Astipalaia Friday 3rd of June

The second leg of our journey - Symi to Astipalaia

Symi

Upon entering Greece one is taught a little lesson in red tape. While very friendly and not overly expensive, the number of officials one has to report to, pay and complete forms for is a little excessive. Police, customs, coastguard, harbour lady, electricity man and finally water man all welcome us very warmly to Symi.  As a guest it would be rude of me to mention the words job creation, wouldn't it? Mooring up in Symi harbour is characteristically punctuated by neighbouring yachtsmen furiously gesticulating as to where their anchors are and offering plenty of advice about how you should go about not crossing their chains. After a perfect manoeuvre without so much as squashing a fender I remark to Catherine that owning a yacht is not a predictor of good manners. Later I politely ask the obnoxious skipper where he is headed next; pleasingly he is off to Kas in Turkey and I wish him fair winds with convincing sincerity.

After all this warmth, a cold draft Mythos is in order and we make our way to a harbour-side café to plot our next steps. The restaurants are eerily quiet and the downturn is palpable. Our next stop is Giorgina’s, famous purveyor of fine fare. She also bemoans the recent lack of trade and is only too happy to help us stock up on essentials, which she has delivered to us later in the day. 

Giorgina's

Emilianos

After the obligatory visit to the chandlers I return, to raised eyebrows, with a new whatchamacallit as well as a length of line to replace our outhaul. After the quick fix to the running rigging we decide to get away from the humdrum of the harbour and head to the west of Symi to the little bay of Emilianos. With only a seemingly deserted Monastery and one or two fishing boats and yachts some distance away for company we spend a quiet evening in tranquil surroundings. The Cobb BBQ works perfectly and the Souvlaki from the butcher next to Girogina’s is particularly good.

Mandraki - Nysiros

Our next stop is Nysiros, which we last visited almost exactly 2 years ago. Pali is the only tenable harbour for yachts and, while it is not very pretty, it does have a certain appeal. The coast guard was again very welcoming as was the harbour lady as she relieved us of € 7.08 for the mooring. The electricity is free I was told, which probably accounted for the fact that it didn’t work. We had a very nice meal at the Taverna  Salonikios just opposite and the couple from Thessaloniki who own it gave us a jar of their home-made bitter orange preserve after the meal. I am not sure whether that was out of kindness or thanks for our patience as they scrambled to serve the guests who all seem to flock to this one restaurant, leaving the neighbouring ones completely empty.

No Meltemi

OCD

We decide not to stay and revisit the volcano or the village of Mandraki, despite the allure of shiny new scooters for hire just across from us, as we are keen to push on to places we haven’t been to before. Again heading due west we make our way to Astypalaia.  It is a long uneventful passage, which seems to bring out my OCD as evidenced by the meticulous cleaning of fenders and stainless steel.  

Skala - Astilpalaia

Finding Essentials

On this, the most westerly of the Dodecanese islands, we find good shelter in a deserted bay called Agrilithi.  On Thursday (I am not sure why I say that, as the days of the week are meaningless) we sail to Skala on Astipalaia, which is just a few miles away and the main village of this supposedly forgotten island. There is a certain run down charm to it and the lack of souvenir shops definitely speaks in its favour.  We climbed up the million and one steps to the Chora and were treated to spectacular views from the ruins of the castle overlooking Skala.  The wind looks favourable for us to sail the 50 or so nautical miles north north east to Amorgos early tomorrow and after preparing a lunch for the trip we head out to a charming Taverna after which we pass by the supermarket to replenish the supply of Snickers all of which seem to have vanished. Quel surprise…

The reward for the steps

Skala - Astilpalaia