Fram's Voyages

17 June 2024 Mpufalo - Eretria Evia N 38 23.251 E 23 47.888 Distance traveled - 22.6 NM Time Traveled - 5 hrs Weather - Sunny 30C No wind at all We woke up to another lovely day. Dan rowed Varga in to shore for her business, while I made coffee. We put up the dinghy on the deck and after hauling up the anchor, motored out of the cove. This was a very enjoyable place, beautiful water, cute waterfront.  We motored as no wind at all. It’s a big bay within a huge break wall. There is a ferry station here serviced by 2 car ferries. They go quite slow once inside the break wall so swell is not bad at all. An Estonian on a Polish registered boat got very nervous when we dropped our anchor as he felt we were too close, We didn’t think so but we moved farther forward anyway. A catamaran ahead of us had just left as we were anchoring first time, so we took his place. Subsequently, we have seen how this guy tells every boat that comes close to him that they are too close and please move. The whole waterfront is restaurants and shops; there are green grocers, butchers, lots of very nice supermarkets and tourist shops. We feel we have come in from the outback! Varga has become quite a little swimmer. She takes every opportunity to get in and cool off. She even swims out to where we are now, which is lovely. I think she finds this climate very hot and tough to take. I don’t take her on long walks and she is mostly off the boat in the early morning for our bakery walk and in the evening for our ice cream walk.  The boatyard where we are leaving FRAM is just across the channel on the mainland, about 4 NM so we are stationed here in Eretria until the weather is right to haul the boat up on land; most like next week and this whole week is Meltemi. We are well protected here and are close to anything we might need. ​ 14 June 2024 Agios Demetrios - Mpufalo N 38 18.116 E 24 07.106 Distance Traveled -  Time Traveled - 8 hrs Weather - Sunny 30C Wind NE 5-9 m/s (10-18 knots) Agios Demetrios and the neighbouring town Almyropotomas were both lovely. While Agios Demetrios had nothing to offer other than a beach and peacefulness, Alyropotomas had a few tavernas and 2 supermarkets which were really little holes in the wall but they had what we needed. We had nice walks and lots of swimming as it was pretty hot out. We had very strong winds last night that lasted until about 04.00 this morning. But it was peaceful and calm when we lifted anchor and motored off to Mpufalo, a very protected cove from all directions. The wind didn’t come up again until we were almost at Mpufalo and we needed to charge our batteries so we motored the whole way. Mpufalo is a really beautiful spot at the end of a relatively long narrow bay, it is surrounded by mountains and has a little village on the waterfront. No supermarkets, but 3 tavernas. Very picturesque. There were 4 boats already here but there was lots of space so we chose to anchor as close to the little beach as we could. There’s a sunken boat in the SE corner of the bay which we avoided. We anchored in 7m Sand and the anchor held right away. We’ve never been so close to the land before; about 50 m.  We spent 3 days and 3 nights here. We took a hike up to the nearest town which was 4 km away. But it was like a ghost town, no people, nothing open, not even the church. The walk was stunning though as we walked high over a huge valley that had just harvested some kind of grain. On the second night we went to one of the tavernas, Akrogiali, or better known as Stella’s. Stella is the owner along with her husband. She is Moldavian but married to Nikos who is Greek and has lived here running this restaurant for 28 years. She is a beautiful woman, both inside and outside. She is the only one serving while her husband does all the cooking. She dresses in lovely flowing long dresses and gorgeous jewelry. And she always has time to chat with everyone. We sat next to a New Zealand couple, John and Tess, also on a boat and we got to talking. Before long we were sharing a table and chatting and singling the night away. Stella kept bringing us white wine on the house. Once the other guests left, Stella came over with her Ouzo and sat and chatted along with us. We had a fabulous evening together, drank way too much wine, and didn’t get back to the boat until after 03.00. Next morning we waved good-bye to John and Tess on Clementine. In the evening we went in to Stella’s for a drink. We offered to buy her an ooze but she demurred; she said she’d had a bit too much last night. Dan was also a bit green around the gills and stuck to beer. But there were no other guests so she sat down and chatted with us until the sun went down and we hugged each other Farewell, and rowed back out to FRAM. ​ 12 June 2024 Chersonisi islet - Agios Demetrios N 38 16.823 E 24 08.480 Distance Traveled - 24.2 NM Time Traveled - 5.5 hours Weather - Sunny 30C Wind S/N/SW 0-8 m/s (0-16 knots) What a day! We left Chersonisi happily and headed for a cove about 10 NM away. We had a lovely south wind blowing us forward with the genoa until the moment we turned right into a big bay called Styron Bay when the wind suddenly and like a little wall came from North. We thought maybe just a fluctuation as the forecast was for S all day. But no, it stayed N so we rolled in the genoa and motored the rest of the way, feeling doubtful as the cove we chose was protecting from the south winds. We took a look and sure enough, the north wind was blowing in there and it was very deep until you got right up near the shore. Nah. We turned around and headed out looking for another cove. We checked one nearby but it was the same problem. So we steered FRAM out of Styron Bay and motored northwards another 14 NM to a very long narrow bay called Almyropotamos. We went all the way in and anchored in the right hand corner called Agios Demetrios. Very well protected from all winds, the anchor went in with no trouble, caught right away in 7 m depth in sand. There were 3 other boats here. Once the dinghy was in the water, (we always put it up on deck when we sail unless we have little grandchildren that want to ride behind FRAM) I took Varga and our trash ashore. There is a small taverna that was closed, and that’s it. The place seemed abandoned except for the cars standing outside some of the houses. We found the trash bin, Varga did her business and we went back to