Wed 26 Jun to Mon 1 Jul – Life in Ermoupoli, Syros

Since our last update we’ve done exactly zero nautical miles and we’re still on Syros. Although this stint on land wasn’t exactly in the plan we can’t have wished for a better place to be for a few days.

The town of Ermoupoli is set on the side of two hills and its narrow, mostly car-less streets offer a mix of dilapidated buildings, beautifully restored houses and magnificent churches and town halls. The alleyways provide much needed shade which we’ve been glad of given the sheer number of steps involved when walking anywhere! We’ve easily walked over 20km in just a few days and we’ve barely retraced our steps – there are a dozen ways to get to where you’re going so you see something new every day. The locals are just as amazing as those we’ve met elsewhere; warm, friendly, generous and welcoming.

Not knowing how long Bini will be out of action for makes planning, especially with places to stay a bit tricky so we booked into our first hotel for three nights. Guesthouse Lila was a charming place set in the former 19th century French Consulate. Our room was cozy with steep Amsterdam-style steps leading up to our bed, not to be attempted after a few too many ouzo’s!

Wednesday

First thing on Wednesday we were eager to get a better understanding of who would be doing the repairs and importantly, when. As well as mending the damaged stern we also wanted to take the opportunity to replace the forestay and the troublesome swivel. We’d mentioned this to the yard yesterday but weren’t yet convinced it’d been added to their list. George, the guy who’d helped get Bini manoeuvred onto the ramp yesterday had said something about not having time, but frankly we still had no clue how he actually fit into this whole equation. 

We arrived at the yard, made friends with the “guard dog” (who in reality is a lovely friendly lab) and went in search of Stavros; the father of the father-and-son team who run the Atlas boatyard. The good news was that they had found a guy who’d be able to repair the stern. The not so good news was that we wouldn’t get a quote or any sort of timeline until Friday (or as we interpreted it, at least Friday). Although anxious to get things moving, the looming meltemi meant we wouldn’t be sailing for a few days and as we’re not exactly in any rush to get anywhere, the extra time made no real difference. We enquired about the forestay and were told George was indeed our man, and that he’d be here on Friday too. We picked up some clothes from the boat and ambled back into town. For a while now we’ve been threatening to get Tom some new shorts so we found a promising looking shop and started rummaging through the racks. A moment later Tom felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around to face a guy, a beaming smile on his face who said, “Hey, it’s Julian Assange!”. We had a good laugh, a short chat then went on our way, minus any shorts.

We walked along the town quay where there’s a nice row of restaurants and plenty of space to moor boats. Due to the high winds a nasty swell was rolling into the bay and the poor buggers on the unfortunate yachts were not having a good time of it at all.

Thursday

On Thursday we walked up to Ano Syros village. There’s a big Roman Catholic church on the top of the steep hillside which looked like it should have stunning views of the bay. In typical fashion we managed to completely skip breakfast and started the climb. There are so many steps (multiple hundreds apparently) that most people get there by bus or taxi – but where’s the fun in that? Half an hour later, huffing, puffing and feeling lightheaded we made it to the top and the views were amazing, as was the taverna we found for some much needed coffee and brunch. 

Feeling replenished we set off for the church on the neighbouring hill, the (Οrthodox) Church of the Resurrection of Christ. This involved yet more steps and break in the middle to say hello to a very friendly donkey and his little horse friend. Up at the church we took a few photos then walked back into town and came across a very trendy beach bar where we had a few drinks before going back to the room for a siesta. Well, when in Rome and all that 😉 In the evening we went for dinner and picked one of the best rated restaurant in Syros according to Trip Advisor, Laoutari. We had a lovely meal then who should show up – the Julian Assange guy from earlier – this was his restaurant! We chatted to him for a while, he treated us to some very strong local liquor and we staggered back to bed. We saw him a few times over the next couple of days, and each time he asked after the boat. Sweet!

