This web page contains the logs of 12 solo sailing days that I took with S/Y Thetis in the Southeast of the island of Samos originating from Samos Marina. The anchorages I sailed to are: Megali Lakka, Psalida (a cove in the small island of Samiopoula), Mycale, Kerveli, Mikri Lakka, Klima, Psalida again, and finally Tsopela.
The logs include either some historical and geographical descriptions of the places visited or links to these descriptions. Also included are links to other related web sites.
Tuesday May 21 to Friday May 24, 2013
While dear Thetis was resting in the marina her master was in Kalami getting the house ready for its mistress.
On Wednesday night I had a nice dinner at the Skoutas. It was Hellenis’ name-date. Stamatis was getting ready to sail from Samos to Crotona in Italy surveying ancient Mediterranean ports along the way. His boat was still on the dry but will be launched on Saturday.
On Thursday there was a bad southern gale with fierce gusts. I was glad to be ashore during this time. On Friday the gale subsided and the forecasts predicted rather benign conditions from Saturday to Tuesday. I planned to take out Thetis for these days.
On Thursday with the help of Despina, our Samos housekeeper, we cleaned Thetis thoroughly inside and out.
Saturday May 25, 2013, Day 1
I left Kalami for the marina early in the morning stopping along the way for provisions. After getting everything ready we departed from the marina at 1020. The wind was a light 2-8 knots breeze from the SW. I debated whether to go E or W. But tonight is a full moon and I wanted to be in a place that I could see and enjoy the moonrise. So, I decided to go E either to Mikri or Megali Lakka. I tried the new autopilot tiller driver but it misbehaved. I had asked Panayiotis at Agmar Marine (renamed to Moor & Dock) to extend its electric cord to fit from its plug to the autopilot post. He must had either crossed its wires or maybe Thetis plug was crossed. I put back the old driver and it worked very well, as it had before from Leros to Samos. I opened the headsail and motor-sailed.
We arrived to a cove W of Megali Lakka [37° 44.8' N 27° 02' E] at 1205, a distance of 9.8 M, and I anchored in 6.5 m depth over sand letting out 35 m of chain. I later increased it to 45 m. I put up the tent and lowered the dinghy which allowed me to use the swimming ladder. I snorkeled and inspected the anchor. It was well set.
Later I re-wired the new autopilot driver’s male plug and now it seemed to work fine.
Around 1700 the wind veered to the NW and Thetis was slowly drifting towards the rocky shore. I had 2 choices: either to shorten the scope or to relocate. I decided on the latter. I raised the anchor at 1740 and towing the dinghy with its new and heavier outboard, slowly motored to nearby Mikri Lakka [37° 45.1' N 27° 1.5' E], total distance from the marina 10.5 M. I anchored at 1800 in 10 m depth with 45 m of chain.
It was very quiet and Thetis was the only boat. I read for a while. I was still reading Beyond the Reef. I had some snacks while sipping a glass of wine. Then, I started cooking. I had brought with me a beef roast which I now prepared for cooking. First I made holes in the meat and stuffed them with garlic. I then browned the roast and deglazed the pan with some Tsantali Agiorgitiko red wine, added peeled tomatoes, and tomato pulp and simmered it very slowly for about 2 hrs. In the mean time, I pealed some new potatoes from Kalami, sliced them and coated them with olive oil. I sprinkled them with salt, pepper, and oregano, and then cooked them for about 1½ hr in the oven. When all was done I sat in the cockpit eating my dinner. At about that time, around 9 PM, the full moon rose over Anatolia in a fantastic red glory. How lucky I am to witness this miracle once again?
It was a lovely and peaceful night. The wind, at about 5 knots, kept coming from the NW to SE while Thetis was slowly swinging from 19 m depth to 12 and back to 19.
Sunday May 26, 2013, Day 2
I slept onboard rather well. It was calm but a little cold and I had to use two blankets. In the morning the cabin temperature was 16°C (61°F).
