Our Grand Plan

We planned 3-4 seasons in the Med (our first season was a short one, as we started in August 2018) with trips back to Australia in the Northern winter, and if we are really lucky the odd ski trip thrown in too. We plan to cross the Atlantic in 2021 and spend some time in the Caribbean before braving the Panama and finally exploring the Pacific on the final leg of our journey. As we all know however, some of the best laid plans can come undone and sometimes the things you don’t plan can be the most rewarding. We hope you enjoy sharing our journey with us.

Where are we now?

You can follow our journey live on NOFOREIGNLAND using the icon at right. The map below is embedded from that website and should be updated automatically as we move. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook (ITIKI_on_tour) for daily posts of our location and anchorage. Season 2019 and 2018 have been archived at these links.
Season 2020 was set to commence in April 2020 and we planned to divide our time between Aegean Greece and Turkey, wintering in Leros again. Sadly this the Covid-19 pandemic put paid to those plans, as we just made it out of South America before the world went mad and locked down. ITIKI stayed on the hardstand through summer and another winter, getting very dusty and forlorn but safe and sound.

season 2021

Season 2021 officially commencing on 12th July when we returned to ITIKI and started prepping for a 2 August launch date. We managed to get into the water a few days earlier than that. This season we are heading west out of the Med and plan to cross the Atlantic in November. Stay tuned for irregular updates.
13 September 2021, Olbia and surrounds
We hired a car for the day to explore inland a little; We visit Porto Cervo, playground of the rich and famous, at the heart of the Costa Smerelda where the well known yacht club is. It is basically just one big resort/coastal strip mall with every high end brand name represented. Next stop, some history (AKA piles of stones) the Giants’ Grave and Nurhage La Prisgiona, a ruined village dating to the 14th century BC. We visit a couple of villages in the hills, which feel somewhat deserted apart from the odd clutches of men sitting in cafes watching the world go by. Then on to Tempio Pausiana, through narrow streets only a Fiat Panda could manage. This place is quite remarkable, really a place that time has forgotten. Its all stone, buildings, facades and roads, something there is no shortage of in the hills of Sardinia. Next we find a winery, well actually a coop, but no tasting because of the “pandemico” so after a brief description from the manageress we buy a few bottles on spec. That’s it for the day, we head back to Olbia, via Lidl of course, and take our loot back to the boat in the RIB. We have dinner ashore finally having a wander around Olbia which is quite lively and animated. Plenty of tourists and locals out and about.
​12 September 2021, Arbatax to Olbia, 74nm
We up anchor and motor around to the fuel dock, arriving at 7:30, fortunately just beating a big powerboat in. We refuel quickly and we are on our way. We manage a little bit of sailing with the main and gennaker along the way, but again mostly motoring as the breeze is just too light. At least we are not flogging into it. We arrive at Olbia late afternoon and anchor off in front of the town quay. We are too tired to go ashore.

​11 September 2021, Arbatax
I head ashore in the afternoon for a reccie. Keith has to drop me off on the rocks as there is nowhere to land the dinghy. I walk across the spit to the main town which is unremarkable, supermarkets limited, but the fuel dock is what we need and it opens at 7:30am tomorrow. I walk back and head up to the fort on the point overlooking our anchorage. Its in ruins but remarkably there is a ladder to climb up into it (no such thing as OHS). Getting picked up from the slippery rocks is pretty challenging too but Keith nudges the RIB into a gap between waves and I leap aboard.
10 September 2021 - Villisimius (Carbonara West) to Arbatax (Porto Frailis), 50nm
Weather remains unsettled and the anchorage is rolly overnight. There are some strong northerlies coming so we decide to head north while its lighter and find a protected bay to wait it out. Heading into the strengthening northerly as we arrive. The weather was a bit of a mixed bag along the way, we managed to dodge the rain showers though. The anchorage has a camping resort on one side with a beach club and around there are plenty of restaurants. The swell wraps around the point and waves are breaking onto the beach. We have a good spot in the south east and less rolly than neighbouring boats.
 9 September 2021 - Villisimius (Carbonara West) 10nm
Keith spends the morning working on the boat whilst I go ashore and take a look around the lagoon that lies between the eastern and western sides of the spit. The easterly is blowing quite strongly so it is not pleasant in yesterday’s anchorage or on the beach. There is a ruined Spanish tower on the eastern point but it’s a bit of a goat track to get there so I walk around to the old fort on the western side of the point and then back to the boat. Later in the day we catch the bus up to town and I go for my haircut. This is an interesting experience in itself not least due to the language barrier, but the salon “Perruchia di Linda” had attracted my attention for obvious reasons. There are two other clients in the salon the loud, animated and uninterrupted discussions in expressive Italian keep me amused and in fear of my eyesight as scissors and other sharp objects flail around in the air in tempo with the conversation. I make it out alive and with a pretty good, and economical, haircut but need a drink! We have dinner in town and then try to figure out the bus timetable for our return.
