Dream vs. Reality
07 September 2012 | Mykonos
Dan 29 degrees C, 1011 mb, 25-30 kt winds
We're now on the island of Mykonos, one of the best known and most popular of all the Greek Isles. This is the kind of place most sailors dream of coming to. The turquoise waters, sandy beaches and vibrant nightlife attract jet setters, movie stars and regular joe's from around the world. But there's one small detail that they neglect to mention to prospective visitors: it can be VERY windy here!
Truth be told, it's windy everywhere in the Cyclades today and it looks like that'll be the case for the next several days. We anticipated that and found a perfect spot on the island of Kythnos last evening. We stayed in the town of Loutra, tied to the inside of the seawall with absolutely calm water despite the wind blowing overhead. Loutra has a natural hot spring which flows into the ocean by the beach, creating a hot tub which mixes 52 degree Celsius (125 fahrenheit) water with seawater. The water is reputed to have therapeutic qualities so we spent a lazy hour healing our bodies before a sunset walk through town followed by a wonderful seafood dinner at a beachside taverna. It was a perfect, memorable day and Loutra easily made our list of favorite places.
After checking the weather forecast, we decided to leave Loutra for Mykonos, thinking that there would be more to do there if we ended up stranded for a few days due to weather. So we departed at 0700 this morning to cover the 42 nautical miles and arrive early enough to find a good spot at the new marina. We motored the first few hours rather than sail close hauled, then unfurled the jib and partially reefed main after passing the north end of Sifnos. We fell off and enjoyed a brisk beam reach in Force 6 conditions (25-31mph) down to Mykonos. This was definitely the most lively wind and sea state we've been in this season, but Interlude handled it comfortably and everyone enjoyed the exhilarating two hour ride.
Our arrival and time so far at Mykonos has been a big downer. The prevailing N winds howl through the New Port which is an ugly, partially developed and, it seems, partially abandoned facility located 2km north of Mykonos Town. After spending an hour getting Interlude properly secured, we were told that we would have to move. I'm still not sure why because the guy spoke only limited English. Unfortunately, there were no other suitable spots inside the marina so we ended up tying stern-to just outside the marina with considerably less protection from the rolling seas. Since it was too rough for us to lower the dingy from the davits, we had no way of deploying the passarelle from the stern which basically left us stranded with no way to get off the boat. So we ended up spending the afternoon and evening rolling to and fro with 30 knots of wind blowing from astern. We've had ferry boat wakes to contend and we've had to fend off as other boats came in alongside us. Quite a contrast from the idyllic setting we had left back on Kythnos. A bit depressing, really. But that's the reality of the cruising lifestyle sometimes. We can't control all the variables and frequently have no choice but to react to whatever the situation or environment dictates. It's not always like the stories told in cruising magazines or the photos shown in tourist brochures. Sometimes it's just unpleasant, requiring patience or perseverance. A bit like life in general perhaps. Thankfully, Christine and Tyler are able to roll with it all pretty well. At dinner last night on Kythnos I pointed out that we had had two "up" days in a row. Superstitious Tyler warned me not to jinx us and perhaps I should have listened to him. The score is now 2-up, 1-down. We'll see what tomorrow has in store ...