By six we were awake and taking our first sips of tea, frazzled from the lack of sleep and irritable from the hassle of trying to problem solve in the windy dark night. We did however manage to pack up and untie from the troublesome buoy by 07.30. The passage today will cover around 23.9 n.m Fortunately we have some wind to drive us there. Once away from our pesky buoy, we take a westerly direction, and it is a straight run from there. The wind came onto our starboard beam, which was a perfect position, having unfurled the genoa we bring out the mainsail. A reef in both sails early in the journey, gives us lee way to open them fully if the wind maintains its current 12-14 knots, we are used to the wind suddenly gusting sharply when rounding these Islands. Our speed hits a maximum of 6.2 knots, sitting comfortably at 5 knots mainly, no additional adjustment required in the whole passage. Very few boats join us in the ocean today, two heavily laden tankers push their way through each swelling wave, they show no sign of discomfort as those huge white foaming splashes smash into their bow. No fishing boats to be seen, this is unusual as the sea is no worse than normal, however, it it Sunday, perhaps they have a rest day. The Island of Levitha is a stepping stone to many of these Islands. Patmos sits to our starboard side, Lipsi and Leros slightly behind us and Kalymnos, the Island we have departed from, lies directly behind us. On our port side sits Telendos and just ahead of that, we see the three peaks of Rhodes with Astipolea coming into view A tight archipelago of Dhodecanes Islands, all within reaching distance, and Levitha bridges the gap between these Islands and the next group, known as the Cyclides. We have visited Levitha previously and have absolutely loved the experience. When choosing Levitha last year, we saw this small almost crown shaped Island as a remote, barren anchorage on our chart, great for a sleepover, then onwards to our next stop. When we turned into the southern bay, we were shocked to see around 10 other yachts squeezed in this perfectly protected inlet. Anchor buoys are placed specifically for our safe anchorage, and each yacht was attached to their own little buoy. As we neared the jetty, a small motor boat came out to assist us with our buoy. To our amazement, the guy on his motor boat asked us if we would be attending the evening meal at the taverna, what taverna? All we could see was a rocky shrub filled landscape with a small concrete jetty! It was an evening to remember, amazing people, fabulous food and to top it all a brilliant atmosphere. This season, we learned that this Island may no longer be available for the sailing community, this would be a terrible blow as, it really is a stepping stone bridging the gap which minimises the distance for our journeys. From here, the closest Island is 35 n.m away, therefore missing this stop will entail a journey of around 70 n.m! The apparent reason for the change is the construction of a wind farm, massive wind turbines sitting on this very quaint little Island, not good. Of course, we had little choice on our route towards the Islands in our itinerary, and we thought it was the perfect opportunity to check out the developments. Levitha is opening in front of us, the bay we are going to is a little tricky to see until we are almost on top of its hidden entrance. The wind is escalating as we come round the shoreline, our sails are taken in and the engine is fired up. As we enter the bay, only two small fishing boats sit on anchor at the far east end. There are still a few anchor buoys, but not the quantity we had found before. Unsure whether we will be allowed to stay, we decide to just grab a buoy and sit tight until someone tells us otherwise. Kevin readied himself with the boat hook, I take the wheel. Steering us into the wind and bringing Kejstral around so that the buoy sits snuggly against our port side, Kevin managed to grab the buoy and tie us temporarily. A little more rope tying will be required later. The bay is quiet, no other yachts at this time, I keep forgetting that it's only April. We have lunch as it is now 13.30, and ever hungry Kevin is wilting! We hear an engine start up nearby and notice the guy on his motor boat is the taverna man from last year, he greets us like old friends and asks if we would like to come for dinner this evening! Our confusion must have been quite obvious, he explained that it would be no problem at all. Within a few moments we had grasped the Island story, apparently the Greek government had authorised the building of a wind farm, however, the army who clearly have a voice in the situation, have said no, due to the strategic location of this Island. So, the family, the only family here, will remain. Fabulous news, they will also be replacing the extra anchor buoys within the next week or so for us boatie visitors. We thank him and let him know that we will be attending dinner later that evening. We spend a few hours reading and writing, then shower in anticipation of the evening ahead. Zoe is prepared, her sparkling clean, refurbished engine is attached and we set off The jetty takes two minutes to motor to, once tied, we leave Zoe bobbing in the breezy swell as we make our way to the taverna. The route is along a path of stone and concrete which very quickly degenerates into a dirt track, ascending this hillside we turn to see the stunning views over the little bay. Goat bells can be heard all around this Island, they nimbly step over the rough terrain followed by their