From Panormos to Khalkis

On Monday, May 13, we left Panormos on Skopelos at 6am for Orei on Evia. The wind was forecast to be Force 1-2 East, which it was in the bay, but as soon as we got out to sea we suddenly had  Force 5 northerly, which must have come from the big grey cloud hanging over us. Not long after we had left we saw Skopelos enveloped by thick fog.

We motor-sailed with the genoa until the wind gradually went round west and dropped to almost nothing as we approached the Volos Bay. Simon wanted to detour to visit Palio Trikeri island, to tick off another inhabited island, which did not please Lin because she was concerned about the unpredictable weather and wanted to get tucked up in Orei as soon as possible.

On the way we met two ferries racing each other from Volos to Skiathos.

With the wind dropping to almost nothing, though still with thick grey clouds, Lin agreed to satisfy Simon’s whim and we visited Palio Trikeri, briefly.

On the headland entering the gulf of Volos we sailed past the little village of Agia Kiriaki, with the town of Trikeri dramatically on the hilltop above.

We got to Palio Trikeri safely, had a look around the village from the boat,

and motored and motor-sailed on to Orei, arriving at 1pm, having covered another 46 miles.

Orei has changed dramatically since we were last here in 2010. The harbour has been completely rebuilt and a new jetty built inside the harbour. The north quay, which was dilapidated when were last here, is spanking new, but was full of boats fitting out, having launched from the neighbouring boatyard. 

There was plenty of room on the new jetty, to which we tied up.

We walked around the town and did a bit of shopping (including a new bottle of gas, delivered to the boat, for 8 euros) and once more admired the lion (dredged up from the bottom of the sea), who is encased in his or her crumbling box.

Simon went to pay our harbour dues and print out the papers for the boat tax and we then went for dinner in a littler ouzeri, the only place open, where we had delicious horta and sardines and a huge prawn saganaki, all for 24 euros with wine.

On Tuesday morning, May 14^th, Simon went to the Port Police to see if he could pay the boat tax. A very friendly port policeman explained that we had to pay it in a bank and they don’t have a bank in Orei. We still have four days to pay to avoid a 1000 euro fine.

We had an uneventful 40 mile motor in no wind, seeing no other yachts, to Limni on Evia, where we went alongside on the new outer part of the quay. 

The digger that was dredging the entrance stopped to let us through. In the afternoon a big fishing boat came in behind us, which gave us good protection from the swell as the wind got up. 

We were a bit worried that we would not be able to get round him to leave through the narrow entrance, but Lin mobilised her Greek to find that he was leaving at five. So we will get woken early by his thumping engine right by our bed.

After school a little fleet of Oppies was out training.

Limni is a very Greek town. We had an excellent and very cheap dinner at the Platanos taverna and got to bed early.

We were woken by the trawler at 5.15 and left Limni for Khalkis at 7.15. Again there was very little wind, though we managed to fill the genoa for an hour as we motored down, again seeing no other yachts. We got to Khalki at 11am and decided to go alongside at the north end of the quay (it is too shallow for us further south). We thought it would be easier to get alongside port-side-to because we would be going into the current, which would give us steerage way  -  the current out in the channel was running at 4 knots. However, it was a tight turn in to avoid a yacht parked further up, there was a back eddy by the quay so we had no steerage way and the wind was blowing us gently off. We had three tries (on one a man took our line but could not hold it) before deciding to go starboard-side-to, so we went out, swapped all the lines and fenders over and came in without any problem.

Behind Khalkis the 1743 metre mount Dirfi still had a lot of snow on it. Apparently the snow was 10 foot deep last winter.

As soon as we were tied up Simon went off to the supermarket to stock up and to pay the cruising tax in the bank. He had to wait in a queue for half an hour, but it only took three minutes to pay the tax. After lunch Simon went off to pay for and book our passage of the lifting bridge, which is scheduled for 1 am. The system has changed since we were last here and that described in the pilot. Simon went over to the Port Police building on the other side of the bridge and was told that we now had to pay in the office in the harbour on the other side. He re-crossed the bridge, negotiating a series of pedestrian crossings (at which most drivers only stop if you step out in front of them), and went and paid. The woman in the office told him then to go to the Port Police to book the passage, so he went back to the Port Police building to be told that the relevant bit of the Port Police is in a new building on the other side. He could not find the building, so went back to the harbour office, where he was given a map and directions and was told that the office opened at 4. As it was now 3.30 he had a coffee and turned up at the new Port Police building at 4, to find it closed. A German couple arrived soon after and about 4.15 a cleaning woman opened the door and told us to go in the back entrance round the corner. At last Simon got to the office and booked our passage. We were told to standby from 10pm, with the radio open for instructions of Channel 12. The bridge was scheduled to open at 1 am, but we were told that if there were no big boats going through they might open it earlier.

The most amazing thing about our day in Khalkis was how warm it was after being cold for two weeks! We were in T-shirts and almost changed into shorts.
Going through the bridge was very straightforward, although it did not open till 1.30. A tug and three yachts came through from the south first, although the lights on the bridge showed it as open to south-going traffic. We had been warned very firmly not to cast off until we were called, but as we saw the north-going yachts racing for our quay we decided it was best to keep clear. Leaving was easy as the south running counter current enabled us to ferry-glide off. Soon after leaving, we were called and were the only boat going south through the bridge. The bridge started opening even as we were going through it (the roadway is lowered and then slides under the roadway on each side). We anchored just around the corner, under the railway station and castle, at 2.30 and got to bed.