Monemvasia - Peloponnese

Monemvasia

 The medieval fortress city of Monemvasia looks as though it was chiseled out of the rock.  Rather than a stand alone city built on an island, this city seems to be of the island, not separate from the rock but a natural piece of the rock.  It is quite a site to see when you are sailing in from the sea. 

Talaria at anchor near Monemvasia

 

 

Centuries ago the only way to reach the city was by boat.  Monemvasia was carved into the back side of the rock so that it would be hidden from the mainland.  The idea was to provide refuge for local people to escape enemy attacks.  Initially separated from the mainland there is now a causeway connecting the the island to the nearby town.  Even in ancient times there was eventually a path that led to the city with a single entrance through the walled fortress.  

Monemvasia

We had left our anchorage in Milos at 0400 and arrived in Monemvasia before 1600.  That was the first time we have departed from a crowded anchorage in the dark.  It was a little stressful as our night vision had not kicked in yet and there were boats everywhere.  In retrospect we should have only used red lights when we got up at 0300 - we did ourselves no favor when we turned on the regular lights.  Thankfully, within about 30 minutes our night vision had kicked in and we were able to see the rocks and islands out there!!

Byzantine church

We ended up staying in Monemvasia for a few days waiting for the wind to shift.  There are three capes
 at the southern end of the Peloponnese.  The first one you go around is the most daunting (according to the guidebooks).  When sailing around you have to give Cape Malea a wide berth as the wind gusts flying off the mountain can be very strong.  So we were waiting for the right conditions before we round the Cape.  Meanwhile, our new anchor was tested yet again as we saw 40 knot gusts in the anchorage at Monemvasia!  

Narrow lanes in Monemvasia

Monemvasia is a busy place for sailors.  It is the place people cross over to from Milos and with the Corinth Canal closed everyone must now take this route.  Night after night our anchorage would get crowded with boats coming from or going to Milos.  While waiting on our weather window we spent the days exploring Monemvasia and the connected town.  I must confess however that we did not do the steep climb to the top to see the beautiful Byzantine church. However, we did not totally miss out  as we saw several of the 10th and 11th century churchs down in the town.  We also found it remarkable to be able to see the walled city in its entirety (coming from the sea).  In contrast, Rhodes castle is so vast that you can see only a portion of the wall.  Like a reading a chapter and not the whole book.

Church bells

Many of the old mansions and other buildings in Monemvasia have been renovated and are now shops, restaurants and hotels. Albeit despite the modern touches Greece has done a remarkable job in preserving the old city and the Byzantine churches.  For a small city there is an amazing number of churches. 

Another Byzantine church

Once we round Cape Malea we plan to anchor at an island called Elafoniso.  We will then continue on around the other two capes of the Peloponnese and then to the west coast of Greece.  Next up - the Ionian islands. 

A very ancient Byzantine church

Milos

 

Village of Plaka - Milos

It was just a quick little trip over to Milos from Kimolos but we dodged ferries the whole way.  There are ferries that go all over the place from Milos.  We thought we would try to scope out the harbor the same way we did in Ios and just see if it would be safe for us to stay there.  After anchoring in Adamantas Bay we took the dinghy over to see if we could find the harbor master.  Instead, we found a British fellow who told us all about the damage his boat sustained in the harbor.  He warned us off and told us we were much better off at anchor.  

A little village in the harbor

We heeded that advice and stayed in the anchorage.  Milos is a fairly large island with several small villages.  We took the bus to the village of Plaka which is the first village you see on the island.  It sits way up on the hill and looks like the chora (old town) of most of the Greek islands we have visited.  

 

Plaka - Milos

As it turns out there was an American boat anchored right across from us.  So we did the neighborly thing and took the dinghy over to say hello.  Turns out we were crossing paths going opposite directions.  We spent a couple of evenings with Mike and Jean as we were all waiting for the Meltemi winds to calm down.  A couple of nights with 30 plus knot winds at anchor led us to have considerable faith in our new Ultra anchor.  

