chickensafloat's TravelStream™ — Recent TravelPod.com entries TravelStream™ news feed for member chickensafloat on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/chickensafloat en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:54:29 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com Despite Whiplash, Bunnies and 2 Real Bitches — Kos Town, Dodecanese, Greece http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chickensafloat/carribean_tour/1254930978/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chickensafloat/carribean_tour/1254930978/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chickensafloat/carribean_tour/1254930978/tpod.html Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:54:29 -0400 The Chickens meander in the general direction of Turkey and then mimsy around a bit.
Kos Town, Dodecanese, Greece

Despite whiplash, bunnies and 2 real bitches we are again back on Tiercel and in the Aegean Sea. This is an opportunity for a 4 week break to work on the boat and enjoy some sailing. However, it is possibly worth a brief look back at our last few weeks in Scotland to set the scene for our journey. Our trip here started in a wet, cold and windy Tarbert. We travelled to a wetter, colder and windier Dunfermline to leave our car with our son Will. Shortly after our arrival he appeared and took us out to a meal at the delightful Garvock House as a treat and reward for looking after his bunny hunters – 2 delightful lurcher bitches who like nothing better than dis-embowelling and eating raw bunny, on the hoof – Beatrix Potter this ain't. Caol Na Mara, our house in Tarbert, is surrounded by jolly wee rabbits who like nothing better than winding up dogs by hopping around muttering about what wonderful sex lives they have compared to the mutts, and other such lapine wind ups. As a result the dogs were on aggressive bunny alert from the moment they arrived.In Tarbert the fishermen regard rabbits as extremely unlucky and will not mention their names but call them "long eared wee bastards" or “underground racehorses”. Bear this in mind!On the day before we left Gina was walking the dogs, on the lead, in the woods by the house, when one of the long eared wee bastards leapt out in front of them, took off like an underground racehorse, causing the dogs to fly off like supercharged drag racers. Gina got wrapped round a tree, took a tumble,banged her head and got an unpleasant whiplash injury to her neck. You could hear the sound of, less than discreet, bunny laughter, for days afterwards.A month or so prior to this Rob, for no apparent reason, other than possibly his own curiosity, fell 10 feet backwards out of the attic, broke a rib and punctured a lung. Thus, when we left, we were not at peak fitness. After leaving Will we headed to Edinburgh airport, caught the flight to Heathrow and then got the 21.00 flight to Athens which arrived on time at 02.30 on Wednesday morning. Now all we had to do was hang around waiting for our flight at 08.55 in the morning. We found tolerably uncomfortable seats and settled down for a long wait.At about 05.00 we met a Brit woman who was importing a mini moke into Greece and was having some trouble getting the Greek Customs service to let her into the country so we helped her fill in the registration forms and were chatting merrily away. At about 05.30 Rob, whose back was giving him problems, wandered up to the departure area to check on the flights. To his amazement he was told that the flight was leaving in 10 minutes (i.e. 3 hours early) and we missed it. The ticket clerk told him that Olympic airlines had informed us by e-mail of the changes. We later discovered that this was while we were actually travelling!As a result we had to re-organise ourselves to get the ferry from Piraeus, an hour’s bus drive from the airport. We got there at about 08.00 and our ferry left at 19.00 so we decided to find a hotel and rent a room for the day. In any port, it is common practice for people to rent a room for the day, or even by the hour, but not necessarily to sleep, if you catch my drift. We tried a couple of seriously seedy hotels that wanted to charge us premium nooky rate (but would that guarantee premium nooky?), but eventually found a pleasant wee hotel that was happy to charge us half the night rate. Subsequently we slept sweet dreams till time to leave for our ferry.This was just as well because the, unexpectedly long, 2 mile walk to the ferry was a bloody nightmare. Carrying heavy bags through the docks till we reached our ferry was a tad painful given our various ailments. However we settled into our 'couchettes’ and had an agreeable journey.However, on our arrival at the yard at 03.15, despite our instructions to the yard, the boat was securely locked and the office well closed. Luckily Bob, the yard manager, woke up and after trying bolt cutters and hacksaw, eventually cut the padlock with an angle grinder and got us aboard at 05.30. We slept the sleep of the just and innocent until 10.00 on Thursday morning and woke to a warm sunny day with the impossibly blue Lakki Bay glistening its welcome.Since then we have been enjoying the large yellow thing in the sky (it has pissed down for the last 2 months in Scotland) and the general feeling of well-being that a little sunshine can bring.After doing various jobs on the boat we launched Tiercel on Saturday without a hitch. The engine, after a 12 month lay-up, started instantly – bloody brilliant!We continued to work on Tiercel all day on Sunday and Monday. It was good to be back among the liveaboard community. We met a Dutchman call Rij on the boat ‘Oxy Genius’ who knew Peter and Kaye from our sister ship ‘Wild Thyme’. Then on Monday we met up with Steve, Anna and their two kids (double the number they had when we last met) who we hadn’t seen for a couple of years when we were all gale bound in Ermoupolis on the island of Syros. Naturally we invited them across for a drink. Just prior to them appearing ‘Caladh’ slid into the berth next door to us with Richard and June having just finished their cruising season who, likewise, hadn’t met up with Steve, Anna and family for some time. As a result a memorable get together ensued.The following morning at the crack of 8 we left to sail the 30 miles to Kos. Richard helped us to get out of our berth but we still managed to get a rope round the rudder. However, this sorted itself out and, as we left Richard shouted “You’re on your own now” – cheeky sod. The sail out of the spectacular entrance to Lakki Bay, through the tricky(ish) passage among the tiny Velona Isles was conducted with quite strong winds hammering off of Leros. The wind continued to hold up well as we sailed along the bleak, rugged and mountainous coast of the Island of Kalymnos, past the wee goat island of Pserimos (where a few taverna owners make a living from the day trip boats) and the windy passage between it and Kos. Here we had an amusing half hour or so surfing down the waves created by the converging winds and currents in this narrow channel. At one point the log showed us at 11 knots!! Needless to say we haven’t required the use of a laxative since we arrived on Kos!On arrival at the wonderful Kos Marina (if Carlsberg made marinas then they would probably be like this) we were met by the pilot boatman who escorted us to our berth, assisted us to tie up and greeted us like old friends. Then, to cap it all, we discovered that they are still charging the same price (20 euros) that they were in 2007 when we first sailed in here – remarkable.
]]> Greece, Easyjet and the Spanish Inquisition — lakki, Greece http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chickensafloat/carribean_tour/1238421060/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chickensafloat/carribean_tour/1238421060/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chickensafloat/carribean_tour/1238421060/tpod.html Mon, 30 Mar 2009 10:19:05 -0400 The Chickens meander in the general direction of Turkey and then mimsy around a bit.
lakki, Greece

 A wet, cold Scottish Winter; a house filled with builders; getting used to working again; the credit crunch; viral infections; bloody awful television; worry about the boat; - all these things have driven us back to Greece to do a week's work on Tiercel. We left Scotland on Thursday 26th  after enduring the series of petty humiliations imposed on the flying public in the name of "Security" . Easyjet delivered us to Athens at 21.00 hours. The flights were OK but the new Easyjet seats were probably first patented by the Spanish Inquisition as a very refined form of torture for really hard core heretics. On arrival in Athens airport  we hobbled through the rain to the Airport metro station only to be told that the metro was closed and we would have to find a bus. OK it was 9 at night and chances were that the buses would be quiet, so no problem there then!  On boarding there was standing room only. The bus (a long bendy type bus) was full of a mixture of travellers, homeward bound airport staff and those rather odd people that always seem to be on late buses and trains,  A quick look down the bus was rather like a close up view of the Muppet Show audience.  After enduring an hour of this we arrived at Syntagma Square where, after braving the traffic, taxi touts and kamikaze dogs (Athenian strays take a peculiar delight in trying to bite the wheels of speeding cars) we got into a taxi and were whisked off to our hotel. Life now became very pleasant indeed. We had decided to treat ourselves to one of Athens nicer, smaller hotels - The Art Hotel. On arrival we were welcomed into this delightful, eccentrically furnished hotel by an American Greek night porter who was not only absolutely charming and helpful but also upgraded us (at no extra cost) from our el-cheapo, basic room to a luxury suite with Jacuzzi and a balcony that the pope  could only dream of for his palace. The night porter had told us that breakfast started at 7 in the morning but, when we told him we would have to leave at 6, promptly arranged for the entire cold buffet breakfast  to be ready for us an hour early. We came down to a breakfast choice which would have satisfied an army of particularly picky gourmands. The hotel had arranged a taxi to take us to the metro which was again closed so we caught the bendy bus again. Our flight to Leros was the perfect antidote to the unpleasantly safety and security conscious mainstream airline industry. The security checks were minimal and, on the aircraft, the staff failed to notice that passengers both took off and landed with their seats reclined and that many had large suitcases blatantly sitting on their laps for the whole flight. Coffee, fruit juice and chocolate croissants were served as we flew across the impossibly blue Aegean sea and ruggedly contoured islands. On arrival in Leros we got a taxi to the boatyard where we were welcomed with open arms by the owners son and, by the yard manager, with a look of sheer panic because he thought we might be there to launch the boat. The yard/marina is absolutely crammed with boats and the main lift is taken up by a ferry which was lifted for a quick scrub but was found to be rusted through below the waterline and is now being patched up rather rapidly. This bout of maritime constipation is causing major problems for owners who need to launch their boats. On boarding Tiercel we found that she had survived the winter in fine style. Thus we were able to start our program of work without distractions. It was wonderful to get on board, feel as if we had never been away and completely relax, probably for the first time in months - it was like being re-united with an old friend.  
