David's Diary: Monday, October 28, 2002

Linnea

Every Sunday, the local cruisers here in Monastir have a BBQ. You bring an appetizer to share and something to cook on the BBQ. It's a good way to meet fellow cruisers. There are cruisers from Canada, Holland, France, and Germany who are spending the winter in Monastir. We do find that the French cruisers really tend to stick to themselves, but perhaps that's just because we don't speak French.

Just over a week ago, another family showed up at the BBQ. The sailboat Linnea had just arrived with Tatiana (8), Drake (7), and Rex (5). For the winter, we expected that Ganymede, with our thirteen-year old friend Charlie, and Dragonsinger with our three to be the only boats with kids in Monastir. That still appears to be the case, as Linnea is only staying a week, but we make the most of of there time here. Every day after school Kevin and Allen are over playing on Linnea.

Walter and Gail

Walter is Swedish, but lives in the US and Gail is American. They are from Ohio and on a two-year break in the Mediterranean. They started their trip in June and are planning on spending the winter in Kemer Marina in Turkey. Since leaving on the boat, Walter and Gail have had almost no time off by themselves or even with other adults. We arrange for their kids to be looked after by Jocelyn one night so that the four of us can go out to dinner. Last Friday, we hosted all the kids onboard Dragonsinger, while Walter and Gail had us to dinner on Linnea. We have few opportunities to compare notes with other cruising parents, so all four of us make the most of our nights together.

Linnea Leaving

Before we know it more than a week has gone by, but it is time for Linnea to leave. They have more than a thousand kilometers to go to get to Turkey before they can settle down for the winter. There are few cruising families in the Mediterranean, so this past week has been special as we have had a chance to spend time together. We help them off the dock and wave goodbye, sorry to see them go, but knowing that perhaps we'll meet up again next year.