It was with light breeze and calm seas that Moonbeam arrived early Sunday morning after 43 hours of sea time. Entering the harbor, we were awed by the colorful old Venetian buildings lining the harbor with a snow capped mountain backdrop and tied up stern-to, at the seawall In Chania, the second largest city of Crete.

Friends, James and Jackie met us, invited us to their apartment for a traditional Cretan breakfast of strapasada (an egg dish) and a sampling of local cheese, sfikia, and then a walk through the narrow alleys of the old city to the Schiavo Bastion and its Venetian fortifications, built in mid 16th century to guard the harbor as the threat of Turkish invasion loomed.

The Crete Maritime museum proved interesting and is filled with informative material from the periods of Greek and island maritime history. Museum tickets also provided entry to the old ship buildings where a authentic replica of a Bronze Age ship from the Minoan civilization was housed. Built in Chania using the same materials and building tools available from the time, this boat, carried a single square sail, was 45 feet in length, with room for 22 rowers. An ambitious project, it was completed and sailed to mainland Greece for the opening of the Olympic Games in 2004.