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 the work on Cordelia’s hull bore fruition. As we were sailing to the West we had our apparent wind from abeam, and with only a little swell this made for very good sailing. The gennaker Peter had prepared for light winds stayed firmly in its bag and only made it as far as into the cockpit before we took it below again.
Peter put out the fishing rod, more in hope than belief of catching anything, after we had some small dolphins playing on Cordelia’s bow. The wind had increased to a Force 5, but it wasn’t gusting and, although we briefly thought about it, we didn’t have to reef and had a pleasant and at times exhilarating sail. Then Peter noticed the rod was upright and, when he checked, without any weight on it. He reeled it in and found the lure gone. Something had sneaked up and taken it without us realising. Without a lure it was no wonder we didn’t catch any fish!
About an hour out from our destination the wind dropped and turned, so we sailed wing-on-wing and still managed around 4 knots.
A catamaran occupied the small anchorage we’d selected, and after checking it for a suitable spot and finding none we motored next door and dropped the hook outside a holiday village at Kalamítsi Beach, situated on the East side of the centre finger on Halkidiki.
The anchorage turned out as expected, i.e. bouncy, and neither of us slept well. In addition, the mossies (= mosquitoes) had it in for us and found Peter in the cabin and Ingrid under the ineffective mosquito net in the cockpit. By 5.00am we both had enough and got up from our respective beds. We had breakfast by holding on to it to stop it from rolling off the table, and waited for daylight.
By 6.25am we had weighed anchor and motored out against the swell. We had hoped to set sails once we could turn North, but the wind was on the nose and the swell still shook Cordelia. With no signs of improvement in sight and whitecaps ahead we pondered on the meaning and sanity of continuing in that direction. Having come to our senses we turned around, which immediately improved the situation. Due to the swell the genoa could not keep filled and was flapping badly when we tried to sail with it, so we furled it away after an unsuccessful attempt.
It took us some time to get back to where we’d come from, with the swell still strong and hitting Cordelia’s side, but by the time we’d cleared Cape Sithonia it was more from astern, and from there it wasn’t far to go. We found a patch of sand amidst the seagrass and dropped the hook which bit nicely in about 8m. A car turned up at the “Secret Beach”, and a man hung out his washing at the nearby shack, all within perfect sight into our cockpit, and it occurred to us that the beach was not that secret after all. When Peter also detected a biting fly we upped anchor and were out of the place before it had any opportunity to invite its friends round for dinner with our flesh and blood on the menu.
We carried on further up the Kassandra Gulf and finally managed to get sailing on the genoa for a couple of hours. When we got to Diaporti a dayboat was departing, thus leaving the anchorage entirely to us. The sand to drop the anchor in was easy to spot and after two attempts it had set nicely. The place was magical! The water was warm and clear, a (private) islet was separated from the mainland by a causeway, white sandy beaches were visible on the opposite side, and the smell of pine trees wafted into the cockpit. Everything had calmed down and it was very peaceful.
Around us there were plenty of coves with pebbly and sandy beaches, and we had intended to find one from where we could walk to an abandoned hotel. However, we couldn’t find any paths on MapsMe or Google, and the one candidate we’d nominated turned out unpromising at a closer look. In the end we motored back having only set foot on the mainland near the causeway.
After another warm night we made up our minds to find somewhere cooler and to head back to the East side of the peninsula. By 9.30am we had Cordelia shipshape and weighed anchor. We didn’t get far before the wind found us, and as we didn’t trust the direction it would come from in the next gust we left the mainsail in its bag and only unfurled the genoa. This was just as well as we were soon met with white horses, and Cordelia was heeling.
She was going along at 6.5 knots, so we put in a reef to calm things down. This worked until the wind turned up another notch. A second reef was well in order in 38 knots! None of this had been forecast, and we dreaded to think what would hit us once we left the protection of the land and met open water around the cape. Time for a change of plan! We agreed to sit it all out at Marathias Beach and try again the next morning, conditions permitting, so we dropped the hook in a nice piece of sand in about 5m and settled in.
Ingrid had a brief snorkelling tour and spotted small saddled bream and other tiny fish, but nothing worth hanging a rod out for. We changed our original plan and stayed on an extra day to also explore the land. We were on a dirt track that led past houses, caravans, shacks and other buildings through olive forests until we reached the main road which we followed along the beach and tavernas to the harbour of Porto Koufo.
