Sergei swimming in Fonias waterfall pool

The weather was very hot and the walk up to the waterfall took about one hour, but it was worth it. The water is freezing cold and very refreshing. You can't see the waterfall because it is behind the large rock on the left. Sergei is bobbing around and Lenny's head can be seen in the middle of the pool. This park is one of the most beautiful places in Greece. The walk up to the pool goes along the Fonias River which is very shallow most of the year, but in the early Spring, when the snow melts on top of Mount Saos. I was told by the Coast Guard that it is so dangerous that it is closed even for the Army during the melts. I heard that an Army truck was washed up on Thasos Island 40 miles away.

cook in restaurant in Canakkele

In the background you can see Sergei and Lenny sitting at a table. The menu was simple: ceramic pots filled with rice, beans and cheese and served as a stew. Sardines charcoaled on the tiny grill. Salad, bread and beer, brought in from the neighborhood general store down the street. The cook was full of life and very friendly. We liked the food so much that we returned the following night. In fact, we also ordered another kind of stew which was potatoes, tomatoes and some kind of green vegetable. Delicious! It was in Canakkele that we caught a taxi to visit the ancient city of Troy.

Ferry "Aeolis" backs up in Agio Efstratios

This creaky ferry(the captain said they had bought a new one for the next year) went back and forth from Limnos, in a two hour trip, twice a day. Typically for the Med, the ferry dropped its port anchor, swung to the starboard, and dropped the starboard anchor. Then it would straighten out and begin to back up toward the dock. We were always fascinated by the expert maneuvering, especially when the wind was strong from one side or the other. Trucks, cars and animals, as well as passengers, were the typical cargo. Since there is no bank on Agio Efstratios, banking is done "by ferry." We had been warned to move CHARLIE by the Coast Guardsman, who told us that the ferry would be arriving at the very spot we had first tied up. We decided that the Aeolis was held together by the paint.

The Gerogianakki family on Agios Efstratios

This is Agape, Adonis and Maria Gerogianakki family in front of their house on Agios Efstratios. This is one of the seven houses left standing after the earthquake in 1968. They were busy restoring it. When we tied up in the harbor and took a walk into town, Maria stepped out of her door as we were about to take a photo. She said, "Welcome to our island. Would you like a glass of wine?" It was early in the afternoon, but Peter and I said yes immediately. Then, Maria brought out bread she had baked that morning, cheese, olives and the wine. It is a special wine she told us, "From the island of Limnos." They were great hosts.

Richard on deck in Moudros Harbor, Limnos Island

Lenny, Peter and I sailed CHARLIE into Moudros Harbor after a rough sail around the southern tip of Limnos and into the largest bay in the Aegean. It is here, in Moudros Bay that the entire Allied fleet hid from the Turkish Navy in the Gallipoli Invasion. There is a lovely plaque in the harbor that commemorates the Australian war dead from that war. It was warm in the town and we took a long walk to buy Peter a good sun hat. We sat in the local hotel and were treated to the stories by the old men of the war. You can see by my clothing that the weather was very comfortable, although it was rough on the sea.

Net cleaning in Samothraki harbor

In April, 2006, CHARLIE was tied up in this harbor and the fishermen had just returned from their early morning work at sea. The boy on the dock was feeding the net through his hands and cleaning out the shells and other non-fish items. We watched him with amazement when he would casually reach into the net and pick out a sea sluggy looking creature and pop it into his mouth. This cleaning process takes several hours and then the nets are carefully placed on deck, covered with wet rugs awaiting their use the following day. Whenever we needed advise about wind or sea conditions, we learned not to go to the Coast Guard, but always ask these men. You can see the harbor wall on the right. During bad storms, the waves spray over the top, but the wind gets so strong that even the ferry boats do not attempt the harbor. Judy and I once were asked by the Coast Guard NOT to leave the harbor, but we asked the fishermen and they pointed to a spot on the chart and told us, "There, no wind." We snuck out of Samothraki when the afternoon siesta closed everyone's eyes, and, amazingly enough, when CHARLIE got to the point where the fisherman had placed his finger: NO WIND. They know the sea.

