Sunday 20^th June – Khania, Crete

35:31.123N 24:01.153E

It was a long night; there was a loud party keeping us awake on and off, we think a Greek wedding given that it was still going strong at 4.30am when the wind suddenly picked up and we had to get the wind scoop down.  With me hanging onto the wind scoop through the hatch, Richard leapt on deck to rescue it before it went flying away.

Claude, our neighbour, was just getting ready to leave and so Richard stayed on deck to see him off.  Both music and wind then quietened down and we managed a couple of hours sleep. 

We got up and had breakfast and then it got really windy, so much so that we decided that we had better abandon our plan to take the bus down the coast and stay with the boat.  Outside the harbour there were lots of white horses running past and the tripper boats were staying firmly alongside.

Around lunchtime the wind dropped off completely and an English yacht arrived alongside reporting 45 knot winds outside (somewhat more than forecast); the 4 men on board were whacked after a long passage from Italy. 

Later Richard took the bus to check out a small harbour being developed further along the coast whilst I watched Pyxis and read a book (just in case it turned windy again, which it did, though not as bad as the morning).  The coast west of here is a long stretch of beach resorts merging into one and other, composed of tavernas, bars, shops, hotels, apartments and villas.

This evening we went for food at the bar on the quay just behind Pyxis, to celebrate Fathers Day on Dad’s behalf.  We have been thinking of visiting there for a while as it gets very busy with locals every night, often having live Greek music, and is more like a tapas bar than a taverna. 

Richard had the dish of the day, which was pieces of pork cooked in a paper parcel with onions, peppers, capers, and lots of herbs and seasoning.  They didn’t have calamari or chips so I was forced to vary my diet.  The waiter said they had grilled cuttlefish served with a garlic sauce.  That sounded delicious so I ordered it; when it arrived it was actually deep fried haddock pieces (we think), and the garlic sauce was a dish we have come across before, cold mashed potato with masses of garlic in it!  It actually tasted very good so it wasn’t a problem, just an interesting translation.

Kolimvari

© Pyxis 2010