Making the most of the Meltemi – Part Two

Lavrion, Greece

On day three of the Meltemi, the winds felt a bit lighter, until the big gusts hit. Boats were moving. They were mostly charter boats loaded with people on a week’s holiday who have the desire to go everywhere, but not necessarily the skills to deal with the conditions of these winds. Our previous day’s activities included following the progress of a mayday call, and luckily the eventual rescue, on the VHF radio. We still needed to go north, so we waited. The laundry is nearly done and this blog entry will bring us up to date on our travels, something that typically only happens months after the end of our cruising season.

A hidden gem

As Berkeley East spun in circles, we continued to fondly recall our light breezes in the Saronic Islands. Like the morning we were sailing at just 4 knots with only the Genoa along the Peloponnisos coast and spotted a small space behind a rock that was big enough for Berkeley East. We anchored behind the rock in what we now refer to as “The Scorpios” of the Saronics. Like Jackie O’s beach house anchorage in The Ionians, this place was paradise.

We swam, relaxed and grilled dinner, something we can’t even begin to think about now, with the Meltemi. When the swell got a bit uncomfortable in our paradise, we moved BE 500 feet to the other side of the anchorage. And there we found another hidden gem, a villa that we both agreed we’d actually give up our lake house for, but only if the purchase included the staff that we saw delivering food via golf cart to the owners on the beach. Some people in Greece are definitely not in crisis.

Reunion in Spetsai

Across the way from our oasis was the island of Spetsai, where we met up with Pam and Steve on Eirene. We had not seen our Hylas friends since Siracusa, Sicily when they left the anchorage on the heels of a gale in what some considered less than desirable conditions, so there were stories to hear. We first met up in a large bay called Ormos Zoyioryia with a wooded foreshore dotted with pine trees. There, we shared dinners and amusing accountings of our most recent adventures; checking into Greece, docking, touring, motoring.

This was followed a few days later in Spetsai town where we tied to shore amongst the local boats. Spetsai town is popular with both Greek and international tourists. With two harbors, miles of coastline and back streets lined with beautiful old houses, Spetsai offers endless areas to wander. No cars are allowed on the island, but sadly, at times motorbikes, ATVs and horse-drawn carriages can turn an otherwise quiet place into a frenetic atmosphere of traffic. We would have spent several days here but the weather report showed that the Meltemi was coming, and we wanted to see the island of Idhras before heading north, so reluctantly, we left too soon.

Itsy bitsy Idhras

When we pulled into the tiny harbor at Lumin Idhras, it was barely large enough to turn Berkeley East around. The docks were lined with boats – fishing, charter and cruising – anchored bow to stern and tied to each other, three boats deep. The town was cute, but we quickly decided that we did not want to put BE through the stress of such a dockage, so we went on to Mandraki, a large deep anchorage to the east.

The glimpse that we had of the town while we were trying to maneuver BE out of the small harbor made us want to see more. So we took that waterbus over to explore, and then walked back along the coast to our anchorage. The town was both charming and chaotic. While extremely small, the town has dozens of “Supermarkets” and we shopped in one where we heard the owner tell another customer (who had asked the store’s hours) “We are always open, we are in crisis.” We wondered if he had read our “A country in ruins” blog. We found a spot above the harbor and enjoyed watching the boats race inside, only to emerge a few moments later and move on.

On day four of the Meltemi, the “Crazy Captain” decided it was time to move Berkeley East to the marina five miles north. The idea was met with much resistance, and mutiny on Berkeley East was clearly possible. After exploring the pros and cons of such a move, we motored into the wind for an hour and had another spirited, but injury-free, landing at the marina. The pros of the move included being able to get off the boat for the first time in five days. We also had electricity and felt a bit more comfortable that other boats would not run, or drag, into us. The Meltemi blew for two more days, with BE heeling hard and testing the dock lines to their limits. When it finally calmed, we woke to a light breeze, only to check the weather and see that it will begin again very, very soon.