Friday

On Friday morning we packed our bags, checked into our new hotel (Hotel Diana) and walked to the boatyard. We were both feeling a bit apprehensive and wondered whether we would actually get any updates today. We met Stavros who said his son did have an update for us, but that he wouldn’t be around for another hour or so. We asked after George, he too was on his way. Things were looking up! We went for a coffee then hovered on a bench just outside the yard. About 15mins later George rocked up in his car, sat next to a teenager wielding a huge knife (the type that would get you arrested within seconds in the UK). George got out of the car and hoped up onto the wall and sat opposite Tom. George is an interesting character. Having never worked a single day in an office, he seems to be involved in everything that has to do with sailing on the island. Today he was rushing between fixing several boats in the yard, finding a spare mast, helping to organise the regatta that would be arriving soon and planning his gig as a charter skipper in a weeks time. Just as we’d lost all hope that he’d be able to fit us in before Christmas he said he’d be back tonight at 1800. Result!

The wind was still blowing hard so Tom and I were quite nervous about how this was all going to work, but George seemed confident so we had no reason not to be too. We walked around town for the rest of the day, unable to really settle. As we walked past the ferry terminal we noticed a big banner advertising the Syros Triathlon, and a 5k charity race they had on Saturday so we went to sign up. That ought to take our mind off things!

That evening we went back to the boatyard and met with George and his friend. Miraculously the wind had completely dropped off so the plan was still on! Standing around like two spare parts (but doing an all important dog-sitting duty) Tom and I watched the procedure from the sidelines as George rigged a series of lines, scurried up and down the mast and expertly detached the forestay. Laying it on the ground we all immediately saw it was in need of repair. It’d be sent off to Athens on Saturday and hopefully a new one delivered by Tue/Wed. By 2130 we were all wrapped up so we said goodbye to George and went for dinner – yummy Gyros!

Saturday

Saturday was mostly taken up with the run, and changing hotels again (Guesthouse Aeriko this time). We had a hearty lunch then made our way to the race start area at 17:00. After a group warm-up session (which frankly would have been enough in itself having not run for months!) we set off with the other 50 or so runners – most of whom were using it as a warmup for tomorrow’s triathlon. Crazy people! It was still hot and the wind was blowing hard but we made it around in a not too terrible time of 28 minutes. That evening we treated ourselves to dinner overlooking the bay and watched as the first boats racing in the Cyclades Regatta made it over the finish line.

Sunday

On Sunday morning we got up early to watch the start of the Syrathlon triathlon. It was the windiest day we’ve had so far – 30 knots easily gusting over 40 knots. The swim started next to where the 20 regatta boats were moored up 8 abreast which can’t have been easy last night in the pitch black.

Late morning we went back to the hotel to pack our things as we were destined for hotel #4 – Korali Apartments. Fancying a change of scenery we booked a self catering room in Galissas on the other side of the island so after lunch we picked up a scooter and headed off. In the evening we walked into town for a drink and went up to the church to watch the sunset.

Monday

On Monday, curious to see how the strong winds of the past few days had effected the boats on the south end of the island we took the scooter back to Finikas, repressing any flashbacks of the “incident that shall not be named”. Despite the wind still blowing quite a bit, the bay was calm and the boats in the marina all looked safe and sound.

As we hopped on our scooter to head back into Ermoupoli we saw a familiar looking shape rushing around the marina. It was George! He really is 50 % of the sailing industry here on the island. After a quick “Hello!” we went back to Ermoupoli and had a quick look at Bini. The work on her stern had started, and we felt massively relieved.

To celebrate we went into the local cafe for some sandwiches and coffee. As we were sitting there munching on our lunch, we felt a weird presence next to us. You know, that feeling you get when somebody is staring at you from across the room, and you can feel their eyes before you actually see them. Well, as we looked up, guess who was standing right next to us – George! There really is no escaping him on the island! 😀 We ate lunch together then set off back to the hotel for a little snooze before heading out to our local bar by the beach. Halfway into our drinks and thoroughly enjoying the ensemble of 70’s and 80’s rock classics we discovered the dart boards on the wall. Given our somewhat competitive nature a massive, hours-long and and alcohol infused dart battle ensured, which Tom is incredibly proud to tell you that he – just about – won!