September 1, 2011. Hello from in the island group of .

Our last update had us leaving the island group for the island of . We covered a lot of ground during the last two months, including the Eastern and the Dodecanese island groups. Our route can be seen on the map below.

Greece has continued to be a wonderful experience, with each island having something different to offer. We have even managed to free anchor at every island and avoid the challenge of med mooring and the lack of wind and privacy at the quay.

We left the small island of on July 6th for Patmos, the northern-most island of the Dodecanese group, and anchored in the main harbor of Skala in front of many charter boats who were med moored to the quay.

From the anchorage we could see the hora (main town) up on the hill with its white cubical houses huddled around the huge grey stone Monastery of St. John the Divine.

We rented a quad and toured the entire island. On our way up to the hora we stopped at the Cave of the Apocalypse, where St. John the Divine was allegedly visited by God and was instructed to write the Book of Revelations, also known as the Book of the Apocalypse. The views of the island were stunning from the top of the monastery.

When we returned to the boat, the coast guard asked us to move, so we went around the corner to Meloi Bay, one of many beautiful bays and beaches north of Skala. We also anchored in Kambos Bay. Both times we were the only boat in the bay, and the tavernas (restaurants) on the shore served extraordinary Greek food.

From Patmos we visited Arki, a tiny island just six miles west of Patmos. We anchored in the small bay and a few hours later were asked to leave to make room for the water tanker that comes once a month (great timing, huh?). We moved to an adjacent bay where we picked up one of three moorings owned by the only taverna in sight, so we had several nice dinners with the family that runs it. If you want peace and quiet, Arki is the place to be.

A few days later the wind settled down a bit and we motorsailed to the island of , only a few miles from Kusadasi in . We anchored on the southeast coast in the town of Pythagorio, home of Pythagoras, the father of geometry. On a walk through town, we watched a small team excavating ruins in the hot sun, using small brushes and tiny hoes. We continued walking up the hill to the Evpalinos Tunnel outside of town. It was built in 524 BC by Polycrates, who ordered his laborers to dig into the mountainside to secure a source of drinking water for the city. It is over 3,000 feet long and consists of two tunnels, the upper one for service and the other one below for water storage. It is quite cold inside. We felt like we had walked into a fridge after the hot hike up the hill. While wide inside, not everyone can enter, as the entrance is low and extremely narrow. We had to wonder if the people running the entrance booth had to size up each visitor before collecting the fee-- anyone over 250 pounds would get stuck for sure!

We rented a car and explored the island, stopping at the lively capital of Vathy on the northeast coast, with lots of tavernas and shops lining the large, deep bay. We visited the archeological museum, one of the best in the islands, containing finds from the 6th century BC, the most famous being the 17 ft. tall Kouros (male statue), the largest standing Kouros known. It was quite impressive, along with all the other statues, pottery, weapons, etc. From Vathy, we passed many beaches and resorts on the north coast, and then we drove up into some forested mountain villages, then around to the olive groves and hills of the south coast, stopping to buy Samos honey at one of the many roadside stands.

Being so close to Turkey, we decided to make a visa run by ferry to Kusadasi and get some spare parts for the boat. The visa run worked out well, but the chandlers were all closed, even though we had called ahead of time and were assured they would be open. Oh well, at least we had our EU visas renewed for another 90 days.

Our goal was to go north while the weather and sea permitted, so we left Samos and motored up to the island of for one night (which we would visit on our way back), and one night on the tiny island of Inousses off Chios. It was the ancestral home to about a third of Greece’s shipping barons, whose descendants return here for summer vacations.

We arrived at the island of Lesvos on July 22nd, anchoring off the seaside village of Plomari on the southeast coast. Lesvos is a huge island, the third largest after and Evia, and contains two immense landlocked gulfs. We drove around the island, taking in the vast variety of landscapes—desert-like plains, sandy beaches, thickly forested mountains, and dense olive groves (they claim about eleven million trees). Olive oil, wine, and ouzo (aniseed-flavored liquor) are their main products.

We visited the capital, Mytilini, on the east coast and found it to be very lively, a bit noisy, with lots of traffic. We came across a replica of the Statue of Liberty overlooking the harbor. The story goes that a poor Greek sailed to America, saw the Statue of Liberty, and vowed that when he prospered and returned to his hometown he would erect a replica there. The Byzantine fortress overlooking the sea was quite large and interesting. We drove north to Moni Taxiarhon, a 17th century monastery dedicated to the Archangels. The interior is magnificently decorated with icons, chandeliers, and frescoes. It was the first religious site that allowed us to take pictures inside.

We had a delicious lunch of lamb and feta in vine leaves at Molyvos on the northwest coast, then we circumnavigated both gulfs, which took hours to do so. When we returned to the boat, some children swam out to our dinghy and asked for a ride. To their delight, Jeff ran them around the bay a few times.

