Sailing with Friends...Lavrio to Naxos June 25-July 5, 2015

At Lavrio, Ron made a tough decision. After careful deliberation, he decided to suspend his plans to continue down the Med to the Canaries, and the Atlantic crossing with the ARC+ rally. Instead, we will ease on back toward Turkey. We'll enjoy an easier pace from now on.

The orange track shows our course for this story.

The Greek debt crisis was approaching the point of no return. We'd read news reports and analyses, which prompted us to stock up on Euros. A British sailor in Lavrio told me that the ATMs were no longer dispensing cash. This turned out to be true; the banks had closed. We asked the owner of the marina grocery about the current situation. He owns other markets and several charter boats, and was frank about the potential for hardship resulting from the debt default. He suggested that first the banks would run out of money, then fuel would become scarce, and finally food. He was planning to conserve the resources he had to share, such as food and fuel, for family and friends (rather than tourists). Considering what we'd read and heard, we stocked up on staples like pasta, beans, and milk... just in case.

 Welcome Penny, Lewis, and Ruth!  With Ron

Ron's friends Ruth, Penny and Lewis arrived in Lavrio, and the next day we took a cab to the Port Police to add our guests to the "depka", the vessel's transit documents. We found the police on the second floor of the cruise ship terminal, and after several minutes of important frowning, head scratching and paper shuffling, they questioned us as to where we had come from. Their scowls relaxed a bit when we ticked off the Greek islands we had visited, carefully omitting any mention of Turkey. In the end, they told us to just write in the names of the new passengers on depka ourselves!

The weather was fair for our trip to Serifos, about mid-way to Naxos. We sailed down-wind, making good speed in spite of the lumpy sea state and corkscrewing motion of the boat. Ruth and Lewis were uncomfortable with the rough sailing, but were good sports. Celador was joined by a pod of dolphins doing backflips out of the water, and we scrambled up to the bow to watch. At last we reached Serifos, with it's little harbor overlooked by a high chora (ancient traditional town) like snow piled upon a mountain ridge. 

The high chora at Serifos. You can enlarge any photo by clicking on it.

Ruth and Lewis had had enough open water sailing. To skip the next sea passage, they bought ferry tickets to travel to Sifnos and on to Naxos. Early the next morning Penny, Ron and I sailed for Naxos, on a beam reach most of the day, and Celador galloping over the bounding waves. The seas grew larger as we approached Naxos, incorporating massive ferry wakes, since Naxos is the ferry hub for the Cyclades. 

A massive "fast ferry" coming into Naxos.

We came in around 2 p.m., just behind some Norwegians who blew by us with their genoa and main flying. It looked as if they were taking the last slip. Rats! Their anchor windlass jammed, however, and they ended up rafting to another boat, so we were able to take that last space. We were relieved to be moored at the quay, since a strong meltemi wind was predicted for the next several days. We hunkered down to wait out the blow.

The old town (chora) and Kastro (castle) of Naxos

Most days in Naxos, we wandered through the scenic old town. I got to know some of the shop owners...it's a small place. I asked one about the debt crisis; his face darkened with concern. In Naxos there's food production in the countryside and they should be OK, but not so in Athens. Another told me that the Greek people have been suffering at the hands of politicians for 400 years...they expect tough times. So far we have seen only posters and a banner related to the crisis.

The "No" vote was well represented.

The meltemi continued to howl overhead and rattle the rigging. We spent our days napping, shopping, drinking coffee, swimming and reading. For fun, we decided to go horseback riding. The cheerful British owner of Naxos Horse Riding Club picked us up and drove us to the stable. I was given a chestnut horse, named Bounty; Penny got a horse named "Penny", and Lewis was mounted on a tall, gentle bay who was a retired show jumper for the Greek national team.

Ride'em, cowgirl!!!!

Our group rode down dusty trails in the golden light, through tall bushy cane, past potato fields and grapevines, past cattle paddocks and onto a long, wide beach.

Riding on the beach at sunset....pretty OK!

