Greece 2 - Thessonaliki to Skiathos

Saturday 2^nd April

Route across Greece shown in red

Much to Kathleen’s annoyance I was awake before 6.00hrs. and as usual unable to remain still. Through our no open porthole curtain, I watched Corfu slide by and then mainland Greece came into view. Eventually Kathleen gave up trying to sleep and we went downstairs to the lounge to watch our arrival in Greece. 

The ferry docked at Igoumenitsa and within minutes of our arrival the ship was being unloaded. Driving off the ferry we were surprised at the lack of passport control and that no official checks being carried out on the disembarking vehicles. From the ferry we simply drove out of the dock area and joined the Greek motorway network taking the M2/E95 which would take us all the way across Greece until it joined then E75 just west of Thessonaliki, our final destination and from where we would launch Tra Bhui. 

The motorway was virtually empty of all traffic but being mindful of the temporary repair to the trailer I limited our speed to a sedate 50 mph. 

To Kathleen’s dismay we found that our TomTom satnav had no mapping of Greece so Kathleen was appointed navigator. Navigation would not be too arduous though as we were basically going to follow the same road for the next 200 miles or so. 

The section of the motorway that we were on was obviously pretty new and included some spectacular pieces of civil engineering as we climbed steep mountain sides and flew over deep ravines and valleys. The motorway had good surface which would I hope minimise the stresses and strains on the trailer.

We had decided not to have breakfast on the ferry preferring instead to find somewhere along the way in Greece so we were both looking out for a roadside restaurant or services where we could stop. Soon we came to signs for services, but as we approached the slip road we could see that they were not completed yet, in fact they had not even been started as the site for the service area was still a field at the end of the slip road. Why the road sign for services had been erected was a mystery to us. Further on we came to the sign for more services which again turned out to be another field. Eventually we saw a filing station just off the motorway so we turned onto a side road which took us back to it and a lovely new restaurant which had just opened beside it. Breakfast consisted of coffee and spinach pie.

Breakfast stop just off the motorway

Back on the road we marveled at the Greek road signs. Kathleen particularly liked the fog sign which depicted a car vanishing into a cloud and I saw a sign that I had never seen before – one warning of bears on the road. It appeared that the Motorway ran through a National Park area which was home to many bears. When the motorway came into a bear area a very substantial fence appeared along each side of the road. This ended when the motorway had passed through the area. Obviously the fence must work, but I wondered if the bears had not thought of walking around the end of the fence. 

Rest stop just outside Thessonaliki

By early afternoon we were nearing Thessonaliki. Up until now the motorway had remained quiet and we had had a pleasant journey under clear blue skies and bright sunshine, but that soon changed just outside Thessonaliki as motorways merged and the traffic flow increased. The clear blue skies clouded over and while it was still warm it was now dull and grey.

Without either a detailed road map or satnav, navigation became a bit more interesting. The road signs were all in Greek which was to be expected as it is their country, but the direction signs did not include any road numbers. Our maps had place names in English and road numbers. Luckily the sign fort the bypass did have “Bypass” in English so we turned northwards on to it in the hope that it was a bypass around Thessonaliki.

To the non-Greek driver, there appears to be no logic or reason behind the road markings on Greek roads. Carriageways have continually varying number of lanes which appear just to be created to use the available road width. We later found from talking to  local driver that they found it confusing as well and it was simpler just to ignore them altogether!

We came across numerous sections of road where the lanes went from 2 to 3 to 5  and then back to 2 within a few hundred yards. We were nearly caught out by the fact that on the bypass which is a fast moving 2 or 3 lane road, the inside lane comes to an end where a slip road merges. Rather than actually build a tapered merge lane, it was obviously thought to be simpler just to paint one where the inside lane is. 

Another bizarrely marked road near the airport included a section where the inside lane and hard shoulder stop and start on either side of a church which obstructs them. If I were in the church I would be waiting for an unwary driver to appear through the wall – perhaps the church has divine protection around it as well as a crash barrier!

Anyway we managed to find our way around Thessonaliki without too much problem, until we turned off the bypass. We were now following signs for the airport – indecipherable text with a picture of an aircraft below it. We were staying at the Angelbay Apartments which were sited just off the coast road at the mouth of the bay. As the coast road passes the airport, the airport was a good pointer as to the direction we should be heading. We did not plan to go to the airport so ending up outside the arrivals hall was a bit of a mistake! Tra Bhui has now probably been to more airports than any other Drascombe in history as I did the same in Spain, in Southampton and in Norwich!

Having managed to extract ourselves from the airport  and avoided a run in with the airport police we found the road we needed and using the screenshots that I had taken from Google Maps before we left home we found the Angelbay Apartments.

Having found the apartments we dropped the trailer off and went in search of a supermarket to buy some food. Tom our surprise we came across a Liddell a few miles away. It appears that Liddell are pretty common in Greece and we would come across a few during the rest of our trip.

Shopping is not something that I am really into: it is a necessity rather than something of pleasure. Shopping in a Liddell is possibly of slightly more interest than shopping in most supermarkets as they always have an isle of special offer products – a  bizarre range of goods that you would not associate with a food supermarket. 

Having spent most of the day in the car we went for a walk along the many small country lanes that crisscross the local area. 

The view from our terrace at Angelbay

As darkness fell we sat on the terrace outside the apartment watching the lights of Thessonaliki across the bay, before dinner.

Sunday 3^rd April

Waking to a nice sunny morning we went for a short pre breakfast run around some of the small roads nearby.  It being Sunday the only shop nearby was shut but as we had foreseen this we had stocked up on supplies when we were at the Liddell on Saturday and so we enjoyed a very leisurely and filling breakfast on the terrace.

We had a number of things to do before we could launch Tra Bhui and set out on our Greek cruise.

First of all we needed to get our DEKPA which is basically a cruising permit that is required by all boats longer than 7m. The DEKPA is issued by the Greek Port Police, but it can only be obtained from offices in designated “arrival” ports. Nearby Thessonaliki was an “arrival” port so we would need to go there to get the permit. Unfortunately the police office was closed on Sundays so we would not be able to do anything about that until Monday.

We also needed to sort out our gear and stow it on Tra Bhui. This was something we would do over the next two days.

Lastly we needed to park our car and trailer in  a secure location as we would be leaving it there for the next few months. Through e-mail correspondence with George (owner of the Apartments) I / he had arranged storage for us near the airport. As we obviously could not drop the car and trailer off until we had launched Tra Bhui and were ready to leave we could not do anything about that today either.

This meant we had a day of leisure and so we decided to walk to the nearby town of  Agia Triada which was only three miles or so away. As there was no coastal path between Angelbay Bungalows where we were staying and Agia Triada we had to walk along the main road. The road was quiet and we had a pleasant walk arriving in Agia Triada around lunch time.

Kathleen' s "arty photo"

Agia Triada is a small seaside town and although it appeared to be mainly service centre for the surrounding  countryside it did have a few hotels and a number of seafront cafes and restaurants. As the sun was still shining we sat at a café / bar and enjoyed a coffee each before exploring the town itself. There was not much to the town but we enjoyed wandering around before we headed back towards Angelbay via some of the towns suburbs.

