Place: Alimos Marina (37.914245, 23.7060908)
Address: Pier 9, Alimos, Greece
What a week indeed. Agistri, Epidavros, Russian Bay, Love Bay, Poros, Mandraki Bay, Hydra, Perdika, Aegina, and a few other bits in between…..the mind boggles….
Off on our own today for another 5 or 6 days of exploring the places we missed, and we need to learn to “longline” by ourselves.
What does this mean?
Basically, we find a sheltered spot close to shore where there are loads of rocks. I jump off with a fairly long rope (it floats, apparently), swim to shore, tie the rope securely around a solid rock, and swim the end of the rope back to Captain Underpants. He has, by this time, dropped the anchor and reverses slowly back to pick up my rope and attach to the boat.
Voila! Secure. Sounds simple, right???
Yes, we have a dinghy, but to launch it off the deck and attach the engine is a huge mission. Anyway, I would probably just go round and round in circles in the damn thing.
First guests arrive next Saturday. 6 boats. 21 people. Eek…..
https://www.facebook.com/nikki.griessel/videos/1372553369820072
Strolling through the Plaka on a Sunday evening. I have been to Greece twice before, but now have the time to totally immerse myself in how it FEELS to be here. The history, the sense of the past, the old ruins at every corner, I am obsessed! In awe!
Place: Acrópolis, Templo De Atenea Niké / Ακρόπολη – Ναός Αθηνάς Νίκης (37.9719599, 23.7236565)
Address: Athens, Greece
Place: Alimos Marina (37.914245, 23.7060908)
Address: Pier 9, Alimos, Greece
When I say it’s a long walk to the marina offices, I mean it!! From our mooring on the left of the pic all along the quay……..
It’s fine now as the weather is still cool, but in the 40 °C+ heat in August, it will not be fun.
There is a bicycle on board, something I haven’t done in 40 years, would probably ride straight off the edge of the jetty ………
Place: Edem (37.940384494, 23.754282058)
Address: Λεωφ.Ανδρέα Παπανδρέου 29 & Ιωαννίνων 1, Ηλιούπολη, 16345 Athens, Greece
Found a fabulous local restaurant set ON the beach alongside the marina and spent a lovely Saturday evening sampling various glorious Greek dishes.
First spectacular Greek sunset!
They have a rooftop bar, and we are thinking it might be a damn fine place to do the welcome drinks with our guests every Saturday evening…
https://www.facebook.com/736917795/videos/pcb.10161963503207796/452234093336303
5 police stations, then back to Airport security. Did I mention we are the idiots who got pickpocketed…….IN THE AIRPORT. Passports gone.
Place: Korfos the Lodge of Secrets (37.765278092045, 23.132445293467)
Address: Corinth, Greece
Korfos. Now. Incredible to tie up in the restaurant’s dining area!
https://www.facebook.com/nikki.griessel/videos/524745822469038
Methana mooring is going to be a challenge for me.
Young skipper, who is showing us the ropes (ha ha), looked like a flying squirrel as he landed on the quay.
I’m probably going to splat into the wall like an angry seal…..
https://www.facebook.com/nikki.griessel/videos/1016555679255954
Place: Alimos Marina (37.914245, 23.7060908)
Address: Pier 9, Alimos, Greece
DAY ONE OF FLOTILLA SEASON STARTS!
6 boats, 27 guests start arriving from 2 pm this afternoon.
Our duties today:
Prepare Sunday briefing with the rules for the week, to be delivered to skippers at 9 am tomorrow morning. Prepare info and briefing on Methana, our first stop on Sunday evening, what type of moorings, where we are having dinner, etc. (Babis, pre-booked).
Wait for starter provisions to be delivered by the supermarket for all boats (the essentials, pre-ordered by us, tea, coffee, water, wine, and beer), deliver to all 6 boats ourselves, which are naturally scattered all over the bloody marina, pop beers in fridge (essential). Leave a “welcome” letter that we wrote last night on each boat, introducing ourselves and giving some local info.
Meet and greet guests from 2 onwards, keep them happy until they can board their boats around 5, hopefully earlier if the cleaning crew plays the game, and then get to welcome drinks venue on the beach for 7.30. Nervous. Excited. Scared shitless. What are we doing here????
Captain Underpants is busy putting the bicycle together (no, not in underpants on the quay!) so that he doesn’t walk 100 miles today.
My vok Marelize (or Michael).
