On to the Sporades

From Thasos we toyed with the idea of next sailing to the Khalkidhiki Peninsula.  These are the three fingers sticking out from the northern Greek mainland, east of Thessalonika.  The Akti finger is an autonomous area inhabited by monks.  Mt Athos looms out of the southern tip and monasteries dot the cliffs.  Women are not allowed on the peninsula nor within 1 nm off the coast.  The area is suppose to be very pretty but given the weather predictions, long distances to any suitable anchorage and the misogynistic rules, we decided to head towards our ultimate destination, the Northern Sporades, where the much anticipated Cruising Association get together was happening in a week’s time.

The Khalkidhiki Peninsula

First stop was back to Myrina in Lemnos.  We spent a few days there anchored in the harbour; provisioning, catching up with friends (our Israeli friends from Bat Yam were on the town quay) and waiting out some strong winds.  Finally after 4 nights at anchor we were up at dawn for the long sail to the Northern Sporades.

Sunrise leaving Myrina Harbour

About two hours into our sail a pod of a dozen dolphins joined us for a short time.  Then six remained and swam in our bow wave for a good 20 minutes.  It is such a thrill to see these magnificent animals up close and in action.

 

 

We arrived at the cyclone anchorage of Planitis on Kyria Panagia mid-afternoon.  The northern most islands of the Sporades are part of a nature reserve.  Kyria Panagia is uninhabited and quite beautiful.  When we arrived there was only one other yacht in the anchorage. Throughout the late afternoon about 4 others arrived but the bay was big enough that it was still a quiet, secluded place.  I decided to go for a swim, the first of the season.  I had on 3 layers – swimmers, short wetsuit and long sleeve swim top.  After the initial shock the water was quite pleasant.  I did notice that people from the other yachts went in with just swimmers but those northern Europeans are a hardier bunch than I am.  Water temperature below 17-18 degrees is just too cold for me.

The quiet and secure anchorage of Planitis on Kyria Panagi

 

The next day we went south to the island of Alonnisos.  We chose an anchorage, Rousoumi Bay, which on paper looked quite good but turned to be too narrow and rolly with steep rocky cliffs looming up on either side of us.  It was too bad because the setting was quite pretty.

Those cliffs were just a bit too close for comfort

A big northerly wind was predicted for the next few days so we needed to find a good protected anchorage.  Loutraki on Skopelos fit the bill.  We anchored in the harbour, well dug in with plenty of rode out.  The winds were due to start the next day so we went ashore to get a few provisions.  There on the pontoon were Michael and Julia from Julia Too.  We hadn’t seen Julia since last season and it was great to catch up over a cuppa.  

 

The next two days we remained on the boat waiting out the wind.  I realised that over the previous 5 days we had been off the boat only once.  I find it quite relaxing reading, listening to audio books and pottering around the boat.  For the last 3 years we have been travelling constantly with no fixed abode.  I find some quiet days on Songster just the ticket for recharging.  

Finally the day came for the much anticipated CA get together which was being held in Nea Klima, about 2 nm south of Loutraki. We motored the short distance to the harbour. Shortly after we tied up alongside the quay, CA members from four of the boats already there converged onto Songster for a morning cuppa.  There were 10 of us in the cockpit and I was amazed we all fit comfortably.  It was great catching up with old friends and making new ones.

Morning tea was followed by a picnic lunch as more yachts arrived. .  Altogether seven yachts gathered in the harbour.  That night we had a fantastic dinner at a local taverna: Great food, great company, great conversation.  As Michael, the great orator of the group said, it are get-togethers like this that make the sailing experience so special.  Robin and Suzie did a terrific job organising the occasion.  It was a great success and a privilege to have been part of it.

The CA picnic lunch

The gang for dinner at O Vaggelis Taverna in Neo Klima

Afterwards, the owner of the taverna gave all the women a hand painted rock done by his wife as a memento of the occasion – Such gestures are so typical of the generous nature of Greeks.  

