Tom Döhler
The day started pretty much as expected, which is: veeery windy. A few boats had found their way into the anchorage over the night and it took a few seconds sticking our heads out of the hatch to figure out what’s going on. Bini was happily sailing back and forth on her anchor, with pretty heavy gusts howling through the rig every now and then. There is really not much one can do on these days, especially in a remote anchorage like this one. We decided that this would be a good day to catch up on email, write a few captain’s logs, and just hang out and read our books. We did manage to get off the boat in the afternoon to explore the area around the anchorage a bit. The place looked pretty deserted, a few empty houses sprinkled between big rock formations and cliffs. We discovered a little church perched on the tip of a peninsula, battered by the wind but offering amazing views across the bay. The anchorage is protected by shallows from the sea, and it was fascinating to see the ocean raging in big waves in one side and a fairly flat anchorage just a few meters along. We could not resist a little stopover at the local taverna on the way back, which offered freshly caught fish that they proudly presented by hanging it out to dry right in front of us.
We woke up the next morning by a distinct lack of wind noises. This was a bit weird, as today was supposed to be the windiest day, according to the forecast. By breakfast the bay had completely cleared out, and we were literally the only boat left. A quick change of plans. Instead of trying to hide from non existing winds, how about a nice downwind sail to Ios? We didn’t have to think twice. Up went the anchor and off we went. The sail was fairly easy, around 20 miles, all downwind. What made it a bit harder was the lumpy sea that was left behind by the meltemi. Bini was being thrown about quite a bit in big waves. The wind continued to drop throughout the day, but we managed to sail all the way to Ios. Just as we rounded the corner into our anchorage, ready to drop the sail, a few 30 knot gusts gave us a heartfelt welcoming. Great! We wrestled the sails down, but anchoring in these big gusts was not going to be fun. Camilla spotted a little bay next to the big anchorage that looked pretty protected. The wind dropped to near zero as we were inching our way into this bay, it was a bizarre experience. The gusts must have just rolled right over our heads, as evidenced by a wind battered sea just behind us. We dropped the hook and settled in for a quiet night in a stunning bay, ogling the steep walls and the most stunning clear water.
Herrliche Bucht?