22nd June Sami, Kefalonia

I have a huge backlog, so will keep this brief-ish. We had a great (hot!) week with friends Clive & Jane of Talisman fame. We have moved on from COOC and COCRC (Chums of various complexions) and are now Chums of Two Goat Cove (or Chums of 8 Bum Bay - but more of that later).

A week of island hopping (Kefalonia, Ithaca, Atoko, Kastos, Arkoudhi, Levkas), cove combing, swimming, eating and village exploring. We tried to visit an underground lake (amazing colours, stalags, lights, etc) called Melissani on our first day. Allegedly open from 9am to late afternoon. We were there by 4pm by main boat and dinghy. It was closed. The sea state had deteriorated and we all got a soaking getting back to the boat and on board. A good start to the week!

It was also a week of renaming our little world. Odysseus's island of Ithaca got broken down into constituent Bays according to the outstanding features therein. Day 2 saw Anti-Sami on Kefalonia, then Ay. Andreas Bay on Ithaca (Two Goat Cove), then Pigadhi bay (renamed Piglet Bay), then Ormos Sarakiniko . A little bay on Arkoudhi island was renamed 8 Bum Bay in honour of the 8 Germans on board one charter boat who were self-consciously strutting about in the altogether - and not altogether a pretty sight!

CO8BB or Chums of 8 Bum Bay was a new designation for us all. We barbecued tender lamb souvlaki, prepared for me by a charming, wonderful butcher in Sami; he advised me on marinades and threw in two lemons for free. Clive got his paints out and painted some of the scenes of cliffs and coves, or villages like Vathi and Fiskardho with pastel walls, vivid bougainvillea, and bright fishing boats. And One House Bay and then Port Sarakiniko (diff from the one above) on Kastos (renamed Cow and Calf Bay on account of the Cows and Calves we found - obviously). As there would be.

The week sped by, but we managed to cram a lot in. We ended the week on my birthday - Jane & Clive generously improved my stocks of book and gave me one of the lovely colourful Greek woven bags I had been admiring. Amongst other things (ever the romantic) R gave me a dongle(!) and some swimming goggles. And nice leather sandals. And a Turkish flag. Etc. We all went out for a meal overlooking the water courtesy of CO8BB - a lovely way to end the week. It was the airport for C&J in the morning.

Now, behaviour assessment: Jane 2/10 for fouling warps as we were leaving on the first day - she managed to let it tie itself into a knot whilst we slipped. She had the presence of mind at least to let go of it before it and the boat pulled her into the water. Rope recovered and retrieved. Not Jane's fault, mind you, but that does not let her off! Clive 3/10 for leaving drying paintings around for us to sit on and paint water in a bottle that looked good enough to drink. And other things no doubt that shouldn't be mentioned.

But overall - full marks for good humour, good company and generous good friends. Nice. x