I took the dinghy ashore and a had a hike up the hills taking some photographs. The wind was a light breeze but it came from every conceivable direction.
Later in the morning a large crew arrived with three boats and a caïque. They started clearing the beach and loading all the bulky trash on the caïque which soon left. At that time an oil sleek drifted into our cove. Because there was almost no wind the sleek hovered for hours. It was terrible.
I finished reading on the Kindle: Beyond the Reef, the 19th of the Bolitho novels. In the afternoon I swam. The water temperature at 23.8°C (75°F) was almost comfortable. However the air was cooler then yesterday and the highest the cabin temperature reached was 27°C (81°F).
In the evening I took the dinghy around to nearby coves, mostly to continue the break-in of the outboard.
For dinner I made a tray of sliced zucchini from Kalami, onions, tomatoes, and garlic. This I baked in the oven for about 1½ hr. In the mean time I started a new book on the Kindle: Intuition Pumps And Other Tools for Thinking, a philosophical work. The zucchini dish while eatable was not too successful. I had done better before.
Monday May 27, 2013, Day 3
After getting up I slowly prepared for departure. The forecasts called again for light S winds of force 2-3 and possible 4 from either SW, S, or SE directions. But according to these forecasts by the middle of Wednesday there will be, again southerly winds, reaching force 8!
I was not sure where to go. I raised the dinghy and departed at 0823. At first the wind was 5-12 knots from the SSE and we motored until Psili Ammos at the W end of the Samos Channel. By that time I had made up my mind to sail to Samiopoula and the wind backed now from the ESE which allowed me to open the genoa and sail for about 1 hour. Then the wind went down to about 5 knots and veered so I had to turn on the motor and motor-sail. By the time we reached Aspri Kavi (the reef east of Samiopoula) the wind had veered further to the SW and the sail was flapping. So, I rolled it in and I put up the tent.
We arrived in the Psalida (Ψαλίδα) cove of Samiopoula (Σαμιοπούλα) [37° 38' N 26° 47.4' E] at 1150 after 19.5 M. I anchored in 10 m depth and let out 50 m of chain. Here it is very deep and it shallows rather close to the shore. With the summer meltemi, predominately from the NW, this is not a problem because the boat drifts away from the rocks and can accommodate a long scope but, with SE winds it is a problem, especially with a long scope. This means that if the wind backs I will have to leave and go to Tsopela 2 M to the east.
Unlike the signal in Megali Lakka here there is very good 3G coverage. I spoke with Alice on Skype. Today is her birthday. Her leg was still hurting her but she was maybe a little better. Later she send me an e-mail with the reservations for flying to Greece. She will depart on on June 10 and arrive in Samos on the 12, a little over 2 weeks from today.
In the late afternoon I went ashore with the dinghy. The gate to the taverna was locked as it has been every other time in the past 2 years that I have come here. The wind was 2-5 knots but variable. Thetis kept on swinging into circles, so far not too close to the rocks.
I emptied the companionway shelve and washed all the various small items (pieces of cord, pulleys, cleats, etc.) stored there and then put them back in order. This shelve always collects dirt and it is a prime example of the 3rd law of thermodynamics that entropy always increases. I also washed all the plastic instrument covers.
In the evening I had an ouzo and then boiled some spaghetti and served it with 2 slices of the pot roast. It was very tasty.
There were brilliant stars in the clear sky. The moonrise was to occur at 11 PM but I was too sleepy to wait for it.
Tuesday May 28, 2013, Day 4
The night was quiet and there were no problems. Thetis stayed way off the rocks although she did gyrate hanging from her chain.
First thing in the morning I siphoned 2 jerrycans of Diesel fuel to the main tank. I had brought with me to replace the old siphon pump a new ingenious devise that I had bought by mail order from Amazon. It is a plastic tube with a copper valve at its intake. You submerge it to an elevated jerrycan, the copper valve acts as a weight and keeps it submerged, and you shake it up a down a few times. Each shake fills the tube with some fuel until it is filled up to its most elevated position. Then the siphon action takes over and the fuel flows from the jerrycan to the lower tank. Not a single drop was spilled. This is a far cry from the cheap and rather leaky pump that I had bought last year in Samos.