]]> Greetings from a Pair of Land Locked Liveaboards — Tarbert, United Kingdom http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chickensafloat/carribean_tour/1229802900/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chickensafloat/carribean_tour/1229802900/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chickensafloat/carribean_tour/1229802900/tpod.html Sat, 20 Dec 2008 15:03:31 -0500 The Chickens meander in the general direction of Turkey and then mimsy around a bit.
Tarbert, United Kingdom

    We are now back home in Tarbert and have temporarily swallowed the anchor but fully expect to re-gurgitate it in late 2009.   Since being home we have rapidly come to realise just why we love living on the beautiful Kintyre Peninsula. The weather has been, mostly, pretty good, very cold but with the air gin clear and the winter sunlight giving drop dead gorgeous views of the frosty hills and shores of Kintyre.   It was re-assuring for Rob to wander into his favourite bar in Tarbert, warm himself by the log fire and be greeted with, slaps on the back, warm handshakes, and comments like; "Have you been away somewhere then?"; "I ken the face but cannae put a name tae it"; "Why the feck did you come back to this weather?". Yes, it's good to be back.   We have seen many old friends and close family which has helped the time absolutely fly by. We have also been busy preparing the house for the arrival of the builders, building a shed and even doing a little bit of work on the side.   The credit crunch is in the process of decimating many small businesses here in Argyll. The banks are behaving towards small businesses like the Mongol Hordes in a brothel - i.e screwing everything in sight and pillaging everything else. It is not a pretty picture but the situation seems to be calming down now that the banks realise that they are no longer invulnerable to public opinion.   Whilst it is undoubtedly good to be back home among old friends and family it has   also made us realise how much we miss the simplicity of the liveaboard lifestyle and the friends that we made during our sojourn down to Greece and Turkey. We will always recall the thrill of dropping the pin in a new anchorage and then seeing a boat and crew that we recognise. We have indeed been very lucky.   We hope that the photos in this blog give you some notion of why we love being here in Kintyre. Should any of you be passing we would be delighted to see you. Please keep us up to date with your progress and plans. We will be back in Aegean waters next year and would love to bump into you.   We wish all our yottie, liveaboard friends , whether on the water or on the land, a truly magnificent Christmas, a Prosperous New Year and Fair Winds at all times.                                                                      Bob and Gina        
]]> The Dream Ends but we Visit The Goatshit Gallery — Tarbert, United Kingdom http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chickensafloat/carribean_tour/1225874280/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chickensafloat/carribean_tour/1225874280/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chickensafloat/carribean_tour/1225874280/tpod.html Wed, 05 Nov 2008 03:44:42 -0500 The Chickens meander in the general direction of Turkey and then mimsy around a bit.
Tarbert, United Kingdom

Back In LakkiAfter our last cruise we arrived back in Lakki, were greeted by Bob (another one!), the yard manager, who we last saw on March 8th as we left Lakki for Samos and Turkey. It was good to be back and we had 3 weeks before our flights home on the 29th.For our first weekend we were welcomed with a substantial gale, which kind of got in the way of work. After that we knuckled down to sail washing, deck scrubbing, hull polishing and waxing, heads (toilets to you non yotties) servicing and cleaning, engine servicing and the million other small tasks which need completing before one can securely leave a boat ashore for long periods. This seemingly endless list of jobs does sounds daunting but we had loadsa time and were able to conduct it at quite a leisurely rate thus leaving plenty of time for socialising. On our 4th day here we saw Caladh enter the harbour with Richard and June aboard, we hadn't seen them for about a year so it was fun to get together and compare notes on our respective cruises over a meal or two - by the bye anyone visiting Lakki should try Giorgio's Taverna next to the Post Office, the pork is absolutely delicious, the chops seem to have come from a pig the size of camel, and the prices are very easy on the wallet - oh yes - the chips are home made and plentiful and there is even a picture of Adolf Hitler on the wall - what more could one desire.This year the yard is very heavily booked by a record number of boats and there are a lot more staff than in previous years, nonetheless the work appeared to go ahead without a hitch - compared to last year when the main crane driver was rushed to hospital with a suspected heart attack and work ground to a halt. A couple of weeks before we left a 46ft Brit boat, "Renaissance", appeared. She was brought in single handed by her owner, Ken. He had taken about 2 months to get here from Grimsby and had experienced a lot of fairly serious weather en-route - quite some achievement. His delight in arriving was apparent to all who met him. We got quite friendly over the ensuing days and enjoyed his company. This was his first sailing in Greece, thus we were able to bore him incessantly with our experiences here. Nonetheless he seemed to take it all in good stead and now has a Greek Waters Pilot book full of useful notes based on our experiences. Meeting him, just starting out here in Greece, full of enthusiasm for the cruising ahead of him, brought home to us how we felt in June 2006 when we arrived here. It also made us realise that we were now at the end of our outward journey. If Ken's future experiences here are half as good as our past ones he will have a great time.A Visit to the "Goatshit Gallery" and a Birthday Picnic.Last year we became friendly with a remarkable woman, Mo, who hails from Nottingham. She left many years ago to sail away in a catamaran. She finally fetched up on Leros where she does odds and sods for yotties - she made some new mattresses for our aft cabin. Her sister Jean was visiting the island for the first time in a long while and was celebrating her 75th birthday. Mo decided that she should celebrate it by walking to an unusual collection of paintings and cartoons done by German troops stationed here during the 2nd world war. They are in a building, about 3 miles along a goat track in the hills on the South of the island. In company with Mo, Jean and a German friend Christina we set out on a lovely sunny, breezy morning and enjoyed an exhilarating walk up to the "Goatshit Gallery" to see these bizarrely situated artwork.The paintings are in an old art deco building on a remote hillside in the back of beyond. They really are quite remarkable. The building is slowly deteriorating and acts as a shelter for goats. Indeed, walking through the building one has to wade through goat droppings 6 inches deep. Nonetheless it is worth the walk - and wade. Two walls are taken up by paintings done in the style of Brueghels whilst others are covered in cartoons.On our return to Mo's car on the beach at Xerocambos we concluded this delightful day with a birthday picnic - Thanks Mo!Tiercel Is Hauled Out and put into HibernationOn Friday it was our turn to be hauled out. The boat before us was an 80ft Baltic trader, a wooden sailing ship built in 1895. She was huge and possibly the largest vessel ever hauled at this yard. Bob, the yard manager, and his staff were on tenterhooks yet the German skipper of the boat appeared very relaxed. He and his family - wife, young boy, baby and dog - cheerfully sail this ship without benefit of additional crew.Next to Bob at the lifting bay, during this stressful hoist, was Nico, the yard owner's son, who is a solicitor in Athens - useful when things go wrong and a boat turns into a large heap of firewood in an instant. However, as is usual in this yard, the lift went without a hitch.<i>Humorous interlude:-While waiting to lift us Nico was admiring the wee baby on the Baltic trader and said "Isn't he beautiful?""Yes" says Bob (typical Brit engineer) "and they're very cheap to make!"<i>End of humorous interlude.We were next. In order to get hoisted one needs to reverse into a tiny lifting bay. Tiercel has spent the last 2 years refusing to be steered backwards - put the engine in astern gear and Tiercel goes exactly where she wants, despite one's best attempts at the wheel. However, this time she performed impeccably, travelling from the quay wall all the way round into the tiny entrance to the lifting bay as if she did it every day - who said boats don't have a soul or a sense of humour - you could almost hear her chuckling as we arrived in the clutches of the boat hoist. She will now get 11 months rest before she is back in the water again.The Trip HomeOn a slightly cloudy, warm (22 C) Wednesday we got a taxi to the tiny airport on Leros and waited for the aircraft to arrive. The security arrangements are a long way from those in London. One man operates the whole thing, he x-rays the luggage then the hand luggage and finally he puts the passengers through the metal scanner. Being Greek, a nice guy, a gentleman and having no female colleague to assist, he doesn't put women through the scanner; he gets them to walk around the side of it - very Greek!Our flights to Athens and then Heathrow both actually departed and arrived early. Terminal 5 at Heathrow was a complete contrast to Greece. A vast unwelcoming edifice in which we seemed to walk miles, went through 5 or 6 different security checks - at least 4 or 5 of which seemed designed purely to let the security personnel put one through mildly humiliating experiences in the name of "anti-terrorism". Still, if it gives them a bit of amusement I suppose that's OK then!We arrived in Edinburgh, roughly on time, to a drizzly 1 degree centigrade and were met by our son, Will. After a couple of days in Dunfermline with him and Angela we arrived in Tarbert on a gloriously sunny Saturday morning after a beautiful trip across to Glasgow then along the shores of Lochs Lomond, Long and Fyne. Scotland had really put on a lovely show for our journey home. The autumn colours were glorious; the lochs were absolutely still and the surface reflected the beautiful hills in a perfect mirror image - wonderful.We have now had 3 days at home in Caol Na Mara. Whilst our tenants had left it in perfect condition, we, particularly Gina, have been working very hard to turn it from a rented house into "our home" again. It has been great fun crawling around the attic finding stuff that we haven't seen for up to 3 years.As we look out onto the beautiful, but icy, views from our windows along Loch Fyne and the delightful Kintyre Peninsula, our thoughts keep going back to our journey, the places we have seen, the wonderful (and not so wonderful) experiences we have had, the people we have met and the many new friends we have made. We truly loved the whole experience of travelling from Scotland to Turkey. We have learned so much about ancient and modern Southern Europe and also feel that we have grown as a result of our experiences. We will never be quite the same again. The bay in front of our house looks rather empty to us because Tiercel isn't there. We will be returning to the Med each year for a few weeks until we have finally sailed her back onto her mooring here in Tarbert.Finally we ask all our friends, old and new, not to become strangers. Keep in touch!Yours Aye,Bob and Gina
]]> Journeys End - The Last Cruise — Lakki, Greece http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chickensafloat/carribean_tour/1223383560/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chickensafloat/carribean_tour/1223383560/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chickensafloat/carribean_tour/1223383560/tpod.html Tue, 07 Oct 2008 08:56:41 -0400 The Chickens meander in the general direction of Turkey and then mimsy around a bit.
