April 22, 2025 – Ormos Thorkau, Greece
Up with the sun and lots of ships at anchor outside the bay.
I am pretty sure that one was dropping his anchor as I was coming out of my
deep sleep. A slow start to the day. We got underway at about 1000 and I was happy
to hear my blower when I fired up the engine. We motored a couple miles into
Olympic Marine, our marina for the next two nights. We headed to the fuel dock
to top up the tanks and then to our slip. One of the marineros got on our boat
to assist with lines. With two marineros on the quay we had too much help. We
were easily in our berth, but the marineros really made securing the boat look
hard.
With the boat settled we checked in at the office and checked out the facilities. This was a boat building area at one time but when the boat construction business went away, they repurposed themselves as a marina with an excellent boat yard and lots of skilled boat service people and stores. The Port Authority was in the Lavrio, the next marina north so we decided to wait until we had a car to check in.
Our boat neighbor was from Belgium and fully engaged in
getting his boat ready for the season, a Jeanneau DS 50. We washed our boat
just in time for the rain, at least it was a clean rain. I seized the
opportunity while it was raining to check out the chandlery, my new favorite,
Nautilus. I was hoping to get a new ventilation blower for the generator. They
had options but not an exact match. I took the specs back to the boat and
compared them to the original and they looked better than the original, more airflow
and less amps. Back to the store to buy the ventilator and some nuts and bolts
I needed.
In the marina we were able to rent a car for a day. We
picked it up at about 1930, loaded it up with laundry and headed to the coin
laundry in Lavrio. This time the laundry was a little more robust and we loaded
up the washers and left to see about the Port Authority, but it was not in the
location that google took us to. It looks like we will be starting our day at
the ferry terminal tomorrow. The town of Lavrio was lively and full of shops
and restaurants, too bad there is no marina here for us. Back at the laundromat
Suzette changed up the loads while I went shopping for alcohol to restock the
bar for our arriving guests. There was an excellent wine shop that had most of
what I was looking for. I brought the car around to the laundry and we loaded
up our laundry. It was getting late, but we had to get the boat squared away
and ready for guests.
April 23, 2025 – Olympic Marine, Lavrio, Greece
Up early to do a final tidy of the boat and then off to the
Port Authority. There was a gentleman who slipped in ahead of us, I do not know
what he was doing but we waited about 45 minutes for him to complete his
business. The line for Transit Log stamping was growing and yet there was only
one officer working at the counter. Lots of officers milling about and chit
chatting. When we were up the officer was helpful and was not concerned that we
were bringing in additional crew. He checked us in and out as he explained that
we did not need to have our Crew List stamped. This was contrary to the office
in Corfu where they stamped the Crew List and not the Transit Log. As usual
this all took way too long and we were now very late for picking up my sister
Tammy and her Husband John in Athens.
We were unable to secure a marina in Athens, we moved to
plan B, which was the Olympic Marine on the SE corner of the Peninsula and rented
a car to get some things accomplished and pick up our new crew. It was an easy
ride to Athens and always great seeing the inland landscape. As we dove into
the old part of the city the streets grew narrower and more impacted, but we
found our crew waiting in front of the hotel and enjoyed our reunion. With
luggage and crew loaded we headed toward the Athens Port area to find the Nautilus
Chandlery where they had the dock like I was looking for. I had mangled one of
my dock lines back in Durres, Albania on rusty rebar that was pretending to be a
dock cleat. We wanted the crew to have the full boating life experience which
includes a stop for replacements parts when you have a car.
We walked the shore to take in the Mediterranean, they had
not seen this body of water before. Of course, growing up in a boating family
my sister spent a lot of time on the water. John on the other hand had only
been on a sailboat a couple times when they joined us on Allez-y! on Lake
Lanier and in southern California. Departing the west coast, we traveled inland
to a brewery, Brewing BABAL. One of John’s goals is to try every brewery in the
world! We found the brewery, but it did not look like it was set up with a
tasting room. Suzette went to the door of a warehouse looking building and
knocked. A young man answered, and she asked if we could taste their beer? The
young man waived us in, and we found ourselves in the holding tank area of the
brewery. There was no tasting bar perse, but they were happy to break out some
glasses and grab a few cold ones from the refer. The brew master was a quiet
guy but warmed up to us and was proud of his beer. After a couple of samples,
we did a little tour of their relatively new and well appointed facility. They
did everything including bottling and canning. Two others in his crew joined us
for a few more samples. They all spoke English well and were happy to share
stories and talk at length. After a couple of hours we figured we should let
them get back to work. We said our farewells and thank yous and hit the road.
