Spectacular Santorini

Sailing into Santorini may very well be the most breathtaking place I have ever sailed into.  It is one of the few islands in the Aegean that was created by a volcanic explosion.  And what an explosion.  Experts estimate that around 1600 bc more than 24 cubic square miles of mountain top blew up creating a tsunamis somewhere between 110 to 490 ft high. The aftermath created crop failures and famine as far away as China, so sever that it brought down the Xia dynasty. It is one of the biggest volcanic explosions every on the face of the earth.  What is left in the aftermath is a spectacular volcanic caldron with sheer chocolate volcanic cliffs soaring hundreds of feet high. The old volcanoes steep sided rim and fertile volcanic soil made it perfect for building villages safely from the notorious pirates.  As a result we get beautiful Santorini today with its white buildings rimming the crater top giving it a look of snowcapped mountains in an almost perfect circle.

It is quite a hike up to the towns from the ocean floor.  Most people take the tram to the top or following years of tradition ride donkeys up very winding switch-backed trails.  When you get to the top you are rewarded with perhaps the most scenic villages of the Aegean.  Our favorite was the town of Oia with its softly sculptured white structures that sparkle in the sunlight as you wander through the streets of polished marble.  And the sunsets from the ridge of this natural theater makes everyone stop each evening to watch the lightshow.  The sky becomes ablaze in oranges purples and hot yellow-white light.  Cameras start clicking and don’t stop until the last of the golden orb sinks into the deep blue ocean of Greece. Spectacular. 

The sheer walls don’t stop at the ocean, but continue to plunge over 400 feet deep.  As a result, it is just too deep to lay an anchor out.  There aren’t any real ports because they can’t lay a breakwater, so we tied up to a buoy and the quay.  We stayed for three nights before heading further east towards Turkey.

Rushing Winds and Raging Seas

This time of year, the weather is becoming problematic.  Stronger winds and rougher seas are more common.  We were only on Naxos for a day when the weather turned again to super strong winds.  Everyone in the marina hunkered down by running extra lines from their boats to shore and tying the boats together for added protection.  And the winds came with a vengeance.  The open sea had wave height of almost 10 feet and winds up around 40 knots.  Fortunately in the marina, it was just strong winds and a little rocky.  Nothing like a safe harbor when mother nature decides to throw a tantrum. 

We headed further south and spent a couple of days on Ios.  It is an island much like Mykonos with a town nestled safely at the top of the hill.  This city has the traditional narrow winding streets lined with whitewashed buildings selling postcards and all the souvenirs a tourist may need to remember this beautiful island.  This time of year, the crowds are gone and it feels like you are walking through a movie set that once was teaming with actions.  Lots of bars and nightclubs attest to the pulse of activity that is present during “the season”.

The Cobalt Blue Waters of the Aegean

When you think of the Greek Isles with their whitewashed sculptural houses punctuated by deep blue shutters and doors, you are thinking of the Cyclades.  It is a group of islands whose history goes back literally to the dawn of civilization. We headed from Athens to Siros, the capital of the Cyclades.  It is a busy port with shipyards, and a quaint town.  The whitewashed town starts at the waters edge and climbs like sugar cubes stacked up the side of the hill with a beautiful church crowned in light blue domes.

This group of islands get their name because they all circle around the island Delos, the birthplace of Apollo.  Delos was considered a holy island to the ancient Greeks where no one was allowed to live or be born on.  Still to this day, no one lives on the island and boats are not allowed to stay past 3 pm.

Perhaps the most famous of all the Cyclades is Mykonos.  It is clearly the most popular tourist destination.  While we were there 3 or 4 cruise ships would be anchored in the bay even during this time of year which is considered the off season.  I can’t imagine the crowds that must pulse through the very narrow streets of this small village port during the summer.  The first night we anchored out in one of the serene bays and enjoyed swimming off the boat the next day.  But strong winds were predicted so we headed to the new port that has been under construction for the past 7 or so years.  It is almost completed, but still has not had the power or water turned on yet.  Since we haven’t been in a port with electricity for almost 2 weeks, we were starting wring out the very last of the power stored in our batteries.  The winds did come and though the new port is a little more protected than the old port, it was difficult for most boats to dock safely.  We watched the harbor theater as boat after boat got blown into other boats by the strong gusts as they tried to reach the safety of the berth.  Every available hand would scramble to the decks of the nearby boats and help with sliding fenders or pushing off until finally the boats settled into their slips.  It was hard to watch, but a real lesson on what not to do in strong winds when coming into a berth. 

We rented a scooter for 10 euro a day to explore the island and visit the famous beaches of Mykonos.  While on the beach, we started talking to a couple of Aussies, a Brit and a guy from Philadelphia.  We ended up hanging out together for most of the week, going to dinner together and a couple of the disco clubs in the evening.  One afternoon our international gang all came over to the boat and we sailed to a secluded bay on the north part of the island where we had lunch at a really great restaurant.  Stuffed with traditional Greek cusine, we went back to the boat and hung out toasting in the afternoon sun. 

Towards the end of the week, the winds and sea finally calmed down enough to head out to Paros.  We stayed there for a couple of days and then headed to Naxos.