Saturday 23 June 2007

In the Cyclades





Finally back to civilization, sorry for the delay in replying to anyone but this is the first time we have been able to get an internet connection since we posted the last update. So where have we been hiding?

Well we spent a few more days on Milos and we took Tiamat out for a day to the South of the island to see the rock formations and coves. Whilst it was nice to just sit on the quay and chill we decided we had better move on whilst the weather was good so after five days on Milos we left.

There was very little wind so had to motor to the island of Poliagos where we found a beautiful, tiny, secluded bay where we were the only boat there. Heaven!! It was so nice and tranquil that we stayed there two days lazing around and swimming. Only thing that disturbed the peace and quite was the bleating of the goats on the shore.

From there we travelled on to the island of Folegandros where we stayed at anchor in the small harbour for the night and then onto Santorini.

Santorini is made up of two islands that basically form the crater rim of a gigantic volcano 6 miles long by 4 miles wide that has been filled with water. The sides rise sheer out of the sea to 300m and drop away below the water for a further 300m. Perched on top of these cliffs there are a couple of towns, with white domed houses, the largest of which is Thira. In the middle there are two small low lying islands, a black mass of cinder and lava that are the volcanic plug of the volcano.

We motored into & round the ‘crater’ an incredible sight, awesome! Because the sides are so sheer there is no possibility of anchoring there to visit the town and normally you have to come by ferry from a neighbouring island. However as the weather was calm we managed to find a ledge off one of the centre islands that was shallow and we anchored there for lunch. We then decided as the wind hadn’t got up and our little anchorage seemed safe, that we would take the chance and stay there for the night.

So there we were anchored in the centre, on the plug of the volcano, surrounded by cinders and lava. We were the only boat there and we watched the sun set and turn the massive cliffs red. Oh by the way did I mention that the volcano is still active and the water sulphurous!

After a quite and peaceful night we decided it was best to get out of Santorini so headed north and anchored in a sandy bay on the south coast of Ios. Spent the day there swimming and relaxing.

The following day we sailed further north to the unspoilt island of Iraklia and tied up on the fishing quay in the islands one and only port. It is a beautiful island that so far has been relatively untouched by tourism although the ferries have started to call there so things might change. At present there are a couple of Tavernas and a few places offering accommodation but little else. Once you get away from the fishing village and get into the centre of the islands nothing has changed in hundreds of years, it’s still wild and mostly inaccessible. We found the place wonderful and peaceful and spent three days there.

We then moved on to Naxos where we are now. We are in the marina in Naxos town and it’s the exact opposite of Iraklia, very busy and full of tourists. It does have a nice side though and we spent yesterday investigating the old walled town on the hill and the Archaeological museum, which has some very old and amazing statues, pottery and jewellery from the 6th century BC.

On a headland there are the remains of a temple to Apollo and it’s a great place to watch the sunset which have been stunning each evening.

We are really enjoying the summer and the Greek islands. The weather has been wonderful since we got here, it is so HOT its impossible to be out in the sun between 1200 & 1600, its over 35C in the shade everyday and the winds have been light. The water is so clear and blue, just beautiful.

Having done the islands in the south we are now working our way north and west before the Meltemi sets in with a vengeance. If the weather holds we plan to stay out in the islands for another month.

Anyway enough for now, will post the next update in about a couple of weeks when we next get internet access.

Hope you are all well and we think of you all often.

Take care.
Duncan & Kim

Sunday 10 June 2007

Malta to Greece



Well we are in Greece, to be precise on the island of Milos which is in the Cyclades, but how did we get here.

We left Malta at 1200 on Wednesday 30th May with our friend Andrew and aimed straight for the South-West corner of the Greek mainland. The wind was stronger than forecast, 20 to 30 knots with gusts of 40+, and we soon reduced sail, 2 reefs in the Main and half the Genoa. Luckily the wind was almost directly behind us and we were surfing down the quite large rolling seas. Because the waves were coming in on our port quarter the auto-pilot couldn’t really handle it and so Andrew and I helmed for the first 11 hours until the wind and waves dropped a little. We were glad when it abated as not sure how much longer we could have kept up helming as it was quite demanding in the rolling sea.

We managed to sail almost the whole way and arrived in Methoni Friday afternoon after 51.5 hours averaging 7.1 knots for the journey, having seen a top speed of 10.6 on a few of the surfs.

Apart from the fantastic downwind sailing for 2 days the highlight of the trip was Kim catching a good sized Tuna after only having the line out for a short while. Not sure who was more surprised Kim or the fish! As you can imagine after a couple of days we had had enough of Tuna!

We stayed at anchor in the bay at Methoni for a couple of nights and investigated the old walled city and Turkish watch tower. The tourist season hasn’t started yet, few visitors about yet so the place was very sleepy, quite and expectantly waiting for the invasion. The weather was lovely, hot calm and clear.

From Methoni we motored round the coast to another small bay which was overlooked by the remains of a walled city. Koroni we did not find as pretty or as interesting as Methoni but a good sheltered bay and good facilities to provision the boat.

After a night at anchor we set of east again, crossing the large bay and aiming for the next headland. On the way we were able to rendezvous at sea with our good friends Ian and Sue on Pulsar II. Unfortunately they were on their way north to a marina and we needed to press on so the reunion and party will have to wait until later in the season when hopefully we will be able to meet up again.

