This Blog covers our return from Athens to LEROS
through the Cyclades Islands where we visited those islands we’d previously
bypassed (KEA, SIKINOS and ANAFI) before heading back to LEROS (via ASTIPALEA and NISYROS).
Route
Athens–LEROS
ATTICA PENINSULA
Our passage southeast from our berth in Piraeus
Sailing Club (PSC) in Mounikhias Yacht Harbour in Athens, down the Attica coast
of the Saronic Gulf of mainland Greece on our way to the island of KEA, helped
consolidate our knowledge on Athens and the peninsula.
Google
Earth © view of Attica Peninsula including KEA
From the Corinth Canal and north coast of the Saronic
Gulf, around Athens and south down the Attica Peninsula it is very mountainous
terrain except for the nearly circular plain in which the Greek capital
sits. Along the narrow western coastal
strip of the peninsula, the Athens suburbs have spread so that modern Athens
extends from the industrial suburbs of Perama in the north to the urban suburbs
of Varkiza where we anchored overnight on our passage north to Athens. A dual-carriageway now runs along the full
length of the Attica peninsula and connects with the Olympic Marina and Lavrion
port on the southeast side of the peninsula.
The Temple of Poseidon stands conspicuously on the top
of Cape Sounion at the end of the southern tip of the Attica peninsula. The craggy spur plunges 100 metres down to
the sea. To the north of the Cape there
is a bay which has traditionally been used by sailing vessels waiting for the
Meltemi to abate.
Temple
of Poseidon viewed from Island Drifter
We hadn’t planned and did not have the time necessary
to divert north from the Cape into the Petalion Gulf in order to investigate
for ourselves the services available and cost benefits of the Olympic Marina
and Lavrion port. Apart from now having an
excellent road to Athens city, they also have
a new road to the international airport of Eleftherios Venizelos. We’ll check these two locations out properly
in the autumn. In the meantime, we did desk research and spoke to a number of
Greek cruisers in Athens who had been there.
Google
Earth © view of Petalion Gulf with Olympic Marina and Lavrion port
The Olympic Marina has 700 berths, hardstanding for
another 700 boats and claims to be able to take on any work. Not surprising really since they manufactured
boats themselves until relatively recently.
While fairly full of Athenian boats, it is organised to take visitors. Could be a good place to leave a boat, but as
yet WE are not sure. It could be
expensive.
Google
Earth © view of Olympic Marina
Lavrion used to be a run-down town and port which
supported the local mining industries.
Thanks to the 2004 Olympic Games and its northerly neighbour Rafina’s
refusal to take on more ferry traffic it is now being developed with
the active support of the Greek government as both a ferry and commercial port. Its location near the end of the Saronic Gulf
and improved road facilities could make it a useful port for someone wanting to
get to the islands by ferry (assuming they run from there).
Google
Earth © view of Lavrion town and port
An increasing number of charter companies are using
Lavrion port as a base for their fleets.
Hence visiting yachts can find it difficult to berth there at weekends,
albeit it is said to be easier to do so mid-week and, being a port, the harbour fees are
reported to be significantly cheaper than the Olympic Marina.
KEA
The island of KEA (called TZIA locally) is the most
northwesterly Cycladean island. It is 20 miles from the Olympic Marina
and Lavrion and only 3 hours by ferry from Athens. While currently off the main
foreign tourist routes, the island is popular with cruisers and Athenians. Nightlife is limited and indeed non-existent
in most places. A real pleasure for
those like ourselves who don't appreciate listening to tavernas competing with each other
in terms of decibels in ‘tourist’ areas.
Google
Earth © view of KEA
Athenians have however had a significant impact on the
island beyond just its ports and three principal towns. Much of the countryside
and bays are peppered with holiday villas both in isolation and within small
hamlets or communities. Many are attractively built in locally quarried green-brown stone with the
traditional red-tiled roofs for which KEA is known.
