Lesvos to Kos
26 September 2011 | Kos
Jane, weather perfect
Time to update our blog. I planned to do it a couple of weeks ago and the thought was there, but as usual I lost track of time. Writing inspiration is a bit slow too.
Sailing south from Lesvos, through more Greek islands that we had not visited on the way up, was a delight. The winds were perfect normally coming from the NW, and even better often during the afternoon, from the West at an average of 15-25 knots. We found some gorgeous anchorages and enjoyed exploring ashore and sampling Greek food, and wine; which was served in tin jugs a kilo at a time (6 euro) - happy days :) One of our trip highlights was a group of more than 30 dolphins playing around our bow; while we sat on the trampoline enjoying their fun for a good half hour, the most we have probably ever seen at one time. A wonderful experience.
We loved Patmos and some of the anchorages were stunning, as is the Chora with its monastery in the main town. It was in Patmos that we met up again with our friends on Fabuloso having a memorable night out together, before meeting up with our friends from England the next day.
We had a wonderful week with Philippa and Richard, lots of laughs and reminiscing, although the time went way too fast and it was sad to say goodbye when we arrived in Kos. They are both looking forward to coming back on board in a couple of years time for some night sailing, when we make our way across the Med on our way to the Caribbean. They were terrific crew and we had a lot of fun together.
We took them to Lipso and Leros, two of our favorite islands before heading down to Kalimnos, Pserimos and Kos. Six islands in six days; which is easy to do over here and we even had a layover day in Pandeli in Leros, a real gem. The weather continued to be just perfect with good winds and warm, sunny days. We even had a chance to wakeboard and must admit Philippa and Richard were terrific sports trying out our board for their first time ever.
In Kos we checked out of Greece after watching the first match of the World Rugby where New Zealand had a fantastic victory over Tonga. We left in style as there was a New Zealand boat just down from the dock from us and so we played the Harka (with full body movements - getting quite good) at full volume for them as we motored out of the Harbour. So we moved back into Turkish waters full time and it is great to be back with such happy people who go out of their way to help us in any way they can. The water we have also found is a constant 28 degrees; which makes me truly happy. After a night at the Aquarium anchorage, visiting my fishie friends it was time to move to Bodrum to get the boat ready for our next guests and catch the next rugby game.
While in Bodrum we met up with old and new friends, I got rid of some of my tan at the local Turkish bath (always a treat) and we did a visa run to Kos where we met our friends Kim and Cam from Vancouver. They are with us for two weeks and we are taking them around the Dorian coast and into Hisaronu Korfezi and Yesilova Korfezi, an area that we have not explored much.
Pictures tell a better story then my words, so enjoy the gallery. Hope this finds you all happy and healthy.