the boat for dinner. High winds are coming in the next couple days so we will stay put for a while. There’s a village on the other side of the bay called Almyropotamos which we will check out. ​ 10 June 2024 Megalonisi anchorage - Chersonisi islet anchorage N 38 01.724 E 24 16.888 Distance Traveled - 7.3 NM Time Traveled - 2 hrs Weather - Sunny, 34C Wind S/SE 1-5 m/s (2-10 knots) Whew, already at 08.00 this morning, it was 28C. Dan put up our windsock in our cabin so any breeze out there came in to us to help cool things off, but there was very little wind during the night. Today was a scorcher. We have a morning routine of waking up, taking a swim around thee boat, coffee and bread for breakfast while we check all the weather sites, then a trip to shore for Varga. On a travel day, we then stow everything that’s been lying out and loose, starting the engine and getting underway. This morning was a travel day. It was my turn to take Varga for a beach walk and we noticed that our neighbouring sailboat, a Spanish couple, had a dog but had taken their dinghy onboard for repair. So V and I rowed over there and asked if they would like a ride to the beach for their dog, a Scotch terrier, 17 years old. The wife was very happy to accept and jumped in with her dog. We don’t speak each other’s language except for a few words, but we managed to chat happily away anyway. The dogs played on the beach and we were soon joined by another couple with a dog, this one from Germany. After dropping our companions back at their boat we returned to FRAM and got her ready to go. Dan hauled up the anchor and I steered us out of the cove. It was a very nice place with crystal clear water and sandy bottom. But not much opportunity to hike as there were only goat trails and the brush is very thick and thorny. Once out of the cove we pulled out the genoa and had a very lazy sail up the west side of the island. By the time we got to the north side, the wind had totally died so we motored the rest of the way which was only a mile or so. Chersonisi cove is super nice, again, probably the best one yet. We say this about every cove or bay we anchor in! Clear water, a beach for Varga, and anchoring in sand. We have to be very careful not to let the chain or anchor catch on posidonia (seagrass) as it is endangered and protected. Most of the time the water is so clear that it’s easy to position the anchor in pure sand. This time was no exception. We took a beach walk in the afternoon walking along the water’s edge on sometimes sand but mostly rock that was very prickly and hard, almost like coral. Good thing we had our flip-flops with us. It wasn’t so easy for Varga so we carried her over the rough bits. We ended with a swim [Varga was first into the water] before taking the dinghy back to the boat. We were 7 boats here by sunset. We decided to stay an extra day as strong winds are coming from the south. In this cove we are protected from all wind directions except West.  Day 2  Another gorgeous sunny day, 32C but with the strong southerly winds, we got a cooling breeze. We decided to go for a hike today, so got out our hiking shoes, painted Varga’s paws with a silicone solution that I paint on like nail polish. This coating protects her paws from sharp stones and such. We rowed to the south corner of the beach intending to hike round to a little chapel we saw when we were approaching the cove yesterday. We put our shoes on and set off. Varga stopped after 30 meters and just stood watching us, whining a little bit. I looked down at the ground we were walking on and saw that there were lots of dry burrs covering the ground. I went to V and found she was covered with them on all legs, paws, and stomach. Poor thing. I lifted her up and pulled them all off while she yelped in pain. Once we got on the dirt road, I put her down and off we went. But not far because we saw a big red sign on a tree saying this was a private island and dogs would be sent to attack trespassers. Naturally we did an about-face and went back to the dinghy, very disappointed. But before going back to the boat, we took a very long leisurely swim. The water was gorgeous and completely calm in this corner protected from the wind. Varga has really taken to swimming in Greece. She follows us out into the deep water and paddles round us, keeping good and close. Dan put her on my back when we swam back to shore and she didn’t protest. We got cleaned up with showers off the stern to rinse off the salt and had cocktails and played two hands of Canasta. Ouzo with ice and water tastes so perfectly good here. I managed to collect the last of our ice cubes for tonight’s cocktails. For dinner I marinaded chicken in yoghurt, garlic, oregano, cumin and lemon juice. Dan grilled it off the stern and I made a salad to go with it.  ​ 9 June 2024 Karystos Harbour - Megalonisos anchorage N37 58.913 E24 15.150 Distance Traveled - 11.8 NM Time Traveled - 1.5 hours  Weather - Sunny, 32C Wind N 8-15 m/s (16-30 knots) After 3 days and nights in a Greek marina we were ready to move on and get back out at sea. We stayed because of the strong north winds that were forecast to blow until Sunday night. Karystos was a really lovely little town, very genuine and non-touristy. There were plenty of tavernas, shops and supermarkets so we got al stocked up and went out for dinner 2 out of 3 nights.  The method boats tie up in a marina here in the Med is not very much to our liking. I may have said this before but it still holds true. “Marina” isn’t really the correct word for what they have here, it’s more like a break wall with iron rings or bollards spaced along the town quay. There are no showers, no bathrooms, no wifi, no security; you are right there on the quay where everyone has access to your boat and can see what you are doing in your cockpit and even right down into your boat. Saiboats have to drop an anchor, back in and tie lines to the quay using the iron rings or bollards. We are not only dependent on how good our anchor bites into the sea bottom, we are also dependent on how the boats next to us get their anchors in straight and firm. It’s difficult to check your anchor in a harbour because the water is not clear and because you are backing into your spot and if there’s wind, you can’t afford to dally out there getting the anchor set. If the wind comes up and blows hard, there are always at least one boat that