38:37.3N 20:560E

 

15 September Motor sail N to go bows to for an hour in Fiskardho, then great down wind sail 20nm ENE to pretty harbour of Kalamos, and efficient harbourmaster/taverna owner George

Depart Sami 0750

Arrive Kalamos 1745 39nm

Strong sun, Wf3, Nf3 (thro strait to Fiskardho) W f3, then 4. Excellent vis.

 

Sunday, so baker not open so early – have to leave without fresh bread. Get off moments before others. Sail across bay. Wind dies, then comes in down strait so tack out into strait then motor sail with main. Arrive Fiskardho and waved in bows to next to big Bav. Good berthing, save skip can`t find thick gardening gloves for snubbing kedge chain. Not where they should be. (Now found) Girls play tourist n  go shopping. Find roman graves – and container for heads spray! Jan diagnoses tingle on gantry as full battery power, and eventually finds nick in PV cell +ve where enters gantry. Taped up. Now all sorted – no tingle . Will miss her.  Clean kedge retrieval. Head out as nice f3. Full whites, motor off.Decide to go N or E, depending on wind further out. Plan rendezvous with big Bav gang Meganisi tomorrow. Conclude head 20nm ENE to Kalamos, on the island of Kalamos, as not been there yet this year. Number of controlled gybes as zigzag last half with wind dead astern. Gets up to good f4. Motor last couple miles as wind dies in lee of island. Increase revs after dropping main to just get in before Dutchie. George is out in runabout relaying bow anchor for someone. Waves us in. Instructed to lay kedge v early (in only 12ft). Only just enough warp to get to quay! George has hopped ashore to take lines. Go for walk up (and up and up) and along to beach. Back to Georges taverna for beer. Recall doing same  (perhaps the very same table) with Rach and Jamie on last visit with Goodnews 7 years ago. George’s taverna is alongside shore end of quay. It’s a brave sailor who walks by to eat at another taverna. Many using showers 2.50euros a go. Note bookswap shelves.Will utilise before we leave. Cool evening now sun’s down. Need sweatshirt whilst sharing second beer. Eat onboard. Cool on deck; hot below as no breeze to scoop in.

 

16 September grey and rain showers as wake up. Bad forecast so decide to stay put. Turns out to be excellent shout. Hot sun from late afternoon.

 

Poseidon gives some yellow around noon to late afternoon.(f5/6) Already overcast sky and showers. meteo.gr doesn’t give quite so much wind. Either head round to Meganisi now or stay here another day. Along with Dutch neighbours (with long tailed spaniel) decide stay here. Do bookswap between showers.  V heavy shower arrive, and wind. Stay below reading. Midday/early afternoon v strong wind.  One boat reports gusting  f7/8 and 5m waves. Wind likely - not sure where the waves would have been as islands all around in here so no big fetch. Quite a few Nisos bareboats arrive – one with assistance from their rib (which used to be the Sidmouth RNLI inshore rescue boat) as steering broken (so using emergency tiller) and genoa sheet issues. Looks like Kalamos popular on a Monday after nearby changeovers on Sunday. Find carton of French tom and basil soup for lunch. Not really tom salad weather. Spend much time watching drenched sailors arrive and relieved after berthed by a v busy George. Won’t be meeting big Bav gang for supper as planned so book table at Georges as it will be busy. (Hear they are having an interesting sail – thought to be from Sivota to Meganisi.)Wind eases . Sun comes out. Bit humid as rain evaporates. Go for walk along amazing lamped and paved path heading where? perhaps to SW end of island. Many newish properties to high spec in middle of nowhere. Must be holiday homes as surely too expensive for locals and don’t feel like summer lets. Horses, chickens and old windmills. W`mills – for storage and pressing/grinding olives/corn? Not sure. Manage figure 8 route without spotting crossover. Sailing holiday flotilla arrives. George fits them all in. His tavern will be busy tonight. It was. Think this place will be a two night stop in future as lots to explore, and George will always find a berth.