Volos-Greece.

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The farewell team in Istanbul. L to R  Machiano, Sophie, Alistair and Daniel.

We left Istanbul on Saturday afternoon and enjoyed a beautiful evening on the Sea of Marmaris. The new guests were able to enjoy the city skyline as we sailed away. The Topkapi palace and Hagia Sofia Mosques dominated.

I was back on the bridge at midnight for the run through the Dardenelles waterway, passing the Hellespont and entered the Aegean around 2:30 in the morning.

We spent Sunday anchored off the port of Myrina on the island of Limnos. We are able to rig our marina here and get our water toys out. It was a little choppy but warm and dry and those that used the equipment enjoyed the day. 

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Out go the speed boats

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Staff Captain Kai in charge

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Rigged and ready to go. Pedalos, sailing boats, donut and banana.

I had an enjoyable table in the main dining room for the formal dinner. I much prefer these smaller tables. Although I dont get to dine with so many guests in a cruise I find it much easier to hold a conversation across these smaller tables than the larger ones I have had before. I had Kiwis, Ozzies and Americans with me. On the menu was Osso Bucco. I just could not resist. Grand mariner Souffle finished me off!

Today we are on the Greek mainland in the port of Volos. We are not so far from Thessaloniki. It is a fairly small commercial port but handy for the sites at Meteora. This is a UNESCO World Heritage site renowned for the amazing complex of monasteries. Many of our guests are away on tour to see them.

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Chief note taker looking a little red after his day in the marina yesterday.

I on the other hand managed to get a walk along the quay with the Staff Captain to inspect the ships side again. It is always worth doing to keep tabs on the paint work and to check out the upper topsides for signs of the dreaded tin worm and the rusty streaks that they can conjure up almost overnight. The streaks beneath the anchor were removed within an hour! Other than that, she is looking pretty.

We sail this afternoon at 17:00 and sail back across the Central Aegean for Cesme in Turkey.

 © Mark Dexter 2015