Island Drifter Greece 2018: Blog 3: East and West Sporades

We are now in Nisos (N) Skiathos in the Western Sporades, having motor-sailed here from N.Leros via N.Limnos, the most northerly island in the Sporades. (Nisos or N means “The Island of” to differentiate between an island and a town – since the names can often be the same.)

On our cruise here, with our guests and friends Max and Sue Walker, we covered some 300 miles and stopped in ten islands. Max owns a yacht delivery company: (www.maxwalkeryachtdelivery.com). Indeed, most of the delivery work that Mike did came through Max.

Max and Sue enjoying breakfast in the cockpit

DODECANESE

We cruised the twelve Dodecanese Islands, which lie in a crescent chain down the Turkish coast, in May and June and again in the autumn of 2017. The Island Group stretches from N.Karpathos, south of N.Rhodes, to N.Patmos, just north of N.Leros, where we left ID over the winter.

N.Rhodes and N.Kos are fertile giants with huge tourist industries focused on beaches and nightlife. The other smaller inhabited islands are essentially dry limestone outcrops whose inhabitants have traditionally looked to the sea for their living, although that is changing fast.

In November we left our boat, Island Drifter (ID), in N.Leros at the northern end of the Dodecanese for the winter, returning there in March 2018 to service the boat before commencing our 2018 Cruise in Greece.

N.LEROS

Max and Sue joined us in N.Leros on 10 May, having flown with Jet2 from Manchester to N.Kos from where they caught a ferry (2 hours) to Lakki in N.Leros, where we were moored on the quay adjacent to the ferry terminal.

Moored in Lakki

In the 1930s, when the island was under Italian rule, the large natural harbour of Lakki was the base for the Italian Navy in the Eastern Aegean.

Lakki’s enormous bay

During their occupation the Italians built the town of Lakki at the head of the bay. With its wide boulevards and Italianate architecture it is most attractive, although very different from traditional Greek towns throughout the Aegean.

While in Lakki, we all visited the island’s impressive War Museum, which is housed in part of the labyrinth of tunnels built by the Italians. The photographs and newsreel footage were particularly fascinating. The Battle of Leros in November 1943 was one of the more important in the Aegean.

One of the tunnels housing the War Museum

N.KALYMNOS

We needed to sail north. Unfortunately, the prevailing northerly wind was blowing strongly so we initially made a brisk shakedown passage south to the well-protected and very attractive anchorage of Emborios on the west coast of N.Kalymnos.

Moored on a taverna buoy in N.Kalymnos

N.Kalymnos was once the centre of the Greek sponge-fishing industry – which has now virtually ceased. Today serious climbers and walkers come from around the world to Emborios and a couple of other locations to test themselves on the rugged vertical cliffs and peaks of the island.

Mountain peaks behind Emborios

We, however, chose to stay on board, relax in the sun and enjoy the excellent food at Captain Kostas’s Taverna. One of Mike’s favourites, local kid goat, was on the day’s menu.

Enjoying a meal at Captain Kostas’s taverna

EASTERN SPORADES

The seven principal islands of the Eastern Sporades run up the Turkish coast from N.Samos to N.Limnos. They do not form an immediately recognisable group as each island has a strong character of its own. What they have in common, with the exception of N.Samos, is that they receive fewer visitors than other island groups and so generally provide a more authentic Greek atmosphere.

Eastern Sporades

N.SAMOS

After 36 hours the wind changed as forecast to southerly and we therefore began to push north for 42 miles through the N.Patmos archipelago, just north of N.Leros, to N.Samos. There we berthed on the inside of the inner port’s wall at Marathakambos.

ID on the quay viewed from the village

The high mountain ridge running the length of N.Samos is an extension of Mount Mycale in Turkey, which is only a mile away at the closest point. The island has an international airport, a small yacht charter fleet, and caters seriously for tourists.

Marathakambos, an attractive, well-protected fishing harbour and small resort, is spectacularly located at the foot of Mount Kerkis (5000ft) on the southwest coast of the island.