As we walked along the road back we were asked by a local waiting at a bus stop for the time. Leon was we found just going home to Agia Triada after spending the morning tending his out of town garden or allotment. As we talked to Leon he decided that we should see his garden which was just behind a sturdy metal gate to the rear of the bus stop.

Leon shows us his garden

Leon who was nearly 80 spends most days hoeing and weeding his garden in which he grows vegetables, and various fruits. A former merchant seaman Leon had travelled the world and see a lot of places, but as far as he was concerned there was nowhere quite like Greece where there is good air, good soil and sunshine. After showing us around he gave us some garlic to take with us when we went.

Back at the apartments we went down to the beach which could be reached by a steep cliff side path. The path had circular stepping stones set in to it that stuck up 18 ' into the air. These were to minimise erosion of the soft soils below. They certainly formed interesting features, but they needed our full concentration to walk on them.   The beach was quiet and secluded. I went for  an extremely quick swim while Kathleen sat on the rocks enjoying the sunshine.

Later on while Kathleen cooked dinner I took the cover off Tra Bhui and started sorting our gear out in preparation for setting sail on Tuesday.

Monday 4^th April

For our morning run we ran the same route as on Sunday, but this time we went in the other direction and we were accompanied by two of the owner’s dogs who invited themselves along.

Farm houses around where we were staying all had dogs in their fenced gardens, dogs of all shapes and sizes, but with the common belief that strangers needed to be barked at and loudly.  Normally once we had passed and the dog’s honour had been satisfied through loud barking the dog would resume it’s sleep that we had inconsiderately interrupted. But today with owner’s dogs accompanying  us things got a lot noisier as dog honour must also say that you cannot let another dog bark at the person or persons you are accompanying!

When we were approaching a farm and the resident dog or dogs started to bark, the two dogs with us would run ahead and with their noses to the fence bark loudly back at the farm’s dogs until the dogs belonging to the next farm on our route had started to bark at us. At this point we would be passed by two dogs streaking ahead of us ready to bark through the fence at the next lot of dogs. It was not our most relaxing run!

Keen for an early start to Thessonaliki,  I went to the nearby Liddell for fresh bread while Kathleen showered. Pulling into the car park just as the store opened at 8.00 am  I felt that I was driving into some sort action sport venue due to the number of cars abandoned haphazardly around the door of the store. Inside trolleys were being filled at a frantic pace with large 5 litre containers of cooking oil being a favorite purchase. Obviously the Greeks do not cope very well with their supermarket being shut for a day on Sunday.

After a quick breakfast we went to see George who owned the apartments and take him up on his offer of directions to the Port Police’s office in Thessonaliki. George’s directions were  more than confusing and he even managed to confuse himself as he looked at the small map which he had put up on the display of his smart phone. 

His directions consisted of  - We were to take the road past the airport and drive right through Thessonaliki (Greece’s second largest city) until we came to a large hotel with a red traffic light at the junction outside (how did he know what colour the traffic light would be when we got there?). At the hotel we were to turn left and drive to the sea front where we should turn left again and we would find the offices on our left. It sounded just too easy!

View from the top of the White Tower

We followed the road which turned out to look on the ground nothing like it did on George’s phone map. More by luck than anything else, we chose the right direction at the many road junctions we came across, we negotiated a horrendous number of traffic lights, we fought our way past parked vehicles and we conquered Greece’s bizarre road marking system until we came to the hotel, where the traffic light was actually red! 

Turning left at the hotel we found that road did not go to the sea front as George had told us, but that it stopped at a T junction 200 yards ahead of us. Having no idea where to go next I decided to drive straight ahead into the car park of a large and impressive looking building where I hoped that the guard at the access barrier could give us some directions.

Pulling up at the barrier a female guard asked us what our business was. Explaining that we were looking for the Port Police’s offices she smiled and said that we had found them and that the actual office was just around the side of building that we had driven up to. After being let into the car park we found ourselves in what is or was part of the city’s docks and soon located the office we were looking for.

The source of much hassle!

So far everything had gone surprisingly well and so armed with all the documents that we would need we were optimistic that we would soon be on our way with our DEKPA.

On entering the building we were told that the Port Police did not deal with DEKPAs, but after asking a few different officers we were directed to the correct office. This was an ominous start! Here we were told we must apply on Internet in Greek and that we must pay the fee in a bank and that we also needed to fill in a paper application form which was in Greek. After explaining that we did not speak or write Greek and that we did not have a PC (a little white lie)  we were told that  the Port Police do not have a PC with internet access and that  we should go to a citizen’s advice office (KEP) to get them to help us make the application on line and fill in the form. The officers who were dealing with were not sure however where we would actually find a KEP but they thought there may be one next to some radio station - yes that information helped a lot!! When we did all that we should bring the completed form and proof of payment back to this office.

The office we were then told closed at 16.00 hrs. so there was no point in us coming back if it was after 14.00 hrs.  Our first impression of the female officers in this office of the Port Police were that not only were they extremely unhelpful, but they were also extremely lazy! It was now 12.00 hrs  so getting our DEPRA today looked unlikely, but we would give it a go.

We had passed banks as we drove in to Thessonaliki and I remembered two which were nearby. Walking as fast as we could – we left our car in their car park and went to the nearest bank which was just beside the hotel that had been our landmark when driving. The staff at this bank were very helpful and when we explained that we needed to make a payment to the Port Police they directed us to the Piraeus Bank (the Piraeus banking Group is the largest bank in Greece) as we were told they could arrange the payment.

Aristotelous Square

Luckily I remembered passing a Piraeus Bank just before we drove past the hotel so more quick walking saw us at the Piraeus bank by 12.30hrs. On entering the bank I took a ticket which gave us a place in the very slow moving queue and then went to find someone to confirm that we could make the payment here.  The manager that I found read the application form that the Port Police had given us  and confirmed that we could make the payment here before we wasted time queuing. After waiting in the queue for 20 minutes we were served. The assistant looked at the form and told us that we could not make the payment unless we had the application number from the Internet. As the Bank did not have internet she could not help us and suggested we go to the citizen’s advice (KEP) which we could find in the station.

Explaining that we had no idea where the station was the assistant helpfully gave us directions telling us that the station was only 15 minutes’ walk away along the road in front of the bank. If we did not want to walk we could take a bus.

Ha! 15 minutes we thought; we can do that in 10 minutes and it will be easier and quicker than the bus! Five minutes of hard walking later we found the railway, after 10 minutes we found that the railway went to a goods yard and not a station. 15 minutes later having tried in vain to get directions to the station from three different people including the operator of a level crossing, whom we though really should know where the station was , we resorted to hailing a taxi to take us to the station.

A five minute taxi ride got us to the station where the lady manning the information kiosk directed us to the KEP office. Amazingly even though there were a few people in the KEP, our ticket number was called almost immediately and after explaining everything to the lady behind the counter she quickly filled in the online application form and printed a copy off for us which contained the reference number that the bank needed.

By now it was just after 13.30 hrs. and although time had almost run out we were not giving up. Rather than ask the lady at KEP to fill in the application form against Kathleen's advice, I decided that it could wait until later so we were off again back once more to the bank. 

