stormy Skiathos town
Scott-Free’s blog
Steve & Chris
Sat 11 Jul 2009 11:07
39:09.89N
23:29.71E
Saturday 11th July 2009
We left Koukounaries bay and motored back to Skiathos
town. The wind was almost on the nose so we didn't bother with the
sails.
We got back into Skiathos town late afternoon and were
told we had to go to anchor as there was no room for us on the town quay, so we
found a suitable spot and set the bow anchor.
We all decided we wanted an ice cream and a beer, and
to stretch our legs so we took the rib ashore and did just
that.
We headed
back to the boat for showers and drinks before dinner, and while Kerrie &
Lee were below, we watched angry black clouds appear over the hills to the North
of the town, and a spectacular lightening display.
Very
shortly afterwards we were treated to torrential rain, hailstones, sleet and 45
knots of wind, which is a scary thing at the best of times, but when the boat is
at anchor and very close to other boats all sailing around their anchors, it was
more than a bit worrying. The kids stayed below and Steve took the
helm to try to steer the boat away from any close encounters with other boats,
and we just had to ride it out. The rib was tied to the back of the boat
and lifted itself off the sea a few times, but suffered no damage.
The storm
lasted maybe 15 minutes and then blew itself away to sea. The boat settled
itself back down and everyone heaved a sigh of relief. A quick survey of
the boat revealed no damage, other than to some stitching on the boom tent that
we hadn't taken down in time. It wasn't until later that Steve discovered
we had lost the flagpole and ensign from the back of the
boat.
It was an
altogether unpleasant experience, but at least it didn't last long. We
waited a while to ensure it really had passed over, and then went ashore
to our favourite pizza place for dinner. When we returned to the boat all
was still calm, and we hoped the storm was the last of the bad
weather.