Mandraki - Oinoussa Island
Serafina
Rob & Sarah Bell
Sat 16 May 2009 17:32
Saturday 16th May
Very relieved to be able to get the hire car back to the agency intact this
morning. Driving up in the mountains yesterday was a breeze, but once you
get near Khios town things liven up considerably and all normal rules are
suspended. Fortunately today being Saturday, things were much quieter on the
roads this morning and apart from getting lost and ending up driving down
streets that were being used for deliveries only, we got the car back on
time.
Abandoned the attempt to catch a bus back to the marina when we found that
there only appears to be one every two hours or so and took a taxi.
Slipped away from Khios marina around 11.15am for the 10 mile trip over to
Mandraki on the island of Oinoussa and motored in a flat calm.
Mandraki harbour is a spacious and well protected site and goodness knows
how many boats could get in here, but when we arrived there were just three,
one of which was an Oyster 53, 'Sandpiper of London' who took our lines.
Later a very large motor yacht came in and the owners then proceeded rather
grandly to the Yacht Club to join a large posh party already lunching with
the priest. Mandraki has produced some of the richest ship-owning families
in Greece, including the wealthiest of them all: Costa Lemos - not bad for
an island less than 5 miles long! Very little of interest to see here and
apart from the excellent quay there are virtually no facilities of shops or
even tavernas.
Sarah marched up to the top of the hill on which the town is built and took
quite a few pictures, but only proved further that there is clearly a rule
here in Greece that if you spot a good view, locals should string as many
cables across it as they can!
A couple more boats joined us during the day but with a forecast for a force
9 gale coming early next week, we will probably head for Lesvos Island which
is altogether a better place to be storm bound for a few days.