Have I got news for you!!

jenna
Jim / Elaine Soens
Sat 19 Sep 2009 12:32
38.08N  020.21E
 
Arrived at anchor in the beautiful bay of Taormia @ 17.15 on Tuesday and went straight for a swim in the crystal clear and warm water.  Fantasc setting with the town up on the hill above the bay and a couple of small liners anchored near us. Decided to eat on board and go ashore tomorrow to explore the town which J & E had been to before.  Got up to heavy skies and rain in the morning.   After b/fast and a break for the weather to dry up we got in the dingy and by the time we got ashore it was starting to rain.  Walked towards town to get a taxi but were brought to a halt by torrential rain and sheltered in the awning of a cafe.  After 10 mins decided to go inside and have a coffee.  As it was 12 noon by then decided to have lunch.  J,E, and I had soup and D had a pizza.  Soup was suppoed to be minestrone but was a bag of frozen veg boiled in a stock cube and for this we were charged €5.80 each.  D's pizza was €6.20 and was quite good.  The total bill was €35 which included 2 coffees & a beer, to add insult to injury €7.40 was  incuded for cover charge.  Told the owner he had ripped us off and he just growled away in Italian at us.  Still raining so jumped into a taxi to go up to the town (approx 5 miles uphill) €25.  Raining even worse by the time we arrived so straight into a small church to shelter for 20 mins. Slightly eased off so decided to look around the town.  50 yds down the main street and down came the rain again so we dodged into a lovely little shop selling Sicillian delicacies.  After an hour of the most torrential rain any of us had ever seen before and quite a bit of money spent by E on goodies we decided to look for a cafe as once again the rain eased. Not gone 10 yds when, yes you gussed it!! the heavens opened again. This time into the awning of a cafe and ankle deep in rain.  It then came over so dark that we thought night had arrived early and it was a bit scary.  However by now we decided to call it a day as J was getting a bit worried about Jenna and we were all soaked. When it next eased off we got  taxi back to the Marina €25.
Had to bale the Dingy out of about 8 gallons of water and braved a very choppy sea back to the boat which was thankfully OK. By now the beautiful crystal clear water of yesterday was a dirty churned up mess of floating rubbish washed from the land.  Watched the 2 liners and 2 sail ships trying with great dificulty to get thier passsengers back onboard off tenders. Jim made us laugh by remarking that we had spent the best part of 100 Quid on a bowl of dodgy soup and a soaking and nothing else to show for it. The sea then got really choppy and J thought we had better move to the other side of the bay where it was a bit better.  Much calmer here initially.  After dinner and about 22.00hs we went to bed.  D & I woke up after a very rocky night to find that J & E had been up most of the night as we had been hit by a floating tree and had a large bamboo cane caught up in the s/board prop. Took off at 07.00 for Italy & Roccella Ionica.  After a fairly choppy day we arrived into the calm Marina at 17.00hrs.  Nice to be still again.  Nothing here except a restaurant. the town being 3Kms away.  Had dinner in the restaurant and very good meal. J, E and I had fish & D had pizza which is served here by the 1/2 metre and VG.  Back on board for a lovely trouble free flat calm nights sleep.  Left there at 11.00 this moring and now nearly 1/2 way to Kefalonia.
Now Saturday and just approaching Kefalonia after what seems a very long sail.  Good flat sea to begin and E & I did the late watch.  I went to bed about 23.30 and woke up a lot in the night being tossed around all over the place.  This kept up till the last 1/2 hour when we got into the shelter of the island and it is much calmer.  The weather god is not with us on this trip! All agree it seems to have been a very long 28 hours but nearly there now and all looking forward to a good shower and trip ashore. E says it is definately our last overnighter but "heard that before"!!!
 
Till the next time
To all you landlubbers 
Luv from
Cpt'n & crew