Cruising to Greece and back.

Click here for link for relevant PhotoAlbum Autumm 2017. This image was taken at sunset as we were approaching the island of Mykinos.

August 31st was departure date for me to return to Greece. I needed a break after surviving all the preparations and festivities for Sofie's wedding celebrations. It was more economical to fly with Easyjet direct to Kos, spend a night there and then catch the Fast Cat ferry to Leros. This also avoided a 6 hour wait at Athens Airport. Arriving late (23:30hrs) into Kos presents a problem in getting down to Kos harbour as the buses have all finished. Even with sharing a taxi it still cost me 30Euros.

Veroniki Hotel was cheap and cheerful and less than 100m from the harbour. Evidence of earthquake damage is still obvious around the harbour but after talking to some of the locals, it is a wonder that more people were not injured.

From balcony of hotel near Kos Harbour.
Click here for link to an enlarged image in the Photo Album '"Summer 2017.".'

Earthquake damage around harbour.
Click here for link to an enlarged image in the Photo Album '"Summer 2017.".'

The Fast Cat ferry to Kalymnos and Leros departed at 11:00 and took only 90 minutes to get to Agia Marina on Leros. After a quick lunch in Agia Marine and a short taxi ride, I was on-board TB in the yard by 15:00hrs.

It was obvious that there had been little, if any, rain as the boat was covered in dust and the bilges were dry.

Over the next three days, I carried out some maintenance; painting and varnishing the coach-house and also repairing some caulking on the decks. The biggest problem was that the house batteries were flat. I had left them connected to the solar panels but one of the wires had worked loose and the batteries self discharged. I re-charged them but they would prove to be totally kaput. The engine starter battery I had installed in May 2016 was fine (it is isolated from the house batteries).

Tuesday 05 Sept. The yard lifted TB back into the water with their usual efficiency, by 09:00. Denis and Norm arrived off the flight from Athens at 11:00 having overnighted there after their trip from Brisbane. In the afternoon, we motored the couple of miles over to the anchorage on Archangelos Island. We anchored in 7 or 8 metres on hard sand in the south of the bay. I swam down and had a look at the anchor and realised that we weren't in the best place. As we had plenty of chain out and as there wasn't much wind, I couldn't be bothered to move,.

We had an excellent meal in the friendly, family run taverna ashore. They always give such a warm welcome.

After mid-night, the wind was a bit gusty; so I paid the price for not re-anchoring earlier. We didn't drag but I lost some sleep from frequently checking our position. One of these days I will learn!

Next morning we had a run under genoa alone south to Lakki town. The wind was 15 to 25 knots and a choppy sea. But we bombed along nicely at 6 knots. Lakki Marine, associated with Agmar Marine, was full and we had to anchor out in the bay. The holding there is not so good - thick weed and kelp. Around lunch time, the anchor dragged while we were ashore having a beer. I left Denis and Norm to enjoy the beer while I went and re-anchored. It turned out to be a bit of a drama with other yotties helping me before we got sorted out. The lads enjoyed their beer anyway!

Thursday 07 Sept 2017. After a bit of shopping in the morning (Cosmote SIM card for 20 Euros, replacement gas bottle), we weighed anchor under sail and had a nice sail down Lakki Bay and across to Levitha Island. This was my third visit to this anchorage in 2017 but this time there were only 2 other boats moored when we arrived at 16:00hrs. Last time, on 12th June, all 12 moorings were taken when we arrived. As usual, we trudged up the track to the farmhouse for dinner.

Over the next week, we mostly motored along in hot calm conditions - visiting Lipsos, Marathos Island, Porto Stretto, Kirikis on south side of Ikaria, Panamos Bay in north of Mykinos and arriving at Paroikia on the island of Paros on Wednesday, 13 Sept.

Port Stretto on Nisos Arki
Click here for link to an enlarged image in the Photo Album '"Summer 2017.".'

Nisos Marathos
Click here for link to an enlarged image in the Photo Album '"Summer 2017.".'

I had ordered 2 new house batteries a few days before and they were delivered by Afos Yacht Services immediately on arrival. They also arranged for an electrician to make some new battery cables and for a fabricator to repair the boarding ladder which had been badly bent by one of my heavy-weight crew.

Paros has a nice atmosphere and is very busy, being a ferry hub for the central Aegean. We had a very good meal ashore in one of the tavernas.

Next morning, we departed Paroikia Harbour at 10:30hrs. The log reads, "Hot, sunny, no wind". As I said earlier, Paros is a transport hub. We saw 8 big ferries in the first 2 hours after leaving the harbour.

After a couple of hours, we rounded the north of Paros and anchored in Ormos Ay Ioannou in 8 metres of water. There is a beach club type complex there for day trippers but it is all very low key and mainly peaceful. In the evening, we took the small passenger ferry 20 minutes down to Nousa town. This is a bustling place with some lovely streets and squares. We did a bit of provision shopping, had a couple of beers and caught the last ferry back at around 20:30hrs to have dinner on board.

