Limerence Update #75

June, 2006

Cruising Greece from Athens to Kos

It was a sunny calm morning as we motored out of the Athens basin just after dawn. We raised the sails as the morning land breezes filled in and we thought back on the past five days of meetings with government officials about the cruising tax imposed on non-EU yachts. We hope our efforts will pay off and the Greek government will eventually repeal this burdensome tax. Now we must focus on our mission of passing through the Cyclades Islands during the month of June. Anchoring under the Temple of Poseidon at the tip of the Greek mainland soothed our nerves and calmed our spirit after a busy time in Athens.

At sunrise the next morning we were off for Siros. Our objective was to get through the windy Cyclades Islands as fast as possible before the notorious Meltemi winds start blowing in July. The contrasting high and low pressure systems on each side of Greece conspire and the result are fierce strong winds in the Cyclades in the summer. These winds often blow over thirty knots and produce large angry seas. Our plan was to stay as far north as possible through the islands, so to always be sailing southeast on a broad reach toward Turkey. 

Within a few hours we were able to pull out our jib sail and make nearly seven knots toward Siros. On occasion we'd see a yacht going the other direction, hobby horsing and struggling against the steep choppy seas. Ah. Poor chap. We feel his pain!  Soon we arrived at the bay of Finicas which offered a small marina. We took an outside slip with tailed docklines. Eventually by late afternoon we were surrounded by charter boats. Fortunately  they were at the end of their week of charter and every one was sunburned, hung over and ready to go home. We had a quiet night as no one was in the mood to party until the wee hours.

Temple of Apollo - Naxos	Naxos	Harbor at Naxos

Next morning we woke to howling wind and dark gloomy threatening clouds. My heart jumped and I implored Doug to think about heading out in such conditions. He checked the weather carefully and assured me that once we were away from the island, it would be calm and sunny. Whew. . . he was right. Within an hour we were sailing merrily toward Naxos Island.

Naxos Greek Orthodox Church	Fort at Naxos

We dropped anchor outside of the crowded yacht harbor behind a boulder break wall that provided remarkable protection. The winds blow every afternoon over twenty knots in the Cyclades in June, but the seas inside the bay remained calm. This time we were anchored under the ruins of the Temple of Apollo. We stayed two days enjoying hiking the island and exploring the whitewashed buildings with blue shutters of Naxos that are what one expects when they think “Greek Islands”.

The winds shifted the second night producing a swell that found it's way into the bay giving the boat an unpleasant roll that disturbed our sleep. It was a relief at dawn to pull up the anchor and start our cruise to Amorgos Island. We planned our travels through the Cyclades so we  were moving on a “downhill” broad reach in the predominant NW winds. The last few hours in our approach to Amorgos we had to turn slightly into the wind giving us a pounding ride into twenty five knots of wind at 90 degrees. The lovely town of Amorgos was an oasis of calm as we dropped anchor in the early afternoon. This island is off the tourist track and is so authentic and welcoming. It became one of our favorite places.

Drying Octopus	Limerence in Amorgos

On Friday we hauled anchor early and made for the tip of Kos Island to an anchorage called Kamari. The passage got quite rough the last hour because we had to turn from a down wind run to upwind to make the anchorage. Oh, I think those shots of adrenaline are what keep us young right? As we anchored we noticed rows and rows of windmills on the top of the mountain above the anchorage. We don’t have to tell you what those mean do we?  We were anchored close to the swimming beach. . . so had no waves in our windy windy anchorage. We stayed a few days before moving up the coast ten hours to Kos Town. The winds can be light early in the morning, but wait. They never let you down in this part of the world! Within ten minutes the winds can build to the mid-twenties. A school of dolphins followed us for fifteen minutes promising us good luck and good fortune. Through the salt encrusted windows of our dodger, we were thrilled to see the mountains of Turkey in the haze. . . We were almost there!

Greek Fishing Boat	Amorgos - Greek Orthodox Church

The island of Kos Greece is very pleasant and we spent a week enjoying being tourists. The fort protecting the harbor  is yet another ancient fort . . . . but we have grown to love exploring them. The gardens of Kos are remarkable, and to stumble into ancient agora (marketplace) ruins in the middle of the modern town is stunning. After weeks of Greek food, we found a decent Chinese restaurant! Despite the fact Doug started coughing and sneezing one evening over cocktails in the marina cafe with a mysterious cold (allergy?), we rested and decompressed in Kos Town.

Our dear friends, Sandra and Ray from Stratagem took a ferry over from Bodrum Turkey to visit us in Kos. Actually, they HAD to come back to Greece to void their cell phone contract. In Greece you have to show up in person with your passport. So, we got a bonus visit. We hadn’t seen them since Roma and have been chasing them through the islands. Seems they were always two weeks ahead of us!

Stratagem - Sandra and Ray	Greek Fisherman at Dock	Fort in Kos

We will now say “Antio” to Greece. The people were lovely and gracious. Despite the maddening bureaucracy of the country, we have very fond memories of our cruise, especially of the Ionian Islands.

Fair winds friends,

Doug and Judy

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