18 minute read
JEMMAROO IN THE MED
Jemmaroo with the dark blue sail cover and bimini at Panormitis Symi
JEMMAROO IN THE
IN 2019
Graeme and I visited the east coast of America from New York down to Miami in late April, early May to look at the possibility of cruising what is called The Great Loop on the inland waterways along the east coast of America and into Canada. We looked at some boat options which can really only be a motor boat due to depths and bridges along the way and we discovered several things. Due to the value of our dollar compared to the American dollar the prices were quite high and I personally did not like the thought of cruising along the rivers and canals as the water quality for swimming was very poor so we made the decision not to go ahead with this as a cruising destination. This trip meant that we left Australia quite late for us to travel across to Jemmaroo to cruise around and we finally left on 7 August together with two friends, Christine Ragless and Rosemary Gould, in tow. Due to delays for our flight from Doha to Athens we were a day late arriving in Leros but eventually we all made it. We had arranged for the marina to put Jemmaroo in the water but when we arrived it was still on the hard as the new batteries we had ordered had missed the ferry. The marina put some ‘loan’ batteries in to get us into the berth and we eventually tied up around 5pm all feeling very tired and grumpy. While this was all happening Chris, Rosemary and I did some non-perishable shopping so we could survive the next morning. We all trooped up to the bar at the marina and had a very welcome and necessary ‘happy hour’ before driving to Dimitri’s Restaurant for dinner. We had to cool our heels for a couple of days while we waited for the batteries to arrive and be fitted so we filled our time with visiting our friend John, the Australian/Greek butcher, and placing an order together with sourcing the fruit and veg and smallgoods etc. It was very hot so we helped our jet lag along with a lie down with the air conditioning going. The wind was not being helpful and we were unable to put the mainsail and jib on so everything had to wait until Monday to be fixed.
Early Monday we visited Customs to have the boat taken out of bond and sort out the new Greek Cruising Tax but nothing in Greece is as easy as it sounds. We had to go back to the marina to get the paper work and then to the bank to pay the tax followed by Customs and then back to Agia Marina and the Port Police and Immigration before we were finally officially on our boat. No batteries were in sight so we had a bit of a rest and around 4pm it all happened - eight batteries and three electricians plus two helpers with the sails and we were very, very busy. We finally left the mooring around 6pm and made our way north to an anchorage between the top of the island and some fringing islands to spend the night. The island was packed with tourists from Turkey as Ramadan had just finished and even the bays were crowded with boats. The next day, Tuesday, we motored north to a bay on the southern end of Lipsi and anchored. There was a wedding on shore and multitudes of boats were coming and going. Given the number of boats around we decided to leave early for Marathoi so after first motoring into the bay where Lipsi town is for photo opportunities we entered the anchorage at Marathoi. It was crowded but I spied a red buoy being dropped into the water as a boat was leaving. Like seagulls at hot chips we were onto it. It took two tries to pick the buoy up as I had forgotten the sequence to turning the bow thruster on and drifted off on the first try but was spot on the second time so then it was in for a beautiful swim, a lazy lunch, a game of cards and a rest in that order. The colour buoy you pick up determines which restaurant you are meant to visit but our colour was booked out with Ramadan party goers so we booked at the next one in line. As Murphy would have it the outboard would not start and the mechanic on board decided it was due to old fuel so with a clean spark plug and new fuel it eventually obliged and ran beautifully but when you loaded it up we did not go anywhere – the trials and tribulations of cruising!! Our next door neighbour towed us in and all was right with the world for dinner at least.
