Finished - on to 2012

That's all folks for 2011. If you can still bear to read about us - please follow the link to "Greece Summer 2012" and bookmark it.
You might notice a rather odd URL - that's because I have re-used the abortive blog I set up early in 2011 when we intended to go to the Levant. Seemed a shame to waste it!

Saronic update

Despite my blog-holiday, there are a couple of things worth recounting from our pottering around in the Saronic.

Salamis
This is an island that most people seem to miss out on - probably mainly because Rod Heikell is pretty down on it. That's a pity because it actually has quite a lot to offer. It would make a great first or last stop-over for people chartering from Athens.

Kanakia

There are several small bays and harbours on the southern coast which are sheltered from various winds. Unfortunately the wind direction seems to be pretty variable - in particular northerlies from Athens and Westerlies from Corinth seem to alternate which makes most of the bays a bit risky. We had a lovely quiet day but a very uncomfortable night in Ormos Kanakia because of an unexpected turn to the west.

The anchorage from the shore.

Rosa in Paradise

The real gems are on the South East corner with the best of all - Nisos Peristeria - not mentioned at all in Heikell. Behind the two islands there is a gorgeous quiet lagoon sheltered from almost all winds. The bottom is mostly sand and held our anchor very well. It is quite shallow in places (2M) so deep-draft yachts will be more restricted but there is still space in the middle and in the northern entrance. The southern and Eastern entrances are less that 2M. The Navionics charting seems pretty accurate.

Driftwood tower

Ashore is amazing. There are virtually no facilities - probably a couple of Tavernas in high season but closed when we were there in the first week of September. There is obviously an eccentric local architect or artist at work because there are many fantastic structures seemingly built out of driftwood. This includes his house, a huge sea gateway/slide and the gallery for the local tennis court. It has to be seen to be believed!




Aegina
There's nothing new about going to Aegina harbour. It's a good place for shopping, for exchanging crew etc. But I've always maintained that it isn't a safe place to leave a boat. The holding is not particularly good and anchors are frequently dredged up by other boats.

The space we just left - fire in left corner of tent (now closed)

While we were there, a Pistachio festival sprung up in tents all along the quay. Apparently Aegina specialises in growing them and in making all sorts of products from them. At 08.30 on Thursday, I was sitting in the cockpit, drinking a coffee and minding my own business when suddenly there was a spitting noise from the corner of the tent right next to us and the compressor for the refrigerated display inside caught fire! I yelled and scrambled off to get some water. The stall holder heard, came over from the taverna and panicked. I got back in 30 seconds with a jug of water and by now the flames were starting to get a hold. I had the presence of mind to pull out the electric cable and threw the water. Luckily it all went out. If I hadn't been there, it would have caught the tent and we would have had a conflagration right next to the boat!
Yet another reason not to leave her unattended!

Back to Crete for the Winter

We had a nice gentle chilled-out week with Rob. After he left, we spent a couple of nights in Aegina doing domestic things like washing and shopping then set off for pastures new down the eastern side of the Peloponnese. We watched a christening on the tiny island chapel in Russian Bay and actually managed to get into Idra harbour for a night unscathed. The Journey really started at the first place we hadn't visited before which was Nisos Dhokos.

This a small uninhabited island between Idra and Spetses. On the North side it has a large bay with several coves which between them give shelter from most winds. We initially tried the NorthWest cove which is tiny, very pretty, very sheltered, excellent holding and full of wasps. Very unfortunate the last bit as we took all the trouble to anchor, put a line assure, put the boat to bed and sit down when suddenly they seemed to find us. For the next half hour we were mobbed - burning coffee made only a small difference and in the end we cut our losses and wend around the main bay tucked under the north west headland. We spent a lovely tranquil day anchored on turquoise sand with a couple of yachts and a few distant gin palaces for company.

