How wonderful it is to have a helping hand on the boat as Greg replaces the rusting screws in the passarelle (boarding plank) for stainless steel ones in between hoisting Richard up the mast.
Deb and Pippy have a wonderful time ....
....doing laundry....
...shopping for provisions...29 Sept sees us heading out of the marina after a leisurely start. We are making for Astipalea which we reckon is very similar to sailing to Gt Barrier from Auckland, certainly a similar distance.
(The circle of islands from Kos south form our equivalent of the Hauraki Gulf, ie Nisyros, Tilos, Khalkhi and Rhodes, Turkey being the mainland.)
Astipalea is on the edge of the major wind funnel, which comprises the central part of the Agean and the winds there are usually fresh and northerly at this time of year. However, we see on the forecast that a southerly is due in a couple of days and this will give us a chance to explore the northern more remote side of the island as well. Great! Off we go.
We have been a bit slow in getting going this morning and as we lay through between Kalymnos to starboard and Kos to port, we change course for Kalymnos to spend a night and check it out – just because we can. We revel in the freedom of being able to change our mind and our destination at whim.
We blame Deb who is on the helm! Unfortunately the harbour is a little full and we have difficulty finding a berth. A large superyacht (classic) is taking up enough space for 3 yachts with their springs and will not move their lines to allow us in. Pippy gets into trouble with the Capn for saying “Up Yours” which is actually very restrained under the circumstances. A chat on the VHF to the Harbourmaster gets us permission to berth in the space reserved for Coast Guard and we finally get alongside after lots of in and out action.
The price we pay for occupying Coast Guard spot is that the skipper has to stay on the boat, so Greg and Deb pop off for a walk and discover a delightful township.
After dark the Capn slips out with us and we all enjoy a huge over-indulgence in Baclava (nut free Baklava for the Skipper) in a café so close to the street we have to move over to let the cars go by.
A walk the next morning in the opposite direction finds a beach where we all enjoy an early swim then real coffee on our way back to the boat before departing Kalymnos.
Astipalea 30 September 2009
We promise D and G a deserted anchorage tonight in the bay of Agrilithi, only to find we are in the company of 3 other yachts, all tucked in sheltering from the NW wind.
Deb and Greg are soon in the dinghy (ready?) go ashore to explore the deserted landscape.
...ancient ruins....
...the old olive grove has some life in it yet...
....and we enjoy a convivial evening on board with exceptionally good food. The main harbour of Skala is our destination the next morning and we leave early to ensure we can get a berth as our last experience here was that it tended to be crowded. We need not have worried. As we sail in under the shadow of the Chora and ancient Castle, we find that we are in company with two other boats and there is plenty of room on the wall. We spend the day exploring the steep climb to the castle, the castle itself, pork or chicken gyros for lunch in the village of windmills high up on the ridge, an afternoon swim in the sheltered harbour and a special treat of dinner out on the beach.
Skala is looking her best despite the fact that the tourists appear to have mostly gone home.
2 October 2009 - Friday
Today we plan to sail to the remote north-western tip of Astipalaea, and spend the night in the sheltered bay of Panormos. This is uncharted territory for SY Matelot. The wind is forecast to be SE up to 25 knots from 3.00 am to all day on Saturday.
Friday morning dawns calm and clear as we motor out of Skala and follow the inhospitable coastline north. The rocky barren hills plunging straight down into the sea are punctured by a couple of steep to valleys with small settlements on the shore line. The vivid blue sky frames it all with an intensity which is almost surreal.
Two hours later we drop anchor in the south western bay looking ashore to the ruins of a stone village, once home to people of this island and within the broken remains of the village, the old chapel, still standing.
A shore party of Deb Greg and Richard sadly discover one of the surrounding bays littered metres deep with rubbish possibly blown in here by prevailing winds.
The simple chapel has an intact altar, icons and candles for use by visitors, plus a broom.
Deb lights a candle and sweeps the floor.
These small chapels are everywhere in Greece. Unfortunately most of them are locked because of the treasures they contain which have been stolen in some instances. However, many of them are open and are places of such peace and grace, it is a privilege to visit, quietly contemplate, light a candle and send thoughts and prayers to loved ones in distant places.
The stark beauty and magic of this anchorage is amplified when darkness falls over the still water and the full moon comes up over the top of the nearby ridge to our east, lighting up the enclosed natural harbour and sending its reflection like a comforting hand across the water to us in the fading light. We eat delicious roast chicken with Greek potatoes outside in the cockpit. The air is still, the water silvery calm, the sound of occasional goat bells echoes from the hills. The magic of this place surrounds us.
We are four people in a yacht in a deserted wilderness, our only companions a colony of grey herons with a lone white heron in their flock and the ghosts of previous inhabitants.
Just before we turn in for the night we notice car lights on the ridge above us. We watch as they wind down towards us and stop on the shore not far from us. There is something unsettling about this new arrival. We watch in the moonlight as we make out two people who after a while, trek up to the chapel then return to their car, taking something back to the chapel with them. We figure they are spending the night in the chapel and settle down ourselves, stowing the dinghy up across the stern to repel any boarders!
By midnight, the wind is gusting up to 18 knots over the hills and by dawn it is more like 25 knots. We are on anchor watch for the remainder of the night as Matelot swings perilously close to the rocky shore during the fierce gusts.
At first light we note that the people have emerged from the chapel and appear to have a flat tyre. We cannot help them as we are tailing into shallow water and we must be on the move again, this time towards the completely enclosed harbour of Vathi on the NE tip of the island. It is a one hour spray covered, wet ride across the exposed northern bay, around a reef in the middle and then through the very narrow entrance into Vathi Harbour where we anchor in lovely sheltered water. Breakfast is especially tasty this morning before we contemplate a walk ashore to explore the rather untidy looking settlement here.
Repeated whistling from the shore grabs Pippy’s attention first of all (wonder why!) and we see some people beckoning to us. Can’t be…. We don’t know anyone here? Yes we do – it is Anne and Stuart from SY Susanne who were so good to us one stormy night in Corinth in October last year. We are all now many miles from Corinth and find ourselves in the same unlikely place again. Greg and Richard soon have the OB on the dinghy and bring them on to SY Matelot for a nice catch up before we all go our separate ways again.
...Pethi is a sheltered anchorage....Both boats depart Vathi at 8.00am quite by accident at the same time the next morning, and once again, we are waving goodbye to SY Susanne as she sails one way, and we sail the other. We are heading back to Kos Island to rendezvous with Rod and Fi Marler.
However, not before we stop for a turquoise swim in the lovely anchorage of Pserimos Island, 5 miles out of Kos. The wind is a little fresh but the swimming is divine.
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