Lakki, Greece

The last cruise of our two and a bit year adventure has come to an end. We are now back in our home base in Lakki feeling rather deflated, a little sad, and bloody horrified at the amount of work we are going to have to do to ensure that Tiercel is stored away safely and yet will be ready to start heading home in a years time.&nbsp;The leaving of Samos and a Treatise on Nautical Passage PlanningFrom the comfort of the wonderful Samos marina we planned our next wee trip down the Aegean. Always remembering when at sea one is at the whim of the wind, weather and seas therefore it is essential to have a backup plan for when everything goes tits up. One can plan for the distances, winds, tides but one must always be prepared for the unexpected.&nbsp;Mike from the world girdling 'Sanuk' best described this procedure as "Always have a Plan B".&nbsp;Plan A was to head for the port of&nbsp; Ay Yeoryiou on the island of Agathonisi, about 15 miles South of Samos. If this was full then Plan B was to anchor in one of the 2 bays close to it. Should this prove difficult then Plan B2 was to leg it to an adjacent set of bays and anchor there. Plan B3 was to head for the island of Lipso&nbsp; - a further 12 miles away!&nbsp;It took considerable motivation to stir us to leave the fleshpots of Samos. We needed somewhere special to head for, a nice quiet anchorage. 15 miles South of Samos is the tiny village of Ay Yeoryiou on the equally tiny island of Agathonisi. This is decribed by Rod Heikell in the Greek Waters Pilot as "One of those special places".&nbsp;AgathonisiWhen we finally departed Samos the weather was overcast and calm with very little wind forecast for the next 48 hours - ha, bloody ha!&nbsp;On arrival at Ay Yeoryiou we found the port to be a pretty, sleepy little place with a Taverna, and a few houses - just what we were looking for. The quay was filled with 3 coastguard cutters, one Brit yacht and what looked like a small ferry with a queue of people sat around waiting for it to go. Nonetheless the main anchorage was empty so we anchored and started getting lunch organised. As we took in our surroundings we realised that all was not as idyllic as we had supposed. The ferry was actually a fishing boat, the queue of passengers was a group of about 50 illegal immigrants and they were being dealt with by the crews of the 3 coastguard boats.&nbsp;The group of immigrants looked Turkish. This was the 5th time we had seen the coastguard dealing with smuggled people. Normally it seems to be just groups of young men. However, on this occasion it was mainly families, some with babies and very young kids. The coastguard seemed to be dealing with them sympathetically but it was still an unedifying sight. Kids and parents huddled together nervously in family groups. Parents trying to keep the whole situation as calm and normal as possible while the coastguards tried to get them organised. All in all the attraction of staying in Ay Yeoryiou was starting to disappear as we watched this portrait of human misery. &nbsp;As we were finishing lunch an armada of yachts appeared, about 6 in all, which started to make the anchorage look uncomfortably crowded - we had forgotten that we were back in charter boat territory again. We decided to move on and invoke plan B. However, the bays in the approach to Ay Yeoryiou were also looking busy so Plan B2 came into effect and we legged it a mile or so for the other group of anchorages on the island. &nbsp;Lipsi A.K.A. LipsoThese proved to be either too deep, too narrow or we just plain didn't like the look of them so we invoked plan B3 - to leg it to Lipsi. The 12 mile journey took about 2 hours of motor sailing in cloudy and rainy conditions - we had to don oilskins for the first time in months. On arrival we took a look at a couple of anchorages but either couldn't get the anchor in (too much weed on the sea bed), or just didn't like the look of them for some inexplicable reason. Thus, with the shadows lengthening, we arrived in the main port of Lipsi to find it full but with an empty, enclosed bay next to it - perfect. &nbsp;After 2 attempts we got an anchor into the hard sand here and felt settled for the night. The bay was attractive with a church on the cliff in the entrance to the bay, olive groves descending to the shore and the lights of the village at the head of the bay. The sun appeared again just in time to give us a glorious sunset. The sounds of the goats bells and the braying donkeys actually added to the pleasure. We had found our idyllic anchorage and were wondering why we had stayed in Samos for so long - this was the life.&nbsp;Shortly after going to bed the rain started thumping down very heavily. Then the thunder and lightning hammered in. Finally the wind started getting up to Force 7 and aimed us at a rocky reef in the entrance to the bay. This was not proving to be a good day at all!&nbsp;As a consequence we were awake most of the night watching the anchor, taking soundings and bearings to ensure that it wasn't dragging us onto the rocks. Despite the boat being swung and thrashed around by the wind, the anchor didn't budge.&nbsp; Eventually the wind died down and we managed to doze for a while.&nbsp;Lying in the Lap of Luxury in Lakki on LerosThat morning we upped and left for our "home" port of Lakki on Leros and its welcoming marinas. This is where Tiercel will be for the next 12 months. We didn't go into our normal marina but used its competitor which has even better showers&nbsp; than Samos - real hard-arsed sailors us!&nbsp;It was good to be back in Lakki. We were surprised to see quite a lot of development going on here, most of it for the better. Nonetheless the wonderful fruit markets were still there and more popular than ever and, on entering our favourite taverna, we were welcomed back by the owners who we had got to know quite well last year and had a massive plate of Gyros on pitta bread with all the accompaniments - scrumptious. &nbsp;Later in the week we hired a small motorbike and did a grand tour of the island, visited many of our favourite spots and had a lovely meal on the beach at Alinda . Well, the pleasure was mildly compromised by the German couple who, on seeing an empty beach restaurant with just us at a remote table decided to avoid the other 19 empty tables and sit on the one that was tight against ours. Of course, being British, we politely shuffled up and adjusted our chairs and table to make room for them instead of just beating them to a pulp with cricket bats.&nbsp;Kos, Wonderful KosAfter about a week on Lakki we decided to re-visit the island of Kos so booked a berth for a few days. &nbsp;Kos&nbsp; has got the best Marina in Greece, indeed probably the best and friendliest in the Med, even better than Samos. The island is also a peculiar mix of hedonistic tourist resort with traditional ancient Greek historic sites dotted around the place. Its visitors are mainly Northern European visitors a lot of whom are Brits of all shapes, sizes and ages.&nbsp;We had a wonderful sail most of the way there. The sun shone, the wind was on the beam and Tiercel fair sparkled along in the gentle breezes. However, at the top end of Kos the breezes suddenly became quite strong and we had quite a struggle for the last hour or so &nbsp;with the confused, lumpy seas at the head of the Island. This, allied to the considerable volume of boats around, made it a bit like the Solent on a windy Saturday morning.&nbsp;On arrival at the marina we were once more greeted like old friends by the mariniero in the marina pilot boat. The marina manager, despite having two phones and a VHF on the go, as well as an ageing Greek&nbsp; 'Victor Meldrew' whinging at him, took time to welcome Rob, shake him by the hand and tell him that it is always good to see old customers again.&nbsp;Kos marina is a major charter base and changeover day is Friday/Saturday thus it is impossible to get a berth on these days. On our last day, Thursday, the pilot boat handler knocked on the boat and asked if we wanted to stay a little longer. He then moved us onto a residential berth. Amazing service and we had got a berth for the weekend - unheard of!&nbsp;Sadly the weather looked like it was going to be a bit nasty on Sunday so we had to leave on Saturday morning to get back to Lakki and start the work programme on Tiercel.&nbsp;Journeys EndWe arrived back at the very sheltered Evros marina/boatyard in Lakki at lunchtime, just as the wind was starting to pipe up. That night and the following day it howled in like a banshee training for the ghost Olympics. Even in the shelter of the marina boats were straining at their warps, most of us ended up doubling the ropes up just to ensure that we didn't break away from the quay.&nbsp;Everything has now calmed down and the realisation that our adventure is over has hit us full and square. Since leaving Tarbert in May 2006 we have sailed over 5000 miles, visited 5 different countries, 26 islands, 107 different ports and anchorages, 78 separate inland towns, cities and historic sites. &nbsp;Our yacht, Tiercel, has been amazing. With the exception of a bug in the diesel caused by buying infected fuel in Sardinia and Sicily, she has given us no problems at all. Living aboard her has mostly been a pleasure. She has been comfortable and spacious in port and cosy and secure at sea. She has been very forgiving whilst we have been re-learning our seamanship skills as we progressed across Europe. She has sailed safely through gales, motored long distances in windless seas, been battered against quay walls and pontoons, held us securely at anchor in, sometimes, appalling conditions and only complained when we fed her tainted fuel. All in all, for us, she has proven herself to be the ideal boat.&nbsp;All we will have left now are amazing memories of the places we have visited, the people we have met and the friends that we have made - Oh yes - &nbsp;and over 9000 photographs!!.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
]]> Samos and the Erotic Pleasures of a Hot Shower — Pithagorion, Greece http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chickensafloat/carribean_tour/1221811080/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chickensafloat/carribean_tour/1221811080/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chickensafloat/carribean_tour/1221811080/tpod.html Fri, 19 Sep 2008 04:24:47 -0400 The Chickens meander in the general direction of Turkey and then mimsy around a bit.
