Serifos, Athens and Through the Corinth Canal
We sailed on to Serifos where we met up with our friends on SV Curious for the final time of the summer; they were headed around the south of Greece and we would cut through the Corinth Canal. After fun in the sun, our final dinner with them ended on a sour note when our kids ran into some local boys. Sadly, they taunted our kids, particularly Jordan, who at one point yelled, “Help!” and yet I did not hear and we didn’t realize they needed help until a few minutes later. The Greek boys insulted him with racial slurs and cornered our four kids at the end of a dock. The trusting white person in me was surprised and appalled. The mother of a black boy in me was heartbroken, unsurprised and as angry as a swarm of bees whose hive was shaken to the ground.
I will regret the minutes I wasn’t there for him for the rest of my life. It was sad, scary and a very tough lesson for all of us. I don’t know how to fully write about it even now, and it’s important to get it right. What I do know, is that awareness isn’t enough and my ability to relate is limited in a way that will never be fair to Jordan and Rosie.
It tainted our time there and made the kids wary of leaving the boat. Refusing to let it rule our life, we brought them back to town the next day and hiked up to the tiny village built onto the top of the hill. We were rewarded with stunning vistas and narrow stone streets so small that donkeys are still used to carry up goods and building materials.
From Serifos it was a quick night in Kea before arriving into Piraeus to explore Athens and get some work done. We were so excited for a big city, although wary from our recent experience and being acutely aware of Greece’s view of immigrants and refugees. Russ and I traveled to Athens several times before kids for shipping conferences when we enjoyed amazing meals, epic nights out and long days exploring the sites and the old town. This time we looked forward to large grocery stores and ship chandleries and our days of exploring were tempered with stops for baklava and gelato. Hannah and I took the kids to the Acropolis, which was far more crowded than I ever remembered, but we had a great time at the museum where the kids searched for all the various iterations of the Goddess Athena (turns out we know many real-life Goddesses!).
Russ and I planned a date night and Rosie, my new fashion stylist, chose my outfit for the occasion. We ended the evening at a rooftop bar with incredible views of the sun setting behind the Parthenon. It was almost like the old days. Moments alone have been so rare over the past year, and it was on the eve of the one year anniversary of leaving Annapolis. The last time we were on a rooftop looking at the Parthenon in 2008, we weren’t married; we didn’t have a thought of children. Our cruising life back then was a Chris-Craft and our days were consumed with work, me at Paradigm, my clothing boutique and Russ at Dome Chartering and Trading. But nothing stays the same and life is unpredictable, sometimes agonizing, other times exhilarating. So here we are in 2023, still figuring it out as we go.
The actual one year anniversary of our Annapolis departure, June 4th, we were in Aegina, the final island before transiting the Corinth Canal. We celebrated with Hannah and Osman, our endlessly positive and dedicated new family members, and ate cheeseburgers, macaroni and cheese, apple pie and ice cream. No matter how much we love the tastes of travel, we always enjoy a good ‘ole American dinner. The night ended with photos and a dance party on deck.
The Corinth Canal is awesome and requires one to “think skinny!” The water is a light blue from the limestone dust and the canal is only open for a short time each year. We were there on the third day of the season. It costs about $450 for admission (based on boat size) and the whole transit took less than 30 minutes. And just like that, it spit us out into our second year of travel and the Ionian Sea.
