Goatherd on Samothraki Island

Samothraki has 35,000 goats which sleep on the road, walk across the road and wander freely around the island. The visit to the island is one of our favorite times. There are 60 sea miles from Ireklitsa to Samothraki and it takes about 9 hours to motor there. Since the wind generally comes out of the Northeast, unless there is at least a Bft. 5, we have to motor. When the wind blows, it can reach a Bft 7-8 in minutes. I have photographed the sea at the northwest corner of the island. You can clearly see the wind flags on the ocean. There is a line drawn between the flat sea on the right and the rough waves on the left. We asked fishermen about the wind around Samothraki and they told us that it stops about 10 miles outside the island. On the island itself, you can't feel the wind unless you get to a hilltop. Judy and I have been "trapped" on the island for three days in a wind that reached Bft 8/9 and even the ferry boats weren't able to sail. We followed the fishermen's advice and motored out of the harbor and when we reached 10 miles, the wind stopped dead. Samothraki is a lovely island to visit, although there are few tourist hot spots. Just friendly people, a couple of good tavernas, and the Fonias waterfall.

Judy and Danielle in Ireklitsa

This is the harbor in Ireklitsa. The tavernas are up on the white wall to the left and to all the way to the little red building on the far right. You can see the hot white color of the part of the harbor that is not covered by the palm trees. Judy is walking with Danielle on the way to some light snack. Here, if you bring a bag full of fish to the taverna, the cook will clean them and cook them and only charge you for the cleaning. Because it is so hot in the village, and traditionally in all of Greece, a huge, heavy warm meal is eaten in the early afternoon and then a nap is taken. Of course, at 9 or 10 or even 11 at night, the Greeks show up for an evening meal. At that time, there are no holds barred, and kilos and kilos of food are eaten. It always amazes us that no matter how late WE eat, there are others who eat later. No matter how MUCH we eat, they eat more. What is best, is that after the meal, as a gift, the taverna will give you dessert, for example, a platter of sweet cakes, or a platter of watermelon, or grapes. And then, even though you can't walk easily, you MUST go for a plate of loukemades(round balls of doughnut consistancy, deep fried and served with ice cream or grated cheese or both. And then, and only then, can you roll off to bed. Danielle, thank god, has cooked us meals at home and they are not only sensible, but delicious. We have been saved by her many times.

Charlie's pilot house control panel

The control panel has not changed much in th 28 years of Charlie's life. We have added controls for the electric anchor winch, the electric toilet, the wind speed and direction indicator and the bow thruster. The original Ritchie compass and the autopilot are there as well as the GPS and the new computer with plot charter. There is a intruder alarm and battery chargers for the video and cell phones. The "best" item is the control that shows the position of the rudder, which makes backing up very easy and this is useful when tying up in a harbor. We added a new pilot's seat for comfort after the old seat broke its back.

Charlie's kitchen

This is the starboard kitchen on Charlie. Plenty of work space, with three storage areas and two drawers. There is a counter-top cooking stove and a refrigerator under the stove. There are two storage areas behind the sink, where glasses, cups and tea and coffee are kept. And finally, there is a full length shelf at the back. There are two long windows behind the shelf and a porthole above the stove for ventilation.
Our usual diet in Greece consists of a morning cup of Greek coffee and a tomato salad; a lunch of a large(huge) Greek village salad, fresh bread and beans in tomato sauce. At night, we hit the tavernas and chow down on fish, salads and retsina.

The pilot house bench

After the long sail to Greece, Judy decided that Charlie needed a comfortable bench for the pilot house. Anthimos had a carpenter make the bench(the area used to have the chart table) with storage under the cushions. It is a bit narrow, but perfect for napping and has given us plenty of room for tools, swimming gear, shoes and beach equipment. And, also, it has given the pilot house a homely and comfortable feeling. Charlie has a lot of visitors over the summer and this room has proved its worth. The cushions can be taken out for easy access to the top storage spaces and the bottom drawers when the rope handles are pulled out, become foot rails. Anthimos has managed to create a room that fits in with the original character of Charlie, at 28 years old.