Continuing Eastward (Kasos, Karpathos and Rhodes)

Rising at dawn (as usual) we prepared to leave Spinalonga Bay – the wind was already starting to blow as we made our way out of the bay and the seas had built up a chop.  As we motored out towards the sea, we were joined by another Fountaine Pajot catamaran from New Zealand.  Surprise, we hailed them on the VHF radio to find out if they were headed our way. As it turned out, they had just come from Turkey a couple of weeks earlier and were just out emptying their holding tanks and making water before welcoming guests on board.  We wished them well and headed on.  The predicted winds were blowing well by the time we exited the large bay and we had good winds with which to sail along the north coast of Crete.  As we approached the first strait, between Crete and Kasos we knew that we would be in for a bouncy ride.  The winds were blowing 30 – 35 knots and we had 2-3m seas but they were on our stern quarter so Bisou handled things nicely.  We had planned to try and get to Karpathos on that first leg, but by the time we reached Kasos, and noticed a sheltered bay, we decided to take a look to see if it would do as an overnight stop.  We entered a beautiful fjord-like bay with a lovely sand beach at its head – our pilot guide said that the first time he entered this bay it was rather creepy as there had been scarecrows all along the cliffs – no sign of these now!  

Our safe place in Kasos

The wind was still howling through the bay at about 25 – 30 knots, but there was no fetch and the anchor held well in the sand bottom so we decided to stop for the night.  The water was beautiful and clear and it would have been a really nice place to stay for a couple of days if the wind hadn’t been so ferocious!

The meltemi continued all night and we rose early the next morning once again to continue on our journey eastwards.  The plan to stop at Karpathos was soon blown out of the water (almost literally) as we made our way along the cliffs of Kasos with 60-70 knot gusts coming off the cliffs! 

This was one of the wind speeds captured!

The windy cliffs of Kasos

Our starboard engine had once again decided to crap itself (ie. Not work) after running fine the previous day.  So with only the port engine working, and no scrap of sail up, Tad had to fight to keep Bisou on course.  His decision to remain close to the island was to avoid the high seas further out, but it meant we were getting the katabatic gusts instead, but less waves.  It was a scary couple of hours as Bisou battled her way north and across the next strait between Kasos and Karpathos (still windy and good-sized waves, but at least working with us).  By the time we reached the next place that we had planned to stop, the wind was blowing so strongly offshore that we had no hope of turning in to get shelter.  In addition, looking through the binoculars, the wind wasn’t any lighter closer to shore so we made the executive decision to keep going to Rhodes.  We knew this meant that we would be motor-sailing until quite late (normally we try to anchor by about 4pm) but we just couldn’t see beating against the wind to  try and get into the anchorage that didn’t look worth it.

So on we went, crossing the strait between Karpathos and Rhodes, with 2-3m seas and 35- 40 knot winds.  We were able to put a scrap of headsail up to help steady Bisou through the waves and keep us moving forward at a good pace.  As we neared Rhodes, a huge warship (no flag and no AIS) went across our path.  The first signs of the ships that patrol these waters looking for boats with illegal immigrants.  Fortunately they did not concern themselves with us (although I am sure they were wondering what on earth we were doing out there) and moved on.

As we reached the southern tip of Rhodes, we noticed a fairly large town ashore –there were a huge number (40 or 50) of kite boarders and apparently this area is famed for its wind sports.  No wonder as the wind (in spite of the land) was still blowing at 35 knots!  We carried on for another 6 miles or so, keeping an eye open for possible anchorages (looking at our charts, our pilot guide and the shoreline) until we found what we thought would do for us. A large bay with not much in it except for a large resort-like group of buildings, sandy bottom and fairly shallow water (3m).  We dropped the anchor and although the wind continued to blow at 25 knots, we felt safe.

We ended up staying in this bay for 3 nights – mostly because the weather forecast predicted strong winds to continue and because it was a good anchorage for the time-being.

