what an absolute gem!

On our quest to seek out anchorages with less than 20m depth and room to swing we decided to head towards the islands of Kalamos and Kastos that lie just off the Greek mainland. Our destination was Kastos. In order to get there our course took us along the north side of Kalamos. The size of the islands cliff face was impressive as it dominated 800m above with sheer slopes that fell straight into the sea. As soon as we rounded the northern tip, Kastos, the smaller island came into view where we hoped to find an anchorage on its eastern side protected from the NW prevailing winds. With the island being only 4 miles long by 800m distances between the various beaches, bays and coves were short so it didn't take long to find an inviting but small stretch of beach that had a derelict hut hidden behind bushes. It was idyllic and a perfect spot to sit and watch goats roam the beach before they climbed the cliffs above bleating for one another along the way.


a secluded pebbly beach, shared with the resident goats and thousands of cicadas hidden in the surrounding shrubland.


high on a hill was a lonely goat...


magnificent rock stratum all along this side of the coast


a couple of small caves too!

After spending a couple of days a strong north easterly (force 6) wind was forecast so our plan to visit the village of Kastos had to be put on hold for the time being. The wind seemed to have arrived early just as we were heading back out between Kalamos and the mainland. It certainly provided us with an exhilarating return trip back to Lefkas, Vlikho bay where we sat with many other yachts waiting for it to pass.


dense cloud forming on the summit of the mainland. Could this have been the act of Boreas, the Greek god of north east winds? If so, it certainly gave us an exhilarating ride!

Total distance this season: 638.54 nautical miles