Just the two of us

Simon's treatment went well and he got back to Leros on the ferry at 5am on Thursday morning 30th August to jump into bed with a sleeping Lin, who had a very windy time in Leros. We pottered around for a couple of days, cleaning and tidying, and on Saturday had a windy beat up to Arki (we cheated and motor sailed the last half as the wind got up to 25 knots. On passage the passarel disintegrated, so we had no way to get ashore in Arki, so we anchored in the bay just south of the port - crystal clear water and very sheltered. We stayed there two nights, mending the passarel and swimming, then moved to the harbour for a couple of days more, having some excellent meals at Nikolas's taverna before saying good bye to everyone. On Wedensday 5th September we set off at dawn to sail the fifty miles to Dhonoussa, just East of Naxos. There was a good wind till we got to the southern tip of Patmos, then the wind died for a couple of hours motoring. Anticipating stronger and more westerly winds we worked our way north, which was lucky because when the wind came back there was a lot of west in it and we could only just lay Dhonoussa. The wind increased steadily as we close reached, often at over 8 knots, with two reefs and a patch of genoa. The waves also got bigger and bigger, well over two metres, so the boat got a good wash down. We had planned to go to the anchorage in the north west of Dhonoussa, that Derek had recommended to us, but we could not lay it as the wind increased and went further west, so we decided to head for Ormos Dhendro in the south of the island. As we reached the island the gusts increased to 35 knots and Simon had to work hard on the wheel to keep us on course. The anchorage did not look promising from offshore - a little bay with spray flying everywhere, but things calmed down as we motored in and we anchored off the beach, the only yacht here (or on the whole island), with 55 metres of chain. The beach had a lot of little tents and bivouaks. Simon swam around to check the anchor and swinging room and went ashore to check out the beach. It was clearly a middle-aged hippy beach, with half the people (including many Greeks) naked and a lively bar/taverna at the back.

Even in the bay the wind was 25 knots, but the anchor was well dug in so we were confident we would be OK, but still Simon slept on deck and set the anchor alarm just in case.

The forecast was for calmer weather on Thursday, but then gale force winds from Friday lunchtime, so we decided to find a more sheltered anchorage and headed for Mirsini on Skhinousa, which we found almost empty - just two Greek yachts, so we found a comfortable place on the quay.

We had a delicious lunch at Mersini taverna behind the beach, then relaxed after two days heavy sailing.

On Friday morning we walked up to the hora to do some shopping, passing an emaciated donkey

and the financial district.

The hora is pretty nondescript, having been developed for tourists who fill the island in high season, but who were now conspicuous by their absence, but there were spectacular views to the many beaches around the island.

On Saturday, after shopping, putting extra lines on the boat, swimming, lunch and a siesta, the day flashed by, the wind still very strong and no yachts coming or going.

On Sunday we walked over the hill to the north, to look at the sea state, and walked down to a little chapel on the headland.

 

We could see that the wind was still blowing hard and the forecast is to keep blowing through Monday, so we decided to stay here until Tuesday and then head up to Naxos to explore the island. The local ferries have been cancelled for the last two days. On Saturday a stranded Greek couple were hoping to find a yacht to take them to Naxos and on Sunday a Swimtrek group were brought over from Naxos  a day late crammed onto a yacht. We wouldn't fancy inter-island swimming in these seas, but presumably they will find some sheltered passages.

 

We are very happy to be storm bound here. It is very peaceful on the little quay with friendly Greek and Italian neighbours, sandy beaches and lovely swimming in very clear water, an excellent taverna and reasonable shopping in the hora. 

Last leg

Kai and Becky caught half a dozen fish in Xerokampos.

They were too small to cook and we had no vegetables to make fish soup, so the fish were reprieved and released on Thursday morning before we left to motor up to Pandeli.

