Argolikós Kólpos (Argolic Gulf)
Nísos Spétses, Órmos Zoyioryia
Monday September 19 - Wednesday 21 13nm, 3hrs
Free anchorage
Monday September 19 - Wednesday 21 13nm, 3hrs
Free anchorage
This most northern bay on Spétses needs no explanation. The pictures speak for themselves. Glorious! Tuesday night it bucketed down with rain (enough to clean the decks and see where the leaks are) and was so cold we have to sleep with the sheets over us!
Despite the cooler temperatures, both in and out of the water, I still love my swim before bed with the bioluminescence. I insisted Colin come in, even if only down the ladder to his knees, because the biolumies (as I call them) were so big and vibrant here, and glowed on my body for a moment after I left the water. Magic!
Click images to enlarge
Despite the cooler temperatures, both in and out of the water, I still love my swim before bed with the bioluminescence. I insisted Colin come in, even if only down the ladder to his knees, because the biolumies (as I call them) were so big and vibrant here, and glowed on my body for a moment after I left the water. Magic!
Click images to enlarge
Pórto Héli
Wednesday September 21 - Saturday 24 3nm, 50min
Free anchorage
Wednesday September 21 - Saturday 24 3nm, 50min
Free anchorage
Back to one of our lovely old haunts, with plenty of room to anchor. Of course that didn’t stop another boat from anchoring too close to us. Colin told them so and they moved, but not much and not enough. Rather than worry all night that they would smack into us when the wind swung, which it did, we picked up our anchor and relocated to further out in the bay - much more relaxing - and then I tried to explain to the somewhat incredulous captain that not everyone is created equal in their anchoring skills.
Black skies hovered all afternoon and the evening was cool, and although the rain had eased off we stayed in for the evening, the captain nursing a sore back and me a headache. Our favourite restaurant would have to wait.
Thursday we got a long (dry) walk in after brunch at Drougas Bakery, but the sky opened up in the evening so we ate on board again.
Friday, another long walk, discovering a path along the waterfront, and coffee and lunch at Drougas. I find Bougátsa to be very versatile, and can be eaten for breakfast or lunch. Really, when can’t you eat Greek custard in a phyllo pastry? Whilst convalescing, Colin had time to plan upgrades and improvements to the Lass. Mel had put him onto a website called Morgan’s Cloud, all about ‘Attainable Adventure Cruising’, and from that he picked up some tips about the snubber line*, so our walk ended at the marine store with a purchase of 10m of 18mm nylon rope.
Finally we got to have dinner at Salt & Pepper. We were sad to hear that Ismini had returned to Athens where she apparently has a life, but delighted to see Dimitri and his son, whose name we have yet to find out. We also bumped into Suzie and Jim, a cruising couple we had met that morning (from SV Dee Dee) and had recommended Salt & Pepper to. I told them about the delicious Pita Kima and was happy to hear they enjoyed it.
Saturday morning Colin insisted on listening to the whole sad ‘evisceration’ (as some are calling it) of the Sydney Swans by the Geelong Cats in the AFL Grand Final. Only then could we check out at the Port Authority, get coffee (yes, at Drougas) and buy provisions.
*At its most basic, a “snubber” is a short length of non-stretchy cordage attached to the anchor chain and to a strong point on a yacht, with the aim of taking the load off the windlass or to stop the chain rattling on the bow roller.
Click images to enlarge
Black skies hovered all afternoon and the evening was cool, and although the rain had eased off we stayed in for the evening, the captain nursing a sore back and me a headache. Our favourite restaurant would have to wait.
Thursday we got a long (dry) walk in after brunch at Drougas Bakery, but the sky opened up in the evening so we ate on board again.
Friday, another long walk, discovering a path along the waterfront, and coffee and lunch at Drougas. I find Bougátsa to be very versatile, and can be eaten for breakfast or lunch. Really, when can’t you eat Greek custard in a phyllo pastry? Whilst convalescing, Colin had time to plan upgrades and improvements to the Lass. Mel had put him onto a website called Morgan’s Cloud, all about ‘Attainable Adventure Cruising’, and from that he picked up some tips about the snubber line*, so our walk ended at the marine store with a purchase of 10m of 18mm nylon rope.
