A weekend in Palionissos

On Thursday afternoon, June 2^nd, we tested the outboard by motoring to Merikhia for a swim. We did not go to Pikpa, but we met Eveline in the afternoon who told us that there had been a big argument that morning because a bus had been organized to take the kids over to the beach at Alinda in the afternoon. The kids were very excited, but some of the parents objected to boys going and seeing the girls swimming (though both boys and girls go to the town beach together). There was a long argument and in the end a compromise was reached which allowed boys up to 12 years old to go. The older boys had to walk down to the town beach. Ramadan starts next week, which is likely to be chaotic. Some of the refugees (the Yazidis, younger children and less devout Muslims) do not fast, while the majority can only eat between 8.30 pm and 4 am, whereas the evening meal is delivered at 6.30 pm and no food is allowed in the dormitories. The woman who organizes the food has agreed to deliver the evening meal at 8.30 pm, but that will leave the non-fasters hungry and the small children will get agitated, so there will probably be a lot of bad tempers next week.

On Friday morning Lin went to teach in school while Simon pottered around doing odd jobs (emptying and drying the bilges, derusting and painting the engine mounts and keel bolts) and shopping. On Friday afternoon we finished off cleaning and polishing the boat ready to set off on Saturday morning. On Saturday morning, June 4^th, we motored down to Palionissos, as there was no wind at all, passing Mike and Ann, who were coming back, on the way and arriving about 10.20. There are now 14 buoys laid by the two tavernas, but when we arrived there were only two other yachts there, though others came in during the afternoon. 

We immediately went ashore and walked along the hillside, gathering what we thought were sage and oregano. 

When we got back we went up to the taverna for a beer and Pothitos told us that what we thought was sage is in fact mountain tea and what we thought was oregano is in fact unripe savory, which will not be ready to pick before July. He pointed out the oregano bushes in his garden and offered us some, so we cut some sprigs and threw away the savory.

On Sunday morning we finished the polishing of the back of the boat, that we had missed in Lakki. We went ashore for beer and a wonderful burger for lunch at the beach bar, then swam and chilled for the afternoon. While eating a bit of burger Lin felt a tooth go – she thought it was a filling coming out, but later discovered that it was a broken tooth. We phoned Frank to find out about his wonderful dentist in Pothia, who was setting up a clinic in Lakki, but it turned out that the dentist had got a rare disease which affected his back and was not now working in Lakki. We did not want to go to Pothia, so decided to check out dentists when we got back to Lakki.

Monday was another day of swimming and chilling and an evening meal at the taverna (if you moor on a taverna’s buoy you are morally obliged to eat there, which is no penance!). We checked the bilges for water and they were pretty well dry, so it may be that after ten years we have conquered all our leaks.

On Tuesday morning, after three days’ rest in Palionissos, we set off sailing back to Lakki. The wind was light and the way back was directly upwind. We sailed a long tack out to sea, to get out of the wind shadow of the islands, then tacked back, but the wind soon died to we decided to motor so that we could get to Lakki in good time to look for a dentist. We arrived at midday and were welcomed back to the marina, but we were placed at a point where there was a break in the quay for steps, which made it very difficult to rig our passarelle so that we could get on and off the boat comfortably. Simon pinched a piece of wood from the neighbouring navy building site to bridge the gap, but Lin had no confidence in Simon’s engineering skills, so after a beer at Poppy’s with Richard and Sue, we pulled the boat closer to the quay so that we could reach terra firma.

On the town quay was a magnificent Estonian schooner, built in 1927, which is here as part of a cultural tour of theAegean. They will be performing in Pandeli on Friday and Saturday evenings.

Lin went in search of dentists. Anna in the marina did not know of a dentist because she did not trust local dentists and went to one in Athens. Poppy also goes to the dentist in Athens, but told us of one that she had heard was good. Lin texted Anna, the teacher, who texted back details of an excellent woman dentist she goes to and Marietta recommended another woman dentist who worked above her shop, who she thought was cheaper than others. Having eaten out every night in Palionissos we eat aboard on Tuesday evening.

On Wednesday morning Lin went off to teach the refugee children while Simon did more repairs (the sink drain had sprung a leak again; the shower drain cover was falling apart again and he took up the floor to wire up the new instruments). Lin’s first class with the younger kids was excellent, but none of the older students came – they were probably all sleeping because Ramadan has started so they had all been up to eat at 3 am. It seems that Omar has gone to Athens – as usual nobody knows why, but we will miss him.

Before Lin could decide which dentist to go to, Anna’s mum had booked her an appointment with her dentist for 12.15. We went along to the dentist in good time, but his receptionist/nurse told us that he was fetching his daughter from school. About half an hour late a shiny bronze BMW drew up – it could only be the dentist. He summoned Lin in and told her that she had a broken tooth that would eventually need a crown, but could be fixed for now. He fixed the tooth and charged 30 euros. We then went for lunch at Poppy’s where we met Mike and Ann, and came back to the boat for siesta and reading.