Crew: Clay & Jan Davenport and Don & Jan Richardson
September 5, Mike received a cell phone call from the Davenports and Richardsons who were waiting at the main part of town. Within five minutes he was loading them and their baggage in the dinghy to take them to Migration. After unpacking and Sheila’s lesson on how to use the head, etc. we returned to town for a quick tour, then lunch at Christos taverna. After a little shopping, back to the boat to catch up on some sleep. Clay had another mission. He went for a long swim to the beach to appreciate the local color. The beach is a popular Scandinavian vacation place. Later we took a bus to Demitri’s Taverna in the nearby town of Naoussa. The half-moon was brilliant.
September 6, We rented motor bikes and drove high above town to a wonderful pottery shop studio. We met the American owner who was from Rhode Island. After lugging all our treasures to the boat, we biked to the ferry and on to Antiporos. Mike & Sheila took us to their favorite "Stillwaters" Taverna, then to the beach next door.
September 7, After taking on diesel and water, we sailed to Naxos in a nice 15-knot breeze, taking in all the rough rocky views along the north side of Poros. After securing the boat, we wandered through the narrow windy back alleys of the older part of town taking in the colorful, mostly deep blue, doors and the lovely wrought-iron railings. We returned to the boat to put on pants and sweaters. After a sampling dinner it was time to zzzzzzzzzzzz.
September 8, We wandered further into the Kastro to discover a beautiful fortified Venetian church. We met Warren and Judy McCandless (1103176.3647@compuserve.com ) of yacht "La Contenta," one of the yachts in the harbor. They have been cruising the Med. for several years after departing from Indian Harbor Yacht Club, Long Island Sound, and Connecticut. Small world. They joined us at the restaurant under the Arch of Apollo.
September 9, Mike & Sheila had coffee on Warren and Judy’s boat to do some valuable networking and learn more about Turkey. They had been all over Eastern Turkey and were heading for Athens. We took off for Iraklia in a moderate 7-12 breeze. The deep blue color magnified by the wind to 18 knots as we approached the harbor. We tied up with the fishing boats in this quaint little harbor. We first observed, then communicated with, the ruddy weather worn faced locals. The taverna provided a Greek salad and a 2.5-kilo lobster. At the restaurant we saw the same woman we had seen at the dock. She had a wonderful worn look on her face and short cropped black hair. Strolling back to the boat we helped two fishing boats tie up. They gave us part of their catch--two Black Sea urchins which were quite edible and good. The other mystery creature was quite colorful inside and we were told to eat it with ouzo. We sampled it. It was sooo bitter and astringent even ouzo could not redeem it. On the other edge of the quay was a Greek Orthodox Priest, in black attire, fishing and reading.
September 10, We departed early, in full sail, in 5-7 knots for the long sail to Folegandros. The breeze built to 20-25 with gusts to 32. We arrived to the beautiful turquoise 30’ deep harbor about 3:00pm. As we backed into the Med. mooring procedure, Sheila was calling out the number of feet of chain going out with the anchor: "50’, 100’, 150’, 250’, 300’--Oh shit, there goes the anchor!" Apparently the end of the chain had been untied in one of the prior attempts to unravel the knots in the chain. Of course the whole fleet was admiring the Americans’ technique. Tony Mair (mvseatari@hotmail.com), a friendly New Zealander, came over and offered his grappling hook. Mike, Clay and Don got into the dinghy, hooked the end of the chain, and took it to Sheila, who wrapped it around the windlass and brought it all in. The lesson learned is to keep more tension on the chain as it is being let out, so 300’ of chain is not used in a 150’ backup procedure. When returning the grapple we invited the New Zealander and his family to cocktails. Wonderful people. After cocktails, we took a local bus to the picturesque main town over a 400’ cliff with an amazing vista.
September 11, We sailed north west to Sifnos, passing Milos to port (where Venus de Milo was found). On the southwest corner of Sifnos we spotted a secluded tiny cove and pulled in. It was breathtaking. The water was clear to turquoise and the beach sandy. The bottom had small particles of mica that gave the appearance of silver. The remains of ancient buildings turned out to be those of a defunct silver mine. We all dove in and relaxed. It was a short sail to Vathi where we spent the night.
September 12, Early on the bus ride to Appollonia, then a walking tour to 1400 BCE Kastro. We saw terraced hillsides spotted with goats, all hobbled, with one front and one hind leg tied with a short length of rope. This prevented them from running and jumping the fence. The hills were covered with olive trees. The Kastro had a magnificent small church jutting out into the sea. We ran for cover during the 15-minute rain squall, the only one of the summer. We made some pottery purchases and returned to the boat to find it had not rained there. Around 2:00pm we sailed in 15-20 knots wind with puffs of 32 and 6’ seas to Kamares, Sifnos. When we tried to anchor we discovered the seas had tossed and turned the chain locker in the bow so much the chain was one big knot. After unraveling the chain mess we were ready to clean up and begin cocktails, then move on to dinner. In the bakery we met a couple that recommended a fish restaurant, where they recognized Mike & Sheila from a previous trip. The food was excellent and the place was busy this fully moon lit night.
September 13, Up at 6:00 for the long sail, with reefed jib in 15 to 24 knots breeze, to Poros. About 7:00 we were discovered by a school of small dolphins. They jumped in and out of the water playing with our bow wake. Lots of fun and pictures. We all enjoyed reading and relaxing. Mike even let Chiquita steer a goodly amount. Approaching Poros we saw Douzinas’ home tucked high into the hillside and the Sphinx Island on the right. This evening we took the water taxi to Galatas where Helena served us a feast.
September 14, We caught the 11:00 high-speed ferry for a day trip to Hydra. A beautiful little Mediterranean village built into the mountainside over looking the harbor full of pleasure boats and ferries. In this upscale town the buildings seem to have red rather than blue doors and trim. Shops and Tavernas ring the harbor promenade. An old fort guarding the entrance was once to protect from the pirates and other enemies. Back at Migration we packed a picnic and headed for Douzinas’ terrace. What a fabulous view overlooking the harbor, the Sphinx and the Med. as we walked back up to the top of the windy road for the taxi back to Poros which was alive with twinkling lights. The full moon had come over the hill. What a sight. As Michael said, "This has been a lifetime of memories."
September 15, In the morning the Davenports and Richardsons departed and Mike and Sheila fell into the routine of chores.