The airport is convenient to the harbour..
Steni Vala is an inlet with a growing number of mainly holiday homes, two supermarkets and some tavernas. Fishing boats used to collect ice made here. What it does not boast is good mobile phone and internet connections! Our only link with the outside world is the Greek Cosmote network: Wind and Vodafone do not penetrate! So we were thrown back onto our UK mobile roaming on the Cosmote network. We needed to get some mail away, and mail in, and to re-charge our Wind phone, so Bill and Angie proposed taking us to the main town on the island, Patitiri. We sat in a bar and did what we had to on the internet, then went shopping for fruit, veg, meat and phone recharge.
Afterwards, we dropped the shopping off at the house, and then went on to Limin Kalamakia for lunch. A very pleasant afternoon. Returning to the boat, we changed our gas bottles.
It had begun to blow from the NW, to an extent more than the forecast had indicated, and was gusting down from the hillside in the low 20's. We had not had breakfast when Mo noticed the moored fishing boat and concrete jetty getting closer: our Rocna bow anchor had blown out yet again, and the stern line was pulling us slowly into the shore! We slipped the stern line, recovered the bower, by now adorned with some weed, and re-anchored once again. At this point Mo discovered that some chickens had thawed in the freezer. We had been switching it off overnight to try save power, and thought it had been alright. However with air temperatures in the 30's and sea temperature in the high 20's, this was not the case right at the bottom. Cleaning it out was a horrible job. Worrying that we were once more dragging in the gusts, I swam over the anchor. It was dug in and appeared to be holding, but was in a shallow layer of sand over rock. With the rocky islet and moored boat behind us, if we did drag then we had nowhere to go, so we decided to move to Ormos Tzorti, about 2 miles south west. There we found lots of room amongst a few other boats, off a very pretty beach and coastline. Bill and Angie had been coming to us for supper, but we took a raincheck as it would mean driving.
We needed to get through to the bank, and to be able to get e-mail away. This meant a visit to Patitiri, another 2 miles south. When we got there, the space to anchor was occupied by two yachts and two large fishing vessels with lines to the shore. So we went into the nearby O. Rousoumi instead, where there were already a number of yachts anchored. Having spoken to the bank, and at long last their elusive mortgage advisor who was full of excuses, I settled down to write them a stinker. Although my 'good' Fax software would not stitch together, Bill Gates' giveaway fax program was working, and I could get this away over the roaming mobile. Afterwards, I took the notebook ashore to check the forecast, etc. and pick up any mail. It was rather rolly, but secure enough for the night. We watched dolphins in the bay as we ate our supper in the cockpit.
We set off back to Steni Valla in the morning, having made a trip ashore and walked up the hill to the supermarket. Bill and Angie came down to the quay to supervise our berthing and to take our lines. As we could not get back onto the quay, the dinghy was useful as a bridge. Once this was done, we celebrated, and when Mo produced some nibbles for lunch to soak it up, we celebrated some more. We once again put off the promised meal, as Mo no longer felt inclined to cook. Instead, it is said at about 2130, Mo went to bed, and the rest of us went to one of the tavernas where we had kebabs. We were the last out of the restaurant, had a coffee at Angie's, and Bill guided me back to the boat to ensure that I negotiated the rubber bridge ok. I could not believe it was 0200!
The pair re-appeared late in the morning, looking a little sore-headed. On this occasion it was strictly apple juice, and they returned back to the house for the afternoon. We managed to extract the bikes from their bags, and I managed to re-assemble them and get them ashore. They are to stay at Angie's while we have visitors. We were entertained watching two or three separate charter flotillas docking, and enjoyed chatting to them. Mo provided a much delayed supper for us all that evening.
The plan was to set off for Skiathos. Angie had arranged to see her solicitor about her residency in Greece, so we were calling by Skopelos to drop her off. She and Bill arrived on the quay, Angie came on board, and he let our lines go for us. There was no wind, so we had to motor, and dropped Angie off at 1115.
We tried to sail, but the promised northerly F3 was really only WNW F2, and so it was a very slow beat getting nowhere. We had to give up and motor the rest of the journey. We anchored off the charter boat pontoon, and listened to people being shooed away, as more and more charter boats came in at the end of their holidays. We were here to meet Dave, and were surprised at the lack of activity at the airport, which was close by at the head of the harbour, but ferries were continually coming and going. That night, quite late, the music started in earnest, and the cacophony continued until dawn.
In the morning the port police moved a number of us, as we were encroaching on a very large ferry's manoevering room. Shortly afterwards it came in and berthed. Meanwhile, we could not find enough room to lay out sufficient chain, and decided to head over to the north east corner. It is crowded with moorings, but we managed just to anchor outside the moorings. We wanted to meet Dave at the airport, so I made a test run via a rickety fishing pontoon and a 10 minute each way walk to the very crowded terminal building. The flights today, being changeover day, were arriving at frequent intervals, passing us at mast height, and dropping onto the end of the runway just metres from the harbour. I then found the tap by the bus stop that Rod refers to: it is still delivering sweet water and I returned with water bottles filled. We emptied our emergency supply into the tanks, and Mo and I went back for more.
