AUGUST 2003

Time for some more sailing. A week before Marit was due back from her assignment in India I headed back to the island of Aegina, only to meet some more friends there. Vagelis, Xanthi and their sons (3 young pirates in the make), on one of their boats (they own a charter company in Greece, and I used to work for him). As soon as I showed up with Sylphe, they abandoned ship and took their quarters onboard of Sylphe. Their 49 footer was taken back to Athens and Vagelis “drove” up and down to Athens in his “dinghy” every day to work and returned at the end of the day. His “dinghy” is a RIB with a 60 HP engine behind it in this case. And the 24 miles to Athens is done in a mind dazzling (and kidney-tickling) 40 minutes. Though, it was fun to have this “dinghy” as we were also able to do some water-skiing, last minute shopping, and so we stayed with Sylphe at anchor for 4 days. The last day I joined Vagelis to Athens and used his car to pick up Marit from the airport. Finally home again…….for Marit as well.

Since I was supposed to have another charter two days later we had planned to get Marit to Ermioni, where she could stay with friends in a nice warm bed, air-conditioned room and food that did NOT exist of chicken. The moment Marit was packed and ready to say goodbye to me (again), the phone rang and the client notified us that due to a strike of BA he got stuck in London. They would try again the next day. The same ritual repeated itself the next day…..and the client took the decision later that day to cancel in all. So, instead of having Marit sitting in a hotel and me chartering around, we suddenly had a few more days to ourselves. (Sorry, Mark for your ruined holiday, trouble and inconvenience, but it was appreciated from our side). So after another day in Aegina, we made plans……. Karen, a lifelong friend of Marit, was supposed to arrive in three weeks, which left us with time and no obligations for the immediate future. Suddenly Marit raised the idea to go and explore the Cyclades again, and why not take her to my ”secret” spot on Amorgos. I had told her about this place 5 years ago, and it had never materialized to visit. So this was the opportunity…….

The boat next to us (Fanclub VI), full with Canadians, South Africans and Irish also wanted to go into the Cyclades and soon they realized that we knew the area ( and the dangers of the Meltemi) a little better…… and they opted to follow us. That was the plan the evening before. The next morning we were brusquely awoken at 10, by the crew of Fanclub VI, ready to leave. Marit and I are not those early risers, so they decided to leave and we promised to follow. An hour later we were ready to go as well and we set sail for Serifos a 70 mile trip, with a gentle breeze blowing. The forecast was 3 to 4, so against my intuition and habit I raised all sails and we started our chase for Fanclub VI. Over the years I have learned to basically take a reef in the main, the moment you go into the Cyclades and NOT take it out, unless you return again in the sheltered waters of the mainland. Marit only raised an eyebrow, when I pulled up the whole mainsail. Three hours into our sail we had caught up with Fanclub and passed them. However, the wind had picked up to about 20 knots and we had not even passed the halfway point of this trip, which is the uninhabited island of Ay Yearios, normally my mark for the beginning of the Cyclades. Half an hour later the wind was up to 24 knots and I headed forward to take in a reef in the main. Marit only smiled, with that knowledgeable smirk on her face…….aahhh wisdom not always comes with the years………

With the reef in, and Fanclub still under full canvas, we were doing about the same speed of 7 to 8 knots and on a gentle reaching course. I decided to stay on the windward side of Ay Yearios, but Fanclub went downwind and passed in its lee. When Fanclub disappeared behind the island the wind picked up even more and was hitting regularly the 35 knot mark. Still under yankee, staysail and 1 reef in the main, we blazed over the completely white sea. It was spectacular. Hitting 10 knots at times and the windmeter doing 40 knots, white heads all around, full blue sky, sun burning on our backs and getting sprayed every two other minutes. We happily sailed on and were definitely enjoying the most spectacular sail, we ever had with Sylphe. The whole sea to ourselves, Sylphe gently riding every wave, sun, spray and an exhilarating speed…….. What else does one want?? It can’t get any better than this. Or can it?

We kept looking behind us to see if Fanclub ever re-appeared behind the island, but no. The white of the waves on the horizon behind us, was not broken by a sail. We guessed that it was too much for them and that they had turned back under engine to Hydra and safer waters.