Back in the bank our new queue ticket was number 181 and the display above the counter showed that the next number to be called would be No 168, indicating that there were 13 people before us in the queue. We did not have time for queuing and luckily the customer area was empty and there were no people before us! The assistant remembering us took us straight away and quickly took the Euros from me.

With the payment now made and clutching the receipt and the still uncompleted application form we virtually ran back to the Port Police’s office  and by 14.00 hrs drowned in sweat we were back in front of the Police Officer that had sent us on our quest a few hours earlier.

She was obviously surprised to see us having probably thought that she had avoided her work for the day. I gave her the payment receipt and the blank application form and told her that the KEP was unable to fill in the form as the form must be filled in by a Police Officer. This was a blatant lie as KEP had not told us that at all, but now we were here we were not leaving empty handed.

Reluctantly the officer went through our documents and satisfied that all was in order she started to fill in the form after asking us to wait in the corridor outside.

An hour and a half later we had our DEKPA as it had taken that long for the officer to fill in a few lines of text. But that did not matter as we could now launch Tra Bhui.

If the Greek Government want to reduce civil servant numbers I could suggest some potential,cuts!

Exhausted after the trial of getting the DEKPA we found a nice bar on a side street not far from the Port Office and sat outside in the sunshine for a very late lunch after which we went for a walk to see a bit of Thessonaliki.

Time for a late lunch after eventually getting our DEKPA

It was now late afternoon and we still planned to launch Tra Bhui early tomorrow morning. We still had to pack and prepare her to be launched, but it was a nice day so we walked along the sea front to the White Tower.

 

looking along the seafront towards the White Tower

The tower looked interesting and we wanted to see the view from the top, so we paid a nominal sum for entry to the tower and the museum that is contained inside.

Stairs inside the circular tower walls

The imposing brick built tower once guarded the eastern end of the city's sea walls and dates back to around 1430 and was most likely built as a replacement for an older Byzantine tower mentioned in the city's records.

The Ottoman-built structure itself has been altered substantially over the years as early illustrations show that it was originally covered by a conical roof. Until its demolition in 1917, a fortified wall stood at the foot of the tower, supporting heavy guns and enclosing an area at least three times the diameter of the main tower. Octagonal turrets on the wall provided flanking fire around the tower. It is unclear whether these fortifications  were part of the original scheme for the tower or was a later addition.

The Tower was used by the Ottomans successively as a fortress, garrison and a prison. In 1826, at the order of the Sultan Mahmud II, there was a massacre of the rebellious Janissaries imprisoned there. Owing to the "countless victims of Ottoman torturers and executioners", the tower acquired the name "Tower of Blood" or "Red Tower", a name which it kept until the end of the 19th century.

Kathleen on top of the White Tower

When Thessaloniki was annexed from the Ottoman Empire to the Hellenic State in 1912 during the First Balkan War, the tower was whitewashed as a symbolic gesture of cleansing, and acquired its present name. The story goes that in payment for painting the tower, a prisoner being held there was given his release, but whether there is any truth or not to that or whether it is just a story to be told to visitors we are not sure.

Made for sitting in

The drive back out of Thessonaliki was another leap of faith as the road in and the road out are both one way streets and part of the maze of roads that lie within the city. While the road in to the city contained numerous junctions where we had the potential to get lost it  in was reasonably straight , but the road out had so many changes of direction that had we not been able to use the sun as a reference point we could have ended up anywhere. 

After a quick stop at an out of town Intersport to allow me to buy a replacement pair of flip flops and a stop in Agia Triada to get some paper plates (we had forgotten to bring any plates with us), we arrived back at Angelbay  just before 19.00 hr. The packing we had planned to do still remained undone and we still had to find a garage to buy fuel for the outboard. While Kathleen prepared dinner I sorted more boat stuff out

Tuesday 5^th April

Today we would go sailing!!!!

Having arrived back from Thessonaliki much later than planned yesterday we were far behind with our departure preparations

I had arranged with George who had generously offered to come with us to the car storage facility near the airport and then run as back to Tra Bhui, that we would be ready to leave at 9.00 hrs. which would I thought allow us to depart Angel Okhuri around 10.00 hrs., but before then not only had we to trail Tra Bhui to the harbour, load her with all our gear and launch her, but I had to find a garage to buy petrol and we had to pack and vacate the bungalow that we were staying in.

Rising early I managed to find an open petrol station between Agia Triada and the airport where I filled the tank for the outboard and 3 spare cans. We carry only one fuel tank on board (12 litres) but we also carry another 15 litres in 3 plastic fuel cans. This means that we can easily top up the fuel without having to drain the tank and it is easier to carry the smaller cans to and from garages rather than having to carry one or two fuel tanks.

I had hoped that we would take Tra Bhui down to the harbour around 8.00 hrs. which would give us an hour to rig her load her and launch her, but it was nearly 9.00 hrs. before we left Angelbay. Luckily George had nothing planned for the morning and he had no problem leaving later to go the car storage facility.

By 10.00 hrs. we had Tra Bhui rigged, loaded and in the water and we were back at Angelbay with the car and trailer to meet George who we would follow to the storage facility.

Launching Tra Bhu at Angelochori

We left the car and trailer at Vasiliadis Marine  who would charge us 30 Euros per month to store the car and trailer. This was a bargain price as nearby airport parking was nearer 100 Euros per month just for a car. Our thanks go to George for sorting this out for us.

George ran us back to the harbour at Angel Okhuri where we had left Tar Bhui and where we returned to find a slightly irate local as we had unwittingly taken his space on the harbour side.  After thanking George and saying our goodbyes  we moved Tra Bhui to another space in the harbour to make our final preparations before we set sail.

Casting stamp on harbour bollards - ask Kathleen!

We motored out of Angel Okhuri at 12.20 hrs. onto a windless Aegean. There were a few boats in sight outside the harbour including an old sports boat anchored just outside the harbour mouth. The skipper who was sitting in an old lawn chair in the stern, watched us as we motored slowly out of the harbour towards him. Just as we were about to pass him I noticed a rope in the water ahead of us. Thinking that we were about to run over a net I cut the engine and lifted it clear of the water. At the same time the skipper jumped to he feet and waved to us. His signal was I thought a bit late as the rope had caught on Tra Bhui’s rudder and we came to a stop.

To our amazement the rope was not actually a rope but a garden hose which stretched right across the harbour entrance. As I lifted the rudder up to free the hose a diver surfaced near us, probably wondering why his air hose was pulling him away from the harbour.  I shouted my apologies to the diver, but rather than be upset he saw the funny side of it and shouted “taxi”  and good luck to us.

The skipper of the anchored sports boat who must also be acting as dive attendant just sat back down as if nothing had happened. Obviously the Greeks don’t take safety too seriously. The dive boat had no markings or flags to warn of diving operations, the skipper obviously did not feel the need to warn us that there was a diver down when we approached, nor did he appear to think there was any problem with the divers air hose being on the surface and right across the harbour entrance.