Pandeli was very crowded, with a lot of big Turkish motor yachts. We managed to anchor on the sand just off the beach, but then found ourselves swinging onto a big mooring buoy. When we tried to anchor further out there was very little room and a lot of weed, so we decided it would be much nicer to go back to Lakki and anchor off the town beach.
On Friday morning we moved into the marina. Friday was mostly tidying up and packing. Becky and Andrew took Charlie to Crithoni's Paradise, where he revelled in the water, but they forgot to take armbands and camera. In the afternoon Charlie went to the town beach with Lin and Simon.

In the evening Becky and Andrew went out for a romantic dinner/blow-out at To Petrino, while Lin and Simon gave Kai and Charlie cheesy rice and had scrambled egg themselves.

On Saturday we hired a car for the day - it hardly costs any more to hire a car for 24 hours than it does to get a taxi to the aiport. We drove around the island heights for Kai to get a bird's eye (paratrooper's eye) view of the wartime battlefields and then visited the very moving war cemetery at Alinda, which brought Kai's heroic-romantic view of war somewhat, but probably only temporarily, down to earth.

We then went to Crithoni's for the rest of the day, interrupted by an excellent lunch at To Steki in Alinda

and a drive up to the castle after lunch.

 

Kai and Charlie had a great time in the pool at Crithoni's Paradise.

On Saturday night we had a quick pizza. Kai had been promised a night in the hammock, but the dew was so heavy that he and Andrew could not even sleep in the cockpit, but had to sleep below.

On Saturday morning Kai and Andrew, Kai and Charlie and Simon set off to the airport to take the early flight to Athens, which gave them six hours in the city before they had to take their flights to Birmingham. Having checked our bags in we took a taxi to the acropolis. With so many disabled in our party we were able to get value for the huge money of our tickets by going up in the so-called elevator - a very perilous looking device. By the time he got to the top Kai had huge blisters so could not walk in his shoes, but the stone was so hot that he could not walk without them either.

We had to abandon our plans to go to the Acropolis Museum and instead went down to have lunch in a favourite taverna at the top of Plaka before buying Kai some shoes in the flee market.

Now that Kai had shoes, tourism could resume. We went to see the Agora and the Stoa, but no sooner had we gone into the Stoa than we were thrown out - it was closing time. Charlie was tired and thirsty, Kai was moaning and we were all very hot - it was in the high thirties - so we had a drink in a cafe, where the waiter's mother had come from Birmingham to marry his Greek father.

We took the metro back to the airport, trying to distract other passengers from the smell rising from Charlie's nappy. Washed and changed and with a new pair of clean designer shorts bought at the airport Charlie had a great time in the children's area before we all had to board our planes and fly home (Simon was coming back via Munich, the others via Frankfurt). We all arrived in Birmingham together and Andrew's Uncle Andy picked us up and drove us home.
Simon now has two days of doctors and hospitals before flying back on Wednesday morning, all being well, while Lin cleans, tidies and chills in Lakki.

Peace at last

We stayed in Lakki until Tuesday, when the wind started to drop at last. On Sunday Becky, Andrew, Charlie and Kai took a taxi to Crithoni's Paradise, a resort hotel with a pool, where Charlie almost swam with his armbands. On Monday morning everyone but Simon walked round to Merikhia to go to the War Museum. Charlie slept well when they got back.

On Tuesday morning we motored round to Xerokampos,

where we picked up a mooring buoy. Kai was in a filthy mood in the morning, but after a siesta he did his homework and, after a swim, was hauled up the mast to the top. The bosun's chair was hurting him, so he did not stay up there. When he was down he needed to lie down to recover.

We had s good, though expensive, meal in the taverna, where we were almost the only customers, although there were six boats on the taverna's moorings.
We decided to stay in Xerokampos on Wednesday. In the morning we fished off the boat and Becky caught a fish, though not enough to feed the 5,000.

We went to lunch in the taverna

 

 

where Charlie drank from a glass

and ate a huge amount.

 

Strong winds

The strong winds have been relentless.
On Friday we sailed down from Lipsi to Arkhangeli, where we anchored off the little beach. Andrew, Becky, Kai and Charlie went ashore in the kayak to feed the goats, while Lin swam.

