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A Cyclades Cruise Fueled by Meltemi Winds "All hands on deck," captain Rob called at 1:30 a.m. with a touch of panic in his voice. We jumped out of our berths with sleepy eyes and ran up on deck, then watched in horror as a drifting sailboat that had dragged its anchor was quickly approaching out bareboat. With the strong current in the harbor that night, we knew that a collision would be quick and devastating to both parties. Before we had time to move our port-side fenders to starboard, the drifting boat shuddered, its engine came to life, and it motored away from the harbor of Vathi on the Greek island of Sifnos. Captain Rob took a look at his crew of four, and decided that it was necessary to institute a night wind watch. For the past seven months, he had been planning this bareboat charter trip through the Cyclades Islands of Greece for our club, the University of California at Santa Cruz Boating Center. The club is made up of sailors of all ages, levels of experience, and backgrounds who want to develop their sailing skills. However, most of the members are day sailors who have never dealt with sustained winds above 20 knots. So dealing with the unexpectedly strong meltemi winds we experienced during our trip was a new and challenging experience. In anticipation of this trip, my husband Warren, Rob's second-in-command, earned three American Sailing Association certifications, (which Rob had
SERIFOS / WWW.DANAE.GR
Whitewashed hillside villages are ubiquitous throughout the Greek Isles, but each one has its own unique history and charm.
also): bareboat cruising, basic keelboat and basic coastal. As a result, our group was allowed to rent a 50-ft monohull. In total, we signed up 11 people, some of whom took part in practice sessions, especially for anchoring and Mediterranean mooring (stern to the quay). Rusty Kingon, the boating supervisor, would remind the crew about the general rule of thumb for anchoring; the amount of anchor line or chain you put out should be five to seven times the depth of the anchorage, plus the length from the water to where the anchor attaches to the bow. In the weeks prior to the trip, Warren would check the weather forecast for the month of June, and I often heard moans and groans from him due to predictions of poor winds. Warren and Rob are both competent sailors with extensive experience over at least 40 years. I, on the other hand, would rather focus on provisioning the boat than crewing on deck. The combination works well — good sailing and dining. Everyone on the boat usually shares their own special expertise, whether it be mixing drinks, playing music or giving tips on snorkeling and scuba diving. The result is a wonderful time, with varied activities and the development of great friendships. We picked up our charter boat, Venus, from The Moorings' base in Piraeus, the yacht harbor outside Athens. The staff there was wonderful. Kostas was our main contact, and we were very happy with his depth of knowledge. Being a foodie, I should mention some of the reasons I loved Piraeus. There is a wonderful open market with olives, sausages, stuffed grape leaves, fruits, wines and cheese. At the local bakeries you'll find baklava and other goodies. And there is a great shop near the open market called Mandragoras where you'll find herbs, spices and soaps. After Rob and Warren completed
SPREAD & INSET WARREN FRUSH
his month we sail to the Sparkling Waters of Greece with members of a Bay Area sailing club, plus Charter Notes.
their technical check-out with Kostas, we set sail under light winds and headed southeast to Cape Sounion (Sounio), at the tip of the Attica Peninsula, where we enjoyed a visit to the Temple of Poseidon. The following day there was a 10-knot breeze as we sailed southeast to the isle of Kithnos. There, we tucked into the harbor of Merichas, and were soon congratulating ourselves on executing a welldone Mediterranean moor, a technique that can be challenging when there's strong wind and current. Merichas is a lovely traditional Greek town with many good tavernas along the harbor shore. Based on the trip plan we'd laid out with The Moorings' staff before setting out, the following day we would need to arrive at Vathi, on the isle of Sifnos — the farthest point away from the charter base during our weeklong trip. In addition to defining their proposed route ahead of time, Rob and Warren had promised to do no night sailing and no sailing in winds above 27 knots. So off to Vathi we went the next morning. It was an exceptional sailing day with steady winds of 10 to 15 knots. All our crew had exhilarating sessions manning the helm, while hoping the wind conditions would hold for the rest of the trip. At approximately 7:00 p.m. we sailed
