Greece - 28th Aug 2008 - Day 12

The lead boat crew were looking very delicate today - the orders were to head to Vasilliki. We were warned that the wind in this area in the afternoon often got up to force 6, so get in early.

It was our turn for breakfast, so John cooked two huge Spanish omelette's which all six of us gobbled down. Very impressive on such a small hob and grill, even though he said so himself!!

The wind in the morning was really fab - we tacked our way across the bay and stopped at a great location for lunch. Again we had tuna and mayo plus Jane's very special Harrods Tea which they had brought along with them - real social climbers those 2. The bay we stopped at was next to a cave which we could swim into - a bit eerie.

We headed out of the bay on to Vasaliki. As we reached the end of the peninsula the wind picked up massively and we were propelled out into the sea at over 7.8 knots, tilting 30 degrees. We made a quick turn around and headed back into the shelter of the bay to put in a reef or 2.

When we went back out it really made a big difference. We got into the harbour at about 18:00. the wind was amazing.

We celebrated our great day with some Harvey wall banger cocktails that John had made. The lead boat crew joined us and gobbled the lot.

Eventually, Fiona and Jane went for another shower on shore.

Suddenly all hell broke loose as the wind forced Babette and Lillybelle to break free from the yacht attached to the quay. In the struggle to save the yachts from drifting into the harbour, Jon crushed his finger and John had to hold onto 6 inches of rope until another flotilla member called Dave found a large rope and began to secure the boats. It wasn't until Ed and Sweetie arrived that we were able to properly secure the yachts.

That night we went to another quaint restaurant but the food wasn't up to much. That night we had another broken night of sleep due to a disco on shore blasting out music until 3am.

Greece - 27th Aug 2008 - Day 11

The next morning we had breakfast with Jon and Jane. They made us their breakfast special of Survival Pancakes. These pancakes were made of flower and water and dried fruit. A generous helping of honey or jam helped them down and they were very filling.

We needed to get more supplies, so decided to take one of our yachts across to the opposite side of the town where the main shops resided. After much discussion, Steve agreed to take his tub across and to show us how to get the most out of the available wind by sailing to the shops across the busy harbour. The trip across was an eye opener as Steve and Kathy sailed close to other yachts and eked every breath of power out of the small puffs of wind. We still managed over 3 knots of speed and moored up without problems.

We purchased our vitals and then headed back. Fiona tried to sail us back but the wind vanished so we used our motor to return.

Our morning briefing had instructed us to sail to Kioni. We plotted our route and this time left later in the hope of catching more wind. Again we stopped at a great bay for a do it yourself lunch - yet more tuna and mayo.

We arrived in Kioni at about 18:00 - again we were in a raft and had to get to shore by dingy. The lead boat had organised a punch and dip evening on the quay which we went to - they had made a martini based punch which was very nice. After that the six of us headed to one of the tavernas and had another good meal.

On the way back to our boats we meet the rest of the flotilla who were extremely merry and vocal. As we headed back on the dingy's they were seen doing a conga to another bar - needless to say the next day they all looked a bit worse for wear - especially the lead boat team.

When we got back to our boats I remembered John had forgotten his phone which he had left to charge in the Taverna (very John !!). He and Jon got back in the dingy and sailed across to the restaurant and got the phone back.

On there way back they decided it would be fun to take the other boats dingy's and move them from the quay and tie them up on the ropes half way between the boats and quay. We heard the other guys on the Flotilla arrive at the quay and they were some what dismayed that their dingy's were now half way in the harbour - not sure how they retrieved them. We thought there would be some kind of retribution the next day but I don't think it clicked with them that it was the hand work of the 2 John's.

Kioni was a really lovely little town and harbour and we were sorry to leave it.

Greece - 26th Aug 2008 - Day 10

After a good nights sleep we had our morning briefing with Ed and Harry. Todays destiantion was Vathi.


The weather was not so kind today as the wind had all but vanished. Babette and LillyBelle motored all morning to get near to our final destination in the hope that the wind would blow hard in the afternoon.


We found a lovely quiet bay to anchor in. We had a swim and then tuna, tomtoes and fresh bread, again!! After a long lazy lunch the wind refused to blow and we decided to head into the port.