Clear of the harbour  we set a course for Ayios Katerini  on the west coast of the Aegean slightly to the south of our departure point  of Angel Okhuri and on the opposite side of the large bay from us. Our passage would be an open crossing of just over 18 n.m. or just under 21 statute miles and would include a dog leg as we initially wanted to head south to clear the end of the Thessanoliki’s traffic separation scheme.

The  weather was settled warm (21 degrees C), but there was not a breath of wind so the sails remained furled while we motored towards  Ayios Katerini . During the course of the day the early morning sunshine gave way to haze and it was not until we were about 8 miles from the shore that we saw the outline of Mount Olympus start to emerge in in front of us.

Mount Olympus starts to appear ahead of us.

Apart from a few fishing boats and a few freighters we saw very little other traffic during the crossing  and we arrived at Ayios Katerini  at 16.30 hrs.    

While Kathleen explored I set up the tent

The small harbour was empty of all but local fishing boats and we easily found a spot where we could anchor stern to beside two old and abandoned looking yachts. While I stowed our gear and erected Tra Bhui’s tent, Kathleen went ashore to see what the town was like, returning just as I was finishing up.

Berthed stern to in Ayios Katerini

Ayios Katerini is a holiday town. With extensive sand beaches it is the summer destination not only for Greeks, but Poles, Macedonians and Bulgarians. The town has more fur and leather shops than anywhere else I have seen catering for the summer tourist who is looking ahead to buying their next winter wardrobe. 

The deserted streets waiting for the summer tourists

The many bars, fast food outlets and tourist shops were mainly shut but with the start of the tourist season just around the corner there was plenty of activity with their owners cleaning and painting anything that was not moving.

I found this amusing - blood and all

As she was now the family expert on Ayios Katerini  Kathleen lead me round the town on a walk that was also aimed at finding somewhere to eat at night. We found an extravagantly furnished beach bar which had cold beer and Wi-Fi which allowed us to catch up on e-mails while we enjoyed a pre-dinner drink. 

Fishing nets - by Kathleen

A local fishing boat heads out to sea

Afterwards we went back to Tra Bhui to sort out our beds and to change before going out for dinner. We took another quick walk around the town to see what restaurants were open and which if any had customers. With every restaurant we looked at empty apart from the one fast food burger bar that we saw, we went back to the harbour and to a family owned restaurant which was catering for a number of locals and which had been our restaurant of choice when we walked around the town earlier in the afternoon.

Miles to day 18

Miles to date 18

Wednesday 6^th April

Mount Olympus as a backdrop to Ayios Katerini

Departing Ayios Katerini  at 10.45 hrs. we motored in a windless calm under blue skies on a glass like sea 24.9 miles and arrived  in Stomion - 16.15 hrs.  

Mount Olympus in the morning light

A few miles short of Stomion a 2 or 3 knot southerly breeze arrived but it was not enough to sail in so we unfurled the genoa and tried motor sailing for 3 miles  until we decided that the genoa was not really giving us any benefit and that as it was blocking the sun from the cockpit we would be better with it furled away.

Locals fishing complete with parasol - Jack Vettriano print perhaps?

Despite having seen a few fishing boats in the distance yesterday, there were none to see today and apart from a distant tug pulling a large barge we had the sea to ourselves.

Cat in a hat!

Fat cat in a hat reads a book!

Approaching Stomion

The harbour in Stomion was even quieter than the one in Ayios Katerini. The local fishing boats which were all small inshore boats filled the small inner harbour so we moored alongside the breakwater which formed the outer harbour. Apart from an old and slightly neglected yacht  we were the only boat in this part of the harbour.

Mored alongside in Stomion

Again as I sorted out the boat, Kathleen went to see the village and find out what facilities it had. This time she returned before I had finished erecting the tent as there was not much to Stomion at all apart from a large hotel (closed for the winter) above the harbour, a couple of smaller hotels along the road and the small village itself about a mile away.

Setting out for a walk we got waylaid by a restaurant owner who wanted us to dine at his establishment that evening. As it did look like the best of the few places that were open we said that we would probably come back later.  The next hotel which did not look as nice a place to eat did have a seaside deck which was still in the sunshine so we stopped there for a drink before continuing our walk.  

On the beach looking back towards the harbour

Walking  along the beach I decided that we should have a swim and a wash in the sea, but Kathleen  decided that she would wait until tomorrow so I swam on my own, finding that the water was much warmer than it had been at Angelbay.

Kathleen won her battle with the crab - because it was legless!!!!!

Our route back to Tra Bhui took us through Stomion which is just a small Greek village. A core winter population lives and works there all year round, but the large caravan site behind the beach, the number of businesses that were obviously closed for the winter and the number of empty car parks were signs that in the summer the population is again swollen by seasonal tourists.

We went back to the hotel near the harbour that we had promised to have dinner at. Sitting on the terrace by the sea we were its only customers. When we sat down we were given a large glass of Ouzo each – a drink I cannot stand – compliments of the hotel. The food was good and after we had eaten the manager re appeared with a large plate of freshly prepared fruit again complimentary.

With no other customers the manager had time to talk to us and tells us a bit about himself and the village. While not as touristy as Ayios Katerini, Stomion was quietly preparing itself for the start of the tourist season when holiday makers from Poland, Bulgaria and Macedonia come to Stomion for a week or two and a lot of Greeks from the mountain areas come for a few days by the seaside, filling the hotels until September.

Daily Miles 24.9

Total Trip 42.9

Thursday 7^th April

In need of bread for breakfast we decided to go for a run and then a swim before walking back from the beach via the village where there were a number of small shops. Our run took us along the main coastal road which was virtually devoid of all traffic after reaching our turning point we stopped at the beach beside the still closed caravan park for a swim in the clear and not too cold waters.

The shops in Stomion were small and obviously geared to service the year round population, after buying some fruit from the local grocer, we were given directions to the village baker whose premises were along a side street and not obvious unless you knew where to look.

Carrying newly baked bread we headed back to Tra Bhui for breakfast . After packing everything away we left Stomion at 11.00hrs for Agios Ionias  which was just over 34 miles away.

Leaving Stomion

Yet again we had no wind and faced with another day of motoring we decided to leap past our originally planned destination of Platamon and head directly to Agios Ionias . Having some additional miles logged would give us more flexibility later in the week should we want to stay in one place for more than a day.

Another windless morning

The weather was hot and sunny and we had clear blue skies until midafternoon when it gradually began to cloud over. Once again there were very few boats to look at and so we had the sea to ourselves.  In the early afternoon Kathleen spotted some dolphins, but although they passed us a few times they did not come to play or even come close enough to photograph.

Approaching Agios Ionias

Arriving in Agios Ionias  at 18.30 hrs. we struggled to find a berth alongside in the tiny harbour as there were quite a number of local fishing boats moored stern to on lazy lines and we were unsure of whether the still vacant berths were spare or whether they belonged to boats which were out fishing. There was a large area of the harbour wall which appeared to be free, but on closer examination we found that it was filled to just below the water level with storm debris (large pieces of the harbour’s breakwater which had been flung over into the harbour). 

After a bit of time spent going back and forward and around in circles we squeezed Tra Bhui into the space between the last of the moorings and the slipway. This was the advantage of a Drascombe as with the rudder and centerboard up we could float in this shallow area although we were almost sitting on the bottom when the tide went out.

