In the past we have anchored off Datça but this time thankfully there was room for us to Med moor to the dock and the dockmaster helped us with our lines ashore. Being on the dock made it much easier to connect with the agent we had hired from Bozburun to check us out of Turkey. We had arranged that she would meet us around 9:00am the following morning. However, Hope had finally located the thermal spring close to where we docked. So, shortly after 8:00 am, she trotted over to test out the spring pool temperature and wasn’t disappointed. The checkout went smoothly, even if there were a few pangs as we noted that this was likely to be the last time we will be in Turkey in the foreseeable future.
The passage across to Kos in Greece was uneventful, again we motored as there was too little wind to sail. We managed to secure a berth in the marina but first had to stop at the customs dock at the entrance to the old harbour to meet the agent who helped check us into Greece. Unlike previous times, we decided to use an agent this time as we hoped to be able to get an Unlimited Transit Log (UTL) that would eliminate the need for us to check into each port we stopped at. Although we thought we had submitted all the required documents proving that the boat was EU VAT paid, the customs authority in Kos wanted more and consequently only issued a regular Limited TL. The agent did the minimum paperwork and was chareged more than our agent in Turkey. It seems that interpretation of the rules differs between ports as we had followed the guidelines described by the Cruising Association. Anyway, not a big deal for us as we only intend to be in Greece for less than 3 months, just a bit of a nuisance having to check into and out of each port we visit. Later that evening we welcomed our friends, Cheryll and John onboard.
From Kos we headed towards a lovely long inlet, Palionisos, on the NE side of Kalymnos, a passage of less than 20nm. Although it was another day of motoring, the highlights were sighting dolphins and a gullet under full sail (a rare sight) along the way. Fortunately we arrived in good time so there were still several mooring balls available; most charter boats were still in Kos for changeover. The following day was a different story when all balls were taken and several boats tried and failed to anchor securely in the deep bay. They were forced to go elsewhere. We chose a mooring on the RHS that was free to those who patronised the overlooking restaurant. We enjoyed both the fantastic welcoming waiter with a wonderful sense of humour, great food and a wonderful view so much so that we stayed a second night. Swims in the deep, crystal clear cool water were a very effective way of cooling off.
From Kalymnos we headed to another long bay, Xirok Ampos, at the south end of Leros. As we entered the bay, we saw sailing vessel 37Rocks on our AIS; it was Phil who was moving on to another anchorage. After a delicious light lunch ashore at one of the beach restaurants, Cheryll, John and Hope walked up the hill to the local food market. The proprietors were very friendly and happily delivered 4 packs of bottled water to the dinghy dock as we still weren’t able to make our own water. Back onboard a swim was in order to cool off.
The following day we moved around the southwest of the island to the bigger main port bay of Lakki where the ferries and other commercial vessels dock. We were directed to a berth in Lakki town dock by the harbour master. Although Med moored with our stern to the dock, we were given two strong bow lines to a mooring that kept us off the dock and felt very secure. The swifts seemed to like using them as a perch. The harbour master called for a potable water tanker to fill up our tanks as we didn’t want to take time to work on the watermaker. We wanted to take benefit of a weather window to cross to the Cyclades islands before strong Meltemi winds reappeared over the weekend. A short walk around the bay brought us to a small taverna where Cheryll and John enjoyed a swim before a beer or two and excellent pizza.
Our last stop in the Dodecanese was to be Patmos. We were continually trying to make as much northing as we could in anticipation of stronger northerly winds when crossing the Cyclades islands. Unfortunately this meant we often were heading into the wind. On this passage, we managed to have some mainsail out some of the time to hopefully add a little speed but mainly to steady the boat while motoring into the lumpy seas. We Med moored to the town dock in Skala, Patmos using our anchor to keep us off the dock. After checking in, 3 of us took a taxi up to see the monastery that holds a commanding position at the top of the hill. Patmos is where St John was exiled to and had his apocalyptic visions that formed sinister Revelations in the Bible. The monastery was built around 1088 in St John’s memory. It was well fortified to defend against pirates. John was proving to be a big asset when it came to choosing restaurants. This time we walked around to the head of the bay where most tourists didn’t venture and ate at a restaurant largely frequented by locals. A bonus was a great view of the sun setting at the mouth of the bay. The only problem being that the portions were so large, we couldn’t eat it all! Don’t worry, leftovers were wrapped and enjoyed the following day.