Later in the morning I cleaned the dinghy. It was very calm and quiet. Nevertheless all the forecasts predicted very strong winds starting tomorrow by late morning.
Around 11 AM two caïques with tourists came but after one hour one of them left. I went ashore and walked up the path to the taverna. The gate, as I expected, was open this time. At the taverna I met the proprietor Captain Vasilis. It turned out that he and Pandelis of Marathi are first cousins. He pointed out Pandeli’s house on Samos, straight across from Samiopoula. He also told me that he is a cousin to Irene my friend from Levitha. It seems that people on these tiny islands are all somehow related with each other.
I had a pleasant afternoon with swimming and reading. I then looked again at the forecasts. They all insisted on strong S winds tomorrow but they do differed on the time the winds will start blowing. As the afternoon progressed so did my apprehension. I finally decided not to spend the night here as I was planning but to head back to Pythagorio. Since I hate sleeping in the marina with its mosquitos I will go to Mycale, spend the night there and then go to the marina tomorrow morning.
I raised the dinghy on the davits and we departed from Samiopoula at 1715. The wind was 0-5 knots from the W. No sails, just motoring. We arrived in Mycale [37° 42.1' N 26° 59' E] at 1920 after 11.8 M. I anchored in 5.5 m with 30 m of chain. It was very calm and there was almost no wind.
I spoke with Alice on Skype and then called Aramis and arranged for them to deliver to the marina a rental car at 8:30 tomorrow morning.
I had some wine, listened to music, and then made a frittata with 3 eggs, left-over zucchini, and roasted potatoes. The night was extremely calm and very dark almost oppressive.
Wednesday May 29, 2013, Day 5
The expected wind did not materialize in the early morning. It was still rather calm. Nevertheless I woke up at 5:30. The wind was a breeze at about 5 knots but the barometer had a stiff fall from 1011 mB of last night to 1003!
I put up the fenders and prepared several docking lines. The normal docking lines with their shock absorbers had been left at Thetis’ berth C05 in the marina. I realized that being early there will not be any attendants to help me moor.
We departed at 0650 and slowly motored the short, 1.8 M, distance to the marina [37° 41.5' N 26° 57.3' E] where we arrived at 0710. Mooring was not a problem. I turned very slowly into the berth and with the hook caught the docking lines and the mooring line. By 0800 all was secure and tidy.
At 8:30, as promised, the rental car was delivered and I left for Kalami.
Wednesday May 29 to Sunday June 2, 2013
On Wednesday afternoon the strong S wind arrived with ferocious gusts and kept on blowing until Thursday evening.
The final repairs on the house in Kalami had progressed nicely. Yiorgos, our care keeper, and his brother-in-law Yannnis cleaned the path from the road to the house and plowed the vineyard. The well, the wood-burning oven, etc. have been white washed. On Thursday Yiorgos brought his niece, Vasso, and she cleaned the upper floor of the old house (the floor boards had been replaced before my arrival). Vasso also swept the path free of grass cuttings and tree cones.
On Thursday I also filled the 2 empty jerrycans from Thetis with 42 L of Diesel fuel, €60.
By Friday I had access to the storage room where a lot of furniture, boxes, etc. had been stuffed to make room for the repairs both of the old house and of the old kitchen-bathroom. I then started the arduous task of washing old bottles and the 60 new ones that I had bought in preparation for bottling the 2012 vintage wine that had slowly fermented in the barrels. On Saturday I finished the bottle washing and bottled and corked 77.5 L of wine into 103 bottles. On Sunday I labeled the bottles and sealed their corks with heat-shrinking foil. It was late Saturday evening when I finished.