loses its anchor setting and bangs into the boat beside which then gets jostled and bumps into the next boat. If the wind is blowing from the sea, many boats have trouble keeping their stern off the quay and damage is caused when it backs into the stone quay. Ferry waves or large boat waves can cause everyone to rock back and forth bumping into each other. We had an incident in Karystos when the ferry came in on Friday night. It backed into its spot on the quay which was smack in the middle of all the sailboats. We were second boat over from the marked out ferry spot. It seemed to have trouble backing in because it kept breaking out of reverse and going forward to get a better angle to the quay. The wash caused by the propeller set all the boats reeling from the power of the water and rocking to and fro. As the captain was negotiating the quay, the wind had come up and there was lightning in the sky and soon raindrops started falling. Dan and I watched from our cockpit and when the ferry finally got close enough to the quay to throw out and secure docking lines it put the engine in forward which caused movement of a lot of water. The boat next to us and closest to the ferry got bumped into the quay causing some damage to his rudder. Dan always pulls us rather far from the quay at night, just in case, so we managed fine. But I’m no longer surprised when I read about storms in the Med causing so much damage to boats and it’s almost always boats in the harbours that get damaged. We much prefer anchoring free in coves and bays and find it safer even in a storm. Greece has lots of cats. They are everywhere and they look well-fed. Sometimes when I throw a garbage bag into the big bins provided, a cat screeches and jumps out of the bin, disturbed from its foraging. Of course, Varga loves to chase cats so I have to keep her on a leash at all times. One day when we were at the beach, showering with fresh water provided by the beach café, I let go of the leash and Varga promptly took the opportunity to approach one of these cats that was sitting nearby. The cat didn’t like it and launched itself at her with a horrible screech, swatting Varga with its claws. Varga started screaming and I had to jump in and pick her up and out of the cat’s clutches. Dogs started barking when they heard Varga yelping, people started looking over at us and the cat ran off. Varga was fine, at least physically, but she has learned a lesson now and doesn’t approach cats with her usual forwardness. We could have waited until Monday to leave but longed to get back out and found a cove on an island called Megalonisos which is just a stone’s throw from Karystos. With the north wind we would be sailing first down wind and then on a reach so figured, how bad can it be? We sailed on the genoa alone and even that we had to reef by the time we were out of Karystos bay. There’s something about the mountains and north winds that increase in strength throughout the bay which is quite large. The forecast said 5-12 m/s but we were getting 11-15 m/s. It made for very difficult steering when the gusts caught us. It got marginally better once we rounded the landmass to the west of the bay, but still 10-13 m/s. Our average speed was 7.5 knots so we got here to this cove in record time. There were only a few other boats out and they were also sailing on reefed genoas. The cove we found was a real winner. No waves came in here, and it was beautifully calm.  The water in here is crystal clear and the beach is a fine golden sand with little marble pebbles. The island itself looks uninhabited except for black goats which wander around grazing. Dan tried the stern anchor this time to keep the boat from dancing back and forth on the anchor chain. The disadvantage is that the wind blows right into the cockpit and since we have taken away our spray hood, we can’t put up our all-around coverage bimini to shut out the wind. We were the only boat here but were soon joined by 2 others. There’s plenty of room though so no crowding. Tomorrow the wind shifts to South in the afternoon so we will sail northwards just a little ways to another cove we found on Navily that will protect us from all directions except West. The sun continues to shine and its quite warm out so glad for the breeze. At night the wind almost always dies down to calm, making for a hot night. Dan puts up a wind sock in our hatch in the aft cabin so any air movement gets funnelled down to us, keeping us relatively cool as we sleep. ​ 6 June 2024 (Sweden’s National Day) Karystos Bay anchorage to Karystos town marina Distance Traveled - 3 NM Time Traveled - 45 min Weather - overcast, 30C Winds N 1-2 m/s (2-4 knots) We saw on the weather forecasts yesterday that high winds from the North are coming in this weekend starting tonight so wanted to get in here and dock before the winds come up. We did a Med docking (stern to, with our anchor holding the front) It went very smoothly once again. Getting the hang of it and really like it except for the fact that Dan likes to keep FRAM’s stern as far away from the quay as he can resulting in me and Varga not being able to get on and off when we want. We have a gangway but it’s not very long and often doesn’t reach to the quay. So Dan has to place it just right and then hold one end while we skip off or on the boat. I find this very annoying. But he doesn’t want to risk our stern crashing into the stone quay when a ferry or big boat goes by and I can hardly argue with that. This harbour seems to be very calm; no surge, no waves and when the wind comes it will be pushing us off the quay so that’s a good thing. We’ll see what happens when the ferry comes in tonight. Once we got settled, we had to buy a card for electricity and water in a little kiosk along the waterfront. It costs 20 euros and can be used in any marina on all of Evia. We normally use about 3 euros’ worth in 4 days. There are columns placed along the quay that you can attach your water hose and electric cord to. Once you blip the card and punch the number of the electric outlet and water faucet, you have both electricity and water. We filled up with water, got all our devices charging and turned on the fridge, the water pump and the electric toilet. Varga and I went to the supermarket to get yoghurt milk and vegetables. There are homeless dogs hanging around so I have to pick up Varga when they come along. They