Wall
and building being constructed in local stone
KEA’s
traditional red-tiled roofs
Our first impression when approaching the island was
of its craggy mountain spine and steep forbidding rocky coastline. Inland, however, the island has retained much
of its rural charm. It has always been a ‘well-watered’ and fertile land
graced, in consequence, with a countryside that is noticeably greener than
neighbouring islands. Holm oaks and
almond trees grow in abundance; vines and olives are grown but apparently not
in great quantities. Flowers and shrubs
are everywhere and make the island very colourful and scented.
A
typically colourful roadside verge
There are attractive bays around the island, some of
which make good anchorages, wind direction permitting.
Bay
and anchorage of Otzias at the north of KEA
Walkers are well served by a network of numbered
traditional trails that have been rehabilitated and signposted – thanks to EU
funding. KEA is indeed a rambler’s delight.
EU-funded
trail signposts for ramblers (hopefully they are made of hardwood). (This one was actually photographed in
SIKINOS!)
Once an important outpost of the Minoan empire, KEA
(or KEO as it was then known) boasted four City States, whereas most islands
managed only one. Today very little remains, however, to be seen on the ground
except for the remnants of a Minoan palace at Agia Irini close to where we
anchored off the village of Vourkari.
The Archeological Museum, however, houses a wide range of items
discovered on the island, mainly at Agia Irini including in particular thirteen
female Minoan statues. (This is unusual
because most of the Minoan empire’s statues were male.)
The island is, however, best known for its sculpture
of the ‘Lion of Kea’; a grey granite, 6m-long Sphinx-like creature carved
around 300BC from an outcrop of rock. It
rests in an olive grove a 15-minute walk from the island’s Chora.
The Lion of Kea
Some people have likened the maneless lion’s enigmatic
‘smile’ to that of a toothless pussycat.
The
Lion’s smiley face
The Minoan Civilization on the island adopted the
‘quaint’ old custom of ‘Keion Nomimon’.
People over 70 whose intellectual faculties or physical abilities were
no longer ‘beneficial’ to the society were obliged to commit suicide by
drinking a cup of hemlock. The custom is believed to have originated during a
siege of the island when food was scarce.
In order to save the younger more able members of their society, the
elders did the noble thing and ‘drank up’.
Cheers!
Five miles northwest of the island is the Kea Channel,
the last resting place of the Britannia, the sister ship of the Titanic.
She struck a mine off KEA in November 1916 and sank within an hour. As a hospital ship, she was on her way to
collect 3,500 casualties from the Dardenelles Campaign. Thirty people drowned
but it could have been an absolute disaster had she been on her return voyage
carrying casualties.
The liner lies on the seabed in 110 feet of water. It
is becoming a popular dive site, given the excellent condition of the ship and
the clarity of water.
We pulled into the natural harbour of Ag
Nikolaou on the northwest corner of the island where we anchored off Vourkari
in the east bay.
Google
Earth © view of Nikolaou bay
Vourkari
seen from our anchorage
Next day we used our dinghy (and outboard, given the
size of the bay), to explore the shores of the harbour including Coal Bunker Bay,
bunkering once being a major source of income for KEA. We also motored around to the west bay and
Korissia port where we hired a car so we could look further round the island.
The
remains of coal bunkering sheds from 1914 in ‘Coal Bunker Bay’, a cove within
Ag Nikolaou Bay
Korissia
port, town and beach viewed from the new road above
After we returned the car, we treated ourselves to an
early supper in one of the excellent fish tavernas for which the port is known.
Mike
just about to get stuck into a grilled locally caught squid
While visible from the port, the island’s main town of
Ioulis (the Chora) sits in a natural amphitheatre between two hills overlooked
by a handful of ruined windmills, all that remain of the 26 that once topped
the so-called ‘Mountain of Mills’. The
town is built around seven springs (now used as mule troughs). It clings
tenaciously to the hillside. The streets and the (very many) steps are too
steep and narrow to admit vehicles to what is a working town packed with small
houses. Heavy loads are carried by mules
or donkeys.
