Limni
Arwenofbosham
Rob and Jacky Black
Sun 28 Aug 2011 07:51
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38 95.7 N 23 19.9 E
Limni 19th - 24th August
We motored along the north coast of Evia on a
glorious sunny morning passing numerous small bays - most with fish
farms
in them! We were able to hoist the gib for a while
which gave us some extra speed after rounding the western tip and negotiating a
clutch of tiny islands we decided to anchor
for the night in a sandy bay offering some
protection from the north. It provided good holding and we were able to swim -
however we had not counted on a very loud disco starting
up at around 2300 and playing until 0400. This in
the middle of no- where really - just a couple of villas on the hillside.
However all was explained when we left the next morning as round the end of the
bay was a fairly sizeable town and a road led from there to our anchorage bay!
Ah well these things happen. Our next port was Limni a place well recommended by
friends and we were soon there but found that the tiny harbour was busy
with yachts rafted out two abreast. However the sea was flat and so we went
along side the outside of the harbour wall near the entrance where it was a bit
lower for us to get on and off. This was fine for 2 nights but then we had
increasing winds and a swell which was hitting the wall
and bouncing back so we got a double wammy - not
comfortable! Fortunately the boat on the inner side of the same section gave us
a nod to say they were leaving so we were soon tucked inside and much more
comfortable for another
3 nights. The water here is crystal clear and you
can swim off the boat in the harbour. they were catching sea bass occasionally
as well as garfish, mackerel and other smaller fish - a very popular place for
locals to come in the evening to fish or just to promenade along the quay. The
shops are fine with all the stuff you need plus a few touristy type ones - it is
a popular holiday town for Greeks as Athens is only a few hours drive away. We
enjoyed our stay here very much just wished there had been easier access to
water. We did see one boat run a hose across the water to the tap on the other
side and fill up that way - the hose sank - just as well as a small fishing boat
came over the top of it while they were filling up!
We decided to head for the Khalkis bridge on
Tuesday with the intention of passing through it on Wednesday early morning.
(This bridge is only open Mon - Fri. and between the hours of 2200 and 0400 at
slack water so a bit complicated!)
We had a bit of a hairy sail down to Khalkis with
winds gusting off the very high hills to the east of us. We had the full genoa
out and were screaming along at 7+ knots at times. The seas were a bit rolly and
unpredictable so not a very pleasant sail. When we arrived at Khalkis it was
still a good F. 5 and the quay was not that sheltered however we managed to
berth OK with the help of a couple of Dutch ladies whose boat was further along
the wall. It is a noisy spot with tavernas and coffee bars all the way along the
town quay but we were only there for a few hours so no worries really. Jacky
went off to find the Port Police to pay for transiting the bridge and also to
check out the Yacht Club facilities on the other side. We decided to go straight
to the YC as there was a space on the inner wall near the road where it was
suggested we could go easily in the dark. We were finally called on the VHF at
around 0015 to prepare our boat and then at 0030
to pass through the bridge gap. We were in a
procession with a very large super motor yacht then 2 smaller power boats 2
fishing boats and 4 yachts. We motored against a fairly strong current (about 4
knots) for some 300 meters but once through and clear of the narrows this
reduced and we were soon in the YC on the wall as planned. Got to bed around
0200.
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