We did go ashore to explore and found that the resort was only a year old and was a TUI Magic Time Club (like Club Med) – all inclusive and that the guests were mostly German, Austrian and Swiss.  I had a good look around and was amazed at the facilities. A lovely area but very windy and no village or town anywhere nearby.  Great if you like wind sports (they had Hobie Cats, windsurfers and all manner of water sports) but you would have to use the pool if you wanted to get out of the wind!  Luckily I had stocked up on fruit and vegetables in Crete so we had enough to last but by the time the weather looked like letting us go north, we were running low.

Crete Part 2

We wound our way up the hillside (those who know me, understand the tightness with which I gripped the steering wheel) with hairpin turns and steadily climbing.  The view down to the ocean was stunning but I only glanced once.  There were no ‘lookout’ spots to stop and park and take photos so we carried on.  As we reached the top of the first hill, we thought we had reached the Plateau – we drove into a village square (the road goes straight through it!) and decided to stop and take a look around. The village is called Moxhos and there’s not much to it other than the town square – however, we stopped to chat to one of the restaurant owners and he informed us that every Wednesday night from 8pm they have a traditional music and dancing night  - local young people dress in the native costumes and perform dances to traditional music.  People come from all over to enjoy the evening.  We thought it would be fun to come back if we could organize it.  In the meantime, we carried on up the next hill, only then discovering that Moxhos is on a small plateau of its own.  Winding our way up the next hill (or mountain by now) hoping that no tour buses would meet us coming down, we gradually reached the Lassithi Plateau.  It’s actually a very large mountain valley rather than a plateau and very fertile and green. There are 18 villages in a circuit around the Plateau and one can drive around the group quite easily in an hour or so (without stopping). Of course we had to stop and take photos – some of the villages were so tiny, they merely consisted of a few houses and that was it.  We stopped at the Diktheon Cave and walked the 800m uphill to visit it.  You can also go by donkey for EUR 5 per person one way, but by the time we got there, the donkeys were headed home for the day.  Luckily for us the cave was still open. It was cool and dark and damp but lit with very subtle lights to great effect.  Apparently it was where Rhea gave birth to Zeus and where Zeus subsequently ‘took’ (in both senses of the word) Europa.  Apparently is has been a place of worship for thousands of years as attested by the votive offerings found here.

Some of the beautiful windmills of the Lassithi Plateau

Panoramic view of the Lassithi Plateau from the cave

Inside the Diktheon Cave - the lights are not coloured - it's just the way the photo turned out!

We continued our circuit around the Lassithi Plateau, noting the many windmills (genuine old Cretan style) and lovely little villages – some more touristy than others with large tavernas and tourist shops. I was a little nervous about making the mountain descent in the dark, but was able to get down (albeit rather slowly) just as darkness was falling.  Unfortunately we were not able to get on the highway to get back to Ayios Nikolaos (we took a different road down the mountain than the one we went up on) and ended up on the “Old National Road” which was ‘interesting’ to say the least!  We were quite worn out after that long day and settled for a beer and pizza at “Al Dente” right beside the marina – delicious pizza!

The winds were back the next day, although we ‘discovered’ a lovely beach just south of the marina, called Almyros Beach.  Of course it was busy, touristy and full of sun beds and water toys, but the water was crystal clear, a beautiful sandy bottom all the way out and warm!  It was so nice to just lie in the sun and relax and we did just that for the afternoon!  I managed to get a very stiff neck and shoulder at some point and was quite sore by the evening.  Tad found a fellow yachtie who had some information about a physiotherapist in town and the next day I went to find her.

While Tad took apart the toilet and valve, I went into town to book an appointment with the physio – I found her office (quite close to the marina) and met the very professional and very thorough Dutch lady who would treat me.  She was able to offer me an appointment later that afternoon so I went back to the boat to help Tad with the toilet.  On arriving back at the marina, I found Tad up to his elbows in toilet parts and pipes – he had started to take apart the holding tank hoses and discovered gross calcification in the pipes.  Apparently when urine mixes with sea water, calcium is deposited (haven’t been able to find the exact chemical equation) and this is a common problem in marine toilets. Although we had not used our holding tanks a great deal over the past two years (mostly because we were either on the move every day and could pump out, or when in a marina, used their facilities), somehow our toilet system had become incredibly clogged.  I won’t go into the details of the work that went into getting the system cleaned and put back together again as I have already provided this in another post, but suffice it to say – we are now taking MUCH better care of our toilet system including regular flushes with vinegar (a mild acid which hopefully will discourage further calcium build up.

