SeaScape

SeaScape - 4

SeaScape Trip Report - Installment 4

Mike Lee and Mary-Louise Johnson

May/June 2002

Day 12/Leros, Greece – Slept in until 8:00 today (another wine headache). Mike had already been out for a run. It is very different with three extra passengers on our boat – lots more chaos, crowding, dishes to be washed, etc. Some of the “newbies” have pitched right in to help, while others are taking a little longer to get into the swing of things. I think it would be difficult to step in midway through this trip and try to fit into an already established group of sailors – I’m glad it’s not me. I can now see where other people’s little idiosyncrasies could easily turn into major annoyances – tolerance and cooperation will be all important from hereon. The atmosphere is almost starting to feel a little like “Survivor” where certain types of personalities rise to the top and others are on the verge of being “voted off.” Two weeks will be just the right amount of time for me on this tiny boat. Vassilis is the first boat to sail out of Vathi but there is no wind so we begin motoring to Leros (about 20 miles away). We’re off to an early start as Diane/Ray have a home on Leros and are anxious to see how remodeling work is going on the house. A little wind comes up so we opt to sail a bit but, unfortunately, the mainsail gets tangled in its casing and won’t unfurl. A lot of time and energy is spent trying to fix it and eventually Diane gives up and we motor some more. We finally get the sails up closer to Leros and sail the last hour of the journey. Our boats dock in Pandeli Bay, a small fishing village. The homes and businesses are traditional whitewash with blue trim. We’re meeting up with a third SeaScape boat today, the Anna Maria, which is on a one-week Greek cruise occupied by just one couple from Nevada plus a lone Portuguese freelance writer who is doing a story on adventure travel in Greece. Anna Maria’s crew is a fun-loving couple – Matthew, the captain, and his mate Jill. Some folks have a look around Pandeli on foot, many opt for motor scooters and Richard/Kiwi/Linda and I rent a Suzuki Samurai. Richard does a great job of navigating the narrow streets, hairpin curves and hills. There is a huge historic castle on Leros but we soon learn that the Greeks practice “siesta time” in the islands and most things are closed from 1-5 p.m. each day so we can’t get in to visit. After wandering around the island awhile, we stop for ice cream at the Alinda Hotel and a beer at a local beach bar decorated in Jamaican colors as a tribute to Bob Marley. I try to order a Red Stripe but the Swiss proprietor has no idea what I am talking about! The only beers I’ve seen available in Greece are Mythos (local), Heineken and Amstel. After a somewhat harried trip back to the boat – we weren’t lost, just not sure which road took us back to the marina – we arrive safely thanks to Richard’s patience with his backseat drivers! Dinner tonight is at Psaropoula, one of the tavernas on the waterfront. It becomes another one of those long, drawn out affairs but we are introduced to some wonderful new Greek foods so it is well worth the wait. Dinner ends at 11:30 and we all head down the beach to the Savanna Bar for “Flaming Lamborghinis” – layers of kahlua, galiano, vodka, sambuca, curacao and milk set on fire and sipped through a straw. It’s a drinking contest and the object is to suck the liquid through the straw before the fire can melt the plastic – a lot more difficult than it sounds! I volunteered to photograph the event and, boy, am I glad I did! We had a lot of semi-conscious people at the bar before the evening was out. Savanna had some great CDs and good dancing – some of the group ended up in a “puppy pile” while others got “dropped to the floor” before the night was over.

Day 13/Leros & Marathi, Greece – We don’t plan to sail until noonish today which is probably a good thing considering how much everyone drank last night. We are able to spend a leisurely morning doing whatever we like. Psycho Sharon and I head up to Toni’s Place for a wonderful hot shower, while Mike borrows a wash tub from Toni and does some laundry. A bunch of us meet up for a late breakfast at the local taverna, but I opt to just eat ice cream. The boat is really starting to get dirty – having 8 rather than 5 passengers is a huge change – seems as if the place is dirty and messy all the time. I tackle the dishes while Mike and Psycho Sharon dry. Of course, as soon as all is cleaned up and put away, someone else is ready to eat so the cycle of dirty dishes begins all over again. We finally set out shortly after 12, it’s a beautiful warm day, but most of the group is either dead tired or hung over. I take the helm and steer the boat while most everyone else sleeps. We sail most of the way to Arki, but lose wind a couple of times. We learn that a large water tanker will be in port for the evening at Arki, so divert at the last minute to Marathi. Just as we arrive at Marathi, the same water tanker is in the bay ready to off-load water so we will have at least an hour’s wait before we can pull up near shore. Marathi is a tiny island with a pretty bay surrounded by a REAL beach. There are just three families here and a lovely taverna called Panteli’s. It is too shallow to pull up to the dock so we are anchored just a short distance from shore and Ray has rigged up a pulley system with one of the dinghy’s to go ashore. It a great system but gets pretty interesting trying to climb in and out of a wet, slippery dinghy. The view from the top of the hill in Marathi is lovely. You can see many small uninhabited islands as well as Patmos off in the distance. This is the first sunset I’ve seen the entire trip – not as good as a Caribbean sunset, but nice nonetheless. Dinner is extremely late AGAIN and we don’t even sit down until after 10 p.m. I order fish and chips and get a plate full of French fries and a full fish – head, tail, skin and all. Thank goodness Ray knows how to “strip” the fish and leave me with just the meat. These late night dinners are starting to get the best of me. Feel like I’m starting to pack on weight and there’s not much opportunity for regular exercise.