We radioed in for instructions and ended up rafting in the harbour again. However this time we were attached to a boat which was attached to the quay. Fiona and Jane went for a shower on shore - the showers on the boats were very small and a little claustrophobic.



We met Steve and Kathy munching through and enourmous fish which the recommended.



John took a look at some of the fish on offer and ordered two. After ordering John went back to the yacht to get his iPhone (for charging in the restaurant). During this time the chef came out and explained to Fiona that the cost of two fish would be almost 100 Euros!! Fiona reduced the order to just one fish which still cost 60 Euro's - the fish arrivied with nothing else. We both left the restaurant feeling poor and hungry.

Greece - 25th Aug 2008 - Day 9

We had our very first flotilla briefing at 09:30 in the Hotel bar.

We met our flotilla team for the week. The skipper called Ed (he is British but has lived in Auz a long time so has a strong Aussie accent), Sweetie, our engineer (he originates from Manchester - used to be an accountant but it wasn't his thing) and Harry who was the rookie (he came on holiday with his parents and loved it so much he stayed and got a job with Nelson's. However, he returns to Uni in October).






Our brief was to sail to Kastos and arrive at the harbour at about 17:00. We spent the day sailing along side Jon & Jane and stopping at a lovely bay for a swim and a spot of lunch before heading out to catch the wind.

After some good sailing, we headed for our destination and rafted up. This meant all the boats sitting off the harbour wall, tied together with ropes and stabilised by anchors and anchor lines.






We went to Chef John restaurant for a group meal, having to get to shore via a set of dingy's attached to ropes. The meal was very good and this is where we met Steve and Kathy and had a a good chat to many others on the flotilla.





Steve and Kathy were bare boating, which means they could sail on their own or join a flotilla. Steve is a pilot for Thomas Cook and Kathy works in the voluntary sector with young offenders and female prisoners. They have both been sailing for many years so can now rent boats independently of a flotilla.

We had a very good night out and went back to Babette very tired and had a great night's sleep due to the very quite location.

Greece - 24th Aug 2008 - Day 8

Another morning of relaxation around the pool. The weather was still very hot. We stayed around the pool until about 14:00 when we were given the name of our boat's so we could go onboard and familiarise ourselves with the layout, unpack our bags and stock up for the week.

Our boat was called Babette and Jon and Jane's boat was called LillyBelle. Our yacht was slightly newer than Jon and Jane's but their had a better layout and a far bigger fridge.

After we had made several trips to the shops to stock up the plan was to cook on board but it was so hot we all decided to go out again and visit our favorite Italian where Jane tried her first carbonara, which she loved. We did celebrate the start of the flotilla on our boat with a glass of bubbly.

Our first night on board Babette was not as good as expected due to the music from Nidri playing until the early hours and the very hot weather. John had to keep showering during the night and we both wish we had brought out a pair of ear plugs!!

Greece - 23rd Aug 2008 - Day 7

Today we chilled out around the pool with Jane and Jon. Jon had made a good recovery and was up and about but still a bit fragile.



It was great to simply relax, plop into the pool and practice our sailing knots and read our course booklets a few times. It was gratifying to see just how much we had all learnt in just four days.

We all agreed that Rae was a great teacher and that she had four brilliant students!!


That evening we had the statutory cocktail followed by another trip to the Italian Restaurant which became a firm favorite for us all.


Tomorrow we would get onto our yacht's but not actually start sailing until the Monday.

Greece - 22nd Aug 2008 - Day 6

We now had 2 days to ourselves before heading of on the Flotilla.

We had booked a trip on an old yacht called the St Christina. It was a very large boat which took 50 people, but we all had loads of space and a sun bed each. The hostess was a British girl who we think was involved with the captain of the ship, but she was a great narrator of all the local places of interest.

The first place we stopped at was a large limestone cave which was very impressive, then we motored to a small island and anchored up in a bay where we spent time snorkeling, the water was very clear but the fish life some what limited compared to places like the Maldives.

