Athens to Kea

This was the plan - to pick up our boat at Athens and sail the Cyklades (Kiklades) in a counter-clockwise direction.

We would pick it up at the Moorings in Kavos which was where the Kalamaki Marina was located.

You check in at the office and by the time you get assigned a boat, and provision it, it's too late to travel. So we spent the night on Arethoussa, our Moorings Sun Odyssey 42.2  - and this turned out to be a noisy night.

There were 3 couples on this charter and the Sun Odyessy 42.2 had 3 cabins and 2 heads. The cabins weren't a problem, but the women didn't want to share their bathroom with the men! So the men got one head and the women got the other.

We had a sun dodger on the back and roller furling main and genoa.

We couldn't wait to get out of there, and were greeted with this view of Athens (what ever happened to Piraeus?)

Panorama of Kalamaki Marina.

Not much wind at first, but as the day warmed up, it filled in. Look closely between the shrouds and you can see the Temple of Posiedon (also called Sounion). It is at the tip of the Greek Peninsula and the last thing you see as you head out into the Agean Sea.

If you have a telephoto, you can bring it in.

This is a postcard showing our first island, Kea, and it's port, Vourkari. We were told not to stay at the bigger port town of Korissia because that is where the big ferry boats docked.

And sure enough, one was there.But right around the corner was Vourkari.

It took a couple of tries to "Med tie" Arethoussa, but we managed. The quay is deep enough for all keels, but we found out that it isn't deep enough for all rudders. The guys next to us had to move, as their rudder was too long for that spot. The plank was our way ashore, and it wasn't fancy, but you can see the line attached to the end to keep it up. But you never leave the boat with the plank up for many reasons.

This is the row of tavernas that are next to the quay. Your can see the boats on the left.

Our favorite was Nicos Taverna - note the sign is in another alphabet.

We tried other spots, but Nicos was also handling our torn sail problem. The leach had blown off - the roller furling sail protection fabric pulled away from the genoa, and we had to send it to Athens on the ferry. And none of us spoke Greek, and at first we had to try to use the pay phone - which was impossible if you don't speak the language. Finally Nicos called Moorings on the cell so we felt obligated to eat and drink at his place. Actually it was more complicated that that, as Nicos didn't speak much English, and we used our waiter, Johnny, as interpreter.

We walked to Korissia, of course, and found that scooters could be rented. So we explored Kea.

 Here's Jane exploring Vourkari.

Looking back on Korissia were we had started.

And at the end of the road is this Chora. They originally built up here for protection from pirates, we were told.

But it was a little cooler up here.

And we took our dinghy across the bay to inspect a chapel and looking back we saw this.

There was even a beach.

And eventually we got the sail back and bent it on. Only it wasn't the original sail, but we didn't care.

But it's a funny thing, you stay longer than you plan, but you are none the worse for it. We leaving or entering all of these harbors, there were churches or shrines on the headlands.And we were off for our next island, Siros, and Finkus Harbor. If Siros isn't next on the list, you can find it in the right margin and click on it.

Syros

When we left Kea, we went to Syros (also spelled Siros) because Mykonos was considered too far for a days travel. We didn't need to push, so we didn't.

This postcard shows the layout.

This was our second try at Med-tying Arethoussa to the concrete quay (bigger than a dock). Here Jane is pulling her line with a will. There were several and coordinating was key.

Once the lines are fast, you just flop out the 2x8 and go ashore. Dave and I are looking at fish, or something.

Arethoussa on the left - a word about flags - the boat was owned by a Greek company (Moorings) so the Greek flag flys at the stern. But we bareboaters were American, so our flag is at the spreader.

This little village or chora, is called Finikas, and the harbormaster requires a small fee, so we paid that.

Then we went for a walk up the hill above the town and had dinner, or lunch, or something. We still had a little jet lag, and the Greeks don't really keep the same hours, so we just worked it out. The next day we left for Mykonos with anticipation!

Delos Island

You catch the ferry to Delos at Ornos Harbor breakwater on Mykonos and it leaves at 9 AM.

This is Jane's panorama of the Ornos Harbos as we left Mykonos.

 You come to the ferry dock at Delos thru this channel.

The ferry docks on that Pier and you get off to meet your guide and are given this Map:

Click on it to enlarge it and read the items available fore viewing. No one lives on Delos anymore (not since it was sacked in 83 BC), but it was a hub of commerce during Greece's Golden Age. The Myths say that Diana and Apollo were born here.

Our guide was very informative, and explained that when you say "Mythology" you are referring to the Religion of that time. That is her on the left.

And this is Jane and Marilyn listening to her, along with the rest of us.

This is a postcard of some of the many artifacts left on Delos. I think they chose the one lion with a replaced leg to emphasize their efforts to repair items that could be repaired. The Romans, Venitians, Turks and even the British destroyed some of these, and took much of it home. The British Museum has a lot, and the Lion of Venice was origionally here on Delos.

The remaining 3 lions are on this street.

It must have been a sight to see during its glory days.

This postcard shows the amphitheater where locals went for entertainment. You can also see that the pier has room for boats, but it is restricted today.

The is called the Temple of Isis not because that is what the ancient ones called it, but because they (the modern Greeks) name these temples after what is found inside them.

Not sure what was going on here. Ask Jane :)

The Meltimi was blowing this day, and you can see the white caps in the channel. It didn't bother our ferry, but some bareboaters were dragging anchor when we left. They weren't supposed to anchor in the channel anyway.

And you have to mention the mosiacs. Some are still in their houses, and others have been removed to Museums

Mykonos

Mykonos was next (also spelled Mikonos) and we stayed two full days, and on the second day went to the neighboring island of Delos, which is in the lower right of the postcard above (but we'll save that for another post).

We were warned not to stay in the main harbor because of the noise (the Greeks don't sleep at night, they party loudly) crowds, etc. So we went to the south of the city of Ornos (the city is on a narrow isthmus with a harbor on both sides).

In high season there are many more boats off of Psarou Beach and many more people under the umbrellas as this postcard shows.

But for us in May 1997, no worries.

Ornos is the bay to the west of Psarou.

But we liked Psarou. Then we went exploring. You could take a taxi to main city of Ornos (north of the isthmus) or you could rent a scooter. We did both.

This is looking east on the waterfront. There were tavernas all along the water.

Closer to the breakwater was this bit of sand.

Guess we picked this one for lunch.

This breakwater is to the west.

The 'streets' are not made for automobiles, in fact, this place pre-dates cars and public utilities (and that's all I'm gonna say about that).

And because they are narrow, they stay in the shade, for the benefit of all.

The famous windmills of Mykonos. This Veranda is in an area known as Little Venice.

Little Venice is also much photographed. The sunset is the thing to plan dinner for. You want to pick a spot with a good view to the west, and a balcony is ideal. But to have to set up early if you want to be out there when the sun sets.

We picked Katerina's and it was a good choice. The drinks were cool, and the food was excellent.

And this is what you want to see.

And this is Jane, seeing it! You can see the sunset in her shades!

On the second day we ate in the open again, but in a square.

 I'm a little sun burned, because we went to Delos this day. The next morning went left for Naxos.

And the wildlife, well, it just can't be described. Yes, it's a real pelican, and very large.