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.