Cousins (and photos)

Zachary and Elisabeth (BeBe)
arrival at Athens airport.

Don't these two look like loving cousins in this photo taken at their arrival at the Athens airport less than a month ago?  (This apparently will be the summer of both of them sticking out their tongues every time they see that a photo is about to be taken.)



They actually do get along fairly well...much more like siblings than cousins because they spent so much of their first four years together while they stayed in our home during parents' working hours.  But, like all siblings (and cousins) they do argue about some things.  This summer trip the arguments have been about who can be in whose room on the boat and when.  Hence, the contract:

I'll leave it to their parents to figure out which one wrote the contract.  Oh, so glad not to be 12 or 13 again.  After executing the above contract, the kids have also discussed the 'cousin contract' (whereby each cousin must do something nice for the other cousin a minimum of 3 times daily) and a 'DS contract' (playing games).  Any agreement apparently must be in writing or it does not exist in their worlds.

We are still in the center bay of the Gulf of Kotor in Montenegro.  Very much enjoying the few anchorages.  It is calm in this huge bay even when winds blow stink, as is happening today. It will be difficult to force ourselves to move on to Croatia.  Frankly, I cannot see how Croatia could possibly be better than here.  Certainly cannot be any calmer.  And anchoring here is free, unlike Croatia.

Our days are spent swimming and reading and usual boat chores.  We particularly like being anchored on the NE side of Stradioti Island, where we are again today.  When provisions of breads and produce run low then we move and anchor off Tivat just across the bay.  Make a grocery store run, dispose of trash, and then head right back over here.  We still have not dug out the kayak.  And it is too windy today to let the kids take off in it anyway, so that dreaded job will be delayed once again.  The kayak is stored in the very back of our large cockpit lazarette and is a chore to access.  Must first remove everything else stored in there and then repack it all.  I think younger backs than ours might need to assist in that chore when we finally get around to doing it.

The dinghy outboard engine has been giving us fits.  This thing is 11 years old and time to die but we hope to nurse it along until we are in a place where a 2-stroke replacement can be purchased.  We very much do not want a 4-stroke outboard engine.  Bill has replaced the carburetor 3 times (we have several) and rebuilt all 3 again.  Also discovered that the fuel hose from the gas tank had deteriorated inside and collapsed.  That caused him to clean everything yet again to remove all tiny bits of pieces of hose that got everywhere in the system.  We took a taxi to every auto parts store in Tivat searching for new hose; then over to Kotor to several more shops until we found joy!  This is not the place to need boat parts or even auto parts like hoses.  Not easy to find.  Although the taxi driver told us that a shop can order anything from the country capital (cannot pronounce the name) and it would be here the following afternoon.  That would be our last resort.  Thankfully, the outboard finally seems to be running okay now.  

For other cruisers, there is a chandlery at Porto Montenegro Marina in Tivat but the selection is limited.  Also, we were able to get cooking gas refills in Tivat!  Bill updated Noonsite.com with the information.  It was easy and surprisingly inexpensive.  I had expected propane refills to be problematic after reading that there are few places in the Adriatic area to purchase cooking gas.  We had our American 10-pound aluminum tank refilled and one of the European blue small tanks (Greek) refilled for only 11 Euro ($15).  We had our American 20-pound tank filled before leaving Gocek Turkey.  We used the small EU tanks all through Turkey and Greece, saving the big tank for later.  Then we switched to the American 20-pound tank after the small EU tank ran dry here in Montenegro.     Now we have the 20-pound (in use) plus the 10-pound American tanks plus one of the small EU blue tanks.  We now are set for cooking gas until sometime in Italy in the autumn.  It does take planning ahead.

Bill found some photos on his iPhone.  Many were from our trip to Santorini last month.  A beautiful place.

Coastline of Albania.  We did not stop in Albania.

Elisabeth sitting on my lap in Delphi Town.

I think this fisherman in Naxos found a wayward dinghy.
Bet one of the charter customers forgot to tie it right.

Rest break during a long hot walk at Santorini

Blue church domes of Santorini

Leaving Naxos en route to Santorini on fast ferry

Empty breakfast plates.  Quite a view for breakfast!

View from our bedroom window on Santorini

Note the 10-minute vector on the boat icon.  Fast ferry!