We managed to depart Leros on the 14th May. It took over a week to purchase a new hot water tank and wait for the boatyard technicians to have a time slot to install it. We had been hanging around with very little else to do and, on running through our pre-departure checks, found that our anchor windlass control had stopped working. Fortunately we had a spare so our last day was occupied with replacing it. We also had a lovely final evening with our American neighbours, Trési and Jeff on Galene, at a fantastic fish restaurant in Leros.
We awoke the next morning to the sound of the wind howling through the marina with all the halyards slapping – not ideal for our maiden voyage of the season – but still decided to head west to the island of Levitha. We certainly had a good sail and were happily surprised as we entered the southern bay of the island, an almost enclosed natural harbour, and picked up a mooring buoy to the sound of goats’ bells and bleating. The island is inhabited by just two families and thousands of inquisitive goats and we ate at the small family taverna – lamb for me and meatballs for Jonathan – the only options on the menu.
Another week was spent island hopping westwards towards the mainland, choosing islands and bays offering the best shelter as the wind strengthened and switched from northeast to west and back again. The harbour of Katápola on Amorgos was beautiful and relaxing, very laid back and stylish with some superb restaurants. Amorgos was the setting for the Jean Luc Besson film ‘The Big Blue’ and well chosen.
From Amorgos, just a short hop took us to Iraklia where we sheltered from strong westerlies before starting to retrace a few of last year’s sails. The stunning anchorage of Despotic Bay provided more goats, an ancient temple and another fabulous sunset. Next hop was Vathi on Sifnos, another fantastic natural harbour and a very charming small tourist resort. Sadly the shelter did not stop an amplified meltemi rushing down into the bay from the surrounding mountains and, after a really unpleasant sleepless night swinging at anchor, we were happy to head to Adamantos on Milos. We have no photos of Milos as, just after anchoring and heading ashore, the heavens opened. We had an amazing meal at Nostros restaurant in the harbour, hoping for the end of the storm, but the rain did not abate and we returned to the boat very sodden. Such a shame as Adamantos is another lovely Aegean town asking to be explored.
Fortunately, the next morning the rain had stopped, although it remained cold and cloudy – we really haven’t had the amazing weather you expect in Greece in May. We headed out from Milos for the long crossing to the southern Peloponnese. The sea was calm and we sighted a few pods of dolphins en route before arriving in the late afternoon to the amazing sight of the Byzantine walled city of Monemvasia. The city sits at the base of a massive craggy rock connected to the mainland via a rocky causeway. We tucked ourselves into the small adjacent harbour and went out to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Sitting on the boat that afternoon we were amazed to see that we were sharing the bay with two loggerhead turtles!
We’re now anchored off the stunning beach of Sarakiniko Bay on the island of Elafonisos at the southeastern tip of the Peloponnese. We’ve waved goodbye to the Aegean and it’s incredibly strong meltemi and will be heading up the western coast towards the Ionians. All has been well with Merryn, except that the newly installed water heater and water pump have not been working well. Jonathan has spent many hours with his head in the bilges trying to make things work better. There’s been a lot of swearing! We think we’ve worked out the cause but will need to install some extra plumbing, so plan to head quickly northwards to Zakinthos hoping to find the parts and expertise. Let’s hope it’s all sorted before our visitors start to arrive!
Jonathan swearing! Surely not. I bet when the anchor got snagged a few choice words were said! Hope the weather gets dryer and warmer (but not too hot!)