Champagne Cruise

Matelot has a new Silver Fern Flag courtesy of Terry and Diana Beckett... Thanks very much! We are now very visible Kiwis and start to see the results immediately as people call by to say hello.







Nanou bay on Simi Island, one of the many magical places we visit...



We meet up with Diana and Terry Beckett at Kos Marina on Wednesday 19 August. We are looking forward to showing them our latest Greek Island ‘discovery’ of Nisiros. Nisiros does not get a very red hot review in the Heikell Pilot book but we have to say we are very impressed with this lovely island. So are lots of other yachtsmen as we later discover.

We are quite nervous as we know that one of our guests is prone to seasickness, but the weather gods are smiling on us and the forecast is for calm conditions for most of the week ahead.

We sail out of Kos and manage to keep our sails up for around half an hour until we round the north eastern corner when the wind dies and we drop sails and motor. We have 22 miles to go and the wind fills in around one hour out of Nisos Yali which itself is 3 miles NW of Nisiros. We are taking Diana and Terry for a “turquoise champagne swim” in the thermal waters off the coast of this island which is the most recent centre of volcanic activity in the area between Kos Island and Nisiros.

We soon see the quarry part of N. Yali come into view and admire the ‘tuff’ shapes on the cliffs to our starboard. This material is volcanic in nature and similar in structure to the ‘tuff’ seen in Cappadocia. A private company mines the island for minerals and there is a large loading gantry built out into the bay, but somehow even this does not deter from the beauty and uniqueness of this place. We find our champagne swim without too much difficulty and dive and play on the venting bubbles.

Around 4.30pm we call in to Nisiros to confirm our booking in the harbour only to find that it is full up. A charter fleet has arrived and there is no room at the inn. Not taking ‘no’ for an answer we arrive and circle in a predatory manner inside the harbour, eyes peeled for an opportunity. The only chance we see is alongside a 40 ft Bavaria moored alongside the concrete pier. Off we go. He is not happy and tries to repel us. We do not take no for an answer as he is taking up space for 3 boats and we must have a calm place to spend the night. (Our seasick guest has suffered a little today.) Eventually he backs down and we tie up alongside for a peaceful night. We are very respectful Kiwis and do not attempt to climb over his immaculate boat to go ashore. Soon the wind gets up but we are on still water. We sleep soundly.

The new day dawns and we grab the first free space which becomes available as boats start to leave for the day. We are backed in to the town quay and tied up by 8.30am and confirm our rental car booking for the day ahead when we will explore Nisiros. From the wonderful village of Emporia on the edge of the crater, with its unspoilt very ancient ruins and picturesque ‘newer’ village (still very old and quintessentially Greek), to the volcano crater, the fantastic Volcanological Museum in the village of Nikia - which covers in fantastic detail the volcanic activity over the whole of the Agean Sea, (not just Nisiros) - and then on to Mandraki where we are disappointed to find the Monastery and the Museums closed at 3pm. This island’s beginnings go back into the mists of time and there is plenty of evidence of this. We end the day with a feeling of having done something very special.

Volcanic crater on Nisiros Island






Ruins going back into time near to Emporio on Nisiros Island.

We have previously foraged for ripe figs on the side of the road here (they are currently drying on the boat ready for fig and ginger jam) and today we enjoy with our lunch the local delicacy of pickled caper leaves (sprigs actually). Later, while we are visiting the Monastery and the old walls of the castle in Mandraki we recognise the caper plants tumbling over the old rock walls. They are laden with fat green caper berries and Pippy picks some to take back to Matelot for pickling. Unfortunately they turn out to be full of worms and hence perhaps the reason why only the leaves are used here!

Friday 21 August dawns calm and clear so we set a passage plan for the south-western anchorage of Panomitis on the island of Simi some 33 NM away. However, despite a forecast for light winds, we get more than that accompanied by a rolling sea. It is not long before the seasick problem rears its unpleasant head so we change course for Palamutbuku, much closer, on the end of the Datca Peninsular. The rolling sea at this angle is side on and gets worse the closer we get to land. We make a decision to cut the day’s passage even shorter and head straight into the sea towards the ancient harbour of Knidos very close by. This turns out to be a good decision and very soon we drop anchor in close view of the ancient stone ampitheatre. The ruins of the important ancient city of Knidos cover an area of several square kilometres. It is a wonderful area to walk around with plenty to see. The harbour is full of day-trippers, but later in the day it empties out and we go alongside the pontoon for a very peaceful and pleasant evening including dinner out at the restaurant. We realise we may not make it to Simi, but it does not matter.

