Samothraki is a unique island. It's tucked right in the North East corner of the Aegean, washed by the waters of the Black Sea coming through the Dardanelles and battered by the summer Meltemi. The island is one huge extinct volcano - steep all the way round with heavily forested slopes and a high rocky peak.
Unfortunately, it isn't the friendliest place for a yacht. There are only two harbours and no anchorages. he main harbour is a nightmare - choked with fishing boats leaving the only viable mooring being side to on the outer mole. This is high rough concrete and a nasty swell comes in with norherlies and westerlies. We decided it was too dangerous for us and went to Therma. The small port there is almost completely empty and very safe. It has absolutely no facilities. The entrance is badly silted up but the silted area is buoyed and there is a reasonable channel left with 2.5M minimum depth. There are a few supplies and tavernas in the village about 2K inland and also a hot mineral baths - which unfortunately were closed when we were there.
The buses only do the school run and there are no taxis or hire cars so we felt a little trapped. We tried going round to the port in Rosa to hire a car but it was extortionate so we passed & went back to Therma.
We walked round the village one day. The next, we took our bikes to the Fonias river - about 5 Km east. Unfortunately, Lindsay's got a puncture after 1K so she had to walk.
The river itself was well worth the trouble. After a lovely 30 minute hike, you reach the first swimming hole and waterfall. Thee are many more further up but its a bit of a climb and with the long walk back in prospect, we gave it a miss. Pity!
There is a taverna by the road bridge where we had a beer but they were distinctly surly. Not recommended.
We don't feel we really did justice to Samothraki.
Fanarion
Next port was Fanarion on the mainland. It's quite an attractive little town with an excellent harbour, friendly locals & port police (who only charged us €4.00 for 2 days), A garage in one corner for fuel and free water and electricity. There is a butcher, baker, fish shop, a couple of very small supermarkets and not much else. The town has a slight air of a place that is on the downward slope.
We swam on the town beach straight behind the quay. In the evening we ate out ( a treat once every few weeks and went to what looked like a nice fish taverna - a big blue building by the harbour with views to die for. Sadly the food didn't live up. Everything seemed to be heavily battered and very greasy. Not recommended. After 2 days we moved on to Porto Lagos.
Port Lagos.
If Fanarion is on the downward slope, Lagos has hit rock bottom. The huge dusty commercial quay stretches miles with no visible activity. Most of the shops are boarded up. There small taverna and a mini-market.
The harbour is excellent - very safe. We went stern too between trawlers and were the only visiting yacht there.
By contrast to the town, the port police have a brand new high-tech office manned by at least 10 policemen headed by an officer with 4 stripes (regimental sergeant major?) Goodness knows what they all find to do.
There is an amazing monastery in the middle of Lake Vistonidas on artificial islands jined by causeways. It is entirely Greek - no tourist infrastructure and obviously very holy. We did the half hour walk (assisted by a start in the dinghy up to the first bridge). Well worth the trip.
On the way back, we dropped into the bird sanctuary that occupies the south side of the harbour. There was a very active colony of Egrets and Herons nesting in the trees with a gang of crows trying to pick of eggs and young. The ground was covered with empty (presumably hatched) egg shells. There were also quite a lot of dead young and sadly this poor little chap. We put him in the shade but there wasn't anything else we could do so we had to leave him to his fate.
We were intending to leave on Sunday Morning, after a lie in, for Thasos. At 0600 we were woken by engines, banging, clattering and shouting outside. A huge market was taking shape on the quay above us. The whole town came alive! The market was excellent so we stocked up with provisions. Even the local fishermen were flogging their catch off the boats. Delicious sea bass for supper.
Disaster!
Well that should have been that - and we should have gone to Thasos about 20 miles away. We had a light but pleasant breeze which pushed us along at 3 Knots on a calm sea for a couple of hours - all very relaxed and pleasant. Suddenly I realised that we weren't towing the dinghy. Panic! We don't normally tow it but I had just fixed one of the attachment points and the glue still had to finish curing.
Unfortunately neither of us could remember when we last saw it. Lindsay had thought she saw something odd floating in the distance an hour earlier but I had foolishly poo-pooed it as just a fishing buoy.
We retraced our track with two binoculars scanning the horizon but saw nothing. We flew into Port Lagos to see if it was on the beach but no sign.