Next day, we headed for Spetses where we managed to get into the inner harbour which has excellent shelter and a rather laid back attendant who only turns up at 10.30 and 5.30. The charge was €20 including free water and electricity – but you only get you're 'free' water when she is there to turn it on. Makes for a rather late start! There was no wifi or Vodafone connection so we walked into the old town (paradoxically by the new harbour). The whole place was a bit run down and very surly. They either have too many or too few tourists – possibly both. We wanted to eat and download at the same time but not one of the restaurants had wifi. In the end, we drank a couple of very expensive beers at a waterside cafe which did have WiFi. We weren't sorry to leave in the morning particularly after a run-in with the worst sort of up-himself Englishman – almost certainly a banker and most certainly a *anker.

A short hop under spinnaker put us into Porto Heli a very different prospect. A superb anchorage with a huge friendly supermarket and the Neilson base (sadly now closing) which welcomed yachtsmen except at weekends.

We stayed there for a couple of days hunkering down from the first adverse weather of the season – and what weather it was! The biggest thunderstorm I've ever seen. The sky was repeatedly covered by huge bursts of horizontal forked lightening and the sheet lightning in the clouds just never stopped so the whole lagoon was bathed in a flickering blue light. And then the hail started. For 15 minutes we were pelted by golfball sized stones making a frightening din as they hit the hatches. I was convinced the solar panel would be shattered but amazingly it survived unscathed.

Next day we flew across the Argolic Gulf to Kiparissi. There was a nasty swell which managed to work its way even up into the north quay so we had a rather bouncy night rubbing fenders with the flotilla boats that came in either side of us.
 Knowing that some seriously strong winds were due in a couple of days we asked the flotilla leader whether we would be best off in Yerakas or Monemvasia. He recommended the former, tucked in side-to on the old hydrofoil quay. So that's where we went.

The village is lovely – very small and sleepy with friendly people who obviously see very few visitors or yachtsmen. There are two tavernas, an ouzerie and a very very small shop. We went for a walk above the village to the ancient Acropolis. Fantastic views overlooking the village.






There's a nasty little swell and strong winds pushing us onto the quay but we had plenty of time to prepare so Rosa is tucked up safely in a spiders-web of lines and, so far, seems quite safe. The forecast predicts at least 4 more days so it is going to be a long wait.
As soon as we can, we will round the headland to Monemvasia, stock up, and then head for Crete – either to Gramvousa or straight to Spinalonga.




Well, that was the plan.....

During Sunday and Monday the weather got worse and a heavier and heavier swell worked its way into the harbour. I did quite a bit of re-arranging of lines on Sunday night and then got a fitful but safe nights sleep. Monday was OK but it got worse towards evening and very nasty indeed after darkness. We added several more warps to the cats cradle and tightened lines in all directions but nothing helped much. I decided to stay up to keep an eye on things while L dozed on the sofa fully clothed and ready to spring into action. Very lucky we did! At midnight two stern lines snapped and buckled the starboard cleat. Waves were breaking 5 meters in front of us and Rosa was diving down the slope towards them every few minutes. Fenders were grinding against the quay and threatening to burst. We were in imminent danger of serious damage or even shipwreck.

We had to get Hans and Monika (a lovely Austrian couple on the other boat on the quay) out of bed and they helped us cast off the lines and with heart in mouth I managed to get Rosa's head around enough to get off the quay. Thank heavens for the bow thruster! We slid slowly up the very shallow channel in pitch dark until we got to the mouth of the lake and dropped the anchor. We were safe! No more waves and just a bit of wind to contend with.

We've now changed plans and have bashed through the waves and force 6 winds yesterday (Wednesday) back to Porto Heli. From here we will probably wait for a weather window and then do a two day passage straight to Spinalonga in Crete.

More in the next thrilling instalment.

Pottering round the Saronic Gulf

Little boxes made of Ticky Tacky

The trip from Eveia down to cape Sounion was calm and uneventful. We were able to fly the spinnaker almost all the way. Poseidon must have been smiling on us as this often a very windy and thoroughly nasty stretch of sea. The mainland shore is heavily developed with lots of little concrete boxes. The temple of Poseidon on Cape Sounion is a welcome reminder of an earlier, less aesthetically challenged age.

