Wednesday 14^th August, 2013.

We enjoyed our day yesterday by resting, swimming and wandering around the small town.  The town has a petrified forest on the west coast and there are footpaths to follow but we did not venture the five miles to find it.  There is in the town a large building which houses any information regarding the forest.  We found around the beach area many pieces of forest which have had shelters built over them and fences put up to stop people getting to close.

Today Jim managed to get some 3G and look at the weather forecast for the next few days and we decided as nice as it is at Sigri we need to move around the coast as it looks like it will blow 6 and 7’s until Sunday at least.  As Sigri is on the west and open to the north it is a very windy place.  The local shop keeper told us yesterday it has been blowing for the last 45 days and he is hoping in the next week or two the meltemi wind will drop.

As we sailed out passed Megalonisi Island we spotted the steel yacht ship wrecked on the small island of Sedhousa. Definitely a reminder to be careful.  Once out around the headland we changed the genny from starboard to port track and we were very soon gaining speed with the wind behind us.  As we neared the holiday resort of  Erressos or Skala Eresou (as it is also known) we suddenly lost the wind for a few minutes until it was blowing from the west.  We spotted a yacht going the other way unaware of what he was heading into.

Skala Eresou has a long beach making it the third largest beach on Lesvos.  If you climb to the top of the hill behind the beach you are reported to be able to see the ancient jetty submerged in the fishing anchorage.  There was a dinghy school on the beach but we were surprised that there were very few houses or hotels for people to stay in.  We can only think most must drive to the beach from other areas.  The town of Eresos is set seven miles inland and two of the town’s famous people to be born there are the philosopher Thephrastos, a pupil of Aristotle and Sappho, one of the greatest poets of the ancient world.

There were dozens of sea gulls flying over the water looking for their dinner.  This is something we have not seen for quite a few days.

Not long after leaving Skala Eresou we found almost a tide race caused by very hot wind coming off the land.  The genny had to be taken down and the engine put on.  We had decided it would be nice to spend some time investigating the Gulf of Kallonis which is approximately 15 miles from the entrance to the head of the bay.  We found the reds and greens and motored three miles to the small bay in front of the village of Apothekes which offers the best shelter in the gulf from the meltemi winds.  We can hear the goats with their bells wandering around behind the beach wall.  It is indeed a very small village with basic essentials and no wifi!

I put the anchor down in 9 metres of water with the float just in case there are unforeseen extras on the sea bed. We had covered just 22 miles today.  We have now covered over 9000 miles since the start of our journey five seasons ago.  Jim is thrilled that just a few metres rowing away to the one and only taverna of this village which we may try out tonight. Pleased to report the sea temperature is back to over 30 degrees again.