Marathakambos with Mount Kertvis in the background

Facilities for yachts were a bit limited. We therefore showered al fresco on the quay. (The water in the hose heated up nicely when left out in the sun for ten minutes.)

Max showering on the quay

N.CHIOS

Since an atypical (for this time of year) southerly wind continued to blow, we kept making our way north, stopping next, after a further 20 miles, in the port of Mandraki on the islet of Oinoussa.

Mandraki Harbour viewed from above

This excellent well-protected harbour is less than a mile off the northeast coast of N.Chios.

On the quay in the islet of Oinoussa with N.Chios in the background

Once a prosperous sea-faring community, this apparently insignificant islet is home to some of the wealthiest ship-owners in Greece, including the richest of them all, Kostas Lemos.

Mandraki town

Unfortunately, during the passage to N.Chios, our 20-year-old No 1 genoa tore and on investigation we came to the reluctant conclusion that it was beyond further repair.

Start of the tear in our No 1 genoa

We subsequently spent a large part of the rest of the passage investigating and finally ordering a new one from Crusader Sails, the original manufacturer, and arranging for it to be delivered to a yacht charter company in Skiathos.

In its place we used our No 2 genoa, hanked on to the adjustable inner forestay, which is normally attached, when not in use, to a D-ring at the bottom of the mast.

No 2 genoa poled out

The islet of Oinoussa is surrounded by reefs, not all of which are well charted and none of which is buoyed. We had a nasty shock on leaving when we almost went aground on one of them. Fortunately we saw it through the water at the last moment and were just able to turn 90 degrees to avoid it.

N.LESBOS

Next day we again pushed north for a 30-mile passage to Plomari at the south of N.Lesbos. The only incident of note on the passage was that we saw our first and – to date – only dolphin.

ID on Plomari quay

Our Danish friends Britta and Frantz had recently returned from Denmark to their apartment in the town. We were invited to join them and their Scandinavian friends at their weekly “get together” and subsequent lunch at Mama Katerina’s tavern, which overlooks the beach and sea just below the apartment.

Lunch at Mama Katerina's long table

We also enjoyed supper out with them and other friends, whom we’d met last year, on a couple of evenings in Club Benjamin – an old “gentleman’s club” (now a taverna open to all) which overlooks the town square and harbour.

Enjoying supper with our Scandinavian friends in Club Benjamin

N.LIMNOS

We left N.Lesbos for N.Limnos, some 90 miles away, after supper to ensure that we arrived in N.Limnos in the daylight. Once we were off shore and away from light pollution, the stars, including in particular the Milky Way, were truly magnificent.

We anchored in Myrina harbour, N.Limnos in the lee of the inner breakwater just off the town beach.

At anchor in Myrina, N.Limnos

Max and Sue going ashore with the ruined Venetian fort in the background

Few tourists visit N.Limnos. Cruise ships have also stopped calling in view of the political situation in Turkey – albeit that an enormous new docking facility has been provided by the EU. Indeed, the island is so far off the beaten track that few yachts visit it.

Moudros Bay to the east of the Myrina, the capital, where we stopped, was the base for the ill-fated Gallipoli campaign in 1915.

The Anzac War Memorial in Moudros Port

WESTERN SPORADES

The four principal islands of the Western Sporades (Skiathos and Skopelos in particular, and, to a lesser extent, Alonnisis and Skiros), unlike N.Limnos, are on the main tourist track. The rocky islets that form the National Maritime Park are, however, all uninhabited and, indeed, access is either restricted or prohibited. The Sporades are in fact an extension of the Greek mainland’s Pelion peninsula and were joined to it in historic times.

N.Skiros, some 30 miles to the southeast of the principal chain, while included in the Western Sporades, is more related historically, culturally and economically to N.Evia to its west.

Western Sporades

The target destination on our cruise with Max and Sue was N.Skiathos, the most westerly island in the Western Sporades. Once into the island group we relaxed since we were only then fully confident that Max and Sue would be able to catch their flight from N.Skiathos to Manchester on 23 May.

