This was a big week for us on at least two counts: we had our first visitor on the boat and we finally left our mooring in the marina to somewhere further afield than the boatyard. Opua is officially back to being a sailing boat!
After a late bedtime on Sunday night (back from the airport at about 2:00 am), on Monday morning we fuelled up with a good breakfast, sitting in the sunny cockpit, prepared our lifejackets, and then were waved off by Thomas and Claudia as we set off. Given that this was to be our first trip and our visitor had also never sailed we were looking for a short distance with favourable winds and a sheltered spot to anchor in. Factors like the availability of restaurants or tourist attractions on any island were not considered. Hence we had decided to sail south to a nearby island, Gyali. The island most probably does not feature in many guidebooks as it is uninhabited, and boasts only a pumice-stone works. However this also meant it was a good place to experience authentic “wild sailing” (analogous to wild camping), i.e. when you anchor in a deserted bay and have the sea, the sky and the stars to yourselves. The bay on the south side of the island, sheltered from the north wind promised a very calm night for our first sailing trip. Twinkling restaurant lights in the harbour, lively evening chatter and wafts of grilled fish from the local taverna could wait for another occasion!
The sailing went very well. Plenty of water and some strategically-timed salty biscuits saw us through any initial queasiness. After about 4 hours we arrived as planned. The bay, deserted apart from a single fisherboat, was lit by the afternoon sun. We set the anchor and had our lunch enjoying the peace and quiet. The beautiful intense blues of the water were enticing – our visitor even went for a dip. The verdict: not nearly as cold as Scotland! After a peaceful night and a refreshing morning swim, we brought up the anchor and headed home. The winds had changed and were now blowing from the southwest, sending us back to Kos. It felt as though a big weight had been lifted, our having got the first mini-trip under our belts, and Opua having carried us reliably and safely, with all her systems working.
As everyone knows, if you go on holiday, (especially any kind of camping) some torrential rain is de rigueur, so sure enough Wednesday morning brought the obligatory torrential rain. A Lesson Was Learned when we realized that we had failed to lock all the windows and discovered water literally pouring through the window into the guest cabin. That gave us something to do for the rest of the day as with an 800W travel hairdryer (luckily we are attached to the marina electricity) we attempted to dry the floor under the bed, the cover of the mattress, the mattress itself, the mattress topper and its cover, as well as all the bedding.
The rain eventually stopped and the wind picked up big time. For the rest of the week we had a hire car at our disposal and set about visiting the sights of the island. On Thursday we stayed in the north part of the island. We first stopped at the ruins of Asklepion (an ancient healing temple and medical school), set in the woods and with wonderful views over the north west coast, and then continued up the Dikeos mountain to the picturesque village of Zia. Since we had been there last, the whole of the main street had become populated with tourist shops selling all manner of tat. On the way back down the hill we were lured to the tiny and very unassuming village of Lagoudi by the disproportionately sized church (white with a blue roof). Here our experience was more or less word for word as described in the ADAC guidebook: the priest welcomed us very warmly and pointed out all the disciples, apostles, saints and other VIPS adorning the walls. On top of that we had a bonus experience of each being given a stalk of fresh mint and a votive candle.
Down at the coast, we attempted to find a spot to swim but this was not about to happen at Marmari, in the north west of the island – the wind was absolutely raging and the water was choppy. A beautiful beach to look at from the safety of one’s vehicle or from behind a café window. Further up the coast at Tigaki was no better. Finally at the north east end of the island it was a bit more sheltered, and for a brave Scottish lass just warm enough to go for a daily constitutional swim.
On Friday we had a whistle-stop tour of the middle and south of the island, accompanied by very strong winds pretty much wherever we went. We fitted in a quick stop at Kos castle before checking out a traditional windmill near Antimachia where we were plied with homemade biscuits and breadsticks of various flavours, made with their home-ground flour. At the sprawling fortress of Antimachia, perched up high overlooking the planes towards the coast at Kardamena, we were blown away by the views and nearly blown away by the wind. On the west-facing beach at Agios Theologos the water was roughed up with waves. We watched mesmerized as a kite surfer repeatedly sped out and back over the water, leapt and turned and flew several metres up in the air. Just time then to visit Kamari with its colourful harbour in the bay of Kefalos, and then enjoy an early dinner in Kardamena, before reporting back to the airport.
The wind has been quite exhausting this week, both off the boat and on it. Even in the marina the boat rocks and sways and dips; there is a creaking and a splashing and occasionally some banging. The locals say the weather is unusual for this time of year: by now they would expect it to be much warmer, and much less windy. We are told though that the wind should subside at least for a while, at the start of May. This means we can soon venture off on some further short trips, of course choosing our destination and route very carefully to make for a positive initial sailing experience for the whole Opua crew, viz Captain Ralph and myself.
In the meantime we wish everyone a great May Day, whatever you, and the weather, are doing.
Translated to German with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version) with some tweaks
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