We make our next passage plan for Palamutbuku and creep quietly along the coast the next morning, stopping to swim in an idyllic bay along the way.

It is very hot in Palamutbuku Harbour, so we wrap the sun covers across the back of the bimini and spend the afternoon hopping across the sea wall and swimming off the sandy beach. Later we walk along the waterfront where we find some of the locals processing the almond crop.




The fresh fat almonds are selling for 30 Turkish Lira for a kilo, and there is plenty of local olive oil for sale as well.

We eat dinner right on the beach at Merhaba Restaurant being hosted by Altan. As always, the food is excellent.




Altan is a charming and gracious host.














This is becoming a place of many memories for us.


The exceptionally calm conditions tempt us to try for Simi again today, Sunday 23 August. For those people who suffer from sea-sickness, it takes a lot of courage and trust to come on board a sailing yacht for a holiday. We are aware of this and do not wish to inflict the discomfort of this on our friends. We all hold our breath as we head out, but we have no problems on the trip across to Simi, some 25 NM away and the all round protection of Panomitis (we call it Monastery Bay) provides us with a calm anchorage, despite the many wasps which come to investigate once we get out the drinks and food!

We love the location. It is a fertile looking area, with lots of trees covering the slopes. The old monastery is a spectacular building with an ornate bell tower, which is lit up at night and so very pretty. The museum and interior of the monastery is a must see with many interesting exhibits to view.

We climb the hill behind the monastery and look back over the bell tower out to the harbour entrance.






Inside the monastery the floor is a visually disturbing zig zag pattern. The chapel is the most beautiful we have ever seen with ancient friezes on the ceiling.

We have heard that there is a bus in the morning to Simi town and the trip is an interesting one to take, so we are ashore early ready to go. It proves to be a fantastic trip winding up to the highest parts of the island and providing us with stunning views along the way. Before we know it we are in Simi town and enjoying walking around the winding streets in the old village close to the castle. Later in the day and back on board Matelot we take a quick cooling swim then head out to investigate the anchorages along the eastern side of the island. We initially check out the anchorage on the islet of Seskli to the south, but it appears a bit wild and woolly (perhaps another time) as the afternoon breeze has come in and is blowing in there. Our first attempt at anchoring in the bay of Faneromeni is a disaster as the anchor will not set so we keep heading north, eventually finding a magical anchorage for the night in Marathouda Bay where we squeeze in between two other yachts, taking the last place for the night.

We cannot decide which is our favourite meal of the day. Diana and Terry about to eat lunch on board Matelot.

The goats are our entertainment here as they come rushing in from all directions, goat bells ringing. It seems to be something they do just before darkness falls. The sound of the goat bells signals the sinking sun. Later, after dark we swim in the warm sea surrounded by sparkling phosphorescence.

Tuesday 25 August dawns and we have a visitor. A local fisherman from Pethi has been fishing overnight and had a fuel leak. Unable to use his winch to wind in his nets he has had to do it by hand and is pretty exhausted. (The small pile of fish which is a result of all his labour is astonishing) Someone has towed him into this bay where he wants to tie alongside and call his son who is the Harbourmaster at Simi Harbour. After some hot coffee and a short wait, he is sorted and we head north again, this time looking for a place to spend a few hours before going into the harbour of Pethi for the night.

Richard is inspired to try an arty shot...bow roller into blue water...

We are stunned by the loveliness of our next stop of Nanou Bay where we moor stern to in the absolutely crystal clear turquoise water, with a backdrop of massive cliffs rising up above us. Half way up the sheer rock face we can see that someone has painted a Greek Flag. How on earth did they get up there? It must have been done by abseiling from the top. We spend the next few hours here, marvelling at the loveliness and swimming, swimming, swimming. The water entices us over and over again.


Diana gets the record for the most swims!

There are a few fish but they are not that excited about the bread we throw to them. We are one of many day-tripper boats, the last one to arrive being a large gullet which lays its chain over ours. We have to ask them to move later so that we can leave.

Pethi Harbour does not get a great writeup in the Heikell Pilot Book. The holding is not reputed to be that good. However, we find it works for us and enjoy a walk ashore where there are lots of fascinating old buildings.

Richard muscling in!...




The locals are very friendly and we bump into our fisherman friend again. We are happy to be anchored in here as it is quite breezy tonight.




Our fisherman friend and his boat.



