Greece 2015: Aegean Sea Westbound
Sailing a Loop in the Magical Greek Islands – Part I, Kos to Athens
Sailing in GREECE!!!! Dream come true!
Day 814 – 14 Jul 2015 – Datca, Turkey to Kos, Greece (Yippee, we’re in Greece!)
We anchored off the beach just northeast of the Datca harbor and although it was windy, we had a good solid anchor set and felt confident to stay until we had a good weather window to continue on. We stayed on board the first day and planned to go into town the next day. However, the weather looked good to head out on that next day and the only things we saw in Datca were the agent’s office on the harbor and a small stretch of street. It looks like a great little spot and hopefully we’ll have time to visit on the way back to Turkey in the fall. So off we went, passing Knidos, another spot I really wanted to stop at. The weather was so good we had a great/easy trip up to Kos. We motor-sailed most of the way. We checked into the Kos marina and got instructions on how to do the clearance into Greece ourselves… No need for an agent. It took all the rest of the afternoon, walking from immigration and customs to port police, but the town is quite nice and we celebrated being in Greece and in a “Honeymoon Cruise” location with a pizza dinner.
Day 814 – 817 – 14 – 17 Jul 2015 – Kos, Greece (repeat: Yippee, we’re in Greece!)
Kos is very touristic, but still lovely with a nice downtown area, castle, and harbor-front promenade. It would be even nicer in the shoulder seasons when there weren’t quite so many tourists there. We were only able to stay in the Kos marina for three nights as the charter boats return on Fridays and they were holding a regatta that weekend, which worked out fine for us. We were ready to move on by Friday morning and the weather cooperated with us. We had dinner out on our last evening at a local Gyro place, sitting outside along a scenic cobbled street.
Day 817 – 819 – 17 – 19 Jul 2015 – Kos to Kalimnos
We left the following morning, heading up and into a moderate Meltemi wind. We reached the intended anchorage on the northwest side of Kalimnos and were able to pick up a mooring buoy put out by the local tavernas. The winds were strong and we somehow weren’t motivated to do more than a swim in the (very cold) crystal clear waters. The little hamlet we were in front of was small and although we stayed two nights we never went ashore.
Day 819 – 821 – 19 – 21 Jul 2015 – Kalimnos to Pátmos
From Kalimnos we headed to the northwest to Pátmos. The main town/harbor is on the eastern side, and this one little bay on the west coast was deserted. Well, it was until another boat followed us in and then the following day a huge gunmetal gray superyacht. But they both left and we had the place to ourselves for 2 nights. The following morning we were off to Náxos and across an open stretch of waters.
Day 821 – 824 – 21 – 24 Jul 2015 – Pátmos to Náxos
What a slog it was crossing over to Náxos! High winds and sloppy seas. We got beat up and splashed more than a bit. We could barely hold 5 knots at some points along the way, but we finally made it at about 4pm. We tried calling the small marina here as we had decided to go in there and clean up the boat. They didn’t answer our call on the radio so we were forced to anchor. We later found out that they never answer the radio and that the marina is always full. We had a hard time setting the anchor and never really got a good set. We hooked into a rock and it held, but Roger didn’t want to leave the boat for any length of time and so we only had one day ashore. We walked around in the morning and then went to the grocery for some re-provisioning. Roger headed back to the boat and I walked around for another few hours enjoying the lovely little streets and shops. We had planned to go ashore for dinner, but the winds kicked up and with our anchor not securely set we decided on a stir-fry and an episode of TV series Fringe instead. We had hoped to sail over to the next island west today, but despite a good forecast from the GRIB files, the wind never let off. It is supposed to die down tomorrow (Friday) through Sunday and we hope to make the cape near Athens by then and be out of the worst of the Meltemis (notorious winds in Greece that kick in during the summer months). We’ll explore more of the Greek Islands on our way back SE (heading in the direction with the wind and waves) in the fall.
