As the heat of the Greek July sun hit us, we remembered why so many of the fellow sailors we have met, go home for July and August and resume sailing in September! Dilemma - Do we put Patience in the boatyard and follow suit or do we stay on board, drink lots of water, sleep outside and like Dory 'Just keep swimming?' We were undecided, we knew if we went home now, chances were we wouldn't get back in September, so Patience would be stuck in a boatyard until next year. We rather wanted to leave her in the water in a marina this year, so that she was available as a floating holiday home to escape to for some winter sun. We needed to do some serious research on possible Marina Winter Berths, their prices, and how easily they would be to get to from England. So, we gave ourselves the rest of July to mull around Greece, do some day sailing, hang out with friends here in the Ionian, do a few boat jobs and make a decision.

The month sped by. We had some great sails in the afternoon winds, even managing to get our beautiful Cruising Chute out on a couple of occasions.We stopped off at Nidri and enjoyed great days with Jim and Fred , sharing meals and helping each other with boat jobs (well the boys did.) I found a fab pool bar and sat under the shade of a palm tree with my book and a beer, feeling like a princess.)

On a walk into Nidri Town, I managed to spot the excavated ancient Burial Ground that Jim told me about. Sadly the entrance to the site was padlocked, so I only managed to peep through the gates, not walk around it. The circular stone graves(tumuli)are believed to belong to the Early Bronze Age, not that I know much about this time in history, in Greece, accept that these are dated 2600-2200 BC! So, so long ago, yet unseen, or even noticed by the people in cars who drive over it and sadly not valued by the people of Nidri as 'The richest and most impressive burial site of its era, with the oldest tumuli ever found in Greece.' I can't help thinking that if this site were in England, it would be lit up at night, have Guided Tours, Accompanying 'Teachers Resource Packs, and definitely a possy of Volunteer History students, to take money at the 'un padlocked 'gate. Not forgetting of course the guest speakers in the visitors centre Tony Robinson and Phil.

We spent a few days in Lefkas, early morning shopping or walking and chilling on board in the afternoons. Lefkas is a bustling place that stays open all year round, unlike other greek villages and towns that are as quiet as a mauseleum as soon as the last tourist leaves. This makes the marina a popular place for 'live a boards' to spend the winter. It is not an option for us though as it is very expensive and there are no direct flights from UK.

We also spent time on anchor in Varkho Bay, a favourite swimming spot of ours. We first visited in Summer 2016 and were pleased to see that it still had the same charm. There was no problem keeping cool here as, provided you take bread with you, the snorkelling is wonderful. We spent more time in the water than out. After a few days, maybe my imagination, but the fish appeared to be getting used to us and one bold little chap actually took bread out of my hand.

Our final week in July took us up through the Lefkas Canal to Prevassa, where the boatyards and a spanky new marina are. We checked the marina prices for a giggle. They wanted 2,220 euros for 6 months winter stay plus extra for water and electricity - don't think so. Despite it being all new and shiny, there are still no direct flights to Prevasa during that time. The marina in Italy that we were considering is only 1,400 euros (including electricity and water) for 7 months. It's beginning to be a strong contender.

We spent the last few days of our 'Thinking Time' sailing around the inland sea next to Prevasa - The Ambracian Gulf. We visited the small port of Vonitsa where we paid our Greek Cruising Tax, as it was about to run out and we still hadn't made up our mind if we were staying in Greece. We visited the magnificently preserved castle again and admired the view from the top. Greece is lovely , but we want a new adventure, so on the long walk down we decided we would head to Italy. As soon as the weather allowed, we would go and pay our deposit for our winter stay in Rocello Ionica. Decision made, even the small pod of Dolphins that came close to us when we were swimming next to the boat couldn't change our mind.