A wonderful memento

Thasos (Θάσος)

Despite predictions of reasonable light winds, there were absolutely no winds and a dead calm sea for our 60 nm passage north to Thasos.  However the boredom of motoring was relieved about 3 hours into our trip when a pod of dolphins came to visit.  About 12 dolphins surrounded our boat, leaping out of the water, riding our bow wave and having a great time.  Then after about 5 minutes all but 4 left.  These four stayed with us for about 20 minutes.  They played on our bow wave as I laughed and talked to them over pulpit.  They were so close I could almost touch them. It was such a thrill!  

The sea was so calm that even going at 6 knots there was barely a ripple to be had

 

 

We arrived in Thasos port late afternoon to be greeted by our friends Robin and Suzie from the Cruising Association.  It was good to see them again.  They had organised the fantastic Lycian Cruise in Company in the autumn of 2015 and this year we and some other CA folk are doing a loose, informal cruise to the Northern Aegean and Sporades.

The first few days in port were spent catching up on laundry, boat chores and maintenance.  We thought our dinghy had been damaged in the big blow in Limnos as it was holding water, but it turned out to be only a loose bung to the hollow fibreglass hull.  

Chores sorted, we explored the town.  It is quite lovely with ancient ruins scattered throughout and an excellent archaeological museum.  The town is set up for tourist but unlike many of the other islands we have been to, the tourist here are mostly not from other countries but from mainland Greece which is only a short ferry trip away.

The main attraction at the archaeological museum was the 3 ½ m kouros statue from 600 BC.  This statue is quite unique as the naked boy is holding a goat (most kouros have the boy with his hands at his side and look quite stiff).  Unfortunately due to a crack in the marble during the sculpting the artist threw the unfinished statue away.  Its broken bits were found in 1914, reconstructed and housed in the museum.

Kouros statue

The sculptor must have been so annoyed to have had to throw such intricate work away

The agora was lovely but as with so many sites in Greece, no maintenance has been done and the ancient ruins lie in overgrown fields with no signage.  The amphitheatre was even more run down.  We were told the area was closed because of restoration work but we decided to walk up to the area for the views.  There a fence with more holes then fence surrounded a worksite that obviously had not been touched in years.  Tourist easily walked through the holes in the fence and explored the site.  Crazy.

Agora

View from the amphitheatre hill

The port of Thasos

The amphitheatre under 'renovation'

We hired a car with Robin and Suzie and toured the other parts of the island.  First stop was Prinos.  It was market day and we picked up some great fruit and vegetables.  We then explored some of the villages, Maries and Theologos, nestled in the hills.  These villages were picture postcard quaint with cobbled streets, stone and slate houses, grape arbours over trickling mountain streams.  Sadly the southern part of the island had suffered a bad bush fire last year and the pine tree covered hills are now quite devastated and bleak.

Slate roof with moss.  Note the burnt hills at the top of the picture.

Stone house Maries

100 year old olive trees

Snapdragons growing out of a whitewashed wall in Panagia where we had lunch

The coastline offered superb views of steep cliff faces and idyllic sandy beaches.  There were excellent views of Mt Athos, 50nm away and considered one of the most sacred places for Greek Orthodox.  The entire peninsula on which Mt Athos lies is an autonomous area for monks and approved male devotees.  The cliffs are dotted with monasteries and no women are allowed within one mile of the coast.  At one point even no female animals of any kind were allowed on the peninsula.

Mt Athos

Stunning coastline

We stopped at the Monastery of Archaggelou on the south of the island.  The monastery was the nicest I have seen to date but unfortunately no photos were allowed.  They also insisted that women wear skirts over their long pants.  They provided elastic flowered skirts for us to put on – very attractive – not.  Nevertheless, the complex was immaculate with exquisite gardens and lovely stone buildings and church.

The next day we stopped at Costa’s Pottery.  Robin is a potter so Costa found a kindred spirit and told us all about the history of his family pottery business.  Costa had learned from his grandfather but now he is the only one of the family still practicing the art.  He is a master.  He threw some cups while we watched and it was poetry in motion.  He also showed us the large stone kiln that they used years ago, firing the pots using wood.  He explained the whole method of wood firing.  How a small hole would be left in the bricks so they could watch the fire and then specific cuts of wood would be added to control the heat.  First large flat discs of wood would bring the temperature up slowly so the clay could dry.  Then smaller pieces of wood would be added.  Each cut of wood had a specific purpose.  It was fascinating.

