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(Page 8)

While Fae was swimming I found a pile of empty Fan Mussel shells amongst the rocks, here I'm holding one part of a shell. As they are said to be delicious they are becoming rare due to the ease at which they can be retrieved from shallow water. It's a shame to see that here someone is taking them; soon there may be none.

23.30 hrs
Our new found Bulgarian fish farmer came to Tirla and shared a bottle of his really good ouzo with us. Long conversations took place in two languages that neither understood, but it was a good meeting of people. Later I watched the clear huge star-studded night sky. Two F 15's roared far overhead and towards the northern horizon, the lights of commercial jets winked as they strode across the sky. To one side and lower down an AWAC slowly climbed to its cruising height like some sentinel in the heavens reminding us that these are twilight zones. As I moved the powerful binoculars a satellite zoomed across and dimmed as it passed towards the southeastern horizon. Time for bed, tomorrow we go north again. The web site at Athens University promises calm seas. Lets hope the same messages are coming from that AWAC!

20.05.2001
At sea off the sw coast of the Akti peninsular.
39.09.890N 23.29.617 East
08.58 hrs
Temp 20.2C
Baro 1021
Wind N3 increasing.

We went right up to Pirgadikia but could find no space to moor or anchor near the village so we came all 10 miles back again to Dhiaporos. We weather has been very calm but overcast and the sea is still cool.

Today we decided to see the monasteries perched on the sw side of the Akti peninsular. It's misty so we don't know what is visible from inshore. As you know we cannot anchor or land as Fae is aboard (females banned from this area!). It's one of those sea voyages where we are not sure where we will eventually end up. The winds forecast are north 5/6 in this area, but more westerly in the Northern Sporades. Athens university wind predictions slightly differ from the Navtex forecast received just now.
I suspect we will get plenty of wind. We wanted to get to Limnos but if we commit to that and the weather turns bad then we might be headed if we then tried for Alonnisos in the Sporades. So we are playing by ear. Inside the peninsular we are sheltered from the N/NE wind but a long underlying swell indicates there could be real wind once we clear the coast.