We Hate Catabatic Winds!

We left the wonderful haven of Linaria on Skyros to head towards Mykonos with the main goal of seeing the ancient ruins of Delos.  We were doing this 100+ nm trip in two hops.  (We are still very much day trippers here in the Med.)  Our first hop, Skyros to Batsi on Andros, was our longest to date on Songster, 13 hours and 68.5 nautical miles (Yes, this trip could be done in 1.5 hours on land in a car – such is the lunacy of sailing!).  The miracle in the Motorterranean was that we were actually able to sail the whole way!  The Mediterranean is a wonderful sailing ground in many ways – no tides, good summer weather, beautiful and plentiful anchorages – but the winds are usually too much or too little so that the window for perfect sailing winds is often very narrow.  But on our passage to Batsi we had that wind window and it was delightful.

Perfect conditions, lovely views

Since we arrived late we did not go ashore but the anchorage was very pretty and inviting.

Batsi, Andros

Early morning start

The next day the winds were predicted to be about 8 knots and we anticipated another pleasant sail.  Instead we received a baptism to some serious Catabatic Winds, notorious along the lee side of the islands of Andros and Tinos.  Catabatic winds or down slope winds are winds that swoop over the tops of mountains and come rushing down the other side (lee side).  They can reach gale force strength and are gusty and form whirlwinds so can be quite unpredictable.

Going along the coast of Andros was fine but by the time we reached Tinos the gusts along the lee side of the island were ferocious.  We were sailing with a handkerchief of a genoa sail out and still doing 5 knots with 20+ knots of gusty wind.  The waves were splashing up on the beam.  It wasn’t dangerous but it certainly was not pleasant either.  Some sailors thrive on this type of excitement but Bob is not one of them.

The chop, which never looks as bad in photos as it feels, off the island of Tinos

Our heavily reefed Genoa

But enough sail to keep us going along quite nicely

 

By the time we arrived at Mykonos harbour Bob was at the end of his tether and the harbour nearly did him in.  What a polar opposite to the helpful and well organised harbour of Skyros!.  Mykonos harbour is total chaos – Large ferries coming and going every few minutes, even larger cruise ships blocking visibility, yachts coming and going from every direction around a closely packed pontoons, crossed anchor chains, snagged anchors, charter boats everywhere with crew of minimal experience and a harbour master whose main function seemed to be to wave his arms and yell at you insisting you can only stay for one night.  (As we got to know the harbour master, Nikos, we found out he was really a very nice guy who has been put into an impossible position of single-handedly managing a totally inappropriate harbour.)

We tried several times to go stern to but with the wind against us, Songster just could not go backwards in anything near a straight line.  We eventually went bows to and deployed an anchor off the stern.  Not an ideal situation for us but our only option with the wind freshening in the harbour.  After spending an hour trying to get ourselves onto the pontoon after a fairly rough and uncomfortable passage Bob was definitely not a happy chappy!   

Okay, deep breath (and a strong drink).  This was an installment payment for all those beautiful anchorages, brilliant sunsets and wonderful friendships with fellow sailors.  Tomorrow there was another new island to explore.

Mykonos

Skyros: The best yacht harbour in Greece

Sadly there was no wind for our 43 nm passage to Skyros.  We had to motor the whole way but at least it was a warm, sunny day.  The disappointment in motoring for 7 hours was more than made up by the wonderful reception we had at Linaria Harbour in Skyros.  This harbour is the best set up for cruising yachts that we have encountered to date.  Sakis, the harbour master, came out to greet us, helped us into an along side berth and even provided steps for us to get on and off the boat easily.  Bob asked Sakis where the red carpet was as the treatment was so good here! Then when we were settled, Sakis let us know of all the facilities on offer; showers, laundry, WiFi, book exchange, recycling, TV, and computer.  It was as good as the best marinas but just a small village harbour.  It is the initiative of Sakis and a small group of people who have great pride in their island and are working very hard to make it an environmentally friendly special place for all to enjoy.