Ioulis
town (the Chora) viewed from afar
Attractive
narrow street in Ioulis, KEA
Another
attractive street
A
working donkey in the Chora
SIFNOS
We left KEA at first light hoping that we’d make the
70 miles to SIKINOS, the second island we’d bypassed on our cruise
with Max and Sue. Unfortunately, the
wind was lighter than forecast and so when it became clear we would not make
SIKINOS before dark, we pulled into Vathi bay on the west
coast of SIFNOS.
Vathi
bay and village
We’d anchored there before with Max and Sue and very
much liked it. It is a circular bay with
a narrow entrance and in consequence, together with good holding in sand,
provides excellent all-round shelter – the best on the island. There are a few family-run tavernas, a couple
of mini-markets, crystal-clear water and a good beach. We anchored, swam and
showered before rowing ashore for supper in the family taverna that we’d had
our eye on during our previous visit. An excellent meal! Mike had rabbit and
Helen had goat in red wine.
Enjoying
our supper in a family-run beachside taverna in Vathi
SIKINOS
We’d bypassed SIKINOS on our cruise with M&S
simply because we were running out of time to get them back to Athens for their
flight. Once called the ‘Wine Island’ (Oinoe) it was always going to be
included on our return itinerary to LEROS!
Google
Earth © view of SIKINOS
SIKINOS is the second least-touristed island in the
Cyclades. It offers an insight into what other islands were like before modern
tourism burgeoned in the 70s. Even so,
with new tarmac roads, concrete quays, EU grants and dramatically more tourists, it
can only replicate that life to an extent.
Part
of the original ‘road’ from the port to the Chora
The 4-kilometre uphill walk or mule ride from the
island’s port of Alopronia to the Chora was only replaced by a small bus in the
late 80s. At roughly the same time a jetty was also constructed. Until then
SIKINOS was the last major island where ferry passengers still got ashore in
local boats. We are told that arrival in those days was a memorable experience
as one would often have to jump off the ferry’s lowered cargo door into a fisherman’s
wildly bobbing caïque.
Apart from a few small tavernas and a couple of bars,
the islanders make few concessions as yet to tourism except for some
purpose-built accommodation around the port. While only a stone’s throw (so to
speak) from SANTORINI, IOS and FOLEGANDROS, it is a world apart. With no
dramatic history or characteristics and no nightlife to speak off, few foreigners
include SIKINOS in their itinerary except for cruisers who value such
locations. The end result is that the
island must rate as one of the most unspoilt places in the Cyclades.
Street
scene in the Kastro, SIKINOS Note the
derelict windmill
The islanders’ main sources of income are still
fishing, herding (sheep and goats), agriculture (wine, olive oil, wheat and
honey) and market gardening. Tourist
income has, however, become an increasingly important part of the economy.
Honey
comes from the many thyme shrubs growing on the island
Holiday
accommodation typical of many islands
Suffice it to say that we visited the Manalis winery,
vineyard and restaurant, which have been reinvigorated by an EU grant and is
the only winery on the island, although there are other small vineyards. It is family run by just four people using
traditional methods. When we arrived, it
was closed but they opened up the restaurant for us and Rainer and Ingrid
Langenbacher from Germany, since that’s how things work here. We enjoyed a very good bottle of their
chilled white wine (not the cheapest we’ve had!) on a shaded terrace
overlooking the vineyards and sea.
Enjoying
wine on the Manalis winery restaurant terrace
with Ingrid and Rainer
Langenbacher
A
traditional wine press in the winery’s reception area
We even bought ourselves a bottle of their red for the
evening to celebrate the 20th anniversary of our purchase of Island
Drifter from Steve and Helen Grover, whom we emailed to thank. We’ve been very
fortunate in having purchased and being able to use the yacht as we have over
the years.
We anchored in the ferry port at Alopronia having
concluded that the three other anchorages we’d passed on the way were great
locations but not in the weather forecast for the coming few days.