NATIONAL MARITIME PARK

In order to optimise the time available during the few remaining days of Max and Sue’s “holiday cruise”, we left N.Limnos after supper for the 70-mile passage to N.Alonnisis, arriving there early next morning.

As we passed N.Psathoura, having entered the National Maritime Park, which comprises N.Alonnisis and adjacent uninhabited islets, we had to weave our way in the dark through some fairly inconsiderate fishermen who kept changing direction towards us. Our B&Q £20 five-million-candlepower spotlight finally “blinded” and got through to them!

N.ALONNISIS

Ultimately, after some reconnaissance of a number of options, we anchored in Ormos (O) Tzorti on the south-east corner of N.Alonnisis, a superb bay with crystal-clear water, good holding in sand, with excellent protection against fetch, and overlooked by some very smart villas in lush gardens.

ID anchored in Tzorti Bay, N.Alonnisis

With a water temperature of 25 °C, it was almost obligatory to have a swim soon after arrival.

Helen and Max swimming after checking the anchor

Max’s version of a double somersault with twist

Next morning, after a peaceful night with only the toot of a Scops owl to lull us asleep, we all found it difficult to simply up-anchor and leave. We therefore rowed ashore to look around and swim off the beach, before eventually tearing ourselves away at noon.

We could easily see the seabed in the crystal-clear water of the bay

N.Alonnisis is the largest and only permanently inhabited island in the marine park. It’s more rugged and wild than its inhabited neighbours to its south but is no less green. With the exception of the main town at Patitiri, most of the properties on the island are well spread out and very exclusive. In consequence there are significantly fewer visitors than to N.Skiathos and Skopelos.

One of the luxurious villas overlooking Tzorti bay

N.SKOPELOS

With a northwesterly 4 immediately behind us, we enjoyed a fast sail to Skopelos town.

Sailing south, with a gull-winged No 2 genoa

N.Skopelos is bigger and more rugged than N.Skiathos and its concessions to tourism are in lower key and better taste despite a boom in recent years fuelled by the filming there of the film Mamma Mia! Much of the countryside, especially the southwest coast, really is as spectacular as it appears in the film, with a series of pretty cove beaches backed by extensive pine forests, olive groves and orchards.

We moored on the quay in Skopelos port alongside our friends Rolf and Roz on their yacht R&R. They had delayed their departure in order to meet up and had “kept” a space for us.

Rolf and Roz on their yacht R&R

That evening we enjoyed a very pleasant supper out with them in their favourite taverna.

Supper with Rolf and Roz

Helen, who has been suffering from the effects of a trapped nerve in her neck since getting back from the UK on 4 May, at last found an excellent lady physiotherapist, who even has a traction machine and who was prepared to fit her in for a course of treatment, while we wait to be joined by Peter Coy on 5 June for a more extensive cruise of the Western Sporades.

Helen on the rack!

N.SKIATHOS

Our 15-mile passage next day to N.Skiathos was uneventful. There we anchored in the harbour to the north of the port. Planes landing at the island’s international airport swoop over the anchorage, seemingly at mast height!

The town viewed from ID at anchor in Skiathos harbour

The undulating green countryside, some fine rural monasteries and a labyrinthine old town notwithstanding, the real business of N.Skiathos is BEACHES: by far the best, if also the busiest, in the Sporades. The main road along the south and southeast coasts serves an almost unbroken line of villas, hotels, mini-markets, bars and restaurants.

Very soon after anchoring it was necessary to “exchange words” with the Italian skipper of a charter yacht who unthinkingly dropped his anchor directly on top of ours. We continue to find it unbelievable how incompetent some charter sailors appear to be.

On Max and Sue’s final evening, we had our favourite “on board” supper on ID – tuna fagioli – helped down by a generous quantity of ouzo and wine. Our recipe has been included in the current edition of the bi-annual Ocean Cruising Club magazine Flying Fish.