Squeezed in next to the slipway

Agios Ionias  is a small town built along the top of the beach. It was a nice enough little place, again shut for the winter, but with signs of activity as business owners prepared for the start of the season. 

Church in Agios Ionias

The town appears to have recently spent a lot of money building a new sea wall and promenade and can now lay a claim to having the  world’s most dangerous promenade as on the seaward side there is no edge protection and the unwary walker could easily fall up to 20 feet down onto the large boulders that form the southern end of the beach.

World's most dangerous prommanade

That evening we ate at the only restaurant that was open. The food was OK, my beef stifado was excellent, but Kathleen’s chicken was disappointing – there would have been more meet on a canary ! The restaurant did however have Wi- Fi which increased its rating in our eyes as it allowed us to get an updated weather report and to review our passage plans for the next few days.

Sunshades - by Kathleen

Daily Miles  34.4

Total trip 77.3

Friday 8^th April

Because we had spent much of the trip so far under motor we decided to deviate from our original plan and rather than push on towards Volos we would head out to Kaithos one of the Sporades Islands as it looked as though we would get some wind later and heading towards a city was far less attractive than heading towards some sparsely populated islands!

Waking to another virtually windless morning we were keen to be on our way again as it looked as though we may get some favourable wind in the late morning, early afternoon. We walked into town to find bread and after getting directions to the bakery from some locals we actually met the baker sitting on the promenade across from his shop. We suspect he was actually waiting for us and probably has seen our boat in the harbour and having seen us walk by going in to town and he obviously did not want to miss the opportunity of selling us some bread as we walked back.

Having lead us to his small bakery, he took a batch of bread from the oven and tipped all the mixed loaves into a large wicker basket from which Kathleen chose what we wanted. The bread straight from the oven was fantastic!

Departing Agios Ionias  at 10.20 hrs. we headed down the coast under motor for 3 miles or so before we felt the wind starting to blow. Turning Tra Bhui into the wind we raised all our sails for the first time in Greece and headed south / south east towards Skaithos. 

Wind at last as we sail out to the Sporades Islands

Today was a perfect sailing day – as not only was it hot, but we had blue skies, sunshine and wind! By lunch time Skiathos could clearly be seen off our starboard bow although the 1,421 foot high mount Karafiltzanaka was obscured by local clouds.

Sailing towards Skiathos 

Unfortunately the wind did not last long and by early afternoon we had resorted to motor sailing and then with the sails stowed back to motoring, still at least we had sailed at last.

Kathleen in her spring outfit - I was in shorts and T shirt

Motoring around the east end of Skaithos

After rounding the east end of the island we motored into the almost empty harbour of Skiathos – the main town has the same name as the island.  The harbour was the biggest we had been in yet with separate areas defined in the pilot book for the ferry , fishing boats and visiting boats. Staying clear of the ferry area and area designated for fishing boats we found an empty piece of harbour wall and moored alongside near 2 smart looking charter yachts.

Tied up alongside in Skiathos

Despite its small size, Skiathos with its many beaches and wooded landscape is a popular tourist destination. It has over 60, mostly sandy, beaches scattered around the 44 km (27 mi) coastline. Much of the island is wooded with Aleppo Pine  and although the island's forests are concentrated on the southwest and northern parts, the presence of pine trees is prevalent throughout the island

Skiathos Town

Skiathos (town) has a population of around 5000 people and is connected to the mainland and other islands through regular daily ferries and flights from the town’s airport the runway of which looked to start on the beach as we sailed in to the harbour

In Ancient times, the island played a minor role during the Persian Wars. In 480 BC, the fleet of the Persian King Xerxes was hit by a storm and was badly damaged on the rocks of the Skiathos coast. Following this the Greek fleet blockaded the adjacent seas to prevent the Persians from invading the mainland and supplying provisions to the army facing the 300 Spartans defending the pass at Thermopylae. The Persian fleet was defeated there at Artemisium and finally destroyed at the Battle of Salamis a year later. Skiathos remained in the Delian League until it lost its independence. The city was destroyed by Philip V of Macedon in 200 BC.

In 1207 the Gyzi brothers captured the island and built the Bourtzi, a small Venetian-styled fortress similar to the Bourtzi in Nafplio, on an islet just out of Skiathos Town, to protect the capital from the pirates. But the Bourtzi was ineffective in protecting the population and in the mid-14th century the inhabitants moved the capital from the ancient site that lay where modern Skiathos Town is to Kastro (the Greek word for castle), located on a high rock, overlooking a steep cliff above the sea at the northernmost part of the island.

Statue in Skaithos harbour

In 1704 monks from Athos built the Evangelistria monastery which played a part on the Greek War of Independence as a hide-out for Greek rebels. The first flag of Greece was created and hoisted in the Evangelistria monastery in Skiathos in 1807. Several prominent military leaders (including Theodoros Kolokotronis and Andreas Miaoulis) had gathered there for consultation concerning an uprising, and they were sworn to this flag by the local bishop.

After the War of Independence and demise of piracy in the Aegean, Kastro became less important as a strategic location. In 1830s, the island's capital was moved to the original site — where it still remains. Today, ruins of Kastro are one of tourist attractions. During the 19th century Skiathos became an important shipbuilding centre in the Aegean due to the abundance of pine forests on the island. The pine woods of the island were then almost obliterated. This was brought to a halt though, due to the emergence of steamboats.

Skiathos has recently been called the “Mamma Mia Movie Island” following the release of the hugely successful musical “Mamma Mia! The Movie”. Filmed on location in Skiathos, Skopelos and Pelion, the movie is the adaptation of the West End stage musical, based upon the songs of Abba. This film is now the record-holder for a movie musical with the biggest box office sales in history at its opening weekend. The film has been the big surprise success story of 2008 with unprecedented DVD and CD sales.

View over Skiathos

Having put Tra Bhui’s tent up we set out to explore the town and to look for a boatyard where we could store Tra Bhui when we flew back to the UK next week.

Nobody at the first boatyard we went to spoke English and although we did manage to speak to someone on a telephone that we were handed it appeared that while storing Tra Bhui may be possible it all depended on their engineer’s opinion and he would not be at work until mid-day on Sunday.  So boatyard No 1 was a possibility if we could not find anything else.

Boatyard No 2 which was right at the water’s edge we discounted on seeing it as it had no fence and the boats we simply stored along the side of the road. Although we could lock all the hatches and Tra Bhui would have a cockpit cover which covered the hatches as well we wanted something a bit more secure.

Boat yard No 3 was next to the airport and had an impressive security fence around it. The owner was keen to store Tra Bhui and quoted 50 Euros per month but wanted 150 Euro to take her out of the water and put her back in again. His offer was qualified however by the fact that Tar Bhui at over 7m might be too long for his trailer which was only 7m long.  I looked at his trailer  which would be more than capable of carrying Tar Bhui, but he remained unconvinced and suggested we ask another boatyard to recover her and bring her to him to store. He was however willing to reconsider if we could not find another boatyard to recover her. So boatyard No 3 was a possibility if we were stuck. The storage fee appeared reasonable, but the recovery and launch fee was expensive as I would expect to pay less than that to have Tra Bhui lifted out of the water at a marina using a straddle carrier. Hauling her out on an old trailer should be a lot cheaper!