Anchored
off the beach in Alopronia port
We ended up at anchor in a katabatic Force 6+ wind in
which we felt it necessary, fortunately in advance, to use our full range of
anchoring techniques to ensure that the anchor did not become dislodged – with
the obvious consequences. Hence, we used
a long snubber rope, a 20kg ‘angel’, the mizzen sail with two reefs, and a
longer than normal length of anchor chain.
It worked well and made us confident enough to leave ID to tour the
island. We would not have felt happy
doing so had we had any concerns regarding the anchor, other than, one has to
say, concern that some idiot would pull it up ‘by accident’, which is a continual
worry.
At
anchor with the mizzen sail up for stability
in the strong katabatic wind that
was gusting
Such tourist facilities as exist are concentrated in
Alopronia with its crystal-clear water and sandy beach. A delightful location.
Village,
port and beach of Alopronia
A tarmac road leads from the port to the Kastro/Chora
on the top of the hill overlooking the port. The settlement alone justifies a
visit to SIKINOS. It consists of two closely sited villages, on either side of
a saddle. The eastern settlement of
Kastro is the larger. Its village is now
the de facto centre of the combined settlement.
Overview
of Kastro and Chora of SIKINOS
A Venetian fortress that stood in the 13th
century gave Kastro (castle) its name. Today it is a truly lived-in village with
narrow winding alleyways paved with rocks set in concrete, which run through
the maze of well-kept, brilliantly white houses. At its heart is the main
square and church of Pantanassa.
Main
square in Kastro, the centre of the village’s activities
One
of the village’s attractive and colourful narrow alleyways
The buildings surrounding the church were home to the
town’s wealthy merchants: two-storey affairs with remnants of stonework around
their, by now, UVPC windows!
The ruins of old windmills cling to the top of the
plunging cliffs north of the Kastro.
Also to the north a long steep flight of rough-hewn whitewashed stone
steps lead to the once fortified monastery of Monizoodohou Pigis, high above the
village. Originally built as a nunnery
in 1690, the back walls of the cells in which the nuns lived form the outer
walls of the fort. The views from the monastery are fantastic.
Entrance
to the fortified monastery
overlooking the Kastro and Chora settlements
below
The
steps to and the fortified monastery of
Monizoodohou Pigis seen from the
Kastro
Just west of the Kastro, above the steeply terraced
fields, and reached by yet another flight of whitewashed stone steps, is the
Chora, which doubles as a ‘suburb’ with only seventeen of the village’s houses
inhabited. It is currently a patchwork
of well-maintained houses interspersed with derelict buildings (ripe for
development?).
ANAFI
We left Alopronia in SIKINOS in some haste soon after
dawn in order to get away from a rather unpleasant thunder cloud that was
approaching over the hill. Thereafter we
had our best sail to date in a Force 5 gusting 6 for the 40 miles to ANAFI.
Sailing
on a broad reach for the 40 miles to ANAFI
The small island of ANAFI, the last Cycladean island
that we had not yet visited, is only 90 minutes by ferry from SANTORINI and yet
it has been one of the least-known and accessed tourist destinations in the
Aegean. So much so that the word ‘Anafi’ is the Greek equivalent of our
‘Timbuktu’. Like SIKINOS, it offers visitors a glimpse of what island life used
to be like.
Google
Earth © view of ANAFI
About 250 people live permanently on the island,
surviving economically by fishing and subsistence farming. Summer tourism has recently boosted their
economy but to date its development has been slow despite an EU-funded ferry
quay, an improved ferry service, new roads and an increase in tourist
accommodation.
Half
of the port’s inshore fishing fleet with ID and our Australian
neighbours’ catamaran Indian Summer anchored beyond
The island is a harsh place. It only has a limited number of natural
springs and therefore the inhabitants use cisterns to collect rainwater, many
under their houses. Its mixed granite and
limestone core is overlaid by volcanic rock spewed out by the Santorini
eruption. Apart from a few olive trees
and vines grown in the valleys, the only plant that thrives is the prickly
pear.