We set off for the boatyard in Patmos to have the outboard checked out and picked up one of the moorings in Ormos Grikou. Graeme rowed in to check what was happening only to discover it was the Feast of the Virgin Mary and therefore a public holiday and worse, the mechanic would not be back for four days. We rang the marina back at Leros and they were going to be open so we set off back to Lakki and anchored in the bay for the night and had the obligatory swim etc. In the morning we went into the marina and they fixed the outboard. There was some weather coming and we had now lost several days so we made the decision to go across to Turkey. After completing all the passports and customs formalities we picked up some more shopping and wine and went around to my favourite anchorage at Pandelli and had a fun dinner on the beach. By now it was Saturday so we ventured across for a bit of luxury to Turgetreis in Turkey only to find that the officials had all just gone to lunch so we cooled our heels for a couple of hours before being processed and proceeding into the marina and the swimming pool. My favourite shoe shop is the market in Turgetreis and I cannot go there without visiting and this time I bought four pairs of all leather shoes for the equivalent of $18 a pair - a bargain and good fun. We took Chris and Rosemary to the ‘local’ restaurant for dinner where Graeme finally had his Levraki (Sea Bass). The next day we caught the Dolmus (a small bus) in to Bodrum and wandered around the bazaar where Rosemary was the big spender having great fun bargaining. An anchorage to the east of Bodrum called Kargicik Buku was our next port of call where we did the tie-back trick and spent a very peaceful night. We then motored east for about 30 miles to an anchorage bounded by a couple of islands and anchored off Castle Island. Cleopatra’s Beach is there and the day trippers just kept on coming - hundreds of them it seemed but with dusk they all disappeared. About 10 miles south is an anchorage called English Harbour which is very protected and beautiful so we tied back and just lolled around and appreciated the scenery. We were up early the next morning to make our way across to Turgetreis to fuel up and exit Turkey. The 50 mile passage cross the Gokova Korfezi was a bit tedious but lots of chatter keeps you going and I edited Groundswell along the way. As we got closer to Turgetreis the wind really picked up and decided it would be difficult going on the fuel wharf and then the Customs wharf so we anchored for the night in a secure bay to the north east of Turgetreis called Aspat Koyu along with many other boats with the same idea. We arrived at the fuel wharf in Turgetreis around 8.30am and duly filled up but there were two ferries at the Customs wharf so we had to wait until they were all dealt with before we could go alongside and exit. We left Turkey around 10.30am and motored across to the Greek island of Kos. It was changeover day for the charter fleet at the marina so we tied up in the old harbour after going through immigration and customs. Graeme deposited the three of us at Dionysus for ‘calamari in the middle’ while he finished the entering Greece procedures then we all went back to the boat, turned the air conditioning on and had a rest. A restaurant on the beach across the bay had been recommended to us so we walked around but the inn was full. The waiter recommended Alberto’s, three doors down, which was excellent. Rosemary and Chris spent what was left of the day packing up their chattels ready for an early exit. We were up at 5.45am to say our goodbyes and Graeme took them across to the taxi stand to go to the airport and it was back to bed for us. We stayed another day and made our way back to Lakki to the marina as our dinghy was getting a bit tired and a new one was in sight. We arrived about midday and settled in with drinks and dinner up at Skippers where we met some Aussies from Brisbane. The dinghy took several days to arrive so we motored around to Pandelli and spent two relaxing days and nights there swimming, eating and drinking before heading back to Lakki to pick up the dinghy. Good friends and fellow Club members, Sue and Rob Last, arrived on Sunday 31 August and after picking them up from the airport we all went up to Skippers for a drink and then to Dimitri’s for dinner - this was becoming a bit of a habit. More weather was on the way so we anchored around at Pandelli followed by Lipsi then Patmos. Rob and Sue had not been to Patmos before and were keen to visit the monastery. A night was spent at Marathoi before motoring pretty well due north to Samapoulou, an island on the western side of Samos, where we tied back and spent a very peaceful night. We unfurled the headsail and sailed east to Pythagoria on Samos and went on the town wall. Some mooring lines, or slime lines as we call them, had been put down and with power and water included it was €18 for the night. Walks were on the agenda followed by washing the boat, a load of washing and dinner at Dionysus. Back on the wall the music kept on and on so we put the air conditioning on and closed up and pretty well sealed the noise out. Next was the anchorage in Lipsi for two nights where we tried the taverna on shore for lunch on one of the days. Another night was spent at Pandelli followed with dinner on the beach at Zorbas which is always fun. We motor-sailed south to Kos with the wind behind us and tied up on the town wall. It was now Wednesday 11 September and changeover day for our guests. Sue McCoy and Annette Tiller (Tilly) joined us around 11am and Rob and Sue departed around 4pm. We stayed another night as Sue and Tilly had not had much of a look around and had dinner at a restaurant on the beachfront. Kardamina on the south coast of Kos was our next destination and the katabatics off the cliffs made the passage by sail very tricky but we were up to it. The small marina had been dredged since we were last here and power connected in places and we made it into the only spot left next to the Pirate Party Boat. This is a very good stop along the coast of Kos and a fun place.