Our final morning on this cruise dawns, and we feel as though we have covered a lot of ground. We make one last breakfast swim stop at Ay Marina, a tiny bay between Pethi and Simi Harbours.


Last swim stop...

Once again the water entices us and we enjoy a couple of hours here before heading in to Simi Harbour to do the anchor dance. We choose the least busy time of day and squeeze in between two boats. It is hot and breathless and we break out all of our sun covers, getting them in place as quickly as we can. The hussle-bussle of downtown Simi envelops us for the next few hours. We eat delicious sole for dinner at a local restaurant and wander around enjoying the night time ambience. We don’t exactly have a quiet night, with our next door neighbours leaving at around 3.30am and taking ages to get their anchor up. Before we know it we are walking along the quay with Di and Terry and their bags, where they will catch the ferry back to Kos, fly to Athens then back to NZ. Thank you for visiting us – we have loved having you on board.

We stay on in Simi for another night before making our next passage plan for the island of Nisos Tilos. We have not been there yet but hear it is good. Our Silver Fern flag has done the trick again and we have a visit from NZ friends Peter and Barbara Brandley on SY Musketele. They call in for a chat and we exchange cruising notes. It is good to catch up. It is very hot so we take our pillows out into the cockpit and fall asleep, despite the fact that there are people walking by only a couple of meters away! The endless motor scooters going by eventually wake us up. Richard goes down below about 1.30 am, Pippy much later around 4.00 am.

This is Capn Buck and Pippy signing out for now on Thursday 27 August. We have caught up with some emails and phone calls and as usual, do not know when we will next be able to get on line. Our love goes out to all our family and friends.

Our next visitors will be Emily and Marc who we rendezvous with in Kos on Thursday 10 September.

Nisos Nisiros

This lovely old chapel is one of many on the island.

Our time on Astypalaea (several different spellings) draws suddenly to a close on Friday 14 August. We have downloaded a weather forecast the previous evening and got together with Bodil and Ole, (Danish friends from the Rally last year who we have by chance bumped into here on this island!). B and O are heading across the Agean for their haulout on the Pelopinnisos Peninsular and we are heading back east towards Kos Island.

It seems that tomorrow is the ideal weather window to leave behind this windy, but lovely island. We say farewell for about the third time as they have planned to leave before, but this time we think they will definitely go and so should we.

We have taken a bus trip and seen as much as we can, stopped for a swim at Maltezana, walked each morning up through the steep and charming streets to the top of the hill above the harbour at Skala Astypalaea and made good use of the good internet connection at the café on the waterfront.

As we pull out of our berth our neighbours who have come from Nisos Nisiros tell us it is their favourite Greek Island so far, so we lay a course for Nisiros, 40 NM to the south east on the way to Kos. We skim across there easily in a 15 knot breeze on the aft quarter. It is one of those magic sails we have from time to time with a following sea, which gets under the stern and swishes us along with a soft sighing sound. Matelot goes with the flow, dipping into the hollows and rolling over the crests of the waves. She is like a great white bird on the blue blue sea.

Six hours later we are laying the north-western end of the volcanic island of Nisiros in a freshening breeze with quite a big sea behind us now. We haul up into the lee of the island of Nisos Yiali close by to pull our sails down. We understand this is a quarry and not a desirable stopping off point, so are a bit surprised when we spot the inviting turquoise waters at the shore line. We can see the huge scars of the quarry in the backdrop. We are hankering after a refreshing swim, so decide a closer investigation is called for and soon drop anchor in around 7 metres of crystal clear water on a sandy bottom.

Minutes later we are over the side with masks and snorkels on. To our great surprise and delight, we find ourselves swimming is what appears to be a huge glass of champagne, with effervescent bubbles rising up from the sandy bottom. There are hundreds of vents in the sandy ocean floor and the bubbles rise to the surface in myriad ribbons of light. We would love to have an underwater camera to capture this image – it is like a fairyland scene as the ribbons of crystal bubbles bend and sway with the current. We dive and roll over and watch the phenomenon from underneath lying over the vents and floating to the surface on top of the bubbles. They appear to be mineral water vents as we can smell the sulphur in the water.

Eventually we drag ourselves away from this magic place and as the light starts to fade make our way two miles across to the harbour of Palon on Nisiros, hoping there will be a berth for us as we have lingered a little too long. We are met by Dimitris who directs us to the last place, alongside a rusting wreck at the harbour entrance… Phew what a day! We wander ashore and stop in the popular looking Aphrodite Restaurant where we are to enjoy the best Moussaka ever for dinner. The servings are so generous we take home our leftovers for later on. We give this delightful place a resounding ten out of ten.