Later in the afternoon, I had my first physio treatment which included TENS (electrical stimulation of the muscles), ultra-sound, massage and manipulation as well as some stretches.  I felt so much better and slept wonderfully that night.

We finally managed some time to chat with Simon and Narelle from Amaroo VII, the Aussies we had seen at the entrance to the marina on our return from flushing our tanks.  They had been cruising in Turkey for 4 years and were now planning to stay in Crete for awhile.  They shared some interesting experiences with us and gave us some hints and tips.  Upon discovering that they liked music we asked if they might be interested in joining us for the Cretan evening in Mokhos on Wednesday night – they were only to happy to split the cost of the rental car and even offered to do the drive home (at midnight) as neither of them drink.  We were pleased to have the company and even more pleased that we could enjoy some Cretan wine with our dinner without worries about driving home in the dark!

Wednesday morning is market day in Ayios Nikolaos and we had been advised to get there early for the freshest fruit and veggies.  So we set off on our bicycles about 8am and wandered through all the stands.  The produce is all local (from Crete) and there was a huge variety available.  There were also the usual clothing stalls with everything from t-shirts to underwear.  It’s very much a local market although obviously it attracts the tourists as well.

That evening we made our way back up the mountainside to Moxhos and even drove a little further (we were early) to show Simon and Narelle the view over the plateau on which Moxhos sits.  We then parked the car and walked back to Portego (the restaurant which I had booked for our dinner) and introduced our friends to Kostas, the owner who had told us about the evening.  We didn’t have front-row seats but we still had a great view of the dancing and the music was loud enough (but not too loud) to enjoy while chatting.  The food was excellent and plentiful, and the Cretan wine (“Last Supper”) was very drinkable.  We had a fun evening and it was very late by the time we got back to the boat as the performance only ended about 11:30pm.

A couple of the local children of Mokhos dressed in their national costume

The dancing was joyful and well executed

By now we were looking for a weather window to make our departure.  We had really enjoyed our time on Crete and would have liked to have seen more of the island, but with our Schengen clock ticking (as always) we felt that we had to move on. We still had a way to go to reach Turkey and were not keen on doing any more than daily trips so we needed to make a move.  We knew that the winds across the north coast of Crete were going to be fairly brisk, and that crossing to the first island north-east of Crete, Kasos, would be challenging but we had to pick the best time to do so.

We did some last-minute stocking up with fruit and vegetables, vinegar (!) and other grocery items.  We checked out with the Port Police and the regular police so they could stamp us out of Greece (even though we would be stopping along the way, we would not be going into any harbours or places that we could get our passports stamped).  We celebrated with a last dinner at Karnagio  - a gyros, since we would not be having another for some time (the gyros at this restaurant are HUGE). We had our fingers and toes crossed for either no wind or a light breeze the next morning – we had hoped to be able to leave in the late afternoon, but the wind was still strong at night so we waited until the next morning.

A view of Ayios Nikolaus from the 'lake' in the town looking north-east

Our departure day had arrived. We woke early to find  more wind than we had hoped for – Narelle and Simon had offered to help us on the boat as we made our way out of our berth and we commandeered the Frenchman on the boat beside us. Stratos managed to get one other Greek man to help us as well (we needed all the help we could get with the wind and the narrowness of the passage).  It was another heart-stopping manoeuvre, but eventually we nosed our way out and dropped off our wonderful helpers at the fuel dock and headed out of the marina.  I have truly had enough of narrow squeezes through places Bisou should not go!

Spinalonga Island

We had decided to spend the day and our last night on Crete in Spinalonga Bay – mainly because we wanted to see it but also in the hopes that the wind would settle just a little.  The bay was lovely and we anchored in sand, but the wind howled and although we were somewhat protected, it was still pretty blowy. We found out later from some friends who had spent several winters there, that there was a more protected area further south, but that will have to wait until our next visit!

We had a few swims and just relaxed, preparing for our onward journey the next day.  We loved Crete and its people and would dearly love to return one day.

Our last view of Crete - the windy northeastern corner!

