The Web Log from Alba Voyager

The Web Log from Alba Voyager

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Cruise with Alba Voyager as she sets sail from Scotland on an adventure which will take her to many foreign lands and hopefully round the world.

2008 Aegean Island Cruise (Amorgos, Astipalaia, Tilos, Rhodes)

Dec. 31, 2008

South end of Amorgos

We now headed our bow towards Marmaris in Turkey which was to be our winter stop-over but on route we still had a number of islands we wanted to revisit. All of the islands we had called at in 2007 but due to our mast problem in that year hadn’t spent time exploring them in any depth. In 2007 we had spent a couple of days in a very small bay on the South end of Amorgos sheltering from some strong northerly winds, this time we were headed for Katapola the main village halfway up the island.

Petalidhia

Sailing between islands in the Aegean is normally pretty straight forward, most islands are only a few miles apart (between 15 and 30 miles) and a large part of navigation is by No1 eyeball. However there are numerous rocks and small islands which will catch you out if you don’t pay due attention.

Vrak Ktenia

Many of them are unlit and if sailing after dark extra caution must be taken, Greece doesn’t have a comparable lifeboat service to the U.K.

Dragon Island

Sailing from Amorgos to Astipalaia we passed Pondikousa Island which as you can see from the photograph looks very much like a dragon (or at least we thought so), so we renamed it Dragon Island. Our route from Ios to Turkey was in a south westerly direction following the seasonal wind direction for this time of year, thus all our sailing was with a favourable wind, usually from directly behind. Not the fastest point of sailing but at least you can have a civilised lunch with a glass of wine without it sliding off the table.

Approaching Skala

We had spent a few days in Skala last year. It is a beautiful setting, the bay is horseshoe shaped with the village wrapped around the bay. Last year when we visited it looked like they were in the process of creating an inner harbour and to our surprise on our arrival this year it was 95 percent finished. Now you might think what’s so special about that? Well as we have sailed round the Greek Islands we have found the EU pouring millions of Euros into the island’s harbours. In the majority of cases the Greek Government is supposed to fund the final 25 percent to finish the work, but it never happens. So the majority of marina harbours we have visited are 75 percent complete and that is the way they have stood for many years. The bit we can’t understand is why the EU keeps pouring money in without getting the Greek Government to finish the work which has already been funded.

2007 Skala Harbour 2008 Skala Harbour

In 2007 we were the only yacht in the harbour, this year as you can see from the photograph there are four yachts. During our time on the quay the contractors were putting the finishing touches by connecting the water and electricity. With proper facilities I expect the number of yachts visiting Skala next year will increase dramatically.

A Locust, I think?

We weren’t the only visitor to the harbour at this time.

Friends on board

We spent a week in Skala just chilling out and having the odd walk up to the café in the village where they serve the best frappe in the Aegean. But as the saying says ‘time waits for no man’ and we had two more islands to visit on route to Marmaris. Our next island 46 miles to the southwest was to be Tilos, which just happens to be one of our favourites, here we would meet up with some old friends from last year’s stopover.

Owner's of the Croma cafe bar

As you travel round ever now and again you come across an oasis and Tilos has one in the form of the Croma café bar. Run by a couple of Manchurians’ they can’t do enough to make your stay feel like a home from home. For anyone visiting Tilos this one is a must.

Tillos's Nite Spot

And in the evening when everything closes down in town you take to the hills, literally. At midnight the pub in an old village, deserted since the end of WWII opens. A free hourly min-bus service runs from the town to the pub which is about 3 miles up into the hills .There are no residents in the village so the music and dancing continues on well into the wee small hours.

Health and Safety at work

While sitting in the harbour at Tilos we were entertained with the loading and unloading of the various ferries which supply the island. This is the island’s life line, everything the island needs from a small parcel to a lorry load of building blocks arrives by sea and when the lorry is too big to drive on to the ferry, there’s always the helping hand from a JCB to push the back end round. Don’t think they use this method in Britain, something to do with Health and Safety.