We end up squashed between a rusting old wreck and an old timer belonging to some people we met in Alanya. They have a lovely doggie who is most welcome on our boat!

Astypalea

The remoteness here in this completely deserted region is puzzling as we can see the evidence of past habitation. We have the whole planet to ourselves....it seems!


8 August 2009

Kos is sizzling hot and we have to vacate the marina berth we have been on for 2 days because there is a charter fleet coming in. We are full of water, reasonably well provisioned again and so sail out to our favourite destination close to Kos Island - Pserimos and enjoy a refreshing swim before dinner. As usual the wind howls during the night but we are confident our holding is good here.

The morning brings fine sunny weather and plenty of wind. We are feeling adventurous and agree a visit to the interesting looking island of Astypalea would be a good idea today. Little do we realise that the sea we will encounter will be 3-4 metre, close-together breaking waves. On slightly cracked sheets we lay across in a westerly direction to this Island, making a good time of 6 hours. It is with some relief that we sail into the lee of Astypalea and flat water, to the sheltered anchorage of Agrilithi, a deserted bay which has at some time in history been home to quite a population of people, evidenced by the many ruined stone buildings. The holding here is good and we anchor right up in the head of the bay, swinging free in the fresh wind coming over the barren hills in front of us.

The next morning we take the dinghy ashore and go for a walk.




Pippy has spied some fig trees through the binocs and takes a plastic bag in case there are some to pick. (There aren't!) Close up the ruins are obviously in places very old and similar to other ruins we have seen which were Byzantium. The total desertion is a little unsettling. All we see are goats and an old broken down tractor, as though the people have just dropped their tools and walked off the land. Tucked into one bay is an old factory with an impressive brick chimney reminiscent of the Copper Mine Bay chimney on Kawau Island. It may have been a cannery at some time? The old church on the hill is being nudged at the foot of the short slope by a rusted out wreck which looks like an old barge that has been run up onto the land bows first.

We leave this anchorage under motor and take the short trip further west along the southern end of the island. It is barren looking but very pretty. There are some lovely looking anchorages and some very dangerous reefs. We are now in the more inhabited part of the island and can see the town of Scala Astypalea in the distance.

As we approach it we can make out the magnificent castle ruins on the hill top above the Chora

The Pilot Book is not quite up to date here, as the groin has recently been developed for visiting yachts and we go stern to using our anchor. It is a pleasant surprise to find a (relatively) sheltered protected place here, right opposite a very inviting small beach which forms part of the main town of the island. We are expecting some big winds here over the next few days so like to be well tucked up. There are some interesting antics later in the day as several charter boats arrive and demonstrate their varying degrees of skill reversing into spaces with wind gusting off their bows!

Some excitement ensues as a Beneteau First 47.7 called Mad Cow does not get it at all right and ends up spronged on the end of a bowsprit of the lovely classic boat in the foreground...He gets his anchor wrapped around their starboard shroud and almost pulls that off, as well. Not a good day in paradise for that skipper!


The next morning we take a brisk walk to the top of the hill. Life on board Matelot does not afford many opportunities for aerobic exercise, but we are still pretty fit and enjoy the stretch. It is quite a climb and the steep narrow winding streets of the old town (chora) are a mixture of renovated and very old run down buildings probably left over from the earthquake of 1956 which decimated the site.



The views from the castle are just stunning!






The old walls with some of the partially restored buildings and bell tower... this was once the haunt of pirates.


We potter around inside the castle walls for a while then walk back down through the chora, feeling our way carefully down the steep streets punctuated by stairs every so often. The bouganvillea is an intense pink against the blue Mediterranean sky. We come across a row of very old windmills, now being used as various other functional buildings. We see Matelot way below us tied up on the groin, fortunately near the outside, where we have taken an additional line off to one side. We are expecting a big blow later today.


Matelot lined up with other boats on the town wall in Scala Astypalea...

Tuesday 11 August 2009

Well we have survived a very windy night with 7 mooring lines in total going off in different directions, including a main line to the groin 50 metres away! We actually slept well and expect more wind today. Not to worry, we can sit here using the internet cafe in full view of Matelot, shop in the cute shops here in the town or take a walk up the hill again. All good as we don't often have the time and facility to connect in the same place! If anything there is more wind this morning than yesterday! It is laden with dust - probably all the topsoil off the island. It would be tough trying to grow anything here.