8 September 2021 - Villisimius (Carbonara East) to Villisimius (Carbonara West) 10nm
We have a slow start with breakfast and swimming in the beautiful clear waters. We can see the anchor from the foredeck very clearly and well dug in! With some easterly weather on the way we decide to head around to the other side of the Cape Carbonara and anchor in the bay outside the marina. We pull out the gennaker, put the water maker and washing machine on and take a long, slow turn around the islands off the cape. This is another wide, sandy anchorage and the anchor digs in well. In the afternoon we walk up to the main town of Villisimius in search of supermarkets. It’s a 2.5k hike and with all our supplies a long walk back. We find out later there is an hourly bus service, which we will take tomorrow when we come back for dinner and a haircut!
7 September 2021 - Arrival at Villisimius (Carbonara East) 17h30
A last attempt at sailing this afternoon as we were in sight of land. As we arrive the sun goes behind a massive cloud and the place doesn’t look as welcoming as it did in the pictures. Still we know it is a wide sandy beach with good holding so we find a spot in the middle and settle in. We are the only yacht anchored. Its late in the day but still a few people on the beach and a few smaller boats moving about and after a long passage we sleep very well.
6 September 2021 - Santa Marina, Salina to Carbonara East (Villisimius), Sardinia; 253nm W
Very rolly night at anchor so we were up and away just before 4am, 1 hour earlier than planned. A little bouncy until we turned the corner at the top of the island and start heading west and it was a very dark night. As expected we motored a lot of the way initially as there wasn’t enough breeze. Went past Alicudi and Filicudi and much later in the evening Ustica, which is a nature reserve. The night was uneventful with very little boat traffic and the skies cleared to reveal a fantastic star scape. Impossible to photograph this but without the light pollution of the towns there are so many stars and galaxies to see, its a very special sight. We had the main up and got something out of it and tried to unfurl the gennaker several times, keeping it up as long as we could get good boatspeed and stay on a reasonable course. We were keen to arrive in daylight. There is a beam on swell knocking off our speed and wind just a bit further aft and a bit too light than would be ideal, so we end up burning a fair amount of diesel.
5 September 2021 - Santa Marina, Salina & Lipari Town
We go for a Sunday morning walk around Salina, which is pretty quiet. I also started baking bread on board thinking we wouldn't be doing much today. Instead we decide to take the hydrofoil over to Lipari Town for a couple of hours rather than move ITIKI to a crummy anchorage for the night. We have lunch in town and walk through the streets of the old town, up to the castle. Museums are closed but wander into the church, have a gelato and head back on the hydrofoil again. A much better way to see Lipari town and luck we didn't move as there are now 10 boats in our anchorage (including the guy from the mono at Lipari who recommended it!) and we would have lost our spot! 
4 September 2021 - Punta di Levanti, Lipari to Lipari town, to Santa Marina, Salina 15nm
Overnight we had a couple of storms pass through. Winds were not strong but they brought some rain and we had to bring all of the cocktail deck cushions in. Early morning brought a strong (unforecast) westerly with a big swell and backwash from the cliffs saw waves going over the transom. It was raining too! We beat a hasty retreat in big seas around to Lipari with me holding the crockery drawer closed until we turned the corner around the south of the island. Anchored on the southern part of the bay around the town of Lipari town on the east coset, a bit too close to another mono. Not a great anchorage, very rolly, too deep, probably rocks and weed. We chat to the guy on the mono and he recommends an anchorage on Salina which is protected from Westerlies of which more is coming. As we head north past the white sand beach on the north east of Lipari we see a Saba 50, Double Shot. This is Andy and Mel and their kids who were on the dock with us at La Rochelle and came to our baptism. We have a quick chat but by now its blowing strongly from the north, so we head across to Salina. The anchorage outside the Marina seemed unimpressive at first, and a little deeper than desirable, but we have it to ourselves and we dig in pretty well. There is a lot of traffic coming into the port, particularly high speed hydrofoils. I go ashore for 1 hr for a wander, its a lovely town but not much to it. We were expecting storms overnight but nothing eventuates and we have a calm night.
3 September 2021 - Porto di Ponenti, Volcano to Punta di Levanti, Lipari; 3nm
Went ashore early and walked up the volcano to the rim of the crater and around a bit. Lots of acrid sulphur on one side. Looking down into the crater it was a heart shape. Spectacular views from the top, down to the bay and across to Lipari. Can even see as far as Stromboli, a more active volcano. Walked around the small town and did some shopping. The police came by all the boats in the bay and told them to move on. The weather is lovely and calm so we pick up an anchorage on Lipari west coast, one of the rare white sand “beaches” although still a bit on the deep side. Boats come and go all day, fishermen come by to sell fish. Bit of a lazy day otherwise. 
2 September 2021 - Galicio Marina to Bala di Ponente, Volcano Island (Aeolians); 48nm
A very calm night after the excitement of our arrival yesterday. Got away around 8:30 and motored north up the straights hugging the starboard shore. Not as busy with shipping as we expected, that said a car ferry decided to leave just as we were passing by and we had cruise and cargo ships both overtake us at the norther end. We radioed VTS for permission to cross the channel and in no time we were turning the corner and pointing towards Volcano at the south end of the Aeolian Island group. The wind gods are feeling good today after giving us a beating yesterday and we get the parasailor up. The angles are a bit flukey and the 10 min rule is applied multiple times, but as we get further from the coast its more consistent. About 2:30pm we change to the gennaker to get a better angle to our destination. Even without the main we get along at great speeds and better angles. We head along the south coast and up the west coast of the island past spectacular cliffs and caves. The anchorage here is absolutely packed but we squeeze in and hopefully our anchor is not in rock. The bottom is black volcanic sand so really hard to tell what you are dropping it in.
