North West through the Cyclades

Our journey back to the Saronic Gulf for Athens has been very restful. We’ve mostly done short hops of 4 to 6 hours and anchored in beautiful, often virtually deserted bays. We have been lucky with the weather – clear skies, sunshine and mostly warm air although at sea it can still be chilly. The winds have occasionally been a little playful but that is only to be expected in these windy islands and is far from the worst they can do.


Manganari on Ios was amazingly blue and almost deserted. It was so beautiful we stayed for two days just chilling and falling in the warm water.






We then anchored between the small island of Andiparos and an even smaller one called Despotiko (odd name but we didn’t discover why). Excellent shelter, very wild and excellent swimming in cool but crystal clear water.
Next day we had a cracking sail to Sifnos on Spinaker and anchored in Vathi. This had a small and low key tourist presence with mostly Greek clients. It has a couple of nice little Tavernas right in the beach and a couple of surprisingly good mini-markets where we got a few provisions.
Serifos was the plan next day. We motored into a head-wind and anchored most of the day in a deserted bay called Ormos Koutala. The hills are pock marked with iron workings and there are a few ruins of the industry but no current activity. While we were anchored in the bay, a youngish man on two crutches drove up to one end of the bay, painfully and very slowly worked himself the whole length of the pebble beach (about 1Km), stripped off and crawled into the sea for a swim. He must have had something like Muscular Distrophy as his legs were able to do very little. It was an amazing display of courage and determination! Very humbling.
From Serifos, we motored, sailed, then motored again to a tiny port called Loutra for supplies. Hardly anybody spoke English (it really isn’t a tourist island) so my rudimentary Greek was very useful. We were made very warmly welcome – particularly in the first Taverna as you leave the port and at a small but very efficient supermarket up the hill. After lunch we made what we expected to be a short hop round the top of the island to Ormos Kolona where there is a wild beach with a hot spring on it. In the event, we found ourselves motoring into the teeth of a force 7 with heavy seas and were very glad to get there after 3 hours. It was more crowded than we hoped – a French live-aboard and a Swiss Charter were aleady there. The anchorage is not big so we were forced to anchor closer to rocks than I was comfortable with. We got away with it as the wind stayed steady. I really should have put out a kedge.


The spring was already full when we got there so we went over at dawn before anyone else was up and had a wonderful open-air hot bath. Thoroughly recommended! We were on the water by 7.00 and sailed almost all of the way to Poros on the Peloponnese. The wind got up to 25 Knots a few times with heavy beam-seas which wasn’t comfortable.


There were ships everywhere too. When it looked as if the wind hat set solidly into the 20s, we put in a reef – whereupon of course, it immediately dropped to 12 knots and then died over the next hour.





Almost at Poros, we went right by a Turtle. It didn’t dive and looked as if one flipper wasn’t working properly – looked as if it might have been injured – poor thing. We wrote up Poros on the way out so I won’t repeat myself here.

Back throught the Cyclades to Athens

Via Andiparos, Sifnos, Serifos, Kifnos, Poros, to Aigina.

Santorini (Thera)

We stayed 4 days in Santorini, partly because we wanted to explore it and partly because of strong northerly winds which would have made sailing uncomfortable.

The harbour at Vlikatha turned out to be excellent. The shelter was good in all directions of wind – including an Easterly which we though would throw in swell - it didn’t. For 20 euros per night, we had water, electricity, fast wifi, showers and very helpful staff. They were able to tell us about busses, arrange car hire, fix problems, arrange fuel delivery etc.
The port is a bit isolated – the bus service is comfortable and cheap but only runs 2 buses a day (10.30 from Vlikatha and starts back from Fira at 1400). If you miss it, a taxi costs 15 euros. However car hire was only 30 euros for 24 hours delivered and retrieved from the quay – and with the least paperwork & hassle I’ve ever seen!


Ios at the far north of the island is like a picture postcard come to life. It has to be seen. Unfortunately, like Fira, it is almost entirely given over to relieving tourists of their money – but in a low key, tastefull sort of way.
I had wanted to get a better idea of the history and geology of the place but they don’t go big on this (not enough money in it I suspect). The Museum was a poor joke. A collection of nice-enough pots but with no explanation or story and the only person to ask being a guard who spoke no English and din’t know much anyway. The digs at ‘Ancient Thera’ and Akrotiri were both shut.


The west side was much less developed with a lot of agriculture particularly vines and figs. We came upon a development that seemed to consist almost entirely of Greek Windmills. We both agreed that if we were ever to settle here, we’d want one!


We left early in the morning and went up close to the new volcano in the centre of the caldera. This consists of two islands separated by a narrow channel – Nea Kameni and Pala Kameni. Both are active, with Nea more so.




To my amazement, there is a small fishing harbour on Pala Kameni.

