Wednesday 7 June 2017, Plati Yialos, Sifnos

Well after all the concerns of yesterday we had a very tranquil night.  The wind went right down and the sea was flat.  We had no trouble with our stern line or anchor.  Of course as the only boat other than one on the other side of the bay there was absolutely no reason for us to have just swung free on our anchor (as the other boat was doing).  But that’s life.  To prove a point Richard released the stern line ashore right after we got up by swimming to it.  We were fine and there were no more traumas.

We left just before 9am.  Richard’s plan was to take us to Sifnos, an island we have not visited before.  But he was uncertain what to do in the light of the weather forecast which is for high winds on Friday and heavy seas until Sunday.  The port and island are very small and we may get fed up there.  However, it is supposed to have a newly renovated port with laid lines water and electricity at all berths.  We think maybe we might move on to the next island tomorrow except that it is uncertain whether the Marina there is finished.  If not it may not be the best place to wait out bad weather.

So off we go.  We don’t even try to hoist any sail.  The forecast is for next to no wind.  Well that is how it began, but not how it ended.  About 2/3 of the way to Sifnos the wind started to pick up.  It was a top of a 4 touching 5 from behind.  But we couldn’t imagine that would stay so we did nothing.  Instead of going down the wind blew up in a squall and we actually got rained on.  It was enough rain to send us for our waterproofs.  Also the wind got up to 19-20 knots.  But we were only an hour away from port so we did nothing with the sails.

In harbour we are pleasantly greeted by the man who runs the harbour.  He helps us to moor and boy do I like laid lines.  No worry about where the anchor is and how it is bound to get fouled!  The whole place is nicely organised with all the amenities including toilets and a shower (which frankly doesn’t seem much use).

We pay for one night until we decide what to do.  Over lunch we look up our guide book to the Greek Islands and find that this one is supposed to be a gem with a number of towns and beaches to visit.  The town we are in is tiny but really sweet.  It is all low rise houses with a long sandy beach.  There are lots of cafes and restaurants.  There is a tiny supermarket where I can get essentials, though real reprovisioning would be difficult.  But the thing that has made up our mind to stay is that rain is forecast for tomorrow.  Neither of us wants to sail to the next port in the rain especially with the concern over the completion of the marina there.  So we tell the port that we will stay until Sunday when the sea goes down.  We are going to hire a car for Friday and Saturday and explore the island and hopefully find better food shops.


We had dinner in the town.  We now just wait for the forecast rain.  I always understood that it doesn’t rain in Greece in June.

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