Hippocrates Tree where he taught his students in Simi
We had decided to go south to Tilos but a bit of weather not forecast came in and the anchorage was not viable so we were left with two choices, go back to Kardamina or through to Simi. We bare poled it with 35-45 knots of breeze on the forward quarter and took a lot of water on board. All in all it was a very unpleasant slow trip and on looking at the chart I found an anchorage on the south of Simi around a hook which was described as providing good all round shelter. It was such a relief to make it in just as the sun was setting. The bay is called Panormitis and boasts a monastery as its major feature. There were many other boats sheltering and we were glad to join them. It blew strongly overnight so we set the grumbler and settled in. After a delightful swim it was time for the serious stuff - loo fixing! Sue is in to all things nautical so she and Graeme sorted it out. We dinghied in to shore to check out the monastery but found it was now only serviced by one priest. As a christening was about to get underway, we had a quick look around and walked around the bay to the windmill at the entrance. Another Aussie couple were anchored in the bay and it turned out that they and Tilly have mutual friends - that one degree of separation argument - so of course they came over for drinks and a chat. The next day we caught the bus across to the main town of Simi and what a ride it was across the island, both hairy and breathtaking. We were so pleased we were anchored in Panormitis as the mooring situation on the wall in Simi was horrendous with boats heaving up and down. We bussed back to the boat and had a lovely swim and dinner. We decided to go back across to Kardemena on Kos and managed to moor in the same spot as before so all was good. Sue and Tilly were due to leave and Jack Didyk was taking their place so we had to go back to Kos Port but upon leaving Kardemena we found our anchor was under the mooring chain of the Pirate Ship. It took a bit of getting it off but eventually we did it amidst a bit of angst. By now it was Wednesday 18 September and Sue and Tilly left around 7.30am and Graeme and I wandered around to the ferry wharf to meet Jack. The three of us had a walk around town and breakfast and untied and ventured to a bay new to us called Ormos Vlikadia on the southern end of Kalymnos. It was quite small but delightful and eventually we were joined by six other boats. We had quite a feast of ‘new to us’ adventures with the next being an anchorage on the western side of Kalymnos which was protected all around by the land and some islands. The water was quite deep so the local restaurants have put down moorings and as we were on a Captain Costa’s mooring our dining decision was made for us. The boys both had goat which they declared to be “the best they had ever had” so that was a bonus. With some more weather coming, the story of this trip, we dropped the mooring and made our way north to the marina in Lakki on Leros where we were as snug as a bug on a rug. On Sunday 22 September Bob and Liz, our New Zealand friends, arrived. It was great to see them again after two-and-a-half years. Graeme was keen to get moving so we motored around to our usual anchorage at Pandelli and after a swim and a rest had drinks on shore before dinner on board. A wander on shore and coffee filled out the next morning before heading north to the west bay on Lipsi - we seem to have done this passage a few times but all was good. Jack managed to get a flight from Samos back to Athens so we headed off to Pythagoria on Samos so he could leave the next day. It poured during the night with a great thunder and lightning show and in the morning the dinghy was full of water. We duly deposited Jack on shore for his flight and Bob, Liz, Graeme and I toodled down to Agathonisi, a small island to the south with a long inlet on its southern side. There was quite a swell running from the front which came through and we made good time. There was only one catamaran anchored in the bay so there was plenty of room for us. The ferry came in about 3.15pm so we took up about 15 metres on the chain to give him more room and it all worked. We took the dinghy into shore for a leg stretch but did not venture too far as the island is either up or down. After partaking of a couple of beers at the local deli we headed back to Jemmaroo for dinner and were joined by another couple of yachts. At last the weather gave us an opportunity to venture out into the Aegean a little further so after a night at a lovely anchorage on Patmos called Ak Melo just to the north of the entrance to the main harbour, we set off to Levitha which we call the ‘goat island’. It is always fun to take guests there as it is quite a unique experience having dinner up at the farmhouse. Our time was up as we had to go back into the marina to put Jemmaroo to bed for the winter and had a great sail back in - at last. Packing up the boat was made easy with the help of Bob and Liz and it all went like clockwork. We claimed warranty on the dinghy and a new one will be waiting for us when we return. Graeme and I had booked our flight out of Leros a long time ago but Bob and Liz were unable to get a flight so they stayed an extra night and then caught the overnight ferry back to Piraeus in Athens and spent a couple of days there doing tourist things. We flew from Athens to London to attend a couple of meetings and spent a few days there before flying back home via Doha after another great cruising experience albeit a circular one.
Dinner at the farmhouse at Levitha
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One of our favourite spots - the Castelo Beach Hotel at Pandelli
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