1 September 2021: Rocella Ionica to Galicio Marina; 64nm
This was one of those days we went from Plan A to Plan B to Plan C - which was actually the initial Plan A that was discarded. Initially we were going to anchor at a spot called Bova Marina (not a marina but that is just what they call coastal towns), on the south western end of the toe. We were still getting Southerlies at this stage and although we had a nice time sailing on a broad reach whilst I made banana bread. The anchorage we earmarked was quite exposed though and as the forecast showed light northerly coming out of the Messina Straits, we decided to head across to Taormina on the Sicilian side and make our transit from there. As we got to the very tip of the toe another change of plans. As the northerly in the strait was only meant to be 5kts, we decided to head up to Reggio di Calabrio on the eastern side of the channel. There is an anchorage just north of the (€220 per night!) Marina that looks ok. Well the forecast of 5kts from the north turned out to be BS. More like 20-22 and awful short chop. We persisted with it, covering our recently cleaned boat with salt yet again. It’s amazing how 17kts feels like a relief. It backed off further to 14kts by the time we anchored and dropped to nothing from then on. Thanks Hughey! We had a very calm night, albeit listening to 80s music from the beach club ashore – that would have been ok except for someone yelling in Italian over the top of it. There were also local fishermen coming and going all night in small dinghies around us.
a​31 August 2021 - Rocella Ionica, Italy
We start to see the lights of Italy about 40nm out. We have made better time than we expected and should be in mid-morning. Once we get to 10nm out we see the sorry sight of a Bavaria 50 very low in the water. The main is up and strapped on. As we get closer we can see it has been trashed. Ransacked and windows stove in. Likely scuttled. We call in a Securite and wait for the coast guard, who seems to know about it already. We find out later that they took some migrants off it and probably just left it there, which is a shame. There is a collection of these stolen boats in the marina itself and they probably didn’t want any more of them. We spend some time cleaning the boat, doing loads of washing and resting in the afternoon before venturing to a “nearby” supermarket, arriving 10mins before closing. Dinner is pizza and past (of course!) at the local restaurant in the marina.
​30 August 2021: Kounapetra, Cephalonia to Marina Rocella Ionica, Italy; 186nm
An early morning departure 0600 for a 186nm journey across to the sole of Italy. We started with one reef in the main and the genoa. Seas were  very lumpy initially and we didn’t get a lot of breeze until we got away from the island. We made good speeds and shared watches throughout the day. About 3pm Keith noticed that our reefline (the new Dynalite one) had chafed through the outer sheath at the (very smooth) cringle. It looks like it will hold though. Once it comes to shake it out we will need to be careful that it doesn’t peel the core like a banana. As evening approaches the breeze drops (as forecast) and we opt for the gennaker. We then need to go to full main and one engine. We keep that configuration through the night and the next morning. We try again to sail as we get a bit of breeze but it doesn’t last and is taking us off course so motors back on.
​29 August 2021: Spartia, Cephalonia to Argostoli, Cephalonia to Kounapetra, Cephalonia; 20nm
We leave our anchorage and head towards Argostoli mid-morning as we need to refuel and also check out of Greece. The town is halfway up a long narrow bay. We tie up outside the Port Police office and get told we cant stay due to it being a commercial boat’s berth. We manage to arrange fuel but have to move to the cruise ship terminal to meet a tanker. Not a great set up for a “small” fibreglass boat but the Captain manages very well! I walk back to the Port Police and check out and we are off to our final anchorage in Greece ready for an early morning start. It is a calm night and the spot we chose is quite spectacular.
28 August 2021: Fiskardo, Cephalonia to Spartia, Cephalonia; 38nm
We farewell team Argonauts, helping them release their lines which is a bit challenging as another yacht has put their line around the same rock and overlapped with theirs. They are eventually away with Kylie frantically paddling on the SUP to get back to the mothership as it pulls away. It was really lovely “2-boating” with them, just a shame we did way more motoring than sailing! We go for a wander around the point up to a Venetian light house, the ruins of a Christian church and then loop back into the main town. It’s a pretty and colourful place, jam packed with restaurants and tourist shops. Plenty of charter boats here too, lining the quays. We head off late morning, try to sail for a bit but we are making slow progress down the east coast of the island. As we turn the corner the wind shifts onto our nose and seems our target anchorage is not well protected so we end up heading to  our first anchorage on Cephalonia, completing our 90nm circumnavigation. One more night in Greece and then we cross to Italy.