We had planned to visit the caves at Dryos but when we got there the wind was funnelling down the valley and there was 30knts of wind and white water everywhere so we abandoned the idea and carried on round the headland to Porto Kayio an almost enclosed bay with mountains all around.

There then followed an ‘interesting’ and stressful night! The wind by now was quite strong and gusty from the NE so we tried to tuck up in the north of the bay. The bay is quite deep right up to the sides so we had to anchor in 20 mtrs. The wind was gusting down the mountain sides and Tiamat was swinging about badly. Consequently we had to have an anchor watch. Even with all our chain out (90mtrs) our anchor slipped three times during the night and we had to pull it up and re-anchor. With the anchor watch and having to get everyone up to re-anchor nobody got much sleep that night and it was a relief when morning came and the wind dropped and turned.

We moved to the other end of the bay where the holding was much better and shallower and spent the day recovering and chilling. The bay is gorgeous, secluded and has a couple of Tavernas on the beach. When the wind had dropped it was a lovely place to be.

After a goodnights sleep it was off again, this time heading for the island of Kithera. After another great down wind sail we arrived at the port of Dhiaofti. All day the wind had been increasing and by the time we arrived it was blowing 30knts and the harbour was quite rough. We decided to anchor in the shelter of a small island off the town. Whilst this afforded good shelter from the waves it did little for the wind. Still the water was shallow and the holding good. This was as well as during the evening the wind increased until it was blowing a steady 45knts! With 60mtrs of chain out we were solid and we felt confident enough to go to bed and sleep.

Next morning (Thursday 7th June) we were up early, the wind had dropped and we sailed to the island of Milos which is the most SW island in the Cyclades. It’s really a large volcanic crater that has been flooded and the rock forms and cliffs are stunning. The main port of Adhamas is in the ‘crater’ and this is where we headed. We tied up on the town quay to find much to our surprise that the mooring was free as was the electricity and water that was provided at points along the wall. Great result.

That night we went out for dinner to celebrate arriving in the Cyclades and to say farewell and thanks to Andrew who was catching the ferry back to Athens and then plane to the UK the next day. It had been great having Andrew along, the extra pair of hands had made the trip easy and on more than a couple of occasions had proved invaluable.

Andrew left and we are still tied to the wall in Adhamas, enjoying the rest, chilling and doing a few chores whilst we have the facilities. I expect we will move on in a few days, but that is for the next instalment.

So that’s enough for now. Hope I haven’t bored you too much.
Hope all is well. Take care.
Love Duncan & Kim xx

Tunisia to Malta





Leg 1 Monastir to Malta

So at last the season has started and we are away.

We had a fantastic winter again in Tunisia making more friends and consolidating the ones we made last winter. This winter was a little busier as I had several boats to look after and maintain but still managed to get out and about, visiting the countryside and places of interest. This culminated in going to a Tunisian wedding party in the middle of nowhere in the south of the country. An amazing experience especially as we were the only (& probably the first ever) Europeans to go there. Kim and a couple of the other girls got dressed up in traditional Hammamet wedding costume, very ornate and much appreciated by the local ladies.

It never ceases to amaze us how much there is to see and do in Tunisia and how friendly and helpful the people are. We love the place and have made some really fantastic friends. We will be returning there for another winter at the end of this sailing season.

We first left Hammamet and had Tiamat hauled out in Monastir for its yearly maintenance. I lived on the boat whilst Kim stayed in Hammamet with friends. All went well although the boat got filthy due to high winds for a couple of days which kicked up the sand and there was a boat being sand blasted down wind in the other yard. Due to work on other boats we didn't managed to get dropped in water at the end of the week as planned and had to wait until Monday. Stayed on the fishing quay for 2 nights checking and finishing everything and then went to the marina for a night to clear customs.

We finally left Monastir and Tunisia on Thursday 24th May at 0700 and had to motor all the way to Malta as beautiful weather, flat seas but zero wind. Arrived in Malta at 0630 the next morning. It’s amazing how fast Tiamat is with a clean bum and flat water. 7.5 knts at 2100 revs.

We spent the day in little bay on Comino island between Gozo and Malta, sunbathing and resting before coming into Valletta in the late afternoon. The old walled citadel of Valletta is a fantastic sight when entering from the sea.

We had arranged to meet up with old friends from Silchester, Andrew and Kate who had organised their holiday to coincide with our arrival. We spent the next few days sightseeing around Valletta and some of the island. Even managed to see an exhibition of the ‘Terracotta Army’ which was visiting a museum in Valletta. An opportunity not to be missed.

Malta has a cheap, reliable bus service that serves all parts of the island and is an easy way of getting around. The best part is the majority of the fleet of buses are very old, well preserved and each one individually decorated and named by its driver. When the bus sets off the old Maltese ladies cross themselves, not great for ones confidence and once you’ve been on one you can understand why, but quite an experience.

Kate then flew back to England leaving Andrew to sail with us for Greece. We had always planned to sail direct to Greece and now with three of us on the boat this made life much easier. We left at 1200 on Wednesday 30th May. Will continue the story in the next installment.

Hope everyone is well, we are thinking of you all and miss you.
Love Duncan & Kim xx