We visited two other ports and had buffet lunch aboard. We then had several other stops to swim and eventually worked our way back to Nidri via an Island called Scorpios which was owned by Aristotle Onassis. Our Hostess gave us a very interesting commentary on the history of the Onassis family, full of intrigue, greed and murder.

We arrived back at Nidri and 18:00. We went out for another meal which was really awful - John had wanted grilled sardines which were advertised on the Menu - but when they arrived hours later they were covered in batter and had been deep fried.

We went back via the tree bar and there was a couple of singers performing various songs including many Abba hits. The girl had a great voice and could sing with no musical backing. They were so good they became a regular turn at the bar.

Greece - 21st Aug 2008 - Day 5

Today we put our plan into practise and sailed to another Meganisi bay. We had purchased food for a picnic and the weather was looking calm.


Unfortunately, Jon had eaten a mussel risotto the previous night and it was now beginning to cause problems!! As the trip wore on he felt progressively worse. By lunch time, he was off his food and looking very pale. We moored off the bay using our bow anchor and a stern rope which John had to swim out to a rock on the beach. A bowlan knot was required which John managed after a wee while!!





We had a very nice lunch and swim in the bay.


In the afternoon, Rae changed our agreed route so we could find some wind. By this time, Jon was down in the galley feeling very poorly indeed.


We practised tacking, jibbing and then a new sail configuration called Goose Winging. This allows you to catch as much wind in the sails as possible when travelling down wind. Very impressive!!


By the end of the day Jon came back up on deck to sail but still looked rough!!


We all met back at the bar and Rae announced that we had all passed our weeks training program and the handed out our certificates!! At which point, Jon ran to the loo and was very, very sick. He then went to bed to sleep it off!!




In the evening, Jane, Fiona and John took Rae out to a lovely beach front restaurant called Toms. We had a very nice meal and then Jane went off to look after Jon. The rest of us went to another bar where Rae had cocktails and John & Fiona had an ice cream. We then went of to the Hotel and off to bed.

Greece - 20th Aug 2008 - Day 4

Today was our introduction to yachting navigation. We spent at least a couple of hours sitting at the bar with maps and plotters etc. working out how to find positions, bearings etc.

We then spent time on the boat, learning how to moor up on our own using the ropes and anchor. This was not as easy for Jon and Jane as expected!! In fact, we all found it quite challenging as there are a lot of tasks for just two people to complete.

We set sail for Meganisi again, but this time a different bay. We moored up using a lazy line for the first time, which was yet another way to anchor in a harbour.

We stopped at a really quaint taverna, where Jon and John had excellent fresh fish, Fiona had prawns and Jane had spaghetti bolognaise. The owner had a very cute bunny running around. we just hoped it would not end up on the menu!!

After lunch the wind strengthened to a force 4, so we had to reef in the sails again. Once under control, Rae had us all practise the "Man Over Board" manoeuvres. This again was more involved than first thought. Jon & Jane managed to retrieve Gerald (the fake man made off a fender and bucket) in one attempt (pure luck). Fiona took 2 attempts and John 3!!

That evening we were given homework by Rae. This involved choosing a destination for the next days sailing and then plotting our trip using the chart. Jon ended up getting over excited about all the options available to us and confused us all, even Jane!! However, we managed to agree a cunning plan for the next day.

After a long days training, we had a very good meal at one of the Italian restaurants in Nidri.

Greece - 19th Aug 2008 - Day 3

Today was another great days sailing and learning with Rae, Jon & Jane.

We practised a lot of Tacking and Jibing and also learned to reef the sails ourselves.

For lunch, visited the bay of Vathi on the Island of Meganisi. Having tied up, we dived off the boat and enjoyed the crystal clear waters. It was very hot and the cool water was very welcome.

We ate at a small taverna. We shared a Greek salad and John had squid and Fiona a local omelet.

The afternoon was spent learning to control the boat in lighter winds.

At night we visited a terrible Indian restaurant, where the food was a bright red colour and the wine awful.

After a small cocktail at the tree bar, we hit the sack!!

Greece - 18th Aug 2008 - Day 2

After a good nights sleep we woke refreshed and had breakfast. Not long after, we met with all the Nelson's team in the lobby and then with our Trainer, Rae, an energetic marine engineer and trainer to boot!!