don’t seem to like dogs that have homes. And I don’t want her to pick up fleas and lice from them either. No dogs are allowed in the supermarkets, but if you put your dog in a bag and carry them, it’s OK. So Varga sits in my FRAM canvas bag which I put in the shopping cart. Apparently she feels very prone there because when people come up and see her and want to pet her she growls and bares her teeth. Very embarrassing for me. The harbour fee for 3 days is 15 euros. Not bad! We had a little bit of rain around lunch time and more is expected this evening. I don’t mind, it’s so damn hot right now. This afternoon it’s 34C. ​ 4-6 June 2024 Fellos - Karystos Bay Anchorage N 37 58.684 E 24 23.834 Distance Traveled - 14 NM Time Traveled - 3 hours Weather - Sunny 32C, Winds SW 0-3m/s (0-6 knots) It was a very calm day today, we motored some, sailed some and then motored some more. It was very leisurey. Unfortunatey, our batteries aren’t charging enough at the moment so while we had the motor on and charging, we turned off everything that draws power; fridge, GPS,  and autopilot. So had to steer but it was such a calm day that it was easy to steer anyway. I dragged off the back of the boat in the water to cool off. So heavenly, not to have to worry about jelly fish, garbage, sharks, etc. It’s like being in a gigantic swimming pool. We dropped our anchor in a lovely bay, again, just us. There’s a beach and a few houses but no one seems to be living in the at the moment. We went for a hike to see the views, everything is so dry, it crunches under your feet. As it was so hot, we stayed pretty much on the boat reading books. I had no power in my laptop and couldn’t charge as we are conserving as much battery power as we can,. The solar panel does a good job, but still can’t get the batteries up to 100% once they go down to 80%. ​ 3 June 2024 Ormos Otzia, Kea - Fellos anchorage, Andros N 37 58.684 E 24 42.620 Distance Traveled - 22.2 NM Time Traveled - 5 hours Weather - sunny 30C Wind E and SE 0-5 m/s (0-10 knots) Our anchorage in Kea was fantastic, best so far. Although small motor boats and motor cruisers came in for the day on both Sat and Sun, it was still peaceful. At night it was just us a couple sailboats. The water was the clearest we’ve seen yet and there were lots of trails for hiking. We took a 6 km hike on a very hot day so felt good to get back to the boat and swim. Varga went straight into the water when we came back to the dinghy after our hike. We had a hard time getting her out of the water. On Sunday evening, we went in to a taverna for dinner. There are 2, we went to Taverna Otzia and it was wonderful. Dan had grilled pork chops with fries and I had a Dakas salad. Yum.  This morning the winds were light and against us so we motored the whole way, even when the wind came up it was dead against us so we continued motoring to charge our batteries. Got them up to 92%. Fellos anchorage is very pretty with protection from all winds except west. We were the only ones there and no one came in after us so we had it to ourselves. There’s a nice beach that a few people were sunbathing and swimming at, otherwise just a smattering of houses. Apparently there is a taverna set back behind the houses but we didn’t bother to check it out. We swam and walked on the beach with Varga.  ​ 31 May 2024 Galatas buoy - Oria Bay, Kea Greece N 37 40.603 E 24 20.980 Distance Traveled - 47.2 NM Time Traveled - 8 hours Weather - Sunny, 24C Wind SE 4-6 m/s (8-12 knots) We did our last supermarket, bakery and butcher’s shopping before letting go of Jakous’ buoy and heading east through Poros channel. It was a truly glorious day with a light breeze from the east; not so good for us but we were confident it would shift to SE shortly. We rested our eyes on Porostown and felt a surge of happiness that we got to spend so much time here. Poros is beautiful, lively, colourful and just happy. We would most definitely like to come back next spring. Once out of the channel we hauled up the mainsail but continued motoring until the shift came about an hour later. Engine off, genoa out and we were on our way at 5-6 knots on a 90 degree course towards the Cyclades island of Kea which is the closest Cyclades island to Athens. Gradually we were able to start falling off and ended on our chosen course of 60 degrees to the north tip of Kea. The sailboat traffic was mainly charter boats going back to Athens to hand in. We felt very lucky that we don’t have time restrictions; we stay as long as we like, leave when we want and go as far as we want to go.   As we approached Kea we saw a very brown barren landscape. Not a single tree, barely any bushes, just rock and brown dirt. There were a lot of housing projects going on the slopes. The building material looked to be the same stone that littered the island so that they blended in with their background. They were all bungalows with flat roofs. No traditiional white stucco houses with blue trim here. We wondered who lives in them as there isn’t much industry going on here and certainly no tourism to speak of. I couldn’t imagine living in them with no shade anywhere, no protection from the Meltemi winds. Hmmm. Don’t think I’d like to buy a house on this island. But maybe Kea is finally planning on becoming a tourist destination. It’s perfectly placed geographically for a short ferry ride from Lavrion which in its turn is close to Athens airport. There are some small towns on the island with very small hotels, but the tourists are mainly just sailboats and locals in day boats that come out on the weekends for some swimming and lunch at the taverna. When we were about 2 NM from our chosen cove, the wind died completely and we had to take down the sails and motor the rest of the way. We rounded the corner into Oria Bay and were immediately charmed. A large deep bay with water so crystal clear you can see every detail in the sea bottom at 10 meters depth. Amazing.  