There were no goats around the beach when they arrived. But the chief goat checked them out

 

And soon goats converged from all over the island.

 

Kai herded the goats

and enticed them down to the beach,

where they ate all the bread in no time.

Charlie liked the goats, but was a bit wary about going too close.

We had a very windy night in Arkhangeli. In the morning we were pleased to see that the anchor had turned around on a sixpence as the wind swung round and had not budged. That was why we got a Rocna anchor. In the morning we decided to head down to Lakki for better shelter as the wind was forecast to be even stronger for the next two days. We had a fast run down to Lakki under genoa in a Force 7 northerly. We sailed alongside the wrecked gullet we had seen in Lipsi, which was being towed back to Bodrum by a tug.

We decided that Merikhia bay was too windy, so we anchored off the Lakki town beach.

In the morning Becky, Andrew, Charlie and Kai went into town, where Charlie bought a toy boat. In the afternoon he went in the dinghy with Becky, where he dropped his boat in the sea and it sank to the bottom.

Meanwhile Kai disappeared to the cafe to play on the Play Station all afternoon. We had dinner on board and justr as we finished loud music blared out from the beach cafe. Hooting of car horns, church bells and fireworks told us that a wedding was in progress and, sure enough, the wedding was in the cafe on the beach. Loud music kept up until dawn. Simon, Kai and Charlie slept like logs, but Lin, Becky and Andrew had a sleepless night.

With stronger winds forecast we came into Lakki marina on Saturday and will probably stay here till Monday, when the winds are forecast to start to die down.

Circular tour

We have had a week going round in a circle, from Lipsi to Patmos to Arki and back to Lipsi, with strong winds, force 4-6, all week. The internet seems to have collapsed in this part of the Dodecanese. Apparently Cosmote had a special offer for August which led to a big increase in usage which has overloaded the system.

We left Lipsi on Friday 10^th of August and had a windy reach motor-sailing up to Patmos,

where we anchored in a bay behind the small island of Agios Georgios, North-east of Patmos town, where we swam, canoed and chilled.

Kai dived off the back of the boat,

but chickened out of his dives from the bow.

On Saturday morning we moved to the noisy, busy quay in Patmos town.

Becky, Andrew, Kai and Charlie went to the hotel swimming pool.

On Sunday morning Kai and Andrew went up to the monastery,

where Kai lit candles for everybody he knew.

On the way down they went to the cave of the apocalypse, where St John had his revelation, and as soon as they came back we set off for another fast, windy motor-sail across to Arki.

Andrew, Becky and Charlie took the kayak to a lovely little beach in the harbour – sand, shallow, warm and nowhere for Charlie to run away to.

Kai met his Belgian friend Elliot, from last year, and spent the time cycling and playing football, while we all enjoyed Nikolas’s food in his taverna.

Charlie loves tsatsiki!

And he loves Nesquick cereal for breakfast.

 And Kai loves chocolate cake for breakfast, lunch and tea.

We stayed three days in Arki and on Tuesday motored the mile across to Marathi, where we picked up a mooring.

The mooring rope creaked all night so that Andrew hardly slept, while the wind howled all night so that Becky hardly slept, up in the cockpit with Kai. We set off early on Wednesday morning and motor-sailed round Lipsi, being buzzed by the Flying Dolphin,

to come onto the quay in Lipsi town.

That evening there was live music in Manolis’s taverna, and in a taverna in the harbour. We had dinner in Manolis’s,

where Kai loved the cheese soufflé

and Charlie gobbled up the tsatsiki. 

Charlie fell in love with a little Italian girl, who danced with him.

 While we all went home, Kai settled in to dance all night – putting on a solo performance in Manolis’s, then joining the dancing in the tavern on the harbour. He eventually was dragged to bed at midnight, but the deafening music kept going until just before 6 am, so the rest of us had little sleep.