An hour ago I read one of the most gratifying events I’ll ever experience again. I am not sure how much I wrote before on my blog about Melina and her father Costas. Last June 20 I wrote about meeting an American-Cypriot in Zimnecia on the Danube. A little over a month ago I had a comment from Melina on this posting and as it turns out Costas is her father she had been searching for  during her 41 years. I had an e-mail address for her of a half sister, but only today did she get a response and she has also in the meanwhile be able to talk to her father on the telephone. So, the long search is over. We all wish her, Costas and her half brothers and sisters much happiness to flow from this. There are some other very coincidental parts to this story. Melina was born in San Francisco, she lived in Tacoma and years earlier her father had also lived for a while in Tacoma and tended the bar at the Spar Tavern. Melina lives now with her American husband and children in London and she tells me that she now also found that she has two half brothers living in London….

I motored and sailed from Loutro to Paleochora and will be checking the weather forecast for my next moves. I have a good along the quay moorage.

Now that I have everyone’s attention: IS THERE A DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE? What is this purple spot? It has been a white spot. Nothing sensitive. But yesterday while on the beach it turned purple.

My friend here showed the way on the 45 minute hike above the water’s edge to Sweet Water Beach. It is a rough trail and I am glad that I have a good pair of hiking boots with me on the boat.  There are a few fresh water springs in the beach surface not far from the sea’s edge. This makes it possible for some people to rough it and camp out under the shade trees. The water was still a bit too cold for my taste but Lydwien did not seem to mind and went for long swims. Lydwien has travelled to many exotic destinations, back packing in the jungles of Sul;awesi, the back roads of Ecuador, etc. I enjoyed  very much being in company with a fellow traveller.

I found fresh Octopus and made my usual stir fry aboard for dinner for the two of us. It will be difficult to turn my stern to Loutro today on my way west once again. This has to be one of the prettiest and most relaxing stops along my 7 year Ode-to-sea.  The road connections from my next planned stop, the marina at Palaichoras, to Iraklion are challenging, because of the high mountain range. So, I will skip that road plan and the car rental. I will need to address the leak in my water tank and patch the rubber dinghy in the marina. Next I’ll have to try and catch a reasonable good wind direction to get into the Adriatic from here. For the next days there are fairly strong N.W. predicted. And that is right on the nose.