Khios Marina .
We left the beautiful Oinoussos on Friday 9th and sailed down to Khios where we berthed in the "new" marina.
 
Most Greek marinas go through a very strange life cycle in which they are conceived as a good idea which will bring in loadsa dosh to the local economy, a large chunk of the capital is obtained from the EU, the rest promised from various sources. The project is started and rapidly some walls and pontoons appear. Suddenly - nothing more happens! The money dries up and the perfectly usable, marina is apparently abandoned. Local fishing boats put in moorings for themselves, old rusting ferries are tied up and their owners disappear, some local yachties might put in their own moorings and a few spaces are left for visiting yachts. Slowly the marina takes on the appearance of a nautical scrapyard and becomes a free mooring for whoever takes a fancy to it. Then, sometimes after many years, for no apparent reason, buildings appear followed by electricity, streetlights and the whole place suddenly looks about to go ahead. Suddenly - again, nothing happens for a few years, streetlights fall down, electricity isn't connected and everything reverts to derelict status again . Then, for no apparent reason, over a very short period the marina is completed, opens up, is excellently run, charter fleets move in and the local taverna owners are rubbing their hands with glee.
 
Khios marina after 19 years - so we are told by a local fisherman from New York (don't ask - too complicated to explain simply!), - has now reached stage 1 of dereliction. It has one large rusting fishing boat and 3 huge ferries just marginally keeping the water at bay with wafer thin layers of rust.
 
Nonetheless we had a good couple of days there and the craic was good. We became friendly with John, an 80 year old Norwegian of Irish parentage and Liverpudlian upbringing, who lost the use of an arm through polio, became a keen mountaineer (of his kids - of whom he is enormously proud - he said, tongue in cheek, he noticed that there were some small people around the house when he arrived home between climbing trips) and sailed a Soling for Norway at a number of international events. A remarkable man.
 
Karlavasi
On Sunday, after stocking up the boat we left Khios marina, at 5 .30 in the morning and headed for Samos. The wind was up and down like a courtesan's underwear when the gentlemen of the navy are in town. It came from all directions and was hard work keeping the boat sailing. We were perpetually reefing the sails as the wind got stronger, unreefing as the wind weakened, and, unlike the courtesan, dropping them when it died and then hauling them up again when it fired up again. Still it was good to be sailing and not motoring.
 
The time passed rapidly and we arrived in Karlavasi on Samos at lunchtime. Karlavasi is at the North West of the island and does not get that many yachties. This was apparent as we tied up to the quay and were subjected to welcomes from a never ending stream of locals. However, our pleasure was short lived. Rob was unhappy about being moored on the quay, he said it didn't feel safe. One local guy had said that there was a new marina (not even hinted at in the pilot book so would have to have been conceived, built and up and running in an impossibly short timescale by Greek standards) . Disbelieving, Rob went to look for it. When he found it he was again welcomed by local fishermen and boat owners at the tiny marina and was told to bring the boat round.
 
Meanwhile, Gina was alone on Tiercel and enjoying the sunshine when another fisherman shouted at her "get it out!". 'That's not something you hear very day', she thought, but then noticed that he was pointing to the harbour entrance where a giant ferry was approaching at a rate of knots. The fisherman was telling her to haul the boat out from the quay away from the ferry wash. Gina, being on her own, was unable to do anything. The ferry came in, did a handbrake turn in the middle of the harbour and went astern to the quay. In doing so it sent up a wash that one could surf on with some style, which sent Tiercel crashing, nose first, on to the quay. Gina leapt ashore and held her off until the wash had died down. At this point Rob ambled back and saw what had happened. Amazingly the only damage, other than a scratched bow, was caused by the anchor splitting the lid of the anchor well . These Westerlys really are built strongly - they make brick shit-houses look like balsa wood dolls houses by comparison.
 
We burbled round to the small, but perfectly formed, marina where we were again helped to moor up. Samos, Karlavasi in particular, must have some of the friendliest locals in the Med. The marina manager, Tolis, came over and welcomed us , connected up the electricity, showed us where everything was and proudly told us that the marina had only opened this year. Apparently it had been planned and built in no time at all and was now open as the first stage in a major marina development. By Greek marina development timescales this was miraculous.
 
Karlavasi sits at the foot of the Western mountain range of Samos. From the roadside the mountains ascend steeply to around 1100 metres. Below the tree line they are beautifully verdant with all kinds of vegetation. The port area is small and, despite considerable building works, is a very pleasant place to sit and watch life go by. The tourists are mainly 50+ age group - walkers and mountaineers from Northern Europe - who seem to enjoy the sleepy atmosphere of the port and the handsome, challenging
Mountains .
 
By contrast the main town part of Karlavasi has a university college, is a lively place with a vibrant café culture and good cheap dining. Both parts of town have very attractive churches. A must see is the tiny church of Agia Triada, situated on a knoll above the harbour and accessed by a steep climb up the road and through the rather prosperous houses below it. From here one can also walk along an old track, past fields of almond trees, up to the cave of St Anthony which sits under a huge overhang on the hillside.
 
Karlavasi has been a real surprise to us. We went there for an overnight stop before heading East but ended up staying 4 days and could have stayed longer.
 
Pithagorion
We arrived at Pithagorion marina on Samos after a thoroughly pleasant sail/motor sail/motor along the North and East coasts . The north side really is quite spectacular, dominated, as it is, by the mountains and the steep valleys between. On the lower slopes one can see vineyards and their complex terracing - by the by, the white Samosian wine is really rather good and starts at around €3 .00.
 