Monday June 2, 2013, Day 6
In the morning I drove to the marina, after some provision shopping stops in the town of Vathy and in the supermarket half way. My plan was to spend few days with the boat and be back in time for Alice’s arrival in Samos on June 12.
I got Thetis ready and cast off at 1020. The wind was about 8 knots E. All the forecasts were benign predicting variable winds but mostly southerlies. I did not want to take any chances and was not feeling very adventuresome. So I just motored against the easterly breeze to Kerveli [37° 43.8' N 27° 02.3' E] where we arrived at 1150 after 8.9 M. I anchored in 7 m depth with 40 m scope. But I did make a mistake. Thetis drifted to the W but there were some large rocks in the bottom that I had not noticed. I saw them when I snorkeled later to check the anchor. While the anchor was well set the chain was wrapped on the rocks.
Thetis was the only boat here until later when the German S/Y Pollux arrived. She was singlehanded by an elderly gentleman. I put up the tent and all was very quiet. I had brought back the dinghy, instrument, and winch covers as well as several pieces of canvas that I normally use for covers when Thetis is left on the dry for the winter. These I had taken to Kalami and washed. So, I emptied the left (port) cabin and put the canvases, not to be used until October, under the berth. This was an opportunity to rearrange this cabin which is used as a storage space.
Later I went with the dinghy around the cove. This was an excuse to continue the outboard’s breaking-in.
I had observed recently that when I run the water-maker the left (port) tank overflows when full but not so with starboard (right) tank. So, now I shut off the left tank to cause all the water to be drawn only from the right tank.
I started preparing for dinner. I sliced two Kalami potatoes and soaked then in sea water while I had an ouzo as the sun was setting behind the Samos mountains. Also, since Thetis had drifted to deeper water I let out 10 more meters of scope. She then settled in 15-16 m depth.
I then fried the potatoes and brought the remaining pot roast to simmer. When the potatoes were done I ate them together with 2 slices of the roast and its sauce. There were now 2 more remaining slices. The food was delicious and it was accompanied by a glass of Κρητικός - Kritikos (Cretan) red wine. For dessert I cleaned ½ of the strawberries that I had bought this morning. These I ate after sprinkling them with Samos Moschato wine and some sugar.
The night was pleasant and there were no mosquitoes.
Tuesday June 4, 2013, Day 7
I got up at 5:45. All was well. After coffee and some reading I washed the deck and the cockpit that were full of dust brought by last week’s southern gale.
The water pressure pump continued to run without any water flow. This is a typical behavior when the tank is empty. I switched on the left tank, which I had deliberately shut off last night, and the problem with the pump went away. I now run the plumber’s snake through the intake of the right tank to clear any possible obstruction. There was no obstruction and the tank was at least half full. Just in case, I also cleaned the pressure pump’s intake filter. This will need further investigation.
In the afternoon I snorkeled and after 2 dives I freed the anchor chain that was wrapped around an underwater boulder. While in the morning the wind was 10-18 knots from the WSW now it was from the WNW. Another German S/Y the Orfus arrived. Later in the afternoon I spoke with the couple on her. They winter her in the Finike marina.
I finished Daniel C. Dennett’s Intuition Pumps And Other Tools for Thinking. It was very interesting but also rather wordy and somewhat repetitive. Nevertheless I did learn a few new things, especially about modern philosophy. I started reading 2 new books: Ramage & the Saracens, and Richard Dawkins’ The Greatest Show on Earth: Evidence for Evolution.
Around 6 I went ashore and walked up the hill. I found the taverna Η Κρυφή Φωλιά - The Hidden Nest. We had eaten there last year. It is owned by the lady who used to run a small taverna in Kalami. I decided to patronize her, but first I returned to Thetis where I washed, shaved, and changed clothes. Then I walked back to the taverna where I had a reasonable meal.
The night was windy, 15-18 knots from the SW. The wind-generator made a bad rattling noise even after I turned it off. I suspected a bad bearing.
