CA Cruise Part 2
 
How do Shipmates? Hope all is well with you and yours. In my last waffling session, I was telling you about the CA arrival in Spinalonga on Crete. After a bit of r & r plans were made for a Pirate party bbq ashore. Out came the outfits, pork chops and grown ups lemonade. The fish that Team Flapjack had caught on the way down provided a nice little appetiser to get things kicked off. We’d won the fishing competition and the prize was a bottle of Captain Morgan’s finest. Robin and Pauline aren’t that keen on this particular tipple, but luckily/unluckily for them we are! One by one the ‘Pirate tenders’ ferried the marauding, pillaging pirates ashore. We growled (you know how pirates do), we feasted, we sang and all in all we had a jolly good time! The next morning we were up at the crack of sparrows (no, it must of been earlier than that because even the sparrows weren’t up). It was time to return to the shire, oops I mean the marina. Sunday mornings are usually a fairly leisurely affair in the marina, but there are always exceptions. Thirteen boats coming into the marina generates a bit of excitement for all concerned. It was busy, busy, busy with a capital ‘B’. Although the sailing part of the CA cruise was over, there was a week of land based activities planned. Things were kicked off with a ‘Welcome to Crete party’ in the marina yacht club. There was a small contingent of ‘landlubber’ CA members who had flown or ferried it to Crete for the week of fun. My brother was also visiting us that week, after a two day trip from Blighty that saw him flying from London to Geneva to Zurich and finally to Crete, he found himself thrown into a week of activities and he thought we just sat around reading books all day! The week went something like this: Easy walk with Robin & Pauline (is there such a thing) followed by swim and bbq at Roger & Birgitta’s beautiful house in Kavousi. Drinks and tours off some of the boats in the cruise. Minibus magical mystery tours, even the drivers (one of which was mild mannered Miles) didn’t know where they were going. Lunches in Greek taverna’s that last the whole afternoon (well these things can’t be rushed). Excursions by ferry to Santorini. The hard walk with Robin and Pauline (you knew there’d be one). A potluck Meze dinner (more luck than pot) on Stella. The week flew by and was rounded off with a ‘Closing party’ (best to go out with a bang). This took place at a local Meze restaurant and to ensure we went out with a ‘big bang’, a talent/untalented contest was organised. Team Flapjack (never ones to do things by halves) had a cunning plan that involved a number of home made props, green hairspray, pink tissue paper, rubber gloves and of course there were monkeys with lollipop paws! Our party piece was the poem: ‘The Jumblies’ for those of you who don’t know their heads were green, their hands were blue and they went to see in a sieve! It was probably round about this time that my brother felt, his sister and her chums had well and truly lost it, so we made him join in! Nearly all of the boats and landlubber groups, gave some sort of performance there were poetry recitals, songs and stories. The lights went out (a power cut) but the ‘show’ went on! The contest was won by Team Dorado with their rendition of ‘The twelve days of the CA cruise’ a catchy little number that was enjoyed by all. As with all good things, the end arrived. My brother returned to Blighty (slightly less eventful flight back) and the CA cruisers bid their ‘Farewells and fair weathers’ to each other. A few of the boats are staying here for the Winter, but others left to make their journeys back to other Greek islands, Turkey and Cyprus. We had a whole lot of fun shipmates and met some lovely people along the way. Big big thanks to Team Flapjack for asking us along and to all the other boats (True Blue I, Sandpiper, Dorado, Growl Tiger, Rosi Di Venti, Rozinante, Breakaway, Captain Ginger, Seductress, Fidelio, Doublitt and the team that put the bubbles in ‘Bubbly Lady’! Now we’re going to have a dose of ‘reality’ well as much as you can when your living on a boat! Speak soon munchkins. Love to you all Mild Mannered Miles et moi XXX
Monday, 25 October 2010