Busy Rhodes Harbour

We had a good sail to Rhodes our last Greek island before entering Turkish waters. We are not overly enthusiastic about the town of Rhodes although we are told other parts of the island are beautiful. The island attracts a large number of cruise liners to its port and the Old Town is full of trinket and souvenir shops, most of which are selling a load of tack to the visitors.

Mandraki Yacht Harbour

Rhodes doesn’t have a marina and the yacht harbour is usually full with no berths for visiting yachts, most berths being taken up by charter companies. Fortunately there are two unfinished harbours (the type I mentioned earlier, funded by EU money) a couple of miles up the coast.

Not one but two four masters

While heading up to find a space in one of the unfinished harbours we past the ferry port and were surprised to see two four masted cruise ships in the harbour. One was not unusual but this was the first time we had seen two. Our time in Rhodes was spent shopping for things which are hard to find in Turkey or are more expensive there. The main items being alcohol and diesel. Once this chore had been completed and we had cleared out of the country and EU (we were now heading for a non EU country) we set sail for Marmaris in Turkey a mere 26 miles distant, again enjoying some good sailing.

Turkey here we come

This completed our 2008 cruise of the Aegean Islands. We were now looking forward to spending some time with friends flying out from the UK and joining us for a couple of weeks holiday in Turkey with the odd day sail thrown in. A few weeks later we were joined by our latest grandson Oliver, one year old, and his parents who wanted to try the delights of Turkey. This was a perfect finish to what we consider to be one of our most enjoyable cruising years, we have visited seventeen islands, sailed eight hundred odd miles, met many interesting people and a number of new friends.

We hope you also had a good year and take this opportunity in wishing you a Happy and Good New Year for 2009, we are certainly looking forward to ours.

Tom and Anne

Alba Voyager

Marmaris Turkey

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2008 Aegean Island Cruise (Paros, Ios, Santorini)

Oct. 3, 2008

Today we where headed for the island of Paros under full sail at a brisk 7 knots. We had briefly visited Paros in 2007 and were heading back to anchor in the bay at Paroikia. Caution is needed on the approach to Paroikia as there are a number of rocks and reefs to be avoided. It was here in 2000 that a Greek ferry hit the rocks and sank with the loss of 80 lives. Fortunately today with a two metre sea running the rocks are clearly visible and we have no trouble entering the bay and dropping anchor. We are looking forward to meeting up with Fiona and Terry on Rome II, John and Vanessa who we were with on Siros will also be joining us in a couple of days. We have all come for the festival on the 15^th August dedicated to Dormition of Our Lady , the programme includes local folk music and dancing on the water front and a spectacular firework display in the bay.

R to L Vanessa, Terry, John, Anne, Fiona

After a fantastic week which included far too many sundowners we managed to extricate ourselves and head south to our next island and a new one for us, the island of Ios.

Downwind to Ios

We had two reasons for visiting Ios, the main one being we wanted to visit the island and see what it had to offer and two we would leave Alba Voyager there and visit Santorini (the next island south) by ferry. We have been told there are no good anchorages on Santorini and it wasn’t safe to leave your boat there. On arrival at Port Ios we were lucky to get a berth at the town quay, all be it right next to the ferry terminal.

Ferry change over mayhem at Ios

The island is the backpacker’s capital of the Aegean and when a ferry arrives mayhem breaks out on the quay as one half try to board the ferry as the other half try to disembark. It all sorts itself out in the end and makes for good entertainment for the spectator.

Gyros lunch

The restaurants around the quay were varied and good and we were able the try our favourite Greek fast food ‘The Gyros’ which you can buy as a ‘take away’ wrapped in pita bread or as you see me enjoying here, plated for a sit down meal. With our boat secure on the town quay we take the 9 o’clock high speed ferry to Santorini. On boarding we are amazed to find the layout similar to a jumbo jet (only a lot bigger) with rows of seats and a steward showing you to your numbered seat. The journey time is about one hour as this thing travels at 35 knots, we would have taken all day to sail there!

