Aliki

Over on the beach at Aliki we find a great place for Wi-Fi and dinner.  We have a few drinks before we order dinner.  Tonight we are having saganaki shrimp, kleftika (lamb cooked in the paper bag) and meatballs with tzatziki washed down with some local white wine.  The meal is one of the best of the trip so far.  Dale has also joined us for a chat but does not eat.

The winds have died down now and the bay is dead calm. It's picture perfect.

It's easy to row back to the yacht and we have a good nights sleep.

2. The Dodecanese

Our last Island in the Dodecanese is Kalimnos.  The Dodecanese Islands run up the west coast of Turkey and are literally only an hour away from Turkey.  Many charter boats run between Turkey and these Islands.

After a lazy morning in Kos we depart around 10.30 and head out into a lite breeze and sail for a good two hours.  We are only travelling at around 4 knots which is perfect for fishing and next thing you know we have a bonito on our line. It takes Greg about 20 minutes to reel him in and bang we now have sashimi for dinner tonight.  Our first fish, yeah!!!!!

And then the shitty weather comes in blowing directly into our westerly path.  We are heading for Kalimnos another two hours away and are punching into the winds again!  The Dodecanese are famous for their westerly winds and we are experiencing them full on.

We arrive around 4pm and get a possie on the wharf.  It doesn't take long for the wharf to fill up for the night and again very cheap only 5 Euros. We have a pretty quite one on board and enjoy our fresh, melt in your mouth bonito sashimi, yum!  

3. Sing..........Go West..........Pet Shop Boys

We depart Kalimnos around 5am, yeah an early one as we have a big leg ahead of us.  We want to get away from the Dodecanese and enter the Cyclades region so we are heading for Amorgos.  We are heading west and the forecast is for westerlies 3s and 4s.  The winds are fine but the swell is bothersome. Bang, bang, bang, splash! the bow gets smashed into the short swell for seven hours, a very uncomfortable ride.

Finally the swell and the winds subside to give us a little relief.  Greg has been working hard all morning on the helm and takes a little siesta on deck.  Eventually we arrive at our anchorage called Kalotaritissa at the southern end of the Island.  Most of the Greek Islands are barren mountainous rocky Islands with little civilisation, so you wonder how they build some of the monasteries, lets hope there is no more landslides for this one..  

Amorgos is 16 kilometres long on the east side so we both feel it has taken forever to arrive at our destination.  I'm so 'are we there yet'.  Eleven hours later we are tied up on a dodgy wharf right in front of the Greek version of a man cave.  Now we can relax and enjoy what is left of the day; unfortunately it's overcast and getting cold but hopefully we can swim in the morning before we leave.  It really is a very pleasant place to spend the night along side all the local fishing boats.

Greg finishes off the last of the bonito sashimi tonight and its still melt in your mouth delicious!

After showers we get a visit from some locals teenagers who seem intrigued about us pulled up at the fishing wharf, shame we can't communicate too well with them.  We all have a few laughs and they leave soon after.

Saturday.

Around 2.30am we are woken by a rolling swell coming into our bay.  You can here the winds picking up outside as they whistle around the island just west of us.  It's hard to sleep in this rock and roll that continues till morning.

We pull up anchor around 8 and continue in our westerly direction.  During the day our destination changes around five times as the winds change.  We are on a starboard tack all day sailing into W NW Beaufort 4s to 6s.  The yacht and skipper handle the conditions very well.  Our top speed is 8.7knots; that's pretty fast for a yacht this size and we are really heeling over most of the way.  I need a Xanax!

As we can't sail up between Paros and Naxos as planned we settle for a bay on the south side of Paros called Aliki, supposedly protected from the Meltemi winds.  We drop anchor around 12.30, it's a really beautiful bay but we are still experiencing gusts to Beaufort 4s and 5s.  The forecast is for it to drop of to 3s for the afternoon evening so lets hope so.  

Sitting on the back of the yacht I notice a small plane approaching which looks pretty low and just skims over the top to touch down not so far away up a hill.    It really looks like its going to crash into the mountain but the runway is up the hill. 

We were hoping to go ashore and eat in the village and use some Wi-Fi but unless the winds drop off we won't be able to take the tender out as we will end up out to sea as the winds are still to strong.

The winds are driving us nuts so we  finally decide to move anchor across the bay and get some good advice from a fellow Aussie who is a regular here.  Just as we move of course the wind drops off anyway.  It is much calmer over here and we are closer to the beach.  Dale drops by and we offer him a few beers for his help.  He shares a few stories with us that will be useful later on and we are both heading to the same place tomorrow so that's good.

We are able to row ashore for dinner and Wi-Fi, yes finally an update!

1. Simi and Kos

We both have a great sleep and depart the Mandraki Marina at 8am.  We have no anchor issues which is a miracle.  The seas are definitely calmer even though we are  heading into the breeze.  We pass one of the sailing cruise ships in full sail, it looks really good.  