Linaria Harbour in Skyros

Steps provided by Skyros Port Fund

Sakis and crew going around the waterfront on their electric scooters

Shortly after we arrived we were walking on the waterfront and bumped into the NZ couple who we helped to untangle their anchor in Skiathos.  We properly introduced ourselves and ended up going to the Chora with them in their rented car and having dinner together, sharing stories and comparing notes on ‘Down Under’; a very pleasant evening.

The Chora of Skyros

The next day we rented a car to tour the island.  First we went to the northern half of the island.  It was lush pine forest and pretty vistas along rugged coasts.  We stopped at the archaeological site of Palamari, a 5000 year old Bronze age settlement.  It is always humbling to walk around areas where others lived so long ago.  Our imaginations go on overdrive thinking about what life was life then.

 

 

Such a beautiful setting

 Continuing around the western coastline we found a pretty little bay with a great taverna, Stamatias.  It was not ‘officially’ open for the season yet but they happily served us a delicious lunch.  A Greek film doing a documentary on the island.  A feast was set up on the table next to us – stuffed lobster, seafood pasta, dolmades, dips, bread, wine – pictures were taken then the taverna owners and film crew sat down to eat it all.  It made our meal of calamari and Greek salad quite modest but it was delicious none the less.

The bay where we had lunch

Feast for the film crew

Our modest table

The next day we went to the southern part of the island.  It was a stark contrast to the lush northern area.  The south was a rocky, barren, lonely place.   

The barren landscape sculpted by wind and goats

The road crews seem to have a sense of humour and have piled rocks along the road side in bizarre sculptures

We were in search of the grave of Rupert Brooke.  Brooke was a promising English poet who died in 1915 at 27 years of age from blood poisoning enroute to the Gallipoli campaign.  Perhaps one of his best known poems is The Soldier.  “If I should die, think only this of me: That there’s some corner of a foreign field, That is for ever England.”  It was quite poignant given the lonely olive grove in which he was buried.

Rupert Brooke's grave

His famous poem

The rocky terrain of the south of the island took its toll on our ‘rent-a-bomb’.  We got a flat tyre and the spare was flat too.  We were in a remote desolate part of the island.  We tried to ring the rental company but there was no answer.  Then the Hellenic Navy came to the rescue.  A member from the nearby Naval base came up the road and offered to take Bob and our spare back to base to pump it up. Thank you Hellenic Navy!

Our 'rent-a-bomb' with a flat tyre

Go Navy!

Skyros is known for its unique wildlife and environment and much effort goes to preserving the fragile environment.  A unique breed of wild pony is one of the species the island is preserving.  We did manage to see one, though how they survive in such a barren environment is a near miracle.

Skyros pony

While in Skyros we had some swims in the nearby bay.  The water is just getting warm enough to tolerate.  I decided to try out the underwater function of my camera.  I was quite pleased with my first attempts and over the months am looking forward to getting some more shots.

 

 

The Mamma Mia Islands: Skopelos and Skiathos

After the CA get together we returned to Loutraki on Skopelos so we could do some sightseeing.  Up the steep hillside from Loutraki harbour is the picturesque village of Glossa.  We worked up quite a red face climbing the steep path up the mountain and stumbled into Agnanti Restaurant where they immediately handed us a glass of cold water and then proceeded to wine and dine us.  This restaurant is a fantastic place with delicious food and the best of views.  After dinner on our walk back to Loutraki, we were treated to a stunning sunset over the Evia channel. 

View from Agnanti Restuarant

Sunset from Skopelos over the Evia Channel

The next day we did the short hop to the nearby island of Skiathos.  There is a great anchorage right off the main town under the fight path of the airport.  In our several days there we watched the charter flights come in, building in number from two a day to about eight.  The tourist season has definitely begun.  Skiathos has lots of sandy beaches (a rarity for the Aegean) and as such has become a Mecca for packaged beach holidays.  The town, although quite pretty, is full of touristy souvenir shops and restaurants offering full English breakfast in addition to classic Greek cuisine.  

