Tuesday, 18 April 2017

Life’s Little Ironies - our first week

It is hard to believe we landed a week ago…
I know, that’s what everyone says. But it is usually because they’ve done so many new things in a short time.
We have too, I suppose, just not the ones we expected to be doing!
Getting here was more of a challenge than expected, with Kevin getting diagnosed with pneumonia on Thursday (we flew Sunday morning). We are deeply thankful to our friends who helped get us out the door and dealt with the chaos we left behind!
We landed on Monday and figured we would inventory the boat, do an IKEA and other necessities trip on Tuesday, and spend Wednesday and Thursday learning to sail this baby before the Easter celebrations started.
So what really happened…
Did a very minimal inventory, made it to IKEA, and spent the week experiencing the worst winds/swells/rains that have occurred in the last 5 years in Cyprus! Have seen some great thunderstorms and now know what the boat sounds/rocks/vibrates/bounces like at 3 am in winds gusting to Beaufort 7 (thankfully safely tied up in the marina!). Spent a few days getting dizzy/seasick on land whenever we had to look down. Thankfully that has abated, so now able to type this exciting missive! ;)
Since sailing wasn’t happening we decided to do some sight seeing (more details and pics on this fun later) and take advantage of our friends kind offer to use their house in the mountains. Discovered that someone with pneumonia can get altitude sickness really easily, so back down the mountain we came! Driving twisty mountain roads in the dark, on the “wrong” side of the road, has made all subsequent driving easy!
A day of recovery for Kev, videogames for Theo, and pedicures and play for Margaret and I, and we were all set to celebrate Easter Sunday with Harry and Sophie’s family and their fabulous friends. Incredible feasting (souvla – much bigger than souvlaki, kokoretsi, crepes, pasta, and many types of salads), followed by my first Greek dancing lesson (!) lots more dancing, dessert, lots more dancing, games, dancing…  an incredible day with wonderful people!
So a full and satisfying first week, even if little of it followed “the plan”. Welcome to sailing I guess!  :) 
Sheila


7 comments:

  1. Which is exactly why you are there! Plan, what plan? Going off plan always makes the best story. Keep them coming, we are living it vicariously with you!

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  2. Weather: whether you like it, or whether you don't; weather's the weather, whatever the weather, weather the weather you get. 😁

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  3. I read with concern the paragraphs all the way through to bringing Kevin back down the mountain - could you all just find an easy way to have this sabbatical... and then I read the delightful Easter celebration... weather will improve, stay the course on those fun times though! BEst!

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    1. Very happy we are starting here where we know people, and very thankful for all the help they have given!
      Our friends Harry and Sophie have been wonderful to us, and the great guys at True North Yachts have made life aboard much easier than it otherwise would have been! We are looking forward to some more instruction with them this week! :)
      Sheila

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  4. Thrilled to hear the family is weathering life's adventure. Making the best of what is thrown at you . Looking forward to the pics. Best isabelle

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