3 Nights in Kythnos
Trip Start
Aug 11, 2007
1
60
68
Trip End
Nov 08, 2007
Kythnos, Greece
Sunday, October 21, 2007
We arrive in Kythnos mid afternoon and moor in the little port of Lautra. We are not the only ones running from the storm - this little harbour has about 10 yachts already moored and more come during the afternoon. Soon the port is nearly jammed and one yacht decides to moor on the outside of the breakwater - despite advice. Wwe leave Angelo happily organising the placement and securing of all the yachts (he's very good at this!) and start exploring the village. There's very little to explore - this is the smallest village we've been to, not helped by the fact that we are now way out of season, so most of the restaurants, hotels and recreational facilities have closed for the season - and it looks like we're going to be here the longest of anywhere we've stayed!!! There's actually only one recreational facility in this village - it's the hot mineral spa baths along with the associated resort, both closed now and both looking like they were transported straight out of communist Russia - very, very ugly grey concrete block monstrosities. There is a bit of overflow from the mineral baths which comes out at the beach, so you can bury your feet in warm water or dig down in the sand for even more heat, but its not even as good as Hot Water Beach in the Coromandel back home. We talk a walk around the headland to the next bay where there are a few houses, a couple of cafes (for the height of the season when the holiday makers come) and a little old church. One of the cafes is open (or opens up for us??) so it would be rude not to stop and have a few Mythos beers. The lady who owns the place (most of it looks like its her house) is so pleased, she brings out all sorts of little nibbles for us - unfortunately the little cakes and sweet pastries don't go too well with the beers and we're all still full from the lunch Laurella has made for us.
We wander back to the yacht to find that even more boats are taking shelter in the little harbour and Angelo is busy ensuing everyone is well secured - there is now a spiders web of ropes from the front of all the yachts anchoring them to each other and the wharf area, as well as their anchor ropes out holding them in the harbour. The Norwegians nect to us are very impressed - "you have a very good captain!" they tell us. They are even more impressed with us later that evening when we start playing music from our computer over the yachts sound system - they like our selection and start making their own requests. They are most impressed when Tina and Janie get up on deck dancing to "I Love Rock and Roll" just before we wander off to donner (we think they've had a few too many Aqua Vitaes on board their yacht.
Later that evening we are very glad to be safe and secure in the little harbour of Lautra as the storm finally breaks and the winds howl and the seas lash out......
22 Oct - The storm has not died down - its not raining, but the wind is still howling in. We are definitely staying put today!
We'd arranged yesterday for 2 rental cars so we can trip around Kythnos and see the sights and we set off around 10am. The guide books are not complimentary - the island only rates about a column in Lonely Planet, which doesn't really say there's anything much to see, and Rough Guide suggests there's little to temp the tourist!!
First stop is the village of Hora high up in the hills. Its another cute, white washed, narrow alley village and we wander happily around for half an hour. When we come out to the top end of town however, the wind catches us offguard - its really strong up here!
Then its down to the western side of the island and we get our first glimpse of how bad the storm really is - the waves are huge on this side and they are smashing in on the rocky coastline creating dramatic sprays. We continue around to the main harbour for the island at Merihas. While the harbour means that the waves aren't so dramatic here, there really isn't much shelter for the 2 poor yachts that have come in here - they are being tossed around, in danger of being washed up on the concrete wharf and it can't have been a pleasant night for either of them. We get a coffee in a small café that overlooks the port and watch as the yachts try to get themselves in a safer position, but here is none. We refect somberly that this could have been us - in the early stages of planning our trip we did consider a bareboat charter given Andy's sailing experience, but local knowledge counts for everything in these conditions and we are just so thankful for Angelo and his massive experience right now!
While it's the main town, apart from the storm, not much is happening in Merihas - at least half the few restaurants and cafes there are, are closed now the summer season is over and what is open is operating really only for locals
Next its on to the small mountain village of Dryopia. This is even more steeply situated than Hora and spans a small ravine, so its white washed houses are even more tightly packed. In fact we loose Chelle and Trevor in its maze of little stairways (its so steep you can't even call these connecting streets alleys!!), but its too small for anyone to stay lost for long.... We all meet up at a small pub that is still open and have a fairly mediocre lunch of toasted sandwiches - all that is now available.