Prickly
pears are grown everywhere in the village streets. (They have more uses than as just an
ingredient of jam or juice!!)
ANAFI’s visitors come in the summer to enjoy the
seclusion and the island’s six excellent, relatively large south-facing sandy
beaches backed by a mixture of tamarisk, palm trees and dunes. The beaches can be accessed on foot (or by
Jeep) down rough earthen tracks off the new 9-kilometre road that runs from the
island’s Chora some distance behind the coast.
The beaches never even approach getting crowded, let alone overcrowded. Some
have small pop-up bars/tavernas in high season.
There are incidentally few visitors outside the summer other than
cruising sailors.
Klissidi
beach just east of the port
Mega
Potomas beach with Mt Kalamos behind
Free
camping on Roukouna beach seen from ID on our way to ASTIPALEA
In good conditions one can anchor off the south coast
beaches. After an excellent sail from SIKINOS and a forecast that indicated
that the wind was not going to slacken, we decided to follow the pilot book’s
advice and ‘park’ close to the shore inside the port area behind the breakwater
and bight that partially, at least, protect the port from the then prevailing
west and northwesterly winds. This we
did with 0.3 metres under our keel and our full range of anchor tackle.
Anchorage
and port in the bight created by a small headland
Our
neighbours Ian and Melian Tomsett (I&M) joined us for supper. They had just brought their catamaran Indian
Summer from Australia up the Somalia coast, through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal
There isn’t much to do or see in the port itself. There are a couple of tavernas and some
accommodation for visitors. Many of the port buildings look exactly as they
would have done 70 years ago. Not much
changes quickly in ANAFI.
The
port buildings of Ayios Nikolaos are a bit run down and probably haven’t
changed much in the last 70 years
The anchorage does, however, have a magnificent view
of the photogenic Chora on the hill above, which provides a dash of colour on
an otherwise steep brown shrubby hill.
View
of Chora from the port
The narrow winding streets of the Chora offer
protection from the occasional squalls known as the gharbish wind that
can blow strongly from the southwest – not usually a problem at this time of
the year.
Chora
street scene
The Chora lays claim to being one of the
last unspoilt Cycladean Choras. It is a pretty place with Santorini-style
anti-earthquake barrel-roofed houses and traditional exterior baking ovens.
Santorini-style anti-earthquake barrel-roofed houses in the Chora
Traditional
exterior baking oven
These days there is a 4-km EU-funded road up to the
Chora from the port. As enthusiastic hikers we
walked up the steep, 1.5km refurbished mule track. Doesn’t sound much, but we
were puffing by the top.
View
from Chora of the new EU road and refurbished mule trail
leading up from the port
On the limestone pinnacle of Mount Kalamos at the
extreme southeast point of the island perches the monkless monastery of
Kalamiotissa, the island’s principal ‘sight’.
It is truly spectacularly sited at the top of the pinnacle. The Mountain is (arguably) the highest rock
formation in the Mediterranean, outstripping (it is claimed) even Gibraltar.
Monastery
of Kalamiotissa perched on the summit of Mt Kalamos
Monastery
of Kalamiotissa
It takes an hour to climb up to it from the point at
which one can be dropped by bus at the end of the 9-km coastal road from the
Chora but the climb is certainly worth the effort. The views are fantastic.
Part
of the track up to the Monastery of Kalamiotissa
View
of the south and east coasts of ANAFI from the summit of Mt Kalamos
At the end of the beach road, close to the path
leading up to the higher monastery of Kalamiotissa, is the equally monkless
Zoodhohou Pigis monastery, complete with the marble foundations of the Temple
of Apollo, said to have been built there by the Argonauts who supposedly took
shelter on the island. It is the venue for the island’s major festival
celebrations eleven days after Easter and on the 7th and 8th
of September each year.
