Blog 5: Northern Dodecanese (continued)

We are now back in Greece, having left our boat Island Drifter here in mid-July when we caught a ferry to Rhodes and a flight with Monarch (!) from there to Gatwick. Indeed, we’ve now been back for the last three weeks. 

Island Drifter under its deck cover in Partheni boatyard

During the summer we based ourselves at our beach chalet at Calshot and met up with family and friends either there or elsewhere in the UK. 

 

Emmy, our granddaughter, in our beach chalet practising surfing – Summer 2017

We returned to Partheni boatyard in Leros in mid-September. This time we travelled to Leros on one ticket with Aegean Airlines which covered both our flights from Heathrow to Athens and a connecting flight to Leros’s small airstrip adjacent to the boatyard.

 

Leros airstrip adjacent to Partheni boatyard, drone photograph courtesy of Markos Spanos

Our connecting flight was in a small 16-seater turbo prop with Olympic Airways.  Very convenient and cost effective!  We even got fed on both flights. 

 

Olympic Airways turbo prop at Leros airstrip

Marjorie Mullins, who has sailed with us before, including across the Atlantic, met us at Heathrow and flew with us to Leros for the first part of our cruise.

 

Marjorie Mullins and Helen eating roast beef and Yorkshire puddings, mid-Atlantic in 2010

Marjorie ‘volunteered’ to be responsible for the galley and cooking.  After some research she came up with her own take on moussaka – delicious!

 

Marjorie proudly displays her take on moussaka – delicious!

 

LEROS

Partheni boatyard

Having arrived in Partheni at 10.30 a.m. local time, after our overnight flights, we then spent a day and a half recommissioning Island Drifter ready for launch/sea.  Suffice to say, given that we were not acclimatised, it was hard work in 35°C. 

 

Island Drifter being launched at Partheni

The only unexpected problem we encountered was that the 2-year-old regulator for our Calor Gas bottles failed to work.  (We now appreciate that the design has recently been modified to overcome a known problem.)  We therefore, in the absence of a spare, had to circumvent parts of the boat’s gas system and jury-rig one that worked on a Camping Gaz bottle with its own regulator.

 

The gas regulator that failed us!

Lakki

Immediately after launch, we checked that the seacocks weren’t leaking before starting the engine and heading south down the west coast of Leros to the island’s principal port at Lakki in the well-protected harbour that was once Mussolini’s main naval base in the Dodecanese.  

 

Lakki harbour and marina, drone photograph courtesy of Markos Spanos

As part of our boatyard contract with Ag Marine, we are allowed to stay for 30 days ‘free’ in their marina on the quay in Lakki.   We therefore spent a day and a half there, provisioning, sorting out some teething problems and chilling out (in 35°C). 

 

Island Drifter moored bows-to on the marina’s quay at Lakki

NISIROS

Pali

Since the Meltemi wind was blowing strongly from the Northwest, we gave up any thoughts of sailing north as we would have preferred and decided instead to initially sail south downwind some 50 miles back to Pali in Nisiros, where we’d really enjoyed a week’s ‘break’ back in July.  

Pali harbour, Nisiros

It was nice to meet up again with Mike and Marilyn Zahariadis of Eagle’s Nest Car and Scooter Hire and the Zarakis family of Afrodite Taverna – with whom we had remained in email contact over the summer.  We had very much appreciated their help, advice and hospitality on our previous visit to Pali.

 

Pali harbour in August – our idea of hell! Photograph provided by Xrisanthi of Afroditi Taverna

While we’d toured the island before by scooter, we now knew the ‘form’ and Helen was able to take Marjorie round the island for free on the local public bus.  She was thus able to see the island’s volcanic caldera and Mandraki port and town.

Volcanic crater on Nisiros

By chance, on our last evening the local community were celebrating the Feast of St John in the monastery near Nikia.  We attended as guests and very much enjoyed the atmosphere, supper, music and traditional Greek dancing. It was a pleasure and privilege to attend.

Greek dancing at Feast of St John

 KALYMNOS

From Pali we began to make our way back north, closehauled, against the strong northwesterly Meltemi wind.

Route of our 200-mile cruise with Marjorie Mullins

Pothía

Initially, we sailed back past Kos to Pothía, the capital of Kalymnos, situated on the south coast of the island. It is the historic centre of Greek sponge diving.

A Greek sponge shop in Pothía

Pothía is a ‘proper’ Greek working town with shoppers dodging traffic in narrow one-way streets, tripper boats, ferries and fishing boats, loading/unloading their cargoes, trucks, car, motorcycles, scooters and 3-wheeler mini-trucks and vans buzzing along the waterfront.

Overview of Pothía town and harbour from high ground

As in Pali, we moored bows-to using our lightweight Danforth anchor and anchor tape off the stern to keep us off the quay. 

Aerial view of boats moored stern- or bows-to on the visitors’ quay which has recently been extended

Emborios

Having previously been to the excellent fjord-like inlet at Palionissos on the east coast of Kalymnos, we decided to tack our way closehauled against a 25-knot wind up the west coast of the island to the ultra-sheltered (360°) anchorage in the attractive bay of Emborios.  

Island Drifter moored in Emborios Bay

There we moored on a free taverna buoy since the water is deep and the holding is reported to be poor. 

Mike rowing ashore to the hamlet of Emborios

Subsequently, we enjoyed an excellent meal of local goat stew in Captain Kostas’ taverna.