The crew was hungry, so we found a taverna that was serving very traditional Greek food. I enjoyed a delicious lamb and potatoes dish, and Suzette enjoyed a bean soup. The chef brought out a dish that was liver wrapped in ham and baked in the oven. Liver is one of my least favorite foods, but we could not be rude so the boys each ate a piece. It was not bad, but still not my favorite. When we were taking care of our bill, we asked for take away containers for our left overs. Our waiter then treated us to a small dove bar, very generous. As we were leaving, he saw that we left two pieces of the liver dish behind and insisted that we take it as well…we did.
Back on the road again we headed to the southern tip of the
peninsula and hiked up to the Temple to Appollo. We had seen this temple from
the water a few days ago. From here we headed back into Lavrio so our crew
could get the foods that they wanted to fill in our provisions. With the car
brimming with groceries and luggage we left the city center but had to make one
more stop at the butcher for some steaks. It was time to get back to the boat
and return our car, but not before schlepping two dock carts full of stuff. Our
crew were settling in their new digs while Suzette made up some appetizers and
I made the cocktails. We find it pleasant for the new crew members to have the
first night on the boat in the marina as they get acclimated. It was a quiet
night for a good night’s rest
April 24, 2025 – Olympic Marine
We woke to Hazy sunshine and calm wind and seas. We got
underway around 1100 and motored a short distance to the far side of the Island
of Kea. Anchoring in Kathaia Cove we had the anchorage to ourselves. The skies
spit a little rain at us, but not enough to deter us from a hike on shore.
We landed the dinghy on the beach and began our hike up the
north side of the cove. We discovered that there were about 20 beehives where
someone was bee keeping for honey. The honey here in Greece has been fabulous
and prevalent. The trail was a bit rough and steep, but we persevered and we
were rewarded with views of amazing ruins in the next cove. We could have
anchored in the next cove, but it was not offering as much protection from wind
and swell as Kathaia. We hiked down to a lookout near the cove where the sign
board told of a thriving city here in BC. There were well
preserved columns and building foundations, it was easy to envision the
thriving city. On the way back to the boat we investigated the bee hives, they
were buzzing with activity.
Suzette made our favorite, pasta with roasted vegetables, for our guests and we settled in as the sun set. Dining in the cockpit we were surprised to see our Belgian boat neighbor arrive in the cove before sunset. We were also surprised at how close he anchored to us, but it worked out as we had a very calm night, just a little rolling swell in the morning.
April 25, 2025 - Kathaia, Kea, Greece
We were up early with a small swell sneaking in. It was just
as well; we had a long run to get to Mykonos. The day was overcast but calm, so
we motored with drizzle on and off all day. When we arrived at Mykonos, we anchored
adjacent to the old town, Little Venice, with one other boat in the anchorage.
About the time we settled in the rain came in earnest but did not last long. In
the meantime, we were entertained by the neighbor boat and their efforts to get
6 people ashore in a tiny inflatable with a cantankerous engine.
The rain stopped and the skies cleared to give us a
beautiful afternoon in Mykonos. We rowed in and landed on the little beach at
the edge of the town. We walked the town and headed to the Port Authority, but
they were only open from 1000 to 1200 and it was now 1500. The police station
was next door, but the officer was confused about our inquiry for stamping our
log. Eventually, after consulting another officer he told us to come back at 6
and a half and someone would come and help us. My sense was that he thought we
needed customs to stamp our passports, but we would return at 1830 and see what
happens.
We continued to walk through the tiny alleys lined with whitewashed
shops and restaurants. Tammy was lulled, coerced, into a make up shop where she
received an eye cream treatment while we had some interesting conversation with
some locals out in front of the shop. They had spent time in the US working, I
think he was another truck driver. We
made the circuit through the city and walked up to the windmills that over
looked the anchorage and afforded a view out of the sea.
On the way back to the Port Authority we stopped for cocktails, I had an interesting drink, The local grappa with lemon and mint. Back at the police station it turned out that I was correct, this was customs, and he could not help us. He directed us to take a cab to the new port and check in there. I tried to control my temper, but I had to tell him what a silly system this was. He went on his way and so did we. If the local port Authority was not open, we would not check in or out, like we were never there!