The temple of Poseidon - Cape Sounion

We anchored in O. Anavissou with excellent holding although when I snorkelled to see the anchor it was right by a huge abandoned mooring installation with three huge fisherman anchors. To our surprise, it turned out that the small cove by us was a nudist beach - so skinny dipping was in order. Excellent!
From there, we crossed the shipping lanes to Poros - Poseidon was again on our side as there were very few ships.

Fishing boat neighbours

We decided to go to Idhra but knowing how crowded it would be, decided to arrive at about 10.30. That's difficult from Poros but Heikel says there is a nice bay on the South west corner of the island so we decided to anchor there overnight then scoot up in the morning. The bay is nice, and reasonably sheltered but all the good anchoring places are buoyed off for swimmers. The only access to the beach is by tripper boat and water taxi so these fly in and out all the time. We tried to get the anchor in well but it was very deep and we never got a hold we could rely on. In the end, we waited until the beach emptied then anchored inside the buoyed area next to a fishing boat doing the same. No problem with the goon squad as we were well away before anybody turned up.

So we turned up at Idhra port at 10.30 to find a flotilla of 30 boats coming in of which 10 were already milling around outside. We weren't allowed in until 11.30 because of ferries and people coming out and by that time the wind was getting up. Anyway we slid in among the first few boats to find a large catamaran stuck in the middle of the tiny harbour and 3 other yachts (not all competently crewed) sliding all over the place - and at that momemnt our bow thuster failed. Panic! I just managed to turn Rosa and get us out unscathed by the skin of our teeth. We went to Russian Bay - much more civilised.

We killed a few more days in Vathi,  N. Diapora (south end of Angistri), and Aegina waiting till L left for England. I had intended to stay in Aegina looking after Rosa. On the way however, we called into Angistri yacht harbour for a look-see. To our surprise, it has a pontoon where you moor side-too so I wouldn't have to use the anchor (with all the risks that someone will pull it up) and so wouldn't have to stay with the boat all the time. After a noisy night in Aegina, we decided to give it a try the next day and ended up staying there for nearly 3 weeks. L caught the Dolphin to Athens While I stayed behind.
While in Angistri, I made friends with several flotilla skippers - all trying to do their jobs and get their unruly charges into and out of the crowded harbour. Also spent a couple of days talking to Eric - a Swiss chap who speaks mostly French and his cat Cumulus - who doesn't speak anything. Had a thoroughly enjoyable (and quite boozy) couple of evenings but then found that I had forgotten most of my Greek and could only remember French!

The family Dunn

A few days later, I made friends with a lovely couple called Caroline and Andy with their two boys - George and Tom. The boys spent much of their time netting unsuspecting fish and shrimps including a rather interesting small gar fish that only just escaped suffocation by being dropped back in the sea.

First try - jib only and a rescue boat with brother and dad

George sailed the Tinker amazingly well having sailed a laser just once and is now going to take up sailing at school - I was very chuffed. They went off for a day but then came back for another two only leaving just before L came back on the Dolphin. An excellent way to pass a few days.

Full sail and (almost) complete control

Angistri Harbour - Bye Bye Dunns

We're now waiting a week for Rob to come out to join us for a sail when we expect to re-visit several of the same haunts again.

I'm going to take a blog holiday until we set off down the Peloponese towards Crete in 3 weeks time.

Eveia Channel

We only had 4 weeks to get L on a plane from Athens and we while that is masses of time to get down to the Saronic Gulf, we were concerned that we might get delayed by strikes at the bridge (it happened earier in the year) or bad weather. So we resolved to get through the bridge as soon as possible ( Monday we started on Thursday)

Wonderful beach at Oreion

We sailed into a F5 with a heavy chop from Skiathos to the mouth of the Eveia Channel. From then on, the wind moderated, the seas died and we had a lovel gentle run past a continuous golden sandy beach (almost un-developed) to Oreion. It's a nice sleepy little town with a well-run harbour (water and elecricity on a card), a butcher, small supermarket that delivers, tavernas etc. In the rather run down square there is an amazing ancient statue of a bull that was dredged up by local fishermen - they must have thought they had caught a whale! Sorry, the picture isn't very good as its behind glass.