Wednesday June 5, 2013, Day 8
Other then the rattling noise from the wind-generator all was well. The wind this morning was down to 5-10 knots from the WSW and the forecasts called again for southerlies of force 2-3.
I decided to relocate to the nearby Mikri Lakka. While getting ready for our departure Orfus also left. She circled around Thetis and they waved. Maybe next time we will all meet and get together. I raised the anchor at 0910 and slowly motored, at low RPM, towing the dinghy and running the water-maker. In about 15 minutes the left tank was overflowing but not the right tank. I was not sure what is wrong with it. After 2.2 M we arrived in Mikri Lakka (Μικρή Λάκκα) [37° 45.5' N 27° 01.7' E] at 0945. I anchored in 10 m depth and let out 40 m of chain, just enough to stay clear from the rocks to the N. Should the wind change I can always increase the scope.
The day was cloudy. I snorkeled and checked the anchor. The anchor buoy does help by allowing me to keep an eye to the boat’s location relative to the anchor. Later I put up the tent and pumped some air into the dinghy that had gotten a little soft. An enormous motor cruiser, the Ilona according to the AIS, 4 decks high came into the bay and dispatched a powerful inflatable, about Thetis’ size to survey all the coves. Fortunately Mikri Lakka was deemed unsuitable and the cruiser went to Kerveli. Glad that she had left.
I read a lot, alternating between the two books Ramage & the Saracens and The Greatest Show on Earth: Evidence for Evolution on the Kindle. In the early evening the wind veered SW-NW at 5-12 knots and Thetis drifted into deeper water. I let out about 10 more meters of chain and she settled in 16-17 m depth.
I had brought from the butcher in Samos 2 slices of snitzel. These now I cooked as follows: the first I dusted with flour and pan fried it after which I wrapped it in tinfoil and put it in the refrigerator to be eaten on another occasion. The second one I also duste with flour and then I coated it with egg and bread crumbs and also pan fried it. I served it with rice along with some of the Cretan wine that I had opened two evenings ago. For fruit I had the remaining strawberries.
The night was very dark. On such dark and calm nights especially when anchored in a deserted cove and being alone one can be overwhelmed by a sense of awe and irrational apprehension. It is pitch black and you are surrounded by dark steep rocky shores and there is no wind nor any sound. But being aware of the fury that the sea can bring on short notice makes one uneasy. One realizes how alone and how vulnerable one really is. But in another sense one also feels very content by being in a natural setting and all the usual problems and worries of our modern life fade away in insignificance.
Before retiring to bed I tied the wind-generator so that it would not disturb me with its noise.
Thursday June 6, 2013, Day 9
Today is my youngest brother’s Byron birthday. For many years now we sail from Samos to the island of Kea or Tzia where he has a summer house and we celebrate his birthday together with friends there but this year the timing did not work out. I received an e-mail from Alice that she arrived without any complications from Jackson Hole to Washington, D.C.
I looked at the contacts of the switch that turns off the wind-generator by grounding it. There were fine so I was not sure why it rotates and makes noise when it is turned off.
Fairly early, while the sun was not too high I went ashore with the dinghy and took a long hike up the hill and along the dirt road. I took some photographs and noticed some good thyme bushes. Too bad that I did not have a cutter and a bag to collect some. But I had taken with me on the dinghy 2 garbage bags. On my return from the hike I collected a fair amount of trash from the beach and filled the bags. But I had to leave an ugly net in a tangle that did not fit into the bags. Having done my good deed for the day I returned to Thetis.
I checked my e-mail and the weather forecasts. They predicted very low winds but slowly veering from southerlies to northerlies. Around noon I got a phone call from my friends Vanessa and Dimitris Vourliotis. There were up at the monastery of Zoodochos Pigi that overlooks the whole bay. From there they noticed a sailboat that they were sure it was Thetis and they called me to verify. It is very hard to hide here in Samos. It seems that in every nook and cranny there is someone who knows you.
Later I took all the trash that I had collected, including the net tangle from ashore to the next cove, Mourtia, and put it into the trash bins.