Monastery
of Zoodouhohou Pigis
When we got back to the Chora from our hike up to the
monasteries, we treated ourselves to a late lunch at the fish taverna ‘Anemos’,
run by the wife and daughter of Kostas, one of the principal fishermen on the
island. It may not have the views that
one often gets from port-side tavernas, but it certainly served excellent
seafood, caught by Kostas that day, who, when we had finished our meal, gave us a lift back down to the port.
After
a portion of ‘greens’ (a form of spinach dressed with olive oil and lemon)
between us, Helen had mixed fried fish and Mike had fried squid in the Chora’s
Anemos Taverna
ASTIPALEA
Architecturally, geographically and historically
ASTIPALEA belongs in the Cyclades group of islands. The island’s white cubist houses, Chora, castle and windmills, plus its barren hillsides, are typically Cycladean. On a clear day, you can see ANAFI, from where
we sailed, and indeed AMORGOS to its south more easily than any island in the
Dodecanese. It is, however, by a quirk
of history, included and managed by KALYMNOS as a Dodecanese island.
Chart
plotter view of ASTIPALEA and surrounding islands
The island’s 1500 inhabitants are primarily descended
from colonists from other Cycladean islands who re-populated ASTIPALEA in the
Middle Ages. It
was only reassigned to the Ottoman Empire after the Greek War of Independence
because the ‘major powers’ who ‘oversaw’ the 1832 Peace Conference had such a
poor map that ASTIPALEA was mistakenly positioned in the Turkish Dodecanese
(those 12 islands close to the Turkish coast who protested at the removal by
Greece of their special privileges granted by the Ottomans).
Under Italian rule from 1912, ASTIPALEA eventually came
back under Greek rule in 1947, albeit not as part of the Cyclades. Its relative remoteness, lack of nightlife,
intermittent ferry services, combined with reasonable, albeit not spectacular
beaches, have all conspired to keep at bay the ‘foreign masses’ and tour
operators who require frequent and reliable ferry links. This partly accounts for the popularity of
ASTIPALEA with Greek holidaymakers who constitute 90% of all visitors. The remainder are primarily French and
Italian.
Isolated
beach of Ay Konstantis on south coast to the west of Livadia
We had left ANAFI early for our 40-mile passage to
ASTIPALEA with the objective of avoiding the worst of the wind acceleration
zone south of Cape Spathi at the east end of the island (before it developed as
the day progressed). Thereafter we enjoyed a broad reach to ASTIPALEA.
Passing
Cape Spathi at the east end of island. The Monastery we climbed up to can just be
seen perched on the left-hand pinnacle
Helen
preparing the boat for arrival in ASTIPALEA
These days the island has two principal ports: the harbour town of Skala (also known as Peri
Gialos) on the south coast and San Andreas, a new EU-financed ferry port on the
north coast of the island.
San
Andreas ferry port – in the middle of nowhere!
We anchored off Skala’s port for the night – outside
the port’s quay and breakwater.
ID
at anchor outside the port in Skala bay
As we approached the island, the Chora and the remains
of its 13th-century castle above were conspicuous. Almost, but not
quite, as imposing as the Monastery in PATMOS.
The
Kastro, Chora and port at Skala
Once we’d anchored and looked up at the skyline, we
realised how dramatically dominating the
Kastro really is from the bay below.
Ian and Melian on Indian Summer were already there
and had invited us for a BBQ supper on board. We took a nano-second to accept. Souvlaki, spuds and salad – perfect fare!
Kastro
and Chora from the bay of Skala
below
Early next morning the Port Police told us that we
must move since a large ferry (for whatever reason) was expected and we were
anchored in its way. We therefore
weighed anchor and moved on to the inside of the town’s quay/breakwater. I&M re-anchored in deep water further
out in the bay.
ID repositioned on the quay inside the harbour
We discovered on the ferry’s arrival that we would indeed
have been in the way! Fortunately for
everyone we had not already left to go sightseeing; otherwise we’re not sure
what would have happened.
