It's a Wrap

Now, you may not be able to tell from the photograph but it's tipping down. No, I'm wrong, it's not tipping down, it is a continuous, torrential, cats 'n dogs deluge. Six inches fell in a few hours, we know that because that's how much there was in the dinghy. Thunder and lightning added to the drama which sounds even more threatening from the inside of a small boat. Luckily we had warning of the storm (gold star for the forecasters) and so decided to stay on the berth. The alternative plan was to sail close to the Albanian coast (it's less than a mile away in places) so the 'play safe' option proved to be a smart move. We had just one day to go before returning home so a bit disappointing that our last day should be so damp but we can not complain having had one very wet and one dampish day out of three weeks. The rest of the time it was sunny and hot.

Mrs. T made full use of her new toy, an e-book which means she can now carry the entire contents of the Bodleian in her handbag.

We enjoyed out three weeks back in the Ionian. We discovered some new bays, new harbours, new anchorages and some new tavernas - although the boring, predictability of Greek food does leave a bit to be desired. Greek cuisine has yet to discover sauces so there's a fortune to be made by the first person to import creme fraiche.

We returned to the Ionian not sure if we wanted to buy a catamaran or monohull. Our three weeks helped us to decide. it's a cat we are after. But we have also discovered you can't tell a boat from a quick look and test sail; you need to live on board for a week or so. So, to that end, we now plan to charter a Fontaine Pajot (French cat for the non sailors) either in the Caribbean or Thailand - which is where you have to go in the winter to get some sun.

Pass the charts and pilots - time to plan the next trip.