36 40 79N 27 08 61E Yiali
We said goodbye to Jens and Tino the first of September and prepared ourselves and the boat for a journey west to Astipalaia, Anafi and possibly a non-peak season visit to Santorini. With northerly winds still blowing strong, our goal was to complete an east to west trip and then a west to east return through the islands of Amorgos and Levithia ... but the old wind god Aeoleus didn't cooperate. Unfortunately, the predicted NW winds were stronger than we'd hoped and just about due west, meaning "on the nose", so we found ourselves bashing rather uncomfortably through big waves until we got smart and turned around.
Yiali was only 10 miles away (downwind!) and it was soon a safe haven. We anchored on the island's southwest tip in crystal clear water and, after a rest from our morning into-the-wind exercise, we launched the dinghy and went exploring. Having just toured the volcanic island of Nisyros we had a new understanding of and appreciation for the Yiali's rocky, moonlike surface and its mainstay business of pumice quarrying (see bottom panoramic photo). Thousands of small pumice stones from Nisyros' last eruption (20,000 yrs ago?) lined the beach. They were surprisingly light weight and airy - you can see some piled up in the shot with Sangaris in the background. Clambering around the sharp jagged edges other lava rocks required a slow pace and sure footed climbing - no comfy hand holds! But the crew would soon have pumiced happy feet!
Cruiser's notes: While Yiali is neither picturesque nor an exciting go-ashore island, we liked its SW tip for its good holding in sand and wind protection. It is a fine swim and overnight stopover- especially if the quarry activity is slow and the pumice dust not flying. Caution: there is a submerged reef charted ½ mile off the SW end of Yiali, we couldn't find it, and that's the good news! Also, there's a great day anchorage on the east end of the island, away from the quarry with sponges and black lava stones for the picking.