We also met our fellow students Jon and Jane, a right couple of Pains (that's their surname) who were to be our training buddies for the next four days.

Rae immediately saw a problem, two Johns to teach. So, she gave us both nicknames. John was called Shorts, because he looked so dashing in his shorts and Jon became Cowboy, because in his cowboy hat he was a dead ringer for one of the chaps in the film Broke Back Mountain!!!

Rae took us through a few basics, handing out our knot ropes, training books and plenty of advise. We then headed off to the Neilson Yacht Pontoon (5 minutes walk away) to meet our training boat, Delos, a mature lady of the sea.

Rae took us all though the safety procedures including, flare usage, radio checks, life jackets and the daily checks we would need to use when leaving port, the acronym being SCREW standing for Sail Cover, Radio Check, Engine On and Wopes (ropes).

We were off on our first trip. We had plenty of wind, so much so we had to reef the sails (this means reducing the sail size to gain better control).

We had lunch back at Nidri as the wind was far too strong to allow us to moor at another location.

After lunch, we were able to put the mornings lessons into practise. It became obvious that Jon & Jane were struggling with the basics (not really). We had a great first day.

In the evening we visited the Tree Bar, having the first of many excellent cocktails to come. A meal had been arranged by Nelson's, but it did not materialise, so we had a very nice meal with Jon & Jane. Jon and Jane live in Woodford, East London, Jon is a primary teacher and Jane an admin officer in another local school. They have three children, Emily - 17, Laura - 18 and Rod - 20. Jon had just turned 40 (looks older) and this trip was part of his birthday celebrations.

We all shared a Greek Mixed Grill with Salad, yummy!!

Greece - 17th Aug 2008 - Day 1

We woke up early today to travel from Tim's (our mate in Hove) to Gatwick airport. We had been partying the night before so felt a little worse for wear!! The roads were quiet until we hit the airport. The terminal was very busy even though it was just past 7AM.

The take of was delayed a little, however, once off the ground, we managed to bad a couple of "extra leg room" seats and the flight went smoothly.

We landed at the military airport of Preveza. The weather was hot and the sky clear. We took a coach to the resort of Nidri where our hotel, The Athos, was located.

Check in was swift and our room was clean, cosy and air conditioned. We also met our yacht trainer, Rae, as she had helped to carry our luggage to our room.

After unpacking and showering we explored the hotel and the local town. The hotel has a good pool, garden bar and jacuzzi area. Very good for the price! See this link: http://www.lantisworld.com/athoshotel.htm

We found a small restaurant, ate a typical Greek dinner of salad and fish and went to bed exhausted, ready for our first days training.

Canada - Day 24 - 14th July

Well today marks he end of our epic journey around Canada. The time has flown by but when we look back we realise just how mush we have seen, how many places we have visited and how many interesting and friendly fellow travellers we have met.

Today was another great weather day with blue skies and high temperatures.




We went to our favourite Italian Coffee shop for breakfast, a wonderful breakfast pizza with a tea and coffee.



We spent the rest of the day taking in Vancouver in the sun, walking the entire circumference of the park and city before lunch.




We stopped off at a very nice cafe for a snack and then headed back to the park where we visited the Rose gardens (beautifully kept for almost 100 years) and then onto Beaver Lake which had the largest collection of water lillies we have ever seen.

On the way round the park we came across children playing in the water features and a few fluffy friends.




By the end of our exploration we had walked approximately 18 miles in hot sun and enjoyed every minute. We even met a very friendly but greedy gull who had bitten off more than he could swallow!!




We noticed that many road lights were out and were told that a large underground fire had been ragging all day causing havoc in the city!!

We arrived back in our hotel for about 3PM. They allowed us to use the showers in the fitness area, which was just as well, as after so much walking in high temperatures were were smelling a little ripe!!

We then jumped in the car, filled up the hire car with petrol, drove to the airport (which is beautiful with great green areas and a very impressive aquarium).

We checked in and made our way to the BA lounge for a a little bubbly and to update this web log, which is exactly what l am doing right now!! Here we are looking a bit glum at the prospect of returning to rain soaked Britain. Still, at least we will get to see Heather our grumpy Springer Spaniel!