This marina is one that sat almost complete but semi derelict for many years before opening last year. It is a typical Greek marina which, after many years of development and dereliction, was opened last year and is now run very well indeed. It sits below the lower lying hills on the eastern end of Samos and has the Turkish mountains looming above it on the other side of the Samos strait. It is one of the most beautiful spots imaginable for a marina, only marginally spoilt by the new semi complete, but clearly functional, sewage treatment works (brick shit house?) on the path into town.
 
On arrival at the marina one radios in to them and is met by the wee pilot boat. The marinero then shouts "Welcome Tiercel, nice to see you back - follow me" and shoots off at about 30 knots in his rib. Tiercel follows on at a more sedate 5 knots or less and we are met on the quayside by the marinero in the rib and another one on shore, both of whom ensure the boat is well tied up and secured. Rob then trotted into the office where the lass at reception says "Welcome back, we already have your details so just come back and pay when you are ready to leave" . This is a courtesy we don't see catching on in the UK where marinas are cackling for ever more extortionate amounts of moolah before one has even tied the boat up.
 
Pithagorion town is now getting into holiday swing. It is mostly full of middle aged Germans, Scandinavians and Brits - the ageing "baby boomers" on their holidays, the flower children sliding slowly into laid back senility. The atmosphere is very relaxed, even the muzac in the bars is restrained. There are a few yachts anchored in the harbour but the quayside is dominated by the local charter fleet who have their headquarters there.
 
Vathi and Samos Town
We hired a 100cc motor scooter for a few days to see a bit more of the island and trotted across to the old island capital of Vathi which sits on the hills behind the main port of Samos - imaginatively named Samos town!
 
Vathi is composed of narrow, winding, shady streets which are nearly impassable to cars. It has a number of domed churches, an open air theatre and tiny, cool shaded tavernas . The views of the bay and the mountains are quite glorious as one wends one's way down the hill to Samos town past the museum and a small enclosed park with open air café.
 
Samos town is a slightly down at heel port where island and Turkish ferries ply their trade. One redeeming feature is a town square with a rather weird lion statue in the middle of it, a pleasant place to sit and watch nothing much happening.
 
Rural Samos.
Outside the main settlements are some interesting places to visit including:
o       The ruins of a temple to the goddess Hera - apparently Samos was where she and Zeus got their rocks off from time to time, thus the large number of stone ruins and the rather strange single, phallic column. A large and interesting site. Here we met Marco and Karin of which more anon.
o       A ruined Roman baths placed almost on top of one of the most popular beaches on the island. It was almost eerily quiet here.
o       A number of attractive hill villages which were nearly ruined in a disastrous hill fire in 2000 but have been mostly, sympathetically restored and offer some interesting ceramics and other retail opportunities .
o       A tunnel through the hill behind Pythagorion which was built by the Greek ruler Polykrates to transport water in the 6th century BC - it's not just the Romans that did good engineering.
o       The drive to Karlavasi through the foothills of the mountains which seems to offer drop dead gorgeous views around every twist and turn of its extremely twisty turny roads!
 
One evening we heard someone on the quay shouting our names. It was Marco and Karin. They are from California, Marco is Mexican and Karin Swedish. We had met whilst at the temple of Hera, had struck up a conversation with them whilst taking photos and had a delightful half hour or so chatting about everything and nothing. As a result we invited them to visit us on the boat before they left the island.
 
When they came over a few nights later we were really pleased to see them and spent a pleasant evening putting the world to rights over a wee glass of wine or two. One of the most enjoyable features of our odyssey has been the remarkable variety of people we have met and can truly call friends .
 
A Brief Cruise in the Dodecanese.
On Saturday 24th our old friends Dave (Rob's old climbing partner from way back when) and Anne flew in from London. After a day catching up with one another we left Samos for a short cruise to Patmos and Marathos. Dave and Anne are experienced yotties and, on the first day we enjoyed some pretty good sailing on the 30 mile trip to Patmos to visit its monastery and enjoy the general ambience of the place. The main port was pretty quiet. On Tuesday we trooped up the ancient cobbled track to the monastery and, because we had forgotten the "No Shorts" rule, had to put on some rather strange skirts and/or baggy trousers - apparently the sight of David's legs was likely to disturb the Monks in their contemplations!
 
On leaving the monastery we burbled about the narrow streets and found a traditional Patmos house which was open to the public. The owner gave us a delightful tour of the property. She was one of 6 children and the only girl. Unusually her parents had given her the house in preference to her brothers . Her family, over the past 400 years, had travelled widely and the house contained goods and chattels from all over the Ottoman Empire as well as Russia and South America. She was a charming hostess and even managed to painlessly remove about 35 euros from us for various overpriced trinkets - a real professional!
 
On Tuesday we drifted, in light airs, towards Marathos, a small but beautiful island with 3 Tavernas, 2 pensiones, a dozen human residents and innumerable goats who seem to take a sadistic pleasure in ringing their bells at the most inopportune moments.
 
They offer free moorings in an idyllic bay. The memory of our excellent meal on the beach that evening, in good company, under the setting sun and the stars, will remain with us for a long time.
 
On Wednesday we regretfully left Marathos with its idyllic surroundings, superb food and loutish goats. We headed back to Samos in absolutely no wind.
 
On Dave and Anne's final day here we hired a car and had a whistle-stop tour of the rest of Samos.
 
Waiting, Bloody Waiting and more friends .
Since Friday we have been sat in the marina waiting for the Northerly winds to abate so that we can head North before the heavy summer winds (the Meltemi) set in.
 
One item of note is the number of Brit boats here similarly waiting for better winds. We moored next to Tony and Jan on Red Marlin, have found an excuse to share a few bottles of wine each evening and even hired a car between us for a fun day out touring Samos.
 
All in all this has been a few weeks in which we renewed old friendships and made some delightful new ones as well. Hard life ain't it?