Saronic Gulf
Posted at 3:24 PM, Jun. 28, 2008
At the end of the last post I said we were thinking of going across to the island of Hydra (Idhra) and we did try exactly that last Saturday 21st June. Had a pleasant but not fast sail across and anchored for lunch and a swim at N.Soupia on the mainland which was not much more than hide behind rock stuff so not an overnight stop. The topic of Hydra came up yet again so we sailed the few miles across and then motored into the harbour bedlam and chaos. We could only manoeuvre within our own boat length (bow thrusters do come in useful) as big ferries, hydrofoils, numerous water taxis and the 100ft plus motor yachts down from Athens for the weekend. 
Water taxis jostle for customers at Hydra
There was clearly no room for us so we motored on southwards and stayed at the southern end of Hydra in the bay of Nikolaos. The beach was full of people under beach umbrellas etc and only one other large motor yacht present. What we subsequently realised is that everyone on the island stays in the town (no cars) and various beaches not reachable by road are serviced by water taxis during the day and then completely empty out at night. But it blew up and we had 25 knots of gusts down the valley all night until mid morning by which time in a 35 knot job the anchor finally popped out so we up and out of there the trick seems to be to run a stern line ashore on the eastern side of the bay where it is deep and you miss the gusts as they spread out. Beautiful bay though under impressive mountainous and rugged terrain.
We then had a quick reach for the 15 miles across to the mainland (if Peloponnisos can be termed that this is the SW corner of Greece separated from the real mainland by the Gulf of Corinth) and dropped anchor in the bay of Porto Kheli. The new sailors on board handled the conditions well and no stern gazing was reported. This is a large circular bay with good protection from all winds as evidenced by the number of boats that came in during the late afternoon. The town was pleasant enough with a number of hotels around the bay. Ended up here a couple of days, although explored the coastal area by boat, as the meltemi blew hard.
Millie and Linda enjoy a quiet swim
One evening we caught the water taxi for the 3.5 mile run across to the island of Spetsai the water taxis here do a huge trade and only know one speed flat out. The local guy who picked us up off the boat and dropped us off back there later had a boat probably around 11 metres long, about 1.7 meters wide (so longish and relatively narrow) powered by two 400 hp Fiats. The thing just about flew. Anyway a great evening over at Spetsai which is really a must place to visit beautiful place with inlaid stone streets, designer shops and heaps of cafes and bars all combining to make a great atmosphere. Leonard Cohen (I am not the greatest fan) reportedly has a home here.
Quiet week all up finishing up with a 35 mile beat back up to Poros where we arrived back on the night of Tuesday 24th. We had a final dinner out with the odd (possibly occasional) ouzo to cap off an enjoyable week with Heather and some of her family on board.
Hey Heather's glass is empty.
They caught the hydrofoil back to Athens the next morning and we have spent a quiet couple of days in Poros doing the jobs on the boat one doesnt do when friends are on board as well as swimming and exploring.
So after those couple of days we are now very much looking forward to having Erik and Linda Pedersen, very old friends from Dallas, join us for about 10 days while we move eastwards through the Cyclades Group.
Weather very hot (35 every day) water pretty warm (now around 26) and adequate (possibly inappropriate) liquid intake important to avoid dehydration.
Cheers
Keith