Santorini or bust

Ever since I read J V Luce's theory that the eruption of Santorini (Thera) in pre-classical times was the origin of the legend of Atlantis, I have wanted to visit the island. We tried three years ago when we chartered a yacht in Athens, but the winds were too strong and we were defeated. So we made it a goal of our first venturing out into the Aegean to get there. Since L has to be in Athens by 3 June, we didn't have long so we decided to give it some welly and get there as quickly as reasonably possible and then, weather permitting, to meander back.


First stop through the canal was Aigina - a large and populous island south of Athens. The harbour is charming but noisy. We needed supplies and it was a great place to get them. We left for Poros at noon and had a nice gentle sail all the way across.


We anchored in Russian Bay on the previous trip and loved it. It hasn't lost any of its charm. An evening swim was wonderful but sadly we had to set of early next morning to get to Idra.





Idra is a wonderful place. No motor vehicles of any sort. Just donkeys and hand carts. We'd been there before but both loved it so we decided to spend a day. We got there at 10.00 (its usually chokka) and nipped into a just-vacated spot. Spent the rest of the day in port-bureaucracy, shopping, tavernas and generally relaxing for the long slog next day. Later, as the tiny harbour filled up a huge millionaire monster came in and the later another that almost blocked us in.

I had stuck a sign on our bow saying "Leaving at 0500. Do Not Block please". Nevertheless, I was feeling a bit guilty that we might wake people up as we scraped past. In the event, they rolled back to their boat, drunk, at 0200, turned the music up, and partied until 0400, keeping the whole harbour awake. So we hoped we woke a few as we went!

And so to Santorini................................

After an hour, dawn broke to give us a fabulous view of the first island of the Cyclades on the horizon and of Idra fading behind us. There wasn't a breath of wind all day so we motored to Sifnos.




We anchored off a charming port called Kamares. It looks well worth a return visit but we had a poor weather forecast for 1800 the next day so we wanted to get to Santorini before it broke - meaning another 0500 start. So we ate, turned in and slept like logs.

The voyage to Santorini started calm but by 1000, we had a good beam wind and sailed a lot of the way. Two hours out of Santorini, the wind rose up to 25 Knots and we needed to put a reef in. That was when we discovered that I had got the reefing lines crossed when we put the sail back on in Malta so we had to drop it and motor. Doh!
We sailed through the caldera and round to the only marina at Vlikatha. I was wary about getting into a tiny space in a high wind and sea but in the event it was a doddle. It's much bigger than it looks in the Pilot, has excellent shelter and facilities and is all-in for €20 per day. Excellent value.


Next day we went into the capital Fira by bus. What a stunningly beautiful place and at this time of year not crowded. Had a beer with stunning views then set off to find the Archaeological museum. Unfortunately, it is shut on Mondays but we're here for a few days so we'll go back.


Many cruise ships arrive in the port (so called) and the tourists (and locals) are carried up the huge hill on donkeys (or cable car). We chose to walk down and take the cable car up as L was sorry for the Donkeys.

Through the Gulf of Corinth

We’ve just finished passing through the Gulf of Corinth and the Corinth Canal and are now in Aigina just south of Athens. The Gulf is amazing - brilliant blue, warm waters surrounded by huge mountains, many of which were still snowcapped in May.

We passed through the Rian bridge which is said to be the longest cable suspension bridge in the world. It’s certainly impressive and very beautiful! Despite the magnificent bridge, a car ferry still operates underneath it.

Our first stop was a little medieval town called Navpaktos. It has little windy streets and stems behing a tiny gem of a medieval harbour all nestling under a huge Venetian castle. The visitors quay is very silted up but a kindly fisherman waved us into a good spot right under the taverna. We got ‘reminded’ to see the port police and after ½ hour searching and another ½ hour filling in paperwork, we were legal for the princely sum of €7. Unfortunately, the rookie policewoman forgot to stamp our cruising permit – but hopefully no problem as we have the receipt.
We spent the morning exploring the castle (totally free, no “don’t do this” signs and no safety railings). What a refreshing change from the UK! L discovered an underground cistern down a hole which I crawled into to take photographs. Unfortunately, I knocked a switch and started a pump. Tried to set it back but no idea where it was supposed to be so hopeufully it didn’t all explode after we left.
Next stop was a small port called Galaxidhi. It’s a nice little place in its own right – the town quay is now finished to a very high standard. A very nice chap called Angelos helped us in, gave us info, arranged a hire car next day for us to get to Delfi - all for a modest tip. Excellent value and an absolute pleasure to talk to. We stayed for 2 days in Galaxidhi while we visited Delfi with Sally and Arnie Chestnut – two lovely Canadians we met while in Argostolli.

Delfi was the center (the navel) of the ancient world and despite 2000 years of organised looting starting with the emperor Hadrian, then Nero, then Constantine and continuing through the Turks to the French and British – it is still a truly impressive place. The setting is stunning, perched high on mount Parnassos between two huge rocks. Very well worth a visit if you are passing.