Only 4 sailboats were anchored of the beach down at the end of the bay so there was plenty of space for us. The anchor caught immediately and a snorkel examination showed that it was dug down deep in the sandy bottom 6 meters below the boat. The water was so clear I could see the chain stretching in front of us. A look around us showed that there was no really town here, just a few houses and a taverna and a little chapel. Dan took Varga in for her land business while I got dinner ready. Tonight’s dinner was t-bone steak, patatas fritas and greek salad. Our favourite cocktail now is Ouzo with ice and water. Yum such a good taste! We’ll stay here for the weekend. Looking forward to lots of swimming and hiking. Kea is known for several archealogical sites ​ 26-29 May 2024 Nafplio - Ermioni South N 37 22.975 E 23 14.062 Distance Traveled - 38 NM Time Traveled - 8 hrs Weather - Overcast 20C Wind NNW 4-10 m/s (8-20 knots) I was actually reluctant to leave Nafplio. Such a charming village and so much beauty in the surrounding area. We climbed up to the Palamidi fortress early in the morning on Saturday It was a glorious day sunny and warm, about 24C. The climb was mostly stone steps (897 of them) and while it looked rather daunting, it wasn’t bad at all and totally worth it for the view from up there. The fortress was built in the early19th century by Venetians during the Venetian occupation of Peloponnesos. It was mainly used as a prison. We walked about the ruins and marvelled at the views from up there. The whole Gulf of Argolis; blue blue water, mountainous terrain on both sides and little white villages dotting the coastline. We decided to go out for dinner in the village. I scouted about and found a restaurant that had been recommended to us by our friends Gael and Steve on Songbird. But when evening came, a huge rain storm with thunder came through and it rained from 18.00-22.00. So dinner was on the boat. I whipped up a parmesan pasta with the spicy sausages I got from the gourmet store earlier in the day. I bought so much there that he threw them in for free. Among other things, I bought local olive oil, red wine, olives, and feta cheese. Despite not going out, which I had looked very much forward to, we had a nice evening onboard FRAM. As usual. This morning, we took off early for Ermioni. We had a really good sail on just the genoa. The wind built up as the day progressed and was up to 10 m/s with gusts at 12. But since it was a following wind, we had a rather smooth ride. We got to Ermioni in the late afternoon. The town anchorage was rather crowded and did not have protection from N. Martin and Sue were there, so we gave them a wave and motioned that we would go around to the south side of Ermioni. It was totally protected there though had a slight swell that hit us sideways. Kind of annoying but not terribly so. Early next morning, we upped anchor and motored over to Ermioni North as a gale was coming through from the north. It was a lovely anchoraged; very big and crystal clear water. We anchored in 7 meters depth and could see everything on the bottom. Sand and seagrass. We had nice swims, took a walk ashore and looked at the abandoned mine there. Seems there was a mining community with housing for families and offices, but all was abandoned and now falling down. 28-29 May 2024 Still sunny and gorgeous. The north wind died down so after a morning swim and breakfast, we tootled over to Ermioni town. It’s a very sweet town, quiet, but still has lots of restaurants and shops. We anchored in 6 meters depth in sand. In the afternoon we all dinghied in and Dan went for a run while Varga and I went for a walk   round the woods to the south side of Ermioni. It was lovely with the strong scent of pine and eucalyptus. Again we planned to eat out at one of the tavernas looking over the south bay, but clouds rolled in and it looked like rain, so we postponed AGAIN! No rain came but it was so overcast that kind of wrecked the taverna ambiance. Anyway, I’d been to the butcher’s and got pork souvlaki which was delish. On Wednesday morning we let FRAM on her own and took the ferry to Hydra. It’s nearly impossible to get a berth there and we thought it was very convenient to stay in Ermioni and just visit Hydra. We got confirmation of our judgement when we approached the harbour; there were 7 sailboats all milling around outside the harbour waiting for someone to leave so they could take their place. There are only 8 berths on the north wall and about another 8 on the south wall. The rest is for fishing boats, ferries and taxi boats, all of which were coming and going in a constant flow. Not only the harbour itself was teeming with activity, the quayside was full of tourists strolling about, sitting in cafés or shopping in the little shops. The quality of the goods here is very high. Beautiful jewelry, cotton goods, linen, ceramics and dress shops. There were also art galleries with very impressive stuff. Of course the prices reflect this higher quality and the fact that its Hydra. The village itself is another one of these perfect Greek coastal villages, built up the steep mountainside, steps everywhere. No cars are allowed on the island so they have fleets of donkeys that carry suitcases up to hotels and building materials lord knows where. You can also go for rides up in the hills on the donkeys. Everything was pristine clean and the houses were typically Greek; white plaster with blue shutters and doors. We took a walk up the steps of several streets looking for Leonard Cohen’s house where he spent so many months writing songs. We finally found it after running into one of our fellow ferryboat passengers. Her name was Sue and she was from Birmingham. She was all alone and just wandering around when we ran into her. We told her where we were going and she joined us. 2 hours was just about right for a visit to this place. We went back down to the quayside to see the schedule for the return ferry only to find that the next ferry was at 15.00. it was now 12.45. We sat down at a café and had Greek coffee (Dan) and a homemade lemonade (me) Varga got water. Then we walked to Mandraki. It was a lovely walk along the sea on slate stone walkways. We got back to the quayside with 20 minutes to spare. We asked if the boat was on time and the guy told us No, it was delayed due to a breakdown and wouldn’t come until 17,30. Ugh! 2 and half more hours of kicking our heels. Dan was pretty ticked off. We went to the taxi boats to see what they take for a trip to Ermioni and were told 200 euros. Not happening. The ferry boat only cost 10 euros per person. We went back to where our ferry would come in and met up with some other passengers and got to talking. We asked them if they were interested in sharing the taxi boat. If we could get enough people, it would bring the price per person down. Everyone