Off to the Cyclades
08 October 2012 | Kithnos
George, a little cloudy, still v warm
We are now on the next stage of our journey - sailing on Fandancer over to Syros for the winter. We left Poros in the Saronic gulf on Sunday 7 October and sailed part of the 45 miles to Kithnos, then the wind dropped and we had to use the engine. The sun is no longer so fierce, although it is still difficult to sit out in full sun for very long.
Kithnos is in the northern Cyclades, between Kea to the north and Serifos to the south, and about 50 miles SE from Athens. Siros is due east of Kithnos, so we have about another 25 miles to go to reach our destination. In the summer months, the strong Meltemi winds blow in this area, making sailing sometimes very difficult, but by the beginning of October they have almost died away.
We are moored in the lovely bay at Fikiadha in the north west of the island, separated from the bay of Kolona by a sand bar. You can anchor in either bay, depending on the wind direction. There is one taverna at the head of the sand bar, and in the summer months this is supposed to be a hugely popular place, as people come from all over the island to the wonderful sandy beach. Although it is the middle of October, there are still about ten yachts anchored in the bay.
This morning we took the dinghy ashore and walked along the sand for a hundred metres or so, to the tiny Island of St Louka which is joined to Kithnos by the sand bar. Louka is deserted, apart from a large number of sheep, which we watched this morning being herded by a shepherd along the beach to another part of the island, possibly for feeding. I can't believe there is anything for them to eat on Louka, it is mostly barren rock with a few very spiky dry plants and lots of lizards sheltering under the many rocks. As well as the compulsory whitewashed tiny greek church, there are some ancient ruined buildings on Louka and some amazing dry stone walls which must have been built thousands of years ago.
Hardly any tourists come to Kithnos - you won't find it in your average holiday brochure, although the tourist industry is slowly growing with some rooms for rent and tiny hotels and tavernas is the harbour towns on the island. But it is steeped in history. There was a Mesolithic settlement on the north coast 10,000BC, and in the Bronze Age it supplied raw materials to other islands. The excavation of an ancient town found evidence of a temple and over 1400 artefacts from 700BC. Enough of the history lesson .....
There is a little harbour on the west coast called Merikha, less than two miles from our current anchorage, which has only recently become usable due to the large amount of dredging which has gone on to deepen the port and accommodate the ferries which sometimes arrive here. So that's where we are off to tomorrow for a day or two. Hopefully we can hire a quad bike to explore this interesting island further ........