Church in Plaka - Milos

Milos is another touristy island but very pretty.  We did not see as much of the island as we would have liked due to the high winds.  Our comfort level does not allow us to leave Talaria at anchor for hours when the wind is blowing 25 to 30 knots.  Not to mention the fact that riding in the dinghy is quite a feat when its that windy.

Cute little restaurant we stopped at for lunch

We ended up spending five days at anchor in Milos and made new friends!  Milos is the last island before the mainland (Peloponnese) and is a sixty nautical mile trip.  It took Mike and Jean about fourteen hours to make the trip. So we decided that we would just leave super early so that we would be sure to get in before dark.  The weather forecast was good but just to be on the safe side we decided to give ourselves plenty of time.  Hoping for a good passage!

Kimolos

Kimolos

Back home we would say that a village like Kimolos is just a "wide spot in the road".  Just a small, simple fishing village but for their small size they have an abundance of churches!  We have marveled at the sheer number of churches on the Greek islands and the small size of many of them.  Michael and I have been calling them "baby churches".  They are seemingly everywhere.  There will be a small island that is really just a rock with no inhabitants and no structures except a "baby church" and maybe a cross.  Just makes you wonder who built them and what they use them for?

Bay in Kimolos

We had a great sail over to Kimolos which was a pleasant change from the head winds we have been battling.  The wind was out of the NNW so we were on a close reach but we were far enough off the wind that we could sail.  With the genoa, double reefed main and staysail we were reaching at over 7 knots.  That is really good for us!  Our boat is a heavy cruising boat not a racing boat!  

Baby church on a rock!

We arrived at our anchorage by early afternoon and decided to just admire the island from afar.  Once settled in we kicked back in the cockpit and watched the small fishing boats come and go.  We were surprised to see that the fishermen had carved little "sheds" into the rock.  Right at the shoreline you see doors on what are basically little caves for storing their fishing gear.  So clever!

Fishing sheds in the rock

 As a special treat we watched a "guided" kayak tour in the little bay.  Milos is the island right next to Kimolos.  There is a channel that runs between the two islands.  Milos is larger and more touristy so we are guessing the "tourists" came over to the Kimolos harbor from Milos.  We decided that we would go ahead to Milos the next day as we needed to find good shelter from the meltemi winds that would blow hard for the next few days.  The meltemi is supposed to settle down in September but this year has been the exception.  We have had to stay in port for several days at a time waiting for the winds to die down some.  Fortunately we have plenty of time to reach Italy ... our final destination for the year.

 

Kayak tour

 

Ios - tourist central

The Chora

 It had been awhile since we had heard American voices but that all changed when we reached Ios.  Suddenly, it seemed as though the entire population of NYC was on that island.  Who knew it was such a popular island?   It is a relatively small harbor but busy as can be with ferry traffic.  All day long lines of people were getting on and off ferries.

Church in Ios

Because of all the ferries the harbor is considered unsafe for sailboats.  The wake from the ferries has caused the masts of sailboats to collide more than once.  Several sailors have had their boats damaged in Ios harbor.  Due to those stories we decided to anchor at Myloplotas beach.  The beach was actually our second choice.  We were going to anchor at the end of the island until a fellow at Astypalea told us about the 59 knot wind gusts that funnel down the mountains at that anchorage.  We decided to add another hour to our day and go to the beach instead!

Talaria at Ios harbor

The next morning we took the dinghy over to the very touristy beach and called a taxi to take us to the port.  We needed some more camping gaz for our stove and thought we would just check out the port and see if it would be possible to go there. The taxi driver ended up being a very interesting fellow who was showing us fishing videos while driving on these mountainous, winding, narrow roads.  He gave us his view of where the safe spots were in the port.  After finding out where the harbor masters office was we walked around to see if there was anyplace we felt would be safe to tie up.  We actually did find the perfect spot and lucky for us when we went to see the harbor master that was the exact place he said we could tie up to.  How perfect was that!  Even though we would see some surge from the ferry we were in no danger of colliding with other boats.  Our plan was to use many, many fenders.