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| Gateway to the Northern Sporades! The airport is convenient to the harbour.. |
It was now time to go off to the airport, and Dave's flight duly arrived within 5 minutes of its scheduled time. He said they had dropped off and picked up passengers at Volos, which explained the odd timing of the flight. I fitted the fan he had brought with him for the aft cabin. After a swim and some beers on board, we found the restaurant (Medhousa) that Mike and Anna had recommended. It was very busy, but reasonable and the food was good.
The following day was spent in relaxed fashion. I fitted the anchor winch circuit breaker that we had bought last year in Fethiye to replace the switch that was water damaged in the thunderstorm, and for good measure the new Lewmar wireless anchor winch control that Dave had brought with him from Arthurs chandlery. We managed another run for water, and swam occasionally. It was late by the time we got ashore, but we walked around to the old harbour and up the hill, finding eateries everywhere amongst the narrow streets. Dave had noticed El Greco's on the corner of the harbour, and fancied it not for pretty cloth covered chairs, but hoped for some fresh air. We went there, and the food was very good and reasonable too. Mo was fascinated by an artist guy who was spray painting. He performed to music, and would complete a design in about 5 minutes. We watched him do several, and they seemed to sell with no difficulty at 10€.
It was the afternoon before we set off for Latraki, opposite Skiathos. We decided to anchor outside the harbour in the lee of the breakwater. Rod extols the virtues of a restaurant in the village above, up a goat track, but it seemed a long way up. If his description was as much at variance with the description of the fine beach, then it might not be worth the walk. It was fortunate in a way. The Grib files had been indicating light northerlies, and we had sailed over with no difficulty under jib alone in F4/5. When a fresh southerly sprang up and left us exposed, I decided the Grib forecast was totally unreliable, and so we decided to make for Panormos, not far south. We anchored, and took a line around a rock ashore. It was dark by the time we set off to sample the delights of the many tavernas, and it was practically impossible to find out what was on offer without going in. We made our selection, sat down across the road on the beach from the establishment. The tables were lit by candlelight and asked the waitress, who was from Poland, what was on offer. She said that they had the best crabs on the island. David fancied crab, so we asked how much. It was too cheap, and something wasn't adding up. It eventually dawned that we were being offered crepes! These we had. The drinks came with a mixture of nibbles, including fresh fruit. Great value.
Not long after we had all got to sleep, the wind came up from the NW (Meltemi), with some very heavy gusts. Fortunately we were head to the wind, so that Fuga was lying to her anchor and there was not too much pressure on the line to the rock. Our neighbours were out laying extra lines by torchlight. Although by the morning the wind had dropped a little, it continued to blow with occasional gusts throughout the morning. The forecast promised a decrease later, so we held on until after lunch.
When we first left the anchorage, all was relatively peaceful. But a little later, as we felt overpowered by the reefed main, we decided to drop another reef in. This was just as well, as the wind increased into F6. We were not however prepared for the heavy breaking seas off Ak Miti, which were some of the most severe we have encountered with Fuga anywhere. We were running at the time, well off the wind, prior to wearing her around onto the new leg to Ak Vetona, when we expected to be in the lee of the island. We were thrown on our side a couple of times, the wind generator being tossed across our bunk, and there was a hurried grab for lifejackets and harnesses, while a boat hook was lost over the side. No sooner were we set on the new course looking forward to some fast sailing when the wind died, veered, and came up north easterly to give us a headwind in lolloping seas. The second reef had gone in badly and the main looked loose and baggy like a whore's drawers. It was very uncomfortable and frustrating, so the engine was on yet again. We had a look at a bay NE of Ak Vetona as a possible anchorage, but two yachts there appeared to be rolling, so we decided to press on to Alonissos. By this time Dave had recovered from the disconcerting experience at Ak Miti, and had resumed a sunbathing position on the foredeck. As we came out of the lee of Skopelos, the wind backed and freshened, so that once again we were able to sail for a while. It didn't last, and we finished up motor sailing into the wind to reach the anchorage at Tsortsi. We had sent Bill and Angie a text, so it was not altogether surprising when Bill's head came bobbing across the water towards us as we swam. We quickly put the outboard on the dinghy and joined Angie who was waiting at the taverna on the beach. As we landed, the dinghy was caught by the swell and pushed Mo over into the water, soaking her shorts and top, but she put up with them most graciously. Bill and Angie had already arranged to meet someone, so left after a drink, and we stayed to eat. I enjoyed the most delicious Octopus, while Dave had a pork chop and Mo meat balls.