We have now moved to Crete and the marina at Aghios Nikolaos where Kerenne is to be left for the summer. From Thira we headed south to the small island of Dhia, lying about 5 nM north of Heraklion and the north coast of Crete. This delightful, if barren, island has 4 small bays on the south side providing shelter from winds from all directions except the south. In the bay we chose is a small cave (see below) that has been set up as a shrine with a number of crucifixes and photographs etc.
We planned on spending 2 nights here but at 11am the first morning a sudden Force 5 started blowing into the anchorage and we had to leave. As the winds increased we tried one of the other bays without success and decided to move on to Crete. After a further 30 minutes we found ourselves with 2 reefs in the main and no wind......
We motored on to the town of Khersonisos where we anchored off the town close to the harbour. This town is a bustling resort with hotels crammed together and restaurants hung over the sea on rusting steel struts. The following 2 photographs will give you some idea of what I'm talking about.
Worse was to come however, at about 11pm the discos started up at full volume and went on until 5am. Time to move on again.
Just north of Aghios Nikolaos is the large lagoon of Elounda. The island of Spinalonga with a Venetian Fortress and buildings (see title photo), which until 1957 were used as a Leper Colony, guards the entrance to the lagoon. Inside the lagoon is shelter from all directions in beautiful surroundings and we spent 5 days here before moving into the marina. We are now preparing the boat for lifting out after which we will fly home.