Summertime Voyage

C. After a settled night on Lipso we had a late start. The berthing costs were 7 Euros per night, plus 3 Euros for rope handling fees. I doubt this covers the costs of employing the personnel involved. It would seem that the town quay fees are all very reasonable but occasionally you get a Marina that stings you. Sadly, M has to return to the UK for the funeral of a family member. After some research it seems that flying from Kos is the best option so we will have to change our plans to accommodate flights. It means I will be single handed on Kos for 4 days and there is not really any alternative but to berth in the Marina. However at 42 Euros per night it is a bit steep. I am surprised the market sustains this given costs elsewhere. Our plan for the next period is just to reconnoitre the islands and their anchorages to find nice spots to bring our visitors. Lipso is definitely on the list. Cutter Rig Configuration Our next stop was Patmos, a short distance to the NW. We

Amorgos is the most Easterly island in the Cyclades so our next trip takes us to our general destination of the Dodecanese. Not the most imaginatively named group of 12 islands, a bit like Meganisi (big island). The trip is some 60 miles across mostly open water with only one potential anchorage en route. This can be a bit daunting in the middle of summer when the Meltemi is blowing full blast down this channel is often force 7 and 8, but we are still in a period of unsettled weather and the summer patterns have not established themselves yet. The weather is unusual, they have had a very wet winter in the Cyclades having previously had a 22 month period of drought.  While the weather is slowly warming up as summer approaches it is still several degrees colder than usual, just like a perfect summer’s day in the UK. The winds have been coming from every direction, but predominantly from the W and S. This has meant the rain, and indeed the air, is carrying vast amounts of Sahara

Naxos-Mykonos-Ios-Amorgos Our trip to Ios was a bit of an Odyssey. I think M mentioned in a previous blog that we had kind of become a couple during a trip to Ios and Paros at the end of University. It really had to be done so I was pleased when the winds blew us in that direction. Ios Our wandering round the Chora was full of nostalgia. I am not sure if we identified previously visited venues accurately, however it does not really matter, it was the visit itself that was important. We did identify the bar that we sat in watching the sunset listening to Mahler (Club Ios), and the hostel where the boys were housed. We took a walk out to the lighthouse at the point leading into the harbour to find that a good SE blow was in full progress with a sea full of whitecaps and you needed to lean into the wind while walking. Good blow off Ios There were two boats coming from the N. The first was a big Jeanneau motoring into the wind and slamming really badly in the waves