Plain sailing ....... 16 years on
Sally
In May 2011, with tremendous excitement and a good dose of naivety, we weighed anchor in Corfu harbour and set off on our first sailing adventure.
I'll never forget that first sail - perfect…....With soaring hearts, the wind on the quarter gently kissing our cheeks, we sailed for 5 hours. A first for me. I knew how to sail dinghies but had never been on a keel boat or sailed in the sea. It was pure bliss.
Our first stop was gorgeous. The large, protected bay of Paxi is what Greece is in our dreams. Clear blue waters ringed by hills and a pretty town.
We lapped it up and 2 days later, we slipped out of the calm bay at daybreak - into mayhem. The wind was howling, the waves were short, choppy and confused, slamming into Pegasus from every angle. 8 hours of hell for me, surprise and exhilaration for Henry.
And that's been the reality since then.
Perfection and bliss
Chaos and terror
Strangely I thought we would remember the scary stories more than the blissful, but as our sailing adventures come to an end, it all adds up to a remarkable journey. The good alongside the bad.
An early memory: moments before leaving tiny, fashionable Hydra harbour one morning an enormous super yacht came in opposite us and dropped their large anchor right on top of where we knew ours was. We yelled and pointed asking them to move to no avail, .
We tried to leave but Pegasus was stuck in the middle of the harbour. It took a long time to get the port police to sort it out, get the motor boat owners to pay a diver to free us and for us to set sail.
By now the wind had picked up as the forecast had promised, and we were bashed around in crazy seas - and I was thrown off balance by a huge wave, sending me plummeting down the companionway into the saloon, hitting my head at the bottom.
By the time we got into port I was hysterical, wanting to go home and crying for a hot, comforting bath. Henry raced around Poros, in search of a hotel or room with a bath.
He came back crestfallen, but by then I had recovered my aplomb and was ready to drink a toast to conquering the elements. Something we have done time and time again.
Henry
Sally and I have sailed a good deal of the Aegean together over the last 16 years. Now that the end of our Odyssey is in sight, we reflect, "Why did we do it?" Its a good time to ponder on how we got here in the first place.
I have been a sailor, a bit obsessively, since 1965. To give that chronological context, I remember meeting Bruce Dalling who won the1968 OSTAR single handed race across the Atlantic ocean in Voortrekker, a boat I got to sail on a few years later.Sailing has held for me a romanic resonance since I can remember, instilled by my father who was a good sailor. As a teenager and beyond, I assumed that at some point in my life I would be a 'blue water' sailor; time was elastic!
So, by the time Sally and I got together, time was running out and I was arriving at the conclusion that this was not to happen; my Laser dinghy was going to be my boat.
However, Sally unexpectedly changed that; not 'blue water' sailing but a wonderful alternative which I cannot call a compromise!
Sailing Pegasus together on the Mediterranean has been an experience of a lifetime, much more interesting that crossing miles of intercontinental ocean, rather incorporating moments of total ecstasy with adrenaline pumping excitement. The moments Sally calls 'scary' and 'blissful'.
Our sailing has been an adventure of much more than a linear succession of port and islands we have been to. On the way we have fallen in love with Greece and with the Greek people and their incredible warm, friendly culture. Sometimes, to us, more African than European for complicated reasons.
We never counted the islands that we went to. We nearly alway stayed longer than planned. We never regretted staying longer whether for reasons of weather or choice.
We've never taken our experience for granted and have always known how fortunate we have been.
Sally & Henry
Sailing briskly through the sea, to be suddenly joined by dolphins playing in our bow wave, drifting at anchor in a deserted bay surrounded by soaring cliffs and turquoise water, sipping an icy beer and gazing or reading.
Plunging off the back of the boat into the clearest water you have ever imagined and then braaing as the sun goes down, gazing in awe at the full moon or the stars that are so different to those we know in the Southern hemisphere.
A highlight is having family and friends joining us and together exploring and fossicking around the villages and islands we visit, going slowly, looking deeply. Early on, Henry's sketching inspired me to start painting and now we both wander around sketchbook in hand
But there is no doubt that the best memories have always been - and still are - the people we meet along the way and the incredible generosity and kindness we experience.
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Looking back over the last 16 years, we feel nostalgic but the time has come to say goodbye to our wonderful boat and to remember what we have seen and learned along the way
We're writing this on anchor in beautiful Pedi bay in Symi, one of our most favourite islands. In just a few days, we will leave Pegasus for good. It was not an easy decision to sell, but the time is right for many reasons and we leave her with heavy hearts but enormous gratitude for taking us on so many adventures and allowing us the opportunity to explore this country that we have come to love as much as we love our home, South Africa.
And of course, we have so much to look forward to.
Philoxenia Green, our stone farmhouse in Plomari, has been joined by Philoxenia Blue, our new townhouse gem with glorious sea views to the east and to the west.
We hope that many of you will come and spend some time in Plomari to experience a town little affected by tourism where Greek hospitality warmth and generosity is tangible.
https://www.secretgreekescape.com/
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