We landed at the Pelikan Restaurant and enjoyed Greek pizza
and cocktails as the sun was setting over the sea. As we passed through town
along the waterfront the music and the party were kicking in. People dressed to
the nines and ready for a night of fun. Back on the boat we were treated to the
music until about 0500 when it abruptly
stopped. To add to the cacophony of sound a tour boat rolled in with their
music going as well, fortunately not for long. The night was calm, and, despite
the music, I slept well.
April 26, 2025 – Little Venice, Mykonos, Greece
It was a dead calm night at anchor and a clear morning. We
got underway at 0800 for the short 5-mile trip to Delos, the center of trade in
ancient history. Delos was established as a free trade zone and, as a result,
all goods would go through Delos. We anchored off the little harbor and motored
in the dinghy to the quay. The ruins here are the most amazing I have seen in
Greece. We had been here back in 2007, and we could see that things had
progressed as the archeologists worked on restoring the buildings and
monuments. You could very easily visualize the town, places and warehouses
established well before Christ. The museum is equally impressive with statues
and artifacts that have been recovered. The weather was perfect for walking the
grounds.
Back on the boat we were underway by noon and heading for Kythnos, a halfway point to Hydra. No wind and calm seas had us motoring to our anchorage on the west shore, Ormos Flampauria. This was a well-protected spot with a beautiful church on the north shore and grand homes to the south. Another boat rolled in after us. I am not sure what he was up to, but he spent an hour or so sounding the cove before finally dropping a hook. We did steaks on the grill, cucumber feta salad and great wine for dinner. The night was calm and quiet.
April 27. 2025 - Ormos Flampauria, Kythnos, Greece
Up early and motoring out of our anchorage. The wind came up
and we had a great sail right into the straight of Hydra. Along the way we had
another pod of dolphins giving us a great show. We found the small marina on
the west side of the island and hovered outside the marina. We launched the
dinghy, and Suzette motored our crew and their luggage into the marina. Their
Airbnb host met them on shore and loaded their luggage onto a donkey to allow
them to walk unburdened to their apartment. Their plan was to stay a couple of
nights before heading to their flight out of Athens.
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With the Meltemi wind starting overnight we were anxious to get into our marina that was another 15 miles south and west. We motored off to the marina while Tammy and John soaked up the Greek life on Hydra. Our marina was very responsive when we arrived, Porto Heli, and we were secured in no time. It was Sunday so we would not check in until tomorrow. We got a pizza crust going and relaxed after a long day of sailing and motoring. We were relieved to be securely tied to shore as the Meltemi winds were slated to be 45 to 55 knots out in the islands and just off the Peloponnese coast. Here in the marina they were expecting gusts to 25, very tolerable. Exhausted, we retired at sundown.
April 28, 2025 – Porto Heli, Peloponnese, Greece
A quiet night gave way to a big change in weather, a fall
like day, windy, cloudy and cold. We checked in with the marina office and paid
for 4 nights stay knowing we may need more if the Meltemi wind persisted. We
walked a few blocks to the Port Authority office to check in. We had to report
that we had left two passengers in Hydra without checking in at Hydra. The
officer was not happy about that but said that we would report they left the
boat here in Heli and he stamped us in.
Next stop was the grocery store to restock the boat. There
is a very nice grocery store just across the street from the marina. They had
most of what we needed at fair prices. We put the groceries away on the boat
and went for a walk in town. The harbor front was full of shops and
restaurants, but there were not many people on this blustery day. We found a
clothing shop that had a few things that I could not resist, a new sweater and
a pair of pants.
We walked out to a point overlooking the entrance to the harbor. We had seen a lot of charter boats flying the Romanian flag. There was a gentleman at the overlook that had a Romanian flag on his jacket, we inquired as to whether he knew about the charter boats. It turns out it was a large group from Romania who were part of a sail and learn charter, 25 boats were in the fleet. They were bummed that the Meltemi was going to occupy half their charter. Further around the point we found a gorgeous little cove and a small fishing fleet.
Our final stop for the day was a very well stocked liquor
store for a few specialty items that we could not find elsewhere. Loaded down
we headed back to the boat for a late dinner.
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