Day 824 – 841 – 24 Jul – 10 Aug 2015 – Náxos to Sýros and Change of Plans 🙂
We started off thinking we’d stop over for a night at Páros island, the next island west, but the weather was so settled that we decided to continue on and head for Sýros (or Síros) further to the north and west. We arrived in a little bay on the south west side of the island, which looked well protected, and found an area with some moorings just outside the basin of Finikas. We picked up a mooring that looked solid but that likely is privately owned. However, a guy from a neighboring boat came over in his dinghy and said that he hadn’t seen anyone on this mooring for the entire time he was there (10 days this time and every year for the last few years). He and his wife are from Athens and come to Sýros often because they think it’s one of the best spots in Greece. We would tend to agree.
Somehow, when we arrived here we felt that we finally had found our spot in Greece… realized our dreams of cruising the Med. After speaking with Dino, we decided that we needed to rethink our plans for hurrying up into the Ionian islands and then up to Croatia and Venice in August. He said it was extremely crowded (more so than in the Aegean!) and very, very expensive. We really love it here and before you know it we decided we were tired of pushing hard and sailing uphill just to make it to Venice this season. Dino highly recommended we not rush out of the Aegean and we’re going to take his advice. Sýros is a wonderful spot… Finikas is not touristy, yet there are several great restaurants and a market that has everything we need. The mooring is bullet-proof and so we’re sleeping well, confident that the boat is okay (we aren’t dragging and neither are our neighbors!) There are buses that take you over to the main town of Ermoúpolis on the east coast. That’s a wonderful town, bigger and more touristic, but still has a great feel and lovely Venetian architecture, cobbled stone streets, windy alleys, great cafes and a free in-town bus to take you all around if you don’t feel like walking.
So, here we are, totally smitten with Sýros Island and happily moored by Finikas. We’ve put up the “boat ‘brellie” (the canvas cover to keep the sun off the cabin top) and relaxed with the idea of spending maybe a few weeks here. The Meltemis are going to kick in again in another two days and we’ll just stay here until the next lull and then decide whether or not we want to go anywhere at that point. Unless we figure out a way to stay longer in Greece, we’ll need to check out and back into Turkey between Oct 5th and 12th. That gives us about 2 1/2 months to stay put or work our way around some of the other islands in the Aegean. Dino gave us a few recommendations and we’ll probably visit those spots on our way back east. In the meantime, we’re just lovin’ Greece and this fantastic spot we’re in.
For more on Syros, see the Syros Greece 2015 post in Destinations!
Day 842 – 843 – 11 – 12 Aug 2015 – Sýros to Delos and Rinia
We’re off! I hated to give up our beloved mooring at Finikas, but after 17 days it was time to see more of the Cyclades. 23 miles east we arrived at Delos, an awesome historical site. Of course it was the middle of the day and hot, but it was totally worth it to walk around the ancient theater, temples, houses, shops, and the famous lions of Naxis. We hooked up with a small tour and learned a lot about the history and legend of Delos, the birthplace of Apollo, god of light, and his twin sister Artemis, goddess of the moon. We climbed up to the temple of Zeus and Athena to see a breathtaking view of Mykinos to the east, Rinia to the west, and other islands around. The boat was a little speck down below us, anchored in the channel.
When the park closed at 3pm, we moved over to South Harbor at Rinia and spent a lovely afternoon with a cooling dip and peaceful evening. As much as we have enjoyed the socializing and going out to eat, it was delightful to have a quiet dinner at home and watch an episode of TV series Kings then get into bed early to read. Tomorrow we head west to Kythnos island, while the Meltemis are still calm, and perhaps meet up with our friends again.
Day 843 – 12 Aug 2015 – Rinia to Kythnos
We sailed back west, past Syros (close enough to get internet), and on to Kythnos. Our friends weren’t in the anchorage so we picked out a nice spot right in front of the beach and dropped the anchor. There were only two other boats that stayed overnight, and it was pleasant. We swam around and saw some entertaining fish. Unfortunately, somewhere during the swim I lost my gold ankle bracelet. L I guess I’ll have to go back to India to get another one! J
Day 844 – 845 – 13 – 15 Aug 2015 – Kythnos to Kea
We pulled into the main harbor on the NW side and picked up a mooring that we thought might belong to our Greek friends. We didn’t see our friends when we arrived, but they showed up a few hours later.