Pithagorion, Greece

Well, here we are again, back at the wonderful Samos Marina on the Island of Samos wallowing in the comparative luxury of marina life after 3 months abstinence.&nbsp;KardamilaWhen we last wrote we had just arrived at the fishing town/village of Kardamila on the north end of Khios. On getting moored up on the quay we found that they gave free water and electricity. We were also later to discover that this one horse town also had a free internet café (admittedly with only one computer).&nbsp;The town itself is a strange mix of modern apartments and houses, old Ottoman and Italian style villas, hotels ranging from the tourist class (like a 1970s Spanish package hotel built by MFI with a 5 year lifespan) to the luxurious, dotted in amongst all this are a number of millionaires pads with there own private docks.&nbsp;On our 2nd evening we were just popping out for a beer when we saw a large charter boat approaching the quay - it was full of male Germans - generally a formula for disaster! Survival instinct kicked in and we helped them moor up while the strong winds attempted to blow them from the quay. There were 5 of them on board, probably all over 60, large and strong, yet it still took us half an hour to pull them alongside. They were a jolly bunch of guys, clearly enjoying themselves. As we struggled they were constantly thanking us and there were many slaps on the back in congratulation when the boat finally came alongside. The skipper commented watching Gina take charge of the stern of the boat "Zat is a very strong voman ja ?". &nbsp;Later that evening, just before dinner, Gina managed to break the dental crown at the front of her mouth. We discovered that it had actually come out whole and, after carefully putting it in a small box we now had to find a dentist.&nbsp;Khios MarinaThe weather for the next week was decidedly iffy with strong north easterly winds setting in the following morning - Friday. We therefore departed for Khios marina the next morning and afte,r 3 hours of&nbsp; strengthening winds up our tail, we arrived in the nautical scrapyard that is Khios marina.&nbsp;When we last dropped in there were 3 visiting boats. This time we counted 17. We managed to get a secure berth at the far end of the marina . The only drawback being the wind blowing over the marina blew sand and dust over the boat. To say that the marina was dusty is like saying that the Sahara desert is warm. A fine sandy dust coated the boat all the time. The solar panels needed frequent washing.&nbsp;Sadly, Khios marina, whilst free of charge, is &nbsp;filled with rusting ferries, fishing boats etc and has no water supplies so we had to get water from a garden hose, hauling our little trolley and two 5 gallon containers about 400 metres from the marina across tracks that would have made a great 4 wheel drive off road training course. It is certainly quite a good way to get fit.&nbsp;That was the down side. The up side was that we were again amongst a community of liveaboards and even met up with some old friends who we had seen in our travels up north. Amongst others was Sean (previously misnamed John in this blog) and his wife Brenda. You may recall that Sean, a Norwegian of Irish and Liverpudlian upbringing, had use of only one arm as a result of polio in his youth. This didn't stop him becoming a classy mountaineer and representing his country at international sailing events. Brenda was suffering badly from a damaged knee and was booked to fly home shortly leaving Sean to sail the boat, literally single-handedly, back to Turgutreis in Turkey. Bear in mind that he is 75 years old. The boat is a 45ft ex racing machine with running backstays and other complex kit. Rob said that he wouldn't fancy sailing this boat with two of us on board but Sean said "No problem, I have had to do it often enough before". Us mere mortals can only look on in awesome respect at such a man.&nbsp;On Saturday we found a dentist and Gina can now smile again. The strong winds continued and gave us a constant battle with the sand and dust being blown into the boat. However, one of the great advantages f being among other liveaboards is that we were able to swap books with other boats. We each get through about a book each day so were in desperate need of new reading material. The social side of a liveaboard community was also refreshing after 3 months in the remoter parts of the Aegean. Nonetheless we decided that as soon as the winds abated we would leg it, double quick, to the nearest marina and a bit of luxury.&nbsp;Cesme - Briefly&nbsp;To while away a day we decided to take the ferry to re-visit the Turkish town of Cesme to do some Christmas shopping - my,my aren't we well organised? We had an enjoyable day in this pleasant town. It was quite a contrast to our visit to Ayvalik. Even though the season was drawing to a close we still found the shopkeepers and restaurant staff very friendly and helpful. &nbsp;One other reason for going there was to buy some cheap Kelims (Turkish rugs) for home. We have already bought quite a few beautiful hand made ones but needed some of the machine made variety which normally retail for about £5.00. We went to see a guy we had bought some pottery from on our last visit. He also sold rugs and was very pleased to see us. Unfortunately he speaks very little English. Rob, looking at his rugs, asked the price of one or two and was told the history of them, how they were hand made by the women of a mountain village etc, etc. He then quoted an eye wateringly painful price. Rob, at that moment spotted a cheap manufactured rug covering a hole in the wall and asked the price of that. The man tore it from the wall and kicked it around the floor shouting "I not sell this manufactured shit. It is an insult"! Rob, ever the diplomat, said "Quite right, quite right" and we then made as dignified an exit as we could!!Khios Again&nbsp;While we were on Khios it suffered a number of hill fires. To put them out they used a helicopter wit a large bucket hung on a string below it. The pilot brought the chopper over the marina and, just on the other side of the wall lowered the bucket into the water, filled it and shot back into the hills to quell the inferno. This takes quite some skill, especially when the wind was blowing at over 30 knots. Whilst it certainly made an interesting diversion for a few yotties one could not help feeling sorry for the poor souls whose land was being decimated. However, sometimes these fires have more sinister reasons for starting. We are told that property developers often set fire to fertile hill areas with ancient olive groves or woodland in order to make them available for building. The old olive groves and woodland are apparently protected from development but, once they have been burned down then the planners have been known to give consent for building. &nbsp;Samos Again - Vathi and Strange SmellsFinally, after a week in Khios we got a weather window on Friday and headed for Vathi on Samos. The 55 mile sail (well, motor really, we only got enough wind for about 20 minutes actual sailing) took 10 hours and was really quite boring until we got close enough to the island to enjoy the beauty of it's green yet mountainous North coast. &nbsp;You may recall that last time we visited Vathi the local council decided to clean the storm drains and spoil our lunch. This time the same smell still lingered over the harbour, albeit in diluted form. We were the only yacht in the vast harbour which is surprising because Vathi is a pleasant place to linger for a few hours. It has good shops and restaurants, an excellent museum, free water and electricity, no mooring charges and superb views from the harbour. The old town with its ancient, narrow winding alleyways wending their way up the hill behind the port, is one of the nicest , shadiest spots to enjoy a glass of ouzo out of the sun.Samos and&nbsp;Sinful Showers&nbsp;On Saturday we headed for our favourite marina at Pithagorion on the South coast of Samos. As we got closer we realised that we had now left the remote Northern Aegean and were back in among the yottie playground of the Samos Sea and the Dodecanese. Within half an hour of arriving on the South coast we saw more yachts at sea than we had seen in all our journeys in the North put together. &nbsp;We arrived back at Samos Marina where were greeted by the marineros, shown to our mooring and they were on hand to assist us tie up. That evening, after a quiet beer in town we had the luxury of unlimited water from the hot showers after months of having to use limited supplies of water from our solar showers on the boat. The non- yottie cannot understand the sheer, almost sexual, pleasure of standing under a hot shower and just wasting water, it feels really sinful and at the same time one has the physical pleasure of the hot water drumming away at ones flesh - bloody orgasmic!&nbsp;While we have been here we decided to do what Samos is famous for. We went hill walking. The day was windy, clear and a wee bit cooler (in the low 20s) which. The views from the tops were breathtaking with the rugged Western mountains towering over the large fertile valley that sits behind Pithagorion.&nbsp;Following the path down from the hills we chanced upon an attractive monastery sitting among it's own copse of fir trees. It made an attractive finale to a great days walking. Even better though was the ability to stand under a hot shower for absolutely ages and wash out the aches and pains from this unaccustomed exercise.
]]> The Long Trek Home Begins — Chios, Northeast Aegean Islands, Greece http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chickensafloat/carribean_tour/1220688780/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chickensafloat/carribean_tour/1220688780/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chickensafloat/carribean_tour/1220688780/tpod.html Sat, 06 Sep 2008 04:45:05 -0400 The Chickens meander in the general direction of Turkey and then mimsy around a bit.
