After being stuck on the island of Milos in the Cyclades for over two weeks due to the strong Meltemi winds, the weather gods were finally kind and we were able to depart. The wind decreased from 40-45+ knots to 25-30 knots for a few days. Still strong but manageable and we jumped at this weather window to head east. Kivanc did make a good call keeping us put in Milos during the strong winds. We watched several sailboats leave its protective bay only to return a few hours later with ripped mainsails or dodgers. This is one of the advantages of not having a rushed schedule while sailing. Milos was not a bad place to be stuck for two weeks. The island is beautiful and they have a nice small marina where we could get water, electricity and walk into town from - all for 10 euros a night! Kivanc also made friends with a nice group of locals on Milos who are musicians. After sailing, Kivanc's great love is music. He deeply appreciates live music and any musical instrument. Kivanc himself plays the guitar and the congas. Most nights on Milos Kivanc would join his friends as they performed in town and in true European style stay out until 3:00-4:00 am. I'd only be able to hang out until midnight - I must be getting older.
As beautiful as the Cyclades are with their whitewashed villages and narrow streets full of charm, we didn't enjoy sailing here. At least not during July & August when the summer winds are at their peak. Sailing aside, enjoying time at a beach with disturbed water, or a meal at an outside restaurant with fierce winds flying everything around is also slightly annoying. Too much wind is not fun. Many of the locals do like the Meltemi winds because it dramatically cools the islands down during the hot summer months. However, several of them told us the winds were extra strong this summer and usually would calm down in the evenings - they never stopped for us. Likely another effect of global warming changing our environment. We do aim to come back next year around late spring/early summer before the heavy summer winds start-up and without the crowds of tourists, to enjoy this very special place. Before we said goodbye to the Cyclades we had a 5-day weather window which allowed us to stop at Paros and Naxos islands before heading east. I was happy to at least see a couple more islands in this area before we sailed away. One of our most memorable moments was sailing through dozens and dozens of kite surfers near Paros. I have included a video below.
We arrived about one and half weeks ago at the Dodecanese island group in the far east of the Aegean Sea. Our long passage from the Cyclades was smooth for the most part. We did have some strong winds around 25-35 knots but we were nicely reefed and the boat felt balanced and sailed great. We did have some large waves which made for a very rollie ride and my stomach was not too happy. Something most people don't know about me is every day I'm seasick to some degree. I have found ways to manage and cope with it but mostly just deal with it because I love this life so much! The worst for me is downwind sailing with large waves. For long passage-making, I stay in the cockpit the majority of the time and look out towards the horizon. I will also prepare meals ahead of time so I won't need to go down into the galley or the salon much and if we do overnight passages, I will take some prescription medicine. But my best sailing friends are Pringles. A few Pringles chips (original flavor) do the trick to settle my stomach. Not the healthy habit I wanted to pick up with sailing but you do what you have to do.
We were in the Dodecanese islands 4 years ago during a sailing charter vacation. Just like everywhere in Greece, these islands and the waters around them are beautiful! The Dodecanese have a mixture of the whitewashed architecture found in the Cyclades but also have an Italian influence. Italy occupied these islands from the early 1900s up until 1947. One of the things we have been enjoying as we explore and discover Greece is how varied the landscape and cuisine are in each region. To me I find the Dodecanese to be a very special place. They are less touristy and crowded compared to the Cyclades and are wild and rustic in their unique way. At this point, we have spent time in Patmos, Marathi, Lipsi, and Leros - we have been revisiting a number of the islands and places from our charter vacation in 2018 and it's been really fun.
While we were in Patmos docked at the city wall, another sailboat came in and docked next to us and I heard someone shoot out my name. To my great surprise, a Turkish gal I met in San Francisco maybe 10 years ago was on her boat. We only hung out a couple of times in California before she moved back to Turkey. We had a nice connection but we lost contact over the years. What an amazing coincidence she remembered me. It was nice to reconnect with her, her husband, and their kids + have more sailing friends who live in Turkey - yeah!
We have less than two weeks in Greece before our 90 days here as tourists expire. We are sailing south through the Dodecanese islands before we exit Greece and bring Sea Bee over to Turkey. We have planned to find a marina in Turkey to winter Sea Bee and start many upgrades and projects on her this winter. Due to Brexit all the British sailors are now like us Americans and can only stay in the EU/Schengen areas for 90 days at a time. Also, more people, in general, bought sailboats when Covid hit. So for live-aboard sailors, Turkey and Croatia (Croatia is part of the EU but not Schengen) are great escapes from the 90-day rule. However, this makes getting a slip at a marina in Turkey tough - especially in the winter when most people stop sailing and need a home base for their boat. We have been trying to get a winter marina contract in Turkey for the past 8 months and have been on so many waiting lists. I'm very happy to say we just got confirmation from the Fethiye Ece Marina that they have a spot for us. Sea Bee will stay here for the winter and this will be our home base during 2023. Fethiye was our first choice for several reasons. Some of our best friends from California moved to Fethiye a few years ago + some new sailing buddies we met a couple of months ago in the Ionian islands live here and keep their boat here. It's nice to have friends around + Fethiye is a charming town in the south of Turkey.
It's pushing 7:00 pm now and that's my sundowner time. Signing off - cheers!