Midi’s Meanderings Part Three
25 May 2012
Yasas everyone
Since the last time we wrote we have visited a few more Greek islands that we have not seen before. So many islands end in –os that they all start to merge in to one. We visited Ios then it was off to Kimolos where we walked up to the chora (old village). I don’t know about these Greeks. They built their villages on the highest point possible. I know it was to keep the marauding invaders away but in 2012 if the punters have to sweat their way up the hill, you would think they would ensure that the shops were open when they got there! Did notice this interesting way of getting around the nuisance of having a tree growing right where you want to build a wall – no problem – don’t cut it down, just build the wall with the tree growing through it! On the way back to the boat, we spotted this little owl who forgot that it was supposed to come out at nightl
Next island was Milos, where the Venus de Milo was found in the 1800’s. Our anchorage there was in an extinct volcano that had the side blown out of it. We saw there a good reason not to tie up at the town wall. As we were going in to shore in the dinghy, we spotted a local fishing boat heading into the harbour. Something must have happened to its throttle as it nearly smashed into the jetty until the fisherman managed to get it into reverse, where upon it roared backwards and smashed into a charter yacht. Fortunately not much damage was done but it could have been huge!
We had quite a windy night at anchor and awoke to find we had been joined by four other yachts, one tanker and a sailing ship called ‘Running on Waves’. We ‘overheard’ a rather amusing conversation between the tanker and the sailing ship on the VHF. We had watched the sailing ship drag its anchor twice and then we heard the tanker call it up. Now all Captains have to speak in English when they call another vessel. So the tanker Captain calls Running on Waves on Channel 16 which is the hailing frequency and asks him to change channels, which you have to do to carry out a conversation. Of course having nothing better to do and being the nosy Kiwis that we are, we changed channels to listen in (better than the old party line system on the telephone). “Captain (this is the tanker guy speaking), I don’t want to embarrass you but perhaps I can give you some advice as you seem to be having a problem with shifting (we call it dragging).” The other captain replied that it didn’t matter as they had decided to go to another bay. Probably were too embarrassed to try again.
From here we sailed to Serifos, via Sifnos where we checked out 2 anchorages before continuing on to the main harbour (Limani) of Serifos. Here, sensibly, we caught the bus up to the Chora and then walked the 5 kms back down to the boat. These visits to the Choras are fascinating. Just to see how they lived back in the good old days and also to see how they live now. Now my Dad was a farmer who loved his tractor. A real Massey Fergusson man he was but I think if he had lived in Greece. He would have been a donkey man. We have seen lots of older men, jollying along their mount with their little twigs just touching the neck of the donkey. I don’t think that Mum would have fancied doing her shopping on the donkey and I can’t see my builder brother-in-law giving up his truck and loading the builder’s mix into the panniers on the side of a donkey. Couldn’t quite get a photo of the donkey loaded up with bricks.
After us having watched the sailing ship dragging a few days ago, we ended up dragging our anchor so there was a large mooring buoy near us to conveniently pick up and it was just as well as we had thunder, lightning and lots of hail that night! It was only 14 degrees when we got up in the morning and we decided to head across to the island of Kythnos, where we dragged our anchor yet again, in our first anchorage before trying to anchor somewhere else and being asked to move by some fishermen as it would appear by what they were trying to mime, we were in the middle of where they had laid pots and would be going to pick them up in the night At this stage we seemed to be in the middle of a strange weather pattern with winds from odd directions and frequently lots of it.
The next morning saw us heading towards Poros in the Saronic Sea, about 25nm from Athens, an island we have been to twice before but we just love the main anchorage there as it is so pretty. We woke up on the Sunday morning to the piping up of the flag at the nearby naval training academy and duelling church bells from the many churches and the chanting of the Greek Orthodox priests. We went in to town and met kiwis (Aucklanders actually) Rod and Pippa off ‘Christina’ with their English friend Mike. We had a drink on their boat before we went out to dinner. The Captain was happy to get me away from that island as it had lovely shops and I bought a great new wet weather jacket which I did need and a pair of Dr Scholl jandals (you will approve Kim. That is the 1st mates shopping fix for the next 6 months). The restauranteur told us business was very bad and there were very few people around for this time of the year. All a bit grim. However we had a lovely meal, ordered a main and a couple of glasses of wine, they provided the usual basket of bread, a large bowl of olives, large glasses of a very drinkable wine (no 150ml here) and then a desert on the house for us to share.