Anchored in Ormos Ay Ioannou, north coast Paros.
Click here for link to an enlarged image in the Photo Album '"Summer 2017.".'

When we set off next morning, once again there was practically no wind but we encountered a short choppy sea as we motored NE around the top of Naxos. However we soon rounded the island and were heading south along the east coast of the small relatively uninhabited island of Dhenhoussa to the anchorage of Ormos Dhendro. We were one of only 4 boats anchored there. This bay has only a few scattered buildings and 1 taverna.

Ormos Dhendro, Dhenhoussa Island.
Click here for link to an enlarged image in the Photo Album '"Summer 2017.".'

There was a bit of wind around in the vicinity of the island when we left at 09:00 hrs next morning; so we had a run south until we drew clear of the island. But by 11:00 the wind was gone and it was back to the motor.

We dropped anchor at Katapola on Amorgas around lunch time, in 5 metres of water off the beach to the NW of the town quay. That afternoon, we rowed ashore and hired a small car for 24hrs. Armogos is like most of the Greek islands - mountainous and dry. We braved the steep climbs and winding roads and visited the monasatry of the Panayia of the Presentation which occupies a spectacular site clinging off the side of a cliff. It is stiff occupied by the monks. It was very windy on the south side of the island and while walking up the steep steps to the monastery, we felt that we could easily be blown off into the sea.

Monastry on Amorgos.
Click here for link to an enlarged image in the Photo Album '"Summer 2017.".'

The next morning we took the car down to the west end of the island, enjoying the unspoilt nature of the land.

After returning the car, we weighed anchor at 14:30hrs and motored for a few hours east along the north side of Amorgos. At 16:30hrs, we anchored off the beach at Ayia Annas. Had the usual run ashore. Drank an ouzo or two and had a meal to go with the wine.

Ouzo time.
Click here for link to an enlarged image in the Photo Album '"Summer 2017.".'

Tuesday, 19 Sept 2017. As we becoming used to, there was no wind; so we motored across a flat sea to the island of Levitha, know to us as goat island as goats are the main occupiers of the island. We picked up the mooring at the end of the bay and dusk there were 20 yots and 2 fishing boats moored or anchored in the bay.

We managed to actually sail for a few hours next day as we crossed to Emboyios on the NW of Kalymnos Island. We used one of Kaptn Kosta's buoys and had a meal in his taverna on the beach, served by one of his granddaughters.

The next passage to Kos Marina gave us some flukey winds and lumpy seas as we made our way around the NE point of Kos only a few miles from Turkey on the Asian continent. The marina has good facilities and is efficiently run. I picked Judy up in a hire car at Kos airport at 22:00hrs.

Over the next few days we visited Kalymnos town and Vilkida Bay on the south side of Kalymnos Island. The Diving Museum in Vilkida Bay has a large collection of artefacts, old and new, that has been gathered from the sea around the island. Kalymmos traditionally was the centre of the spong diving industry in the Aegean.

Vilkadi Bay.
Click here for link to an enlarged image in the Photo Album '"Summer 2017.".'

"There's the channel. Over there."
Click here for link to an enlarged image in the Photo Album '"Summer 2017.".'

Monday 25 Sept. The strong(ish) northerly winds from over the past few days had died away and we headed north back to Alinda on the NW side of Leros. We picked up one of the free moorings in the bay and had dinner ashore at Nicos taverna on the beach. We've found that the food here is better than most.

For Denis's and Norm's last night, we anchored at Archangelos Island and went ashore to the only taverna on the island. It also happens to be the on occupied building on the island! As usual, we were given a warm reception by the family who run it. It is such a beautiful setting.

Wednesday 27 Sept. As Denis and Norm were leaving on the plane to Athens, we dropped them off Agmar Marine quay alongside the airport. Jude and I then anchored in Partheni Bay. We kept dragging the anchor in the thick weed and eventually gave up and secured to an unoccupied mooring buoy. The wind was still blustery from the north; so we were reluctant to go anywhere. Poor Judy was still not feeling particularly well. I carried out some maintenance and winterised the engine.

At 09:00hrs on Saturday, Agmar Marine lifted TB out of the water and into their yard. After installing the covers, we left the yard next morning and caught the ferry to Kalymnos and then onto Mastihari on Kos. We hired a car in Kos and spent Monday visiting Kos Town.

North coast Kos. Kalymnos in background.
Click here for link to an enlarged image in the Photo Album '"Summer 2017.".'

North coast Kos. Mastihari in the distance.
Click here for link to an enlarged image in the Photo Album '"Summer 2017.".'

Tuesday 03 October, we left the hire car at 05:00hrs at the airport to be collected. Our Aegean Airways fight left at 06:25 for Athens and then onto Heathrow.

For the summer we had cruised 751Nm and had visited eleven islands.

Dodecannese and Southern Cyclades isalnd groups..
Click here for link to an enlarged image in the Photo Album '"Summer 2017.".'