Chios, Northeast Aegean Islands, Greece

The Long Trek Home Begins.&nbsp;Our slightly stretched 2 year sabbatical will come to an end on November 1st when we move back into Caol Na Mara in Tarbert. In August we had reached the zenith of our cruise when we arrived in Samothraki and are now heading back to Leros to put Tiercel in storage for a year.&nbsp;This blog is being written in the small, but perfectly formed, village of Kardamila on the island of Khios. The wind is howling down from the North and we are at our lowest ebb since setting out from Tarbert in May 2006. We really cannot get fired up about the remaining couple of months of this cruise and now only want to be home and getting on with our lives in Scotland.&nbsp;Don't get us wrong, we have loved the travels so far and would not exchange the experiences &nbsp;that we have had for all the tea in China. The memory of them will be with us for the rest of our lives. However, like the drive home from a good week-end party, we have had a great time but want to be home and not wearily travelling a familiar road again.&nbsp;OK, whinge over, don'cha feel sorry for us? Poor souls, sailing in the azure, warm Aegean sea in temperatures that Britain only gets about once a year, drinking cheap wine and beer, lazing in the sun, reading good books and seeing sights that most people would&nbsp; give a major body organ to see? Say aaaaah!&nbsp;On with the story!!&nbsp;The Island of Lesvos 2nd Time Round<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">MithimnaStrong winds held us up in Mirina on the island of Limnos until the afternoon of 15th August when we left, on a whim, &nbsp;for Moudhros bay on the South of the island in the hope that good winds would carry us the 60 miles to Mithimna on Lesvos the next day.&nbsp;After a comfortable night at anchor in Freshwater bay in Ormos Moudhros we got up at 02.45 and set off for what was probably the best sail we have had so far. In winds ranging from force 3 to force 6 Tiercel sailed like a demon under gorgeous night skies which evolved into a spectacular orange sunrise over the Turkish coast and then a beautiful morning. The wind died when we were about 2 miles from Mithimna (AKA Molyvos). &nbsp;The reason we were on Lesvos at this time was to meet Rob's cousin Tim who was coming out to sail with us for the week. Two nights before we were due to meet him a 60ft motor cruiser squeezed in beside us. The skipper told us it was the tender to a huge behemoth of a boat anchored in the bay - unbelievable but true. Unfortunately, on leaving he lifted our anchor and we had to rapidly recover it and re-anchor, before breakfast - bastard! &nbsp;This left Rob feeling insecure about leaving the boat so Gina had to drive the 90km to pick up Tim and the 90km back. &nbsp;Mithimna, you will recall, is a conservation village. Built on a hill, it sits under a large castle with the old houses and villas straggling down to the shore creating delightful shaded, vine covered, alleyways. Many of the houses and restaurants have balconies with views overlooking the sea. On our last night here the three of us had cocktails on the balcony of &nbsp;a cocktail bar (more of a blue painted wee shed with a balcony, but none the less pleasant for that) dinner at the delightful Betty's restaurant with views out over the Aegean and the sparkling lights of the many fishing boats in the bay. &nbsp;By the by, for anyone visiting Mithimna, Betty's 94 year old father still works in the restaurant. During the day he sits at a table outside telling anyone who cares to listen that the food is excellent. In the evening he helps clear tables and then homes in on any attractive, unattached women, chats merrily away with them and generally adds to the friendly atmosphere of the place. Betty told us that he is something of a war hero having sailed his boat around the Aegean working with the British special forces during the 2nd world war.&nbsp;To finish the evening we had Greek coffee and Metaxa (local herbed brandy) at the Seahorse Hotel by the fishing harbour. We have got to know the staff and the family who own the place really well. They are a friendly and happy bunch and, as a result, so are their customers. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">&nbsp;<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Skala LoutraThe following morning we headed the 40 miles to the (mostly) peaceful village of Skala Loutra. Followers of this blog will remember that it has a "Prisoner" (Patrick McGoohan and all that) themed hotel, a friendly donkey and a Pelican that is having an affair with a white cat.&nbsp;The donkey remembered Gina and duly demanded food. She and Tim actually bought it some carrots and apples - softies or what! We went to the taverna where the pelican generally hangs out and had a few beers. The owners seemed to remember us from the last visit which was kinda nice - aaah! The pelican duly appeared and actually came and stood by Tim to allow itself to be fussed. However, noting that we had no food, it casually strolled into the kitchen of the taverna where it was dully chased out by the owner's 3 legged collie. After a chase of 10 yards honour was satisfied on both sides and the pelican waddled over to a local fisherman who was cleaning his boat. He had bought a bag of fish for it and its 1st love, the white cat. Once the cat turned up it duly rubbed itself enthusiastically along the pelican, the fisherman started doling out the fish and they both settled down to enjoy their meal together - aaah ain't that sweet. &nbsp;<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">MitiliniAfter a couple of days re-discovering the delights of Skala Loutra and its bizarre wildlife, we left for the island capital, Mitilini. Last time we were here we really didn't like it much and left after one night. However, this time we got to know it a lot better and rather enjoyed it. It is a major ferry port and has plenty of hustle and bustle. Its narrow back streets are more Ottoman than Greek with tiny bazaar like clusters of shops selling everything from antiques to plumbing. &nbsp;We were moored right in the centre of town and it was quite noisy but not unpleasant. The three of us discovered an excellent cheap restaurant right by the harbourside in amongst the tourist rip-off restaurants. A tip for all aspiring visitors to Greece (or anywhere in the world really) when you walk past restaurants and see one which is really busy it is possibly OK but, if all the people sitting there are locals (unless of course they are Australian aboriginals with their love of insects etc), then you can guarantee that it will be both good and inexpensive. We followed this rule and ate 3 meals here. Unfortunately its name was written in Greek and we have forgotten it but it is the first one by the fish quay. The guy who served us, when told we were from Scotland, apologised for having no haggis!! Thank God for that we all thought.&nbsp;Tim departed at 4.45 on the Tuesday morning. We were very sorry to see him go. He is always good company and seemed to enjoy Lesvos as much as we did. However, his departure brought home to us the depressing thought that we had a couple of months or so to pass before we could head home.&nbsp;<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">A Day Trip To Turkey&nbsp; and the Adventures of Super Mario the Deck HandOur original intention had been to head down the Turkish coast. However we had heard on the yottie grapevine, that the port of Ayvalik, our first port of call in Turkey, was suffering from end of seasonitis. A German couple had just been there and said that it was smelly and the marina was particularly unpleasant. We decided to take a day trip on the wee ferry from Mitlilni to investigate. &nbsp;The ticketing computer for the ferry was down so we were given written scraps of paper . The ferry duly left half an hour late and trundled across the straits to Ayvalik. The town is situated at the back of a huge, almost enclosed bay which is a popular holiday spot for Turks. As a result, the local sewage system is heavily overloaded in the month of August and one could smell the results as soon as one approached the bay. In such places, if you fancy seafood, ask the waiter if it is local. If he says yes - leg&nbsp; it as fast as you can or you will be adding to the sewage overload fairly rapidly and, probably, spectacularly !&nbsp;It is a pity about this problem because the once Greek town of Alibey at the entrance is very attractive as is Ayvalik itself.&nbsp; However, Ayvalik is more of a working town with tourism being secondary. The tourist season was coming to an end when we were there and the operators, waiters, shop staff etc were obviously suffering from punter overload. Thus they&nbsp;were not quite the pleasant friendly souls that we had met in other parts of Turkey in March and April. Indeed, when we walked to the marina we were stopped by their security staff. We explained that we wanted to get to a chandlery and also to see the marina with a view to bringing our boat across. A guy from the admin office appeared and, with all the charm and charisma of a rectal thermometer, pointed us back to town where he said there was a chandlery.&nbsp;The town could be comprehensively investigated in a couple of hours. We had 8 to spend there. By lunchtime we had seen it all. The tourist stuff is confined to the waterfront and goes back for a hundred yards or so. However if one explores further one sees that it is a real Turkish working town. Boys with trays of bread and rolls scoot about from the bakeries to the shops, farmers with horses and carts roam the streets selling fruit and vegetables and we even came across a blacksmiths forge where various domestic and agricultural tools were being manufactured before our eyes.&nbsp;At 5 in the afternoon we were at the dock waiting for a few cars to be driven onto the ferry. A large 4 wheel drive with a sizeable motor cruiser in tow was struggling up the ramp. The rather elegant, dark complexioned, bald driver didn't have a clue how to handle his vehicle. As a consequence when the boat trailer reached the peak of the ramp it broke away from the car and sped towards the doors of the customs building with increasing enthusiasm. If it reached them&nbsp; the resultant mayhem would probably mean that we would be lucky to get away that day. &nbsp;However, cometh the hour, cometh the hero. A small, middle aged,&nbsp; tubby, Turkish deckhand with a Saddam Hussein moustache, wearing a stripy jumper and a greasy baseball cap shot down the ramp like an Exocet missile, in pursuit of the escaping boat and trailer. His legs were a blur - like something out of a cartoon. Looking like Super Mario(well known character in a popular kids computer game) on steroids he zoomed past all the horrified onlookers, caught up with the trailer, grabbed it and, with a screeching of shoe soles and a smell of burning rubber, managed to stop the boat from careering through the customs building. It really was both horrifying and hilarious to watch. After he had halted the boat inches from the glass doors he chocked it, wandered back to the ferry and while the rest of us were still staring slack-jawed in disbelief, he casually lit up a fag.&nbsp;On his return to the ferry he surreptitiously placed a large, filthy piece of rug at the bottom of the ramp. At the next attempt the driver - a complete dipstick, assuming that even greater power and speed were necessary, made an even worse hash of it and the trailer made another break for freedom. This time however it was brought to a halt by the rug which became entangled in its wheels and brought it to a rapid standstill. "Super Mario" looked smugly on and took another, satisfied puff of his fag. &nbsp;<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">PlomarionOur experience of Ayvalik, allied to our increasing sloth, decided us to head back to Leros via the Greek islands rather than the Turkish coast. After getting back that night we had a couple more days in Mitilini before heading South to Plomarion. We last visited here in June, on our way north. It is a pleasant and attractive small fishing town where we knew we would have to wait a few days while strong winds blew themselves out.&nbsp;We duly moored up, settled down and got a quiet night's sleep. However, the following morning, as the winds increased, an unpleasant swell rolled into the harbour. By day 4, and one change of mooring, it got to the stage where living on the boat was like trying to sleep in a tumble drier. Much as we enjoyed Plomarion, we had to get away.&nbsp;The Island of Khios<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">KardamilaThus on day 5, Thursday, we headed down the 30 miles to Kardamila on Khios. It is an attractive village nestled in an inlet amongst the cliffs under the stately mountains of Northern Khios. &nbsp;In May we had come here by motor bike when we first visited Khios. It was a grey and wet day then, but we had found the place attractive and friendly so were pleased that it hasn't changed. We are currently the only visiting boat here and we have free water and electricity, so are content.&nbsp;After leaving here we are making no plans except to be back on Leros in early October to prepare Tiercel to be hauled out and stored ashore until we are able to start the proper journey back to Scotland.