We decided to have an impromptu dinner on our boat and I made two great pizzas… best yet! Roger took the foil out from the bottom of the oven and I decided to try cooking them for 25-30 minutes (5-10 minutes longer than we usually do) to get the crust crispy… and that it was! Ellie made tortellini with oil/garlic/herb sauce, and Iro made a great Greek (of course) salad. We were all stuffed.
The following day we went to the main (small) harbor front to do some provisioning and have a coffee. Later in the day at 7pm after it cooled down some, we all took the bus (there is only one) up to Iouhilda, the main town up at the top of the hill. There were breathtaking views with lovely little churches, alleyways, homes and tavernas. We had a wonderful dinner at one of them, sitting outside along the edge of a cliff with spectacular views down into the valley and to the sea beyond.
Day 845 – 851 – 15 – 21 Aug 2015 – Kea to Athens and time in the big city
All three boats were heading in different directions today… we were off to the big city of Athens, another boat also to Athens to pick up their grandson Aristotle before continuing on to the Saronic Islands, and the last boat was going straight to Poros. We’ll all meet up again in the Saronics in about a week or so. What fun it is to have nice folks (especially ones with local knowledge!) to spend time with! Along the way to the Alimos marina we passed the temple of Poseidon up on the cliff.
We timed our arrival perfectly. It’s a big holiday weekend and everyone is leaving the city and the marina for some relaxed vacation time. When we pulled into the marina there was pandemonium… private and charter boats preparing to leave in droves! We watched the parade as at least 50 boats or more made their way out of the narrow marina entrance. The pier we are on was packed on arrival, and it is now almost empty! We like it quieter like that. We hope the Acropolis and Parthenon are light on tourists and visitors too!
Monday 17 Aug
stainless polishing
Tuesday 18 Aug
Off we went to navigate the big city of Athens by bus… B2 should take us to the Acropolis Museum and from there it will be obvious which way to walk (up) to the Acropolis and the Parthenon. Easy as pie and we had a lovely stroll along the touristy marble path leading partway there.
Once we found the main gate we also found the throngs of tourists visiting. Everyone left Athens for the holiday week except the tourists. It was packed and we queued up to squeeze through the entrance gate. Once on the Acropolis and in front of the Parthenon it was a bit better, but still the crowds were thick. Yes, we should have heeded the advice of the guide book which suggested we arrive first thing in the morning or late in the day… we only have ourselves to blame. We didn’t spend too much time at the summit of the Acropolis, not only because of the crowds, but also because everything was encased in scaffolding and adorned with cranes. Apparently they are doing a (very) long term restoration project and it marred any good photo opportunities.
Ok, so we came, we saw, we went for lunch. We were flagged down by a café owner along one of the streets and decided to go there for lunch. The table was set with aircon (yes, outside!) to the side and a misting fan in front of us. We were very comfy and the food was excellent. We had gyros and shared a Greek (of course) salad, which was huge! After lunch we proceeded to the Acropolis museum, a new addition to Athens and located right at the base of the Acropolis. The building is done beautifully and we enjoyed several (blissfully air-conditioned) hours among the sculptures there. I never realized that the name “Nike” is from Athena Nike, the Greek goddess of victory. How apt for the sportswear company.
Wednesday 19 Aug
more stainless polishing
Today, we headed back into downtown Athens to visit the Archeological museum and spent hours looking at ancient artifacts, beautiful statues and several other exhibits. It was truly a spectacular display. It was especially interesting to see the change in style of the statues over the ages from austere and angular, similar to the Egyptians, moving towards a more natural expression of the body, showing muscles and curves, as well as facial features. The skill with which some of these pieces of artwork were created is awe inspiring. After many hours – the exhibits kept going on and on – we gave up the idea of doing anything else that day and headed back to the barn to check out and prepare to leave the following morning.
We’re glad we came to Athens for a visit and to see the highlights (there is a lot we didn’t see, but such is the case everywhere we’ve been!), but the Alimos Marina isn’t one of our favorites and we had enough of the smoggy, hot, and relatively unattractive city of Athens. Back out to the serenity of the islands!
Join us for the second part of this journey through the Greek Islands of the Aegean Sea heading eastbound and back to Turkey!