Lati the little Aussie battler
25 January 2016

We sold Lati earlier this year but we think of her often with great fondness. From the first moment in March 2012 when we hoisted the Australian flag on her rigging in St John, US Virgin Islands, we were proud to be Aussies in a foreign land. Months of hard work to get her seaworthy to tackle the great North Atlantic Ocean arriving 25 days later in the Azores then a further 13 days to reach Portugal, the gateway to the Mediterranean.
Three years of summers frolicking in the Med and repairs in exotic locations, Lati was welcomed everywhere we sailed. Our last summer in the Med in 2014 was spent in Greece exploring more than 14 islands as well as couple of weeks in Turkey. Everywhere Lati turned up the locals smiled and would invite us to their taverna, offer assistance with the smallest things whether we could freeze bottles of water in their fridge (we had no refrigeration) or where the cheapest giros were. ( flat bread wrapped around a kebab,salad and chips). Greek friends helped us source engine parts speaking Greek for us and driving down crazy alley ways we would never find to get the best deal.
As Australians back in our home port, we like to help and assist other cruising yachts. Not many foreign yachts come into Mooloolaba, but when they do we try our best to return the wonderful welcome we received when we were on board Lati. (And Valiam too) But here's cheers to Lati our very own little Aussie battler.
This photo was taken in a sweet harbour on the island of Ithaca in the Ionian, Greece.