Life-size stone bull dredged up by local fishermen

When we tried to leave in the morning, we found that a motor boat had laid its anchor over ours and when we finally got it up it was so tangled it took nearly an hour to free them. All the time, the bloke on the motor boat just watched!
After Oreion, we rounded the northern tip of Eveia and started south. We really wanted to visit Aidipso but there isn't anything approaching a safe harbour there so we decided on an anchorage in O. Yialli just before it. As we were rounding the point to turn North into the bay, we realised we were on sand with only 4M of water and decided to push our luck and anchor there rather than flogging an hour up into the bay and another hour back next morning. We were very exposed and had a bit of a bumpy night but got away with it. Could have been a different story if the wind had got up seriously.

Hots springs at Aidipso

Edwardian hotel 

Aidipso is Greece's premier thermal spring area. There are apparently hundreds of them in the town and they have been healing people for thousands of years. The whole place was re-built early in the last century and nothing much remains of the ancient baths. Nevertheless some of the old hotel/spas are very atmospheric and there is a huge modern hydrotherapy center.
Hot (almost scalding) water still falls down cliffs into the sea where locals (and we) can sit and be alternately heated and cooled as the waves come in. A very strange feeling. We anchored off the hot beach in good holding with no trouble and swam ashore. A very interesting few hours! We needed to make the bridge in 3 days time so we had to press on although more time would have been welcome.
We stopped at the small Island of Atlantis for the night - nice enough. Nothing spectacular though. The best anchorage is spoiled by a factory and the main highway runs right along the coast.

The 'sliding' bridge a Halkis

On Monday afternoon we got to Halkis. It's a large town with a reasonable quay on the Eveia side where some of the tavernas are pretty loud, pretty late. That doesn't really matter because the bridge only opens once night at between midnight and 0200 so you have to stay awake anyway. You pay at the port police office which is now just south of the bridge on the Eveia side. Follow the road from the bridge across a square and just after it reaches buildings bear right up a tiny alley. The port police entrance is to your left. It cost us €35.00.
That night, the bridge running all went pretty smoothly and we flew through at SOA 11 knots and slid easily into the huge empty but very dark anchorage on the south side.

Suspension Bridge south of Halkis

After the late night, we cut ourselves some slack and didn't get under way until just gone ten. We motored gently down to the suspension bridge (you're not supposed to be under sail) to be met with a fisherman with nets across the channel! I started to steer round him but he was waving and shouting so I stopped and waited for him. To my amazement, the bridge was closed from 10.00 to 15.00 and 17.00 to 19.00 each day for most of this year! Under-water working or something. And they weren't nets, they were a no-go boom. Nobody had bothered to tell us this so there we were trapped! After hanging about for 5 hours, we finally went through at 15.15.

Eritrea

We had intended to stop at Voufalo but with the very late start had no chance of getting there. We settled for Eritrea which turned out to be a surprisingly sheltered anchorage with even the continuous stream of car ferries not making much disturbance. It looked like a nice little town but we didn't need anything so didn't go ashore.

Boufalo

Voufalo (or Βουφαλο in Greek) is an amazing little place. It has a perfectly sheltered circular harbour with a muddy bottom surrounded by several houses and a low-key taverna. The village is very Greek - we didn't hear a word of anything else spoken (other than be a couple of ladies on the next table at the taverna - and even they live in Greece). A lovely place to stay and the taverna is very reasonable if slightly light on service. The name apparently came about as cattle including Buffalo used to be exported from here.

There didn't seem to be much of interest until we got quite a bit further down Eveia so we aimed to stay at a wild anchorage at Nissos Stira. Turned out to be completely useless - steep to and rocky. Not a chance of anchoring. Both the chart and the Pilot are wrong! We ended up at Vliko bay. Holding like a rock in pleasant if slightly developed surroundings. Good shelter from the North although fairly gusty.

End of the shopping trip at Nea Marmara

By now we were getting short of supplies so we were looking forward to a day in Nea Marmara. What a disappointment! There is absolutely no space for visitors on the quay and loads of permanent moorings all along the beach. We managed to get the hook down about a mile along from the town but the holding was dreadful. I stayed with Rosa while L went shopping in the Dinghy. As soon as ahe returned we set off for Nissidha Petali.