]]> Wind and Repeats — Limnos, Greece http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chickensafloat/carribean_tour/1218638220/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chickensafloat/carribean_tour/1218638220/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chickensafloat/carribean_tour/1218638220/tpod.html Wed, 13 Aug 2008 11:00:08 -0400 The Chickens meander in the general direction of Turkey and then mimsy around a bit.
Limnos, Greece

&nbsp;SamothrakiThe last episode of our exciting (yaaaaaawn, zzzzzzz) adventures left us sitting out bad weather in Kamariotissa on Samothraki. This lasted for another couple of days during which time we read , walked a bit, sewed a bit (new hatch covers, and mossie screens if your interested) and got the bus to the lovely village of&nbsp; Hora. &nbsp;To get there one has to get a bus or pay an extortionate amount for a run down 50cc scooter. We decided to get the bus. Regular readers of this blog will, of course, remember that the Greeks have cunning ways of not letting one know where buses go from, where they go to and when they go! However, one can tell that Samothraki was a Turkish Island until the 1920s because they publish a bus timetable and have an area where buses seem to congregate and socialise - nae problem! The bus turned up 10 minutes early and then proceeded to remain empty, except for us and a few other visitors, until 17 minutes after the published departure time. The driver got on board along with the conductor, the engine started, the doors were closing and suddenly about 20 Samothrakians turned up, ambling across to the bus without a care in the world, got on and then we departed up through the hills to Hora - brinksmanship or what!&nbsp;Hora is the traditional capital of Samothraki island. It is beautifully situated in a hanging valley on the side of Mount Fengari, - at 1611metres (5000+feet) the highest island mountain in The Aegean.&nbsp; The village rests under a ruined Genoese castle and really is quite lovely in a rugged, masculine sort of way. If it took human shape it would be a tall, tanned man with grey hair, a large manly sort of moustache, smoking an evil-smelling old pipe wearing a battered trilby with a rock on it (bear with us on this one - all will shortly become clear). However, one would probably find that he was wearing gold lame`underwear and keeps his pipe in a Prada pipe bag for, whilst&nbsp; there is no tweeness in it's structure, it's shops, have a decidedly northern European feel to them and prices to match. One can buy hand painted glassware at London prices (Gina did), Greek made cotton traditional/fashionable clothing at Paris prices and the usual tat including pretty little painted models of wooden trawlers of a Northern European design but with a Greek flag on them at twice the price one would pay in Blackpool, Everywhere in Greece they have these bloody boats on sale. Why? - the Greek fishing boats are really picturesque with their lovely double ender hulls, flared bows, huge spade rudder, long tiller, scruffy canvas sunshades and stunning paintwork, yet all they sell are painted models of North Sea trawlers - yea OK, rant over!&nbsp;That is the down side to the village. The up sides are the rugged&nbsp; beauty of it's houses (it is so windy here that they have very heavy tiles on their roofs and then put rocks on the tiles to hold them down - thus the reference to the rock on the hat), &nbsp;the mountain and sea views, the Ottoman fountains with permanently running water from the mountain streams and the ruins of the once glorious and arrogant castle above the village. &nbsp;&nbsp;Back to Limnos againThe departure from Samothraki saw us rising at some ungodly hour to the wind howling round the boat. This was a step in the right direction, previously it had been shrieking or screaming, so we knew that the weather was improving and decided to leave. For the first hour we were sailing on a downwind sleigh ride, surfing down the short steep seas &nbsp;with only a scrap of sail set. Then, as we got about 4 miles from the island, the wind lessened, we put full sail up and were immediately caught in a nasty cross sea with waves coming from 2 directions at once. The wind and one set of&nbsp; waves took us on course and then another set of waves slammed into us at right angles. Very uncomfortable, but not dangerous.&nbsp; As we got further from this draughty island the wind lessened further, the seas calmed down and the bloody sun poured down loadsa degrees onto us - it got very hot. After about 4 hours sailing we then had to motor sail the next 4 hours to Mirina on Limnos.&nbsp;We managed to moor up on the quay and get water and electricity - civilisation at last. The harbour was pretty empty but started to fill as the evening and night rolled on.&nbsp;At 5 PM on a lazy Sunday afternoon we were relaxing in the cockpit with a beer or two. The quay was jam packed when a Greek yacht appeared and the skipper asked if he could squeeze his boat in beside us (there was a half metre gap between us and the next boat) if he could persuade the other boats to move up a little. We agreed, thinking he would never manage it. On board he had a male mate, three bikini clad Greek beauties and, we later discovered, very few fenders. Using persuasive skills and charm of a high order, he managed to get about 8 boats to shift and created a not quite adequate space. As he backed into the gap he gave each of the women on his boat a fender each and backed into the gap. This left one fender on the entire boat. The gap was tight yet he managed (quite skilfully) to get the boat in. However, ourselves and the yacht on the other side of him (a pleasant Greek family from Thessaloniki) had to deploy every fender we had to keep his hull from damaging ours and, at the point of contact, the fenders were squeezed paper thin. At least the skipper had the good grace to apologise - but only once his boat was firmly tied to the quay&nbsp; - smarmy bastard!&nbsp;After this incident dinner was our next priority. We got a couple of pides (Greek pizzas) from the fridge only to find them unusable. Rob went out for a take-away&nbsp; and, on his return the rain started to piss down and the wind howl. Hatches were battened, everything on deck was brought below, tempers were lost and dinner was, eventually, eaten. All in all it was a really laid back Sunday - NOT!&nbsp;By Tuesday we knew that the wind was set strong for the week so resigned ourselves to staying her a while longer. To pass the time we hired a small motorbike and explored the island for a day. &nbsp;The main object of out travels was to head for Ifestia to see a recently restored theatre and other remains of a 2600 year old community. En route Gina started feeling unwell and faint (a condition not to be taken lightly when riding pillion!) so we stopped at the village of&nbsp; Kondias for a coffee and a coke. Kondias is an attractive but workmanlike agricultural village/town. Some of the houses&nbsp; seem to be made in a unique design from dark grey stone. They give the place a slightly sombre feel.&nbsp;After a can of coke and a chat with an old boy who shared our table (and had excellent English)Gina had recovered and was her usual ebullient self. We set off again on our travels and came across a first world war allied war cemetery at Portianou. As usual it was immaculately kept and an infinitely sad place. At the entrance were pictures and newspaper cuttings about of 2 of the occupants that had been left, we assume, by visiting relatives. Both had died of dysentery. As we browsed the gravestones we noticed that, whilst the occupants came from all over the British Commonwealth and beyond, there were a lot of graves of those who served with the Royal Army Medical Corps, many of whom were conscientious objectors who nonetheless risked life and limb to help the wounded. The saddest, perhaps, were the graves of&nbsp; two women, a nursing sister and matron. They had obviously come to Limnos to serve in the hospitals on the island and had succumbed to the various infections that must have been rife on this boggy, damp and very hot island with so many sick and wounded.&nbsp;After leaving this sad place we headed towards the ancient sites of Limnos and enjoyed the very different landscapes here. They reminded us of the Scottish moorland. There was plenty of bog, lakes, rushes and hillocks. The villages that we passed through were all working agricultural communities rather than the picture-postcard white and blue Greek townscapes that we had become familiar with in the islands.&nbsp;Ifestia is an ancient community dating back beyond 600 BC. A team of Italian archaeologists has excavated an ancient theatre and community which started way back when and was enhanced by the Romans and their successors and then forgotten about. It is situated on the side of a hill in a drop-dead-gorgeous bay with deep red algae growing on it's fringes and impossibly white salt-pans in the distance. It can only be reached by a long ride along a dirt track. However, it is well worth the trip. The site is well presented with proper paths and informative interpretation.&nbsp;After hacking back down the dirt track we had lunch in our favourite taverna in Moudhros (the best home made chips in Greece) and left feeling absolutely stuffed yet having spent only &euro;15.00.&nbsp;By the by, for any of you contemplating coming to Limnos at some point, make sure you try the Limniot wines. They really are superb, especially the whites - you have been told!&nbsp;We now expect to sit here until the week-end when the weather is supposed to calm down enough to give us a comfortable sail the 60 miles back to Lesvos.