was all for it. So we were 8 people which is the limit for the taxi boats. I sat in the café with Sue while Dan was talking to the other passengers and happened to notice the guy that works for the ferry company nip over to the owners who were sitting at another café. I told Dan that I thought he was tittle-tattling about our plans to take another mode of transportation A few minutes later the owners called Dan over and threatened to report him to the police “For what?” Asked Dan. They said it was for doing business on the quay and that was illegal. Dan got very angry at this and told them off, then walked away. The rest of us gathered our stuff up and walked to the taxi boat and hopped in. When we arrived in Ermioni, we saw our ferry with the 2 crewmen sitting there on their phones., The boat wasn’t broken. They just didn’t have enough passengers to make it worthwhile going in for the 15,00 ferry. RUDE! we though. We ended up getting back to Ermioni a full 2 hours before the ferry came in and it cost 25 euros per person so a net of 15 euros extra per person. It was worth it, we all thought. We said goodbye to our travel companions and dinghied back out to FRAM, half wondering if there would be repercussions for either us and/or the taxi boat driver from those horrible ferry boat owners. A swim was the next order of the day and long drink of cold water.  ​ 24 May 2024 Vivario - Nafplio N37 34.071 E22 47.908 Distance Traveled - 9.7 NM Time Traveled - 2 hours Weather - Sunny 25C, beautiful scenery, Wind NW 0-1 m/s We had to motor all the way, the sea was flat calm. We have come to understand that the mornings are like this and then anytime after 12.00-13.00 the wind goes to SE and picks up to 10-12 m/s (20-24 knots) until nearly sunset when it dies down to calm again. So the idea is to get going early and reach the destination before noon or make sure you are coming to a very protected bay. As we approached Nafplio from the South, we could see the fortress on top of the rock precipice over the town. The town itself was on the other side of an outcropping. The harbour itself is quite large and sailboats throw out an anchor and then back in to the quay. We don’t really like this method of docking because, as a sailor, you not only have to depend on your own anchor holding your boat in place, you also have to depend on all the other boats having their anchors holding. You also have to be careful that your stern doesn’t get close enough to the quay to crash into the stone quay when a big wake goes by or if there happens to be a surge in the harbour. We experienced the surge in Poros when we did our first Med docking. A high speed ferry came in and sent all us boats surging back and forth into the quay. Luckily we were just in so Dan was standing down on the swimming platform tying our big round fenders to prevent our swim platform from hitting the quay. He had to hold off with all his strength to keep FRAM’s stern from crunching into the stone quay. It only lasted a minute or so, but that is all it takes to put a hole in your boat. Our docking here at Nafplio went fine, there was no wind to speak of and Dan dropped the anchor about 40 meters out. I then reversed the engine and backed into the berth using mainly the bow thruster to steer us straight in. It’s very calm here, no surge, waves from the big Cruise ship launches are not a problem. We sit quite still. But Captain Dan still insists on keeping us at least 2 meters from the quay. Our gangplank is 1.80 long. So you can understand that getting on and off is problematic, at least for me. The Captain thinks it’s easy-peasy to either leap from boat to quay or brave a gangplank that is hanging precariously between boat and quay. This is a subject of constant discussion with us as I am of the opinion that one shouldn’t have to run the gammet and risk a spill into the sea every time one gets on or off the boat. One day, I’m sure we’ll find a solution. Everyone else seems to manage it just fine. We took a walk around the old town which is really just the cutest, prettiest place you ever saw. Greece has been a constant surprise to us this year as we go from place to place. The villages are adorable, the shops are lovely with really good quality products. It’s clean, especially compared to Sicily where garbage was absolutely everywhere. Here they have green and blue bins (green for household whatever and blue for recyclables) every 100 m or so throughout the town so you can dump whatever garbage you may have without having to walk around looking for them. The streets are paved with big and small flat slabs of cream colored/light yellow stones, sometimes flagstones. The only miss is the harbours. There is often no water or electricity to be had even though they have columns with faucets and electric outlets. You can forget a facilities building with showers and bathrooms. Doesn’t exist except in the super ritzy marinas of which there are probably 4 in all Greece. The harbour master may or may not come by your boat to charge you for the day. There is zero security, a sailboat on the quay is subject to anyone and anything (as in rats, cats and cockroaches) freely boarding your boat and taking, eating all you own. My only hope is that the Greeks keep the towns so clean that the rat and cockroach problem is solved by the cats.  On our evening walk through town which was positively buzzing with activity and masses of restaurants, we found an open deli store that sold rusks. A hardened bread roll or sliced loaf of bread, very crunchy, and flavoured with different flours and/or herbs and spices. We bought a bag to try out. Also bought some halva which we love. In the town square there were about 8 restaurants with outdoor seating. Each restaurant had a huge TV screen and all were showing basketball games. Guess that’s a favourite sport around here. At any given street corner you will see several cats. In fact, cats are EVERYWHERE here in Greece. People put out food for them and look after them. We see very few stray dogs. ​ 23 May 2024 Porto Cheli - Vivario Bay N 37 32.082 E22 55.135 Distance Traveled - 19.2 NM Time Traveled - 4 hours Weather - Sunny 25C Wind SW-SE 3-8 m/s (6-16 knots) We toyed with staying one more day in Porto Cheli but at 13.00 decided, Naw, let’s move on. So hauled up the anchor and motored out of the bay through the channel and then headed north to a place