Dawn at N. Petali

This small group of islands turned out to be idyllic. We stayed for 3 days in various anchorages all safe as houses in beautiful clear blue water on sand. Several of the islands are private and have fabulous villas on them with private harbours and one even with a helliport. You can anchor by these but are discouraged from landing. After the third day, we set off at the crack of dawn for the long treck down to the Saronic.

No Sunrise

As we left Eveia behind, the sun rose over Mount Ochi - so that was no sunrise then :-)

The Northern Sporades

Our original intention was to hang around here for 6-8 weeks so that L could go back to the UK and then K and family could join us. Plans changed however - K will come to the Saronic and connections to and from Athens for L turned into a nightmare. So we decided to cut the visit very short and head down the Evia channel to the Saronic. Nevertheless, we spent an excellent couple of weeks there and will definitely be back.

We made landfall on Kira Panagia in Ormos Planitis. The bay is a wonderful anchorage - completely enclosed, huge, reasonable depths everywhere and gorgeous turquoise water with excellent sand for the anchor to bite into. We stayed two days just relaxing and enjoying the peace. On the way round to Alonisos, we stopped for lunch in the other anchorage (O. Kira Panagia) and found it to be more crowded but if anything even more charming.


Next stop was Nissos Peristeri on the south of which are a couple of useful bays - O. Peristera & O. Xero. We stopped for the night in O.Peristera which was completely deserted other than rather a lot of yachts moored with long lines ashore all around the bay. Usually, putting a line ashore is a nightmare for us with just two on board. L isn't confident enough to handle the boat under power in a tight space with wind blowing so I have to be at the helm. That leaves L to row ashore dragging a heavy line, and get it securely round something while I'm desperately trying to keep control of the boat - a job she hates with a passion. We developed a neat new technique this time. We drop the anchor and motor back till the keel grounds. Lift it a couple of feet and motor back again till it grounds again. Then drop it hard. There we are well fixed to the bottom and we can do everything else at our leisure. Finally we pull forward loosening the line a bit so we are floating properly. Of course we couldn't do this on rock for obvious reasons.  By now we needed water and supplies so decided to go to Alonisos next but first checked out O. Xero To our surprise it was lovely and nearly empty. It's not as well sheltered as O.Peristera but in calm weather or Northerlies would be great.

Steni Vala on Alonisos is a gem. The whole valley is owned by one family who have established tavernas, apartments and supermarkets but all low key and with no sense of tourist hassle. The tavernas are good and reasonably priced, the people are friendly and the supermarkets, while small, are surprisingly well stocked. Best of all for the Sporades, water fill the tanks and hot showers are free as long as you patronise the tavernas or supermarkets.

Next stop was Patriti - the capital town and main ferry port on Alonisos. A pleasant little town with a good safe harbour. The ferries cause less mayhem than we expected. We stopped and walked around for a couple of hours and consulted a travel agent on how to get L to Athens on 12th August. That's when we found that it was going to be impossible for her to catch her flight without a huge amount of hassle and an overnight stay in Athens. We decided instead to head for the Saronic.

We decamped to an open bay on the south (O. Stafoli). It's a picturesque place but the best spots for anchoring are taken up by underwater cables or the huge buoyed off swimming area. The headland seems to be occupied by large up-market hotels who floodlight the anchorage presumably to give their guests something pretty to look at. I hate that! I hope they enjoyed my pretty moon!




Next stop was Skopelos (gradually getting more into grockle land as we went). Skopelos town harbour is huge with loads of good space. The pilot says it gets swell but we didn't see any sign. The frequent ferries create some heavy wash - particularly the vodafone one - but nothing dangerous. The water man tries to rip people off but can easily be beaten down. We got 2 days of water and electricity for €6.00. L did a huge wash which well justified the cost.
The old town is absolutely charming with ancient winding streets, too narrow for cars, snaking up the contours. Care needs to be taken down by the ferry quay where the shops are - we got taken for €8.00 for two beers! We were so shocked we didn't even protest! Welcome to tourist Greece! On the western side of Skopelos is O. Panormou - a great hurricane hole. With highish winds forecast we tucked in there using our neat trick with line ashore again. We met a lovely couple (Peter & Zelda) on a motor boat called Decanter and shared a sun-downer or two watching (and ocassionally helping with) the antics of the charter boats trying to moor. Peter & Zelda were staying put for a few days and said we could use their mooring on Skiathos.