Day 14/Patmos, Greece – Woke up feeling great today. A group went to the beach on Marathi to do yoga and I decided a swim was long overdue. Since our boat was anchored offshore, I was able to swim laps back and forth from the boat to shore – almost like an Olympic-sized pool. It felt good to get some exercise and to clean up afterward with the boat’s shower nozzle. There is no wind again today, so we’ll be motoring to Patmos. I’m not disappointed since that means we won’t have to do any “work” and it will take less time to get to our destination. The sun has begun to get warmer with each passing day and even though it cools off as soon as the sun goes down, the evenings have become more moderate and less windy. We pull into a small bay south of the capital city of Skala on Patmos and dock around 1 p.m. There is much to see and do on Patmos so lots of folks rent scooters and Richard/Mike/Psycho Sharon and I share a Jeep to do some exploring. We’re on a mission today to find a good milk shake, but first we stop in Skala to drop laundry. George’s Place at Kampos Beach has been recommended to us so we head out there next for lunch and our shakes. We’re not disappointed – the service is the best we’ve had since leaving Turkey, the shakes are delicious and we even pig out on warm chocolate cake, apple pie and ice cream for dessert – yum! By now, Greek siesta time is over so we head back into Skala to do some shopping. Several of the guys load up on Greek-style lightweight cotton shirts and pants – they look great with a sun tan! We’ve managed to find a man near the waterfront willing to let us use his shower for 3 euros each so we all line up late in the afternoon for some hot water. Dinner tonight is at Diogenis, an Italian restaurant near the boat. I order chicken cannelloni – the food is a nice change from all the Greek salads and kebabs I’ve been eating.

Day 15/Patmos & Arki, Greece – Patmos is most famous for its Greek Orthodox monastery (Monastery of St. John the Theologian) which is built around the hill where St. John the Apostle is supposed to have written the Book of Revelation. We want to get off to an early start so we can see the monastery before it closes (remember…Greek “siesta” time). Richard/Mike/Sharon and I still have our Jeep so head out around 9:30, pass back through Skala and make our way up the hill to the monastery. It turns out that the highlight of our day is a visit to Jimmy’s Balcony Place, a little restaurant next to the monastery where we eat breakfast. Jimmy, the owner, is a warm and friendly Greek who was born in the US and returned to Greece later in life after inheriting the property where his restaurant is located. Jimmy has a great memory and photographic mind and tells us stories all about his former home in Iowa, his travels to 42 different states and his experience at Woodstock in 1969. Meeting and visiting with many of the locals has proven to be some of the most interesting highlights of this trip. Vassilis has been moved to the marina at Skala to take on water, so we return there to pick up laundry, do some last minute shopping and return our Jeep before sailing at 3 p.m. for Arki. Our boat pulls into Arki by 4:30 but there is little to do here. It’s a small rocky island with several boats and fishing vessels already at the dock. Anna Maria and Angelina are already here. Several of us take naps before getting ready for dinner, while others swim. I’m glad I opt not to swim because it soon becomes apparent the water here is incredibly polluted by all the boats around us. We’re in a three-sided protected harbor and it seems as if everyone has been dumping waste here and it has no way out. By morning, the place is a cesspool. Mike and I spend some time visiting on Anna Maria. She’s probably the nicest boat in the fleet—roomy, large water tank, good refrigeration, nice “heads” – but better suited to couples We’ve all been offered the option of moving over to the Anna Maria, but so far no one has accepted as it would be a huge hassle to repack belongings and get resettled. Dinner tonight is at the Trypas Taverna and we actually finish by 10 p.m. The service was fast, but the food was mediocre. I would not recommend Arki – the harbor is dirty, the swimming is poor, the hikers said they met up with barbed wire fences and the radios on the fishing boats blare all night and early in the morning – I’m not sure why SeaScape makes a stop here.

Photos on Webshots:

Istanbul before boarding: http://community.webshots.com/album/40676351JlBcqZ

Week One from Turkey: http://community.webshots.com/album/40678737PuYeqv

Week Two from Greece: http://community.webshots.com/album/41924549DeSznv

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