An hour later a boat appeared on our leeward horizon and definitely heading to cross our path. Unimaginable that on this vast amount of water, we actually had to alter course in order to prevent hitting them. They passed in front of us at about 50 meters. And suddenly I recognized the boat: KISS 13. The Kavas-charter boat, on which I have probably sailed most of my miles in Greece during the 5 years that I worked in Greece as a charter skipper. It could have been no other boat than KISS 13; beaten, tried and tired, out under all conditions and still going strong. It was a pleasure to see that she was the only other boat out there. But what a coincidence. The skipper of that boat was an even better friend: Frits, who I had not seen in a number of years. We waved, they took pictures of us (will feature on the website later) and we continued our sail. Coincidences do not exist??

With still some 20 miles to go, Fanclub called us on the VHF-radio, only to report that indeed they had given up, and were motoring to Kithnos, upwind. So, we altered course as well, hauled in the sails a bit and headed for Kithnos, out of solidarity. Three hours later we are all docked and it was all over. Over the next days, we visited Serifos, Anti-Paros, Paros, Naxos, Skinoussa and finally made it to Amorgos. Some motoring, some sailing. In Amorgos the wind definitely picked up and we spent two days in the bay, at anchor. Shopping in town with the dinghy and enjoying the peace and quietness. The sunsets were glorious, the water warm and the meltemi clouds were a constant factor on our horizon. Rod Heikell describes these “Meltemi clouds”: they form over the summit of the island and stay there. Well actually they do not stay there, but form themselves on their climb up and dissolve on their way down. It is amazing to see so closely how the humid air actually condensates and forms clouds and gets blown down the mountain again and dissolves. And this is why, when sailing in the Cyclades, you will “find” the next island, by just sailing towards the cloud. The island remains invisible until closer in, but the cloud can be seen from 25 miles distance. Nature is beautiful.

After two days we finally did our shopping for the famous promised BBQ on my “secret” spot and we headed out. The sea was still pretty rough, but at the “secret” anchorage the beach was sandy, the wind gone and the scenery beautiful. The spectacular thing about this “secret” place is that you actually have to climb the hill/mountain and get to the top. On top, one has one of the most spectacular views I have ever had of the Cyclades. On one side you look down on your yacht, anchored in crystal clear blue water with a sandy beach, on the other side the cliffs drop a stunning 200 meters dead-down and you have a 360 degree view of the Cyclades: Santorini, Ios, Paros, Naxos, Dhenoussa, Amorgos, Skinoussa, etc. And slowly the sun disappears in this labyrinth of islands. Leaving a dark red sky………..

We had a dreamy BBQ on the beach down below, in the mean time joined by the crew of KISS 13, who I had told about this anchorage. And NO, I will not give away where this secret spot is. Some things have to remain secrets.

In the next days we sailed to Ios, Folegandros, Sifnos and finally back to Serifos. By this time the Meltemi was serious about its intention and we dropped anchor in the bay of Serifos, and would not be able to lift it again for the next 7 days. Winds blowing with 40 knots through the anchorage. A constant anchorwatch, sleeping with the GPS anchor-alarm and monitoring especially the other boats, as many had problems making sure their anchor was holding. During the 7 days we saw many yachts adrift and actually saved one. This particular one was drifting through the anchorage with nobody onboard. So I jumped in the dinghy, got onboard, started the engine and picked up the anchor. By this time, two more crew from another boat were onboard to help as well. In our attempts to re-anchor we managed to get a full blow from the wind and both of our trailing dinghies were turned upside down. Mine included the outboard (now hanging upside down and under water), my one and only pair of shoes (!!) and Marit’s new slippers. Well that was the last we saw of them, the shoes I mean. Half an hour later I was back on Sylphe and spent the rest of the day cleaning the outboard engine and oiling all parts. The “grateful owner” of the rescued boat came over a few hours later with a bottle of undrinkable Ouzo to thank us. Sylphe’s anchor and its 100 meter chain never gave an inch during all these seven days.

By now, Marit and I had passed three glorious weeks in the Cyclades, but we had Karen and her cousin Kira waiting in Athens. So time to head back. That afternoon we picked up our anchor and set sail for Hydra. The meltemi was down to about 25 knots and we leisurely motorsailed all the way to Hydra. At ten in the evening we were back in the sheltered waters of the Saronic Gulf and we continued to Poros, where we dropped anchor at 1 in the morning. At 8 the next morning we continued to Aegina where Karen and Kira would arrive with the “Flying Dolphin ferry”.

