After 2 nights on Ios, we were on the move again to take advantage of the good sailing breeze. The original destination was for a cove on Amorgos in order to check out the wreck of the Olympia of the movie “Le Grand Bleu”. After arriving though, the local conditions were not as advertised and we had 21 knots on the nose with a forcast for increased winds that night. We had a quick swim and a coffee (for fortification!), and then headed back towards Skhinousa which we had passed 2 hours previously. It was an interesting sail, with the wind all over the place causing lots of sail and reefing changes, but pretty fun none the less, as the boat handled well.
The anchorage at Skhinousa was terrific in comparison, with no boats in the immediate vicinity, a light breeze, and clear water ( so you could find a patch of sand to anchor in!). The next day was good for paddle boarding and snorkeling, and everybody took advantage of the calm conditions. We noticed another Catana catamaran had arrived the previous evening, and were excited to learn it was Johan and his wife Sonja, aboard “Like Dolphins”. Johan had come by our boat for a chat back in 2017 when we were stuck at the dock in Canet France. They invited the crews of Polaris and Right Meow over for a get together. Such energetic and kind people, they had sailed their boat extensively all over the Med and points far beyond. In addition to passing on some local knowledge about the Greek islands, they also introduced us to a lovely Peloponnise wine and a deliscious concoction of Raki and honey with light spices. It was a fun few hours and we look forward to seeing them again in the future.
From Skhinousa, it was a short 1.5 hour hop up to S. Naxos at Kalando. There was plenty of time for a walk ashore, swims, and boat jobs, before heading to the Taverna for dinner. The food was tasty and the view from the vine covered terrace over the bay very relaxing. Entertainment was provided by the local flock of sheep walking down the beach surrounding our dinghy. (Thank goodness they weren’t goats or else we might have been left with just an engine and half chewed inflatable hull!).
