39:05.86N 26:33.83E

 Friday 28^th May.  Another completely flat and calm day with the best dolphin sighting yet.  At least 20 all round the boat.  Stunning, and kept us smiling all day.

We were crossing shipping lanes so took the opportunity to play with the radar and watch the freighters blink on the screen.  We are putting a lot of effort into learning about the equipment we have on board to help us.  It would be very easy to stick with the basic functions for navigation and safety but, like any computer software, it all does a lot more than the basics so we want to take advantage of that.  

When we set off this year we found that the icon of the boat on the Chartplotter screen was travelling through the water at about 45 degrees to our actual direction of travel.  Surely a simple thing to fix.  Searched the instruction manuals.  Nothing.  Tried to think laterally.  Nothing.  Tried to think like a computer.  Nothing.  Tried to think laterally like a computer.  Nothing.

Decided it would be sensible to swing the compass again as we had done at the start of last season just to line everything up.  Got the instructions out and started getting organised when ‘ping’ on goes the light in the head.  Autopilot compass is in the starboard cupboard and we have stored the new vacuum in there.  It is a hand held with a tiny engine but you never know, it could be enough to upset the compass.  Down I go to move it when ‘ping’ in both our heads at exactly the same time we realised we had put the sewing machine in the same place.  That was the problem.  Moved sewing machine, moved vacuum and the autopilot compass moved by 40 degrees!  And the icon lined itself up properly and is now sailing pointing the same way as the boat.  We swung the compass (two very slow circles of the boat with various buttons pressed on the equipment) to align the electronics and then made the adjustments needed to harmonise the electronic compass with the ships compass and – yippee – everything back to within a few degrees of each other.  The moral of the story being to look for the obvious first.

So, on to the port of Mitilini on the island of Lesvos with the compass, boat, computer icon, autopilot, charts, Carol and Mike all travelling in the same direction.

We found ourselves dodging numerous lobster pots on our way in but managed to miss them all while we got the lines, fenders and anchor out ready to go stern to in the usual fashion.  On our way through the outer harbour we notice the Port Police attracting our attention so veered off towards them realising we would need to go side to so quick re-configuration of the lines required.  As we approached we were ‘interviewed’ by means of shouting questions and writing the answers down on a clipboard.  Having ascertained that our last port of call was Greek we were told to go straight into the inner harbour.  Quick adjustment of the lines back to where we had been.  Approach the inner harbour and everyone is side on!  Most unusual.  No room and several boats rafted to other boats.  This is not the Isle of White on a Saturday night.  Even more unusual and quick scratch around in the back of the brain to recall the rafting up process.  Then we spot a gap on the harbour wall tucked in in front of a very large, very flash yacht.  In we go.

Tashi Delek on the left looking very small.

You can see from this picture that we were surrounded by buildings.  This was the town centre so we stepped off the boat onto a main road.  Dual carriageway, roundabout and traffic lights all right there.  Smelly harbour too, in a Hong Kong sort of way rather than a salty seaweed sort of way.   We gritted our teeth and reminded ourselves that we needed to provision the boat for a week and get our bearings ready for Sue and Charles arrival on the overnight ferry in a couple of weeks.   

Across the road and we were straight into the rabbit warren of streets that is the old town.  Traditional butchers, fishmongers, greengrocers, bakers mingled in with wedding shops (!) and fabulous deli’s of the sort you would expect to find in the posh part of an English town.  All closed for siesta but we now knew where to go before we set off in the morning. 

As night fell things really got lively as the road got steadily busier and the populace set about an evening perambulation along the harbour.  We had supper on deck with traffic noise, car horns and lots of people walking by having a good look.  All very entertaining and, best of all, hardly a tourist in sight.  That will undoubtedly change once the holiday season starts.

Tashi Delek from the road ............................................... and the road from Tashi Delek.

As mentioned we are back soon to collect Sue and Charles arriving at 7am from Athens.  At three minutes past seven we reverberated to the sound of the ships hooter, sat up in bed, looked out from our cabin window and watched the ferry arrive.  No need to set the alarm then.  Wake up when we hear the hooter, get dressed, walk round the harbour and we’ll be there to help them carry their bags (full of sunscreen, environmentally shower gel, tea bags and fabric for the deck cushions so they’ll need a hand).  Back on board before the kettle’s boiled.