Sunday 23^rd June, 2019.

After a couple of days of enjoying our friends company and a couple of lunches at the beach taverna we decided it was time to leave them due to the weather forecast of the Meltemi due to start on Tuesday.

Jim thought our best chance of getting back to Poros on Monday was to head to Serifos on Sunday and anchor in the bay overnight and then continue on to Poros the next day.

We had enjoyed a wedding in the little church by the beach on Saturday evening with a reception at the beach tavena in the evening with enjoyable music until 4 in the morning.

So with a final good bye we left the little bay at around 11 o’clock once the sea had calmed a little we hoped.

Ariel bumped her way out of the entrance over the waves and around the headland. We hoped once out of the draw of the island the sea would be kind to us and let us sail rather than motor sail.  We had to dodge four very fast ferries coming along the coast line from Paros main harbour on their way to Naxos. Even with our IOS we are happy to keep them a good distance from us.

We covered 35.6 miles and arrived in Serifos harbour called Livadi on the southeast coast around 5 o’clock and dropped our anchor in the bay with several other boats. The water temperature was 25.8 degrees and we had a quick swim to cool down after our journey.

We had dinner and then went ashore for a wander.  Quite a few restaurants on the beach were open but just as many were shut and didn’t look like they would open this year.  Serifos has several ferry services which come and go regularly. It is an attractive harbour front with the chora overlooking the bay. Many walk up the stone steps from Livadi to the chora or catch the little bus. The chora is topped by the ruins of a 15^th century Venetian kastro. Many of its medieval cube shaped houses with some incorporating stone from the castle have been renovated as holiday homes by Greek artists and architects. There are chapels and windmills perched on mountains and hills offering breath taking views of the island.

In mythology the infant Perseus and his mother Danae were washed up on the shores of the rocky Serifos known as “the barren one”.  Once rich in iron and copper mines now with bare hills and small fertile valleys and long sandy beaches it relies on holiday makers or floating gypsies like us to make a living.

Some make their way to the village of Galani in the north to see the fortified Moni Taxiarchon (Archangel) built in 1500 and is run by a single monk.  The monastery contains fine 18^th century frescoes by Skordilis and some valuable Byzantine manuscripts. Unfortunately we didn’t have time this visit but perhaps another time.

We had a very quiet peaceful night at anchor.