The Cyclades

Tonight it rained.  Water dropped from the sky in droplets of varying size and frequency for fifteen minutes.  The bed, the table, the settee, and the floor got wet because we forgot to close the hatches.  Why?  Because we forgot about rain!  We’ve been in the Cyclades for 82 days and, until now, we haven’t seen or heard it once.

It’s fitting, as we’re leaving this archipelago tomorrow and I imagine the gods are crying over our departure.  Not sad tears, but the mocking tears of a hysterical Zeus as he points us out from above.  “Look at those two fools,” he’s bellowing as we hoist our sails and point west.

It’s been everything it’s cracked up to be.  The Greeks are a proud, welcoming, generous lot who don’t hesitate to share their cucumber, point out a hidden donkey trail, or encourage one to taste the local cheese.  We’re happy that we stuck with our plan, which was to find an area that we loved and stay.  We chose the harbors of Naxos, Paros, and Antiparos as our hub for the month of June, making one excursion to not-to-be-missed Koufonisia.

Even Greece is better with friends and we were lucky to have almost an entire month with Francesco and Yuka on SV Oroboro.  Since our paths have crossed over the last year and a half from the Caribbean, across the Atlantic, and to the Mediterranean, we couldn’t have asked for better neighbors.  These two are our partners in kiteboarding crime, board games, guess that song and watermelon parties.  They understand that there’s no shame in returning to the same restaurant twice (or four times) if the conversation is always good and they truly believe that we can ride a moto-scooter.  We will miss you dear friends!

Last remarks

• Fair winds to Ivan & Claudia on SV Blue Narwal, Riley & Viola on SV Esperanza, Duane & Jason on SV Grateful and all the other sailors we’ve had the good fortune to meet.
• A shout out to our new friends in the awesome camper van at the Paros Kite Beach, Yvonne & Fabienne.  Here’s to your future land adventures!