Chapter One: WE’RE BACK AGAIN We had laid a course from Çeşme, Turkey, to Chios, Greece, and after having completed the Turkish exit formalities we motored out of the harbour at 12.00pm. The going was good all the way, albeit under engine with only a little help from the genoa, and at 1.20pm we moored …
Chapter One: CHANGING CONDITIONS After an uneventful night in Foça we weighed anchor at 8.00am in a Northerly Force 4 and unfurled the genoa. This didn’t last too long, and as we changed course we hoisted the mainsail. Now it was blowing a Force 5-6 from North-North-East, so we put in a reef and kept …
Chapter One: GERENCE GULF We were anchored off Teke Kara Dagi Kucukt in Karareis Bay when the wind started gusting in the late evening. Ingrid in her cockpit bed was not overly concerned and managed to sleep on and off in its increasing strength. However, by 3.00am it became impossible to relax any longer as …
Chapter One: ARRIVAL AT FOÇA After the difference in rule interpretation and subsequent delay during our check-out from Greece it was good to be out on the water again. We’d left Mytilini on Lesbos at around 10.00am and sailed down the coast in a North-North-Westerly Force 4, averaging 4 knots. The wind built up and …
Chapter One: WINDY DAYS Ingrid had slept in the cockpit where she’d been pestered by mosquitoes despite the repellent, and was up at 5.45am. We had breakfast, got Cordelia shipshape and motored away an hour later. The wind came mainly from the West at Force 3-4 which was not enough to keep us going downwind …
Greece 2024 – “L” Stands For “Lovely” (Lemnos and Lesbos) Read More »
Chapter One: A HEARTY WELCOME We were underway at 5.30am, leaving Lemnos and heading for mainland Greece. We motorsailed for about 45 minutes to clear most of the island, then stopped the engine. The wind started off with a lovely North-Easterly Force 4, and initially we weren’t going too fast, but once we’d cleared Lemnos …
Chapter One: MEANDERS AT MOUDROS Another early start! At 5.00am the alarm went off when it was still quite dark outside. We got dressed, checked the forecast, and when we could see what we were doing weighed anchor at 5.40am. We motored past Sigri harbour and hoisted the mainsail. This task was completed just before …
Chapter One: ANYWHERE THE WIND BLOWS We were waiting for a weather window in Leros Marina, but still the wind kept coming. We even had to cancel the haul-out because of it, which left Cordelia with all the growth on her hull that she had accumulated during the winter. After another couple of storms the …
Chapter One: WHAT WAS IT LIKE? Leros is a small island in the Dodecanese in Greece. It has a varied history, and in 1912 was occupied by the Italians. They stayed for 31 years, fortified the island and in 1930 built a harbour in one of the fjord-like inlets which they called Portolago. When the …
Chapter One: HEADING NORTH AGAIN We had circumnavigated the island of Leros and had originally intended to head South to Kalymnos and possibly Kos. However, with the predominant wind coming from the North we were concerned about heading into strong wind or even being unable to return to our winter quarters in Leros when the …