We left Arki on Monday 4 August and had a good brisk sail to Agathonisi in a NNW Force 4-5 wind. There were only a handful of boats in so we were able to get our favourite spot on the corner of the fisherman's quay. It is too shallow to get right back to the quay so we have to use the dinghy to get ashore. We were immediately greeted by Kai's Italian friends, who we meet every year, and Kai went off to play with them. In the afternoon they all came back to the boat for their favourite pastimes, fishing from the bows and jumping off into the sea. Katerina caught a fish big enough to eat, but the others were all tiddlers.
On Tuesday morning there was a group of refugees, probably Syrian, who had been landed on the quay overnight, where they sat waiting for the Nisos Kalymnos ferry to Samos,
onto which they were herded unceremoniously.
After lunch the Italian girls came aboard for some fishing
and swinging on the spinnaker halyard.
In the evening we went to George's taverna - he had complained to some friends of ours that we come every year and never eat at his place. Kai was also insistent that we should go there because Kai claimed that he had the best meat ever. We had rabbit, which was tasty but not as tender as Kai had remembered. We felt very bad abandoning Yanni and Voula, especially when we saw that they had only three customers that evening while George's was full. However, George was very welcoming and obviously delighted that we had come to him.
We went to bed while Kai went off to play with his Italian friends. About 1.30 Lin woke in a panic - where was Kai? She couldn't see him anywhere below and woke Simon to go and search for him. As Simon was getting dressed Kai popped his head round to door - what's up? he said. He had been sleeping on deck.
Kai woke at 5.30 on Wednesday morning to see two coastguard boats bringing in more refugees, who were led up to the port police office.
During the day two more boatloads arrived, while another large group had to walk the length of the island from the beach where they had landed, because there were not enough boats to ferry them all. In total 140 refugees arrived on Wednesday, almost as many as the total population of the island, including quite a few children and at least two babies. The port police could not accommodate them all in their yard and there was no ferry that day, so half of them were shipped out on three coastguard boats.
We ate with Yanni on Wednesday evening, who was swamped with about 50 customers, against the three the night before, and having had to cook for the refugees, who were being fed by the port police. Poor Voula was alone in the kitchen, her mother not being there that evening, but she managed to serve her usual delicious food to everybody.
Thursday was a quiet day, swimming and reading and getting ready to leave for Lipsi on Friday, with no new refugees.
On Tuesday morning there was a group of refugees, probably Syrian, who had been landed on the quay overnight, where they sat waiting for the Nisos Kalymnos ferry to Samos,
After lunch the Italian girls came aboard for some fishing
and swinging on the spinnaker halyard.
In the evening we went to George's taverna - he had complained to some friends of ours that we come every year and never eat at his place. Kai was also insistent that we should go there because Kai claimed that he had the best meat ever. We had rabbit, which was tasty but not as tender as Kai had remembered. We felt very bad abandoning Yanni and Voula, especially when we saw that they had only three customers that evening while George's was full. However, George was very welcoming and obviously delighted that we had come to him.
We went to bed while Kai went off to play with his Italian friends. About 1.30 Lin woke in a panic - where was Kai? She couldn't see him anywhere below and woke Simon to go and search for him. As Simon was getting dressed Kai popped his head round to door - what's up? he said. He had been sleeping on deck.
Kai woke at 5.30 on Wednesday morning to see two coastguard boats bringing in more refugees, who were led up to the port police office.
We ate with Yanni on Wednesday evening, who was swamped with about 50 customers, against the three the night before, and having had to cook for the refugees, who were being fed by the port police. Poor Voula was alone in the kitchen, her mother not being there that evening, but she managed to serve her usual delicious food to everybody.
Thursday was a quiet day, swimming and reading and getting ready to leave for Lipsi on Friday, with no new refugees.
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