Songster at anchor in Skiathos Town

The back streets of Skiathos

View of Skiathos Town from the hills

A bit of a tacking issue and flukey winds on this short hop

The main claim to fame for Skiathos and Skopelos these days seems to be that they were the setting for the film Mamma Mia.  The outdoor cinema in Skiathos shows the film three nights a week and on maps of the islands the specific sites from the film are marked. Boats and buses will take you around to the various locations on Mamma Mia tours (Glossa is the village where the hotel in the movie was located).  We watched the movie on the boat to see what all the fuss was about.  Although quite fun in many ways it did not portray Greece as more than some pretty setting.  We thought it could have been so much better if the local Greeks actually had some speaking roles and were more to the story than just a quaint background and a chorus to the singing and dancing of the Anglo main characters. 

 

The homes of Glossa village

The next morning gazing out from the cockpit I noticed that a nearby Kiwi boat was having some trouble pulling up their anchor.  An old rusty fisherman’s anchor and fishing net had gotten tangled around their anchor chain and they could not free it.  We decided to lend a hand and went over with our dinghy.  After a bit of head scratching it was decided to lower the anchor into our dinghy where we could untangle the mess. With lots of old towels draped over the dinghy the Kiwis slowly lowered the anchor into the dinghy.  This loosened the chain enough that we could cut away the fishing net and untangle the chain from around the cross bars.  The flukes of the anchor had rusted into razor sharp edges and both Bob and I were sliced up.  So muddy and bleeding we lifted the vile, rusty anchor onto the back of the Kiwis’ boat and while waving goodbye and their thanks they took the anchor to deep water to dump it where it would not cause any problems.  We never even got their names!

These old anchors look pristine compared to the one we untangled

 

Another day we hired a scooter to tour the island.  The roads were quite rough and a quad bike or car would have been a better form of transport.  Many of the beaches are only accessible on sandy tracks.  We made it to the north of the island where there are the ruins of the 14^th Century Kastro.  This fortified town was occupied from 1453 to 1830 when the threat of pirates had lessened enough so that the population could move to the coast into what is now Skiathos Town.  As with so many of the islands the Kastro was ruled by a succession of powers; first the Byzantines, then the Venetians and finally the Ottomans until Greek independence in the 19^th Century.  The views were magnificent.

The Kastro with the main gate on the far hill

The old mosque

Frescos in the church

Of course with any island excursion the ubiquitous goats

We spent a few more days on Skiathos.  We had a side trip to a pleasant anchorage of Koukounaries, occupied by visiting swans, including an Australian black swan.  Then back to Skiathos Town anchorage to wait out some nasty weather where it bucketed down and the poor dinghy filled with water.  Finally it was time to move on.

 

 

 

Poor dinghy filled with water from a heavy rain

The day of my birthday looked like the best winds for our next passage.  We had planned to sail to Skantzouria, a small uninhabited island halfway between Skopelos and Skyros.  The winds were quite fresh and we were scooting along at 5-6 knots with just the mizzen and a handkerchief of a genoa out.  Then the outhaul on the mizzen broke.  We pulled down the sail.  We could have continued on just the genoa but the seas were getting very choppy and we though discretion the better part of valour and turned into the small anchorage of Stafilos on the southern side of Skopelos.  

 

There we fixed the outhaul on the mizzen.  It turned out to be a fairly straightforward job – take down the boom, drill out some rivets, take out the blocks, whip the outhaul line back in place with a new pin on the block, then put it all back together.  It only took an hour or two.  It was a very nice location to do boat repairs and not too bad of a way to spend my birthday.

The anchorage at Stafilos

After a rocky rolly night with the swell coming into the anchorage we woke up to a Hellenic Navy warship at the mouth of the bay.  It was a Roussen-class fast attack craft complete with Exocet missiles – all a bit imposing first thing in the morning at a quiet little anchorage. Such is life on the high seas!

The P69 Krystallidis (Κρυσταλλίδης) of the Hellenic Navy in the early morning sun