From Naxos to Leros - Dodging the Meltemi

Naxos-Khoufonision-Levitha-Leros July 6-14

The green line represents this leg of Celador's voyage.    You can enlarge any photo by clicking on it.

We cleaned the boat and got everything back to normal and ready to sail. I went shopping in the Old Market area for one last time (bought another pair of harem pants!), Later, Ron and I walked over to St. Georges beach for a glass of wine and backgammon challenge in a beachside taverna. We planned to leave Naxos at the earliest break in ...yes...the meltemi.

"Aeolus", by Alexandre Jacovleff

The Cyclades are roughly arranged in an elongated circle around Delos, forming the cyclical route of travel to that island sacred to Apollo. The summer wind, the meltemi, is particularly strong in the Cylcades. It is the dry, northerly wind resulting from a pressure gradient between the low pressure area over Pakistan (the Asian Monsoon low) and the high pressure area surrounding the Azores to the west.  The pressure gradient between these two stable areas produces the constant northerly meltemi in the summer.  It can blow for days at a time...it blew for seven days straight, pinning us down in Naxos with winds from 20-30 kt gusting day and night. It can also come up quickly and without warning. 

The green area shows the meltemi over the Cyclades.... Home Sweet Home for now.  Source:  PassageWeather.com

Generally N to NW, it bends around the islands and blasts down over mountains to come at you from different directions. Seas can pile up; wind driven waves and massive ferry wakes combine for some lumpy chop. The up side is that it keeps us delightfully cool. In mid-July the still-cool sea temperature combined with the wind keeps daytime temperatures moderate compared with the sizzling mainland. Evening temps and breezes often have us wearing jackets and trousers... or harem pants!

Windfinder.com predicted a "weather window" for Tuesday between multi-day periods of near-gale force meltemi winds. We decided to leave in the morning, so tonight was aloha night. I put on my new harem pants and we went out on the town.We found some live Greek music with dancing. The performer was a skilled and graceful dancer; he also had young students with him who were learning Greek music and dance. One pre-teen boy danced awkwardly, but with enthusiasm, and then joined in with the band, playing the fiddle for a couple of songs. Great mentoring and passing on of tradition! We drank bubbly and enjoyed the show until midnight. (Real midnight, not "cruiser midnight"!)

Wish I could have photographed it, but this captures the essence better!

July 7. We set sail for Amorgos by 715. Starting out with the predicted light air, by noon it was blowing 30 knots with three meter waves. After battling for about four hours, we saw the opportunity to duck into a protected cove on uninhabited Nisos Khoufonision. We dropped anchor in 6 meters  of water and fell back to 10 meters of gin-clear water, running out 40 meters of chain out to assure our safety against the strong winds gusting over the ridge.

In the protection of the cove at Nisos Khoufonision.

So happy to have that anchor down!

We dozed and read all afternoon and stayed the night there, glad for the quiet safety of the cove.

We were underway by 715 the next morning. It was beautiful sailing and motor-sailing the 45 miles to Levitha in light wind, which arrived" better late than never". Conveniently, there were new moorings available in Levitha's small harbor. I dove in to help secure a second mooring line on Celador, and assisted another boat with theirs as well.

Levitha in the distance

On the mooring in Levitha, another day done.

There's a taverna over the hill, the only structure on the island, but we stayed on the boat as it was still blowing and we didn't want to row in. There were only 26 miles ahead to reach Leros. The meltemi was predicted to resume, so reaching civilization will be good before the wind is high again.

A hazy day, entering Lakki Harbor , Leros

July 9-After an easy-motor sail, we arrived in Leros just after noon. As the Italian seat of occupation, the town of Lakki was built by them in the deco style. These buildings, with rounded aspects, corners, and round windows, are quite different from typical Greek towns. 

When I went to take this shot, a Coast Guard officer immediately challenged me as to why I was photographing their building. After explaining  that I was trying to find the best examples of  deco architecture of Lakki, and letting him review the ones I'd taken (he made me delete them), he moved some vehicles they didn't want photographed and allowed me to take more pictures.  In the end, he was friendly and helpful and told me a lot more about the island's history.

The cinema, built by the Italians preceding WWII.

Unfortunately, many of the cement structures have been neglected and are slowly crumbling. Lakki is a bit dilapidated, and I feared that it might be a long four days of hunkering down if this is all there was. As if to make up for the lackluster surroundings, we were welcomed so warmly by Popi, the owner of Morano Cafe, a good-will ambassador for Lakki. 

Lakki Marina.  The meltemi blew a ton of grit onto and into the boat.