 We rode in single-file, circling through the dunes and around to the waters' edge. One of the instructors invited me to go for a gallop. We circled back behind so as not to excite the other horses. Bounty was a bit headstrong at first. Gladly, after all these years, I was able to keep my seat in the English hunt saddle. I guided him through a series of serpentine turns to temper his pace, and we reached an understanding. Exhilarated, I rejoined the line and we continued along the strand and back through the neighborhoods, into the cane, and at last to the stable. Our legs felt so wobbly when we dismounted! Back in Naxos town, we recounted our horse adventures over a cheap and cheerful dinner and wine at Sarris.

Ruth on the Road Trip

The next day, we rented a car for a road trip with intrepid Ruth at the wheel. We  wound our way to the Temple of Dimitra, goddess of the harvest, on a high hill overlooking farm fields,

The Temple of Dimitra, heavily restored. 

 then to the village of Halki, where an old man sold me a kilo of figs for a euro. The figs were delicious and so fresh. We visited an old distillery for the island's signature aperitif, Kitron.

Kitron, a sweet liqueur flavored with citrus leaves.

In Halki,Naxos

Abundant grapes ripening on an arbor over the cafe tables.

On to Apeiranthos, a picturesque chora on the east side of the island. The oldest buildings had Byzantine coats of arms carved into the stone lintels. There were interesting geologic, archaeological, fine art, and folkloric museums there, and one admission ticket covered them all.

Entering the folkloric museum.  Life in another era.

In Apeiranthos town

The gift for the person who has everything.

For lunch, we feasted on starters of local hard cheese, crusty fresh bread, feta warmed en casserole with tomatoes, peppers, onions and oil (yum) , saganaki, Greek salad, meatballs and of course "ena potiri krasi levko" (a glass of white wine). Stopping at a panoramic overlook, there was a church clinging to the hillside just below and I climbed down to it.

Serene sounds of nature

There was only the sound of the wind, and the tinkle of goat bells. We drove on to the marble quarry, used from ancient times though the present. Ruth, Penny and Lewis went to see the ancient aquaduct system which carries water to the chora thru stone channels and a tunnel under the mountain. Ron and I hiked up the hillside to see the two "Kouros", unfinished marble statues which lay where they fell 2500 years ago.

Statues were roughed in at the quarry and then delivered.
 These got broken before shipping......"Doooh!!"

The marble quarry is the white mountain in the background. 

 The next stop was a restored olive press, a stone mill used to grind the olives into mash, and the screw press where the bagged mash is squeezed to extract the juices. The ladies bought "olive oil and donkey milk" skin cream...no more wrinkles! Later, we had a late-night picnic in the salon. The meltemi wind strengthened and blew hard all night.   

July 4 was the windiest day yet, with near-gale force winds. It's Ron's birthday, and Independence Day. I was the only American in town; I've only encountered one other party of Americans in two months. For Ron's birthday dinner, we all dressed up.

Ron's birthday fiesta!

Happy birthday  Captain Ron!

 I wore my Turkish harem pants as joke surprise for Ron, who teased me mercilessly when I bought them. At dinner Lewis presented Ron with a gift; a captain's hat! We sang happy birthday, to Ron's embarassment and our delight. We returned to the boat for baklava for dessert and aperitifs. Ron was pleased with his birthday.

The Greek referendum was held on July 5. There were posters, banners and stickers all around Naxos town...Vote Oxi (No).

The No vote was to reject austerity measures demanded by the European Union.
 It passed by a definitive margin.  What happens now?!?!?
(UPDATE- As of July 13, Greece will receive its third bailout and remain in the EU)
If you need pasta, beans, or milk, contact Celador!

The meltemi was still blowing 18-20 kt, gusting higher. We would be weathered in for at least three more days. Penny, Ruth and Lewis decided to take the ferry to Paros for a couple of days, go on to visit Athens and then home to Scotland. We walked them to the ferry and waved farewell. It was delightful having them aboard!

Back in the saddle again !