Island Hopping
So much has happened in the past two glorious weeks. If ever you wanted to visit here, May is a fabulous time to be in the Greek Isles. The full throng of summer visitors haven’t quite arrived and the weather is absolutely perfect.
We left Chios for yet another (final?) crossing of the Aegean. This time we were heading to Syros where Tom’s cousin and a friend were meeting us for a two-week visit. As we left from an anchorage at the south end of Chios a pod of dolphins, this time large bottlenose dolphins, accompanied us as if to wish us safe passage. We skipped by the party resorts of Mykonos and anchored at the island of Rineia 11.5 hours later. It had been a somewhat rough crossing (to which we are getting more accustomed) again with 2 meter seas and average 25 knot winds with gusts to 33 knots. But we arrived in a dead calm bay tired, hungry and happy. Rineia (or Rhenea) lies just west of the island of Delos and further southwest of the island of Mykonos. It had a small population until the 1980s, but is currently uninhabited. We enjoyed a quick swim before the sun sank into the water and we had a restful overnight.
A short 4 hour, calm-sea transit the next morning brought us to Finnikas Harbor on the west side of the island of Syros. We had ordered a starlink system - this dish can maintain a constant connection to the satellites as they move across the sky by automatically adjusting it’s beam direction and shape. The plan was to install it on Meraki so that we could stay connected from anywhere. It was shipped to a friend of a friend - the harbormaster in Finnakas (thank you Valerie!), and was waiting for us when we arrived. The next couple of days were spent lowering the mast, mounting brackets, running cables and connecting it up.
Cousin Kate arrived on the ferry a few days later. We let her rest up for a day before we set out on a long rigorous hike. The loose rocky trail descended quite abruptly towards the small white chapel of Agios Stefanos, built into a cave carved out by the sea. It was built by a fisherman who was saved from the tentacles of a large Octopus after praying to Saint Stefanos to help him. The cave itself serves as the floor and ceiling with stone walls built into the rock. The wild beauty of the rocks and the landscape are in striking contrast to the serenity and tranquility within the little temple.
We transited next to the island of Sifnos where our second guest arrived. Sifnos is known for its architecture, ceramics, and its cuisine.
Traditional
Sifnian
Chimney
Top
One of the most unusual forms of pottery found there are the chimney tops. Originally designed with three exits because the wind on the island comes from three main directions and this allowed the smoke to properly disperse, these decorative pieces are now made in all sizes, sometimes glazed and embellished and are now used as candle holders, and to adorn roof tops, inner yards and fence posts.
We explored the port town and beaches of Kamares, took another beautiful hike to an historic monastery, and (the highlight for me) spent one full day at a third generation organic, regenerative, eco-farm where we toured the fields, met the animals, learned about Sifnian cuisine and helped to prepare and savor two meals (breakfast and lunch) comprised exclusively of their own products including; fruits and vegetables, legumes and meat, eggs, cheese and butter, preserves and honey, hand-ground flour, and tea. These delightful salt-of-the-earth people hold a deep connection to the land, animals and seasons, they take pride in their work and derive satisfaction from finding solutions to the challenges of growing crops with limited water. I have a profound appreciation for their resilience, purpose and connection to the earth, their neighbors and their culture.
We left the busy port of Kamares intent on anchoring for a couple of days. We spent our first night on the south end of Sifnos. There we learned to stern tie to shore (a first for us) which involves dropping the anchor and then taking super long stern lines in the dinghy over to the shore to tie around large boulders or rocks. It took some time to figure all this out, especially since two other boats were already tied up, but once we felt secure we enjoyed swim time, made a nice meal, flew the drone for the first time from the boat, and were lucky enough to have the other two boats leave later that afternoon providing us a solo anchorage for the night.
The next day we headed to the uninhabited island of Polyaigos. This turned out to be beyond my wildest dreams. We found bays tucked under 1000’ high rock cliffs that plunged into the sea. We spent one night anchored near a completely deserted, white and gold colored pebbly beach in an unnamed bay, we lunched in a spot with indescribable turquoise water. We breakfasted on the back deck, swam each morning in the crystalline water, played in the dinghy, beachcombed, cooked yummy food, talked and played. It was totally wonderful.
We extended an extra day on anchor before tearing ourselves away to move on to Milos. This would be where our guests would catch a ferry back to Athens, but not before some adventuring. We walked the port town of Adamas one day and rented a car to explore the rest of the island another. We also took a snorkeling excursion to Kleftiko, an area only accessible by water comprised of impressive volcanic gray-white rock formations creating a series of hidden caves. I had forgotten how much I love snorkeling and observing the world beneath the waves. I was lulled by the slow drifting rhythm of the water through the caves while watching so much life and activity below the surface. I will definitely be seeking more opportunities to snorkel.
It was hard to say goodbye when the time came. It was wonderful having boat guests and figuring out how to live comfortably with four aboard our tiny home. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to share this lifestyle (the highs and lows) with loved ones and I look forward to doing so again with them as well as with others.
“How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”
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