Boarding the ferry for Santotini

What’s special about Santorini? Well it’s like many of the other Greek islands, volcanic, but with this one only the rim of the crater is above sea level and its huge. The crater measures, six miles long by four miles wide is filled by the sea. In about 1450 BC a massive explosion ripped the volcano apart. The explosion was estimated to be four times greater than that at Krakatoa which took place in 1883 and a tidal wave of about 80 metres high destroyed many towns and villages on surrounding islands. The volcano is still active today, the last earthquake was recorded in July 1956 which destroyed many of the buildings in Thira.

Santorini from the ferry

The ferry enters the crater through one of the breaks in the rim and because of the large number of visitors attracted to the island a new ferry port has been built within the crater.

Alpine road to the plateau

The picture shows visitors newly disembarked from the ferry and looking up to the top of the crater rim where the main village of Thira lies.

Looking down into the Old Harbour

The rim of the volcano reaches a height of 700 feet above sea level. From the top you get a magnificent view down into the crater with cruise ships anchored below.

The village of Thira on the top

The village of Thira is perched right on top and while being very picturesque is also very touristy and expensive.

Donkey or Cable Car

To get from the old port (now used by the cruise ships) to the village you have three choices. You can travel in style as they did for many years using one of the local donkeys or you can now use the new cable car, less romantic but a bit more exciting and last but not least there’s Shanks’s pony by far the most economical if you don’t mind the 600 steps.

A great day out and definitely not to be missed if you are visiting the Greek Islands. We returned to Ios and Alba Voyager again via the high speed ferry reflecting on how it felt to be a tourist instead of a traveller.

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2008 Aegean Island Cruise (Ikaria, Mykonos, Siros)

Aug. 31, 2008

From Samos we sailed west to the island of Ikaria where we were hoping to get into the harbour at Kirikos. Kirikos is the main port for the island and has a very large harbour but can only take three or four yachts on a specially designated quay which is a pity as 90% of the harbour is used for about 1% of the time, the rest of the time it lies empty. We were lucky and found we were the only yacht on arrival although a Swedish yacht joined us later that evening.

The Harbour at Kirikos

The town was pretty and seemed to cater mainly for Greek holiday makers probably from Athens and was quite a change from our last port of call. There was no scooter hire so we took the local bus and toured the island in that. The roads were mainly single track and tended to be of the alpine variety with numerous hairpin bends and blind corners, not to be taken by the faint hearted. Well certainly not in the local bus!

View from the bus

We spent three delightful days in Kirikos before setting sail for Mikonos about 50 miles to the west. I say sail but Murphy had different ideas and we motored all the way in an oily flat calm sea with the auto helm doing all the work. As we arrived at the north end of the island the wind suddenly got up to about a force 6 (about 25miles per hr) and we flew down the last few miles to the marina at Mikonos town. On arrival in the marina it was still blowing hard and the place looked more like a building site than a marina.

Marina or Building site

Our berth was alongside an area which was in the process of being levelled and prepared for concreting. The marina was started in 1992 with help from the EU and is now in the process of spending a further 13 million euro courtesy of the EU so that cruise liners can berth on the outside of the outer breakwater. The original marina is still incomplete with no water or electricity.

Dredger at work in the marina

We hated every minute of our nine day enforced stay in Mikonos. Enforced because the wind which had welcomed our arrival blew at gale force for the next 9 days. The locals said they had never known a meltemi to blow for so long at this strength. The town is set up to extract the maximum amount of money from the tourist/cruise line passenger that it can. Prices were on average 50 to 100% more expensive than we had been charge on the other islands for the same goods or services. The harbour area was full of restaurants, cafes, jewellers and trinket shops, we found it difficult to buy normal groceries, in fact I had to cycle 3 miles up into the old town just to find a butcher. It will be a long time before we are back at Mikonos!

Cruise ships at anchor

After nine days of purgatory we finally escaped and had a great sail averaging 7 knots to Finikas on the island of Siros, here we hoped to meet up with our friends from Marmaris, John and Vanessa. On our arrival at the town quay they were there to take our ropes and see us safely into our berth. This being swiftly followed by an invitation to sundowners on their boat at the duly appointed hour. Sundowners are an age old custom, some would say ritual which is strictly followed by all cruisers, and is based on thanks for deliverance from the sea. Only those who have sailed will really know!!