27 August 2021: Assos, Cephalonia to Fiskardo, Cephalonia; 11nm
Woke at 3am to the sound of thunder and lightning. Got up to move the outdoor cushions inside and then went back to bed. There was a bit of rain but no wind. Late-ish start to the morning, cleaning the dirty rain off the boat. Went into the village and had a wander around. There was quite some damage during the ’53 earthquake and not all of it has been rebuilt. We walk up the hill to the Venetian fort for stunning views. ITIKI looks so small down in the bay below. We leave mid morning to head around to the north east tip of the island for our last evening with Team Argonauts. Fiskardo is another “cute” touristy town. We have to do our first tie back of the season. Drop anchor 40m out and I swim the lines ashore like a pro. We settle in pretty quickly to help Team Argonauts who are relatively new to this. Once we get settled it seems to have gone beer o’clock so we have a very late lunch on ITIKI and then head into town for a quick look. Dinner ashore tonight will be the last supper!
​26 August 2021: 
​Spartia, Cephalonia to Fteri & Myrto Beaches, to Assos, Cephalonia; 40nm
An early start as we have a long way to go today. We have a great sail up the west coast of Cephalonia. We goose-wing the gennaker and Argonauts has their code 0 up. Their angles are a different to ours and they head in closer to the coast. Well they are a bigger boat but to be fair they have the Hammamet green beard on their hulls and Rob is onto his 2nd board meeting of the day. Our lunch stop is a stunning beach called Fteri, but it’s a tricky anchorage so we leave Argonauts to it and head across the bay to another stunning beach called Myrto. We have our lunch there, do a quick drone shoot and head off to Assos.
25 August 2021:
​Agios Nicholas, Zakynthos to Navagio (Shipwreck beach), Zakynthos to Spartia, Cephalonia; 24nm
A very early start as we push off at 6:15 to head around to Shipwreck beach. This is an inconic location and very popular with day trippers so we are keen to get there before they do. Last time we were here it was mid-morning and the place was a zoo with tour boats charging in and disgorging hundreds onto the beach. Not so this time, there are a few boats anchored in the bay and not a soul on the beach. We drop anchor and get the paddle boards in the water and we are the first on the beach with team Argonauts. Fantastic to experience it! Keith puts the drone up for a few photos before we start to see the first of the tour boats arriving just after 9. Time for us to move on. We head north up to the southern end of Cephalonia and anchor off a beach. The colour of the water is just stunning and we settle in for the rest of the day and evening.
24 August 2021
Mavratzis Beach, Zakynthos to Xigia, Zakynthos to Agios Nicholas, Zakynthos; 19nm
Woke to a beautiful sunrise. Morning tea on our boat ITIKI and then headed north along the east coast of Zakynthos to Xigia beach. There are sulphur springs here but its not too smelly and the water is crystal clear and turquoise. We explore some caves on the SUPs. Get into our anchorage fairly late and it's very full. We can't get a spot at the quay because there is a ferry due in at 7:30 but Costas in his RIB comes to the rescue and brings us in to a fore and aft mooring very close to the shore. Its the best place for us he says as its going to be very sheltered and calm tonight. Argonauts rafts up next to us and we head out for dinner at Costas’ sisters restaurant. Everything has its price but it is a nice meal and not too expensive, and who can fault the company?!
23 August 2021
Proti Island to Mavratzis Beach, Zakynthos 50nm
A 5:30am start to leave our island anchorage. Lucky we did not take lines ashore. We are motoring all the way with a main up for a bit. The last hour it is on the nose, this is why we got up early! Spot Argonauts on AIS and they arrive at the anchorage (Mavratzis Beach) on the south east tip of Zakynthos. Great to see them and we have a lovely dinner and way too much wine on board later on, swapping war stories.
​22 August 2021
Methoni to Pylos to Proti Island; 24nm
We set out mid-morning intending just to head to Pylos for the night and meet the Argonauts team. We stopped by the town to provision and then went to the north anchorage. Here we decided it would be better for us to keep heading north rather than for them to head south and turn around and go north again. We thought to anchor back in the south of the bay but instead turned the corner and headed north to Proti Island, arriving just before 8. It’s a small anchorage and there are a couple of boats tied back here. We manage to free anchor on 2nd attempt and settle in for the night. It is Sunday and there is a church on the island with a service going on, as we can hear the chanting. A small boat is shuttling people back and forth from the mainland until quite late and a blood moon rises. Magic!
Saturday 21st August: Porto Kagio to Methoni; 50nm
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Friday 20th August: Kaspali, Kythera to Porto Kagio; 37nm
The walk up to the chora is strenuous but well worth it. Great views of the anchorage from here and we also visit the nearby town for a coffee and a bakery treat to replenish our sugar levels and support the local economy. The town is picture postcard, although a little touristy but the walk down the hill is much easier. A quick visit to the mini market to grab some bread, tissues and tonic and then we will be off. I should mention that there was a slight mishap with Mr Logan slipping as he went to grab the RIB. He turned his ankle and managed to dip his lower half (yes iPhone in pocket) as well as the contents of the supermarket bag, into the drink! We managed to get him back on dry land before complete immersion and quickly whipped out the phone to dry it off (all good!) The bread didnt come out too badly either and as far as the tissues go, time will tell... Oh and Keith is fine, a little rattled and some minor swelling on the ankle. Nothing a gin and tonic wont fix later on. Oh anyway we head out of port with good breeze, one reef in the main and 1 in jib. Cop some strong gusts along the south of the island but this settles into a steady 18-22kts and we make good progress. The swell on the beam is not great though. The breeze starts to drop into the low teens and after applying the 5 min rule (plus GST) we shake out the reef. Immediately the breeze is back up to high teens - can you believe it!? We reach land in great time but our first tqo choices of anchorages (narrow bays) are occupied and so we head to Porto Kagio which we know is safe. Its crowded and rolly but everything settles overnight.