After Lesvos, we sailed south again back to the island of Chios. We anchored at Marmaro Bay on the north coast for two days, then sailed down the east coast to Chios Town, anchoring in the middle of the main harbor. We rented a car and explored the island. Here and nowhere else grows the gum- producing mastic trees. Mastic is used in chewing gum, ice cream, candy, body care products, etc. We tried some nougat with mastic, which tasted like candy with tea tree oil. Needless to say, we passed on stocking up the pantry with mastic products.

We visited the village of Pyrgi, famous for its buildings decorated in black and white patterns using a technique called” xysta”. We found a beautiful marble phone booth carved into the wall, where Gayle couldn’t resist checking it out. Another stop was the Cave of Sykia, a 150-million-year-old cavern discovered in 1985, filled with stunning and sometimes weirdly-shaped, multicolored stalactites, stalagmites, and rock formations. On our way back to town, we stopped and waited for a flock of goats to make their way across the road, although the Greek drivers seem to just plow right through them.

From Chios we motorsailed south to the island of Ikaria, named for Icarus, who escaped from prison on wings of wax, but flew too close to the sun and crashed into the sea, creating Ikaria. We anchored outside the breakwater of Kirykos, a small Greek port with the usual tavernas along the shore. There is also a radioactive hot springs in town, famed for curing everything from arthritis to infertility. Just the idea of it being “radioactive” made us decide to keep any ailments we might have!

Our next stop was the tiny island of Fournoi, just ten miles southeast. We anchored at Kampi Beach, just around the corner from the main town. Kampi has two very steep paths of white steps zigzagging up to the top of the hill. It was a great opportunity for some serious cardio and a walk over into the main town, where we feasted on their specialty, astakomadaronadha (lobster with pasta). We also enjoyed strolling down the streets lined with mulberry trees and peeking into the all the little shops, chatting with the friendly locals and asking how business is doing. As with most of the islands, tourism is down and business is slow this year.

We spent four days enjoying Fournoi and waiting for the wind to ease up. We then headed south for the tiny island of Lipsi, where we spent another four days waiting for the wind to ease up. We explored most of the island on foot. We discovered a great restaurant owned by Manolis, the chef all dressed in red, who invited us to come into the kitchen and choose from his many specialties right out of the oven, which were heavenly.

The island of was next on our track south. Leros has a huge enclosed bay on the west coast and was pummeled in 1943 by the Germans, who wanted Lakki Bay as a large naval base to fight the Turks. The Italians had occupied Leros and had built an extensive tunnel system throughout the island for the locals to hide in. As a result, very little life was lost during the bombings. We visited the Merikia war tunnel museum and found it fascinating, including a film on the fall of Leros to the Germans.

We anchored in Alinda Bay on the east coast. We walked around the large bay and up to Pandeli Castle perched high on the hill above the city, with a breathtaking panoramic view. Castles and fortresses were quite common on most of the islands, as you can guess why.

We rented a quad so we could explore the island, look for other possible anchorages, and find a chandlery at one of the two boat yards in Leros. We liked the small village and bay of Xerocambos at the south end of the island, with good protection from the north winds. The meltemi was coming up again, so we sailed down there and picked one of the many moorings which are connected to 2,000 pound cement blocks.

In spite of the weight, we managed to drag this cement block when the wind picked up, as the scope of the line to the block was too steep and Lazy Bones lifted the block up and once up it started to slide along the grassy bottom. Our anchor alarm went off at 7:00 AM and we jumped out of bed and increased our scope by attaching a long line, staying tied to the mooring but very close to another boat. We stayed on board all day just to make sure we would not drag again. After two more days, the meltemi eased up a small amount and we sailed downwind for a fast trip to the island of . Our first stop was an attempt at Vathy, which is a small village at the end of a slender fjord that cuts through high sheer cliffs. When we arrived at the end of the fjord, there was an annual cliff diving competition underway and no place for us to drop anchor, so we headed out and ended up at Pothia, the port and capital at the south end of the island. It is a bustling, fairly large commercial center, with lots of ferries coming and going.

Kalymnos is famous for sponges and the divers who used to free dive for them. Sponges of all sizes and shapes are for sale at every shop. As we wandered through the busy streets we looked to rent a car, but none were available. They didn’t have quads on the island, so we ended up with a motorbike to explore the island. The west coast has many seaside towns with lots of shade trees, and a few good anchorages. We went across to Vathy and enjoyed a lunch of gyros (slivered roast pork in pita bread). On the way down the southeast coast we could see the many fish farms floating offshore. There is a lot of controversy about fish farms and the pollution they produce. The Med seems to be fished out, and this is their way of putting fish on the menu, albeit small ones. Our last stop was at Vlihadia in the south, where we visited the “Sea World Museum”, housing old photos of sponge divers and exhibits of all kinds of sponges, old skeletons of unusual fish, and lots of shells.

The next morning we filled up on diesel at $10 per gallon and then headed to the island of for a one night stop on our way to the island of , where we would meet Danielle and Darren (Jeff’s daughter and her fiancé from London) who would be visiting for a week. Since the meltemi had finally died down, we anchored at Kos Town, exposed to the north, and only a couple of miles from Bodrum, Turkey.