Following on from our safe deliverance we hire a scooter and made a tour of the island. Siros was our kind of island, one main town (Ermoupolis) where you can stock up on essentials and a great number of bays and coves with their small cafes and restaurants.

The Beach at Galissas

One of our favourites was at a small village called Kini set in a cove on the west side of the island, here you can sit with your drink on the waters edge and simply forget time.

Looking down to Kini Village The fountain on the water front

But as someone once said ‘time waits for no one’ so it’s off to the main town of Ermoupolis and shopping, also to admire it’s main architectural attraction ‘The Town Hall’

Town Hall Ermoupolis

We very much enjoyed our time in Siros and would be happy to revisit it sometime in the future visiting places we missed on this visit and revisiting some we would like to see again.

All dressed up and somewhere to go!

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2008 Aegean Island Cruise (Patmos and Samos)

Jul. 22, 2008

We sailed from Lipso on Friday 27^th June heading for the island of Patmos. Once again we had a good sail, setting the course on the boat’s auto pilot and not touching the wheel until we were due to enter the bay at Skala, the main port on Patmos. Patmos is known as the Jerusalem of the Aegean for it was here that St John wrote the Apocalypse found in the book of Revelations. The island is dominated by the Monastery of St John the Divine which stands on the hill above Skala.

The Monastery viewed from our approach

We took a berth at the Town Quay and as you can see from the photograph we were in good company berthed next to an Italian motor boat They were a good crowd inviting us to join with them in their Champagne celebrations to mark the end of their cruise and leaving us an expensive bottle of good Italian wine on their departure (we were sorry to see them go).

They were a little bigger than us

To get around we hired a scooter, we have found this the best way of sight seeing on the islands as public transport is usually limited.

View looking down on the town and bay

The Monastery and the Cave of St Anne attract many thousands of visitors. On average there are three to four cruise ships visit the port each week in addition to the numerous yachts and motor boats and I’m sure the main attraction is the Monastery and the Cave.

Super yacht in the anchorage

The Monastery was built on the order of emperor Alexious Komninos in the 11^th century and is the most significant religious monument in the Aegean. The bones of 60 saints are buried here.

Bell Tower at the Monastery

Looking into the Monastery Courtyard

The Monastery also houses a museum and library with priceless artefacts and manuscripts dating as far back as the sixth century. If you are ever visiting the island of Patmos this is definitely one not to be missed.

Three of the 16 Chapels inside the Monastery

On the road up to the Monastery you pass the Church of the Apocalypse and the Cave of St Anne where St John is said to have written the Apocalypse.

The Plaque at the cave of the Apocalypse

We also made a significant find when in Skala. Ever wonder what happened to Miss Penelope and Parker? Well this could be a hint!

Miss Penelope's Car but no sign of Parker

On our tour of the island we stopped off at a bay in the north end for lunch, there was no road into the restaurant and you had to walk along the beach to get there. However the food was excellent and the view marvellous. Who could want for more!

Beach Restaurant on Patmos

It was now time to move on to our next island and the zenith of this year’s cruise, after the island of Samos we would head west and then south pointing back to our winter base at Marmaris.

We dropped anchor in the anchorage at Pithagorion which although not the capital of the island has the safest anchorage and harbour.

The anchorage at Pithagorion on Samos

After a couple of days we managed to get a space on the Town Quay and unlike many of the other town quays in Greece this one had an electricity and water supply. And as a bonus non-stop music until 3 o’clock in the morning. Can’t have everything.

Looking down at the Town Quay

We did our usual and hired a scooter to tour the island. In particular we wanted to visit the north side of the island and its capitol Samos Town.

The water front Samos

Samos is a big island in comparison to many we had already visited and in our eyes a bit disappointing. It was quite modern and could have easily fitted in on the south coast of England, however it did make a change.

The harbour Samos Town

The harbour had only one yacht and one motor boat in it although the quay was again provided with water and electricity. We have since been told that a large swell sets in during a meltemi making the harbour very uncomfortable. We retired back to Pithagorion where there was plenty to keep us occupied.