We fly back to the UK in an hour. We have both loved Canada and with a little luck, plan to revisit next year by popping back with our ski buddies to ski Banff.

We will be home now for approx 4 weeks, before our next trip to Greece, where we will be taking our Royal Yachting Association exams then spending a week putting our newly acquired skills into practise. Greece, you have been warned!!

Canada - Day 23 - 13th July

Today started with partly cloudy skies which cleared during breakfast. We were off by ferry back to Vancouver today, but we managed to squeeze just one more event out of the lodge.

We went kayaking with the German family, Sarah and Sabatini. We both opted to have single kayaks this time, which was a first for Fiona.

After ten minutes of practice, we were off across the lake to see some more bears. We came a cross the Mother and Baby again but were able to get very close due to the maneuverability of the Kayaks.

After savouring an hour of close bear watching, we headed back to base, seeing a lovely blue king fisher on the way.

Once back on dry land we packed up, checked out and boarded our float plane with the German family for our trip back to Campbell River. We said a breif goodbye to the staff, especially, Bob, Al and Kris (see Bob & Al below).





The weather was just perfect and we had a very gentle trip back, probably helped by the fact that Fiona was co pilot, and a very good one to boot!!



We drove back to the Ferry where we had to queue to check in. We ended up having to wait a couple of hours, eventually catching the 3:10PM ferry back to Vancouver. Again the weather was fantastic for the whole trip. We listened to the on board marine biologist which made the one and a half hour trip fly by. The views of the city from the ferry were stunning!!





We arrived back in Vancouver, on time, drove back to the city and into our hotel.

Tomorrow we fly back to the UK where we hear it has been raining a great deal. We will have most of the day in Vancouver, flying back at 8:30PM.

Canada has been a great place to visit, with just about every kind of kind of geography and experience we could have wanted.

It's hard to single out any one part of the trip. Emerald Lake was amazing but so was everything else. we both want to come back some day. If plans work out, we may be skiing in Banff next March!!

Canada - Day 22 - 12th July

Today started early, 6.30AM. We were up early, as we had three events to enjoy. After a good breakfast, we popped into a boat with Bob, our host, and four other fellow punters.

Bob headed North to the other side of the inlet, where we walked across a small beach and into the forest. This is where our very tame hike began.

We walked through the forest for approximately two hours with Bob pointing out anything and everything that may be of interest. He explained that a couple has actually lived in this area for almost 40 years, living off the land and amongst the bears!! A book has been written about their experiences called "Grizzlies In Their Backyard" by Beth Day (You can buy it on Amazon).

We crossed some very unsteady bridges which they have to rebuild every year as the rain's destroy then every winter. We also came across some very white topped fungi.





We stopped at asmall clearing by the river where Bob handed out Cookies and Sabatini waded into the ice cold river. On the way back to the lodge, we came a cross a huge log boom being dragged by a tug. These log booms are HUGE and quite a sight.





After a very nice lunch in the sun, we headed off for another bear watching trip with Kris. This time we were spoilt by seeming both grizzly and black bears. The grizzly bears were a Mum and Baby again, very cute!!

After a tea and coffee stop (with great cookies), we headed back out to the other side of the inlet to embark on a bear tracking afternoon. This whole trip was quite comical, as every time we stopped the guide got out of the bus, called for bears, clapped her hands, and then gave us the all clear. Our guide took us to a man made, Salmon spawning ground but not before stopping to bag up some bear poo with which she makes paper!!

We saw bear trails, bear pits, where they rest up, very large, fresh, bear prints as well as the man made salmon run where they can encourage spawning and take visitors to see the bears eating the salmon later in the year.

That evening we met up with John, Mary, Sarah, Sabatini and Roydon. Roydon is from New Zealand. They served up some very good ribs and sweet and sour chicken with much improved Canadian wines.

After dinner, we went into the lounge to see a presentation about winter dog sledging in Canada, presented by Kris. He runs these in the winter months and they did look fantastic!!

