37:29.896N 23:27.298E  Tue 16^th May 2017

We are now on the town quay in Poros which means we haven’t exactly made a lot of progress eastwards since our last entry.  When we left Monemvasia on the 13^th, we headed for Ermioni in the end and managed about half of the 48 mile passage under sail as the winds came and went in the usual Mediterranean fashion (at one stage 30kts from behind us).  We were graced by a visit from a large pod of dolphins in one of the strong wind periods; they were having a ball diving into our bow-wave and leaping ahead of us.  We always feel so privileged to be chosen by these wonderful animals for a spot of play!

It was a pretty hot day for mid-May at over 30°C and later we used our fans below for the first time.  As there were no other boats in the entire area, we tied up alongside on the south quay, reckoning that we just about fitted the description on a sign designating the spot for fishing boats and leisure boats of 16m +.  On our second evening there, a large trawler approached and gesticulated to us to move along, after which they surged in in front of us.  The rest of the evening was spent in the company of their generator and fishy smells, followed by their noisy departure at 3.30 am.  I guess it served us right for pretending to be bigger than we are. 

We had been to Ermioni twice before and knew it was a delightful town on a little peninsular with terrific views over to the Peloponnese.  We enjoyed our three laid back days there eating taverna fare and exploring the local area a bit for some much needed exercise.  We waited until this morning to move on, hoping to be able to sail upwind to Lavrion.  The original plan was to make for the island of Kea, but we rejected that in view of the wind direction.  With the winds stronger and more easterly than forecast, in the end we had to divert to Poros and motored the 23 miles here upwind in 20+kts and cool, overcast conditions.  We found a good spot stern-to on the main quay and have the added benefit of water and power whilst here, so David is busy de-salting the boat, which it badly needed.  We will probably be here until the weekend as there is a northerly storm and rain forecast for the coming days; the quay is filling up with boats seeking shelter like us.  We have been to Poros several times before so we are looking forward to breaking new ground when we leave here.  Meanwhile, it is an attractive and lively place to spend a few days so we are not complaining!