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/17twaFczds
Place: Méthana (37.5833, 23.3833)
Our boat babies are all tucked in for the night. Day One done and dusted! Went off pretty well once we realised the skippers are more nervous than we are……..some are skippers on paper only and need a lot of….umm…..guidance………
Place: Ermióni, Greece (37.3833, 23.25)
Address: Ermióni, Greece
Our view from the back of the boat, where we have just tied up on the town quay of Ermione.
Waiting for our ducklings to arrive.
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1EaF2ryrMq (Video on board Primavera in Porto -Kheli)
Pórto-Khéli, Argolis, Greece (37.3167, 23.15)
Lunch in Porto Kheli, where we are anchoring for the night.
Water taxi to Spetses for dinner.
Waiting patiently for our 6 ducklings to arrive.
Place: Hydra Island Greece (37.349972124781, 23.466040559585)
Beautiful, glorious old world magical Hydra ( Ee dra). No cars allowed. The narrowest streets ever! By chance found an incredible restaurant and had a great meal.
Place: Πόρος – Poros Island (37.51444084987, 23.442224215935)
Mamma Mia fun with the girls last night, after Captain Underpants and I did our version of the Zorba dance!
5 hours back to Athens today, and week one done and dusted.
Judging by the written feedback forms, we did goooooood!
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/17wVpcJmUP
Place: Athens, Greece (37.977508245673, 23.729261619775)
Athens is incredible. Went “walk-about” in the city center, trying to absorb the atmosphere, the energy, and the enormous sense of history all around us. Have to pinch myself occasionally. Is this all really happening?
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1Bp1EcS6vJ/
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1ZDZUVEtPs
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/17x2SA6w5q
Meet and greet dinner with our new guests ON the beach in Alimos last night. Superb.
Provisioning is a bit of a nightmare in Greece. (see my video below).
May 15, 2022 10:08:06 am
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1B1pA5WCEY
Place: Palaiá Epídavros (37.63789167, 23.15698889)
Epidavros is our overnight stop. The 340 BC 14000-seat amphitheater is considered the best preserved in Greece and one of the finest pieces of classical architecture in existence.
Perfect acoustics, you can hear a piece of paper rustling or a coin dropping from any seat.
Steve, one of our guests, was persuaded to test it out.
I am becoming a walking encyclopedia……..
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1D8fp4rgLR
Place: Aegina, Greece (37.7467, 23.4275)
Not great out in the bay off Aegina right this minute.
First Meltemi of the season (a bitch of a wind) due to hit us around midnight, gusts around 35 knots. Rain and hail are already hitting us.
Come to Greece. Sail the islands. It will be fun, they said………
Place: Alimos Marina (37.914245, 23.7060908)
Address: Pier 9, Alimos, Greece
Bit bloody rough out there at 7.30 this morning! We leave last from every anchorage or harbour to make sure everyone is away safely and have to arrive first at the next destination, which today, is Athens. Nasty, nasty night, everyone dragged, no sleep, panic all around!
A day early, but with the wind on the nose at 35 knots plus, it’s very uncomfortable.
Will do something with the guests in Athens tomorrow.
All our ducklings are safely back home. Very happy!
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1A4QroZakC
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1HxpZ3CgXN
Place: Alimos Marina (37.914245, 23.7060908)
Week 3 of flotilla life.
Hard to believe we have been in Greece for almost a month already.
Glorious 29° sunny day in Alimos.
The quiet before the madness, only ONE boat with 4 great guys from the UK this week. Next week we have 7 boats and the week after that 12 boats ……eeeeeek…….about 52 people!!
Looking forward to being able to explore more and doing some ” jump overboard ” lunchtime stops this week instead of always racing ahead of the flotilla to the next destination.
Getting into the swing of it now.
Have a beautiful Sunday wherever you are.
Captain Underpants and First Mate.
Place: Méthana (37.5833, 23.3833)
Methana. New flotilla. Only one boat and us from Nautilus this week, plus several other boats in the background.
Thought it would be an easy week with one boat.
Not true.
Jammed their bow thruster after they snagged a rope in it.
Captain Underpants had to first dive and then sort out the electrics, which of course he did.
Saved the company over 200 EU to send a technician to fix.
Clever Captain.
Place: Ermióni, Greece (37.3833, 23.25)
Morning wakeup call. Flying dolphin, as it’s called.
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1BvEPK4D4w
Place: Millennium Cafe (37.383360111, 23.248069698)
Bernard van Kuik: wearing “THE” shirt to dinner! With the appropriate Captain hat.