Thursday 19th August: Kliftiko, Milos to Kaspali, Kythira; 73nm
Early morning SUP around the caves again to see the coves without hoards of tourist. 2 little powerboats had spent the night inside the cove but everyone else had left. The light was beautiful. From there we had a great sail under gennaker and full main most of the way to our destination until the breeze dropped too low to keep us moving. Quite a busy anchorage but we find a space near some Kiwis in a 52' Grainger cat and go and say hi before heading out to dinner. They had brought the boat from Brisbane through Thailand and the Suez to get to the Med. They were very curious to know how we had escaped Prison Australia! Apparently Oz has quite the reputation now. Anyway dinner ashore was a real treat as we haven't had goat for a while! We decide to tackle the Chora up on the hill by foot tomorrow before we leave.
Wednesday 18th August, Adamantus to Kastanas Beach to Kliftiko, Milos; 22nm
Essentially we have done a clockwise tour of the island. The coastline is spectacular although in places marred by evidence of quarrying and mining. The colours of the cliffs vary significantly and the main mountain dominates the landscape on the western end. We stop for the night at some incredible caves. These are very popular with tourist boats and the inlets are full of action. We find a spot to the west with a couple of other boats and contemplate moving into one of the coves and picking up a mooring once the tour boats leave but decide against it. We feel it spoils the ambience of the place for others and it will be nice to see it empty in the morning. We spend the afternoon exploring on SUPs and in the RIB.
Tuesday 17th August, Elafolumano, Evia to Adamantus, Milos; 89nm
With a couple of days grace in the weather before the Meltemi started blowing again we decided to bite the bullet and head south to escape it. The wind was too light to sail so sadly we had to motor all the way but that was not enough to put us in a bad mood. Milos is a spectacular island, a volcano crater open to the north. We anchor off the town, inside the NE corner of the crater. Its a late arrival but we go ashore and walk up to the church on the hill and wander the town. Its very crowded and touristy but lively and attractive. Its a relief to be here!
Monday 16th August, Agios Dimitrious, Evia to Elafolimano, Evia, 22nm
The forecast looks strong but ok-ish so we decide to take a small hop south to another anchorage to make tomorrow's planned journey a little shorter. Put the main up with 1 reef and unfurled the headsail to 2nd reef. Needless to say the gusts were 10kts stronger than predicted and they don't seem to have any gaps between them. Saw up to 35 kts but at least it was a quick trip down and I didn't burn the bread. The anchorage here is great holding but not the least bit protected from the breeze. There was one mono already anchored here, but the brave soul has already left by the time we get settled. Only hope he is going south and has a strong stomach!

Sunday 15th August, Agios Dimitrious, Evia
Not a great night sleep for me as a bit too much adrenalin on board and I fixate on the creaking of the bridle as the gusts push us around. Anchor holds well though and Keith tells me I should be reassured by this creaking sound. OK then. We have a very lazy day today, go over to the local beach bar for a relaxing lunch, followed by an afternoon nap and later a RIB tour of the area. 
Saturday 14th August
Chalkis, Evia to Agios Dimitrious, Evia 34nm
We get up late-ish by our standards and head over to the town. There is a castle up on the hill and we get a glimpse of some of the rich history of this town. The Ottomans had dominated at one stage, fortifying the castle against the Venetians. We walk across the old bridge that we passed through last night and manage to find someone at the closed ticket office, who has an uncle living in Sydney, so we can pay our bill. A quick grocery stop and then a visit to by the fuel tanker and we are off again. We motor under the new “high” bridge, past the derelict factory and further into the Evia canal. We put up the main and genoa but the breeze builds and we are soon reefing, then of course the breeze drops and the reef comes out, and it promptly builds again and reef goes back in. Reefed the genoa and then furled it. 2nd reef in the main. One motor on. We have seen gusts of up to 32.4kts and this builds as we get closer to land. There have been fires in Evia and we start to see some smoke in the distance. Next thing there are water bombers passing overhead to take on water in the bay nearby. In this kind of breeze that is no mean feat! We get around the corner to the bay where we will anchor and there is not too much relief from the Meltemi yet. Here is where the Elvis helicopters are picking up water. There are at least 3 of them coming in quick succession. We try to get a grip in one bay, unsuccessfully before anchoring off a small beach club. Holding is much better but still subject to gusts. Looks like we might be here for a while but we need some time to catch our breath.
Friday 13th August
Siferi, Skiathos to Koukounosis, Skiathos to Chalkis South, Evia 86nm
Looks like the breeze is going to be blowing in the direction we want to go. Yee ha, I smell a kit run! No hurry though so go and anchor off a lovely beach for breakfast. Lagoon behind it but we can't take the RIB. Nice walk on the beach, real sand, wall to wall deckchairs. Get away about 11am and get set up for the kite. Great run for about 4 hrs before the breeze dies. We enter Evia canal and try to find an anchorage for the night but not much luck. We then finally make contact with the Chalki port authorities about the old bridge opening and find out that if we don’t go through tonight it would be Monday night before we can! So we hot foot it to Chalki, burning some serious fossil fuel and make it at 10:30pm. The old bridge joins Evia island to the mainland and only opens on the slack tide usually between midnight and 2am. We manage to convince them to let us through even though we haven’t paid. We get through just after midnight and anchor in the south bay quite exhausted. Not quite the day we had planned!