Just a half hour out of Simi the winds pick up.  We were heading for an anchorage called Ay Marina, which looks beautiful with turquoise waters and a small hotel.  However there are two entry points and the wind is howling through there.  

We give this anchorage a miss and head further north for Pethi a small village south of Simi.  We anchor up for the lunch but the gusts down each side of the hills are too uncomfortable so we decide to head for Simi Harbour.

We arrive around 2pm and get a great possie on the wharf.  It's a very pretty place, with all the shops and houses painted and in very good condition.  We spend the afternoon walking around the village, meeting our new neighbours from Germany and Ireland and generally relaxing.  It's a great afternoon for people watching as there are lots of tourists around.

Gary from Australia comes over to the yacht to introduce himself.  He is from the Blue Mountains originally but has be living here for nine years.  His apartment is directly above our yacht and he invites us up to climb his 49 stairs in the morning to get some great photos.  Unfortunately he is still sleeping when we depart.  Anyway his place is up for sale if anyone is interested.  Simi really is a lovely place to live.

We depart early around 7am and are now heading for Kos.  We take a short cut between Simi and Nimos, a very narrow channel with depths to six metres.  I'm up front to check out the depths although it's impossible to tell how shallow it really is.  A fishing boat goes by and he waves us through so we feel safe.

A little further on we see a front forming and a twister is forming from the clouds down to the sea which kind of freaks me a little.  We take down out head sail just in case, however is disappears soon after.

The rest of the trip is very uneventful except for the cruiser who flashes by at god know how fast with a huge rooster tail.  We see him a mile away and grab some footage, he is obviously showing off as we've never seen anyone go this fast before.  The wake is enormous.

We arrive in Kos Harbour around 2pm and there are plenty of vacant positions on the wharf.  The marina guy leads us in and we are charged 5 Euros for the night, very cheap as we are right in the middle of the old town, unlike the Kos marina about three kilometres from town.

Once we are settled we catch the tourist train around the town to check it out.  It only takes about 20 minutes but helps us with our bearings.  We then head out on our own walking tour to see the ancient ruins.  It's incredible that in the middle of the village you can just walk past the acropolis, theatre, and old Roman houses; whilst eating a yummy gelato, mine was a snickers one, delicious!   We stop in the town square from some refreshments and people watching then return to the yacht.  

We have dinner at a grill restaurant which seems very popular and enjoy the food and ambiance.  On the way home we walk through the party area of town with loads of bars for all the young ones.  There are many more bars along the water and beach area on either side of the harbour. Kos really is a party place.

Ancient Kos is also famous for Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine.  

Rhodos cont.

Day Four.

After a good nights sleep I take off early for a walk around the new city and west coast beaches.  It's very scenic but very touristy as well, especially catering to the British.

After coffee on board Greg cooks up brunch of savoury eggs which are delicious and very filling.

Yannos our agent returns with all our paperwork; transit log, entry and exit stamps, crew list and the bill.  It's 465 Euros for everything including their fee of 100 Euros for booking our berth at Mandraki Marina and handling all the officials, well worth every cent.  Immigration and the transit log cost 170Euros.

Soon after Kim and Peter arrive all kitted up for their ferry trip back to Athens.  Wow they are packed up well and have all the mod cons, like built in microphones in their helmets, and they can play their iPod through them.  We have a coffee with them and then bid them safe travels just as their ferry is arriving.

We are heading over to catch the hop on hop off bus that will take us around the old and new city.  It takes about an hour and is pretty disappointing but at least we get to see the acropolis which is a fair way out of the city.  We do go via the very scenic route of the west coast and the beaches and water look  very inviting.

Mandraki Harbour is fascinating and we could spend all day watching the comings and goings.  There are charter yachts returning from their week at sea, ferries, gulets and many other commercial ships.  We have had a 90 foot gulet beside us for three days now and they are leaving in the morning.  The westerly winds have been pushing them onto us so we are squashed like a sandwich next to our neighbouring catamaran. They are Italians and very friendly and helpful in trying to adjust themselves to help us a little.  Plus all the agents of the sailing industry ride around on scooters checking at who is here and coming into the harbour to ensure they try to get your business.  We were actually advised not to come to this marina because of the reported many anchor foulings but there are no other options.  The new marina that was supposed to by completed by 2011 is still not available so Mandraki it is.  Actually so far we have not seen any yacht have any issues leaving the harbour.  This is the best location to be in for viewing the historical city, we are very lucky.  Fingers crossed we are lucky tomorrow with the anchors.

Sunday night is all about the F1; we are watching the race at the Yacht Club Cafe where we have spent a few afternoons enjoying a refreshment and their great Wi-Fi.  They set up a special viewing area for us on one of their TVs as the locals are watching a basketball game between Greece and America, unfortunately they loose.  The race is exciting and we enjoy the evening. The staff are very friendly and helpful.

