The arrival of Jo and Sara was, as expected, a whirlwind of chatter, laughter and the drama of getting in and out of the dinghy!

We picked them up in a new place for us, Kardemena bay in Kos, close to the airport, touristy but more authentic than Kefalos.

There were a few moments when the possibility of Jo not making it on to the boat looked very likely – not because of the challenges of leaping from the dock on to the rolling dinghy but because her footwear of choice for the trip was a pair of white crocs!! That having been dealt with we celebrated the girls arrival and planned the following four days of activities!

We decided to go ashore for dinner and to the restaurant that Jacques and I had been to the night before where we had been made very welcome by the restaurant owner and restaurant manager. Both of these gents were from Albania which I have to admit struck a cord of anxiety with me when I first heard this. However, they explained that they had lived in Greece for several years, started the restaurant from scratch and generally were just hard working family men. This coupled with their warmest and sincere welcome (along with profound discussions fuelled by the free after dinner ouzo!) changed my mind, perception and pre-conceived ideas about Albanians.

The welcome on our second visit with our friends was just as warm, even though it transpired that Sara had come to dinner dressed as the restaurant crockery!!

And as the night wore on, some not very traditional Greek dancing took place!

The next morning we headed the 22 miles from Kos back to the secluded bay on Pserimos. Ahead of our departure the girls decided that despite no previous sailing experience (although there was some mention of the Norfolk Broads!) they would like to take an active role in all things ‘boaty’. This meant that they started the day with their coffees watching Jacques do everything whilst handing out advice to him!

I was very happy to have another day and evening in Pserimos, the tranquility and remoteness poles apart from the bustle of Kos. We had planned the day for swimming, fishing and fun with the motorised sea scooter! It was truly joyful!

With the lack of the promised fish for dinner it was left to Jacques to whip up sweet and sour chicken for dinner! Another ouzo fuelled evening, putting the world to rights and trying to identify the zillions of stars and planets in the clear, un-light polluted sky – perfect!

After our short stay in the wilderness, the elements of time, weather and logistics meant we had to head back to Kos and we had a perfect sail with the wind a pleasant 10 knots for most of the journey.

Our destination was to the harbour in beautiful Kos Town which we were keen to see as this is close to the marina where we and Mossy Joe will be spending the winter.

Getting into the harbour was the girls’ first experience of what can be the quite fraught, and sometimes dangerous, task of mooring up. There was still a fair bit of wind in the harbour and a busy mix of other sail boats, ferries and tourist day tripper craft. Jacques, as usual, overcame all of the challenges of getting us safely secured, including the one posed by the mixed ability of his new crew!

We had a quick walk around town to stretch our legs and start to offload the feeling of ‘land sickness’ that prevails when you have been at sea for over 24 hours. On our tour, we found a small ‘cat aid’ area where there are cats beds, bowls of water and cat food. Like most of Greece, the stray cat population is very apparent, here in Kos the overall number of cats is 35,000 most of which are stray or feral. Some islands, not just the bigger ones, have a ‘trap, neuter and return’ project and Kos is amongst these.

https://animalrescuekos.weebly.com/cats-and-kittens.html

And as ever, Jacques can’t help but make furry friends!

That evening we hit the town and headed to a small restaurant off the main drag but not before the obligatory tourist photo!

The next morning we were so, so excited, like kids at Christmas as we planned to head to Kos Marina where already a collection of parcels had built up ready for our official arrival in November. As we were within half hour walking distance, we dusted off the BIG trolley and set off for the marina and the treasures that they been storing for us! Would it include the top up to the depleted Ricard situation? Would my ‘working in bed’ tray table be there?? Could it be possible…..could the WINCH be there???

The good news is that my tray table, specifically engineered for laptops, was there….it was obvious that there was no Ricard but we had high hopes that this box would contain the Globe Trotting winch!!

But it was not to be………..sadly, and not as glamorously, it was a water pump!

On our return to the harbour, we had a last mooch around Kos Town where Sara made a friend and the girls ‘talked me into’ buying a beautiful tan leather backpack!

We left Kos Town the following morning to head back to Kardamena where the girls would leave us later in the day. Leaving the harbour was another chance for the crew to show off their new skills! Actually, those lines (ropes) especially after having been in the water, are really very heavy!

Sara and Jo had stayed up late the previous night, as we are all prone to do on our last night away, and amongst their many topics for discussion were some ideas to improve Mossy Joe which they kindly shared with us…..

Back in Kardamena and successfully in and out of the dinghy we had a quick bite to eat before the taxi arrived to take Jo and Sara to the airport. We said our goodbyes, sad but happy after five fun packed days.

We thank Jo and Sara for our fabulous matching T-Shirts, behind which there is a story for another day!

When friends and loved ones leave us, the quietness in their place lays heavy with me and I find the best cure is to move on to the next adventure.

Tilos, Halki and Symi here we come!!

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend, be kind and stay safe.

Love Tracey xx