We hadn't been looking forward to the crowding, Tourist development and difficult moorings on Skiathos so we were grateful for the offer. We spent a safe afternoon and evening there buffeted by the extensive water sports going on around us. Everything stopped at dusk however and we had a quiet night and an early start to our next leg - the Evia channel down to the Saronic Gulf and Athens.

Halkidiki - the Western 2 fingers

We havered between finishing our Mount Athos marathon at Ammouliani or at Diapora. In the end, we judged that Diapora was more likely to give us a safe, crowd free anchorage which is a necessity after a long passage so that is where we went.
Heikel gives a clear description of the entry channel which worked fine. The Navionics charts however, showed an extra non-existent island in the middle of the fairway which made for an interesting few minutes. We moored in very shallow water in a lovely sheltered little bay Just North of the SW entrance and chilled for a couple of days. The only sign of habitation was a small jetty and closed gates leading up a drive to a house hidden behind the trees.

We explored the bays around to the little port of Panagia. Several of the bays have beautiful turquoise water and gentle wild scenery although none are secluded as there is a lot of camping in the area. Panagia is one of the bases for boat trips to Akti and is a little gem. The square is lovely, the tavernas friendly, and there are two excellent fish shops selling the fishermen's catch at very reasonable prices.
We went back to our original anchorage but as evening came on, so did the wind and to our horror the anchor dragged. We shot over to the next bay and anchored on sand next to a Odysseus - a French boat. We anded up making friends with Alain and Anne and look forward to meeting up with them again on our mutual way south.
After Diapora, it was off to the southern tip of the middle finger (Sinthonia) to Sikias but the swell was running right in so we hopped the next 6 miles to Koufos.

Koufos bay is totally enclosed with the entrance between dramatic red cliffs. It's very deep but huge and good holding so a good anchorage should always be possible. The tiny village has surprisingly good mini markets, friendly tavernas, a petrol station 200M up the road and even a small hardware / paint / chandlery store.






A few miles around from Koufos, just before the huge French-style marina, hotel and leisure complex at Porto Carras,  are some unnamed bays. They make a very nice overnight stop although they get a bit crowded with powerboats in the daytime. The shores however are marred by nasty blue notices claiming that the land is private and owned by Porto Carras (probably true) but also saying you can't swim - not true. Very un-Greek - more reminiscent of the "keep off the grass" signs back home. We hope this isn't a harbinger of things to come as Northern Europeans snap up bits of Greece on the cheap during her financial woes and then put up the fences!

 

Following our nose, the next stop was Nea Marmara. Another thriving little town - apparently founded by Greeks who lived in Marmaris but moved out during the ethnic swaps of the early 20th Century. There was a very extensive market (Thursdays) going on just above the harbour. The harbour itself has seen better days - the pontoons are mostly held in place by boat anchors and the wave-breaker pontoon is breaking up. Still it was pretty, seemed secure enough for calm weather and offered free mooring, water & electricity. There are laid moorings but they go to floating buoys which easily get tangled in rudders and props. We were told that some of them had dodgy ground connections. The Port Police were miles away but we needed our DEKPA stamped so we hiked all the way over there - they did the paperwork but made no charge. Just beyond them (over the hill) is an excellent butcher.

While we were there a Nielsen flotilla came in and we made  friends with them. In particular the skipper - a lovely young lady called Holly. They didn't trust the moorings so used anchors with trip lines in case of fouling on the scattered ground tackle. Unfortunately they used floating lines and an incoming boat got its prop well and truly snared. It took over an hour to free it - quite a drama. They won't use floating lines again!