It was a very enjoyable evening. Most people went off to bed soon after, but John stayed up to watch the sun sink and the moon rise over the inlet. He boiled himself in the Jacuzzi for almost an hour listening to Pink Floyd on his iPod!!

Canada - Day 21 - 11th July

Today began with sparking blue skies and calm winds. We had a quick breakfast and then met the chap who was leading us to the float plane office just out of town.

We arrived at the office and hanger and put most of our clothing in storage. The rest was loaded onto the single engine plane and we were soon on board and ready to go.

The wind was a tad gusty, so the flight to Knight Inlet Lodge was a wee bit bumpy. A small German boy who was next to John began to turn pale and grabbed for the sick bag. The views from the plane were amazing (see pic).



Luckily, we landed just in time!! The Lodge looked amazing in the sunshine and as we landed we saw some bears on the inlet banks.

We were shown to our rooms, quite basic but very in keeping with this "out of the way" place. Each lodge has three bedrooms with a shared lounge which has plenty of seating and a good size log burning fire. Our lodge also had the large hot tub outside, very handy!! They have designed each lodge so that they all have fantastic views of the inlet which enables you to fully appreciate the wonderful sunsets.




We were taken on a wee tour of the resort, given tea/coffee and then given a wee orientation presentation by Bob, a very nice guy. If your interested in this amazing place see: http://www.grizzlytours.com/

The lodge had 2 live in dogs who were really adorable and liked to sit by your table just in case you wanted to part with some of your food. There were also families of swifts and there were 5 babies who left the nest just as we arrived - they were so tame again got some great pic's.




We had not been in the Lodge any longer than half an hour, before we put on our water jackets got into a small boat and went into the inlet to do some bear watching with Al.


The first morning we saw 2 bears brother and sister called Bonnie and Clyde, they are 3 years old but still pretty big. We got pretty close to them, but they don't seem to really notice we are there.

Apparently when the owners of the lodge started they got in bear specialists to advise on the best way for bear and humans to co-exist together and it seems to work - there are now loads of bears in the area.

The 2 bears suddenly became spooked and ran very fast to the other side of the inlet - there was another bear and cub near by, bears don't like to be too close to each other.


When we arrived back for lunch there was a seal sunning itself on the harbour.

We had lunch and then headed off for some more bear watching. This time we saw the mother and baby who had spooked the other bears in the morning. We watched them for about an hour and the small cub came out of the sage grass to play in the water with mum. These grasses are a great source of food at this time of year which is later replaced by adundant berries and Salmon.


We got some fab photo's and video - they just look so cute as the photo's show. Then we saw another bear in the distance who had 3 cubs with her - the guys at the lodge were very excited because this is the first time they had seen the bear and cubs. We also saw a pine martin, deer and blue kingfisher and numerous other birds.



We headed back to the lodge and had afternoon tea, then headed out again on a 3 hour trip much further up the inlet with Bob and Al, our guides. We saw a black bear eating mussels and cockles on the rocks just by the water - the black bears have much smoother and silkier hair than the grizzly's we saw on the previous trips.



The views up the inlet were stunning - the rocks are granite and the colours in the sun were like something from an art gallery. We stopped at an area where logging had taken place and the logs were all piled up in stacks on the water ready to be taken to the mills - about $2million Canadian dollars worth.

We then got taken to a very spectacular water fall and the boat went under the main flow so we all got extremely wet but all good fun.

During the trip we saw dolphins which loved to follow the wake of the boat - there were loads of them and we were the first boat trip to see them that day.



We got back at 18:00 for pre-dinner drinks. The weather was brill so we sat on the restaurant outside deck admiring the amazing views. We met some really nice people on the trip - John and Mary from Esher and Sarah and her son Sabotini, who live in Sunningdale, near Windsor. Sarah is a publisher for a wine magazine. The magazine, called Fine Wines, is known for it's excellent advise about everything winey!!


We had a really nice meal (the food here is good and wholesome), then one of the guides gives a presentation on a subject of his choice - this night Al (he was in the Canadian Air force for 25 years doing search and rescue) did his pitch on search and rescue which was very interesting.

After that we headed back to our cabin and there on our balcony were 3 otters playing - again the camera and video were required to capture all this.



A great day in a very special place.