Well here we are already in October, I need to record what life aboard Patience brought us in September before I forget. Memory not what it used to be.

We began September with a small hiccup. We were sailing up towards Corfu, wind in our hair, wind in the sails, Ricky had even caught a small dolphin fish ( which we let free as it was far too pretty to eat) - I digress... When suddenly we heard a ghastly clunk ! The loop at the top of our Genoa (sail at front) ripped and was no longer attached so we had to grab the sail quickly, and guide it down onto the deck before it went swimming over the side. The sails look pretty impressive billowing full of wind, not so in a huge bundle on the deck. At ground level they are huge! Still all was not lost thanks to Rickys quick thinking. Karma perhaps for letting the fish swim free. I'd like to think so.

Monday 7th September
Having managed to get the genoa sail re stitched in Nidri, we headed out to a favourite swimming spot - a cove that sits on the mainland between the bays of Fanari and Ligia The cove is known by sailors as 2 Rock Bay, no explanation needed there me thinks. Here we caught up with friends from our Italy marina Steve and Svetlana, who sail the same boat as us, a Moody 376, so obviously have good taste. We had a wonderful relaxing couple of days,
snorkeling in the clear waters and hand feeding the fish. who played follow my leader with Svetlana and I all around the cove, in and out of the small caves. On one of our walks up over the cliff we followed the river and met a lovely old 'Goatherd.' I admired his herd and made cooing noises at the tiny kids and he offered to sell me one! Either that or he was actually talking to Ricky and was offering to swap me for one. His english was as good as our greek. He wanted us to take a photo with him for Facebook.-So felt I should !...Crazy, miles from any internet signal, the only words in english he knew were photo and Facebook.

We could have stayed longer, but I had a hankering to find the underground fresh water spring, that is reported to be in Ay Ioannou Bay, a short hop away. When we arrived we thought there was a spot on the surface where the water moved slightly differently from the rest of the bay, but we weren't sure. We decided to anchor near the beach and check it out the following morning, which we did and Eurika! In the morning, the water in the bay was as still as a millpond, so we could clearly see the water swirling around in a circle in the spot we had noticed the afternoon before. Surely this had to be it. I jumped off the boat and swam over it, diving down a few times to see if I could notice the fresh water coming in under the surface. I haven't managed to find any information about it online, so I am not sure if I imagined it , but the deeper I dived, the warmer the water became. This was rather eerie, as not expected. Perhaps this Spring is a hot water one ? It needs some more investigation for sure.

We spent the next couple of days at a new anchorage for us - Mongonisi, on the South tip of the pretty island of Paxos, recommended by Skipper Jim.
On route we called in at Parga, which looked very different to the last time we visited. It is normally alive with thrill seeking water sports, but these were very sparse, as was the beach. It wasn't until we walked over the hill to the other side of the bay that we encountered groups of tourists, weaving their way through the tight alleyways and steps cut out of the stone. We had never ventured this side before and were amazed at the exclusive independent shops and small intimate tavernas in the rock, all rather fabulous and terribly expensive darling. A far cry from the squealing teenagers we were expecting, suspended high up in the sky, on a wire, under a rainbow coloured balloon or being towed at great speeds in an assortment of inflatables.

Our sail from Parga to the Island of Paxos was awesome, perfect sailing weather, our newly mended genoa appeared pleased with itself as it puffed out triumphantly at the bow of the boat, leading the way. The bay of Mongonisi had a very narrow entrance so once inside it was a haven of tranquility. The sea was Mediterranean blue and appeared more like a lake as it was so calm. The surrounding hillside, that enveloped us was lush with pine trees. Yet another perfect spot - Cheers Jim.