Since we have the rental cars, we decide we should drive to the southern end of the island, even though there is very little down that way. The storm is still impressive and even though the road down the island runs through the middle, its so high we get good views all the way down. We make a short detour to what looks like a pleasant little village on the east coast and it turns out to be completely shut up for the winter. The winds and rain are really lashing in on this side. And then we notice a yacht battling it out with the giant waves about 1 km offshore - it looks horrible. None of us can imagine being out in this and we hope they make a safe harbour soon - although there's no safe harbour along this coast until you get up to Lautra and that's miles from where this poor yacht is!!
Since we have missed lunch on the Gemini again, Laurella prepares us dinner instead and we are very happy to be on our safe, warm home in the Lautra port.
23 Oct - The winds die during the night, the day dawns lovely and fine and the harbour is flat calm. Many of the boast moored with us decide to head out for the rest of their trips. However Angelo says the forecast is for the wind to pick up again this afternoon, maybe not to the gale force 9's of yesterday, but to 7 -8's and he's not prepared to risk it. After seeing the yachts that weren't in our harbour yesterday battling it our, we're happy to stay put another day. None of us have flights until the weekend at the earliest, so if we have to stay another night beyond our charter period, we're all relaxed. However, there's very little left for us to see or do in Kythnos, so it turns into a very lazy day.
We decide early in the morning that we're going to make our own last night dinner tonight, so we need to get some ingredients. There's nothing here in Lautra besides one very small grocery store with hardly any stock now the season is over, so luckily we have the rental cars until mid morning. A few of us head over to Merihas and buy up some supplies. There's not a lot to be had and the fresh veges are looking pretty sad and uninviting - probably because the storm means that the ferries have stopped and the shops have not been resupplied. We are pleased to see that the two yachts have survived the night ok and the waters in this port are now a lot calmer.
We do very little for the rest of the day. Some of us go for walks, Janie heads out for a big run, the rest of us catch up on sleep, read books or just sit around talking. Mid afternoon Andrew sets up the saloon area as a massage room and gives Janie and Tina a great rub down. Also during the afternoon a new boat motors into harbour - all the people on board are wearing life jackets and we guess that the calm weather and water around us is an illusion and must still be pretty rough out there once you get away from the shelter the island mass provides. We are happy Angelo made the right choice to stay put!
With the bits and pieces we've managed to buy we cobble together a great meal that night and end up playing music, singing, talking and joking until bed time. Its our last night on board!
24 Oct - You wouldn't believe there ever was a storm today! Blue sky, flat calm water, hardly a breath of wind!! We set off early for Athens, motoring all the way as it's a 5 hour journey and Angelo wants to make sure we get there by late afternoon. And there's virtually no wind to sail by anyway. Its unbelievable - while there is still a good swell in the water, the surface is like glass almost all the way. There are no traces of the storm at all.
We make excellent time and arrive in Athens port at 3.30pm. We pack all our bags, hug Angelo and Laurella goodbye and are back in our hotel in Athens by 4.30pm and the first thing we all do is head to our rooms for an unlimited water, spacious, able to stand upright, not get the toilet wet shower!!
We meet up on the roof bar for a few beers before dinner and we are all experiencing phantom swaying from time to time. We discuss what our memories of our trip will be - especially those that aren't about places and sights....
Other memories of our boat trip:
ˇ Laurella - at various times misnamed Lauretta, Narella, Nutella
ˇ Chris and Tina's cabin in the "arse" end of the boat
ˇ Chris being the hobbit down his hobbit hole
ˇ Angelo managing all the other boats in the marinas
ˇ Laurella's cooking - "that was yu-u-u-ummy!"
ˇ Stinky bathrooms - throwing all the t-paper in the bin so you don't block the toilet
ˇ Tiny space saving nautical bathrooms - meaning you can't stand upright and the whole little room is effectively the shower
ˇ Only showering every 2 days to save water
ˇ Marcel Marceau on the next door boat in Hydra
ˇ The woman wearing our zebra couch in Hydra
ˇ Lauretta explaining Athens traffic "its cows (chaos as we finally deciphered....) in Athens" (which would definitely explain the traffic snarls!!
