On Thursday morning we raised anchor at Poros, motored through the narrow
channel past the town, continued through the Bay on the eastr side and into the
wide Aegean. It would be a 26 mile sail. It seemed the Meltime had ended as
seas were small and winds moderate. It was a sunny, nice day. Half way along
we came to the island of Yernynos, a tall barren, brown place. We passed on its
south side and winds gusted to well over 20 knots, causing us to round up
several times and finally to shorten sail. As we continued toward Kitnos, we
found more strong gusty winds in the high twenties. The harbor where we were
headed was well protected, but strong gusts continued to slide down the hills,
challenging our anchor.
We went ashore late in the day where we saw up close some Greek architecture,
especially the serpentine rock walls that encircle fields and barren plots of
land. Made from both small rocks and boulders regularly spaced, they must have
taken great time and effort to build. As far as we could tell, they fenced in
only two playful goats. There were several white and blue cement residences on
the hillside as well. They were comtemporary with solar electricity and a large
cistern. At the top of one of the hills was a stark white and blue chapel with
a small bell-tower. A short distance away was a flat stone floor, all that is
left of what the Pilot book calls an ancient Greek ruin. We met a Swedish
couple there who will cross to the Caribbean with the ARC this November in their
sailboat. They had dark tans and were dressed only in the briefest bikinis
while the much younger lady with them was covered in tan clothing head to toe.
The sun is intense here and the wind driven heat is extreme. From the hilltop
there, the view of the several harbors in the area and the wide Aegean was
spectacular.
This morning it was again evident that the Meltime had abated so we headed out
of the harbor early. We pulled out the jib and sailed in ten to fifteen knots
down wind toward Serifos, a short 20 miles away. As we reached our destination
and headed into the harbor, winds gusted near 30 and we shortened sail as the
boat heeled far over. We could see several mega-yachts anchored in the harbor,
but very strong winds roared out of the entrance. With the engine at full
throttle we headed into a sea of white caps as the wind speed meter reached 40
for a few seconds. Spray engulfed the boat and we were drenched as we held on
tight. In the strongest gusts from the hillsides, clouds of spray were hurled
from the sea into the air. I have never seen the likes of it! Even with no
sail up at all, we heeled far over in the wind. We found a spot near the beach
to anchor and though we dragged a bit at first, with well over a hundred feet of
chain out we held tight. Whew!
The Greek flag needed a few stitches and a zipper had ripped open on our
bimini top. Julie was able to mend the flag and we will have the Bimini
repaired when we get to Turkey. Currently we sit at anchor in winds of 15 to 25

knots with the sun beating down out of a clear blue sky. It is about 90
degrees. In all this heat, I begin to understand siesta! All the best, Hank
and Julie