Ferry
reversing on to the quay with I&M’s catamaran Indian Summer reanchored in
the background
We jointly hired a car with I&M to explore the
island, which is too big and rough to do so comfortably by scooter – and indeed
it halved the cost!
The only major population centres on the island are
made up of the built-up strip that joins the waterfront village of Skala and
Livadia by way of the hilltop Chora, well away from both the new ferry port and
airport.
Google
Earth © view of ASTIPALEA
The shape of ASTIPALEA is usually compared with a
butterfly in that it consists of two separate ‘wings’ joined by a low narrow
central isthmus.
Isthmus
at the centre of the two wings of the butterfly of ASTIPALEA
The harbour of Skala dates from the Italian era
of 1912 to 1947. It is set in a deeply
indented steep-sided little bay. Only at the head of the bay, with its broad
gravel beach and row of seafront cafes and restaurants, is there much activity.
The delightful Chora above can be accessed by road as
well as by a steep path from the port. It caps the headland. Beneath the stone
walls of the hilltop castle, the village itself is comprised of dazzling white
houses, many now restored or being in the process of being replaced or restored
following damage in the 1956 earthquake.
The buildings of the Chora are threaded intriguingly in narrow stairway
streets.
Stone
staircase street in the Chora
A
traditional balcony and street in the Chora
The main approach road to the Chora’s square is lined
with eight picturesque orange-roofed windmills.
Windmills
on the saddle of hill leading to the main square
with the imposing Kastro
above
ASTIPALEA’s Kastro is generally considered to be one
of the finest in the Aegean. It was built by the Venetians in the 13th
Century and modified by the Ottomans after 1537. Rather than purpose-built
battlements, its unique outer wall consists of 4-storey buildings with thick
outer walls. In its prime it housed 4000 people within its walls and contained
a labyrinth of staircases and alleyways in addition to two blue-domed churches.
Tunnel-like
entrance to Kastro with, in the background, the remains of one of the 4-storey outer walls that
surrounded it. The windows in the wall were only opened up in the 19th
century
The
tall thick outer walls of the Kastro as viewed from the Chora’s square
The small adjacent resort of Livadia, which occupies
the bay on the west side of the Kastro, has the best beach on the island,
backed by a fertile valley, a major source of garden produce.
The
start of the fertile green valley behind Livadia holiday resort and beach
Livadia’s long straight beach is fringed with a string
of restaurants and bars. Compared to the rest of the island, it seems as if it
has been transplanted from a glitzier environment!
Livadia beach viewed through one of the beachside tavernas with the Chora and Kastro in
the background
The island in general may not immediately strike one
as attractive. Many beaches along the indented coastline have reefs which may
not be a problem in terms of anchoring but limit their attraction to other
tourists, while the windswept heights are covered in thorny shrubs and stunted
junipers. Hundreds of goats and some
sheep manage to survive while citrus groves and vegetable patches in the
valleys signal that there is some water there. Beside its local cheese,
ASTIPALEA is renowned for its fish and lobsters.
One
of the many goats on the island. Where
is the Troll?
Analipsi, ASTIPALEA’s second largest settlement, is
10kms east of Skala and less than one kilometre from the airport – not a
problem since there are not many flights each day. It is officially named Analipsi but is also known by the nickname of Maltezana it acquired thanks to medieval pirates from Malta. It is
a very pleasant place with a sandy beach, a small fishing jetty and a good
anchorage. I&M were sufficiently
taken with it to return there in their catamaran immediately after our tour of
the island.
Analipsi
village, beach and fishermen’s quay
While there, we had lunch in a small beachside
taverna, where Ilias, the elderly owner, singlehandedly prepared and served a
delicious meal of pork steaks with chips and salad. (His wife is in hospital in
Athens.) He had to call in
reinforcements when three other tables filled up!