Moored at the Town Quay

Moored next to us on the town quay was a real character named Captain Jiannis. Captain Jiannis skippered one of the local tripper boats which took you round to one of the local beaches where a picnic lunch was provided and you could swim. What made Captain Jiannis different was his showmanship, he always played loud Greek music on the boat, fired off a couple of rounds from a shotgun on entering the bay just to let you know he was coming, at night he substituted white flares for the shotgun. But his greatest pleasure was making loud foghorn noises from a Conchs Shell which reminded me of the film The Vikings starring Kirk Douglas. There was always something happening when Captain Jainis was around. In the photograph you can see octopus drying in the sun on the Captain’s boat, these were caught locally and served up as part of the lunch.

Sun dried Octopus

Next stop Mikinos

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2008 Aegean Islands Cruise (Kalimnos, Leros, Lipsos)

Jul. 6, 2008

After saying our goodbyes to John we headed for the island of Kalimnos breaking our journey with an over night stop at Isle Pserimos. For the last five miles we had to motor into a strong head wind with a steep sea and we were making very little progress. Until now we hadn’t required the motor a great deal except for getting in and out of harbour and although the boat felt a bit sluggish I let it pass. I now knew there was something wrong, probably a fouled propeller. When we could get to a quiet bay I would have to dive on it and check it out.

A gullet in Kalimnos harbour

We left Pserimos in the morning before all the tripper boats arrived and headed the ten miles to Kalimnos the main port on the island of Kalimnos. We were lucky and managed to get a berth at the town quay which has electricity, normally this is packed with charter boats in high season. The only disadvantage was the ‘boy racers’ on the road adjacent to our berth, but then few things are perfect!

Looking down into Vathi Harbour

We decided to hire a scooter again as we are finding this one of the best ways to explore the islands. Daily rates are between10/15€ and is fuel minimal, you can usually cover an island in a day. Then if you wish you can return to areas you want to further explore and spend more time. The picture above was taken from the road looking down into the small port of Vathi which is at the end of a long fiord and affords a small but secure harbour.

Vathi's swimming pool

Another delightful place we visited was Emborios and here we found the restaurants provided mooring buoys, all you had to do was eat in the restaurant if you wanted to stay overnight on the buoy (many hotels in Scotland use the same system). So after a few days we sailed to the more tranquil setting of the bay at Emborios. I expect this is what the west coast of Scotland would be like if only the sun was to shine a bit more often.

Yachts on the moorings at Emborios

We ate at Captain Kostas

We picked up one of Captain Kostas mooring buoy’s in the bay, so we ate in Captain Kostas restaurant. And I can recommend the food, it was excellent. We had three lovely quiet days here, reading, walking ashore and of course Captain Kostas ice cream!

View of the bay from the restaurant

Well all good things come to an end and we pulled ourselves away from Emborios and set sail for our next island, Leros.

On route to Leros

On arrival at Lakki on the island of Leros we didn’t go to the marina but anchored in the bay as I thought this would be an ideal place to dive and check out the propeller. And so it was, after about ten dives all the barnacles and crud were removed and hopefully there would now be a big improvement to our speed under motor. Where was Susie when I needed her?

Italian architecture from 1912

Many of the buildings in the town are of Italian origin dating from the Italian occupation of 1912 when Italy used Lakki as its main naval base in the Aegean. Now with EU funding these art deco buildings are being restored making for a very pleasant contrast to the local architecture found here and on many of the other islands.

And still in daily use.

But the past hasn’t gone away altogether; this fellow was used daily by his owner as his main mode of transport to and from the town. We spent six days anchored in the bay before moving on to the small island of Lipso.

Isle Lipsos to port

Lipsos has only a small Hamlet (Lipso) of probably about 600 inhabitants, but it is here that you will find an Oasis in the form of a bakery. In this bakery you will find bread, croissants, cakes and pastries to rival the best that France can offer. Anne had to blindfold me every time we passed the shop!

One of the world's best

It was even better from the inside

How Anne ever managed to drag me away from Lipso will forever remain a mystery.

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