...sailing holiday. Part one.

What follows is an account recalled from the log of the "Mintaka" dated between May 28th and June 13th 2006. Some may be true, some make be legend. Most will be silly and inaccurate.

The start of this little adventure begins with the crew of the "Mintaka"

Skipper David & Mate Veronica, Salty dog Keith, Cabin 'boy' Drew & me (The spare).
We arrived as part of a small fleet , minds focused on sailing the far flung isles of the south Ionian in searth of the mythical 'Mythos'
Things started well as the crews made aquaintence, ate , drank and sort to developed covert plans for the coming voyage with the lead crew, Jock, Maz & Frenchy.
Jock was a Jock , Maz was a girl & frenchy wasn't French.
We were all set.

Most of the group got to grips with thier vessle & despite a few reported hairy moments no yachts was lost.

Our sea dog, of proud, traditional, nautical background, (a Leeds man from landlocked Yorkshire) was the first
to fall foul of the dangers of the deep. While swimming he was ravaged by a beast from the deep. This legendary tangle with an octopus was recorded in my log. The recounted tale at first hand grew in detail and intrigue at each telling. The truth lay within.

The crew began to bond and work well together.

We met many 'Liveaboards' & 'ancient mariners' on the way, each with their own tale to tell & not an albatross in sight.

Oh no, the crew were not ready, This is the log of the scene witnessed one day as I poked my head above deck.

We got into the groove with our navigation and failed to hit any hard imovable objects.

Bad luck hit us early in the voyage. Too mach good living, sun & fun took its toll on First Mate Veronica, who stepped off board after a nasty case of sun stroke. As the crew of the 'Mintaka' sat in port & considered the next move the local witch doctor was summoned to attend to the patient.
Diagnosis not good the crew down heartedly made the descision to leave the First Mate in the hands of the (reportedly stunning) doctor & housed in one of the local grass huts over looking the water. The islands inhabltants were very welcoming and took great care of the Mate.
The crew returned to sea with the plan to recover their missing member at a later date.
It was later discovered the the natives had cursed the skipper for abandoning on of thier own.

The log above has been falsified at this point to save face. No members of the crew were in fact abducted by aliens. This was just a cover story.

In the mean time unknown waters were charted.

...and local dangers avoided. The danger of not paying the Ferryman was a trip down the river Stix to Hades.

There were joys and delights on the way. The gurgles of delignt were noted in the log as other crews in the fleet took enjoyment from interacting with the local wildlife.
These moments were broardcast across the VHF for all to hear.

The tale shall continue soon. The fate of our crew mate to be revealed.
Be sure though, no aliens are involved & few had thier brains removed.
Watch this space.