Just a little north

Amorgos, Greece

After 10 days in Naxos, we finally left the island in clear skies and moderate wind, heading 18 miles south to Shinoussa. With the breeze at our back, we were happy. The conditions were fantastic. No more moving north we promised ourselves, only south, possibly a little east to get to the Dodecanese. But with the wind almost always coming from the north, there would definitely be no more trying to go north, seriously.

We sailed smoothly, with just the Genoa, all three of us (Mary, Larry and Berkeley East) very excited to be out on the ocean. Upon arriving at Shinoussa, we perused the possible harbors and anchorages. Just as we were about to choose a spot for the night, one of us (can’t recall who) said, “it’s so nice out, maybe we should keep going.” And the other one of us quickly replied, “great idea.” We agreed, while the island of Shinoussa looked nice, we saw nothing we had to stop for. So we made a hasty exit and devised a plan to push on to Amorgos. We would head south, and then slightly east to a protected harbor where we could relax and swim, something we had not done in weeks. We sailed comfortably along the islands, commenting on how good the wind and seas were. With just one hour to go, we began to see a change, the wind was increasing, the waves were building. This was not in the weather forecast. As we looked towards our safe little destination, we decided that we did not want to go through the tight anchorage entrance in the deteriorating conditions. The only other option was to turn north to the harbor at Katapola. North, but it was just a little north for just “one hour.” And the forecast really was for lighter wind and waves. How hard could it be? As the waves were breaking over the bimini and we were putting the boards in our cockpit companionway to keep water out of the cabin, we had to laugh, we should have known better. The weather forecasts in the Cyclades were never completely accurate. One hour turned into two hours, and then some. “Never again,” we both said.

The silver lining in the trip was the small, rugged island of Amorgos. One of our travel books said that Amorgos island is often battered by choppy seas (good to know), so we have now decided to read the travel books along with the cruising guides when planning a passage. The bay at Katapola is a stunning deep inlet with sheer cliffs crashing into the water. While there are ferries, they are few, and the number of tourists is relatively small. We anchored Berkeley East in the center close to town, giving us a 360 view.

We decided to hire a “chauffeur” through the local bus service to explore the island. Having a rental car gives you freedom, but buses give you freedom from the stress of driving the crazy mountainous roads, which is all there is on Amorgos. We traveled from one end of the island to the other, in air-conditioned comfort, listening to excellent Greek music, and all for just 1.70 euro per leg. No parking to think about, no gas station to locate, no concerns about whether the car was too close to the edge of the cliff. Our biggest worry was figuring out how to pronounce our desired destination, which proved to be quite a challenge.

The main attraction on Amorgos is the Byzantine Chorzoviotissa Monastery, founded in 1088, that clings to a cliff 600 feet above the sea. Our chauffeur dropped us at the entrance, leaving a long hot climb to the monastery. We had read that appropriate attire was required (no bathing suits, shorts or mini skirts), so we suffered the climb in the heat wearing suitable threads. What the books don’t tell you is that trousers are not allowed for women. But one nice monk went to a lot of trouble to find a matching skirt to put over the capris; “extra large” fits all.

The climb was worth the effort. The monastery was incredible and we wondered how they could have possibly built it there. Why they built it there was obvious, as the views were astounding.

A short walk from the monastery was Agia Anna. Actually, it was a long walk, until we took the shortcut that made it even longer. But we were rewarded with perhaps the most beautiful water we have ever seen, and a snack bar with ice.

No Greek island is complete without a Chora. The Chora on Amorgos is a classic white-cubic town crowned with broken, battered windmills, lending proof to the rumor that every family on Amorgos had to have its own windmill. An eyesore to the skyline, but it was a charming eyesore. The town is quiet, unencumbered by traffic or crowds. We found ourselves sitting in a tree-covered square eating crepes, wondering why we would want to go anywhere else.

We spent several days on Amorgos, and one day, sitting at a beach bar in Egiali on the north coast, we decided that not only was the island worth the wild ride we had getting there, we thought we could stay a while. But with rough weather coming, we decided we had to take advantage of some calmer conditions, leave our Amorgos and head east to Kalymnos.

Our plan was still to get out of the Cyclades and into the Dodecanese where the summer north winds are lighter. To go east, we had to go just a little north. But the weather forecast was for light winds and seas, so how hard could it be? In our seven years of sailing Berkeley East, we have never seen her roll so hard, gunnel-to-gunnel. We pushed on until we cleared the island and the roll lessened, allowing us to sail east towards Kalymnos. It was very nice, the terror of the rolling had faded, and after a while, we realized that we might be able to make it to the island of Leros instead, which was “just a little north.”

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