Walking back to Skiathos we came across Boatyard No 4 which we had walked past without seeing earlier. The gate was ajar and despite the large no entry sign we went in to see if they could help us. The lad we met summoned the owner who was confined to an electric wheelchair. When we explained what we were after he confirmed that it would be no problem, he had many trailers and he would charge 50 Euros for storage and 50 Euros for the launch and recovery total 100 Euros. Agreeing to this we arranged to have Tra Bhui pulled out of the water next Tuesday which would give us a couple of days to explore the islands.

Just leaving the restaurant after dinner

With that taken care of we wandered into Skiathos, found a hotel for next Tuesday night and then enjoyed a cold beer at one of the many waterside bars that we came across.  Skiathos was a nice town and not too busy at this time of year.

Daily Miles  25.7

Total trip 103

Saturday 9^th April

Today we planned to cross from Skiathos to the nearby island of Skopelos which lies about 6 miles to the east. Having to haul Tra Bhui out on Tuesday meant that we really did not have enough time to circumnavigate Skopelos which has   two harbours / sea side towns on it - Loutraki  and Skopelos. Skopelos lies on the far side of the island and was just  too far to go in the limited time we had left. Although we could probably have got there and back, it would leave us no cushion against bad weather or breakdowns.

By heading to Loutraki we could spend some time exploring the island while still being sure of getting back in time to haul out.  This shorter sail meant that we did not have to rush to leave Skaithos and so we did not depart until 12.00hrs.

Leaving the bay under motor we planned to clear the small outlying islands and the shallow waters around them before raising our sails for the crossing. Just as we cleared the last island we spotted a large RIB approaching us at speed – it appeared the Port Police were going to pay us a visit!

The RIB was on patrol and as we were the only boat in sight they obviously decided to check us out. Coming alongside us they asked to see our DEKPA and all our papers. The three guys on board were friendly and interested in Tra Bhui as a stopping foreign open, lug rigged, yawl  must have been a bit of a novelty for them as the majority of  foreign yachts must be  stereo typically white hulled, Bermuda rigged, sloops, much larger and refined than Tra Bhui is.

Satisfied that our papers were in order they wished us a good sail and set off again at speed back towards Skaithos while we resumed our course to Skopelos.

Sailing over from Skiathos to Skopelos

Clearing Skiathos we picked up a pretty constant 11 knot southerly wind so we unfurled the genoa cut the engine and enjoyed the sail. Passing Loutraki we headed further down the coast to an area of shallows  which were marked on the chart where we dropped anchor off a deserted beach in order to have lunch.

Sailing past Loutraki in search of a place for lunch

Our lunch stop extended well into the afternoon as it was very pleasant sitting in the sun out of the wind. After lunch I went snorkeling while Kathleen who I could not persuade to join me sat and read her book. The water was fairly warm, but as I was snorkeling and planned to stay in a bit longer than I would if just swimming I wore my shorty wetsuit for the first time in many years. When we come back to Greece in May I hope the water temperature allows my wetsuit to be relegated to the back of a locker for the rest of the summer.

We anchored off the beach for lunch and a swim

As the afternoon passed we watched the sky over the distant island of  Euboea gradually darken as a rain storm approached. The sky was getting darker by the minute and although we were still sitting in the sun it began to look as though we might be hit by some late afternoon rain. The first sounds of thunder were shortly followed by some spectacular lightning which we estimated to be about 20 miles away and now definitely heading our way.

It was time to haul up our anchor and make our best speed to Loutraki in order to find a mooring and get the tent up before the rain arrived.

The harbour at Loutraki is a reasonable size. In the summer months there is a large pontoon for visiting yachts and plenty of space for others to remain at anchor. As we were arriving before the summer season we found the pontoon had not yet been put back into the water after the winter. The harbour wall was full of local boats leaving only space for the daily ferries to come alongside.

While we could easily enough anchor off it was preferable to be alongside so we went to investigate whether we could tie up to the concrete structure which served as the shore side anchor for the pontoons when they were in the water. Tying up alongside the concrete structure looked to be a fairly good option and as we were setting our lines one of the locals came up to us and offered us a lazy line that was not being used.

Moored on a Lazy Line at Loutraki

A Lazy line is simply a line from the shore to an anchor block set slightly off in deeper water. Normally the yacht backs  up to the harbour wall and picks up the line when it comes out of the water. By feeding the line forward and pulling it in at the same time the line can be secured to cleats on the bow  allowing the line effectively hold the bow in place offshore. The stern of the yacht is secured to the harbour by stern lines. The Lazy line stays connected to the shore as it has sufficient slack to allow it to be pulled forward and tightened around the yachts bow cleats.

Moored at Loutraki

The line we were offered looked old but we were told it was a good line. As using the line would keep Tra Bhui from rubbing against the concrete structure we decided to use it on the basis that if windier conditions were forecast we would re assess whether we stayed anchored to it or not.

Secured to the lazy line we ran our stern ropes to the concrete structure which allowed us to step ashore from the stern.

With the rain getting closer I set about erecting the tent. Kathleen rather than go to explore stayed to give me a hand and in record time we had it erected and everything stowed away.

With the tent erected we both went to see what excitement Loutraki contained – not much as virtually everything was shut and not yet open for the season.  Having walked the length of the short sea front we stopped at a bar for coffee and to watch the rain front which had now engulfed Skaithos and which looked as though it may just miss us.

Leaving the bar we came across a restaurant opposite the small supermarket which looked as though it might be open. On investigation we found that it was open and it looked fairly decent. We would return later as neither of us wanted to eat aboard on a dark and potentially wet night.

I had a few things that I wanted to do on board so I headed back to Tra Bhui leaving Kathleen to see what we had missed in Loutraki.

It soon became obvious that the rain was indeed going to come our way and I expected Kathleen to arrive back before it started, but by the time the first heavy raindrops started to land on the tent there was still no sign of her.

The rain front then arrived in earnest and torrential rain swept across the harbour while the thunder rang out followed immediately by fantastic flashes of  lightening. I hoped Kathleen had had the sense to shelter somewhere otherwise she was going to be soaked through.

The rain lasted for probably 30 minutes or so without letting up in it’s intensity until it suddenly stopped and the blue skies once again appeared above.

Kathleen returned shortly after the rain had stopped. She was dry! Having climbed the hill to the village of Glossa which site above Loutraki she had taken cover under the overhang provided by a building.

Loutraki with Glossa on the hill behind

Later we ate at the restaurant that we had found earlier. We were surprised at just how busy it was as we had seen virtually no one in the village since we arrived. Taking a table towards the back we enjoyed our meal staying until late we were amongst the last to leave.

When stepping back on to Tra Bhui Kathleen slipped and had a nasty fall. She got back up quickly, despite having hurt her leg. While it had been a nasty fall it could have been worse as she suffered extensive bruising, but nothing was broken. Hopefully her leg which had started to swell would recover over the next few days as she had a fairly strenuous cycling holiday planned for the week after we got home.