Church in the Chora

Once settled in the harbor we thought we might join the masses and take a ferry ride to Santorini as it was so close.  But it ended up being too windy to move the boat that afternoon and the next morning was the only available time for the ferry ride.  Instead we went to visit the chora (old town) of Ios and finished up some chores.  From Ios we are sailing to Kimolos - a very non-touristy Greek island.  My favorite kind!

Astypalea, Greece

Church in Maltezana

Well you know what they say about the best laid plans.  So far on our trip through the islands we have been beating into the wind and waves which is not a lot of fun.  After a few days of that nonsense we decided we would do our best to wait for more favorable winds.  Lady luck smiled on us (or so we thought) and the forecast for the day following our night at Tilos was for winds out of the north (no west wind at all)!!  Yay!!  Plans were made to sail to Astypalea.  

View from the top of the Chora

After a harrowing departure from the harbor as we tried to avoid either hitting the rocks or hitting bottom we set sail for Astypalea.  We had no sooner set the sails and our course than Michael said we had a problem.  Our shaft seal was leaking.  A few minutes discussion led us to divert and head to the island of Kos instead.  On Kos we felt we could find a mechanic but possibly not on the island of Astypalea.  So I sailed the boat and Michael went below to try and stem the leak.  Eventually, he managed to get the leak stopped by attaching a hose clamp to the shaft seal.  He was unable to tighten the collar on the shaft seal as the installer had stripped the set screws during installation. 

 

Narrow streets in the Chora

Of course, diverting to Kos meant beating into the wind and waves AGAIN as Kos is north of Tilos!  Damn, damn, damn.  It was a rough slog and we were very glad to reach the anchorage.  Once settled we contacted a mechanic who said we should look up shaft seal maintenance on YouTube and we should tighten the set screws.  When we explained again that the set screws were stripped and we would need them removed by a mechanic with an easy out so that we could replace them he replied "sorry there is nothing more I can do for you".  So... we set about trying to fix it ourselves.  Michael finally found one set screw in his supplies and we were able to get the other set screw out with an easy out (that was not the right size but worked).  As it turned out only one of the set screws was stripped and we had exactly one set screw to replace it with.  There is a reason I call him McGyver :).

View from the Chora - cemetery for the Church

 The next day we again set sail for Astypalea.  Of course, we missed our perfect wind due to the leaking shaft seal so we again had to beat into the wind and waves.  As we approached the island we were just barely off the wind and struggling to make any headway.  We had the engine on and were "motor sailing" when suddenly the engine died.  Michael thought it was likely a dirty fuel filter (which it was).  As he went below to change the fuel filter I tried to keep Talaria on course the best I could.  It actually was all I could do to just keep us from gybing.  Poor Michael was desperately trying to not throw up.  Between the boat pitching and rolling, the heat and the fumes its a miracle he did not lose his breakfast (we never had lunch that day).

Church in Maltezana

It was quite windy when we finally arrived and thank goodness there was a spot for us right at the end of the quay in the little village of Maltezana.  A Greek sailor and his wife came over to catch our lines.  Michael was slowly approaching as is his custom and the fellow kept saying "don't be afraid, come on in".  I explained that Michael was just being careful and he always approached a quay slowly.  I could later hear him muttering to his wife about the "damn Yankees"!  Too funny.  He was actually a very nice fellow and came over to visit several times after our initial meeting but abrupt like most Greeks we have met.  

Old windmills in the Chora

The weather forecast was for high winds for a few days (30 plus knots) so we decided to settle in and enjoy the island.  As it turned out a few other folks had the same idea including a new friend named Hans.  Hans single hands his 25 foot sailboat and came in with the same winds we were dealing with.  All in all it was a very pleasant stay on the island as we spent our time touring the island and hanging out with new friends.  Astypalea is so incredibly pretty that we hate to leave.

The Chora

An added bonus is that Astypalea is not on the tourist track.  For the most part it is the island that folks from Athens slip away to in the summer.  Astypalea represents every image you have of Greece: blue and white homes, beautiful blue water and stunning churchs.  Again so pretty that we hate to leave but we must.  Next island - Ios.

