We enter October with a definite feel of Autumn with shorter days and soft, low sunlight at dawn and dusk. Despite this the recent southerly winds have brought high humidity and we are back to 30 degrees so, despite the sea feeling a bit chilly, we are still jumping in to cool off!
After a lumpy crossing from Astypalea to Leros the southerly wind abated and turned to a strong northerly. We had a night at anchor in Lakki Bay before heading out to explore Leros island with destination anchorages entirely decided by the wind. Our first stop was for a few nights in Xirokampus, a deep bay on the south of the island. We were grateful for the shelter as winds picked up to 25kts, but we were still able to swim and go ashore to a lovely taverna run by a delightful family. Unfortunately, the forecast showed even stronger winds coming so we decided to head in to Leros marina for a few days on land. We got out the folding bikes that had not been used for ages and set out to explore.
Lakki town is quite strange. From 1923 the bay was the main base of the Italian Royal Navy and the town was founded in the 1930s as a new model town built in Art Deco style. Leros was transferred to Greece in 1947 and the town now has a feel of crumbling elegance. By contrast, just a few miles away on the eastern side of the island is the lovely traditionally Greek town of Pantelli with windmills and castle looking over the bay. This combines traditional fishing harbour with laid back tourism, crystal clear water and fantastic tavernas.
After four days of Meltemi the winds calmed so we were able to head out to explore more of the islands. We had just taken delivery of a new tender – it’s only 50cm longer than our old one but seems enormous and feels very much safer when going ashore in choppy seas. Having fallen in love with Pantelli Bay by land we headed there to anchor and enjoy some fantastic seafood ashore. By now the winds had decided to become southerly so we sailed north to spend a few nights on the northern tip of the island in Blefouti Bay. This was a really protected anchorage where we sat out a strong southerly for a few nights.
With the southerly easing we ventured out to explore the next island of Patmos. Despite lighter winds the seas were still rough and we were very pleased to get some shelter from the swell as we arrived. We managed to find a calm anchorage at Sapsilon Bay and an excellent restaurant ashore where we had delicious swordfish. As the southerly eased the next day we were able to enter the harbour at Skala and explore the very attractive tourist town. The main attraction is the Monastery of St John the Theologian who was said to write the Book of Revelations or the Apocalypse in a cave nearby. The monastery is a UNESCO world heritage site and besides being a beautiful building surrounded by castellated fortress walls, its museum displays a wonderful collection of ancient manuscripts dating back to the 9th Century. Our last stop on the island was to anchor in the stunning Grikos Bay just south of the main town where we enjoyed an incredibly calm still night.
Hmm! Calm, still nights are just a distant memory. Plans to see more of the islands had to be curtailed as another Meltemi blows in with winds of 35kts forecast here in the harbour. We’re realising that this seems to be the pattern of wind at this time of year – a few days of southerly winds, heat and humidity followed by an abrupt change in wind direction to the strong northerlies and some cooler days. It’s certainly keeping us on our toes when it come to passage planning. Hopefully the winds are due to become calmer by the end of the week as we hope to sail south to visit Kalimnos before our sailing season comes to an end.