Dearest departed...

Lesanda's fearless crew powering her through wild waters NOT!

 This morning we have just taken Allen & Jean to Igoumenitsa to catch the ferry for Corfu and then onward home for them from the airport.  We have had a great two weeks together and lots and lots of laughs, Thanks you two it's always a pleasure.

A couple of anecdotes from their visit: While we were at Kalamos we decided to walk over the ridge from the village to a beach in an adjacent bay and do some swimming.  When we were almost there Allen and I plotted to swim back, unbeknown to the girls, to Kalamos harbour and come back with the dingy to save them the walk back.  I suppose the distance over water was maybe three or four hundred metres but we had fins on so it wasn't too bad.

Jean and Sanny having (dare I say) a belly laugh!

 We got back and got the dingy and nearly dropped my very expensive outboard motor into the sea, fortunately it landed exactly where it fits (now that's more than lucky!)  I tried to start the engine and after a few coughs it spluttered into life for all of ten seconds and then died.  This was repeated lots of times until I was shattered.  Allen started to row the dingy out of the harbour and towards the bay where we had left those who should be obeyed, whilst I periodically tried the outboard again and again.  Checked the plg lead checked the air valve on the filler cap etc. etc. and still no joy.  Anyone who has rowed a flat bottomed inflatable dingy will tell you they are not the most compliant of craft and are hard work to boot, so with this in mind and seeing Allen was about to have a cardiac arrest I volunteered to help by us canoeing the vessel one at each side.  This didn't last long until my already very tired arm started complaining after all the attempted shenanigans with the outboard.  We thought lets give the motor one more chance, so I gave her a couple of tentative pulls with the starter cord and she fired a couple of times before stopping, only by now I'm having to put so much body effort into it the engine moved right  around sideways and Allen says what's that thing on the side, dooohhhh.  You guessed it, I had not turned on the fuel.  Plonker of the day, ME!

Deb and Jez sailing into the sunrise (YES SUNRISE)!!

Gialos Beach miles of sand but few punters.

Anyway we motored the rest of the way there and back with my not so quite and not so powerful but much better than rowing €15 outboard.  When we got the girls back into the harbour I took them right to the end near a taverna where there are some steps to facilitate getting out more easily.  The only thing was San starts to move as we draw up at the steps and Allen puts him hand on her shoulder and says stay there, this pressure make her slide down inside the dingy in fit of giggling and laughter to the great amusement of the entire taverna, I just turned off the motor and quietly rowed back to the boat hoping I had not been seen!
Once again thanks guys for a great time.

We are now just getting all our stuff together for our trip back across Europe back to the UK.  We leave at five O'clock Saturday morning to catch our ferry from Igoumenitsa to Venice and should be home to dear ol' Yorkshire Tuesday morning all being well.  We can't wait to see the Grandkids, Kids and of Course Geoff the lone parent - Then of course we will be ready to come back by the end of the week!!!