called Vivario Bay. It’s more like a lagoon with a narrow entrance opening onto a large bay protected from every wind except SE which is just what we came in on in the afternoon when it blows the most around here. At 17.30 it was still blowing 8 m/s (16 knots) The sail was great but when we got into the lagoon we found that it wasn’t so great for anchoring so grabbed a buoy that was just floating on its own. It held us fine and no one came and kicked us off. The town wasn’t much to speak of, mostly just a cluster of small hotels and a couple restaurants. We stayed just the night. ​ 22 May 2024 Porto Cheli Stayed another day here to relax and meet up with Lars and Ingela. Dan went for a run and Varga and I went for a long walk. We rowed over to Baravara for a lovely afternoon late lunch with them. ​ 21 May 2024 Dokos Bay - Porto Cheli N 37 19.475 E 23 09.108 Distance Traveled - 13.8 NM Time Traveled - 3 hours Weather - Sunny and hazy 24C Wind ESE 0-4 m/s (0-8 knots) After a dinghy run to shore where Varga refused to walk anywhere; just got out peed and jumped back into the dinghy, we rowed back to FRAM and prepared to depart. The water was so clear we could see the anchor plain as day and it was right below us, so easy for Dan to haul up. Yes, we have a windlass that works great, but Dan prefers to do it himself when he can as it is good exercise.  We motored out of the bay and headed west around the mainland and then north. Once we turned north, we could sail on the genoa. The going was a gentle and relaxing, the scenery breathtaking. We passed by Spetsai where all the charter boats were heading and after another nautical mile or so turned into a narrow channel with lovely coves on either side of turquoise water. At the end of the channel it opened up to a big bay protected from all wind directions. We anchored in 3.8m sand bottom. The town of Porto Cheli lines the shores half way around and then the resort hotels take over. There is a harbour but no electricity or water. Once settled, I took Varga in the dinghy in to shore and we walked in to town to have a look. It’s a cute place, lots of tavernas and cafés with palm trees lining the road. The sidewalks are smooth stone slate stones in hues of cream, white, and yellow. Greece is, of course, very rocky and the Greeks are good at making use of the stones they dig up to make stone walls, sidewalks, roads and house facades. Together with the blooming magenta, red and white Bougainville it makes a gorgeous picture. The wind came up from SE as it usually does around 14.00 and blew up to 9 m/s (18 knots). We got back in time for tea and then Dan was ready for a walk, so in we went again. This time we ran across another couple also from Sweden and also walking in to town to have a look around. We got to talking and found that we had done some of the same things in our sailing life; they bought a boat and motored down the European canals to the Med and wintered in Turkey before sailing back via the canals in 2008-2009. We did it in 2010-2011 but sailed home on the outside; Atlantic, Bay of Biscay, English channel, Keil canal. They retired in 2018 and set off to the Med again but this time went the outside route, just like we did in 2022-2023. It was great fun comparing notes on our experiences. We found that we also had a faulty Volvo Penta engine in common that caused a lot inconvenience and cost. Their names are Ingela and Lars and their boat is Baravara. Indeed we had so much to talk about that we made a date to get together on their boat tomorrow. We parted ways and went back to FRAM. ​ 20 May 2024 Neoriou Cove - Dokos Bay N 37 20.145 E 23 20.121 Distance Traveled - 20.6 NM Time Traveled - 5 hours Weather - Sunny 24C Wind ENE 1-4 m/s (2-8 knots) Topping up our batteries has been a bit of a challenge these last 3 days with all the cloud cover. Our sun panel has not been able to optimise charging, but we manage to keep the batteries between 88-93%. Yesterday with the sun shining all day got us back to up 97%. The solar panel makes a big difference. Dan hauled up the anchor at 09.00 and we motored out of the cove and through Poros channel heading East. There wasn’t enough wind to sail so motored along with a bunch of catamaran and monohull charter boats all going to Hydra and Spetsai. We were also heading to Hydra but on advice from Martin we headed for a cove called Mandraki which is just a 40-minute walk to Hydra town. The harbour at Hydra is very small and extremely crowded. Add to that ferries and taxi boats going back and forth and you have a sailor’s nightmare. Unfortunately, when we got to Mandraki, we didn’t like the look of it. There was a lot of rock fall along the edges and the best places were already taken. We would be using our floating lines for the first time and didn’t think this looked like a good place to try it out, so we turned around and continued west to Dokos, an almost uninhabited island of very high steep hills and a huge bay on the north side. It was gorgeous. Most of the boats chose to anchor in the northeast end as there was a beach there and you could walk to the goat farm. We went all the way in to the south side and anchored in 8.5 m off a small beach. It was truly beautiful but not friendly for hiking or even walking. The beach was small to large pebbles that even Varga didn’t like walking on. We rowed in for her needs but otherwise stayed on the boat. The water was crystal clear and refreshing and we had everything we needed. We grilled pork souvlaki and rice for dinner with Greek Salad.  The moon rose almost full over the hills just before we went to bed.  ​ 18-19 May 2024 Galatas Buoy - Neorio Cove N 37 30.738 E 23 26.573 Distance Traveled - 2.2 NM including looking for dinghy Time Traveled - 1 hour including looking for dinghy Weather - Overcast 23C Wind ESE 1-6 m/s (0-12 knots) We spent the morning provisioning and buying 100 meters of floating rope for Greek anchoring which is similar to Swedish anchoring except you drop your anchor out in the cove and then back up to land and tie 2 long floating ropes to trees or rocks. The reason the ropes are so long is that you don’t go particularly close to the land. In fact, in many places you are not allowed to have your boat closer than 30 meters to shore. The floating ropes are bright yellow and easily visible to dinghies who travel closer to shore thus avoiding a nasty accident. Dan measured it out and cut it in 2 so we have 2 x 50 meters of floating rope. We haven’t tried it yet as prefer anchoring free. But in Greece especially during the season, more boats can get into a cove if everyone tails to the land. So we figured we’d best comply. Right now it’s low season so not really necessary, we can anchor free, but we’ll see, it will most likely change in June. Dan took one last trip in to shore to pick up our campinggaz for the stove and the BBQ. I had lunch when he returned and then we started making ready to leave Jakous’ buoy. Dan went to tie the dinghy behind the boat but it was gone. How could that have happened! Mortification! We left the buoy and slowly motored along the coast as the wind was blowing towards Galatas shore, we figured it must be there somewhere, but no luck. It was GONE. As we swung back for one more look, a man on a German sailboat near us whistled  and gestured for us to come close. “Have you lost your dinghy?” “Yes!” “I’ll show you where it is” He got in his dinghy and picked Dan up and drove over to Poros harbour. He had seen it drifting, picked it up and figured by the wind direction that it must have come from Porostown so he took it there and put it up on the floating pontoon. It was still there so they got it and he drove Dan and our dinghy back. I was tooling around the buoy area waiting for them. His name is Andreas and his boat is Anakoni. We thanked him profusely and asked how we could repay him. He smiled and said “Just pass it on when someone else needs help”. A true Sailor. Once we had the dinghy back we tootled off across the channel to the next cove. It’s a lovely cove on the south side of Porostown to the west. There are several tavernas along the beach road. Martin and Sue joined us in the late afternoon and came over for cocktails. It was lovely to meet Sue, a very nice South African. After cocktails we rowed in to shore and went to their favourite restaurant for dinner. Had a lovely evening. In the morning we went for a hike to the Poros West lighthouse with Martin and Sue. She is an avid hiker but Martin only occasionally joins in. We were all very happy that he came along. All in all the hike was about 8 km. It was a beautiful day sunny and about 25C. The walk was along the road, on beaches and then up along a cowpath around the edge of the rocky hills to up to the lighthouse. It was a beautiful view from up there. Coming down we decided to go off road and take a short cut. Dan led the way, I was next then Sue and Martin. I saw almost immediately a spider web going across the path and warned Dan. Once he saw it, he realised how big it was, and he also saw the great big black spider perched right in the middle. Ugh. Neither Sue nor I like spiders, to put it very mildly. We took a detour around the web and continued for about 40 meters until we came on the next one which was even bigger. ”That’s it, we’re going back and taking the same path we took up here” said Sue and I totally agreed. We turned around and traipsed back around the rocky edge to beach and then up through pine woods to the road and back to the cove. As we walked with the sun beating down on us, (all had hats and sunscreen) I marvelled at the smells accosting me. Wafts of pine, oregano and thyme cross gently but unmistakable past the nose and the smell is a positive balm for the soul.  It was a really nice hike that we all enjoyed. We went our separate ways when we got back to the cove. Dan and I jumped in the water as soon as we got back to FRAM and lolled in the cool clear water.  We joined up again with Sue and Martin for dinner at the same restaurant. ​ 17 May 2024 Vidi Bay anchorage - Galatas Buoy N 37 29.992 E 23 26.785 Distance Traveled - 2.5 NM Time Traveled - 45 min Weather - Overcast, chilly 18C Wind morning NE 1-4 m/s and afternoon ESE 5-8 m/s Dan called Janous to ask if we could use his buoy again for a night. We needed to provision and get our camping gaz bottles filled. In Sicily it cost 35 Euros for filled bottle, here it cost 15 Euros. We went to the supermarket and then the bakery and then the butcher’s. Had to do a couple trips with the dinghy. Also bought a bottle of Ouzo for Janous as he would not take money for the buoy use. He was very pleased and said we could stay on his buoy anytime. Dan went for a run, I did my Asana Rebel workout on deck and then we swam and had a nice dinner of hamburgers. Haven’t had that in such a long time. Next day we finished our errands and then after lunch started preparing FRAM for departure across the bay to Neorio Cove. Dan went to tie the dinghy behind the boat but it was gone. How could that have happened! Mortification! We left the buoy and slowly motored along the coast as the wind was blowing towards Galatas shore, we figured it must be there somewhere, but no luck. It was GONE. As we swung back for one more look, a man on a German sailboat near us whistled  and gestured for us to come close. “Have you lost your dinghy?” “Yes!” “I’ll show you where it is” He got in his dinghy and picked Dan up and drove over to Poros harbour. He had seen it drifting, picked it up and figured by the wind direction that it must have come from Porostown so he took it there and put it up on the floating pontoon. It was still there so they got it and he drove Dan and our dinghy back. I was tooling around the buoy area waiting for them. His name is Andreas and his boat is Anakoni. We thanked him profusely and asked how we could repay him. He smiled and said “Just pass it on when someone else needs help”. A true Sailor. 18 May 2024 Galatas Buoy - Neorio Cove N 37 30.738 E 23 26.573 Distance Traveled - 2.2 NM including looking for dinghy Time Traveled - 1 hour including looking for dinghy Weather - Overcast 23C Wind ESE 1-6 m/s (0-12 knots) Topping up our batteries has been a bit of a challenge these last 3 days with all the cloud cover. Our sun panel has not been able to optimise charging, but we manage to keep the batteries between 88-93%. Once we had the dinghy back we tootled off across the channel to the next cove. It’s a lovely cove on the south side of Porostown to the west. There are several tavernas along the beach road. Martin and Sue joined us in the late afternoon and came over for cocktails. It was lovely to meet Sue, a very nice South African. After cocktails we rowed in to shore and went to their favourite restaurant for dinner. Had a lovely evening.