Daily Miles  8

Total trip 111

Sunday 10^th April

Today we planned to have a day off and do a bit of walking rather than sailing and as the small local supermarket we decided to walk up to Glossa which sits just at over 700 feet up on the hillside above Loutraki and find the café in the main square that Kathleen had told me about yesterday. The owner recommended his own cafe to Kathleen as the place on the island for Sunday breakfast - I suppose self promotion is everything in the catering trade!

The road from Loutraki to Glossa snakes back and forward across the hillside taking nearly 3 km or just under 2 miles to reach the bottom of the village. It was a pleasant walk although with the rising sun it was pretty warm by the time we lower part of the village. One of the things that struck us was the quantity, variety and smell of the wild flowers that were growing everywhere. Obviously the winter climate here is so different from that in the UK

When the main road reaches Glossa it immediately bears away eastwards to service other parts of the island as there is no space in Glossa’s narrow streets for any but a very few, small local vehicles. The village's streets were formed when donkeys were the main form of transport on the island.  Glossa hangs on the hillside and only the small narrow streets running around the hill are anywhere near level. Streets running up the hill are mainly stepped and successive rows of houses look out over the row below, giving virtually every property an uninterrupted and spectacular view westwards from their upper floors.

After climbing to the top of the village we found the main square which was the smallest main square I have ever seen. The café was just opening for breakfast and the owner was putting the cushions on the chairs outside as we arrived. With an extensive breakfast menu on offer the only problem we had when choosing was we were spoilt for choice!

We ate Sunday breakfast outside the church

Across the square from the café was one of the town’s churches. As we sat at the café we had an uninterrupted view of the congregation finishing their service due to the church doors being left open. I am not sure what the theme of the service was, but I suspect it was part of the church’s celebration of Easter despite Easter Sunday being recognized on the previous Sunday .

   

“The Greek Orthodox Church does not always celebrate Easter on the same date as the Catholic and Protestant countries. The reason is that the Orthodox Church uses the Julian calendar when calculating Easter. This is case even in the churches that otherwise use the Gregorian calendar. When the Greek Orthodox Church in 1923 decided to change to the Gregorian calendar (or rather: a Revised Julian Calendar), they chose to use the astronomical full moon as seen along the meridian of Jerusalem as the basis for calculating Easter, rather than to use the "official" full moon.”

Anyway whatever the theme the congregation all came out eating cake and carrying long candles which we presumed they were taking home. Many of the men came straight from the church to the café where after ordering Greek Coffee  they sat and talked while the woman and children headed home.

View looking west from Glossa

After breakfast we wandered around the town and took some photographs of the view over to Skaithos, before making our way back down the hill to Loutraki. Rather than walk back down the main road we decided to follow on of the old donkey roads that  still exist all over the island. The one we followed went virtually in a direct line from Glossa to Loutraki and while shorter than the newer main road it was certainly steeper. 

Wild flowers were everywhere

Approaching the bottom of the hill while walking ahead of Kathleen I disturbed a snake which had been lying in the middle of the road enjoying the sunshine. The snake which must have been around 3 feet long moved with astonishing speed and quickly disappeared into the thick under growth beside the road. Kathleen did not get to see the snake so we cautiously had a look for it but it was long gone and we did not find it.

Figs growing near Glossa

In Loutraki we had seen some direction signs for “Roman Baths”. The signs pointed along the coastline to the south of the harbour so taking our swimming stuff with us we walked along to see the baths and to swim in the sea. While passing some houses beside the harbour a local stopped us to ask us where we were from and where we were going to. He seemed genuinely interested in our plans and even though his English was not great (still better than our nonexistent Greek) he was able to understand us. He suggested that we move Tra Bhui to the other side of the harbour where he said we would be more sheltered from the weather front that we knew was going to pass through on Monday. 

When we had arrived in Loutraki we had seen the spot that he was recommending to us against the inside of the main breakwater but we had avoided it as it was next to the ferry berth and there were a lot of Greek signs around it which I was concerned were telling people to keep this are free. After being assured that we could go alongside there without any problem we promised to consider his advice.

One of the old donkey tracks on Skopelos

Using money from the European Union the Greeks had built a narrow concrete road along to the baths and had erected some interpretation boards near the site. The baths which dated back nearly 2000 years had been built on the shoreline where fresh water captured from a stream above had been heated by fires that were kept burning under the bath house. The site itself was subject to constant erosion by the sea and there was little left to see. None of the money given by the ECC appeared to have been used to preserve the site and I would not be surprised if there is nothing at all left in a few years time. A section of mosaic flooring that remains intact is at the top of the tidal zone and the few handmade circular bricks that remain can be picked up and examined or carried off by anyone.It is a pity that more effort had not been made to preserve these rather than build a road!

After looking at the site of the baths we swam / snorkeled from the adjacent beach. When we were walking back to Tra Bhui we saw another heavy rain shower approaching and quickening our pace we just made it back before the rain started.

Smiling Crew

During a break in the rain we went across to the only café open on the sea front to have a coffee and use their free Wi-Fi as I wanted to get an updated forecast on Wind Guru.

The weather forecast had not changed and a front was due to pass through on Monday afternoon. We had 6 miles of open water to cross before we reached the shelter of Skaithos which equated to just over about an hour motoring or perhaps an hour and a half under sail. Because we were enjoying being on Skopelos we decided to stay another night and cross back to Skaithos in the morning, with the fall back that if the weather front arrived early we still had the option of waiting until Tuesday morning to cross.

Wild flowers on the road to Glossa

Having been advised to change our mooring and after Kathleen’s fall when getting on board yesterday we decided to move Tra Bhui, so I went back to her and motored across the harbour while Kathleen walked out on the break water to meet me and catch the mooring lines.

We went back to the same restaurant as we had eaten at on Saturday night as apart from the café which only served snacks it was the only place open. It was much quieter this time but still surprisingly busy given the few people we had seen around the village. Once again the food was good and we had an enjoyable evening.

Monday 11^th April

The wind woke me early. The forecast had shown a period of windy weather during the night, but this sounded windier than we had expected. Tra Bhui was moving around a bit on the swell that was being refracted from the harbour entrance, but the movement was gentle apart from the snatching of our mooring lines. With a little effort I opened the tent door and tightened one of the spring lines which sufficed to stop the snatching for the next few hours.  

By breakfast time the wind had settled down as our instruments showed a pretty constant 15 knots of wind. Being in the harbour we were sheltered from the wind by the bulk of the island and so the wind offshore would be a good bit stronger. With time on our side we decided to go for a walk and as there looked to be a track running parallel to the coast some at height above the sea.

The track if it was one looked reasonably level so we thought that if we climbed up to it we could walk along above the coast until we reached the far headland. The climb to where we thought the track started was almost vertical so it felt and we were both glad to reach flatter terrain, me because it was a steep uphill on a hot day and Kathleen as she was suffering a bit from having hurt her leg on Saturday getting on to Tra Bhui.

