Welcome to 2015!
Okay, so we're a little past the new year, but our season on Zaffina has only recently started, so I thought it was time to share what we have seen and done so far.
Our lovely Azimut was in good shape when we got back down to Athens, and initially we had just one night on her, out at anchor near Aegina in the Peloponnese. Conditions were perfect, we had a lovely trip down, spent a while anchored off a small island and then went and nestled into a sheltered bay in the late afternoon, intending to go into port for the night. Our situation and the state of the sea were just too good to leave, so instead of moving on, we just stayed in situ and had the most gorgeous overnight stop, a brisk reminder of everything we love about boating. We even swam!
After a brief return to Jersey, we started the next stage of our adventure; a hike south from Athens and then north, between the mainland and the island of Evia, towards the Sporades. The first day was pretty uneventful, but thoroughly enjoyable. It was great to be on the sea again, and exciting to be moving into uncharted (for us) waters. When we saw a delightful anchorage in the mid afternoon, we were happy to stop, our only company a fishing boat on a nearby mooring. Even they departed in the early evening to go fishing, and when they returned some hours later, I beckoned the fishermen across and threw them a bag of doughnuts, (some of those given to us by the lovely Georgette when we left Athens...we couldn't eat all nine, sorry!) In return, the fishermen immediately found a carrier bag, filled it with a gift for us, and threw it back across to Zaffina...two freshly caught octopus! Guess what I had for supper the following evening? After being marinaded in olive oil and lemon juice, then grilled on the barbeque, they were pretty good...but I get ahead of myself!
Day two involved a relatively short hop up to a bay called Boufalo that we'd seen in the pilot book and fancied visiting. The approach was up a channel and then around a spit of sand, with a sheltered anchorage behind it, and having anchored up we spent a while debating whether we were too close to a nearby yacht and whether we should reposition ourselves; by the time we'd made our minds up, the yacht had upped anchor and left, leaving us in pole position for the rest of the day and night. Several other yachts came in during the course of the afternoon, but as usual at this time of year, we appeared to be the only motorboat around.
We knew that the next leg of our trip involved negotiating a low bridge which is opened for boat access at Chalkis. The pilot book advised that it was open at night, but what it didn't make clear was that it was only open at night! We arrived late morning, and had to tie up to the nearby wall for the rest of the day. It wouldn't have been our first choice of mooring, as it was particularly hot and a calm anchorage and pleasant breeze would have been more welcome, but we had lunch in the small town and then jumped through several hoops to get all the paperwork completed that would allow us to go through the bridge when finally it opened. Suffice to say, it was typically Greek...in every sense! Apparently the bridge can only be opened very briefly every evening, and the time changes according to the sped of the current - it can be any time between 10pm and 3am, and you are given a ten minute warning on the radio before being called to go through. We were lucky: the call came at 10.50pm to prepare our boats, and along with those now tied up or moored nearby, we hastily loosened the ropes and, when told to, proceeded through the now open bridge. Rather than tying against the wall on the waterfront, we opted to continue for a while up the channel and find an anchorage away from all the yachts that had come through with us. Big mistake! We did find that anchorage and it was pretty peaceful when we turned in at about 12.30am, but by 4am an uncomfortable swell was hitting us straight on the beam and at 4.30 we finally gave up, pulled up the anchor and set sail in the dark! It's not often that we get to watch the dawn break, but we did that morning, as the sun rose over Evia. At around 7, we again the dropped the anchor, this time in the shelter of a small island, returned to our cabin and slept deeply and sweetly for a few hours.
After a late breakfast we were on the move again, and by now the channel was as calm as cream, the sky a clear blue and we thoroughly enjoyed the remainder of our journey, especially when a school of dolphins provided some spectacular entertainment before we finally left the channel and crossed the small straits separating mainland Greece from our destination: Skiathos.
And here we've been here in Skiathos ever since. It's a gorgeous island, and we were welcomed by Jean, who used to live in Jersey and cut Frank's hair! In fact, after one look at him, she whipped out the scissors and gave him a quick trim and tidy up! Last Sunday we took her, her friend Stephen and Bella the dog out on Zaffina for the day, circumnavigating the entire island with a great commentary from Jean, as she worked on the tour boats for a while. The weather has been mixed - mainly hot and sunny, but occasionally - as today - overcast, drizzly and windy. We've walked, taken a boat to the beach, eaten rather too indulgently and got to know the little town of Skiathos quite well, and now we're ready to move on again. Skopelos, where most of Mama Mia was filmed, is our next stop, and with the forecast looking good from tomorrow afternoon for the forseeable future, we're eager to continue our explorations of the Sporades and then further afield. Our plan is to head east this summer, moving on from the Sporades to the Dodecanese and then hopefully the Turkish coast...watch this space!
