9 May 2009

Our first landfall in Greece was the island of Symi, where we had briefly stopped in November 2007, before going on to Marmaris. On the night of 29 March, our first in Symi, we heard the unmistakeable sound of Scops owls calling. These birds are common all over Greece and elsewhere in the Med, but we had heard none in Turkey. It was a nice welcome.

Next day we climbed the 375 steps to the Chorio, or upper town of Symi. It was a fascinating labyrinth of narrow alleys and old houses, many of them derelict, and with some superb views of the surrounding area. Back at sea level, we shopped and treated ourselves to pork chops for dinner, something we had not been able to enjoy in Turkey.

On 1 April, it was time to move on. Having stocked up with food and fuel, we headed down the west coast of the island to the bay of Panormitis, where we visited the monastery and bought bread from their bakery. Taking a walk along the path by the shore, we came across 2 tortoises, the smaller of which was pursuing the larger one through the vegetation and banging the front of its shell against the back of the other's (being careful not to get its head in the way). We assumed this was courtship behaviour, and so it proved. The action was accompanied by squeaking from the male, but we don't know whether it was ecstasy or frustration, as his expression didn't change. So now we have seen tortoises bonking!

New Islands

Next day we set out for the tiny island of Alimia, about 20 miles to the south, off the west side of Rhodes. On this trip we managed to sail for more than 4 hours at a leisurely pace, and entered the bay on the west of the island. There we found little protection from the swell, and decided to continue to the harbour at Emborios on the nearby island of Khalki, our first new island this year.

Emborios is the only town on Khalki, since the old town of Chorio was abandoned. We walked up to the old town, enjoying the spring flowers and bird life. There is a Crusader castle on the hill above the town, but the path leads from the churchyard and the gate was locked, which was disappointing.

Although it is an attractive island, the swell in the harbour makes Khalki an uncomfortable place to visit by yacht. After 2 days there, on 4 April we were glad to leave and head for Tilos, the next island to the north. Once out of the shelter of Khalki, the wind got up and we enjoyed some lively sailing to windward. When the wind rose to Force 5, we decided it was time to reef the mainsail. As K was winching in the reefing line, nothing was happening, and P then noticed that the line had come untied from the boom. He was about to suggest putting in the second reef instead, when that too came untied, followed by the third reef. We could have tried to re-attach the lines and sail on, but decided instead to put the engine on to get into Livadhia, the main town on Tilos. One of our first jobs on arriving was to re-attach the reefing lines with better knots!

The harbour at Livadhia offers good shelter from most wind directions, but we still had an uncomfortable time on our first day there, when the wind blew from the NE and sent a swell in. This bounced us against the rough quay, as it had done in Khalki, so again we protected our fenders by deploying our plank, which doubles as a gangplank when we are moored end-on to the quay. We had a thunderstorm in the morning, and rain on 3 days, which prompted us to put up the cockpit canopy which we usually only use in the winter. We visited the café on the quay to use their wireless Internet connection, and thereafter during our stay we used our colander to connect to their facility without having to go there and buy drinks. The colander seemed a bit expensive at about £4, but it has already paid for itself several times over!

During our stay at Livadhia we took the bus to Megalo Chorio, the old town on the hill. As it was out of season, nearly everything was closed. The main thing of note there was a tiny old ruined chapel up on the hill, whose altar consisted of two pieces of carved stone from the pillars of some now-vanished Roman building.

On our last day there we took a 2½ hour walk along the cliff path and back via a gorge, where again we saw many birds and flowers. The Greek islands are beautiful at this time of year, before the summer sun dries everything up. In spite of the sometimes inclement weather, it is also good to be able to enjoy these places before the crowds arrive.

Into the Volcano

The next island on our route north-westwards was Nisiros. This island is remarkable for the fact that it is the remains of a volcano, which collapsed, leaving a hollow centre called a caldera. There is a road down into the caldera, and from the end of the road you can walk down into one of several craters, where there is still volcanic activity in the form of springs of hot, bubbling water, and fumaroles, vents from which hot, sulphurous fumes are emitted. We hired a car and visited the volcano, then went on to complete a tour of the island. The other main attraction is the old fortress above the main town of Mandraki, built in the 4th Century BC, and partially restored.