Crete Part 1

As usual for a passage, we were up before dawn and weighed the anchor at first light.  Pointing Bisou due south we headed off.  The winds were in our favour and not too strong so we were able to sail most of the way; although there was quite a swell on our stern starboard quarter, Bisou took it in her stride and we had a fairly uneventful if long journey.  As we approached the north coast of Crete, the winds seemed to pick up as did the seas.  The pilot guide also warned of gusting winds off the cape at the entrance to the bay where Ayios Nikolaos is located, so we lowered the mainsail and just kept the genoa raised.  It was rather choppy with confused seas as we entered the large, north-facing bay, so the last hour or so of the trip was not as pleasant as it could have been.  In addition, we decided to go straight to the marina because of the problems we were having with the starboard engine – we had had in mind to anchor in a lovely bay south of Spinalonga Island, near Elounda, but thought it best to get a mechanic to look at the engine as soon as possible with the weekend coming up.

I had sent an email to the marina requesting a berth but had not heard back by the time we entered the bay, and so called on the telephone.  The marina official indicated initially that they did not have any room for a catamaran, but when I pleaded that we had engine trouble she said that they would find a space.  By the time we arrived at the marina an hour or so later, the marinero came out to meet us and guided us to a place alongside the outer mole.  It was quiet and the water calm inside the marina and we had no trouble berthing the boat with his assistance.  The first marinero that we met (there are four employed by the marina who work in rotating shifts) was Giorgos (George) and he was new to the marina.  He spoke excellent English and was a wealth of information about where to eat, what sight-seeing to do, etc.  He was also very helpful.  The other incredibly helpful marinero was Stratos; he always made sure our lines were snug and helped us get out of the final berth we were squeezed into on our last day.

By 6pm we were tied up alongside and ready for a shower and dinner.  Giorgos had recommended a place in town, beside the small lake, called Karnagio, and to have their specialty – a smoked pork shank.

Tad with an icy beer and the smoked pork shank

Ayios Nikolaos is a cute town, and fortunately the marina is on the opposite side of the peninsula to the more touristy area.  It’s pretty easy to get around and is a clean and tidy town with some nice, up-market shops and restaurants.  There are beaches scattered everywhere although the nicest one that we found was a short bicycle ride to the south.  We walked through town to the restaurant and found a break-dancing competition going on right outside the restaurant.  Luckily for us, we were able to get a table overlooking the competition which was quite entertaining although the music was somewhat loud for us ‘oldies’!  The meal was extraordinarily delicious and took next to no time for them to bring it out – as it turned out (because we ate at this restaurant several times) it is a very popular dish and I am sure they prepare a number of the shanks in advance.  The combination of a large, icy beer a delicious pork shank with potatoes and salad and a long day at sea meant that we were very relaxed and sleepy as we walked back to the boat.  We had a good night’s sleep and woke refreshed the next day.

Giorgos had organized for a mechanic to come to the boat in the morning, and amazingly he turned up on time!  He agreed that the problem was most likely an air leak (which Tad had figured on) but the question was – where was the leak?  Eventually the mechanic decided that it must be around the Racor filter (a fuel filter) and tightened the top, which, while not exactly loose, was not as tight as it could have been.  This seemed to solve the problem – we ran the engine several times in the marina over the course of the following week, as well as a short excursion outside the marina without any issues.  Fingers crossed that it was finally fixed!

While all this was going on, I went on an exploration of the town – a newspaper, some fresh fruit and veggies and of course checking in to the marina office.  Just a quick note on the marina staff – Thespina who seems to be more or less in charge of the office is lovely!  As I checked in, I was given a ‘welcome bag’ of goodies including a bottle of Cretan wine, some olive oil, a map of the town and some information on the marina.  We had not decided how long we would stay but committed to three days with an option to extend.  In the end we probably should have paid for a month as we ended up staying 10 days which would have amounted to the same total cost – I did ask about this when I paid for the second extension but Thespina would not back-date the charges.  Good to know for next time around! Another item to note – we had asked for water to be hooked up (or rather turned on) as Tad wanted to hose down the boat.  As it turned out, we ended up moving to a berth before we used any water but they charged us the “minimum charge” of EUR 3.50 anyway!  Even though we had not used a drop!