Monday morning is departure day.  The forecast is for the westerly winds to die down by lunch time.  I go for a final walk around the old city and take some more photos.  Rhodos is  really fantastic, most likely the best historical town we have visited so far.  Plus  I purchase our final fresh foods for the trip. 

At 10.30am we take a walk around to the west coast to see what the winds are doing.  The winds are picking up instead of dieing down so Greg decides that we should stay another night otherwise we are punching into the Beaufort 5s and 6s. When we look at the wind forecast the only place it is windy is over Rhodos, go figure!  We visit the marina guy and get the OK for one more night.  He sends Yannos over later to pay the fees, only 28 Euros.

The forecast does look good for tomorrow and the next few days, very slight winds so should be a good sail over to Simi.

In the afternoon we head over to the beach on the west coast for a swim, its really busy and full of local kids and holiday makers.  The water is very refreshing.  The rest of the evening is spent with a yummy meal on board and watching some old reruns of Entourage.

Historical Rhodos

Yannos our agent returns with our passports stamped so we are now free to roam around the old and new city.  We head for the old city and are in awe of the magnificent structures, even the pebble pavements they have.  We have dinner at a local restaurant and retire early as we are exhausted from our trip and too much sun.

Kim and Peter who we met in Samos are arriving tonight as well on their motorbike so we hope to catch up with them at some stage.

The castle is well lit up tonight.

Day Two.

We have a good sleep and just as we are leaving for our morning coffee Kim and Peter arrive at the yacht.  Perfect timing so we all go off to the old  city for some delicious breakfast creeps, great coffee and a few laughs.  We enjoy listening to their travel stories as they have been motorcycling around the Greek Islands and Turkey.

We arrange to met them for dinner the following night and head back to the marina.  I have been shopping around for the best price of Moët and the marina supermarket is very competitive.  Peter the owner helps us out there and we stock up for our next leg.  Wow they even have Nepresso capsules, I'm in seventh heaven as we were on rations.  Peter will deliver our order to the yacht shortly.

I'm on a mission to book us on some tours of the old city and bus trip to the east coast.  After numerous phones calls and walking aimlessly around the old and new city speaking to travel agents, I give up.  The only way we can see anything is to hire a car which I was hoping to avoid so that Greg could enjoy the trip as well.  He is happy to drive though.  I arrange for the car to be dropped off at the yacht at 9am Saturday (tomorrow) morning.  

We give the yacht a good hose down as its covered in red dust, seems like a never ending task and we refuel.  We've skipped lunch as breakfast was very filling and decide on an early dinner in the new city.  We find a restaurant that advertises seafood spaghetti; just what we feel like, it looks good but it's not so tasty as it has processed seafood in it.  Anyway we still enjoy the evening.

Around 2am we are up and adjusting the lines as the wind direction keeps changing.  We are bumping into the yacht next door and our lines are squeaking.  Luckily we go back to sleep for a few hours.

Day Three.

John the car hire guy arrives at 9am and gives us some good advice on where to go.  Basically he suggests the east coast down to Lindos another ancient town with ruins and an acropolis.  There are plenty of beaches along the way to check out as well.  So we head south at around 9.30am.   It's only a 45 min drive to Lindos, however we stop at one of the castles along the way which has amazing tunnels dug through it but nothing much else is remaining.

We get to Lindos and its chaos as there are too many tourist buses and a major traffic jam.  We head down to the city but can't drive through it so head back up.  There are two bays / beaches  one on either side where you can swim and anchor your yacht.  It's very pretty.

We head further south and stop at Lee Beach, Pefki.  It's a lovely spot with a clean sandy beach and plenty of British tourists.  The beach is probably the nicest we've seen so far.  We stop for some refreshments.

We decide to head back as Greg is very keen to visit Faliraki Beach just south of Rhodos.  It's a little  disappointing although a very large beach area and seems like a great night club spot.  We might go back and visit it after the F1 on Sunday night.

Back at the marina we find the yacht covered in red dust again so we clean her up.  Kim and Peter are dropping by for pre dinner drinks, our first visitors of the trip.  We pop open our first Moët for some time as the price in Turkey was ridiculous, apparently the govt. places a 89% tax on imported liquor. 

Anyway we enjoy our drinks and head into the old city for dinner.  Kim chooses a great restaurant and we share some sardines, salad, sagonaki prawns and veal with risoni pasta, all very delicious. We finish off the meal with some honey flavoured raki, compliments of the restaurant.  It's very strong but drinkable.

Come 11pm we are all a little weary so say our good nights.  Peter and Kim are catching a ferry to Athens tomorrow so we will see them just before they leave.

On the way home we notice some interesting gelato creatures but can't bring ourselves to eat any of them.

Our Turkey leg

We have finally finished our Turkey leg and back in Greece.  It was definitely an experience and we enjoyed meeting all the people we did.  The constant strong  winds were  unexpected and somewhat unseasonal as mentioned by many of the regular sailing couples we met.

Here is a snapshot of where we went.