respective offspring, only the little kids bounce from rock to rock. Amazing creatures which we have seen on almost all the Islands so far, on one occasion there were a group of around ten goats literally clinging to a sheer rock face, which was directly above the sea! They scurry hurriedly from our oncoming steps, staring us out from afar, the kids are slightly more inquisitive and linger in our path, that is until mum urgently calls them to her. Our path is now taking us through shrubs and tall flowering weeds, rocks and goat poo, lining this rough path are rocks daubed with white paint. On our previous visit to this taverna, we hadn't realised just how unruly the walkway was going to be, we also hadn't thought of the return trip ....in darkness! Fortunately our friends had brought torches to guide us back. (we still managed to get lost) The night air is cold, the wind taking our breath away as we reach the highest part of this hillside. The white painted wall and green wooden slatted gate signify our destination, smells of cooking and happy voices greet us as we step inside. Within minutes the elder of the ladies scurries out to see us, "Kalispera", we return our good evening greeting. Busily she dashes for a chequered table cover and rounds up another family member to arrange the seating. We just begin to seat ourselves at this outdoor table when our taverna man calls us to come inside, it is much too cold. Rapidly gathering our now neatly placed tablecloth, the elder lady rushes to the door to open her home to us. We are guided into the family dining room, a dark wooden dresser stands proudly in a corner, in another, a long wooden sideboard adorned with the family photos. We are seated at a large wooden kitchen table which is now being hastily covered with the blue chequered cloth again. Soon we have met two middle aged ladies, two men presumably the husbands, and now two children appear with baskets of fresh crusty bread and cutlery. They are so determined to make our visit a memorable one, wine arrives deep red in colour, poured from a tin carafe. Our meal choice is fish, or perhaps fish! However the fish brought out is amazing, a silver almost Barracuda type, he did call it a spinera. They asked if we would like to join them in a Greek salad and perhaps try some fried cheese, sagonaki. Our fish would be barbequed and served with fried potatoes. Each of the family members comes for a chat, they explain in their amazing English, that they live permanently in this house, but that the children attend school on the Island of Patmos, nearly 40 n.m away. They stay in Patmos until the school holidays, then come back to Levitha and help in their farm. The family grow most of their food, any provisions they require come from Patmos, and are brought by the family boat. Solar energy provides electricity and hot water, we assume there is a well for their continuous water supply. Their lifestyle is fabulous, two elders, their two sons and their wives all manage this land, fishing on a Sunday and farming through the days. Our food is brought out and looks sumptuous, goats cheese on a bed of tomato, cucumber, peppers and onions, topped with a dash of olive oil. Crusty bread to soak up the sweet juice and oily mixture, perfect. Baked cheese we have never tasted, it looks like a chunky slice of fried bread, and tasted divine, again goats cheese fried in a batter of some kind, just not sure what. Our fish is sending a beautiful aroma to us from somewhere in the garden, I go in search for the barbecue. Behind a dry stone wall stands a metal cooker large enough to feed numerous people, smokey charcoal sends plumes of grey cloud, billowing into the now darkened sky. The chef explains that in the season he can feed 20 yachties from this barbecue, he takes great delight in telling me of his catch today, this fish was the biggest. We chat about this family and their life here, he seems so proud and fulfilled by this simple yet brilliant way of living. He says, "you ask what I do", well "I just live, it is my home and they (the family and animals) are my life" He carries our fish with pride, his chest puffed out at this huge offering for his first taverna guests this year. We are humbled by this family and their generosity, they seem so content yet they must work so hard to achieve this little perfect haven. We pay for our evening, which included the €7 for the buoy. A great evening for the total price of €50. We bid them all goodnight and leave their happy home. We are met by the cold harsh night air, the breeze encourages us to pull our thick jackets tightly around us. The wine enjoyed just a few minutes ago, now sends us faltering over the uneven stony ground. Our torch sends it's bright beam far ahead to illuminate the bushes and white painted stones, we manage to keep to this unlit path, with an occasional stumble and trip as we go. Soon our mast light can be seen in they bay below, aiding our direction once again. The track becomes solid concrete and we know the jetty is upon us, just need to locate the few steps down before we can step into a bobbing Zoe. Back on board we are still discussing this wonderful Island and it's lovely family, we find it hard to fathom how, we live such technical busy stressful lives when this lifestyle could be so rewarding, yet not many of us would actually choose it.
Sleep, much catch up from our previous few nights!
1 Comment
Mark carlsson
1/7/2017 08:04:51
Happy sailing to you.Hop e to do the same thing one day keep safe
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