Kos Town is a charming capital—very colorful, lots of palm trees, and the impressive Castle of the Knights right on the waterfront. Hippocrates, the founder of medicine, was born here in 460 BC. We visited the plane tree, supported by scaffolding, under which he is said to have taught his pupils (plane trees usually don’t live more than 200 years, so figure that one out). Hellenistic and Roman ruins are scattered everywhere, including the 2nd century odeion, restored during Italian occupation.

After Kos Town we sailed to Kamari Beach in Kefalos Bay at the southeast end of the island. We rented a car the next day so we could tour the island and then pick up Danielle and Darren at 2:30 AM from the Kos airport. We had lunch in Zia, a cute but touristy mountain village famous for its sunset views. We visited the Asklipieion, which was a healing center and a school of medicine, with Hippocrates Garden next to it. We also checked out all the great beaches on both sides of the island.

We got up at 2:00 AM and picked up Danielle and Darren at the airport. After sleeping in a bit, Jeff and Gayle pressure washed Lazy Bones (the first bath since the marina in May) while Danielle and Darren swam in the crystal clear water and basked in the sun. We rented a Hobie Cat and all of us went zipping around the large bay, dodging all the windsurfers and other catamarans taking advantage of the nice breeze.

We stopped one night at Livadia, the main port and village of the tiny island of , a pleasant place to chill out, do some hiking, and enjoy the two tavernas ashore. Then we were off to the island of for one night. We went into the port of Gialos, with all kinds of neoclassical houses in a medley of colors stacked up the hills around the harbor, quite a change from the usual white cubical houses. Unfortunately, it was too deep to anchor there, so we went around to Pedi Bay and dropped the hook there.

The next morning we took off for the big island of Rhodes. We arrived at Rhodes Town on the northeast coast, where we anchored in the commercial port. We walked through the Old Town, enclosed within massive walls and filled with a labyrinth of winding passageways lined with shops, restaurants, and homes. In medieval times the Knights of St. John lived there, arriving in 1309 and ruling for over 200 years. The castle is quite extensive, with nine main gates and a now-dry moat.

We sailed around to Lindos on the south side of the island the next day. Lindos is a very well-protected harbor with clear blue water and two long sandy beaches lined with umbrellas and sunbeds, with plenty of tavernas to feed the daytrippers that come and go all day long. A somewhat steep stone path leads from the beach up to the whitewashed village of Lindos on the hill. Donkeys take tourists up the path, just like at , but they seemed smaller in size and we felt sorry for the ones hauling up overweight adults in the hot sun. It’s not that far of a walk, and the exercise would have done them some good!

The unexpected surprise is that once you reach the main village, there are lots of narrow winding passageways, similar to , lined with shops and tavernas. Many of the shops and some of the pathways have black and white pebble mosaic floors with intricate designs, a technique called hohlakia. Lindos is topped with an impressive acropolis and the Temple to Athena from the 4th century, which are nicely lit up at night.

We all enjoyed the sunshine and the clear warm water, not to mention the great Greek food. On their last day, we rented a car and took Danielle and Darren to the airport, about an hour’s drive from Lindos. We continued on and toured the west side of Rhodes. We first stopped at the Bee Museum, where we learned all about bees, hives, and the process of honey-making and collecting, with Jeff donning a beekeepers outfit for effect. We bought several different kinds of honey and honey products to support the local bee industry.

Our next destination was the Valley of the Butterflies in Petaloudes. The bright orange creatures live in a beautiful forested park with waterfalls and many paths and bridges. It is easy to spot them with their brightly colored wings, but they live up to the term “elusive butterfly” when we tried to take pictures of them, fluttering so quickly in all directions and landing with their wings closed.

We then headed southwest along the coast and visited the 16th century Kritinia Castle on top of a mountain, with great views across to the island of . We also stopped at Ancient Kamiros, with extensive ruins from the 6th century BC. Our last surprise stop happened as we were driving back to Lindos. Along the road bordering the ocean we saw a large number of cars parked in a lot with a sign “Mojito Beach”. We decided to stop and see what the attraction was. We found a long pebbly beach lined with umbrellas and walkways lined with thousands of empty Bacardi rum bottles from all the mojitos they served. With great Caribbean music playing at the cantina and comfy chairs, we couldn’t resist, and enjoyed the best mojitos we’ve ever had. It was a nice way to end our island tour.

Well, that’s it from Lindos on Rhodes in the Dodecanese island group in Greece. It’s a wonderful place to visit and we would highly recommend these islands to everyone. We look forward to continuing our voyage wherever it may be, possibly Crete if the weather permits, as we wait for Gayle’s sister, Donna, and her husband, Steve, to visit us near the end of September.

We welcome your e-mails and would love to hear from you. Please e-mail us at: [email protected]. Attachments and travelogues are always welcome. Thanks!

If you want to track us, use the following link: www.shiptrak.org and enter our call sign WA6CZL to see our route.

All the best,

Jeff and Gayle SV Lazy Bones