We decided to go around the Tornaios Gulf stopping at Yerakini and Port Marina. Not a particularly good plan as it turned out. Yerakini was recommended by Holly, but it turned out that the whole huge beach lining the northern shore of the gulf is heavily developed for tourists and has no real shelter. We were lucky it was a calm night. When we got to Port Marina, it was closed by a newly created sand causeway. Apparently there has been a long running dispute between a developer and locals who both say it is theirs - and the developer has just played his trump card - blocking all of their boats in! We anchored in another open bay just to the south off a camp ground. Nice, but not exactly private!

We had hoped to pick up supplies and water there before the longish hop over to the Sporades but there was no chance - so we went back to Nea Marmara, stocked up, anchored in Koufos overnight and left at first light.

Halkidiki - Mount Athos & the Akti Monesteries

Halkidiki is the three fingered hand at the top of the Aegean. The Easternmost finger is the Akti peninsula that terminates in Mount Athos - "the Holy Mountain". The whole peninsula is administered semi-independently by the Greek Orthodox church - and boats containing women are not allowed to approach closer that 500M or to moor (not that there are any good anchorages anyway). Despite this rather medieval prohibition, we wanted to see the monasteries which are truly spectacular.
Getting around the peninsula in one day is quite a challenge. It's 60 miles round and in any sort of a wind, there are ferocious gusts and vicious seas around Mount Athos (which is 4000M high).
Coming from Thasos, we needed supplies so we decided to go via Kovalla then Ierisos. Unfortunately the huge harbour at Kavalla seemed to be completely taken up with private moorings. The port police didn't respond on VHF and there didn't seem to be anyone around to ask. In the end, we gave up and went to Iraklitsa where the pilot indicated we could probably get a berth. No chance! it was chokka with local boats. We tried anchoring off the beach but the sand was so soft we dragged twice. So off to Eleftheria with the stress level beginning to rise.
We arrived at sunset and tried to anchor in the South bay but the anchor wouldn't hold in the soft mud and weed so we decamped to the rather industrial concrete quay on the north cove. We took half an hour tying up alongside among the fishermen.  Just as we were sitting down to a well-earned Sundowner, a bloke on a motorbike rocked up and warned us that a fleet of large trawlers were due in at 0400 and would probably require us to move. He told us that the left hand cove across the bay has much better holding that the right. After humming and hawing, we cast off and raced against the darkness to get to the cove, dropped the hook and prayed. It stuck!

Next day we crossed to Ierissa at the base of Akti. We moored stern too in a suspiciously empty corner of the quay. Sure enough, a couple of hours later, the wind blew up and threw a vicious slop into just that bit. Aaaaargh! Luckily we were able to anchor and swing in the opposite corner of the harbour. Lindsay yomped into the town and found a supermarket and a Liddle but it was about 4 miles round trip so she was knackered. In the evening we went off and anchored in Ormos Plati which is theoretically part of Akti and so off limits to women but nobody was checking and we had a peaceful night with amazing phosphorescence.

St basil castle. Part of inland Hilandar monastery

Next morning we were off at first light to get round the whole peninsula. The winds were too light or on the nose or both all day so we had to do the whole 60 mile trip on motor. It took over two hours to get to the first castle but from then on it was another monastery every hour. They really are amazing - more like Tibet than Greece. Many are nearly 1000 years old.
Life appears not to be quite as mediaeval as they would like you to think. We saw several 4*4s and trucks presumably doing jobs around the estate and several monasteries were undergoing repairs using modern scaffolding and tower cranes.
We bailed out of the last couple of Monasteries on the Western side as we didn't want to get to our chosen anchorage "Diapora" in the dark.

Here are just a few of of our pictures of the Monasteries and hermitages as we went around...

Stavronikita Consecrated 1536 but site in use from 10th century

Filotheou - Monks earn a living by wood carving

Hermitages high up on the slopes of stormy Mount Athos.

  

Gregoriou including the modern ferry that delivers supplies and pilgrims

Simonas Petras High up on a rocky pinnacle - only connected by a bridge.

Xiropotamou - before the fire, it housed 1500 Russian monks