Sikinos

It is so typical of this life that our plans about where we are going to next have to be fluid. Probably because the weather dictates to us what is possible and fun and what is not. The Meltemi, the prevailing wind for this part of the world and this time of the year, has been a little slow to get going this year but it is now making up for lost time. Our favourite weather site www.wind finder.com (no space in the middle - put there insistently by the iPad) shows a big yellow/orange weather system spreading over the whole of the southern Agean towards the end of this week. Given that we find this forecast always a little conservative and add on 10 knots to what they are predicting, it looks like the region is in for a slamming.

The past two days in southern Paros, listening to the howling wind, that was only forecast up to the green (Beaufort 4-5) which is not as much wind as the yellow and orange forecast (B 6-7-8), is as much meltemi as we need for one week. So just because we can, and because we have some old friends visiting there as well, we have decided to sail to Crete. The weather looks better down that way.

In what was a truly wonderful sail with the wind peaking at around 20 knots, we moved the boat to the island of Sikinos this morning. There is nothing quite as good as jumping out of bed at first light, pulling up the anchor and heading out before the wind fills in for the day. There is usually time for coffee and breakfast along the way before we get busy and today is no exception.

By 10.30 am the tiny turquoise harbour of Sikinos appears around a headland. It does not look very big and the golden sandy shore appears to be lined with buoys. It is not until we get closer that we realise they are heads of people sitting in the water. It is so small it takes us a couple of tries before we get the anchor in just the right place, then Pippy goes over the side to take a look. It is well bedded into the clean White sand (don't know why the iPod always changes White to a capital letter! Too smart for it's own good and we all know that there should not be an apostrophe in its.). There are groups of little flounder nibbling at the sand around the chain as it moves. We have never seen this before.

It is beautiful here but cannot upload photos so will try to describe it. This is the only harbour on the island and the pretty village is built up the slopes on either side of the harbour. Tavernas and small shops line the shore and on the hill up the valley in the distance we got a glimpse of the White buildings of the chora or old town. Right beside us there are holiday accommodation buildings painted White with varying hues of blue on the shutters. There is "Maistrali Rooms to Let", Luca's Studio Rooms and a jumble of others. The valley floor in the middle as it opens out to the harbour is green with vegetation, and the golden sand beach on the shore line is well patronised with swimmers and day trippers.

We are sitting quietly in the cockpit when we hear the voices of two Greek women very close by. We peep over the side and there they are chattering away under the Lee of our boat. We startle them and off they go giggling back to the shore.