The good, the bad and the Meltemi!
Hi everyone in this episode we begin by highlighting the recent catastrophic earthquake that shook both Turkey and Syria to the core.
As a channel we always want to use our reach productively and for the greater good in some way and we felt that this was a good opportunity to hopefully inspire people out there to give in some way.
As a sailing family living on the Greek Islands we often meet fellow cruisers who either live in or sail Turkish waters close by and although we haven’t ventured across the border to Turkey just yet, we feel a connection with the people there and also have close family in neighbouring countries.
As we mention in the episode, what we do as a channel is try to bring you all a bit of light in a world that can at times feel very dark.
Moving on to boat life and the video…
It was bittersweet leaving Kos after a surprisingly wonderful time there…I was particularly apprehensive about visiting the island beforehand as in my younger days I had visited Kardamena and recalled it being a throng of drinkers and not much to shout about but was more than pleasantly surprised when we landed in Holly and began exploring.
There is no doubt that Kos is both beautiful, historic, clean, welcoming and idyllic nowadays and a far cry from the previous 18-30’s vibe. We would 100% return…if only to take an enjoyable reprieve from the relentless Meltemi.
It was a tough call as we set sail – the winds had picked up and as usual the prediction was pretty ‘off’…this was actually due to be our first leap towards crossing the Aegean and heading over to the Ionian area of Greece…we soon discovered that this was probably not the best time of year to be picking that battle! The middle of summer is when the Meltemi winds kick off for days on end and can lead to very uncomfortable and potentially dangerous sailing conditions.
So we battled on and eventually dropped the hook in Tilos before all hell broke loose and every vessel was herded into the port to shelter from the onshore waves and winds. We awoke the next day both frazzled and claustrophobically sandwiched between lots of boats, many of which had ideas of taking long lazy lie-in’s whilst we were chomping at the bit to leave again before the 9am sunrise winds pick up and we might be ‘stuck’ once again.
Full of greek pastries we eventually picked up the anchor & plodded on once again this time making the calculated call to head to a sheltered anchorage at nearby Chalki…along the way he demonstrated how to fit preventer line and I managed to squeeze in a nice yoga flow.
WHAT A DELIGHT
Chalki is easily one of our favourite islands of all time to visit & having sailed now almost 100 of the Greek Islands this is a weighty statement to make!
But honestly…if you love quaint greek architecture, Italian-esque waters-edge buildings, delicious seafood, crystal clear waters and a relaxed visitor vibe then Chalki is not to be missed and we were mesmerised by the town.
The only downside from a cruisers perspective might be the price of provisioning so be sure to fill up your storage cupboards in advance.
As a result of experiencing some belting winds we recommend the spot we chose for stern-to anchoring (near the port) and the gusty but great-holding at the south-west Pondamos anchorage that we first visited.
The beaches here are pristine and even though we visited in the height of summer it never felt overcrowded and our anchorage was pleasantly occupied. This is an advantage of going to the more remote and unique islands of Greece.
One thing we will never forget about this particular island visit was the extreme heat we experienced…some day up in the forties (Celsius) and we often dipped in the sea numerous times throughout the night in an attempt to sleep more soundly and the wind itself felt like a hairdryer and gave little reprieve.
Much love to you guys, and as always, thanks for being there and keeping the dream alive for us.
Laura xx