Fools Afloat. Day 13

Day 13 Thursday 14 June 2018

Simi Island on to Panormitis Bay.  36*33’.12N   27*50’.53E

0630hrs Jackie's rasping cough wakes me. She has been suffering all night poor thing. It will be a hot one again today. We get up about 0700hrs and to my amazement Tim was still in his bunk. Hooray I had beaten him for the first time this holiday. I brewed up and we three sat on deck. The heat already pretty oppressive. The only movement anywhere, the goats on the pebble beach. Oh and the man in the yacht some twenty meters away skinny dipping. That soon caught Jackie's eye.

0920hrs We weigh anchor and sail out. Flat calm sea for miles. Away in the distance we can make the outline of Rhodes.

1130hrs Arrive Panormitis 36*33’.12N 27*50’.53E. We are on the Southern tip of the island of Simi.

This circular almost totally enclosed bay is famous for its Taxiarhis Mihail monastery. Dedicated to the Archangel Michael. It houses a couple of small museums containing mainly what one expect to find associated with a monastery but it was extensively pillaged during WW2. To the West of the monastery is a memorial to the Abbot, two monks and two teachers who were executed by the Germans for operating a spy radio for British Commandoes.

Jackie makes a sarnie for lunch whilst Tim and I untie the inflatable from the upper deck, heave it over the side and run it down to the rear swim platform in anticipation of going ashore this evening. Next comes the task of un-mounting the 5hp outboard, being careful not too drop it in the 'ogin' Mike hands it down to Tim who is now on, or should that be in, the inflatable. Tim soon has things clamped and we return to ‘the mother ship’ for lunch.

The afternoon is spent lazing about and some general swimming around the boat. Mike once again borrows David’s swim fins and snorkel and manages to swim ashore. Emerging from the water like James Bond in ‘From Russia with Love’.  

Mike decides to swim ashore to check the taverna.

Later Tim and David will take the inflatable around Chrysanthi11 ostensibly to film her but are soon headed for shore. That's strange. It wasn't planned. When Jackie challenges them they say they are going to book a table for tonight. They have disappeared. Even stranger.

J K Jerome's "Three men in a boat " comes to mind.

Scanning ashore with the binos we can see Tim and David sat at a table in the rear of the Taverna, beneath the shade of a Tamarisk tree, knocking back beers. Almost hiding!

We are ashore tonight at the local taverna. There seems to be only two tavernas, the monastery and about six houses. Nothing else.

Eventually they return. Various excuses were offered then they both disappeared for a kip!
The evening soon arrived. Not that you would know it from the heat. It was time to go ashore for scran. The lasdt of the grockle boats had departed some time ago and apart from maybe a dozen yachts moored in the harbour the place was empty. Tim has decided it is not too safe to have four up on this little tender. The first run will be David ashore. David, with some trepidation gets into the tender. At the helm is Tim. He is pulling on the shock cord trying to get the little 5hp motor to fire. It does and they are away like a toy balloon released by a six year old. All over the place. Eventually he returns for the Stopportons. At least if we get dumped in we know the water's not cold.

2105hrs Return from dinner via tender. Tim after a few glasses of wine decides it is now OK for all four of us to get in the tender, a mode of transport he seems to have remarkably little control over! I didn't think he drank that much with the meal!


Safely on board we have a small glass of port then turn in. It’s an early start tomorrow!