On Nisiros, we moored in the harbour at Palon, with our stern tied to the quay and our main anchor holding us off, which is the normal way in the Med. While we were touring the island, a tug moored nearby, right over our anchor. It required a little ingenuity the following morning to get the anchor up, but then we set off on the relatively long trip of 38 miles to Astipalaia. On this trip the wind blew at times, and gave us a total of over 5 hours under sail, including 3 hours using the cruising chute, the first time we have used it in 3 years. We anchored in a bay in the south-east of the island, and P had his first dip of the season – in and straight out! Not bad for 11 April, though!

More bonking and squeaking

Next day we moved 5 miles to the harbour at Skala, where we spent 2 nights sheltering from more strong winds and bumping up against the quay in the swell. We have plastic fenders to protect the hull, fender socks to stop the fenders from squeaking against the hull, a plank to protect the socks from tearing on the rough quay, and here we deployed more makeshift fenders of plaited rope to protect the ropes supporting the plank! As soon as the weather was suitable, we moved round to the other side of the island. We enjoyed some exhilarating sailing on the way, with wind on the beam and speeds up to 7 knots, which is about as fast as Wild Thyme will go. On the way we met a small pod of Common Dolphins, who came to play around the boat. Dolphins seem to stay and play for longer if you give them some vocal encouragement, so as usual Kay played the excited schoolgirl on the bow.

Dropping the Hook

Before arriving at Astipalaia, we had not spent a night on an anchorage since Keci Buku on 22 March, and had seen enough harbours for the time being. Arriving on the north side of Astipalaia, we anchored at Vathi, a long, narrow lagoon joined to the sea by an even narrower channel. There we had complete protection from the rough sea outside. It was still rather gusty, causing the boat to veer around a lot, but the holding was good and the anchor held. We thought of leaving the following day, but when we reached the entrance to the anchorage we found the sea was too rough for our taste, so went back in for another 2 nights.

When the weather finally settled down, on 17 April, we headed for the tiny island of Levitha, about 25 miles to the north. We sailed most of the way, slowly at times, but it was so much more enjoyable than motoring. We found a small bay with just enough room for us to anchor. Our main anchor held us facing the entrance, and a long line from the stern was attached to the rocks on the shore, to prevent us swinging sideways into shallow water. There was no-one else around, so skinny-dipping was in order. P managed 4 times round the boat, but K was in and straight out! It was a quiet night, with lots of stars.

Next morning we climbed up the hill above the bay, again enjoying the profusion of spring flowers. We could have stayed longer at Levitha, but the changeable weather meant we had to move on while we had the opportunity. So, once we were back down from the hill, we left the bay and headed slightly south of west towards Amorgos. As there was no wind at all, we motored the whole way, basking in the sunshine. Along the way, Kay had a haircut, so we stopped near the little island of Kinaros for her to take a dip and wash the clippings off. Crossing the shipping lane between Kinaros and Amorgos, we encountered 2 ships, one travelling in each direction, which gave us something to think about until we had passed clear ahead of them and could relax again.

We had intended to go to the harbour at Katapola on Amorgos, but the weather was so settled that we decided instead to stop at an anchorage 7 miles short. It was a good decision, as it was completely calm, and we had the whole bay to ourselves, with a lovely view of the hills of Amorgos across the water. There is really nothing to beat a good anchorage when the weather is suitable.

Happy Easter!

Sunday 19 April is Easter Day in Greece, but they don't wait till Sunday morning to celebrate. As we reported when we were in Kalamata for Easter in 2007, they go to the church late on Saturday night, and at the stroke of midnight there is a great celebration. We weren't able to join in on this occasion, but Kay was a woken at midnight by the fireworks from the nearest village. P was unmoved, and slept through it all.

When we arrived at Katapola, we found the locals enjoying the holiday. Fortunately, one food shop stayed open long enough for us a buy a few provisions, then we decided to treat ourselves and celebrate. We found a restaurant on the quay which was serving food, and enjoyed the traditional Easter meal of spit-roasted lamb, with an excellent salad and a bottle of good Greek beer. After that we returned to the boat for coffee and a lazy afternoon. In the evening, P made a pizza for dinner, then we found an Internet café and caught up with various business online, and spoke to Jenny and Graham (and partners). It was a pretty good holiday.