]]> The Emerald Isle and Slicked in Lagos! — Samothráki, Northeast Aegean Islands, Greece http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chickensafloat/carribean_tour/1218046620/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chickensafloat/carribean_tour/1218046620/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chickensafloat/carribean_tour/1218046620/tpod.html Thu, 07 Aug 2008 05:26:39 -0400 The Chickens meander in the general direction of Turkey and then mimsy around a bit.
Samothráki, Northeast Aegean Islands, Greece

THASSOSWe left the peaceful anchorage at Neos Peramos and headed for the Isle of Thassos - about 18 miles away. The sail was noteable only for the couple of oil rigs we passed and the fact that the wind was unpleasantly on the nose.On arrival at Port Thassos we found a large harbour sitting under the most glorious green mountain scenery - not for nothing is it known as the Emerald Isle. It has an abundance of natural springs which keep it's luxuriant vegetation up to scratch. There were only a couple of other visiting yachts so we had loadsa space to moor up, sit down, have a beer and rattle on to one another about the scenery. We decided to eat out on our first night. So, after a wander around the town we discovered that there were a lot of British visitors here which means that there were a few Brit bars offering cheap beer and "English Breakfasts". We decided to have a couple of beers at the "Cheers" bar. Half litre glasses of chilled Mythos lager were only about 2 quid, a read of the breakfast menu had us making a booking for the following morning. Cheers is run by Peter and Jane who hailed from Bradford 4 years ago, are great hosts, really enjoying themselves and earning a comfy living . After leaving "Cheers" we went to a harbour side taverna and watched the most amazing sunset, rainstorm and thunderstorm combined. Needless to say this put a damper on our al fresco meal. The next day, after a remarkable marathon breakfast at "Cheers" we set out to do the sights and sites of Thassos. A walk in the hillside forests brought us to an ancient 5th century BC amphitheatre, castle and temple all dotted scenically along the ridge line with amazing views to the azure seas below and the mainland in the distance.As we had found the way down the precipitous rocky slope we noticed that the Greek health and safety commission had been at work by providing a rickety staircase made of old gas pipes and chicken wire - almost as safe as crossing the M25 in the rush hour on a skateboard!The town is full of historic sites haphazardly dotted around to be discovered by the unwary visitor. Sadly, for them, most visitors seem determined only to discover the route from hotel to beach to bar to taverna thus missing out on some lovely peaceful places.In the 19th century a French amateur archaeologist/journalist/royal toady dug up and removed some beautiful and historically important marble carvings from Thassos and other places in Northern Greece. He then shipped them home as presents to the Emperor Napoleon the 3rd. Unfortunately he forgot record where they came from and how they were constructed. As a result the Emperor got the equivalent of 6 giant Airfix kits, muddled together and with no instructions. Consequently these valuable artefacts were slung into the basement of the Louvre and have only recently been re-assembled and put on display. Lord Elgin eat your heart out!!On the 3rd day we were there a Brit boat - "Full Flight" - appeared next to us and, after the usual greetings etc Tony and Pat invited us over for a glass of wine or two. Slowly it dawned on us that we had met before, for about half and hour, on Sardinia -- small world innit?After emptying one another's drinks lockers and swapping loadsa books we parted company, them to the West and us to the East.KavallaWhile in Thassos we took the ferry the 20 miles to the city of Kavalla on the mainland coast where we wanted to see the Ottoman castle and some of the old buildings. The ferry is a hydrofoil albeit an ancient Russian one designed for river use, not open sea passages. The fare is an eye-watering 40 euros for the return crossing and, frankly, ain't worth it. The city is a modern port with a very attractive Ottoman quarter topped with a fort and Roman aqueduct. It made for an interesting, if expensive day out. We didn't take our boat to Kavalla because the pilot book said that the only available moorings belonged to the Kavalla yacht club who had no space for visitors and even less manners!Back to Lagos - Porto LagosOn Thursday we&nbsp; left Thassos&nbsp; and headed to Porto Lagos where the salt marshes play host to a large bird sancuary and a monastery.The views along the East Coast of Thassos were stunning, only spolit , or maybe contrasted, by the large scars caused by the marble quarries, ancient and modern. We arrived at lunchtime in strong winds and, after looking around the bleak and characterless port, moored at the back of the commercial quay where a Turkish cargo vessel&nbsp; was unloading. Gina commented that there was a strong smell of oil. Unbeknownst to us the engineer on the Turkish vessel had just turned the wrong tap and released fuel oil into the water.Slowly creeping down to us, like a rich silent fart in a warm school corridor, was a treacly black oil slick. We only noticed it when the boat was surrounded and we could do nothing about it. Very rapidly the port police had erected an oil boom to protect the bird sanctuary and then co-opted the whole Turkish crew to clean the mess up. They did this quickly and efficiently. Sadly Tiercel's white and red hull now had an uneven black,tarry, stripe of fuel oil on it - disgusting. 3 hours of scrubbing by Rob managed to get rid of most of it but the rest will have to wait until we are again on anchorage.On our second night, in the wee small hours, there was a strange noise in the saloon. Clearly we had a visitor. Gina woke up instantly and roused a tetchy Rob. Something white was running about under the saloon table then on the walls, the ceiling, the galley shelves, the bookshelves - it was a very frightened white cat who had fallen through our mosquito netting hatch cover. It eventually escaped as Rob drowsily opened the main hatch. That cat clearly would not need a laxative for a few days!!!Porto Lagos is a characterless port village/town but with, inexplicably, very expensive houses. The people are very friendly but it is not somewhere one would tarry for more than an hour or two. It's saving grace is the bird sanctuary where we spotted various kinds of heron, egrets, pelicans and even flamingoes. The monastery in on the of the inland lakes is also very attractive.On Sunday morning at about 6.00 we heard the sounds of activity on the dockside. By 8.00 a full blown Sunday market was on the go with about 100 stalls. Hundreds of punters seemed to appear from nowhere. It was amazing to watch. By 15.00 it had packed up and left a terrible mess of cardboard, plastic bags rotting vegetables and by 17.00 a cleaning company had left the area immaculate - amazing. We decided to recover from all this activity and have a meal in the only taverna that was open it was a very basic scruffly wee place in an industrial dockland but was stowed out with locals.In this simple establishment we had the best seafood meal that we have eaten since leaving Scotland.SamothrakiOn Monday morning we left Porto Lagos at dawn and sailed the 35 miles to the island of Samothraki. Up until recently the island has not had a safe port so was rarely visited. When we arrived at lunchtime, after a glorious sail, we were the only visiting boat in the harbour.That afternoon a sodding great Bulgarian (don't mention Basil!) motor cruiser appeared - probably owned by a senior Bulgarian Mafiosi. The skipper screamed at us "Problem, engine problem - help. We went over and helped him and his family moor up as we would for any other boat. They were very gratefuland a few minutes later a bottle of Bulgarian red wine was passed across with another word of thanks. Nice eh! Don't ya luv a happy ending!Samothraki is renowned for a site called the Temple of the Great Gods where the seafaring Samothracians in very ancient times carried out some secret rites which went on until Roman times. They were so secret that, even now, one gets the impression that the historians haven't much of a clue what went on. However the site of the temple is quite stunning. It is set in a hollow on the side of a craggy mountain with a 5000 foot peak in the background and views over the Aegean Sea to the mainland on the other side. The museum with a copy of the winged victory (a sort of angel like figure) which was taken from the island by the same bloody French archaeologist who had hit Thassos and is now displayed in the Louvre.To see the island we hired a scooter - a very battered an bruised 50cc Peugeot - at a testicle shrinking 20 euros a day. It lasted about 1km before grinding to a halt before we could get it to a petrol station. The brakes were decidedly iffy and it had going-up-hill phobia.Good customer service or what!&nbsp; Nonetheless we had an enjoyable day out on it and saw a lot of this small but beautiful island. We had lunch in the village of Therma in a cool shaded taverna where they did the most gorgeous home made cheese pies and creamy puddings.The island only really seems to come to life when the ferries arrive twice daily. Visitors are mostly young, German and very laid back. It is a sleepy place that only really has a 6 week tourist season. It is a lovely harbour to sit back in, stare at the all domineering mountains and reflect on the vagaries of life - philosopher or what !!We are currently stuck here by strong winds waiting to head back south to Limnos and the Eastern Sporades before going back to Turkey.&nbsp;
]]> In the Land of Basil The Bulgar Slayer — Thassos Town, Northeast Aegean Islands, Greece http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chickensafloat/carribean_tour/1217147820/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chickensafloat/carribean_tour/1217147820/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chickensafloat/carribean_tour/1217147820/tpod.html Sun, 27 Jul 2008 05:02:46 -0400 The Chickens meander in the general direction of Turkey and then mimsy around a bit.
