Another early start, well we are on a time schedule. Our friends Carl and Jenny are travelling from the UK to Lefkas to charter a yacht, we have planned to meet them somewhere nearby. This unfortunately means that our journey has been rather more rushed than it probably should be. Not that we mind, it just means that our time in each anchorage or mooring is a little restricted but, we can relax and enjoy out return journey at a leisurely pace. Today, we have a long journey, almost 10 hours with not a great deal of wind, typical! Again, when on a schedule, we have little opportunity to await the wind, we just have to get to our next stop on time, in this case, motoring most of the way. Kythnos, situated in the west Cyclades has a few beautiful anchorages, we have chosen the south west bay of Akrogiali where good protection from a northerly or easterly wind can be necessary. Not sure we require protection from 4 knot of wind as was forecast for today! Having woken at 05.30, we knew we would have a challenge to lift our anchor. When we dropped it on our arrival into a harbour full of lazy lines and chains, the last spot left available for us, was without one of these great lines, therefore we had little choice but to throw out our hook. (Knowing full well that it would be caught on something large or solid when we came to remove it) We could of course have dropped anchor in the open bay, but the wind prediction was not good for our overnight stay and we preferred the security of a protective harbour. We had a plan, drive forwards until our bow is directly above where the anchor should be, then gently wind in the chain until we think we are just sitting on the seabed with minimal chain. Then slowly take in the remaining chain, minimising the drag effect. This might stop it catching on anything, of course it might still be caught up, and it was. Fortunately we could see in a few meters of depth and clear waters, that our lovely anchor had caught on the main, lazy line chain, great! However, we had an additional plan, our tender, Zoe was attached to our stern ready for this very mission. Kevin climbed in, pulled himself around to the bow, while I continued to pull on our chain, bringing the huge unwanted chain to the surface. I then tied a rope onto our cleat and lowered the other end for him to wrap around the huge chain, I then took back the rope end, meaning that the chain from the harbour was now suspended from our boat by rope. Kevin then climbed back on board while I released our anchor from its obstruction. Now, the only thing keeping us from drifting was the rope holding this massive chain. Kevin fired up the engine ready, while I released the rope and successfully detached us from our fixture. This took only 10 minutes, amazing. It does prove that forward planning and preparation where possible of course, can ease the stress of such issues. Excited by the 10 knots of wind billowing around our jumpers, we had the genoa out within minutes, before we even had the opportunity to unfurl the main, the damned wind disappeared. On a 10 hour journey this is not what we needed, sail pulled in having restarted the engine but at least we were on our way. The sea changes on the horizon, giving us a little hope that the wind will show it's blustery face, again those sails are brought out and we glide beautifully for another half an hour or so. This became the pattern for our whole journey, sails in and sails out, how frustrating. I suppose it is the nature of these Islands, when there is a wind forecast it appears in gusty patches, this tends to escalate when nearing a land mass. This wind swirls around mountains which then flows down valleys and creates this buffeting turmoil in the coastal waters, known as the katabatic wind. Many sailors, new to the Mediterranean, comment on their battles when approaching these Islands, it can be a particularly scary experience. Wind direction and force can change considerably within seconds, pulling sail boats around in the blink of an eye. Today, however, that is not the case, not even a puff of breeze can be felt as we reach the southern tip of Kythnos Island. We arrive in this beautiful, tranquil bay by 4pm, tired but happy to reach our anchorage. With no other boats around we select our position for the night. In a very clean, sandy seabed, we deposit out anchor and watch it settle perfectly into its snug spot 5 meters below Kejstral. We eat and relax before taking Zoe, our tender ashore. A few people provide signs of life in this quiet village, houses seem shut tight from the wet and windy winter. Forlorn looking buildings which appear to have been seasonal bars and cafes, patiently await their paint and restoration. Quaint little homes stand in green weed filled gardens, the occupants not quite ready for the gardening challenge, at least not just yet. Everything seems tired and weathered in this tiny village, yet the potential is obvious for its summer makeover. Paint tins and sheets of wood have been gathered in anticipation, brushes and mops, buckets and cloths sit tidily next to each building. It would be lovely to see this place post titivation. We stroll around the sandy waters edge up onto the road, as we begin to climb higher, the view gently unfolds. The sea is dead calm, glassy and just beginning to change its deep blue colour as the sun dips gently down. An almost eerie orange glow seeps over the virtually cloudless sky. Kejstrals shimmering reflection against the warm tones of this altering skyline, look fabulous. Slowly however, she loses detail and definition, as the sun nestles down beyond the horizon, and her inky silhouette is all that remains.
Our hands begin to cool and a dampness takes over the bay, as we row Zoe back, the change in temperature is becoming noticeable. On board Kejstral, the wooden decks are now wet and the air becomes quite chilly, such a shame, as this prevents us enjoying the evening sitting outside watching the stars glittering above us. In this dark bay with very little artificial light, the stars, are an absolutely stunning sight. We head to our warm cosy bed.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Sailing Kejstral AdventuresRetired and following our dream of sailing around the world Archives
April 2019
Categories |