Our next port of call was on the island of Aigina, very near Athens but it turned out only to be a lunch time stop as the wind picked up and we had to head off. The weather we have been having lately is very weird. We will leave an anchorage with no wind, then a few miles out it starts to blow (contrary to what the weather forecast says) and we have to put a reef in the mainsail and then a couple of hours later, the wind disappears and you have to take the reef out again. We have also had some very confused seas which has led to some very bumpy sailing. Now readers I am sure you are wondering how is a girl supposed to spend a penny when the yacht is ducking and diving its way between islands. I can tell you I hold on as long as I can and then there is nothing for it but fight my way down below to the loo. Once there you can imagine the problem – how to get the nickers down whilst maintaining balance and just when I think I have it all under control, Midi does a sudden leap and whump, my posterior is unceremoniously on the porcelain. Quietly attending to business Midi does an awkward lurch and the container with the toothbrushes that sits on the sink bench flies towards my head. Just as well my posterior was firmly planted on the porcelain otherwise my toothbrush might have been firmly placed in the u-bend. Eeww!! Then it is back on deck to help the Captain. Brrr that wind is cold. A nice cup of rosy-lea will do wonders to warm the cockles of me heart my old china! Damn – I need to go to the loo again now. Here is a photo of the Captain battling the wind and the rain and that’s me taking the photo, in my shorts and t-shirt, out of the wind and rain, in the relative warmth of the cockpit. It’s hard work being the photographer (should try being the Captain)! Who says we are on holiday.
Our next two anchorages were on the mainland at Epidhavros and Korfos and then it was on to the Corinth Canal, having given up on the idea of sailing around the bottom of the Peloponnese as it was going to be too hard, against the northerly winds. We went through the Corinth Canal in 2009 when we were sailing from France to Turkey so it was not such an anxious time to do it this time and we ended up going through in the middle of two others yachts, after waiting for two hours to be given the all-clear to go through when we were told it would be twenty minutes. Then it was sailing in the Gulf of Corinth. We headed off into a 13knot westerly (the wind mainly blows east or west here but not east when we want it to) which built to 20knots and the most horrible seas I have seen in a while. They seemed to be about 1.5mtrs high and probably 5mtrs apart (maybe I exaggerate) and steep and coming from 2 directions. Late in the day we rolled up the genoa and motored into this to cover the final 13miles to the anchorage we were aiming for, slam bam thank you ma’am. Poor Midi and poor crew, well Captain as 1st mate was stretched out in the saloon. I had to helm to avoid the worst of the potholes and then the rain came, at least it washed the salt away we were throwing all over the boat. Next day heading to our current location I decided a reef in the main and a few rolls on the genoa and we were going to sail. Still very bumpy but Midi behaved very well, sailing at 8.5 – 9knots and tacking through 120 degrees which I was impressed with under those conditions with again steep seas and winds to 25knots.
We are now at the anchorage of Galaxidhi in the Gulf of Corinth but we are tied up against the sea wall and we loaded up with fuel at the early hour of 6.30 am! There is a guy here by the name of Athanasios, whom the locals refer to as the crazy man, maybe the village idiot. Anyway we ventured ashore in the dinghy after first anchoring off. After enquiring about fuel this guy adopted us. Insisted we come in then, there was very little room but managed to squeeze in alongside. Then this morning at 6.30am he is thumping on the hull to tell me the fuel man is coming. However he had to borrow my phone to call him and let him know we were ready, not really as I would rather have gone back to bed. He then asked for 1 euro for wine (he seems to have a beer permanently attached to one hand. I told him I wasn’t buying him a drink at that hour of the day. Later after more “help” from him I did give him 3 euros which I am sure he promptly spent on a drink. Then it was on the bus with our new friends Aussie Angus and his Spanish fiancé Marta and French couple Jacques and Brigitte, off to the ancient site of Delphi. According to ancient Greek tradition, Delphi was the geographical centre of the world. The first traces of habitation in Delphi dates back to the 14th century BC. Rather an awe-inspiring place but we felt that Ephesus in Turkey was better.
Well that is about all from us for now but I will include a couple of lovely shots taken by the Captain who is getting pretty good at this photography lark. It would be lovely to hear from any of you who can spare the time. We are missing Kiwi company.
Andio from Lesley and Bruce