Saturday 4^th June – Mitilíni, Lesbos

39:06.380N 26:33.485E

Last night was noisy – it sounded like someone was having a party on the kerbside all night, until dawn, so we had a fitful night.  We have decided that tonight we will try ear-plugs!

Richard went for a walk to the petrol station whilst I made breakfast as he wanted to get a trip in before the day warmed up.  We then had a leisurely breakfast watching the world go by and then I went for a walk through the charming back streets, bringing back fresh bread for lunch.

Later we went for another stroll with the diesel can, finding another supermarket and a different petrol station, so we brought back another can of diesel and some supplies. 

[As we are heading north against the prevailing wind we are having to use the engine more than we would like (especially given the price of diesel here) and so we are keeping topped up whenever we can – we are looking forward to being able to run back downwind.]

This afternoon I dug out my water colours – it’s been a long time since I had them out – and sat in the cockpit and painted the harbour area.  It’s perhaps as well that I can’t paint what I smell; as the weather has become warm, it’s starting to smell a bit (thankfully only occasionally).  The pilot book said that it can smell in the summer due to the output of sewage into the harbour.  I naively thought that this would be a bit out of date and they wouldn’t be doing it anymore, however I can report that the practise is still going ahead.  We are still using our holding tanks – how very British of us!

Late afternoon we went for a swim below the Statue of Liberty again.  On the way we called in at a factory shop where they bottle the local ouzo on the premises; naturally we came away with a bottle.  Later, when we were swimming, the manager of the shop came down a swim after he had closed up for the day.

This evening a very large, crewed motor boat has turned up and the crew have spent all night washing it – we think the owner must be turning up tomorrow.

Whilst I showered and prepared dinner, Richard took trolley for a run to the supermarket to stock up on some bulky goods whilst the opportunity availed; keeping stocked up is a bit more of a challenge without a car.