Well sleep was certainly not on the menu last night, the wind whipped around our apparently protected little bay, sending us rocking and rolling noisily. This also meant that despite the great buoy and ropes, we heard creaking, groaning and rope rubbing, which meant Kevin the lightest sleeper in the world, spent all night redressing and retying. By morning we were exhausted, so much for a good anchorage! Bacon sandwiches will help, and they did, yummy scrummy salty bacon. Remember we spend a good part of the year in Turkey where bacon is not readily available, therefore, at the first chance of a descent supermarket, we bought our precious stock, together with corned beef, salt and vinegar crisps and of course feta cheese. We have our tasty treat, then following a quick tidy around. Zoe our tender is gently lowered into the water for her first trip of the season, that is, provided the engine fires up. Our little 2.5 hp, engine was accidentally submerged last summer, she was not happy. Of course neither were we! On the day of the incident, we had taken her ashore for an outing, she behaved impeccably. On returning to our boat, Zoe and her engine were left bobbing around attached to Kejstral, all quite a normal chain of events. Until suddenly the calm, still sea turned into a violent swirling whirlpool with a wind gust of 35 knots. Zoe was flipped superbly upside down to land back on the sea, this of course meant that our little Yamaha 2.5 hp engine was now upside down in the swirling sea! A mad dash rescue was carried out, Zoe reverted to her natural position and the engine, well .....Dripped, salty streams of watery ooze from each little orifice, she was sodden. Kevin opened the casing, washed out as much salt as was possible and allowed it to dry. It didn't work again for the rest of our journey. Once back on dry land the engine was oiled, flushed and recleaned until Kevin could properly take it to pieces. Eventually the expert mechanical service had it working and we had a functional little engine again It did require a full service from the Yamaha service team for this years workload as Kevin does not have every tool required for the more intricate parts, we haven't tried her properly since. Today having lifted the engine onto Zoe, with a slight cough, it sprung to life. We decided this year, that we must spend more time walking on these little Islands, we have no other means of transportation once on land, but have tended to hire scooters and catch an occasional bus. This year we plan to investigate more of these remote little villages, that is, of course until the weather warms to a point of exhaustion and perspiration overflow! Then we may use local bus services or go back to the scooter idea. The wind was still cool and our duck down jackets are perfect, light enough in weight yet snug and warm, especially during our sailing trips. We carry a flask and biscuits and set off across the bay to a concrete pontoon. Zoe is discarded at this point, and we set foot on this new Island, ok not entirely new... We came here two years ago in our little motor boat, it was fabulous. The height of the season, sun baking down on us, boats milling around in all of these beautiful coves and inlets, and the restaurants and bars were all open for business. We had a great few days here and even rented a bed and breakfast room for one night of comfort. Well, we had travelled for a full three weeks on a 6.6 meter motor boat, no proper showering facility, no charging power for equipment and very limited water storage. Today on our return, the village is very different, the once buzzing restaurant near the pontoon is closed until the season begins, there are no sunbeds lying awaiting their guests. The sea is empty of tourist vessels and only fishermen travel these cold waters. What a total transformation, yet it is still a beautiful place, the view from the shore is stunning. Goats roam freely over the hillsides, kids bouncing over the rocks and gorse, in search of their wandering parents. Chickens can be heard from everywhere, with turkeys chattering and the bleating goats, it feels such a natural and healthy lifestyle out here. We walk for a couple of hours and follow the road until it discintigrates into a track, it takes us around the coast north towards the tip of this Island. What spectacular views from this track high on the hillside, bays nestle between folds of rocky land, and the waves crash harshly over the black shiny stone. The sea colours are perfect, azure turquoise and a white bubbling splash, as the sea meets land. Goats scurry as we encroach on their space, stone ruins, abandoned many years previously, look out over this grassy hillside. Who would have built this simple home, why was it abandoned as the walls stand stubbornly in these windy conditions? Three yachts can be seen from this hill, all heading in differing directions, seemingly all have come from the Island of Leros just north of Kalymnos. As we sip our coffee we watch them drift by, each using just their foresails as the wind is blowing in a perfect direction for their journeys. Taking the track back down to where Zoe waits patiently, we watch one of these boats come around into 'our' bay. An older style yacht with a very busy, deck full of belongings, it heads towards one of these anchor buoys, their position is adjusted for this gusty winds and they manage to hook their prey beautifully. We take a seat on a stone doorstep, this house sits a mere 10 feet from the waters edge, it is closed up presumably, again for the winter season. The stone walls are amazingly thick, slate grey and a very attractive build. Each window is covered by bright blue shutters, tightly shut until the owner returns, the door in that same vivid blue looks a little weathered, I have no doubt it takes a battering each winter and probably has a fresh coat of paint each spring to cover the ageing and weather damage. In this sheltered doorway the midday sun is hot, warming our bodies beautifully, our coats are discarded as we soak up the heat. Only our hungry tummies tell us to head back for refreshments, we take Zoe back towards Kejstral for lunch and an afternoon nap, well, we do need to catch up! We watch our neighbours take shelter in the corner of this bay, clearly anticipating a rough night ahead. Now that we were secure, we did not fancy the prospect of moving Kejstral, or fiddling with ropes to maintain a squeak free sleep. As it was, we probably should have moved. The evening became very windy and the afternoon swell grew in vigour, comfort is what we would like when relaxing onboard, this was much too lively. Over the course of the next few hours, Kejstral swung back and forward, and not in a gentle motion, soon we realised that the mooring buoy we had latched onto, was becoming another huge issue. As the wind carried us in an appropriate direction, it consequently pushed us into the buoy, after all, it was rather large. This constant chafing and knocking caused Kevin to leap up almost every hour, in an attempt to stop any damage and minimise the noise. I therefore was awake too, grumpy is an understatement when I cannot sleep, this could lead to a stressful days sailing tomorrow!
1 Comment
3/4/2018 05:31:39
woow a very beautiful natural landscape near the beach
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April 2019
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