Today’s pics of the day.
Place: Πόρος – Poros Island (37.51444084987, 23.442224215935)
Cannot pick my favorite place in Greece yet, but Poros is near the top of my list!
ANOTHER party night with our 4 UK scholarly, hugely intelligent 50 to 60-year-old (plus) gentleman guests! They outpartied everyone!!
Got to bed at 3, this time we set an alarm so that we did not oversleep and miss our 9 am briefing!
Place: Aegina Saronic Island, Greece (37.746311397146, 23.427485134267)
Glorious lunchtime stop yesterday, where we dropped anchor off Aegina island. Swam into the beach. Incredible turquoise water and white sandy seabed.
Outstanding Fyke restaurant, where we will be taking our flotilla guests for a beach BBQ, which starts in June.
“Punctual” is a word the Greeks clearly do not know the meaning of!
Place: Athens, Greece (37.977508245673, 23.729261619775)
Cannot believe it has been only one month since I nervously took the helm of Primavera.
Right this minute, we are crossing the shipping lane outside Athens.
Tankers. Cruise ships. Power boats. FERRIES. Fishing boats. Dozens of yachts.
I am proud that Captain Underpants leaves me alone at the helm while he works.
Bloody love it.
Just had to share this!
1. A Greek doesn’t say “I have no idea what’s going on”…
She says “I’ve lost my eggs and baskets” (ἐχω χἀσει τα αυγἀ και τα καλἀθια).
2. A Greek doesn’t just “make your life hell”…
He “makes your life a roller skate” (σου κἀνει την ζωἠ πατἰνι).
3. In Greece, a situation doesn’t just “get out of hand”…
It turns into “a whore’s fencepost” (της πουτἀνας το κἀγκελο).
4. A Greek isn’t just “doing nothing”…
He’s “swatting flies” (βαρἀει μὐγες).
5. A Greek house isn’t just “messy”…
It’s a “brothel” (μπουρδἐλο).
6. A Greek isn’t just “very busy”…
She’s “running without arriving” (τρἐχει και δεν φτἀνει).
7. A Greek doesn’t just “irritate you”…
She “breaks your nerves” (σου σπἀει τα νεὐρα).
8. In Greece, something isn’t “unbearable”…
It “can’t be fought” (δεν παλεὐεται).
9. Greeks aren’t just “exhausted”…
They are “in pieces” (κομμἀτια).
10. A Greek person isn’t just “high and mighty” or a “diva”…
She is “astride a reed” (ἐχει καβαλἠσει καλἀμι).
11. In Greece, people don’t just “turn you down”…
They “throw you an X” (σου ἐριξε Χ).
12. A Greek person isn’t just “stupid”…
He’s a “brick” (τοὐβλο).
13. A Greek person doesn’t just “cheat on you”…
He “puts horns on you” (σε κερατὠνει).
14. A Greek is not told to “go jump in a lake”…
He is told to “go see if the boats are moving” (πἠγαινε να δεἰς αν κουνιοὐντε οι βἀρκες).
15. Greeks don’t just “get into a fight”…
They “become yarn balls” (γἰναμε μαλλιἀ κουβἀρια).
16. A Greek isn’t just “fit”…
She is “slices” (φἐτες).
17. Greeks that are really drunk aren’t “wasted”…
They are “pie” (πἰτα).
18. Also, they are “pie” because they “drank their horns” (ἠπια τα κερατἀ μου).
19. In Greece, a place isn’t “really far away”…
It’s “by the devil’s mother” (στου διαὀλου την μἀνα).
20. A Greek doesn’t get “beat up”…
He “eats wood” (τρὠει ξὐλο).
21. A Greek doesn’t say something incomprehensible is “all Greek to me”…
Instead, they say it is “like you are speaking Chinese” (εἰναι σαν να μου μιλἀς Κινἐζικα).
Mixed bag this week: 10 guests from the UK, 2 from the USA, and 4 from Ukraine…….
Scouting out lunchtime spots for guests. Tough job, but somebody’s gotta do it.
This bay (I kid you not) is called Pisser Bay!
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1CGKdf3W3v
Place: Póros, Greece (37.4994, 23.4536)
The super yachts are coming out to play. Have crossed paths with this one (OLIVIA) twice in the past ten days.
Updated May 30, 2022, 4:44:37 pm
That’s the end of May, folks, June is coming up soon….All I can say is: it was Hot and Hectic!
Captain Underpants and Flotilla Hostess of the month!
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