Tilos - Greece

Tilos, Greece

Most of the little islands in Greece ( the Aegean islands) do not have marinas.  They typically have a small town quay for the local fisherman but that is it.  Fortunately, they are nice enough to allow visitors to tie up at their harbor for free.  

Talaria tied up to the quay

 We did not really intend to tie up to this dock.  Our plan was to anchor in front of a "nudist" beach nearby.  Now before you start thinking kinky thoughts we were planning to anchor there only because it was supposed to be a safe anchorage and would shorten our distance the next day.  And there were supposed to be peacocks on the beach!  As it turned out we did not find it to be a great anchorage as the water was just too deep.  You really had to go very close to the beach in order to find shallow enough water to anchor in.  All in all it just did not feel comfortable.  So instead we went to the harbor.

Dinner at the taverna

 
 The harbor was also less than ideal.  Our chart showed the water depth at 11 feet but when we got in there it was only 7 feet (our keel extends down 6 feet).  Also, right by the harbor wall there were rocks - lots of rocks that were maybe 3 to 4 feet under the water.  Ouch!!  We did not hit them but it was nerve wracking going in there.  This time of year most of the Greek islands are very short on water.  The water marks in the harbor are a tell tale sign that the water depth is down from normal levels.  We had not really thought about the depths being off but we will from now on.  It does not rain all summer long in Greece (and Turkey) so everything is very dry.  Once we were all secured we went down the quay to the little taverna and had a great meal and watched the sunset.  Lovely night!  Our plan is to sail from Tilos to Astypalea tomorrow.  The wind should be in the right direction so we hopefully won't spend the day beating into a headwind and steep seas.  We will see!

Making our way thru the Dodecanese Islands.

 

Monastery of the Archangel Michael

From Rhodes we sailed to Symi, mostly north and a little west of Rhodes.  It is not so easy going the direction we are headed (west) as the prevailing winds are from the NW.  So far, we have been sailing very close to the wind but we keep changing our strategy for hopping across the islands to try and improve our sailing conditions.  

Monastery

We anchored in the bay at Panormitis on the island of Symi.  Such a lovely bay... by the end of the night there were 10 sailboats at anchor and 2 big power boats.  Once we were all settled with our super new anchor we dropped the dinghy in the water and headed over to the town to see the Monastery.  

 

Monastery

Panormitis is home to the Monastery of the Archangel Michael. The Archangel Michael is a super angel or chief angel.  And better yet Archangel Michael is the patron saint of sailors!  What luck!!

Monastery - the walk is all done with pebbles

As we were looking around the Monastery we heard a ferry pulling in.  Next thing you know a large group of tourists (likely from the cruise ships in Rhodes) exited.  They and their guides all headed to the Monastery.  So... that was the end or our Monastery visit 😞.  But we did manage to find the Monastery bakery and bought a small apple pie.  

Monastery

Apple pie will make for a nice breakfast before we leave for Tilos in the morning.  

Entry to the Monastery

After the bakery we made a bee line for Talaria to escape the maddening crowds.  A nice meal, glass of wine and a beautiful sunset capped off a great day.  It was so nice to see a sunset again.  In Turkey there are too many mountains obscuring the view.  

Next stop Tilos - a small island that does not receive many visitors.  A few sailors stop by and bird watchers as the island is a haven for rare birds. 

More Rhodes Crusader Castle

 

Courtyard at the Palace

 

As promised I am posting more pictures of the Castle/Palace.   Not much else to say here so I will just post pictures.  

Courtyard

View from the Castle window

Church within the castle

On the wall in the castle church

Very old church on the road up to the castle

Sign of the Mason's

 My grandfather, my father, my brother and my father in law were all Masons.  So I found the symbol of the Masons above this door on the road up to the castle interesting.  There is so much mystery and intrigue surrounding the Masons and the Knights Templar - I wonder if anyone knows all the stories anymore.  That period of time is endlessly fascinating.  With all our cruising I find that each place sends us down another rabbit hole - researching the area, the culture and the era of time.  And that in my view is one of the best by products of cruising!