View of Island Drifter from taverna

Greek waters are incredibly clean and clear. Cruisers are generally responsible and holding tanks are mandatory.

Helen and Marjorie having a daily swim

LEROS

Subsequently, halfway up the east coast of Leros, we reached the bays of Pandeli and Alinde which are separated by a small headland. Platanos, the island’s capital at the saddle of the headland, joins the two bays and associated harbours and towns.  We anchored off the small colourful fishing port of Pandeli.  

Aerial view of Pandeli harbour and bay

Today the area has become a pleasant upmarket little resort with some attractive tavernas lining the shore.   An abundance of bougainvillea and clematis adorns many houses in the town.

View of Island Drifter from Zorba’s taverna

By coincidence we anchored near to a 56ft Oyster Yantina.  We’d both launched for the first time in Fox’s boatyard in Ipswich on the same day in 1999, soon after we’d bought Island Drifter (second hand) and Richard had bought Yantina (new!).   We subsequently met again in Antigua a year later by which time he had almost already swallowed the anchor.  Soon after, the boat was brought back by ship to the UK and remained for sale for nine years before being purchased by Ian Davis, the current owner, whom we enjoyed meeting in Pandeli.  

An old friend – SY Yantina

Pátmos

Given a favourable 12-hour weather window, at least in terms of strength if not direction of wind, we took the opportunity to sail north past Lipso to Pátmos – the most northern island in the Dodecanese and spiritual centre of the Greek Orthodox Church – after Mount Athos.

Greek Orthodox monks at St John’s Monastery, Pátmos

Skala

Pátmos is composed of three barren volcanic lumps joined to each other by narrow isthmuses.   The large natural harbour of Skala lies on the central isthmus.

Skala harbour viewed from St John’s Monastery

Skala is the focal point of the island.  The Chora of Pátmos is crowned by the monastery of St John the Theologian.

St John’s Monastery viewed from the town

Halfway up the road from Skala to the Chora a smaller monastery has been built around the cave where St John is said to have heard the voice of God and wrote the Book of Revelations.  

We anchored in the quieter bay of Meloyi some 15 minutes’ walk east from Skala.  While we were visiting the monastery, our anchor broke loose and Island Drifter had slowly drifted to and stuck on the shallow rocky downwind side of the bay where fortunately she came to rest on anchor facing into wind.   We were able to drive her off and reposition her with two anchors at 90° off the bow.  They held like Superglue. 

Island Drifter at anchor in Meloyi Bay

LEROS

Arkhangelus Island

Our return sail south to the anchorage to the south of Arkhangelus island on the north coast of Leros was on a fast broad reach. 

Helen and Marjorie relaxing while sailing downwind

The anchorage is relatively shallow but the holding was said to be good. Even so, given our recent experience in Patmos, Mike swam down, in the absence of other volunteers, to check out the anchor.

Mike about to check the anchor

The anchorage in Arkhangelus was very well protected and picturesque.  Goats grazed on the hillside – suppers in waiting!  It even had a ‘desert island’ taverna with a good reputation.  A chartered catamaran arrived soon after we did and promptly caused chaos with a display of incompetence beyond belief.   As a consequence we ended up having to maintain an anchor watch of sorts in view of the danger of them picking up our anchor and allowing us to drift onto the rocks which were only some 30 metres away.

The offending catamaran

Lakki

We enjoyed another downwind sail when we returned south to Lakki and moored back on to the marina’s quay before going out for supper to celebrate our wedding anniversary.  The splendid meal for three with wine cost 50 euros and must rate as one of the best we’ve had.

Supper in Petronis restaurant on our wedding anniversary

Next day Marjorie caught an overnight ferry at 10 p.m. to Athens, from where she flew to Manchester.  In total we covered 200 miles during her cruise, visited four islands and went to nine ports/anchorages.

Marjorie embarking on the large Blue Star inter-island ferry to Athens

LIMNOS

By chance, an atypical southerly wind was forecast for 36 hours – beginning the next morning – just about enough time for us to sail the 200 miles north to Limnos, the most northern of the Eastern Sporades Islands (our original objective), before the prevailing northerly winds re-established themselves.  

Eastern Sporades Islands showing our route from Leros to Limnos

Next morning we left Lakki in a light southerly wind.  After 12 hours it increased steadily from F4 to 6. For the last 12 hours of the passage it was a strong F7 with a 3-metre swell.

3-metre wave about to come on board

We ran poled out almost all the way to Limnos.  Such conditions are not exactly ‘fun’ but they did allow us to achieve our objective of getting north fast and then hopefully cruising south again slowly with the prevailing wind.  

Sailing downwind poled out with two reefs in a F7           

As we began to round the south west corner of Limnos (Tigani Point) with only ten miles to go to our objective, Mirina, the island’s principal port and capital, rain fell in biblical proportions.  Within minutes, the wind and seas changed 180° from south to north, albeit on a lighter scale than before.  

We eventually reached and entered the capital’s harbour in the dark.  It was like entering an oasis of calm.  We anchored behind the inner breakwater for the night, had a G&T (or two), ate supper (pasta) and both promptly fell asleep on the settee.

View from our anchorage in Mirina in the morning          

We now plan to explore Limnos before cruising steadily south back through the Eastern Sporades Islands to Leros. There we will decommission our boat before leaving her in Partheni for the winter, flying back to the UK on 21 November, and picking her up again in early Spring next year.