Remote and Beautiful

The fish at the Arkhangelos Islands are the most plentiful and curious of all...





Thursday 30 July 2009

We have stocked the boat up in Lakki this morning with some more provisions for the next part of our cruise to the remote islands of Lipso, Marathos and Arki.

The Meltemi is still blowing and we have on-the-wind sail of 35 knots (apparent) on our 16 NM passage from Lakki Harbour to the anchorage of Lera Lipso on the southern end of Lipso. We get a bit wet from the odd wave that washes over the boat and Pippy has to have a complete change of clothes. Surprisingly, it is quite cold when one’s clothes are wet through! It is an exhilarating ride, which we all enjoy, taking 3 or 4 tacks to clear the northern end of Leros and then lay across to Lipso. Our reward is to arrive in a beautiful bay on the southern end, pick up a secure buoy and go ashore to enjoy a cold beer and some mezze in the taverna on the sandy beach.

The taverna ashore is lovely with umbrellas and lanterns which come on as we watch the sun go down and the light fades.

There are lots of Italian holiday-makers on the island and we don’t wonder why. It is a very pretty setting. The next day we walk across the island to the small and picturesque port of Lipso. Along the way Pippa M gets talking in Italian over the fence to an Italian couple who have made their home here. We are soon invited in for a quick taste of the local wine, which we have asked about and are hoping to buy some supplies of. They are charming and kind, however later on we are not successful in purchasing any wine. We are told in the town that there is not enough to give away at the local festivals they hold during the summer, so they cannot sell us any!

Saturday 1 August

The best is yet to come as we leave Lipso Island today, arriving in the truly lovely bay of Marathos near to Nisos Arki around early afternoon, where we again pick up a mooring buoy. This is great - no worries about the anchor dragging tonight. We eat a massive lunch of leftover moussaka, salads and fresh breads on board Matelot and enjoy a small nap/read before taking a walk on this tiny island to the old stone village we can see near to the church at the top of the hill overlooking the bay. It is fascinating and in original – tumble down condition. We discover later it dates back to Byzantium times when it was used as a ‘food store-room’ by pilgrims travelling through these parts.

The old village on top of the hill has panoramic views in all directions...

We still find we have the appetite to enjoy cold beers and starters ashore later in the day. The taverna has a lush green garden - very lovely and the people are hospitable and gracious. We notice that most of the other customers are enjoying an elaborate looking cocktail, so we order the same. Fortunately Richard thinks to ask ‘how much’ before we buy. We are shocked to hear it is Euro 20!! Woops, we will have beer instead thanks plus maybe some starters! The Greek Salad is tossed in some delicious croutons and the local bread is rich and brown. We manage to purchase some for the boat.

Some of the other boats in the bay party on into the small hours of the morning, but the Matelot crew turn in around midnight after a few games of Take Two - Jess is the undisputed champion. We decide this bay could well resemble similar spots in the Bay of Islands in NZ. It is truly lovely.

Cap'n Buck's cut off shirt is a real fashion statement..

We are now in exploring mode and spend the day taking some of the lovely inlets around Arki Island, stopping for a totally indulgent gastronomic treat at Port Augusta. It is hot and still and we have only stopped for a quick refreshing drink and to buy some yoghurt, but when we see the amazing food being dished out to other customers, we cave in and order lunch. Matelot is tied stern-to on the "town" quay a few meters away and we tuck in to spinach pie, pork chops, grilled kalamari, octopus, tzaziki, fresh breads, Greek salad piled with fresh tomatoes, red onions, olives and local feta cheese.


We are fascinated to see some local people at a table near to us wading through a pile of "kina" called sea urchins here, olive oil and fresh bread. Two hours later we stumble back to Matelot and throw the lines, heading out to a nice anchorage where we can swim and sleep it off.


It is deliciously cool inside the taverna....Matelot's mast is just visible through the plant.

Unfortunately we find our anchor will not set in our choice of places to stop, and so we end up back in the lovely bay of Marathi for our last night in this part of the Greek Islands, tied to the same buoy.

Monday 2 August

Today we are to begin to head south as Pip and Jess must leave us on Wednesday. Our anchorage tonight is on the southern end of the Arkhangelos Islands which lie off the northern end of Leros. We have this bay almost completely to ourselves until two other yachts arrive much later in the evening. The island is deserted except for a herd of goats, all with bells on. The feeding boat arrives and we watch them run to meet the boat and get their daily rations amidst a cacophony of bell ringing. The fish in this bay are amazingly tame and swim around us as we lay about in the tepid water. The night is completely calm... one of the only times we have experienced this. Normally there is wind howling at some point during the night! We awake to a mirror calm sea and the knowledge that today we sail to Pserimos for our last night together.

