We are heading for the group of islands called the Cyclades, which is the central group of the Aegean islands. This is our first visit to the Cyclades, as the weather conditions in previous trips were not great as the meltemi wind blows strong and hard through this group of islands, especially in July and August. As we started our travels earlier this year, it has allowed us to venture into this area.

Our trip across to Levitha was slow, as expected there was no wind so another day of motoring. The water was very calm so there are worse places we could be. Around 5 miles from our destination we pick up something around the propeller, this was causing quite a bit of vibration. After attempting to dislodge it without success we slowly motored the rest of the way. A quick dive under the boat on arrival and a large heavy-duty plastic bag was removed. This was picked up in the middle of open water - not the first time we have had this happen.

We were expecting very few other yachts at our destination but this was not the case. The island of Levitha has a good sheltered bay and a restaurant that has set up quite a few mooring buoys. There ended up being 10 yachts all within a small area. This must be on the recommended places to go list by the charter yacht companies. There was quite a mix of nationalities there, although all EU countries (Dutch, German, French and some others we could not work out).

The restaurant is located about 20-minute walk up the hill. There is a good path to start with which lulls us into a false sense of security, however it very quickly turns into a very rough track - good for goats of which there were many! We are glad we went for dinner early, as we would not want to be walking back to the jetty on this track in the dark, despite carrying torches.

The taverna was in the courtyard of a local farm house. The man who took our order, was herding goats a couple of hours earlier. The food was simple with a choice of a couple of starters and three mains - goat casserole, meatballs or fish on the BBQ. We opted for a fava bean dip, Greek salad and the goat casserole. We selected red wine, which was locally produced and was poured from a barrel into the standard Greek red anodised aluminium jug.

The island of Levitha has no internet or phone coverage, which is unusual for most Greek islands. As the island is only inhabited by half-a-dozen people and visiting yachties as it is remote, you feel very cut-off from the world. The people who live here lead a very simple but hard-working life, tending to the goats and chickens, their vegetable gardens and running a taverna. They are cut off from the outside world apart from the visiting yachts. We both discussed that while having a day or two with no outside communication is fine, we would not want to live permanently with no way to contact the outside world.

Our next stop was at the island of Kinaros. This is a high, barren and jagged island with just one anchorage at the end of a narrow inlet. We had this to ourselves (apart from a fishing boat that stopped here overnight), closed off and totally isolated from the rest of the world on a perfectly calm, warm and sunny day. Like most of the islands we have visited, the water is so crystal clear and stunning blue. And it's a very swimmable temperature here! It is like every island we visit - postcard perfect!

When we leave Kinaros for the island of Amorgos, there is still no wind, so it is motoring again. We moored off the small village Yialis at the north of the island. This was a very pretty village of white houses around the harbour and several small villages high up the hillside. The bay has a long sandy beach, which is not common in most Greek islands, with most beaches being rocks or pebbles. It is therefore surprising that this island and the beaches are not major tourist hotspots. There are lovely tavernas overlooking the sea. The village has a very quiet and sleepy feel, which is delightful, probably due to the lack of an airport. To get to Amorgos (apart from sailing a yacht) you can either ferry from Athens or fly to nearby Naxos or Santorini and ferry to Amorgos, which means the island is not overwhelmed by tourism.

Time for another swim.........