Lunch
at ‘Taverna Analipsi’, one of the original beachside
tavernas on the
island
A youthful Ilias, with his wife and young daughter
The anchorages on the island are exceptional in terms
of both shelter and scenic location. For
example, Vathi, in the northeast wing of the butterfly, is the only safe
anchorage on the north coast. It is a
large, almost landlocked’ ‘lake’ with a narrow entrance and provides excellent
all-round shelter.
Vathi’s
almost landlocked bay providing all-round shelter
The small fishing hamlet of Vathi would appear, from
the amount of building work going on, to have clearly recognised its tourist
potential – in spite of only being
reachable by sea or along a rutted track. It already has an excellent fish taverna.
Fish
taverna at Vathi
On the south coast there appear to be up to ten
excellent anchorages with good protection from northerly winds. Some places were simply not accessible in our
Suzuki Splash on the very rough tracks, so we reluctantly gave them a miss.
The
excellent anchorage at Ay Agrilithi on the south coast
NISYROS
We had another excellent sail on a broad reach in a
Force 5 from ASTIPALEA to NISYROS where we Med-moored bows-to in a rather tight
space on the north quay of Pali.
Bit
of a tight squeeze but there wasn’t much choice on the north quay which was
safer than the opposite quay to moor on in the north wind
Pali port viewed from the surrounding hillside
It helps that we now know the Zaraki family who own Aphrodite Taverna and Mike and Marilyn Zahariadis who run Eagle’s Nest Car Rental, all of whom we have remained in touch with.
Enjoying a meal at Aphrodite Taverna where Tsampika Zaraki – who owns and runs the taverna with her husband Nikos and daughters Xrisanthi and Aphrodite – joined us for a chat
Mike
and Marilyn Zahariadis. Mike is a
returnee Greek who spent many years in the States before returning to Nisyros with
his American wife Marilyn
LEROS
With time running out before our flight back to the UK, we pushed on north into the wind for the 50 miles from NISYROS to LEROS – thereby bypassing KOS and KALYMNOS. On our arrival at M&D's quayside marina in Lakki, we 'parked' next to Will and Anne-Marie on Rappel who were already well advanced on the decommissioning of their Sadler 32 prior to lift-out at Partheni, the day before us.
Lakki Marina
We needed three days to do everything we had to on ID while in the water, before motoring the ten miles up to M&D's boatyard in Partheni. In temperatures of up to 37°C we turned 'native' – getting up at 0500 hours, working until 1330 hours, having a siesta and then working until it was nearly dark (2030 hours).
We did find time, however, to have supper out with Ian and Melian (Indian Summer) who were now anchored in Lakki Bay. In the open air on the quay outside the cafe at the ferry dock, we enjoyed an excellent souvlaki and salad meal with plenty of wine for only 10€ per head.
Enjoying supper on the ferry dock quay in Lakki with Ian and Melian Tomsett
Next day we moved up to Partheni early and anchored off the boatyard while Friday's launches and lift-outs took place. Once the boatyard finished for the day at 1500 hours – and since there were no free 'waiting' buoys available – we motored into the lifting bay and tied ourselves in the middle like Gulliver in Lilliput to await the morning.
ID moored well off the quays in M&D's lifting bay
As a consequence we were lifted first next morning, thereby giving ourselves the opportunity to start on the decommissioning of ID on the hard earlier than we might have done had we been at the end of the queue. Indeed, the last boat wasn't lifted until 1300 hours, which is when the boatyard closes on a Saturday.
We've now got four days in which to put ID to bed for the summer before our flight back to the UK. Thereafter, we currently plan to return to Greece in mid-September for an Autumn Cruise of the Saronic Gulf and Peloponnese east coast.
SUMMARY
It's been a good Spring Cruise. We've covered some 1200 miles, been to and enjoyed exploring every significant island in the Cyclades, had an unexpected ten days in Athens (or at least Mike did), met a number of old and new sailing friends and had excellent weather throughout. We'll now spend the summer in the UK.
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