Deck sleeping...

Not to worry, we have a wonderful day motoring for the first hour and then sailing for most of the remainder of the 25 miles. We are going downhill, so have eased sheets and a level deck. We make the most of it and play several rounds of Take Two on the cockpit table... Jess is still the champion, while Matelot slips easily downhill in the hot sun. Thank goodness for the bimini.

Pserimos is still the same. We nose in close to the end of the bay and drop anchor for a late swim and our last meal on board. True to form the wind comes up and howls its best for around one hour, then gives up to allow for another calm anchorage. As we make our way in to Kos Marina the next morning, the heat comes out to meet us and we realise how lucky we have been to escape it. Tomas comes out to meet us and enjoys meeting Pip and Jess. Before we know it we are walking with them towards their ferry and saying our goodbyes.

Another adventure on board Matelot draws to a close. Thanks Pip and Jess.. it has been lovely to have you on board.

Key words and expressions from this trip :

"Come on Richard!"
Pizzleys and Growlers(you had to be there!)

Recipes and food we ate:

Mancakes: Pancakes wrapped in muesli topped with Greek yoghurt and honey
Moussaka: Matelot's special version with rich layers of roasted eggplant, meat sauce, bechamel and potatoes!
Spicy Sausage Pasta: With dried wild oregano and lots of added spices, garlic and chilli
Marmacot Jam: The left over apricot jam juice minus the fruit, combined with marmalade made on board which was a little too stiff!
Finger jam: Foraged wild purple figs with lots of fresh ginger coooked up with some lemon juice and sugar. Served on fresh brown bread.
Pork Stir Fry with red cabbage: Wonderful Turkish red cabbage combined with minced pork, red onion, Greggs 5 Spice (thanks Karen!) and lots of garlic and chilli. We cooked the rice wiith lemon tree leaves foraged on the side of the road in Lakki Harbour...



Delicious!!!

Thank you Simunovich Olive Estate!

This is not an advertisement. It is for real!

How many times have I had it said to me that I am very lucky for the lifestyle I live? So many people say: “It is everyone’s dream” and many other similar comments. It is for this reason that I am loath to point out anything negative, because on the whole, these people are correct, and I know that I am so very lucky to have the opportunity to have this wonderful adventure.

The reality is though, that living on a sailing yacht in the Mediterranean does play havoc with my skin, fingernails, hair, basic aerobic fitness, and very often my ability to sleep.

Many times after a full-on day of sailing in wind and sunshine, my face is dried out and caked with salt from the many soakings I have had, my fingernails go soft and flakey, my hair is like a piece of dried out straw (especially after I tried to do the highlights myself!) and my tummy muscles continue to defy gravity! I suffer from itchy skin, which at times drives me almost crazy when it prickles and keeps me awake at night.

This is despite the fact that I stay out of the sun whenever possible, sit under the canvas bimini always, and never, never sunbathe.

Having really top moisturising creams and cleansers is at the top of my list for looking after myself. Before I left NZ I was lucky to work for the Simunovich Olive Estate and to sell their “Olive” range of beauty products. I came away from NZ with plenty of product and used it sparingly. I will never forget the day I left my Olive shampoo in the marina shower by mistake and despite rushing back for it, never found it. I was devastated.

Once my products ran out, I resigned myself to doing without and purchased local products wherever we happened to be. I spent hours trying to decipher labels written in foreign languages to get an idea of what the ingredients were. I have never again found any product which is as good for my skin - which went very quickly downhill and became dried out and chronically itchy. I believe I am sensitive to sunblock creams and anything with paraben in it as a preservative.

I don’t know why it took me so long, but eventually I contacted my friends at Simunovich and asked to have some product sent from New Zealand. I have had several restocks now and am overwhelmed by the kindness and helpfulness which Branka and Karen have extended to me in sending me product or sending it to friends who are coming my way. Nowadays I rush to the cupboard for the Olive Body Milk before and after a long day out on the water, or a relaxing day in port. At the end of the day I cleanse with the Olive Cleansing Milk and Makeup Remover (salt remover!). I finish off with the wonderful rich face cream. I am sure the Olive Hand Cream helps to nourish my fingernails as well. All of these products are paraben free and 100% Natural, so they are completely soothing on my skin.

I really appreciate having the Olive products on board of SY Matelot!!