Richard and Peter at the Coast Guard office on Samothraki

Every time you tie up in a Subport in Greece, you must check in with the Coast Guard. You show passports, ship's papers, crew lists, and, most important, insurance papers. You also pay a very small fee for the overnight stay, usually only about Euros 5. The station here is small, but important, because Samothraki is close to the Turkish mainland. In the office, there is a big sign saying, "No Smoking," but the men smoke away anyway. I asked about it, and one told me, "The sign says no smoking over there, under the sign, but not here at my desk. " They were friendly to us and kept us informed about weather conditions, which can be hazardous around the island.

Lenny as we round Limnos Island

Lenny on deck as we motor around the northern point of Limnos Island, which can be seen over his shoulder.

Cathy Hunt and David Evans

Cathy and David are very old friends. They have been sailing with CHARLIE during summer vacation. In fact, David was one of the crew that went from Port la Nouvelle in France all the way across the Mediterranean to Athens, where he left us. David had been a ship's cook and told me that "we would never eat a snack on CHARLIE while we sailed to Greece." Even at the crew changes at 3 AM, David would whip up a complete evening meal. David also was the chief navigator on that leg of the trip and once a storm in the Bouche de Bonifacio between Corsica and Sardinia forced us to change course and we did not have an appropriate sea chart, but only a Michelin road chart of Corsica. David used the chart and with a magical sort of clear sight, he navigated us safely into port.

CHARLIE in Sotiras at sunset

The island of Thasos is only three hours from Ireklitsa. Sotiras harbor is a newly made safe harbor. It is usually empty and we tie up for the day and take a swim. Mr. Alekos owns a tiny bar on the beach and he is a very helpful person. Once, our anchor pulled loose because it had hooked onto a christmas tree that had been dropped in the harbor. Alekos organized a fisherman to carry the anchor out to a deep place so we could be safe for the night. Like all harbors on the northern Greek islands, the villages are hidden in valleys high up on the mountains and can't be seen from the sea. Because of the danger of pirates, the "law" was that no lights could be shown at night in the villages. There were no harbors for the villages, but in today's world, piracy is not a problem, and the government has constructed harbors for many of the villages. The only weakness of Sotiras is the heavy cement dock that has very few tie-up spots and rides very high over the deck.

Lenny on Charlie in the Canal du Midi

Here, Lenny is waving to Sergei as we exit a lock. You can see the lovely trees which lined the entire length of the canal. You are not allowed to sail, but must motor at no more than 4 knots an hour. It is a question of "putt-putt" in the sun. You are not allowed to motor at night, so each morning, you are told where you will moor for the night. We were alone for most of the 250 kilometers of the canal. CHARLIE handled very well after we learned how to keep her secure in the bubbling water. Life was generally peaceful and the local villagers were friendly. We ate in every kind of restaurant from tavern to fancy 2 star restaurant. Sometimes we ate in restuarants that were exactly on the canal wall in between the trees. It was sunny and warm weather and we built a sun awning ourselves.

Charlie in the Canal du Midi

In order to get to the Mediterranean, we decided to take CHARLIE through the famous Canal du Midi which goes from Bordeaux to Port La Nouvelle on the Med. The canal has 125 locks which you operate yourself with the help of canal guides. You can see here that the depth is about 2 meters and the water ahead of us is much higher than we are. The gate behind us is closing and we then wait for the water to come pouring in very fast and very hard. We had to be careful to protect our sides from the wet and rough lockwalls as we bounced around. The locks ranged from 60 centimeters to a huge one of nine meters (where we couldn't even see the top). The lock attendents were extremely friendly and helpful, but we learned to do the work ourselves and didn't have any accidents.