Summer at last

In Lipsi bay on Sunday 8 June Simon noticed that the locking screw had fallen out of the propeller. This should not be a problem when going forward, since the propeller tightens, but there is a slight risk of the propeller falling off in reverse, though the nuts should be good and tight. We immediately emailed Bruntons to send replacement screws to Lin's brother John, who comes out next week. We  came back to Lakki, reversing gingerly onto the town quay.
Next morning, Monday, Jo and Ian came for their early morning tea at the end of their walk and we did a bit of shopping before setting off to motor down to Xerokampos in no wind, where we picked up a buoy. We went ashore to the taverna for dinner, which was rather disappointing after all the excellent meals we had had over the previous two weeks.
Early on Tuesday morning, with no wind forecast, we motored round to Agia Marina, where we anchored in the corner,

off the excellent seafood taverna Milos.

 We rowed ashore and walked around the bay to Alinda, where we went to the Bellenis museum,

which was exactly as we had expected it! The ground floor had lots of portraits of distinguished citizens and benefactors of Leros, with all of their certificates, and a room full of bits of old clothing, china, old agricultural tools and machines. The upper floor was devoted to the battle of Leros, with one room of rusty bits of the cruiser Queen Olga, sunk by the Germans, and fading photographs of the crew and the other room full of rusty bullets, helmets, radios left from the battle.
We had coffee at the Hotel Alinda, where Claudio and Olga stayed last year, then walked back to Agia Marina and up the hill to Platanos, only to find the Archaeological Museum closed. After buying some goodies from the wonderful cake shop we went back to the boat for an afternoon swimming, before rowing to Milos for a slightly disappointing dinner (maybe because we ate too much!). But wonderful views from our table on the terrace.

On Wednesday morning, June 11th, still with no wind, we motored back to Lakki and went back on the town quay. The anchor did not hold the first time. Simon swam out to see if he could set it, but it was too deep to get down without flippers and/or a weight belt, but he could see a clump of weed and muck, so we went out again and re-anchored. On Wednesday night Jo and Ian, having sold their boat, were driving home, starting by getting the ferry Diogenes to Piraeus. They parked their heavily laden car by Mia Hara and we all went to To Petrino for their last supper, having enormous and delicious fillet steaks (he says he only gets his carefully selected beef from France and it is tender and delicious). We waved Jo and Ian off and collapsed into bed.
On Thursday we left the town quay and went into the marina as we needed water for washing the decks. Simon got the storm jib out and spent the morning dealing with the corrosion and freeing the brass hanks - the storm job had probably been in its bag unused for 25 years! In the afternoon Lin oiled the teak and Simon worked away at all the little marks on the deck with a stainless steel wire brush, which worked a treat. In the late afternoon a lot of soldiers arrived in two RIBS, each with two machine guns, no doubt for mowing down refugees, and parked in the marina.

In the evening we went to Tacis and Marietta's shop, where they now serve drinks in front of the shop, and had ouzo and the best selection of mezes we have ever tasted. Already well filled, we decided that an omelette would be enough for dinner.
We decided to stay in the marina for another day to finish all our jobs, bringing our contract forward so that we would not have to pay.