Marmaris, Bodrum & Paridise, Turkey It was getting close to the end of our cruising season and we wanted to see a little bit of Turkey before taking Berkeley East into her new winter home. We had been told that the southern Aegean coast was heaven, but we needed to go north, so we started […]
Turkey Last year we went to seven different countries; this year, just two. But getting settled in Greece and Turkey this year has been more challenging than all seven countries last year combined. Greece was very strict with their rules and regulations, still they are pussycats compared to the requirements and procedures of Turkey. Most […]
28 August 2013 | Simi, Greece We have some friends who, for the past three years, have been telling us about the island of Simi in the Dodecanese Islands of Greece. We’ve heard from them, over and over again, about this gorgeous, dramatic, charming island. It was their “favorite” they said, but they really could […]
Dodecanes Islands, Greece For months we had a plan to get to the Dodecanese Islands, where the summer winds are lighter, and sail from north to south with the wind at our backs. It took longer than we anticipated, but we finally did just that, and as we enjoyed a smooth sail south to Kos, […]
Samos, Greece For weeks we had been promising ourselves that we would no longer try to move north through the Greek islands. The north winds have been brutal and even a terrific boat like Berkeley East could not make the daunting passages comfortable. We’re not sure if it was poor planning, bad judgment, rotten luck, […]
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. […]
Naxos, Greece We’ve anchored close to ferry docks before, but never as close as in Naxos Town. And the ferries have never been as big, or as frequent, with two or three arriving and departing at one time. Some were high-speed catamarans, others, traditional car ferries ranging in size from 300 to 500 feet, with […]
Mykonos & Delos Greece One day when the wind seemed lighter, we decided it was a good idea to go 20 miles north from Paros to Mykonos. Halfway there, as we saw 1.8 knots on the boat speed gauge, it felt like the wind and waves were actually pushing Berkeley East backward. We thought about […]
Naousa Paros, Greece Our friends Kathy and Carol left Berkeley East in the nick of time. While their final dinghy ride to catch the ferry was a bit wet, they missed the days of gusty winds that followed. A week earlier, they arrived at the marina near Lavrio. “Our taxi driver said it’s been windy […]
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 […]
