So - we knew there would be some bumps in the road as we made this move, but we didn't think it would be quite so bumpy...that said, the ups (at this moment in time) outweigh the downs.
The downs:
1) A toilet discharge throughull that leaks a bit of effluent into the bilge with use...smells lovely...needs to be fixed at our next haul out.
2) A broken salon hatch...left it open while sailing and it got caught in some sheets - lesson learned.
3) Crazy European heat wave (ugh...it's hot from 8-8 and then just unpleasantly warm all night. Not that I'm complaining...
4) Searching for boat bits. Apparently the phrase it's all Greek to me is pretty accurate. How do Greeks spell shackle?
5) Did I mention the heat?
6) Rushing north to comply with the Greek customs requirement to be out of Greece by the 18th. Long days of motoring because there is no wind, or it's on the nose.
The ups:
1) Sunsets with the kids.
2) Our first anchoring experience was relatively painless.
3) Looking at the stars with the kids (dark nights are awesome!)
4) Having no schedule and lots of time
5) Swimming off the back of the boat
6) Things are starting to settle down so we can stop and smell the roses.
We're looking forward to completing our hustle North, to being in Albania and taking a bit more time to just chill. Also looking forward to getting an Albanian SIM card so we can update this more frequently.
Thanks to all our readers and well wishers. Until next time!
Hi Darryl, it's Ana! I am working from home today and took a little break to come and read your blog. It was wonderful to find you had just recently sent a new update today, July 17 of your Ups and Downs in Greece! You probably know that we also went through a heat wave here in Vancouver a couple of weeks ago. It was so bad that I even went and bought a portable air conditioning unit knowing full well that it is one more thing I will have to store for most of the year (and storage is a huge problem in condo living)!. During that heat wave we also got covered with smoke caused by the hundreds of fires in BC with one close to home at Burnaby Mountain. Air quality was poor, the smell was very intense and our eyes were burning. So it really helped to have that air conditioning unit and I felt justified :) I loved reading about your family, your boat, comments and life experiences... my favorite was Janet's Swing Story and the family photos on the swing. Things that seem so insignificant become the most special and make our life's history so enjoyable to remember. Now that luggage will no longer be a problem and the girls have adjusted to the sea motion... I am sure you can just focus on sailing and having fun. Looking forward to your next update!. :)
ReplyDeleteAna Matias
Thanks Ana - things are going remarkably well and we've sort of started to settle into a rhythm here...we'll see if we can establish a bit more routine. I'm glad to hear that things have settled from the heat and smoke. The smoke was just starting to roll in when we left but I didn't realize it got that bad...
Delete