Our relief was short lived as the path that we were following dropped back down to seas level and ended up at a house. With no alternative we climbed back up and retraced our steps until, we came to a partially overgrown  donkey road that took us further up the hill. The donkey road kept climbing until we were at the same level as Glossa but on the other side of a deep valley. Eventually the track met the main road and we decided to follow it to Glossa from where we could drop back down to Loutraki.

The walk gave us numerous fine views of the surrounding countryside and adjacent islands. We were struck by just how much of the island was planted with olive trees and just how few of the trees looked to still be cultivated. I suppose that the fact that so many trees looked neglected is a reflection on how much the islands have changed in recent years. Again we were surrounded by wild flowers and with virtually no traffic on the road there was little noise apart from the wind in the trees.

By the time we reached Loutraki again Kathleen’s leg was giving her a lot of pain and for once she was glad to be able to sit down and stop moving. The  wind had we thought dropped a bit although it was still blowing quite strongly. Looking across to Skiathos we could see that although there was a big swell running there were only a few white horses. We decided that rather than stay another night we would make Tra Bhui ready and cross to Skiathos under motor because we would be pointing close to the wind and prudence told us to make the crossing as short as possible.

Departing Loutraki at 15.35 we motored out of the harbour and into the more exposed waters offshore. Here the wind was still blowing 25 knots with gusts up to 30. Our 10 hp Honda pushed Tra Bhui forward without any problem at a reasonable 4.5 - 5 knots and an hour and 20 minutes later after a wet crossing we entered the sheltered waters to the south of Skiathos.  By 17.00 hrs. we were tied up alongside in our previous berth in Skiathos harbour.

With Tra Bhui’s tent erected we went ashore to spend the evening in the town

Posing on the quay

Daily miles 6

Total trip miles 117

Tuesday 12^th April

We had provisionally arranged with the boatyard to bring Tra Bhui out of the water at 14.00 hrs. which gave us the morning to sort our gear out, pack everything away and derig her. As we had plenty of time we had a leisurely breakfast on board. After breakfast, Kathleen walked round to the boatyard to confirm our arrangements while I started to pack things away.

Kathleen returned just in time to give me a hand deflating the dingy and airing the tent. She had spoken to the owner of the boatyard and 14.00 hrs. was still OK .

Packing Tra Bhui ready to be stored ashore while we are away

With Tra Bhui derigged and her cockpit cover fitted we took our travel bags over to the nearby Meltemi Hotel where we had booked a room for our last night on the island.

The crew is treated to a comfy bed before we leave Skaithos

Just before 14.00hrs I set off in Tra Bhui to motor round to the slipway where she would be hauled out while Kathleen walked around via the boatyard to let them know we were waiting for them. 

Motoring round to the slipway in Skiathos

When I got to the slipway, Kathleen advised me that it would be another 30 minutes before the trailer from boatyard would be there  so as the tide was falling I stood in the water keeping Tra Bhui just off the beach until a truck from the boatyard arrived with the trailer.

On seeing the truck and trailer I could not believe that it had come for us. The ex-army truck was pushing a 30 foot long triple axel trailer made from a converted truck chassis. It was far too big for Tra Bhui!

The owner of the boatyard arrived on his electric wheelchair, along with his wife and another worker  and realizing that he was not recovering a super yacht sent the truck back to the yard for a smaller trailer.

30 minutes later the truck reappeared with a smaller trailer which was still pretty large. By now we were creating a bit of interest and a few onlookers had stopped to watch the proceedings as the boatyard owner directed operations and allocated specific jobs to each of his three workers. 

The boat yard return with the smaller trailer

The monstrous winch on the front of the truck that they had been going to use to pull Tra Bhui onto the trailer would not work and hitting it with a metal bar was having no effect on it. Plan B was to use the winch on the trailer which had short tangled wire of dubious quality. Unable to pull the wire fully out from the winch the trailer was pushed further into the water. This suited me as I would rather see Tra Bhui floated on to a strange trailer than winched. Despite warnings from the owner that the slipway was very slippery (covered in weed) on of the workers slipped and fell in completely immersing himself.

Eventually Tra Bhui was out of the water and sitting perfectly on the trailer. We followed her back to the nearby boatyard where the staff washed her hull and I ran fresh water through the outboard.

Tra Bhui in the boat yard after her hull had been washed and engine flushed of sea water

After arranging for the outboard to be given an oil change while we were away we  said our goodbyes and headed back to town to do a bit of exploring

  

Wednesday 13^th

Leaving the hotel just before 07.30 hrs. we stopped to buy some freshly squeezed orange juice and newly baked bread before heading to the harbour to catch the 8.25 Flying Cat 5 ferry to Volos. The high speed ferry had no outside areas  so we sat in forward facing seats similar to those found on aircraft and for an hour and a half we watched the land pass by as we sped across a flat calm sea, knowing that we were returning in May to follow this same route albeit at a much slower speed .

The Meltemi Hotel 

The ferry was due to arrive in Volos at 9.55 and the bus from Volos to Thessonaliki would leave at 10.15 hrs. The bus station was  about half a mile away from the ferry pier and it would be touch and go whether we would have time to find it and buy our tickets before the bus left. As it turned out we did not disembark from the ferry until 10.05 so we already knew we would miss the buss as we set out to find the bus station and buy tickets for the next bus which would leave at 12.15.

The bus station was located just behind the docks and we found it without any difficulty. With our tickets purchased we walked back to the ferry pier as there were a number of bars opposite where we planned to find a cold coffee.

Outside ferry terminal in Volos

The modern air conditioned bus from Volos to Thessonaliki left on time and the two and a half hour journey gave us an alternative view of the countryside that we had sailed past over the course of the previous week. 

Arriving at the bus station at Thessonaliki at 2.50 by the time we had bought tickets for the bus to the airport we found that we had just missed it. This gave us time to have lunch in the bus station’s surprising good cafeteria before catching the 15.30 bus (bus No 78) to the airport.  

The bus to the airport took an hour as it slowly made its way through Thessonaliki stopping at every bus stop and traffic light. We got off at the stop before the airport as we now had to walk the three had a half miles to our car which was parked with the trailer at a boat storage facility. To the car was not particularly pleasant as it was along the edge of the main road into Thessonaliki. Kathleen’s leg was playing up and she was obviously in a bit of pain as she walked so it was with relief that we reached the facility and retrieved the car.

Thessonaliki bus terminal

We had booked another night at Angelbay as our flight home was not until the next day, so reunited with the car we headed back to Angelbay via Liddell for our final night in Greece.

Thursday  14^th

Leaving Angelbay at 8.10 hrs. I dropped Kathleen and our bags at the airport before returning the car to the boat storage facility. The walk back to the airport was no more pleasant than the walk to the storage facility had been the day before and I arrived back at the airport in time to check in at 9.50 hrs.

Using our lounge passes we made good use of the airport lounge where we had breakfast and I started editing some of the hundreds of photos we had taken while away.

Our 11.50 flight to Gatwick left on time and we were in Gatwick by the early afternoon in plenty of time for our 16.50 hrs. flight up to Glasgow.

Arriving in Glasgow at 17.25, by the time we had reclaimed our bags we only had half an hour to wait until Eilidh arrived to pick us up after work.