In the afternoon the British S/Y Talikster arrived and anchored not too far from Thetis. Later the Taliksters, John and Polly, came for an ouzo. In 1995, with their previous S/Y, they had crossed the Atlantic arriving to St. Lucia and then returned via the Azores. They keep their boat at the new Didim Marina and cruise with her from April to June and then again from September to October.
I baked two potatoes in the oven, sliced and coated them with olive oil, added some water, salt, pepper, and thyme. These I ate later with the last two slices of the pot roast.
Friday June 7, 2013, Day 10
Fairly early in the morning I went ashore with a bag and a clipper. After climbing up the hill I cut some fresh thyme to have for cooking not only in Thetis but also in Kalami, in our house in Washington, D.C., and to give to our daughter Corinna. Back on board I looked at the weather forecasts. The predictions called for very light winds for today but stronger NW winds for tomorrow possibly up to force 5.
I decided to relocate and go to Klima and then on Sunday morning go back to the marina. I raised the dinghy on the davits and then pulled the anchor. The amount of sandy mud that was stuck to the anchor was amazing. It took several minutes dipping the anchor up and down plus pocking it with the hook before it was clear. Eventually we left Mikri Lakka at 0955. The wind was from the ESE at 0-5 knots. We motored running the water-maker.
I finally figured out the problem with the right tank. There must be an obstruction in the pipe that connects both tanks to the pressure pump. I came to this conclusion by the following experimental procedure. Based on the water meter I had consumed 25 L of water since last time the left tank was full. Now to replenish this water should have taken the water-maker which produces 30 L/hr about 50 minutes. Yet, after only 20 minutes the left tank was overflowing. I switched off the flow from the water-maker for 5 minutes and then switched it on again. I took another 10 minutes for the tank to overflow again. So, at least 5 L of water must had flowed, albeit slowly, to the right tank. I repeated this for 2 more times for a total of 45 minutes of water-maker operation. By that time we had arrived and I had to switch the water-maker off. So, in conclusion the connection between the 2 tanks was obstructed but not completely blocked.
We arrived in Klima (Κλήμα) [37° 42.5' N 27° 02.4' E] at 1110. The distance from Mikri Lakka was 5.7 M. I anchored in 8 m depth with 40 m of scope. Now I had to lower the dinghy so as to free the swimming ladder before snorkeling to check the anchor. It was completely buried under the sand. I put up the tent.
The rest of the day was spent reading and swimming. In the evening I had an ouzo and then made spaghetti with tuna, capers, onion, and garlic. This was liberally sprinkled with Parmezan.
Saturday June 8, 2013, Day 11
The wind in the morning was about 12 knots ESE. The forecasts now called for NW winds of force 4-5 arriving by the evening. My plan was still to spend the night here and go to to the marina in the morning. I called Aramis and made the arrangement for them to deliver a rental car at 9 AM tomorrow to the marina. It was cloudy. I thought of putting up the tent but decided to skip it the morning being cloudy and breezy.
I did some further work about the starboard (right) water tank. With considerable difficulty I disconnected the flexible clear plastic tube from its valve leading to the pressure pump. This tube goes from under the sink, where the pump is located, under the floor boards to the outlet from the tank which is under the right berth of the main cabin. After disconnecting the tube I ran the plumber’s snake through it. Indeed after inserting about 2 m of the snake it hit an obstruction and refused to go any further. Now water does flow slowly although the tank is almost full and it should flow much more. But I could not unclog the obstruction with the snake. I tried, once again, unscrewing the berth cover to get access to the tank but where the outflow tube connects to the tank has so little clearance that I could not disconnect the tube. Frustrated I put everything back together.