We left the harbour and were just about to retrace the track again when I heard Rosa di Venti being hailed on the VHF. It was the Port Police at Fanarion - a fisherman had retrieved it and handed it in.
When we got there, I went round to the police (kindly driven in the heat by Linda - who we met fishing on the quayside) and there was Tinker. I was so pleased to see her.
It turned out that the smart policeman on duty had spotted the label "TT Rosa di Vent", checked up in his file and found our papers from 3 days earlier. We had registered our destination as Port Lagos so he phoned them and found that we had checked out heading for Thasos. He phoned them but we had not arrived. Just then he got a call from Port Lagos - they had seen us come into the harbour and go out again. Apparently they whistled at us but we didn't hear. Knowing we were close, he tried calling on the VHF and the rest is history!
All's well that ends well.
The buses only do the school run and there are no taxis or hire cars so we felt a little trapped. We tried going round to the port in Rosa to hire a car but it was extortionate so we passed & went back to Therma.
We walked round the village one day. The next, we took our bikes to the Fonias river - about 5 Km east. Unfortunately, Lindsay's got a puncture after 1K so she had to walk.
The river itself was well worth the trouble. After a lovely 30 minute hike, you reach the first swimming hole and waterfall. Thee are many more further up but its a bit of a climb and with the long walk back in prospect, we gave it a miss. Pity!There is a taverna by the road bridge where we had a beer but they were distinctly surly. Not recommended.
We don't feel we really did justice to Samothraki.
Fanarion
Next port was Fanarion on the mainland. It's quite an attractive little town with an excellent harbour, friendly locals & port police (who only charged us €4.00 for 2 days), A garage in one corner for fuel and free water and electricity. There is a butcher, baker, fish shop, a couple of very small supermarkets and not much else. The town has a slight air of a place that is on the downward slope.
We swam on the town beach straight behind the quay. In the evening we ate out ( a treat once every few weeks and went to what looked like a nice fish taverna - a big blue building by the harbour with views to die for. Sadly the food didn't live up. Everything seemed to be heavily battered and very greasy. Not recommended. After 2 days we moved on to Porto Lagos.Port Lagos.
If Fanarion is on the downward slope, Lagos has hit rock bottom. The huge dusty commercial quay stretches miles with no visible activity. Most of the shops are boarded up. There small taverna and a mini-market.
The harbour is excellent - very safe. We went stern too between trawlers and were the only visiting yacht there.
By contrast to the town, the port police have a brand new high-tech office manned by at least 10 policemen headed by an officer with 4 stripes (regimental sergeant major?) Goodness knows what they all find to do.
We were intending to leave on Sunday Morning, after a lie in, for Thasos. At 0600 we were woken by engines, banging, clattering and shouting outside. A huge market was taking shape on the quay above us. The whole town came alive! The market was excellent so we stocked up with provisions. Even the local fishermen were flogging their catch off the boats. Delicious sea bass for supper.
Disaster!
Well that should have been that - and we should have gone to Thasos about 20 miles away. We had a light but pleasant breeze which pushed us along at 3 Knots on a calm sea for a couple of hours - all very relaxed and pleasant. Suddenly I realised that we weren't towing the dinghy. Panic! We don't normally tow it but I had just fixed one of the attachment points and the glue still had to finish curing.
Unfortunately neither of us could remember when we last saw it. Lindsay had thought she saw something odd floating in the distance an hour earlier but I had foolishly poo-pooed it as just a fishing buoy.
We retraced our track with two binoculars scanning the horizon but saw nothing. We flew into Port Lagos to see if it was on the beach but no sign.
We left the harbour and were just about to retrace the track again when I heard Rosa di Venti being hailed on the VHF. It was the Port Police at Fanarion - a fisherman had retrieved it and handed it in.
When we got there, I went round to the police (kindly driven in the heat by Linda - who we met fishing on the quayside) and there was Tinker. I was so pleased to see her.
It turned out that the smart policeman on duty had spotted the label "TT Rosa di Vent", checked up in his file and found our papers from 3 days earlier. We had registered our destination as Port Lagos so he phoned them and found that we had checked out heading for Thasos. He phoned them but we had not arrived. Just then he got a call from Port Lagos - they had seen us come into the harbour and go out again. Apparently they whistled at us but we didn't hear. Knowing we were close, he tried calling on the VHF and the rest is history!
All's well that ends well.
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