Chilling

John flew off on Friday and we waited for the forecast gales, although each successive forecast downgraded the promised gales and in the end we only had 36 hours of strong winds. Nevertheless we stayed in Lakki until Wednesday, doing odd jobs and making new friends. The forehatch cover had blown away on the way up to Vathi, so we took some material and a pattern into the luggage/shoe shop/general repair shop, where they promised to make us a new one. Unfortunately the new one is too small and we have run out of material, so we will have to try again.
On Wednesday we had a very slow beat up to Arkhangeli, the island just off the north end of Leros, in a light northwesterly wind. We anchored just off the beach. There were quite a few boats there when we arrived, but most people just stop for lunch and there were only three other boats remaining for the night.
Arkhangeli is inhabited only by goats, a few rabbits, lizards and maybe snakes. Every evening the goat man comes across in his little motor boat to give the goats food and water and as soon as he starts sounding his horn the goats run from all over the island.

In the morning we had the bay to ourselves - it is a wonderfully peaceful place,

sheltered from all directions,

with friendly goats

and, from the top of the hill, views to Lipsi (and Patmos) to the north

and sleepy Leros airport and Partheni boatyard to the south.

 
On Thursday afternoon we were joined by our friends from Lakki, Jacques and Brigitte, who sail a Moody 376, almost identical to our boat but a bit smaller, and by nightfall, when we joined them for a drink, everybody else had gone. We had intended to move on, but since Arkhangeli was perfect we decided to stay another night. During the day a superyacht anchored further out, with a fat old man and his younger female partner serviced by three crew (a quick check on the internet revealed that it was 32.5 metres long, designed by Tony Castro, built in 2002 and sold on in 2009 for 7.8 million, but no good for us because it only sleeps six).
On Saturday morning we said goodbye to Jacques and Brigitte and motored (no wind) down to Lakki, where we are leaving the boat for three weeks while we spend a few days in the Peloponese before going home for a couple of weeks.