It was less windy in the afternoon, just a 5-10 knot easterly breeze. I spent the afternoon reading and swimming. Around 5 PM I went around the cove with the dinghy and then I covered it with its newly washed cover and raised it on the davits. It was very fortunate that I did so. I occupied myself with some computer work when something did not feel right. By that time the predicted NW had arrived reaching 30 knots while the barometer had fallen from yesterday’s 1011 to 1003 mB. I looked outside and saw that Thetis had dragged her amazing Rocna anchor and was drifting away from the shore towards the E. I quickly started the engine and begun raising the anchor with the windlass. It came up slowly but the small line attached to the buoy was fouled and I had to cut it off. I retrieved the anchor and by luck the the buoy line had not wrapped itself around the propeller so we could get underway. This was very good because by that time we were rather close to the eastern rocky shore of the cove. Also since the dinghy was now on its davits I did not have to worry about it.
I re-anchored in 6 m depth and let out over 55 m of chain. There was no question that the anchor was holding. By now the gusts were over 30 knots. I felt uneasy so I quickly made up my mind to go to the marina now instead of spending a worrisome night here at anchor. I called the marina and told them of my impending arrival.
Up came once again the anchor. It was 1930. We motored the 4.5 M to the marina [37° 41.44' N 26° 57.3' E] where we arrived at 2020. It was a wet ride. The attendant Michalis was waiting for me so mooring was very easy. I set the spring lines and connected to shore AC power.
After that I had a well deserved ouzo and then dinner. This was the last snitzel and I ate it with warmed left-over potatoes. After washing the dishes and lighting an anti-mosquito coil I took a walk around the marina. I slept without too may mosquitoes.
Sunday June 9 to Friday June 21, 2013
While Thetis had a vacation at the marina I moved in the old house in Kalami. On Tuesday Alice arrived in Samos. The old house was ready to receive her.
I brought the water pressure pump and its hose from Kalami and blew water under pressure through the blocked output tube from the right tank. This did the trick and cleared the obstruction. I checked the water flow and verified that now water flows normally from both tanks to the boat’s pressure pump. I then topped both water tanks.
Saturday June 22, 2013, Day 12
Alice and I went to the boat early and while Alice arranged all the food that we had brought for a day excursion/picnic I cleaned with the pressure hose the very dusty deck and cockpit. I was putting up the tent as our guests Vanessa and Dimitris Vourliotis arrived.
We departed the marina at 1021 heading to Samiopoula, the small island off the S coast of Samos. The wind was 5-15 knots from the NE and we managed to sail with the genoa for about one hour after which the wind backed to WNW and we had to motor-sail.
After 9.8 M we arrived at the Psalida cove [37° 38.1' N 26° 47.4' E] on the NW corner of Samiopoula at 1230. We anchored in 8 m depth with about 50 m of scope but the anchor dragged and the boat settled at 30 m depth. Fortunately it was rather calm and we did not re-anchor.
We had a pleasant day. I lowered the dinghy to free the swimming ladder and we swam in the crystal clear waters. We then had a nice lunch with a very good spread of goodies that both families had brought and we caught with each other’s winter news.
At 1700 we raised the anchor and motored slowly, towing the dinghy with its outboard, for about 1 M to nearby Tsopela (Τσόπελα) [37° 38.3' N 26° 50' E] where we swam some more. Then, I covered the dinghy and raised her after which we departed at 1900 heading back to the marina.
There was not much of a wind and we motored. On the way we saw the moon, one day shy from being full, rise over the sea. We were back at the marina by 2020 after a total of 10.5 M from Samiopoula.
It was a most pleasant outing.
Sunday June 23 to Thursday June 27, 2013
Thetis was at the marina. During this time I serviced the water-maker by filling it with a biocide solution and topped the water tanks. While doing so I noticed that a mini-tank was delivering fuel to a nearby boat, Taking advantage of this I topped the fuel tank with 30 L of Diesel fuel (42 €). I also took with me the outboard gasoline canister to a fuel station and re-filled it.
On Thursday, in anticipation of a few days excursion starting tomorrow morning, Alice and I brought supplies in preparation for the boat outing. I connected the boat to the shore AC power and turned on the refrigerator. We pressure hosed the cockpit and the deck and put up the tent.