There were boats alongside the high quay wall and quite a few were anchored on the other side. We found a supermarket and replenished some essentials to carry them back the way we’d come from. By now the tourists from mainly Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia and Macedonia had made it to the sandy strip between the road and the water, and had spread themselves and their regalia, soaking up the sun. It had warmed up, but there was still a Zephyr that made the walk quite pleasant. It didn’t take us long for the 5 miles and 35m up and down round tour, and we were back on Cordelia an hour and a half later.
After a slightly damp night we raised anchor at 6.00am. As soon as we’d motored out of our bay and approached the headland we met with the forecast swell of about ½m. It was uncomfortable but not too bad as Cordelia was not completely slamming into it but tackled it in a more sideways fashion. We still got some waves coming over the top though, and only the sprayhood saved us from a severe soaking. The wind was blowing on the nose in a North-Easterly, Force 4-5, but by the time we reached Kalamítsi where we had first made landfall, it had dropped to 2-3 knots.
Half an hour later the wind turned more northerly and increased to a Force 6, gusting Force 7. We upped the revs to 1,700rpm from the usual 1,500rpm to keep up the speed, but only managed an hourly average of 4.7 knots.
After a total of about 3 hours we had headed far enough to the North and could change course to a more North-Westerly direction. This also allowed us to set the genoa with one reef and stop the engine, which made for a smoother ride, and we finally were at leisure to look around.
The scenery had turned into woodland and some of the beaches along the way looked quite inviting. This being a Sunday of a long Bank Holiday (Whitsun) weekend, all of these beaches were filling up with holiday makers, ranging from one single parasol to rows and rows of neatly arranged sunbeds awaiting their punters.
The wind dropped after a little while and the engine was needed again to take us to the “Greek Caribbean” in the region of the Diaporos Island near Vourvourou. The water was turquoise, the beaches white with sand, the scent of pine trees overwhelming and the number of dayboats disturbing as everyone wanted a piece of this place. After checking out a quiet but seemingly swelly anchorage we opted to adjourn to the western side of the island and dropped the anchor there.
Chapter Two: CARIBBEAN VIBES
We had a taste of the katabatic wind during the night, but by the time it got light all was calm. The dayboats didn’t arrive until 10.30am, and we relished the peace while it lasted. We moved Cordelia a couple of bays further down in order to gain access to the island. Three boats were already anchored at Koumaroudes Beach, but we found a promising spot in 6m of mud and brought the number up to four.
After coffee and biscuits we launched Buddy. With the help of the outboard we circled around the area to find a suitable landing place from where we could start exploring. However, the beaches were either private, fenced off, or led to houses or their gardens. Then we spotted a dirt track that came down to the water’s edge and decided to try it out the next morning when the temperature would be more agreeable to walking.
At 7.30am we secured Buddy on a little beach and 15 minutes later we were ready with our shoes on. We followed a little track of compressed sand and rocks that led through a jungle-like environment, only with pine instead of palm trees. We fancied ourselves on a Caribbean island walking to a waterfall, only there were no cascades of fresh water on Diaporos Island.
There wasn’t much of an up and down, we had a light breeze and the going was easy. We made it past the protected and pretty fjord-like inlet at Kruitos Lagoon and Kryfto Bay to a private beach with lovely turquoise water. Then we took the direct route back on the “main road”, a track only a little wider than the one we walked out on, until we were stopped by a fence. The land behind it was private, so we had to turn around and bypass it. We managed to find an alternative way to Buddy and after 4.4 miles we were back on Cordelia for a well deserved cup of tea.
We spent the rest of the day with crosswords, doing laundry, swimming and watching the traffic on the water. Rush hour was between 4.00pm and 5.00pm when the rental launches had to be returned, then all was quiet again.
During the night we were plagued by mossies, so we upped anchor after breakfast with a tiny hope of sailing. However, the wind was on the nose and calmed down while we were still inside the archipelago, so motoring was the only viable option. Once we’d gone outside the island’s protection the wind’s full force descended on Cordelia and the swell rattled her. None of it was too bad, though, as neither the wind nor the swell had much strength, and we didn’t have far to go. We reached the anchorage at Ormos Panagias 50 minutes after our departure and dropped the hook in 5.5m of mud.