Costas at work

Our five days in Thasos were lovely.  We had reached the most northerly Greek island and now it was time to head back south and west.

Sunset over Thasos and the mainland

 

Lush, Lovely Limnos (Λημνος)

Field of Poppies on Limnos

After Chios we made a quick run to Lesvos.  We really liked the island of Lesvos when we visited a few years ago and would have liked to spend more time here but we wanted to take advantage of the predicted southerly winds to get north.  So we made overnight stop at Plomari on the southern coast.  Plomari is where our favourite Ouzo, BARBAYANNIS, is made so we made sure we had some with dinner that night.  Once again we were the only sailboat in the harbour.

Our favourite ouzo

On the town quay in Plomari

 

The next morning we made our way to Sigri, a delightful village with a great anchorage.  As we arrived early evening and were going to leave at dawn we didn’t go ashore but admired the town from the cockpit.

Sunrise over Sigri harbour in an early morning start

  

The predicted 8 knot southerlies that were going to take us to Limnos (also spelled Lemnos) never materialised but a light 4 knot breeze from the southeast did let us sail along at 3.5 knots for half the passage.  Initially we were side-on to the quay in the main harbour of Limnos, Myrina.  Side-on mooring is a very easy way of mooring for us.  Then when a charter fleet of 7 yachts came into the harbour we had to re-moor in the Mediterranean style stern-to – not our favourite way of mooring as Songster with its cut away keel is not the best boat for going backwards in a straight line.  The charter yachts left the next morning so once again Songster was by herself on the quay.

Approaching Myrina, Limnos

Songster alone on the town quay

On our first full day in Myrina we walked around the town admiring the beaches, beautiful stone houses and lovely cobbled streets.  Then we explored the Venetian/Ottoman castle overlooking the town.

 

Bob looking heroic before starting the climb to the castle

Castle walls

View of the harbour from the castle through fields of wild flowers

Town beaches looking north from the castle

That night a wind picked up about 11pm.  We checked all the lines and fenders, added some more lines and went into anchor watch mode.  Bob took the first watch.  The wind gust were pushing Songster sideways and we kept inching towards the concrete quay.  Finally at 3.30 am, Bob woke me up and said we had to let go the mooring lines and anchor out in the bay.  The anchor set well and I started my anchor watch, sitting bundled up in the cockpit with a book and cup of coco.  It was rather nice watching the sun rise a few hours later, despite the howling wind.  Normally when at anchor we set a GPS anchor alarm but as we had anchored in the middle of the night we thought it best to stay awake to be sure.

The happy consequence of our middle of the night anchoring was that we befriended the Kiwi couple who we anchored next to.  Tina and Jonny are a lovely couple who we really hit it off with.  We rented a car together and drove all around the island see the sights.  We visited the Commonwealth WWI Cemetery at Moudra. The Gallipoli campaign was staged from Moudra Bay in Limnos and the site of many hospitals for the sick and wounded who were evacuated from Turkey. Always a sobering sight. 

We then visited an archaeological site of one of the oldest European settlements dating to the 7^th millennium BC.  Finally we went to the north of the island to the ancient ruins of the temple of Hephaestus.  Throughout the island we passed lush fields of wild flowers, farming villages with green pastures and fields newly planted with spring crops.  It is quite a beautiful island - very green and lush. 

Commonwealth WWI Cemetery

Archeologists digging at Pollocani

Sheep grazing

The temple of Hephaestus.  Sadly closed when we arrived but had a good look through the fence

One of the things about this sailing life is that you tend to easily meet people who you really hit it off with but then, although you keep in touch through Facebook and emails, may never see again.  That last bit is a little sad but I find it quite amazing how frequently we meet kindred spirits whose company we really enjoy.  So although our interactions may be as short as a day or two, I find meeting these kindred spirits really enrich my life.  Such things rarely happen in the suburbs, or at least didn't for introverted me.