Thursday 12 August
Kira Panagia to Loutraki, Skopelos to Siferi, Skiathos 40nm
We get away early again and make it out of the narrow entrance. We put up the main and genoa and we are initially making good speeds, however the wind eases and goes behind us. We goose-wing for a while and also use the gennaker but the breeze is eventually too light and as we get close to our destination the engines have to go on. It’s very choppy and the main is driving us mad. We get around the corner down the western side of Skopelos and get a bit more motor sailing in before dropping the main. Sadly there is no room in the harbour to anchor or moor and it doesn’t look so nice anyway. We decide to head across to a small island between Skopelos and Skiathos so unfurl the gennaker. Bang! Gennaker comes partway down. The halyard casing shredded and the sail is stuck halfway down. This is the new Dyneema halyard we put in at Leros. It was very challenging to get it onto the boat and Keith got a whack in the head with the tension rope. We were unable to save the halyard so had to cut it and lose it completely. Bugger. That put a dampner on things. No anchorage on the small island either so we head to the beach anchorage just south of Skiathos harbour. We pack up have lunch and rest up then take the RIB a shore to walk around the town. Very touristy but we walk up to the church and clocktower at the top of the hill. The beach is a bit noisy during the day but it gets quiet and calm night and we have a great sleep.
Wednesday 11 August
Myrina, Lemnos to Planitis, Kira Panagia 58nm.
We leave Lemnos at dawn and unfortunately have to motor the whole way which also puts us in a bad mood. Dolphins are not interested in us when we have motors on. We see a tuna or marlin jumping, something must have been chasing him. The anchorage has a narrow entrance (80m) and opens up in to a large Y-shaped bay. We try the western side but that has too many big brown jelly blubbers so we head to the eastern end. There is no phone reception here whatsoever so we can't even get a weather forecast for tomorrow. Apparently in a northerly it can be fun surfing into the bay and likewise hard getting out! Lots of charter boats here but still fairly peaceful.
A small midnight storm (15kts) and pyjama dance amongst the charter boats. Motor yacht with professional crew who came in late and tied back between us and another swinging mono causes a few issues but we eventually get to sleep about 1am.
Tuesday 10 August
Asprokavos, Lemnos to Myrina, Lemnos - 18nm
​Tour de Lemnos by Citroen C3
Another early start, I do enjoy them, to get around to Myrina. What a charming town. A wide and sheltered bay with a small town quay (full) so we anchored in the bay. The town is dominated by a large rock formation and overlooked by Myrina Castle on one side, and a blue and white church on the other side. We pick up our hire car and tour the island. The cave church was the highlight. The walk up to it was hot and dusty but the scenery is spectacular, with some amazing rock formations and caves. The church itself is quite tiny and the cave forms its roof. We head through a couple of traditional Greek villages, even though the streets are so narrow there are still cafes with tables and chairs lining them and you feel like you are going to drive over the patrons’ feet! We stopped for coffee in one tiny town (Portianou) and then head on to a lovely lunch by the water on Moudros Bay. We continue our drive through the spectacular countryside, sadly the archaeological sites on the island are closed on Tuesdays… We drop in to the war cemetery at Moudros where many of those who fought at Gallipolli and were evacuated and hospitalised on Lemnos, including Australian and NZ soldiers, are buried. We visited a roadside produce stall before heading back to the boat. After a rest we visited the church overlooking the bay and took the car back before walking back through this lovely, although a little touristy, town.
​Monday 9 August
Sigri, Lesvos to Moudros, Lemnos - 51nm
Early start from Sigri, put the main up as soon as we left the anchorage, not thinking we would get much out of it, the breeze clocked NE and we were heading NW so we had a 2 sail reach most of the way across to Lemnos. Motors on about 2 hours out as the breeze dropped right out and it was a mill pond when we arrived. Took a spot alongside in the town port, but sadly this town is not quite what we had hoped for. A couple of tavernas and not much else, and nowhere to rent a car as we had planned. We decided to go across to Myrina, the main town, early the next morning so rather than stay overnight in the marina we went and anchored off a small beach resort called Chill in the bay of Asprokavos. The music was not too loud and it was a very still, calm night.
Sunday 8 August
Plomari, Lesvos to Sigri, Lesvos - 31nm
Easy day today, went up to the bakery again but George’s friend was at a baptism. They gave us a loaf of bread anyway and it was still warm! Went down to Taverna Psaros and had coffee and a swim and then lunch. Fresh rotisserie chicken, octopus and Greek salad (Village salad). Even had a reasonable bottle of wine. Once we had polished that off we decided to depart for Sigri on the western end of the island, the conditions were good and it would buy us another day and we would have a better chance of a good night’s sleep! We managed to spot George’s house from the water, as well as the “Hidden church” – glad we didn’t try to get to that in the rental car!