On Monday 20 April we took the bus up the hill to the Chora, the main town on the island (nearly every island has a Chora). It was a labyrinth of houses and narrow, winding alleys, much like others we had seen. On the hill above the town we found a small cemetery with a chapel. In the chapel were rows of pigeon-holes, each containing a metal box. Each box was marked with a name, and some had photos of people. We wondered whether the boxes contained the bones of people who had been dug up to make room for others in the cemetery. Although the boxes were not locked, we didn't like to look.

More Volcanic Activity

The big attraction in this part of the Aegean is the island of Santorini, also known as Thira. This is famous for the volcanic eruption which blew the island apart around 1400 BC, and created a tidal wave which is believed to have destroyed the Minoan civilisation on Crete. It is also thought by some to be the origin of the legend of Atlantis, a city which disappeared under the sea.

On 21 April the forecast was for a wind of Force 4, from a direction which would enable us to sail there. A new problem arose before we could leave, in that our ancient electric anchor windlass had finally given up the ghost, and P had to raise the anchor by hand. Good exercise, so long as my creaky back holds out until we can get a new windlass! We set off early for Santorini, so that we could still make it under sail even if the sailing was a bit slow. In the event, we motored most of the way, as there was no wind at all. Having time to spare, P typed an e-mail to all our friends to tell them that our website had been updated, and bemoaning the lack of wind. Five miles from Santorini, the wind arrived as forecast, and we enjoyed an hour's good sailing.

Santorini now consists of a main island, Thira, shaped roughly like a backwards letter "C", with a smaller island, Thirasia, opposite. These are the remains of the original island, and together they form an oval with two gaps in it. The space in the middle of the oval is the caldera, and in this are two smaller islands, which have appeared more recently as a result of continuing volcanic activity. The caldera is over 5 miles from north to south, and about three miles from east to west. Sailing into this huge space, almost completely surrounded by sheer cliffs of amazing shapes and colours, is a breathtaking experience.

As there is no good place to leave the boat inside the caldera (which is mostly over 300 metres deep), we made for the south side of Thira, where there is a harbour at a place called Vlichada. When we rounded the point at the south end of the caldera, the wind was blowing at Force 6 from the direction where we wanted to go, and the sea had built up, giving us a bumpy ride. After 2 hours' motoring, we arrived at Vlichada, and started to negotiated the tricky entrance to the harbour. This had become more tricky than we expected, owing to silting in the approach. The boat in front of us ran aground several times before they finally found a way through. We took the advice of a local man on the quay and found enough water to get in first time. Then we managed to find a big enough space to moor in, and breathed a sigh of relief. We were surprised to learn from the man on the next boat that it had been windy all day there.

Next morning the wind, still strong, turned and blew us towards the quay, and against the next boat. We deployed extra lines to keep us in position, but we had to pull the boat so far off the quay for safety that we couldn't get ashore that day.

On our second day at Santorini we took the bus into the main town of Thira, and visited the new archaeological museum, which is devoted to the results of the excavations at the site of the ancient town of Akrotiri, in the south of the island. Like the remains found at Pompeii, many of the finds are very well preserved, having been covered by ash for over three millennia. Unfortunately, the excavations are incomplete, presumably because the EU funding has run out. As usual, P fell out with one of the museum attendants, a miserable girl who wouldn't let me take a picture with Kay in it.

On another day we hired a car to tour the island, and had our best views of the caldera from the cliffs at the north and south ends of Thira. Santorini is deservedly popular with cruise ships and holiday makers in general, and we were lucky to be able to see it before the main season's crowds arrive.

On the move again

On Sunday 26 April, we decided it was time to leave this amazing place. We escaped from the harbour with no space to spare under our keel, motored back north through the caldera, then had a good sail to Ios, the next island to the north. There we stopped in a bay on the south of the island. It was nice to be back at anchor, even though our sleep was disturbed when the wind increased in the night and we decided to lay more anchor chain. In summer the bay is apparently popular with young holiday-makers, and is an official nudist beach. With the cold north wind blowing, we think even the stout Germans we saw baring all in the Balearics would have thought twice! We certainly were not tempted. When we arrived there were only three (clothed) people on the beach. All the bars and tavernas were still closed, and there was none of the maddening pop music which no doubt turns this place into hell for the likes of us in summer.