Other ‘essential’ tasks included getting my hair done (!), buying more internet credit and of course, another delicious dinner at Karnagio that night.

The following day saw us renting a car and driving for about an hour to Knossos, just outside of Iraklion.  We actually missed the turn off the first time and took the next one, only to discover the Lidl grocery store!  This is Tad’s favourite place as they stock a particular type of smoked sausage that he loves!  I reminded him that our freezer was already pretty full of the sausages and that we had very little room left – in addition, we would be out all day in the heat exploring Knossos and then the archaeological museum in Iraklion and I wasn’t sure if the sausages would fare too well.  Although we really did not need anything in particular, we still ended up with several bags of groceries which we tried to bury under things in the back so they wouldn’t get too hot.

Once we were able to get turned around we headed to Knossos.  Parking was not a problem – the locals have it sorted.  You park beside a restaurant, for free, but are then expected to buy something from them.  So we obliged and bought a couple of bottles of water (and a couple of ice creams on the way back).  It was a short walk to the entrance of Knossos where we discovered a very large queue to the ticket office!  It took us about 20 minutes to get to the front of the queue (afterwards, I read in my Lonely Planet Guide that you are recommended to either go first thing in the morning (ideal as it gets so hot in the middle of the day) or after about 3pm) but then we were inside and ready to explore when I spotted some guides.  We negotiated a EUR 10 per person rate as the guide explained that she took small groups of about 8 people and already had 4.  She needed 4 more and then we would head off.  Once again, we waited for about 20 minutes and then were off.  The guide spoke excellent English and had some very interesting things to say about Knossos, including some more recent information that as yet was unpublished.  It was a very hot day and shady spots are few and far between – we even witnessed one poor guide (an older, rather overweight woman) who almost collapsed and needed to be taken back to the entrance area.  The site is no longer being excavated as it’s too ‘fragile’ (danger of the buildings and structures collapsing); the ‘restoration’ work carried out by the archaeologist,  is rather gaudy and artificial-looking, but admittedly it does give the untrained eye and idea of what the place must have looked like in Minoan times.  A visit to the archaeological museum in Iraklion is a must, following Knossos, and we managed to spend another two hours here.  The artefacts and art-work are spectacular and well worth a good visit.  An added plus is that the museum is air-conditioned and the ticket price we paid at Knossos included the visit to the museum.  By now it was almost 6pm so we drove back to the marina for dinner and bed.

Some of the restoration work at Knossos

Part of the restored frescoes

Giant urns for oil and wine

Although we had rented the car for two consecutive days, we were told the next morning that we would have to move Bisou from where she was moored as there was a coast guard boat coming in.  The marinero (Stratos) showed us where we could go to berth, but although the berth was plenty wide enough, the distance between the pontoons that we would have to navigate was VERY narrow (more to the point, the mooring lines from both sides extended so far into the fairway that there was practically no room to navigate!  It seemed that we would have no choice, so we made the decision to go out of the marina to empty our holding tanks, flush them and then come back in before the wind picked up.

Those of you who have been following our blog will have read about our ‘toilet troubles’ in a previous post.  This was still in the early stages when we thought we could remedy our problems by simply flushing out the holding tanks and then Tad would take the valve apart and see if there was a problem with the valve.   In any case, off we went, a short distance out into the bay where we were able to flush the tanks until we felt they were ‘clean’ and then came back towards the marina.  As we approached the entrance, we saw an Australian-flagged yacht waiting to enter – we motored past them and said hello and said we would look them up once we were berthed in the marina.

We waited for a marinero (it was Stratos) to come to the pontoon to assist us, and then Tad navigated Bisou very slowly and carefully between the mooring lines and the boats to the berth.  I was running back and forth gently pushing us away from bowsprits, anchors and other paraphernalia sticking into the fairway and Tad was an amazing driver getting Bisou into a very tight spot.  The mooring lines were covered in barnacles and were really too short for our boat (subsequently scratching the gelcoat on the starboard hull) but at least we had a safe berth for the time being.  Even though it was already early afternoon, we decided to use the rental car for the rest of the day by driving to the Lassithi Plateau, in the same direction as Iraklion.