Saturday 7 August
Tour of Lesvos
We start off looking for a monastery, couldn’t find it. Found an aqueduct in the small town of Moira. Headed down to Mytilini for morning tea and to get lost in the back streets. Mytilini castle is well worth a visit, its very large and boasts extensive “cisterns”. We head on to a monastery. Then on to a cute town looking for lunch, find nothing (do people not eat lunch here?) then another monastery and found lunch there.
Visited a skala (bay) in the north, lots of lunch places! Took a dirt road along the north coast, saw a shipwreck, checked out a few more costal towns but northerly is blowing now so no good for swimming. Headed up to the castle near Petra – closed 10 mins ago - bugger.
We head back the long and winding way through the forest and town where George the Pilot’s friend has a bakery. zfurther on we found the tavern at Melinta that was recommended but too tired to go out for dinner so had dinner on board. Woke at 2am with all of the noise on the quay, a group of lads was daring each other to jump on our boat. Just as one lad grabbed the passarelle he got an earful from me and they ran off to the park.
6 August 2021
Oinoussa to Plomari, Lesvos, 34nm 
We awake to see we have swung 180 degrees in our anchorage and there is a very light southerly blowing. YES! We head off at 9ish and true to form the forecast is stronger than expected and there is a bit more west in it. We have some excellent reaching conditions followed by some goosewing action with the Genoa. The new tweakers come in handy as well. We top up the water tanks and knock over a couple of loads of washing for good measure. We took a shortcut through Turkish waters but nobody came after us. Also spotted the strange sight of an oil rig being towed at about 2 knots, heading towards Turkey. Had a bit of trouble furling the genoa as the line had a few overrides and needed some manual intervention before we could get the sail in. 
We have been messaging our friend George the Pilot who is back in Oz and gutted that he is not here to show us around his hometown (Melinta) near Plomari, but he has recommended this port as a great place to explore the island by car and the harbour is well sheltered and seems quite safe. We tie back to the quay and spend the usual 2 hours adjusting our lines and setting up the passarelle before heading out for a walk around town and to organise a rental car. The port police come around at 7:30 to say hi and ask us to drop in to the office with the paperwork. We have decided to stay for 3 nights, and after much tapping of the calculator a figure of Euro21 is announced! Power and water extra, but we don't need it. Very noisy on the quay, it’s a main thoroughfare so traffic all night and nobody has a muffler on their scooter! What are kids doing playing in the park at 1am FFS?!
5 August 2021
Khios Town to Oinoussa, 10nm
A joyful morning as we get the news our gas bottle is full and ready for collection. Although there are Byzantine monasteries and amazing Mastic Museums here, we are going to forego these pleasures, pick up our gas bottle and head north while the weather allows it. We walk into town as we need the exercise and its not too hot yet. Our gas man is true to his word and he even organises his offsider to drop us back to the boat. I make a pit stop at the supermarket and we are away. Just a short hop north to the tiny island of Oinoussa. We are greeted by a mermaid at the entrance to the port and find a small bay to the east of the town to anchor. We have it to ourselves. We take the RIB for a tour around past the tiny town and smaller islands close to the entrance, and a closer look at the mermaid. It's lovely not to have the strong north winds blowing and some lower temperatures. We spend the afternoon doing a few odd jobs, I have almost finished the curtains, and swimming to cool off. After sunset we take the RIB out again to see if the mermaid is lit up, which she is. A beautiful sight and a lovely calm evening.
4 August 2021 
​Komi Beach to Khios Town, 15nm
A chilly 28C for our departure to Khios Town today, but we are not complaining! Motoring north we notice a NATO warship on our charplotter. Apparently its "Sleeping" doing 14kts! No doubt patrolling the maritime border between Turkey and Greece as we are pretty close here. We do a hot lap of the main port of Khios Town to check it out, quite a wide bay and room for visiting yachts along the south quay but it would be pretty noisy. We continue a couple of miles north and find Khios Marina, which is another incomplete project. We take a spot alongside on the easter mole. A few other yachts there and a giant barge that looks like it has been there for a few years. We have made contact with the gas man and Keith drops the RIB in the water and takes our empty cylinder around to Khios town and drops it off. We can pick it up tomorrow morning and then head off. We spend the afternoon on board doing some more work between dips to cool down. We walk into Khios town for a bit of exercise, catch up with the nightlife and get a bite to eat. Its a bustling place with plenty of tourists coming and going.
3 August 2021
​Agios Kirikos, Ikara to Komi Beach Chios - 42nm 
It was much debated over a game of Rummikub last night as to whether to believe the forecast of 9-11kts from the north. This is August in Greece after all and we have seen some forecasting discrepancies. In the end we agreed to wake early, head out and give ourselves 2 hours to evaluate and head back to Samos if it was shite. Turned out the forecast was spot on and we were able to "2 Volvo reach" across to the southern end of Chios island. Also able to make some adjustments to the main along the way and top off the water tanks. We are anchored off a popular beach on the south eastern end. Had a few gusts but the anchor is dug in well and we have enjoyed a restful afternoon. This puts us in a good position to push further north and hopefully make Lemnos island before heading west.
