With the exception of the coach roof and helmstation, where we only use freshwater due to all the sensitive equipment, it took a saltwater wash first to loosen the sand on the decks and in the cockpit, something we never do, but followed that with a freshwater wash-down. Even the cockpit cushions had to be washed. That meant the watermaker ran all day. By lunchtime, though, Paw Paw was sparkling clean again; on the outside, at least.
Afterwards we dinghied ashore for lunch, followed by coffee and a baked delight, enjoyed at Bella Vita Cafete. If nothing else we were eating our way through the Mediterranean.
Back onboard, but not before we visited the local Spar shop for a few immediate provisioning items, we both enjoyed an afternoon nap. Besides the exhaustion associated with our overnight passage from Sardinia and the fiasco in Minorca, the heat had got to us as well; we’d gone from freezing to scorching temperatures in a matter of days. Leaving Porto Taverna in Sardinia we were still wearing our jumpers and woolly hats because the wind was so cold and now everything we wear is soaked in perspiration in a matter of minutes. However, one of the advantages of being anchored off a favourite British holiday destination, with an expat community, is that we can get British products in the stores, including Heinz baked beans, back bacon and Lucazade.
Being a Sunday we also had all the speedboat revellers out for the day and churning up the water, but we were both too tired to be bothered.
After our nap and dinner onboard, we dinghied ashore again for a walk in the cooler evening air and enjoyed a gelato on the beachfront. Deciding to walk in the opposite direction to the day before, we were surprised to see the golden sandy beach stretched for miles, with numerous boutique hotels and fabulous private homes bordering it, as well as a lagoon nature reserve.
Today’s cleaning task was the inside of Paw Paw, getting the laundry done and taking a few more photographs of Paw Paw for the sales brochure, considering she was all clean again. That again took us all morning, so we dinghied ashore again for lunch; this time enjoyed at Voss Urban Café and Bistro, in the coolness of their air-conditioned seating area rather than outside on the patio in the baking heat.
During our wonderings around the backstreets, though, we found a decent sized supermarket too, but too tired to add grocery shopping to our tasks for the day, we purchased a few items and returned to Paw Paw for a nap. Well, Elaine napped anyway, while Roy enjoyed some “me time”.
After dinner, we returned to shore to join the throngs of holidaymakers enjoying an evening stroll along the beachfront, grateful for the cool breeze that was blowing and threw in a gelato just for good measure.
