4 August 2018 �- The refit activities on Neverland were completed with hanking on the new mizzen sail and cover during the morning. I am tremendously thankful to all those that helped make it happen. I give special thanks to Ioannis, Michael and George for working so diligently to change out the engine and provide support for my other endeavors. It was a challenging engine swap that took a lot of time but it sure is nice to have the new engine with horsepower in reserve. We left the Kalamata marina just before noon after finishing all the necessary bureaucratic business with Customs and the port police. The light breeze was on the nose so we motored the 39 Nm distance to Methoni in 7 hours. We had anchored in this bay on route to Kalamata in 2015. It is still a great anchorage with its gently sloping sandy bottom.

5 Aug �- Raised the anchor around 10:50 and started our passage towards Sicily. Once again the light wind was on the nose so we motor sailed the first day and well into the night. Our first sunset at sea was a beauty and the stars were a wonderful sight since the moon didn�'t rise until after midnight.. We were able to identify Venus, Mars and Jupiter. It is great to be out on the boat knowing that all the new or refurbished systems work so well.

6 Aug �- The wind picked up during the night to about 10 knots so we are sailing without the engine towards our destination. The wind predictors indicate the winds will go to 0 before we get to Sicily but we have to wait and see. Right now all 3 sails are up and we are making 6 knots.

Kalamata has been a great place to store the boat during the off-seasons for the last 3 years. I was able to work on Neverland as I pleased but there was always help available when I needed it. We found the city is a real vacation spot for the Greeks. There is a small international population and there are enough people that speak English to help out. We will miss coming here.