Day 5 Wednesday 6th
June 2018
Port Vathy
0720hrs. Awake. It had
been the hottest night for sleeping so far. Turning in last night we left the
12v fan on to circulate some air but awoke at some hour later and switched it
off. It felt cooler.
Emerging into the salon so Mike
can make the tea, Tim who is sat in the lounge updating the log, tells me that
Suzie has gone for an early morning swim. Rushing ashore and down to the beach
I thought I might get a couple of photos but Suzie was onto me.
Back on board Jackie was
scrubbing the decks. Well, washing the saloon floor and Tim had placed 3 chucky
eggs into a pan to boil for breakfast. We had discovered that five minutes once
the water was boiling gave perfect soft boiled eggs. Nobody had brekkers
yesterday or come to that lunch but boy did we eat well for dinner last night.
Breakfast over we sat in the pulpit and watched this most tiny of harbours
gradually come to life. The kayak/boat hire guy arrived and checked his
speedboat, madam from the taverna opposite emerged, with phone in hand, chattering
away jumped into her dark blue van shouted a “Good Morning” to us and still
chatting away on the cell phone drove off. Presumably to collect today’s fresh
vegetables from her mother’s fields or fresh fish from the catch which had been
landed by the local boats a few hours ago.
Today’s course would take us out
of this idyllic ‘fjord’ towards the island of Psyimii. Here we had identified
another small cove with harbour. We hoped to go stern to once again. We would
spend the night there.
Leaving the Port
of Vathy. 
1230hrs. We arrived. We
would have to anchor off shore tonight. We made our way towards a small jetty
and dropped anchor some way off ensuring that we did not drag the anchor and
that the wind swung us clear of an anchored catamaran in the bay and the end of
the pier.
Whilst Tim cracked a few beers
Mike changed into his swimmies and with the swimming platform lowered dived off
the side like Johnny Wisemuller! Once around the boat then out for a wee
swallee.
David offered swim fins and mask
and so back in went Mike. It was difficult to get either Jackie or Suzie out of
the water. It was quite pleasant.
Suzie made a delicious pasta and
salad for lunch. Just as we were opening books to chill for the afternoon a
voice from the jetty hailed us, “Hello Captain, you need to re-anchor further
out in the bay, we have a ferry landing here later”. Drat! We weighed anchor
and under power motored into the centre of the bay whereupon Mike had the
command to “Drop anchor”. With the
anchor away and after checking the depth under the keel and clearances around
the boat Tim gave the order “Secure all hands.”
Back to reading our books. Tim and
Suzie continued with their book of Telegraph crosswords. David caught a few
zeds.
We spent the afternoon watching
the grockle boats come and go. Disgorging their human cargoes. White flesh desperately
seeking a tan. The three or so local tavernas on the beach making the most of
the opportunity to cash in on the tourists.
At one point we had five tied up
on one jetty when a ginormous pirate looking boat came in, offloaded and sat
there for some time with its engines running causing an almighty din. The
Captain’s voice boomed out over the loudspeaker “We leave in one hour for Kos,
do not be late.” He sailed at 50 minutes past the hour and to our untrained eye
didn’t seem to be counting them off or on.
A few ‘novice’ sailors came in
and faffed about for some considerable time before deciding to go end on to the
grockle boat jetty. We waited to see if any more boats would arrive to shoo
them off! Three cats sailed, or rather motored in. One huge cat, with a couple
on board fussed about with their anchor seemingly checking the anchor release
line. Eventually madam, she was French dived in and after a while all seemed
OK. Then they suddenly upped anchor and motored over to the very spot we had
been told to stay away from. As always one watches others anchoring. Is there
sufficient clearance when swinging on the anchor, is the anchor dragging, do
they have control of the boat at the correct speed?
Mike having a dip.
The jetty in rear and note the deserted beach.
A G and T on the
lowered swim platform.
Suzie cooked up a great pasta
dish of Chicken and rice with an accompanying salad dish. We had bought frozen chicken
breasts a few days ago and had, doubting we would go ashore here defrosted it.
Sat in the cockpit all five agreed it was a most enjoyable meal washed down
with a glass or two of White Aegean Breeze.
A slight swell picked up in the
evening and Mike’s thought turned to what sort of night we might have? The goat
bells could be heard away in the distance and before long the goats made their
appearance upon the pretty sheer rocks and ledges that formed the harbour
entrance.
2130 hrs. We retired to
bed.
