Our Aegean Adventure Begins - Ty Ashley

**Everlie's sister (Brittany) and her husband (Ty) joined us on the last portion of our journey.  Ty kept a journal during most of our adventure.  Ty is finishing his medical residency and they will soon be moving from Texas to Florence, Alabama.  The next several blog posts will be taken from Ty's journal entries (with very slight modifications).

 June 2015

God is good to us.  After 12 years of training and sacrificing and learning my medical education is coming to an end.  We spoke with Scott and Everlie and learned about their Grecian trip.  They had chartered a sailboat in the Aegean Sea for 7 days and had 2-3 extra berths.  Out of the kindness of their hearts, they asked us to join!

            I was doubtful I would get enough time away from residency but it wasn't an issue.  Dr. Adams gave me the time I needed and so the trip was on!  All Brittany and I had to do was buy plane tickets to Athens and find a way to get to Paros and be in the harbor at 11AM on Saturday, June 6. 

 So, we flew from Houston, TX at 17:30 on 5/4 stayed awake for more than 24 hours and arrived in Athens at 17:30on 5/5.  We used public transportation to get to Rafina airport and then took a taxi to our hotel (Myrto) for the night.  We learned about what a real Greek salad was at Myrto… no lettuce & fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, banana peppers, onions, olive and topped with a large piece of fresh feta cheese.  This was seasoned with olive oil, salt and pepper.  A wonderfully fresh concoction as good as any salad I have ever had.

 **... A side note… Both non-US owned airlines we have flown with this on this trip put all US owned airlines to shame.  Air France served a dinner and breakfast and lice cream sandwiches and free wine and beer. The movie/TV shows were free and flight attendants were wonderful.  I don’t look forward to Delta/United/American etc. because they are all cheapskates.  End of side note**

 After a good nights rest we had a great “Continental Breakfast” which put every other continental breakfast I have had in America to shame.  We made coffee in a machine that produced cappuccino espresso, hot chocolate and regular coffee.  For food we had homemade bread, 2 freshly made jams, fried eggs, bacon and cereal and Greek yogurt with raisons and honey.  We filled ourselves and took a taxi to the airport where our flight to Paros was departing.  The flight was in a double prop engine and lasted about 30 minutes and we were still served juice and a croissant!

 We landed in Paros after a quick flight wander were lucky enough to catch the last taxi to Parikia (port).  We walked down to he pier where we saw the vessel we would call home for a week as well as our esteemed captain, Bertrand Benoit!
 

 He is a thin man about 5’7” with thick, wavy black hair who claims to be 48 years old (although is as spry and agile as a spring chicken).  He took us aboard and showed us his beautiful boat.  The “Morgkan” (named after his daughter) is a beautiful wooden sailboat with room for 8 passengers. 
 

 The main mast was cut on January 1 with a full moon (when all the resin is in the trunk) and then thrown into the sea for for 1 month to seal the resin in the mast.  It was then allowed to dry for 3 months.  Captain Bertrand was there when they cut down the tree and several others he used on his board.
 

 The “Morgkan” was built in 1969.  I forgot the original purpose but at one point it was used as a ferry for 90 people between certain Greek Isles.  He bought the boat and turned it into a beautiful sailboat for Aegean Sea cruises. There are 3 rooms for passengers below deck.  Two rooms have queen (or maybe even king) size beds made from the thickest foam he could buy and they are very comfortable.  There isn’t much extra space but it is perfect for our purposes.
 

 The third room has 4 bunk beds (which is where the boys sleep).  The extra bunk holds their suitcases. 
 

 We have two bathrooms that are small but absolutely adequate. 
 

 On deck, just behind the mast is a Bertrand-made table and a bench with several benches stored under the table for adequate seating arrangement during meal times. 
 

 The main cabin houses the kitchen, dining table (which we never used… we enjoyed every single meal outside on the deck) and more seating all of which is very comfortable. 
 

 There are 3 shelves filled with books .  Most of these are about sailing the Aegean Sea (or sailing in general). 
 

 On top of the main cabin is an area perfect for relaxing on soft custom-made cushions. The captain’s quarters are further aft below the tiller and the engine controls.  He has a small sleeping area and very small bathroom.

 Shortly after our tour of the sailboat, the Boltons arrived.  It was great to see them and I gave them all big hugs since I had not seen them in a while & they had offered us to share in the trip.  I didn’t have to be edgy from travelling any more (because Scott is a great planner) and because I love them. 
 

 After stepping of the boat to purchase snorkeling gear, we were leaving the harbor with a nice wind, beautiful blue water and an incredibly experienced captain at the helm.