Finally we got to have dinner at Salt & Pepper. We were sad to hear that Ismini had returned to Athens where she apparently has a life, but delighted to see Dimitri and his son, whose name we have yet to find out. We also bumped into Suzie and Jim, a cruising couple we had met that morning (from SV Dee Dee) and had recommended Salt & Pepper to. I told them about the delicious Pita Kima and was happy to hear they enjoyed it.
Saturday morning Colin insisted on listening to the whole sad ‘evisceration’ (as some are calling it) of the Sydney Swans by the Geelong Cats in the AFL Grand Final. Only then could we check out at the Port Authority, get coffee (yes, at Drougas) and buy provisions.
*At its most basic, a “snubber” is a short length of non-stretchy cordage attached to the anchor chain and to a strong point on a yacht, with the aim of taking the load off the windlass or to stop the chain rattling on the bow roller.
Click images to enlarge
Órmos Ververoúda
Saturday September 24 - Tuesday 27 3nm, 1hr
Free anchorage
Saturday September 24 - Tuesday 27 3nm, 1hr
Free anchorage
It was our first time in this lovely bay, which we had almost all to ourselves, bar one other yacht. Colin had read that in summer there can be beach parties and music late at night. Now, I like Dancing Queen as much as the next person, but at four in the morning? I did, however, hear a cracking version of These Boots are made for Walkin’ - a favourite of mine since I was two years old.
Sunday we paddle-boarded around the outer bay, and Monday we ventured through the ‘channel’ (too shallow for yachts to navigate) into Ververoúda Lake. We only made it halfway down before being informed we’d entered a water skiing area and couldn’t paddle there. I later learned that the Senior World Water-Skiing Competition takes place here every year.
Since we started cruising we’d been finding tiny brown beetles around the boat, but had no idea what they were. After finding them en masse in a bag of flour, shot through with holes, we thought weevils! However, after finding them also in a jar of green curry powder, and much research, we reckoned on “drugstore beetles”, which in fact are not weevils. As its name suggests, the drugstore beetle has a tendency to feed on pharmacological products (I knew a rat like that once) because of its preference for dried herbs and plant material sometimes used as drugs. Checking for other sources of infestation (grains, flour, bread, rice, seeds, beans, pasta, cereals, bird seed, grass seed, potpourri, spices, teas, and tobacco can all become infested) we found them our old tea bags, and I threw out the potpourri just to be sure.
Click images to enlarge
Sunday we paddle-boarded around the outer bay, and Monday we ventured through the ‘channel’ (too shallow for yachts to navigate) into Ververoúda Lake. We only made it halfway down before being informed we’d entered a water skiing area and couldn’t paddle there. I later learned that the Senior World Water-Skiing Competition takes place here every year.
Since we started cruising we’d been finding tiny brown beetles around the boat, but had no idea what they were. After finding them en masse in a bag of flour, shot through with holes, we thought weevils! However, after finding them also in a jar of green curry powder, and much research, we reckoned on “drugstore beetles”, which in fact are not weevils. As its name suggests, the drugstore beetle has a tendency to feed on pharmacological products (I knew a rat like that once) because of its preference for dried herbs and plant material sometimes used as drugs. Checking for other sources of infestation (grains, flour, bread, rice, seeds, beans, pasta, cereals, bird seed, grass seed, potpourri, spices, teas, and tobacco can all become infested) we found them our old tea bags, and I threw out the potpourri just to be sure.
Click images to enlarge
Pórto Héli
Tuesday September 27 3nm, 50min
Free anchorage
Tuesday September 27 3nm, 50min
Free anchorage
The morning sky to the west was blue, but east it was as dark as a dog’s guts, as my grandfather would say. It looked to be raining buckets on the other side of the Argolic Gulf, so we hot-footed it to Pórto Héli and set the anchor before the inevitable downpour. By mid-afternoon we had a nice clean boat again, and Colin was able to see that one of his leak fixes was successful.
The sun lit up the sky after the rain, and our neighbours, a catamaran from Brisbane called Licence to Chill (complete with 007 motif), played a selection of Aussie rock songs to add colour to the afternoon.
Click images to enlarge
The sun lit up the sky after the rain, and our neighbours, a catamaran from Brisbane called Licence to Chill (complete with 007 motif), played a selection of Aussie rock songs to add colour to the afternoon.
Click images to enlarge