Thassos Town, Northeast Aegean Islands, Greece

The Kingdom of Basil the Bulgar Slayer - Macedonia.We are now in Macedonia in Northern Greece whose favourite son, Basil the Bulgar Slayer, is not a character from "Captain Pugwash" (unlike Shag the dog, Roger the cabin boy, Master Bates and Seaman Staines) he really did exist in Byzantine times and is still revered here.&nbsp;Neos Marmaras.Neos Marmaras is a newish beach resort with excellent beaches and beautiful views all around. However it is a singularly ugly and noisy place - quiet during the day but with discos going on till 4 or 5am. We moored on the wave break pontoon on the outside of the harbour. When we arrived there were three boats on it (it could take about twenty. For the rest of our stay we were the only boat on it. There is a small, crowded and anarchic marina with one pontoon for yachts. Every visiting yacht either went on it or risked the wrath of the fishing boats and went on the fish quay where they were often kicked off of when the fishing boats returned in the wee small hours. &nbsp;Despite it's ugliness and noise Neos Marmaras is a friendly place totally devoted to tourism. The punters seemed mostly young Greeks with a smattering of Northern Europeans. It has a couple of good cheap supermarkets, internet cafes and inexpensive tavernas. We were really only interested in using it as a base for exploring Thessalonica and the surrounding areas of Macedonia.&nbsp;The Royal Tombs and Thessalonica - City of Basil the Bulgar SlayerOn Monday we hired a car so that we could have a two days to see Thessalonica and a couple of historic sites nearby.&nbsp;After a leaving Tiercel at 05.30 on Tuesday we drove to the Royal Tombs at Vergina&nbsp; (a name almost designed to be used as a double entendre. It is therefore pronounced fayrgeena, probably in order to prevent this) to the burial mound of the father (Phillip the Second of Macedonia) and son of Alexander the Great.&nbsp; We didn't have great expectations of the site and these seemed to be confirmed when we arrived at 08.00 and couldn't even find anywhere to get a coffee. &nbsp;The site was poorly signposted and, when we found it, we were the only visitors there. However, we persisted, paid the entrance fee, walked inside the burial mound and were absolutely gobsmacked by the amazing tombs and displayed finds. &nbsp;The burial chambers are underneath the mound and the whole thing is displayed in subdued lighting. Each of the chambers with its exquisite marble entrance and paintings (still in their original colours) is approached down a set of specially constructed steps. The finds from the tombs are beautifully displayed and - this is a real novelty in Greece - explained .&nbsp;The 4 chamber Tombs were opened in 1977 and, two of them were found to be undisturbed since they were built in the 4th century BC.&nbsp; The burial chambers of Phillip 2nd and his grandson were both undisturbed and were still full of the burial offerings including fabulous gold oak leaf wreaths, the marble sarcophagus in which were contained the cremated remains of the deceased along with many treasures which are now on display at the site. &nbsp;Among the finds are carved ivory heads of Phillip and the young Alexander the Great. These are assumed to be reasonably lifelike representations. Thus we can say that we have looked upon Alexander the Great. A truly awe inspiring experience.&nbsp; Sadly we were not allowed to take photos in the tombs so cannot let you see the splendour of them.&nbsp;For an hour and a half we were the only visitors on the whole site. However, as we were leaving, the first coaches started appearing and a bleary eyed taverna owner actually served us some coffee.&nbsp;From here we drove to the site of Ancient Pella the capital of Macedonia in the 4th century BC. It is the site of considerable excavations and has some beautifully preserved pebble mosaics.&nbsp;After leaving Pella we drove, in increasingly denser traffic to Greeces 2nd city - Thessalonica birthplace of Basil the Bulgar Slayer - I just love writing that name!&nbsp;As we approached the city the traffic reached gridlock proportions but still managed to travel quite fast - is there such a thing as a 50mph gridlock?. On reaching the centre we discovered that Thessalonica has a major problem - millions of cars and no parking. We drove around for over an hour in seriously dodgy traffic trying to find parking. It is said that in certain parts of London one has to be born in a parking space t o get one. However, in Thessalonica one has to be conceived, carried and born in a space if one is to be successful. &nbsp;The first impression one gets of Thessalonika (AKA Thessaloniki, Salonika)is of a dusty, noisy, polluted and traffic jammed metropolis. However, as we walked around the city and got used to these problems a different city started to emerge. It has lovely green areas as well as an amazing range of historic sites and monuments. To detail these here would be impossible. Suffice it to say that whilst walking from the Rotunda - a Roman built place of worship which, over the centuries since, has seen service as a Byzantine church, a Mosque a meeting place and a Greek Orthodox church - we passed a Roman Archway followed by an excavated Roman Emperor's palace and finally reached the seafront where we arrived at an Ottoman tower.&nbsp;In its past Salonika has seen huge cultural changes and, in Ottoman times and up until the second world war had very diverse ethnic communities in which, generally Greeks were in the minority. It is a city in which the various races got along OK despite the appalling Ottoman bureaucracy. Generally the Jews were the largest group in the city until it was taken by the Nazis in 1941 and they were mostly transported away and systematically murdered at Auschwitz.&nbsp;Nowadays it is a very modern city with a strong café culture and some of the best restaurants in Greece. In the evening we sat in a café bar having dinner when we noticed that an African guy was wandering around selling pirate CDs. We fell into conversation with this delightful character with a huge smile and about a hectare of uncontrolled wiry hair springing from his head. He told us that he had been in Greece for 3 years since illegally getting here from Nigeria. We asked him how things were going for him now and he said "When I learned to survive the hate things started going OK". Needless to say we bought a few CDs at around &euro;5 each (they are £5 in the Barras in Glasgow).&nbsp;The next morning, after a breakfast of fresh orange juice and Greek coffee we strolled through the streets again and visited the Ayia Sofia Greek Church and discovered another underground church devoted to John the Baptist which was centred on an old Roman fountain.&nbsp;At lunchtime we braved the traffic, extracted the car form a car park and headed back to the noisy, brash seaside 'delights' of Neos Marmaras. On the journey back we reflected on the fact that we had seen only a small percentage of the sights of Thessalonica and that we would have to return. This city is a must see and needs at least 3 days to actually do it justice.&nbsp;Porto KoufoOn Friday we left Neos Marmaras to head for the natural harbour of Porto Koufo which was used as an axis submarine base in the second world war. One approaches it via a gap in the high cliffs through which one arrives at a nearly enclosed bay at the north endo of which is the port. After Anchoring in these picturesque surroundings we had lunch and were delighted to see yacht "Boreal" anchor alongside us with Alain and Marie-Christine aboard. We hadn't seen them since Mithymnos. Over afternoon tea on Boreal we discovered that they were taking the same route as us but in the opposite direction. Thus we were able to exchange information about ports, anchorages etc.&nbsp;Mount Athos Peninsula and Gina Gets Warned by the Coastguard to Stay away from Monks.Saturday morning saw us up and away at 0530 heading off on a 50 mile journey around the Mount Athos Peninsula AKA the Monks Republic. After an unfortunate incident in the 11th century involving monks and shepherdesses an edict was enacted in Greek law forbidding all women and nearly all female animals&nbsp; to travel within one mile of this sacred peninsula. We had been told that it was no longer enforced unless one attempted to land something female on the coast here.&nbsp;As we approached the bottom corner of this beautiful, rugged area we were approached by a Hellenic Coastguard rib. The occupants (4 of them) studied us carefully and, after ascertaining that we had a woman on board (Gina was wearing a baseball cap and fairly masculine clothing at the time and Rob has a beard) warned us to alter course to stay further out to sea. It is beyond reason that a Coastguard rib with 4 employees aboard is used to uphold an 11th century law designed to prevent medieval monks disporting themselves with shephedesses and presumably ewes. In those days up to 20,000 monks lived here but now there are less than 2000. Not the best use of coastguard time one would imagine!!&nbsp;So we continued a couple of hundred yards further out and watched the coastguard buzz up and down the 20 mile stretch of coast keeping an eye on ourselves and one other yacht 4 miles ahead of us.&nbsp;This rather blighted our opinions of the Monk's Peninsula but one cannot deny the austere beauty of some of the medieval monsteries and monastic communities sited around Mount Athos. Some hang improbably of precipitous cliffs. Many of these were built in the 11th to 13th centuries and, whilst some are virtually unchanged others have been restored and 'improved'. Parts of the peninsula look like construction sites and some of the restored monastic buildings now resemble 5 star resort hotels, some have been beautifully and sympathetically restored whilst others are a hybrid of medieval and modern looking rather like a double glazing salesman's wet dream.&nbsp;The presence of the coastguard meant that we couldn't anchor in an unofficial anchorage at the base of the peninsula. Many yachts use this bay without problems although friends of ours were kicked out of it last year for hanging up a bikini, ah well, such is life among the merry monks of Mount Athos!!&nbsp;Neos PeramosAfter a disturbed night on a rolly anchorage, a few miles North, we sailed on Sunday to Neos Peramos, a small brash modern resort in a beautifully enclosed bay. From early evening it is the haunt of young Greeks grooving the night away but, during the day it is taken over by groups of older Greeks who, resplendent in their bathing costumes and hats stand around, chest deep in the sea, chattering and laughing loudly. Many seem to be looking after their grand, children whilst the parents sleep off the previous night's excesses. It really is a delightful place to spend time sitting in a taverna&nbsp; people watching.&nbsp;We anchored at the North end among the wild birds and reeds for a couple of nights before sailing across to the beautiful, verdant isle of Thassos of which more in the next episode of our travels!!&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
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