Too windy for a ferry today, so we are making contingency plans

The stiff wind that was blowing when we arrived in Kos has continued all day, kicking up sand and waves. As we feared, this caused the cancellation of our ferry, owing to the state of the sea. It’s somewhat frustrating as it’s a very short crossing — we can actually see the houses in Bodrum from here!

It must be admitted, however, that the ferry is rather small — to be precise, it can take the Animalcouriers van, a car and a few foot passengers — hence the reluctance to venture out. On top of that, the boat itself is currently at Bodrum. But it does make us slightly wonder how the Greeks got their reputation as seafarers!

Anyway, fingers, toes and everything else crossed, we are booked on a special ferry at 1100 tomorrow morning (weather permitting), which will hopefully mean we can get to the Turkish port of Tasucu for the overnight ferry to North Cyprus. It’s scheduled to leave at midnight but is notorious for departing anything up to three hours late. So we’ve been in touch with Vehbi of Ertuk Lines, who’s been brilliant at helping us out of tight spots on previous trips. He’s going to phone Fergun Ferries and ask them not to sail until Animalcouriers gets there! Of course, it all depends on us getting there, and being allowed into the port if we’re running late. Vehbi is being very positive, saying:

“Please do not hesitate to call us for any influencing factor in Turkey. We love to help you.”

In the meantime, couriers M and J2 have had a lovely day exploring Kos, keeping the pets cool with the aircon running and the van parked in shady spots. We’ve also stocked up on picnic food so that we can drive as fast as is sensible to Tasucu. It’s a pretty route along the coast, but is 800km of mainly winding roads, so we’ll need to be very careful and not take any risks with our precious cargo.

Of course, if we don’t leave Kos tomorrow, or we can’t reach Tasucu in time for the ferry, we need to have another plan up our sleeves, as the next sailing from to North Cyprus isn’t until Sunday night! So we’ve been in contact with Eren at our friends Petical Vets, who have a lovely cattery and kennels not far from the port, which is where the cats and dogs will stay for a few nights if need be. Eren emailed to say:

“We have rooms for the dogs and cats, so it won’t be a problem, they can stay here. If they miss the ferry, the dogs and cats will be alright, don’t worry about it. Just let me know before you come so that I can arrange everything.”

So as you can see, everyone is being kind and helpful, including the ferry company. For now, we’re at a hotel just outside Kos town for the night, within easy reach of the harbour for tomorrow, when we very much hope we’ll be seting off on the next leg of our excellent adventure.

Izzie

Sam and Bruno eagerly anticipating their walk

Sam

Bruno

Winston