Actually leaving Levkas

Monday morning arrived and you guessed it, nothing from the insurers. To go north out of Levkas there is a road bridge that opens on the hour and it lets whatever boating traffic through and then it closes. You're not right there, you wait another hour. If we could not get through by the 12:00 opening it would have been too late for our planned trip and we would have to wait until Tuesday and you know what it's like when you really want to go.

I called the insurers ($1.00 a minute) and got straight onto somebody who was across the Greek law changes, they amended the document while we spoke, emailed a copy to me, faxed a copy to the port Authorities in Levkas and I was on their doorstep at 9:00 sharp. We had anticipated a 3 hour rigmarole... well between the Port Authorities and the Custums doods I had my Transit Log and was back on the boat before 10:00!

The Transit Log is the 'essential' document which is like an internal Greek passport for the boat. Every time you arrive at a port you take it to the port police and they check it all and stamp it to show you have in fact transitted their port.... I have yet to see, meet, encounter in any way the port authorities in any of the ports we have arrived at? So much for all the horror stories I read before we started this voyage... Who knows, it may all kick in when the season kicks in. That'll be in June.

Sal had a few things t do like collect her bike from the bike shop as it needed 
some 'new bike' tightening up. Take Summer's to the bike shop for a new tube, do some grocery shopping but by 11:30 we fired up, untied and were away. Destination Gaios on Paxos Island on a perfect South easterly blowing 10-15 knots.

We got through the bridge at 12:00 out into open water and up went the sails. It is always a great feeling when you shut down the motors and all you can hear is the swish as the two hulls cut through the water and Sal brewing a nice cuppa tea!

Ten minutes of that and the wind just died. Down came the sails, on with the 
motors for a still not unpleasant 5 hour run concluding in a perfect Med Mooring 
right in the centre of Gaios on what is the beautiful island of Paxos.

I am unable to caption these photo's on this iPad. So...

Shot 1 - is William the street urchin having his breakfast
Shot 2 - med moored in Gaios to an centre 
Shot 3 - flower arrangement by Summer Amy