We continued on up the mountain after Delfi and eventually, after meeting a couple of flocks of goats on the road,

ended up above the snow line at the ski centre where we had a snowball fight!
























We took the long way back and stumbled upon a local celebration with street races, Greek fighters in costume and closed roads.












After the long slog from Siracusa, we decided to spend a few days at anchor in some
tiny, uninhabited islands called the Alkionidhes near the end of the Gulf. The
anchorage is excellent and thoroughly sheltered, overlooked by an abandoned monastery and thousands of nesting seagulls. The gulls made fascinating, if quarrelsome neighbours who reacted very negatively to any attempt to explore the islands on foot. The wild flowers on the island were wonderful!
As we left Galaxidhi, Angelos had given us a present of a huge bag of fish which I turned into Bouillebaise on the Monday night and invited Sally and Arnie. It tasted good but was far too bony – I’ll do it differently next time. S & N invited us over for a great birthday meal on the Sunday night and we shared a movie on Tuesday night. And now we’ve left and passed through the canal, leaving them to carry on doing chores for a couple of days. This is a strange life we’ve chosen – it’s much easier than normal to strike up friendships – but after a few days, you go your separate ways again, hoping to meet up sometime.

It took 3 hours to get to the canal from the islands, we waited 1½ hours for the canal to open then after a further 2 hours transiting, mooring, doing paperwork and paying we were on our way to Aigina on the Aegean side of Greece. The canal is very impressive and obviously takes a great deal of work to maintain. Nevertheless, it is incredibly expensive. It cost us €134 for 3 miles which compares to €180 to cross 1000miles of France on the VNF system.
After a gentle and uneventful sail & motor for 4 hours we arrived at Aigina and will probably stay here a day then hop though Idra to the Cyclades and Santorini.

Kephalonia

When we arrived in Argostoli it was May day. Little did we know but there are huge celebrations in the island - everywhere except Argostoli. So not only were there very few visitors, but there were'nt any natives either! We spent the day relaxing and dozing after the long crossing. On Saturday the town came alive and we wandered around getting stores and trying to arrange Internet - to be told that it wasn't possible because of new policies. I called Customer Support and - is is, but it'll have to wait till Monday.
Monday dawned and I was off to the tax office to pay for our permit. Next stop Vodafone to get them to call their own support line to verify that we can have our SIM. An hour later, I have to provide proof that I am in the marina. Luckily the Permit process (another hour) provides that and back I toddle. 4 visits and 6 hours later, I am finally the proud posessor of a SIM. Well Greece (in the form of Byzantium) invented Byzantine Bureaucracy so I guess its not surprising.

Tuesday we sailed round the southern edge of the Island to Poros. This si a delightful little harbour with a sleepy little town next to it. After a stroll and a beer in a nice little restaurant overlooking the bay, we turned in - then off at the crack of dawn to the Gulf of Patras - leading to the Corinth Canal.

Long haul to Greece

We took on water by the fuel quay in Syracuse and Pipo the water man said we would be OK to stay there the night - so we did. Big mistake!
The swell went on all night grinding us hard into the concrete quay and threatening to chafe through all of our nice new mooring warps. We took an hour to get it safe enough including using our canal plank outside the fenders to help protect the boat.
We then attempted to sleep with the idea of getting up at 0330 to sail by 0400. In the end the grinding and crashing had us both awake at o200 and we said sod-it and got up so we were away by 0300.
We had a pretty uneventful passage with mostly nice gentle Easterly tail winds all the way. The strong winds the previous day gave us a reasonably severe shaking for several hours once we left the shelter of Sicily but it all calmed down by evening. We saw no land for two days and at night, the stars and the phosphorescence were breathtaking. We both saw several shooting stars. Several pods of Dolphins visited us and played around the bows and in the middle of the sea, 100 miles from land an small yellow bird landed, took a few crumbs from Lindsay and then disappeared off over the sea again. Hope he made it!
When dawn broke on the Friday, Kefalonia was clearly vivble on the horizon but it took another few hours to reach it. On the way we swerved to avoid a floating 100 gallon Diesel drum - glad it wasn't night time, as we would have had no chance of seeing it.

Argostoli is lovely - a nice, low-rise town set in a beutiful bay under green mountains. The customs man was very nice but as it was May day when we arrived, the tax office wasn't open. so we couldn't pay for our cruising permit and he couldn't ceck us in. He was appologetic but we would have to wait till Monday. Fortunately, not a problem for us as we don't plan to leave till Tuesday anyway.
Tried to get a 3G data SIM but it appears that all the companies have changed the rules this year. No more pay as you go and you have to have a greek address, landline number and tax number to get a contract! Luickily I rang Vodafone headquarters and got a different story - there is an exception for yachtsmen. So now I have to go back to the shops and explain their own rules to them on Monday. Wish me luck!