2 August 2021
Limnionas Beach, Samos to Agios Kirikos, Ikara - 18nm
Forecast of 15-18kts from the north and we are wanting to head west. Got a tip off on filling our gas bottle so we headed over to Ikara. Great reach with 1 reef in the main (must put that 2nd one in...) saw gusts of up to 32kts coming past the top of Fourni island! Got the last spot in the "new" marina, no electricity or water and no charge. Very hot again today, we drag ourselves around the small village and find some lunch before an afternoon nap. Sadly the gas tip off turned out to be a bum steer). Took a paddle board out of the marina, into the wind, to a small cave  for a dip to cool down. The water is warmer here though because of hot upwellings/springs around the island.

1 August 2021
Marathokampos to Limnionas Beach, Samos - 3.2nm (ish..) 
Great conditions so we decided to head west, but first lets go for a sail! We need to get in to deeper, cleaner water to make water. We also need to get the main sorted with the new halyard and first reef which are now Dyneema. Turned out to be a great shake down hitting 11.4kts of boatspeed. Its great to be a sail boat again! Our anchorage is only 3.2nm from our last port of call however we have our water tanks 3/4 full and a load of washing done as well. We settle in for the night and have a visit from the crew of Vivere, an Aussie catamaran who have been cruising for 3 years already. 
31 July 2021 – Tour de Samos by Suzuki Swift
Based on the advice of last night’s visitors we hired a car and did the tour de Samos. We took our empty gas bottle with us in case and managed to turn up at a servo about 1 minute before the local gas guy arrived. Not good news though as the gas factory is closed on Saturday and Sunday and it seems our French gas bottle is ever so slightly different from the fittings in Greece. This may not be easy. Anyway we continued our tour visiting a lovely little mountain village called Manolates. Enjoyed morning tea and a wander around before heading on towards Samos town and through the hills to Mitilinii, another traditional hillside village with winding narrow streets. We had lunch here but the 45oC heat defeated us and our walk was very short. We made for Pythagorio on the coast and visited the amazing Eupalinus Tunnel. Built in the mid-6th C BC, this double mouthed tunnel was an incredible feat of engineering and mathematics. Built to carry water through a clay pipe from the springs on one side of the mountain down to the town on the other, it stretches 890m. Construction took place from both ends of the tunnel with workers meeting in the middle and despite some turns and fall to facilitate water flow they were only 40cm out of alignment when they met up! Not bad considering the engineering tools available at the time. And the big bonus was a cool 25oC inside! After a short and accidentally drive through the charming, narrow and touristy streets of Pythagorio we head down to the coast. There is a long stretch of “beach” here – all stones of course – and we are straight into the water to cool off. 
The water is a refreshing 22oC but you are dry and hot again before you even get back to the car. Its been a long day so we head back to ITIKI, again taking a scenic route through “Upper Marathokampos”. A restful day is in order tomorrow.
30 July 2021 – Captain sparrow fart strikes!
Arki to Marathokampos, Samos - 23nm
Well actually it was my idea so I can’t blame Keith. We were both lying awake at 4am and looking at the forecast again it was only 15kts, so we decided to up anchor and head north. Big mistake, as we copped 10kts more than that. The short chop was awful though and we diverted to Samos and did our first med mooring of the season at a partially build marina at Marathokampos on the south coast. Its sheltered but still quite gusty, but good enough for breakfast, a catch up nap for the skipper and to re-evaluate our plans. We arrived pretty early around 8:40am so had an easy morning, hosed the salt of the boat and went out for lunch. A bit more cleaning and setting up main, including reefs, and genoa in after a nap. Then off for a swim at a nearby beach. Its low 40s here so very hot and everything is a struggle. We decide to stay the night rather than rush off and the price is right, its free! We wander around the small town at sunset as it has cooled down to low 30s by now. That evening a Belgian couple who have been cruising for 16 years, drop by to say hi! They gave us some good advice and lots of tips about crossing the Atlantic and cruising the Caribbean and it was great chatting. Every time we talk to someone it seems we want to change our plans, its good to be flexible. 
Day 1 – 29 July 2021 - Launch day, Season 2021
Partheni, Leros to Lipsi to Arki
Well we really couldn’t sleep in today, too excited. A few last minutes jobs to do and hoping we remember how everything works. Importantly we have to pay the bills before the let us go. Our launch time is 10:30am and there is one boat hauling out before us. It seems to take an age to do their pressure wash and then its time for smoko. It is closer to 11:30 when they start lining us up. As soon as we are lifted off the blocks the antifoul guy is there to go over the areas we were resting on. Time for another smoko while that “dries”. All too quickly we are in the water. The mask on ITIKI got a few laughs from the workers. Back on board all engines started, throttles and gears tested, genset started, air con works and importantly no water coming into any of the bilges!
 
We are off! As its only blowing 15kts from the north we decide to make for Lipsi. Our water tanks are close to empty so we need to make water. It was a bit of a bouncy ride and unfortunately the watermaker would not cooperate, so we anchored at Lipsi and changed over the impeller. That did the trick, so no we need to go out again and make water. So off we go to Arki where we bimble around looking at every anchorage, before settling on an unremarkable one for the night.
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