A year older

So I did chance a beer on my birthday, and there were fireworks. The 2 were not related. Actual fireworks. I had got used to people celebrating my birthday when in France (it happens to be Bastille Day as well, but that’s by the by). But now the Greeks have got in on the act. I don’t know who tipped them off that it was my birthday, although, me being me, I did let it slip an awful lot in conversations. Anyway – had a fine birthday. My 2 young German mates paid for dinner at a Mexican place in the town. Marguerittas and all! Prost to Sascha and Sophia.

Unfortunately I missed daughter Moya’s birthday yesterday, but in order to mark it I decided no alchohol would pass my lips for the day (the first such day of the long and arduous trip). And I succeeded. It’s just one victory after another!

The days here just run into one another. A touch of Groundhog day about it, but in good way. 7 of my 10 sailing lessons completed, with no human sacrifice to date. Today we capsized the boat (deliberately) a couple of times, and this was the one exercise I was dreading. However, managed to right the thing. Confidence is coming. Mainly down to my instructor Markus. Another German guy. Late 20’s – he won’t commit to how late, and a recently qualified teacher (which might indicate that he took a somewhat leisurely path through his university career). He feels he is not quite ready to teach yet and he needs “more of a story to tell”. So this sailing instucting thing is to fund his quest for deeper knowledge in a round-the-world trip. I would hazard that he’s a bit of a hearth-throb (I wouldn’t be an expert in spotting such) so I would have some concerns about the stories that the up and coming wunderkids in Germany might be subjected to. Anyway, a good guy. I even bought him a beer last night and some would say that such actions wouldn’t be natural for me!

So we carry on – I’m going to stay on Naxos for a few more days past the end of the course and get in a spot more sailing. Young Sascha is a qualified catamaran instructor himself and despite being on holidays, he is going to chance the seas with me.