Left our isolated, semi protected bay on Samos at sparrows after a tough night.

The crew spent most of the night securing & resecuring the boat as huge gusts came through. One mooring rope had to be dropped, leaving the anchor on solo duty. Everything on deck was wound in, or secured downstairs.

No rain, warm wind, black sky, some big waves. Love a bit if excitement!

It was a challenge keeping empty plates & glasses on the dining table at dinner, but we roughed it out eating on deck, and kept glasses full as a precautionary measure.

The small bay on Fournio Island where we moored for breakfast this morning was temporarily out of wind, and with hundreds of stairs leading skywards from the shore to white & blue cottages up the mountainside. Expanses of flowering wild thyme and other green & yellow flowering things - no idea what, where's Peg when I need her, amongst the scant sprinkling of houses clinging impossibly to the cliffs.

One little girl of about 3 had a challenges to get down - each step was longer than her legs!

4 of us wanted to see what was on the other side of the mountain, so headed to shore by tender & took the climb. Heaven's gates must have been close!!

Instead at the top were 3 old stone windmills, one restored and marked 'coffee shop'with outdoor seating. Shame it was shut!

We hiked down the other side of the island to a beautiful, neat, fishing village with lots if tiny fishing boats, a few waterside restaurants, and meandering backstreets with spectacular gardens and flower boxes.

Complimenting a local on how beautiful the flowered streets were, next thing, invited to home to see their extensive garden, outdoor kitchen, to sit and join them (food wasn't what we needed) & given a huge bag of fresh apricots off their tree to bring back to the boat. If you ever come here, ask for Manilis or Patra Markaki. They have apartments and rooms @ 30 Euros a night: www.fourni-patrasrooms.gr

I'd come back here in a flash! See photos in today's album.

Another walk though the sidestreets, (girls in my family wait until Xmas for a true treat each), and the strongest iced coffee, then collected by Tanem.h to head out through the channel to moor in a cove on Fimaina Island.

No houses, tracks, roads or even goats!

Steep hills, some shrubbery & crystal clear water. We're moored in 15 m of water, there is some great reef around, and a lone gum tree on a sandy beach about 250m away.

For me, on with the snorkeling gear to explore water world! Stunning again, not as many fish as yesterday, but love the underwater terrain, colours, vegetation, sand, lots of underwater rock cliffs.

Back on deck at 7pm enjoying pre dinner 'lucky dip' Greek white wine - the only wine available from Fournios! If we don't like it the Aegean sea will be 12 bottles wetter!

Wind gusting like crazy again.

Pulling anchor, removing ropes for a gentler spot. Got to keep the plates, cutlery and glasses on the table tonight! Not to mention the flash hairdo in place :)