Rubbish in rubbish out.

Another day of not sailing today. There are thunderstorms and rain about, though when they came it was mostly a lot of huffing, sparking and puffing.

We are anchored in a bay on Kalamos island that used to be a small village, Port Leone. There was an earthquake in 1953 that destroyed the water supply and the small population dispersed. It is now quite an isolated anchorage, that is deep and needs a bit of nounce to be secure.

The last time we were here the village was deserted but it is good to see that one house has been done up, is occupied and the church has been restored completely. I suppose the salvation of one soul is priceless.

We rowed ashore (0.5k) and walked to Kalamos town 6.6k, 200m ascent over rough track,. Had lunch, and walked back. Souls saved but feet are raw and back hurts.

Earlier in the day M had dinghyed ashore and had done her bit for the planet by collecting a couple of bags of plastic from the beach. We had a discussion about how if everyone was as public spirited then the problems of the world could be solved.
During our walk following trails that ancient Greeks, Normans and Romans had used, listening to the ever present tinkle, of goat bells, we then came across modern societies legacy to this idyllic isle.
M.. It is difficult to see how this awful situation can be resolved. The islands now depend on tourists but do not have the resources to deal with the litter we produce. On seeing the problem in Corfu, I read more about it. Corfu just cannot cope and it has been an unsolved problem for many years now, so piles of rubbish just keep growing. They have run out of landfil sites to use. It is tragic to see the result of our over consumption and brought home to me the scale of the problem. It is almost impossible to buy anything in the shops here that is not contained in plastic.[ feta,yoghurt, hummus etc]People buy crates of bottled water.
On the shore there were fragments of tiny bright pieces of plastic everywhere, along with numerous plastic straws and bottle tops. How is this going to be resolved? I don't have the answers but it has spurred me on to try to get more involved in this issue. It just cannot continue as it is. I also think that some of the companies who make the big profits here should be contributing to sorting out the rubbish their clients create. As a start I'm going to write to the charter companies [ Sunsail, Sailing Holidays and Nielson] and request that they give some thought to this. I know... I'm naive and over optimistic.

 

As we breasted the hill on our way back to view our anchorage in Port Leone, the Sunsail flotilla lead boat was entering the bay! We had resigned ourselves to the flotilla arriving shortly after. However it turned out this was their day off, and the flotilla was off unsupported somewhere. It just happens that Port Leone is their favourite quiet retreat. We concur.

Our anchor light has failed, so I may recruit some educated muscle in the morning to help going up the mast.

I take it all back regarding the storms - torrential rain this evening with lightning and thunder in quick succession.

AAAAAAARRRG

In terms of unusual apparitions, it would seem that Edvard Munch got his inspiration from a visit ashore and a mystical moment at the base of an ancient olive tree. 

Mummy, Daddy and Baby BillyGoats

M here, I'm just going to add a bit. The island is truly beautiful, very peaceful with the most fantastic stars. It is almost covered in herbs and the smell of thyme, oregano, sage and rosemary hit you as you approach the island from the sea. We went to sleep accompanied by the tinkle of cowbells from the goats that roam freely...very soothing!
I awoke early this morning and it was sunny with mirror like sea. All of a sudden a large shoal of thousands of tiny fish jumped out of the water and sparkled like a silver wave crossing the bay. Impossible to photograph !