We got ready to set sail for Kea, packed up our loose items,
did the dishes and hauled up the anchor.
Today was really the first day where the winds looked good enough to
sail. It was a beautiful day, sunny and
very breezy! We were off the hook by
10:30 AM with south winds at 20 knots that lasted for one hour. The wind dropped and we motored for a while
and ate while we motored. Demitri from
Kythnos had caught a calamari and cleaned it for us. The girls all threw out ideas as to how to
prepare it then
After cleaning up, the wind kicked in again but this time
from a northerly direction at about 22 knots.
So we turned off the motor and hauled out the jib. Mark and Bill both took turns at the helm
while John and Tracy worked the jib and trimmed the main under Valerie’s
direction. It was a great sail!
This was our reason for being on Maya…thank you Poseidon!
The town is beautiful, dotted with white buildings and red
tiled roofs, gardens and archways with grape vines, and flowers
everywhere. It is simply breathtaking,
when you see the architecture, flora and the view of the
We finally arrived at the site of the Lion of Kea! Wow! He is the oldest stone sculpture on the island and it had been dated at 600 BC. No one knows who sculpted it or why he is here but he is beautiful and the mystery about him captivates all of us. We can’t get enough of him and actually overdo the tourist thing with the number of pictures we take of the lion.
We returned to the boat, showered up, played catch up with
Valerie and John and then headed out to the restaurant, which was practically
at the end of the passarella. The restaurant is “Aristos Greek Taverna”. The waiter was very sweet when I asked if he
could get permission for me to watch the chef make saganaki. He consented and I followed him, camera in
hand. The cooks were all laughing
because they couldn’t believe that anyone would want to watch them cook. I took pictures and they explained, get your
oil hot; cut a slab of Gruyere cheese and coat with flour, then cook. Wow!
Whodda thunk it! No more than
that! You don’t even turn it over! You just put it on the plate with lemon
wedges. They cooked it in about two
minutes! No wonder they were laughing! But it was yummy!!!!
We planned to head out early in the morning since we were
going back to
Day 5 Hydra to Kythnos or “Hand Me the Pliers and Don’t
Crush that Dwarf”
Everyone was up and Valerie had gone to the bakery and
picked up some spanikopita and pastries for everyone. She had two kinds of spanikopita, spinach and
cheese or ham and cheese, made fresh this morning. They looked yummy. The “furry guy” (the harbor master) was
scooting around in his little red rowboat making certain that the boats that
were pulling up anchor, pulled only their own and left without any
incidents. The water was so clear, we
had no problem seeing our anchor line and we cast off the lines and pulled up
the anchor without a problem.
Oddly, there was still little wind and no dolphin sightings. The closer we got to Kythnos, however, the wave action picked up... We motored into a small inlet and the waters calmed and we could see the harbor. It was very picturesque, quaint and serene, quite different from the other harbors we had visited. We were able to back into the dock and hook up to shore power and water!
As Valerie and I walked around to the “natural spa” area, we checked out the small restaurants and tavernas. This is the island where her friend Dimitri has a farm and provides everything his family eats except for bread
and raikie (his moonshine). He is a fisherman too! Valerie had almonds and olives on the boat
from Dimitri and they are wonderful! We
stopped at the Poco Loco Café and Valerie and I visited with Antonis, the
owner. He helped our crew make
arrangements for their scooters and said they all seemed fine. .. We drank frappes
with him and shared a snack of grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches that his
mother prepared. It was really
good! While
we visited with Antonis, Dimitri drove up on his three- wheeler and visited
too.
The beach was just around the bend but we could still see
Maya across the tiny harbor. The sand
had beautiful snow-white marble rocks that looked like seashells on the shore
and I collected a few to take home. The
stones were polished and worn smooth by the sea.
The others had been gone for quite some time and after our
showers, they showed up “Easy Rider” style. “Like a true nature’s child, we were born,
born to be wild”…move over Steppenwolf the kids are back! They were all comfortable with their scooter
expertise and ready for a dip in the “spa”.