We had time for a morning coffee and biscuits and a good look around. We found ourselves in-between the town harbour, the marina and a stretch of sandy beach, and had a view of the main road above us. The water around us again was clear and turquoise, the scent of pine trees filled the air, and we had a little chapel on the water’s edge right near to us.
Peter rowed us there after we’d stuffed our rucksacks with an empty gas bottle and a lot of rubbish. A little path led up behind the chapel to the main road, and we turned right towards a bus car park. Near there were the rubbish bins of which we made good use, and the turn-off to the village. We, however, carried on around the bend on the road, passed a recommended pizzeria on the opposite side of it, and made it to the supermarket. We stocked up with fruit, vegetables and dairy products and exchanged our empty gas bottle for a full one.
Everything made it back onboard, we had lunch and then headed into the village. Along their seaside we found tavernas and cafés full of punters who’d parked their day launches right outside.
We also checked out the harbour and were not convinced there was enough water in some of the places for Cordelia to float. Then we found a mini-market and bought water, and turned homeward.
On the next day it was overcast and the perfect weather for a walk, with it clearing out. We made it into the village and from there carried on along the road following Livrochio Beach. People were still having breakfast in their hotel gardens, and the beach bars and tavernas were still largely empty. The beach itself started to be frequented, and beach towels were laid out and parasols put up in the white sand. There was plenty of it, and it expanded into the sea, giving it a lovely turquoise colour.
We made it as far as a little hill with ruins of an ancient castle on it before we turned round.
We moved along the side- and backstreets, and admired the green manicured grass of the holiday homes and pondered at the lack of private swimming pools. We reached the main road near the supermarket, so made some last minute purchases and came away with two ice-creams and a much needed drink which were promptly consumed. Buddy was waiting for us at the little chapel, and Peter rowed us back to Cordelia.
Chapter Three: MONKS AND MOSSIES
When we resolved to visit Halkidiki Peter showed a keen interest in the Mount Athos region which is inhabited by monks and forbidden to anything female, including animals. There are no roads to this peninsula, so Peter checked out the itinerary of one of the many excursion boats that take their tourists along the 500m restriction zone at the coastline, and then devised a route for us, taking in some of the twenty monasteries.
So we weighed anchor at 6.45am and set sails while still within reach of Ormos Panagias. We left a reef in the mainsail and genoa and made around 6 knots. Our route took us South-East along the coast of the Sithonia peninsula to start off with. We eventually lost the wind there, so we shook out the reefs. We sailed on in very little wind, sometimes at just around 2 knots, but we held our nerves and did not use the engine.
After a couple of hours the North wind picked up nicely and the reefs went back in. We had a great sail with the wind on the beam until we came to about 1NM of our first sight, the St Paul Monastery.
Gusts came off the land, so we furled away the genoa and Ingrid feathered the mainsail with every change in wind strength which was increasing by the second and blasting down Mount Athos. When Peter suggested to douse the mainsail it was none too soon, as just when it had come down we were met by gusts of 50 knots. We motored through them still well outside the restricted area, and headed North to the next monasteries. The Simon Peter Monastery was in a dramatic location and wouldn’t have looked out of place in Tibet.
Ingrid was particularly impressed by the St Dionysios Monastery, a fortress-like construction built into the cliffs, but there were many others along the beach and on the hills, surrounded by terraces of olive groves and various other green things we couldn’t quite make out.
The size of the buildings ranged from family house to super-complex with room for 2,000 monks (not that they all lived there!). The Russian St Panteleimon Monastery looked pretty imposing and as if transported from St Petersburg.
We spent a couple of hours motoring along the coast and admiring the edifices, then turned away from the peninsula near Nea Thavaida Holy Skete, stopped the engine and unfurled the genoa. The result was a wonderful two hours of sailing towards the island of Ammouliani.
Along the way Peter spotted a commotion in the water. At first we thought we could see dolphins in the distance but when Ingrid had a closer look through the binoculars they turned out to be tuna. Thus encouraged, Peter put out the rod and we still had it dangling behind Cordelia long after we’d lost sight of the tuna. Suffice to say they never really made it close enough to Cordelia for a bite on our lure, and there was no fish supper that evening.