The next day we walked up the road from the marina for a look around. The shady, tree lined road overlooking the wide harbor was a delightful surprise after the initial disappointment, and I shot dozens of postcard photos.

At the end of the road was the WWII Tunnel Museum, memorializing the fierce 40 day Battle of Leros for this strategic island.

The war museum. As the forty day battle raged, the civilian population took shelter
in the many caves which honeycomb the island and were safe from harm. 

 Later, Ron won at backgammon with an absolutely historic comeback from the brink of annihilation!

OK-OK ... YOU WIN!!!

July11.  We hiked across the island to Platanos and Agia Marina. After our days of sailing, our legs feel oddly unused. After twisting my ankle on a misstep ("rubbernecking" instead of watching where I was going), we rested at a cafe with a great view. (The ankle was fine). We descended through Plantanos to Agia Marina and paused at a waterfront restaurant for lunch.

Agia Marina

 It is a pretty harbor town with a small colony of Brits. We climbed up the old white-painted steps to the high Kastro.

The Byzantine Kastro overlooking Plantanos.

View from the Kastro battlements

A WWII German bomb built into the church wall in the Kastro.

We chatted with some Austrian girls, and enjoyed panoramic views of the whole island. Down along the windy road, we passed old white wind mills, zigzagging down into Vromolithos, and the beach.

Windmills along the road to the Kastro.

Some mills have been converted into charming guest houses.

The beach at Vromolithos

Vromolithos is a nice place to med moor and enjoy.

Every little overlook or remote hilltop in the islands has a tiny one-man chapel like this one.
In sillier moments we've speculated that here is where the men go to get away
from their wives, and  there's a hiding place under a certain flagstone containing
 a case of beer, bags of Doritos, and other necessary supplies...

We stopped for a swim and a glass of wine, and power-lounging. Hiking back to the boat at last, we reckoned we walked at least 6 miles over steep terrain. After a hose-shower on the fantail, we were clean and refreshed and went for dinner and backgammon.

The next day I walked the shady road to the museum to take some more photos. I continued on up to the small church above the Cave Museum. It had a bell made from a metal bomb from the Battle; we had seen them all around this island. The chapel was humble, its walls covered with old holy pictures and small icons. One, of the Madonna, was literally crumbling, but there were silvery votive offerings of men in suits, ladies in dresses, a baby, and guardian angels watching over a baby in a crib; the yearnings of lonely hearts offered up.

The humble little chapel with the bell made from a bomb.

Silvery votive offerings in hopes of a better life.

 I met up with Ron at the beach and had a lovely dip. Water was cool, sun was warm. Musicians showed up, violin and keyboard, the violin playing the haunting, lilting notes of the Levant.

July 12.    We rented a four-wheeler for the day. It had a narrow wheelbase and tender steering; Ron hated it, but did a great job wrangling it! We drove back over the hill to Agia Marina and on to Alinda. We stopped for pastry and coffee overlooking the sea, then headed on to the WWII British war cemetery.

The British War cemetery in Leros.

 Young men killed in old men's wars were laid to rest in a beautifully manicured "corner of a foreign field that is forever England". Back in Agia Marina, we lunched at a cafe and visited an exhibit of paintings by a British expat, with whom we chatted.

 Agia Marina has a nice atmosphere and a small colony of Brits. We met a British expat artist and viewed his paintings at a little exhibition right by the cafe. After, we rode to Leros' iconic little church, on an islet with a long man-made walkway.

Agia Isadoros in Ormos Gournas, on the west coast of Leros.

Agia Isadoros- The Church of St. Isador

Himself

Again, there were many votives petitioning for a good woman. On the road and up a hill so steep I got off and walked to the top while Ron dared to ride.

At the top of the hill.

The locals weren't used to seeing tourists coming up that road, and they cheerily returned my waves. Down we rode to the beaches at Vromolithos, where we lounged and drank wine in the shade until the shadows grew long.

Vromolithos...the name derives from the Greek for "dirty stone".

 Saddling up again, we drove to the south end of Leros, to Xerokombou. It is truly a sailors' town, with just a couple of cafes and tavernas, and a scenic, protected anchorage. Leros has lot of them, in contrast with other Greek islands.

The anchorage at Xerokombou.

We had supper there, feasting on a last plate of delicious "gigante"beans!

Gigante beans (butter beans in tomato sauce) and chorta, wild field greens.
Num.

We returned the vehicle to Lakki and had a farewell mojito with Popi to thank her for setting us up with the vehicle.

Next stop, Yalikavak ("Yak Attack"), Turkey....and a big surprise!