Service stop

 We need to buy food so leave the pretty bay of Fraxis, Levkas, and motor around the corner to anchor in the charming Tranquil Bay, something of a graveyard for a few old boats. 

Temperatures are high and a few times a day it is necessary and enjoyable to swim from the boat. Modern yachts have a shower by the swim steps. We have our simple and effective system of a bucket of fresh water and a sponge. Anita also uses an old 2 litre detergent bottle making body rise easy.

For regular showers and hair washing our black shower bag can provide hot water. We rig it up in the cockpit from the boom and place a cockpit towel on the cockpit sole ( floor) which has absorbed salt water splash when sailing. Such a shower refreshes us, towels and the cockpit area. Ashore sometimes we find showers at beaches.

Opposite to Tranquil Bay is the bustling little town of Nidri, also a base for many large and small tourist boats making daily excursions in summer to islands and beaches, also small car ferry connections.

We can row over to the town which is also a major yachting and charter centre. Ashore we browse a few arty shops, buy an unplanned meal and necessary supplies like fresh fruit, Greek yogurt and bread. I find polyester filler in a chandlery shop to fill some screw holes from the cable to the old solar panel.

Next morning we continue into the large inland lake of Vliho where we can anchor in flat water, unless the water skiier is operating. We take our many water containers ashore to a tap next to small fishing boats and top up our water systems. I estimate we took 150 - 200 litres to serve our needs for the next few days. 

A short hose is on the tap so we took a shower there too in the heat of early afternoon when no-one was around. 

We made one load of laundry for 5 euros at the Vliho Yacht Club and bought a meal. Many boats live in this sheltered anchorage, and and there is a community of owners living on board. The shallow enclosed waters make this the warmest water we swim in. Air temperatures are higher too. A few days after we left we read it reached 40 degrees.

Jobs and servicing done we returned to Fraxia for another night passing the Wharram Pahi 63, Spirit of Gaia.