Ordering dinner at the Taverna D’oro proved to be an experience that provided entertainment, creativity, and a lot of laughs. We of course, ordered Greek food, as there was no other choice. The waitress/cook/owner did not speak very much English so we improvised. When the menu described a platter of “local meats”, we tried to distinguish exactly which meats were included on this platter…”moo”? “Oh, yes it had moo”. “Oink”? “Yes, yes. It had oink as well”. “Baa baa”? “Of course, we have baa baa”. The waitress is getting into the rhythm and laughing with us because, hey, she understood baby talk, we are communicating! “Does it have Eey aaw”? This is when the waitress lost it! She could not stop laughing and the other workers came over to join the fun. “No!!! We do not serve Eey aaw!” With a sigh of relief, “survey says”…”order the local meats platter”! We order and our waitress is giggling all the back to the kitchen. The dinner was really tasty, local meats included.
...The three of us
take a taxi to Alimos Marina and waited at the Skipper’s Bar for everyone. Valerie is the first to meet us and she
brings us up to date with what is happening in her busy life. She has had several charters back to back and
is ready for a break.
We arrive at Poros and Valerie executes a perfect “Mediterranean mooring” which means she dropped her anchor in the harbor and backed the boat toward the dock where lines were looped onto huge dock cleats then secured on cleats aboard Maya. Maya’s anchor has an electric windless and Tracy and Debbie opted for anchor duty. One fed the anchor rode (chain) out and kept an eye to make certain it was secure. The other communicated with Valerie with hand signals to let her know where the rode was and how much was out. Once she knew it had taken hold, she threw docks lines out to waiting hands and John secured the stern of the boat to the dock cleats. It really was amazing to watch a crew that had never sailed together before work smoothly in sync. Kudos to the captain and crew, they made it look so easy! We are “in” for the night.
It is Sunday morning and I am up early to get ready for the church service. I tiptoe around my cabin and try hard not to disturb anyone. They will probably sleep in until I return. I poke my head up the companionway to catch a glimpse of the morning and the village is still asleep. I can spot a few early risers on other boats, drinking their coffee and reading their books. I still try desperately not to waken anyone and I move stealthily across the cockpit toward my “friend” the passarella. I was getting ready to untie the line that secures it to the boat at night, when all of a sudden these loud bells began to ring non-stop! Clang, clang, clang!!! Apparently, they were announcing that the church service would begin in fifteen minutes. Everyone on the boat shot up out of a dead sleep. Debbie and I cracked up because there I was pussyfooting around when these bells woke up the entire village! Well, so much for good intentions....
....Most of my boat mates were up and getting ready
to set sail for Hydra. Poros and Hydra are in the
We arrived at the harbor and it is more crowded
than Poros! Again, Debbie and Tracy were
on anchor duty, Mark and Bill secured fenders to the side of the boat and John
and I are at the stern ready to toss lines to waiting hands. Valerie is backing the boat to the dock with
a dazzling smile on her face. There is a
man on shore calling “Valeria! Valeria”
and giving her hand motions as to which way to back up to the harbor wall.. ..
Debbie and I walked to the end of the point where there was a maritime museum that was quite interesting.
After the museum, we walked to the old fort and climbed to the top. We counted 105 steps up and 79 down…go figure. The view from the top was outstanding. Hydra is famous for its white buildings with contrasting red tiles roofs and this vantage point offers the best view. It is beautiful! There are no motor vehicles on Hydra with the exception of the garbage truck. No cars are allowed and it certainly adds to the ambience of this island. If one does not walk, the option of a donkey is available. Donkeys are seen carrying people, luggage, building supplies, groceries and anything else that may need to be transported.We checked out some shops as we walked back toward the boat. The streets are emptying of its activity and several shops are closing as they participate in a siesta from 3 PM to 6 PM. Seems like a good idea so we returned to the boat to re-group and nap and then the fun began…
We plan to watch the sunset at the top of the mountain at
the Hydroneta, sunset bar. We walked the
marble and stone sidewalks up around the shops and to a tree where a local
artist has his easel set up and he sketches beautiful pen and ink drawings of
the harbor below. We stop to browse only
for a moment and continue up to the taverna.
We find seats at tables situated beside the stoned wall, order drinks
and wait for the show. Mother Nature
does not fail us! The view is
spectacular and the sunset reflects shades of rose, orange and gold that would
take your breath away. No one is
talking, no one looks away and only the cameras are busy. As the last bit of sun dips below the island
mountaintop and the reflection in the water disappears, Mark in his infinitive
wisdom declares, “This doesn’t suck”. We
all concur.