37:55.84N 23:38.92E

15 May

Nisos Poros (Island of Poros) on the south side of the Saronic Gulf was our destination and we make it nice and quiet.  Yes we sailed for about 60 minutes leaving Olympic Marina on a slow downwind run.  Tried to stay sailing but the winds dropped so our sped was a mere 2 knots.  The rest of the trip was a hazy  calm journey to the island.  I had pre selected a small anchorage on the north side of the bay called Limin Poros.  Nice muddy bottom and shallow anchoring.  One other power boat came in and dropped anchor and tied to shore.  Obviously they did it with such precision they were frequent visitors.  About four hours later the winds grew to 15 knots and we swung around toward the power boat.  Didn’t drag anchor but too close.  The next cove to the east was larger, deeper but empty. So we went there and re-anchored in 13 meters with 55 meters rode out on a sand/mud bottom.  A couple other boats came in but no issues.  Calm except for the 21 ferries that pass by per day.  Mix of hydrofoils, high speed cats and displacement hull car ferries.  All make wake but we had a little protection from a small island.  Still nice place now, probably a nightmare in the peak summer days.

Poros is a pretty town separated from the Peloponnisisos peninsula by a narrow straight.  Poros historically was one of the islands that did not immediately join the new Greek nation in the early 1800’s.  In fact they sank a couple of the country’s ships.  Not good so they were attacked and made to conform.  The Greek government put a navy base their to make sure things were kept in line.  None of that dispute remains except for T-shirts with the ship Hellas on them.

Enjoyed a couple days at anchor.  Took the dingy into town for lunch, registration with the port police (nice people and efficient) and a little shopping.  Very well kept town and pretty from the water.  Even with all the ferries the town absorbs the crowds without hassle.

Fountain of a swimming mermaid at the north end of the waterfront.

Taxi boats ready to take you to the Peloponnisos peninsula just 10 minutes away.  Bouncy passage since the narrow straight is in constant boat traffic.

Lunch at the taverna was very good.  Fresh Dorade (Mahi mahi) for lunch and octopus grilled for appetizer.  Along the waterfront each restaurant has a grill out front to entice tourist to come in.  Most are grilling seafood and a few lamb.

View of the town from the dingy.  I told you it was pretty.  It pays to have a fast dingy to get to towns without having to bring the boat in.  The waterfront has plenty of room and decent depths but it is right on the main street with all the traffic.  Not that bad but not what we like having everyone walking by, loud music in the bars.  This time of year it is fine with few boats at the waterfront.

This is the cove we were anchored for two nights.  Different than most of Greece this place had trees on the land.  Of course the sound of goats, herding dogs and the coast road are familiar Greek sounds.  Local fishermen in their small boats work the bay for the daily catch and a small chapel on the left of the picture occupies the tiny island that protected us from a portion of the ferry wakes.  Water looks blue but it is not as clear since it is almost fully enclosed.  Could not see bottom in 13 meters.  There is a lot of trash dumped in the water by the locals so large slicks of plastic bags and other things are floating around.  The Greeks still use the sea as a dump, even walk past garbage bins and through stuff in the water.  It is changing but the amount of trash is still large.  Forget about sewage treatment, the towns dump into the water directly or with little treatment.  They are trying to make progress but with the ongoing economic fiasco money for new construction will be limited.  Greece has a history of defaulting on debts and this current situation is not new.  Not a knock on the people just reality.

Okay for the biologist what is this that attached to our anchor rode overnight?  It is not trash it is most likely octopus eggs but I need to verify my guess.  Surprisingly with the heavy harvest of octopus they are still abundant here.  Of course the rest of the larger fish are gone from overfishing but there still are plenty of young fish in the coves to keep things going.