters – not ideal but the wheels of commerce need oiling occasionally. I motored back to our boat to drag her off and we then decided to abandon the anchorage and practice our joint skills at mooring, which was achieved impressively quickly alongside the town jetty.
Meanwhile the teenagers had exploited the free WiFi and communicated everything to everyone while the adults explored the waterfront which was quaint and busy as one might expect. In order to connect to quayside electricity and water I unsuccessfully walked around half the town, as directed by a friendly policeman , to no avail. Turns out you must talk to the travel agent(?). In the process I noticed that all the lamp posts has been placed in the middle of the pavements, which coupled with odd tables, chairs and flowerpots meant one had to walk in the road half the time. The police all have referee type whistles which are blown loudly and aggressively at any person or car which needs sorting out. Like naughty children!
With everyone off shopping for provisions and more, Astrid & I returned to the boat to sort out the water tanks and charge her work(!!!) computer, whilst being nagged by the harbour police to please move on soonest, as we were not supposed to be in that spot. “Only another 10 minutes “ turned out to be about 1 ½ hours in the end.
Finally, landed with all kinds of goodies, we headed north up the coast to the smal coastal village of Steni Vala, by which time we were all desperate for a swim.
It was a tiny harbour with no space for us, so Astrid & Charlie went ashore to find the Monk Seal Rehabilitation Centre which had been on our must-see radar. Turned out this no longer existed although the girls did not waste the opportunity to check all the shops instead.
The afternoon was getting late and we needed to find a comfortable night spot. Although there was little wind I prefer not to be woken with problems in the early hours. So we crossed to the island of Peristera and tucked ourselves into a quiet southern corner of Vasiliko Bay next to an abandoned boat shed. Lots of abandoned wood and metal too but the water was in fact the cleanest we have seen so far. Crystal clear and another invitation to snorkel. The underwater scenery here is largely similar and not especially colourful, like most of the Med, but always smaller fish and shells abound. Now we are really getting away from it all, for the northern Sporades islands are sparsely populated, if at all, and this was no exception. We have also finally lost all phone communications (which will remain so for some days).
Supper was high class tonight with fresh fish and tasty sauces. Better than a restaurant!
As night fell the girls spotted a dolphin or seal near our bows which was special. We all made ourselves comfortable on the foredeck to watch for shooting stars. The water was like glass, and I seem to have nodded off every time the cry went up of a burning meteorite. The atmosphere was incredible.