After a couple of nights at the anchorage we moved on to Ios town, where we found a German acquaintance from Marmaris, and were later joined by a boat bearing Cruising Association members whom we had previously only met through the Internet.

One of the "must sees" in the Aegean is the island of Delos, near Mykonos. At this point we decided that, rather than work our way slowly north through the Cyclades, we would head directly north to see Delos before the hordes of tourists arrived in high season. We would then go back and look at all the more southerly islands. We therefore only stayed at Ios for one night, then moved on again on 29th, planning to get to Naxos, the next island to the north, before the strong winds which were forecast.

Naxos was the tenth island we had visited in a month, and the ninth which we had not visited before. It is the largest of the Cyclades, and we decided to spend a couple of days there and explore a bit. On our second day there we hired a car and explored the island. It is an island with a character of its own and some outstanding landscapes, though few other major attractions. Most notable were probably the little mediaeval church with lots of tiny chapels, built at different times, the 9 metre statue of Demeter which still lies in the quarry where it was started, abandoned because it broke before it was finished, and the small but interesting Temple of Demeter. It was May Day, so everyone was on holiday, picking flowers by the roadside and, at one village, partying and dancing in the woods.

Pilgrimage to Delos

Having sat out the strong winds at Naxos, we motored north on 2 May, going first to the small island of Rinia, close to Delos. There we anchored in a bay which reminded us of the wild places in Scotland that we love so much. There was a real sense of being away from it all, which was very welcome after so many days spent in harbour.

Next day we had a bumpy ride to the marina at Mykonos, where we settled in for two more days of strong winds. On the first day we stayed with the boat to watch the fenders and repel any other boats which might think of mooring alongside us, as the wind was already pushing us against the quay. The following day we took the bus into town and checked out the ferry to Delos, and decided to go across for the day on Thursday 6 May, when the wind would have died down. Mykonos Town is a maze of little buildings and narrow streets. It should have been an attractive place to explore, but it has been taken over by the holiday industry, and is now full of expensive shops and small motor vehicles, which rob it of any atmosphere it might have had. We bought the provisions we needed and headed back to the marina.

On 6 May, we woke early with the intention of catching the ferry across to Delos. However, Kay came up with the alternative plan of taking the yacht across instead. We had already established that we couldn't anchor within 500 metres of the shore of Delos, but decided that in the calm conditions we could anchor close enough to be able to go the rest off the way in the dinghy. We therefore went back to Rinia, where we again anchored in our "Scottish" bay, and explored ashore for an hour or so, looking at the ruined buildings and having the pleasure of spotting a hoopoe (an exotic-looking bird).

Next day, we again rose early and took the boat to a little island close to Delos, where we anchored and rowed across to Delos. We had intended to use the outboard motor, but the previous evening P had discovered that it could not be started – another job to add to the list!

Delos was definitely worth the trouble we had taken to visit it. Founded as a religious centre around the 9th Century BC, by the 1st Century BC it had become the religious and political centre of the Aegean, and had a large population and great wealth. By this time the Romans were in charge, but in the 1st Century AD it was attacked and looted twice, and it quickly declined. Sadly, of the many temples which existed in ancient times, few have much to show other than the ground plan. Much of the stone has been removed as building material for more recent generations of Greeks. More interesting was the remarkable state of preservation of many of the houses from the Roman period, including some very fine ones belonging to well-off people, some with exquisite mosaics on the floors. There were many signs of the sophistication of the Romans as civil engineers, with their water storage and drainage systems. As so often at Greek archaeological sites, there was a frustrating lack of information for visitors.

Leaving Delos, we decided to spend one more night in Mykonos, and anchored in a bay on the south coast. Next morning, we decided to head for the island of Syros. Getting the anchor up was particularly hard work, as we had anchored in 11 metres of water and laid 45 metres of chain, which was a bit generous as the night was completely windless. The first part of the trip was a bit rough, as Mykonos seems to attract stronger winds than the surrounding sea area. Once clear of the rough bit, we were able to set the sails, and enjoyed 3½ hours of good sailing, right up to the harbour at Erminoupolis, the main town on Syros and the largest in the Cyclades.

We plan to stay on Syros for a couple of days, then start to head south again, towards Milos, before moving north again. We have landed on 13 islands since our return to Greek waters on 29 March, and want to visit another 10 before we meet Anne near Athens on 17 June.