We picked them up and I guess that was the last I saw of Marit for the next ten days. The girls (30 year old study friends) had more to talk about than I ever could have imagined. Guys are simply more shallow and don’t have so much to talk about!!!!!! But it was fun throughout. In the course of the next days we sailed from Athens to Corfu, through the Corinth Channel, Cephalonia, Lefkas, Paxos, etc. We had too much fun and I will just quote a part of Karen’s comments, which she shared with us afterwards: "Indescribably beautiful - outrageously fun, wonderful in every way and harder to leave than any place I've ever had to leave... The colours- the water - the wind, the trees, the water, the water, the water...Great people - too much to drink every night - great food - laughing till it hurt, sleeping on deck when we felt like it - diving off the boat into sometimes the most pristine deep blue waters, other times turquoise shimmering water - soft powder like beaches - fun people, virtually no tourists other than Italians, Greeks and a few Dutch ... Enough to make me believe in God...Star filled nights and when we'd look to our right or left - in front or behind there was nothing to see but the moon and stars and nothing to feel but the breeze and salt on our skin and the sound of silence... Speechless! Our guides, my old friend Marit and my new friend Roland (aka Popeye) made our trip magical - much of the time we had no idea where we were going and that added to the magic - it was full of surprises.."

I felt a little bit sorry for the girls in the beginning, as we sailed for large parts during three nights in a row. (getting through Corinth and covering some more miles in the Ionian to get to the more leisurely destinations). They might have gotten the impression that sailing was only done at night. But seen the above comments they enjoyed.

Adding even more fun was running into Anton/Norma, and Jaap/Sjoukje both combinations on their Baltcic 39’s. We had not seen them for 4 years and the whole company of three boats stayed together for a number of days. Having plenty of laughs as the whole gang hit it off, right from the start. Norma’s tuna salad was “as usual” a hit, the dinner on the beach on Meganisi an evening never to forget and the earthquakes added to the unusual good time.

At 8 in the morning the Lefkas area was hit by an earthquake measuring 6.7 on the Richter scale. Although we were at that moment still fast asleep and at anchor in the middle of a bay (so not attached directly to land by lines or something), we were instantly woken up. It felt like a big motor yacht was attempting to cut Sylphe in half. The whole boat was shaking and I was sure that we were being overrun by one. I was on deck in no time, only to discover that we were still safely at anchor, with no other boat ramming us. The trembles had stopped, but the village was well alive and all other boats were checking their anchor chains. The damage to Levkas and surroundings was sizeable. Housewalls cracked, all boats on the yard in Vlikos fell over (not a single mast standing upright anymore, at least 50 boats on their sides), in shops all shelves emptied and everything scattered over the floors, no electricity for 24 hours and the Levkas bridge definitely blocked. Later that day, while we were under sail in the bay of Vlikos another earthquake hit us, and again we felt it. I was sure that I had run Sylphe aground, but we still had seven meters of water under us. Frightening and a good experience, both in one. Now we know what an earthquake at sea feels like.

The day before Jaap and Sjoukje had to fly back home, we agreed to “park” both Baltics in port and sail all together on Sylphe for the afternoon. By the time we were out on the water, between Lefkas and Cephalonia, the wind had picked up to 25 knots. With Anton and Jaap onboard, I felt confident enough to raise all canvas and for the second time this season we had an exhilarating sail. Anton behind the helm (I am being told that the grin on his face is still there!!!), Jaap and me dealing with sails and the 5 girls spread out all over the deck, we raced with 9 knots over the Ionian sea. After our gybe we turned back and Jaap took the helm. Together with Anton, I went forward and sat on the bowsprit. For the first time in my Sylphe-life, I sat there; 25 knots of wind, all sails up, 9 knots close hauled, and leaving a wave and wake behind us that was impressive. Moreover, sitting on the bowsprit of Sylphe, I saw for the first time, that when Sylphe reaches hull speed (around 8,5 knots) the wave is being pushed down by the bow, reaches a low point amidships (leaving a 1 meter dent in the sea) and comes up again around/behind Sylphe’s stern. Impressive, impressive and magnificent. For me a first and what a sight it was. Thanks to Norma, Anton, Sjoukje, Jaap, Kira and Karen to make this possible.

Goodbyes are always sad, but so much part of our life-style, that we deal with them. Karen and Kira flew home, Jaap en Sjoukje left, Anton and Norma left behind. We had briefly run into “Dany 2”,  “Tololea”,  “Thorgal” and more, all boats that we spent the winter in Monastir with. Hello and Goodbye are so close together. But still, we are grateful for those brief moments of happiness and joy of reunification.

Till we meet again………….

Roland and Marit

SYLPHE