Return to the Dodecanese
Mystic of Holyhead (successor to Lynn Rival)
Rachel and Paul Chandler
Tue 29 Aug 2006 12:05
When we got to Leros we couldn't get a hire car, not even a scooter. We took a taxi to the boatyard at Partheni and found Lynn Rival just as we'd left her, but our new sails (sent out 3 weeks ago) hadn't arrived. The story is that no freight is allowed on the ferries from Piraeus during the second two weeks of August, to make room for all the tourist traffic. No wonder the shops here look empty!
Not wanting to stay any longer in the boatyard, which is somewhat isolated if you don't have any transport, we launched on Wednesday after fitting the "feathering" propeller we'd brought out with us. We then motored down the coast to Lakki where we've been ever since, waiting for the sails to arrive "any day now".
View of Lakki from ferry terminal cafe.
The weather has been hot, around 35 deg, but with enough of a breeze most days to make it bearable. The small marina here is run jointly with the boatyard on the North of the island so our contract includes free use of it, including electricity, water and showers, which we're making the most of. The marina is quite busy with lots of yachts coming and going, mostly Italian, some Germans and Brits and quite a few Turkish Gullets.
While waiting for the sails we've been doing chores like fitting a new VHF radio and re-organising the stowage in the saloon lockers. When we arrived back we discovered some liquefied, rotten potatoes in one of the lockers. The stench was horrendous and it's taken days to clear. We've also been getting exploring Lakki a bit more. It's a very spacious town and so it's quite a hike to do the rounds of the various shops for provisions, but the Art Deco architecture is fascinating. The nearby ferry terminal is quite noisy at times during the night, but the cafe there is really good, serving excellent barbecued souvlaki in the evening.
Yesterday we walked along the coast to the Leros War Museum, which is housed in a tunnel, dug during the Italian occupation. The exhibits are all from that period and range from bits of bombs to jerry cans, bicyles and other miscellania left by the Italians, Germans and Brits during WWII. The highlight is film footage of the Battle of Leros in 1943, when the Germans took the island.
