Dodecanese arrival

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 Saharan dust which is a nightmare if you own a white boat. We did own a white boat, but it is now a weak shade of orangy pink. The only solution is regular washing with copious amounts of water. This is fine if you have a paid crew to do this for several hours a day, as do the Gin Palaces, but no matter how much I cajole and whip the crew, we are just getting pinker.
We had an early start from Amorgos and sailed around the N side of the long island with a light SW breeze, just enough to sail.
On reaching the E end of the island, the wind direction changed to the S and picked up a further 10 knots and we were off. Unfortunately it did not last and was again just a local topographic phenomenon that dies away after half an hour and we ended up motor-sailing much of the rest of the way.
We had a couple of dodges with large tankers coming from the N that tested our nerve and the use of the AIS. The data showed the Closest Point of Approach to be a bit under a mile but it was not entirely clear until late in the day whether this was ahead or astern of us, so deciding to either speed up or slow down might have been the wrong move. The approaching behemoth presumably knew which side of us he was heading for, and us changing speed might compromise this. So as the “stand on” vessel, we did just that.

Levita, a bleak place to live
The island of Levita is roughly half way from Amorgos to the Dodecanese group and there is an anchorage on the S side if stopping is required. However the forecast for the night was S winds that might be a bit uncomfortable so we carried on.

Approaching Leros
Our destination was Leros, and we managed to sail the last couple of hours right into the large bay with Lakki, the main port at its head. 



There are two full scale Marinas based here.
Obstruction at Leros
At the entrance to the bay there is an underwater obstruction lying across it. On the plotter it’s shape is remarkably symmetrical which perplexed me. There is another strangely shaped obstruction further in the bay.
HMS Intrepid
I subsequently found out that HMS Intrepid was sunk by German Stuka dive bombers in 1943 in Lakki bay. Presumably one of these obstructions is the wreck of the Intrepid which was 100m in length, but there were several vessels sunk there and all around the island.
The Battle of Leros was the last major German military victory of the war and was fundamentally due to their total air supremacy that allowed them to bomb allied vessels and positions unrestrictedly.
The joint British and Italian land forces were then overwhelmed by parachutists and amphibious landing.
On shore there is a well maintained memorial to HMS Intrepid flying Greek colours and the White Ensign. This episode was the inspiration for the book and film “The Guns of Navaronne”.

We berthed in Lakki Marina, which is the smaller of the two, but very friendly and with excellent showers. Lakki itself seemed a somewhat un-inspiring and forlorn town. The foreshore is a bit bleak and un-developed in terms of eating/drinking establishments but we were undeterred. We are now firmly in meze/tapas territory, so a pint of beer is always accompanied by a plate of whatever is coming out of the kitchen.
Further exploration showed it to be a business-like and no-nonsense place. There is an excellent chandlery and all facilities, although the best Supermarket is some way from the shore. They do however provide a delivery service.
We came across fairly large numbers of migrants/refugees for the first time. I have to say they mostly seemed content, well clothed and in family groups. I am not sure what accommodation they have or what their future may be but I did not get any feeling of antipathy towards them from the local people. But who knows.

We have now pretty much finished The Journey part of this voyage. In some ways that is a bit sad, but there is also a small element of having achieved a goal. The next bit is about cruising locally, getting to know the Dodecanese, and preparing for some visitors to arrive.

A little like Wales?
The next day we went for a longish walk to Pandeli Castle. It did not look too far on the map but it turned into a bit of a hike on a hot day. The castle is spectacular, perched on a high bluff some 300ft up, with circumferential views of the whole island and indeed all its neighbours. Originally built by the Byzantines it was subsequently taken over and developed by Crusaders and resembles architecturally the Castle of St John on Rhodes.
View E from Pandeli
View S from Pandeli
Having climbed all the way up innumerable steps, it was shut, despite proclamations to the opposite effect on Google. The town of Leros surrounding the base of the bluff is pleasant and a bit more cared for than Lakki, with Italianate architecture and a central square surrounded by nice cafes. We sat there for a while and watched Greek island life occur.
Good view.
There always seems to be drama, with a group of  older blokes having a conversation with several ladies at the opposite end of the street in what seemed to be huge volleys of emotionally charged yells. At home the end result would have undoubtedly been unpleasant in some way but here they all just seemed to end up laughing and yelling some more. I think it is European Election day, so perhaps shouting and laughing are both apposite.
There were also several intense interactions between young couples with seriously dramatic aspects, including tears and a flounce..

Clockwise

Anticlockwise
There are some fundamental cultural differences between Greek people and Brits. One of these is roundabouts. Greek island road planners and drivers just don’t seem to get the purpose of roundabouts. There are fine examples of recently built roundabouts with clear road markings in both Lakki and the square in Leros. They are both completely ignored by Greek drivers.

Clockwise..and parked.
Basically there must have been a pre-existing through road, that in the minds of the populace, still maintains its right of way and bi-directional status, and the third limb coming into the roundabout is still a side street. To be fair to the road planners, it is not marked in this way, but clearly historic precedent has been maintained by local drivers, particularly as this forms part of the main drag for moped racing.
Anticlockwise
Anticlockwise

 
Some were witnessed to just stop and park in the middle and various interestingly battered mopeds managed to circuit in opposite directions simultaneously whilst drinking a latte and using mobile phones.
The main function of the roundabout is really as a venue for the bit of local civic modern sculpture or tree that occupies the centre. I had planned to hire a moped but I don’t think I could cope with this.


Both!!
On the way back to the boat we visited the offices of the other marina in Lakki, Leros Marina. I got a quotation for winter berthing which I may take up, At present I have planned to berth in Marmaris but I am a bit concerned about the consequences of Summertime not being in the EU when Brexit occurs. The RYA are advising that in that circumstance it would then not be considered as European Goods. There may be pros and cons.
Lipso Church

Friendly bar - air dried octopus😱
The following morning we set off N to explore the smaller islands in that direction. We initially headed towards Patmos to the NW on a breeze from the W but about half way there the wind shifted to NW and we were either going to have to motor into quite a lumpy sea or …… do the sensible thing of diverting to another island, and why not.
One of the nice things about this type of purposeless sailing is that there is rarely a reason for it to be unpleasant or arduous. So off we went towards Lipso to the E.

I am pleased we did. Lipso turned out to be delightful. A small, neat village with a friendly atmosphere and easy berthing with a very professional Marinero.  There is a wonderful church out of all proportion to the possible population. Very picturesque with a very smart fishing fleet in matching livery. Best of all an ancient ousoery, where the local chaps make, discuss and drink their own ouso. 
There was however quite a roll from the swell we had encountered earlier which carried on all night despite the sea being completely calm.



































































Comments

  1. Cant seem to find you on Marine Traffic AIS?

    ReplyDelete
  2. That is because I am not transmitting, just receiving AIS. I think trnasmitting AIS is probably beyond raspberry pi technology, unkess a really clever person knows otherwise,

    Regards

    Colin

    ReplyDelete

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