The wind which had switched conveniently to North-East when we had first altered course at the Athos peninsula abandoned us about 5NM out from our destination. With our ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival) being pushed back further and further we reluctantly switched on the engine to make it to the anchorage at Fteliés by 4.30pm.
This turned out to be a beautiful spot and was much appreciated by holiday makers and locals alike who used the sunbeds at the cabana and let their children loose at the inflatable waterpark. A few of them stayed overnight in their tents on the beach, and we also had two other little boats (one motorboat, one sailboat) in our anchorage. Luckily, the pirate boat full of Germans that had turned up just after we’d dropped the hook, only let them splash around for about ½ hour and then ferried them back to their resort. They had anchored mightily close to Cordelia, and we were glad to see them leave.
When they were gone Peter checked on the anchor (nicely set in 7m in sand), and Ingrid made dinner. We ate on deck, then Ingrid had a swim to cool off and cleaned the waterline. We rewarded ourselves with a snifter of whisky, but when the first mossies appeared we went below to watch whatever YouTube videos we could receive through a dodgy Internet connection. Peter sprayed below, and Ingrid opted to sleep in the saloon to get a good night’s kip without being eaten by the little blighters, while Peter retired to the cabin.
We both slept well after all the excitement and got up at 6.30am. We were relaxing after breakfast when Peter suddenly shouted “Let’s go, they’re arriving!”. We had intended to cross over to Diaporos at around 10.30am to give the wind a chance to wake up. Peter had made coffee at 9.30am, but soon after that the first of the day launches pulled into our anchorage. We dropped everything and upped anchor, so as not to give them any opportunity to interfere with our planned departure.
We unfurled the genoa and averaged 2.7 knots in the first hour in a Northerly, Force 2-3. The perfect conditions for hoisting a gennaker! The wind kept decreasing while we were fuffing about and tried to remember how it was done. Having Buddy on the foredeck did not help, but we managed, and soon the sail filled with wind.
We made just over 2 knots, then the wind dropped to 3 knots and Cordelia struggled to keep up. We hardly made any headway and it would have taken another 2 hours for the 3NM to the anchorage. We were in no hurry, but when the swell got to Cordelia and the sail started flapping it was time to put it away and motor. ½ hour later we arrived at Dhimitraki in paradise-like conditions, had it not been for the numerous dayboats that swarmed around Cordelia like wasps.
These were replaced later on by a swarm (or whatever the correct collective noun is) of mossies who had organised a sunset event with a free buffet for all, feasting on Peter’s and Ingrid’s blood. We had no intention of being eaten alive by these sanguinary beasts, so Ingrid lathered herself in insect repellent and Peter used a copious amount of spray in our living quarters, which saw them either turning 360° in mid-flight or gasping for air. Either way, they completely lost their appetite, sought jollification and dinner elsewhere and left us alone.
We didn’t want to risk a repeat of their feeding orgy, so in the morning we motored for ½ hour over to Ormos Panagias for some desperately needed fuel. We docked at 10.00am in one of the places vacated by the pirate ships, and Ingrid went to the mini-market for water while Peter called the fuel man and waited for him to turn up with his van. When she returned they were already filling up and soon the deal was done.
We got rain in the night when we were anchored off Koumarouda Beach with thunder and lightning. After a brief respite the sky turned black again in the morning over the mainland and we got another downpour. We were on the outskirts of some big thunderstorms, so luckily only got the rain and none of the other nasty side effects that are normally associated with that kind of weather. It did, however, encourage the mossies to have another go, which made us look for a more agreeable anchorage.
We motored along the coast (wind was on the nose) having plenty of opportunity to look at the shoreline with the beaches and woodland in these calm conditions. We also saw shoals of tuna upsetting the smooth sea as they swam past. Peter quickly put the rod out, but the fish were either not hungry, not interested or too lazy to chase our lure. We ended up with the usual result: no fish was harmed during the presentation of the lure.
Eventually the wind turned and so did we, resulting in a nice downwind drift on the genoa, doing just under 3 knots. We saw a bay near Sykía, dropped the anchor in a sandy patch in 8m, and prepared Cordelia for our return journey to Lemnos.
