Arki (25-26 July)
Arki is a small island with approximately 50 inhabitants. The main occupations are fishing and goat farming. Our first night in Arki was anchored with a line ashore in a quiet bay with only the sound of goat bells. The sound of their bells reminded us of windchimes, very musical. The goats were locked in a huge enclosure over night and in the morning, they were released to roam the surrounding hills feeding on the very barren bushes. There was a whole goat orchestra as 200 plus goats ran out of the enclosure with their bells clanging.

Arki town has a small but yacht friendly harbour, it was full with 11 boats tied up to the town harbour wall. In the town there is a very small mini-market and a couple of tavernas. There are none of the facilities that we would take for granted; no banks, no post office, no police station etc. The village has a very sleepy and authentic Greek village feeling. Fishermen sit mending their nets, one is giving his boat a fresh coat of paint, the chef from the taverna cleans squid freshly caught this morning at the water’s edge and there is almost no traffic, just a few motor bikes. At the end of the harbour in very shallow water is a display of model boats representing a miniature harbour (see photo in the gallery). The boats are anchored on the bottom and move with the breeze. This looks like it could have been a school project, although we could not find a school in our wanderings around the village.

In the afternoon the peace is disturbed for a couple of hours as tourist boats from Lipsi and Patmos bring tourists in for an hour or two to go for a swim or enjoy a cool drink at one of the tavernas. By 5.30pm they are gone and the town reverts to quiet once more. As the sun starts to go down children kick a ball in the town square, a number of people are fishing with hand lines from the harbour wall, fishing boats return with their evening catch and people from the yachts make their way to the tavernas for their evening meal.

Agathonisi (27 July)
Our trip from the island of Arki across to Agathonisi was done in absolutely dead calm conditions – the sea was like a sheet of glass. As we neared Agathonisi we passed two dolphins who came and had a quick look at us. Glenn managed to get a photo of one of the dolphins off our bow (see gallery). That’s a big tick for things to see while sailing!

We anchored in a secluded bay off Agathonisi, which we had to ourselves until about 8pm when an Italian boat anchored. The evening was spent having a barbecue dinner, listening to music and enjoying the sparkle of moonlight on the water, it was a full moon. As the evening progressed we noticed a shadow appearing across the moon. A quick Google told us we were about to witness a full lunar eclipse and blood moon. We were in the perfect position to see it, with no lights in the bay. As the eclipse progresses, the moon became redder and the sparkle of moon light on the water faded until we were in total darkness. A magical moment!