Wednesday, 27 July 2016

AEGEAN MAGIC

From Chios to Lesvos, on to Limnos and then the deserted island Agio Panagia in the Sporades, on to Alonissos, Skopelos and now Skyros – we have sailed many miles, met many wonderful people, eaten fabulous (and sometimes not so fabulous) food, sailed in perfect winds, been bashed in two howling gales and a few near gales, and explored beautiful islands and villages.

Here are some of our stories.


SALLY – ROCKING AND ROLLING
We set sail from Mytilini town, Lesvos, where our friend Bridget joined us, aiming for
Molyvos in the far north of the island. It was Bridge’s first sail ever and we were a bit worried how she would handle it, but the weather was perfect – the sea flat and the wind a steady 12 knots on the beam. 



Until we rounded the last cape on the north of the island into the gulf between Turkey and Lesvos - and the wind picked up and turbulent, disturbed waves crashed into Pegasus from all directions. I hung on with knuckles turning white, determined not to be a woes in-front of Bridge who was looking as calm and collected as when we set off. After 30 or so minutes I yelled at Henry to reef the sails – this was now far above my comfort zone and I stopped caring what Bridge thought of me.  We sailed on a bit, but sailing into a head wind with the waves getting worse and the engine on full throttle was awful. To make it worse, we had tried that morning to fill up with fuel in Mytilini (a story best left untold) but after waiting many hours, Henry decided it would be ok to leave as the weather prediction was good, we would be sailing all the way and, for the little motoring we might need, we had enough emergency fuel to get to Molyvos. 

Hah! 

There was a tense moment when Henry suggested we look for a safe place for us to shelter. I knew there was nothing further on and I shrilly told him so. But I calmed down enough to look at the chart on the ipad – a feat in itself as the boat was heeling so much – and found a secluded little village 5 nautical miles back. What joy to sail into this small bay with azure water like glass!




We swam off the back of the boat, watched the sunset and moonrise with a G&T, braaied pork chops and aubergine and congratulated ourselves. And then, on the stroke of midnight, the wind changed direction and a rolling swell swept in to our lovely little bay, turning our night into a nauseating, continuous roller coaster ride. At 5 in the morning unable to bear it any longer, we got Bridge up and announced that her second sail ever would be a sunrise sail. And what a glorious sail it was. The sea in the gulf had calmed down, once more we had a steady 12 knots on our beam and we sailed into Molyvos a few hours later a very happy trio!




HENRY - THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY
To be fair, that should be the Excellent, the Good, the Bad and the Ugly!


Politics in Greece is a hotly contested subject and it is often expressed through the medium of graffiti. We have noticed the appearance of current sentiment on the walls of Greek towns since we started our sailing trips. The beginning of our adventure 6 years ago coincided, more or less, with the beginning of the ‘crisis’.


Six years ago Angela Merkel took the blame for Greece’s predicament, in the popular view. Cartoons of her in a Nazi helmet appeared with the graphic message that the Germans may have lost the last war but now they are winning the modern version of it played out economically. Crude sentiment as well as simplistic and ignoring the part played by successive Greek governments in the disaster.


Last year new hope was born with the election of the Tsipras government with finance minister Varoufakis who seemed to have a way out. The referendum in July last year on ‘the continuation of austerity measures’ was covered in our blog at the time. We, and most Greeks, believed that something would be done to change the future of Greece after the vote was overwhelmingly “Oxi! (No!) to austerity. Since the referendum Varoufakis resigned and the austerity has continued with a vengeance; pensioners suffering further reductions to their allowances, increases in taxes etc.


The extremes of the political spectrum have, predictably, grown during a period of further disillusionment with the political system. The right wing particularly, which is worryingly said to be strongly represented in the police force, has grown rapidly.


Now there is the refugee crisis and Greece is reeling from successive waves of disastrous events.



We have been collecting photographs of graffiti that we have seen, mostly in Mytilini on Lesvos, that express some of the political and social sentiment. The meaning of some of the pictures is obvious. Some are obscure. I asked Greek people to tell me about them but they were not always able to give a clear explanation so I am as much in the dark as anyone else. Perhaps someone reading this will be able to? I have included some because I think they are beautiful and others because they are funny. Others send stark messages of discontent.




The ‘V’ shown in one of the photos dates back to the Second World War; a ‘V’ for Victory that was carved out of the stone of the cliff face in 1943. What makes it interesting is that every year the victory is celebrated by the school children who light fires at the base of the cliff and are taught about the victory over fascism and its meaning for the world then as now.


Enigmatic pictures. A pregnant young woman makes us think, perhaps misguidedly, of Turkey’s Erdogan exhorting women to stay at home and have babies? Some symbols have universal meanings; time, locks, clocks and keys. Alice’s white rabbit is here in Greece just like Pooh Bear, Poirot and Holmes. We live in a world where our cultures have merged a little but not to the extent that the Greeks have lost their essential Greekness…



The White Rabbit, the clock, Poirot and Homes were all painted on the walls of an arcade - all with the theme of time







SALLY - A TOUCH OF MAGIC
Limnos is an island that, at first glance, does not necessarily grab you. Sailing into the port of Myrina, the buildings look a bit drab, the castle recedes a bit much into the mountain, the harbour is a bit ordinary. But slowly the port weaves a very special magic and you are seduced. 

The castle lights up at night and is breathtaking, the old Turkish harbour comes alive with the comings and goings of the fishing boats; the long and winding “market street” shaded by heavy green vines is full of exciting treasures,


Mount Athos at sunset is an awesome sight, rearing up proud and regal to the west and the Lymniots are so extraordinarily friendly we are bowled over. Many are returned Greek South Africans who greet us with warmth and nostalgia. Nicky from the little blue harbour restaurant breaks into a smile from ear to ear when she sees us – and serves us Ouzo for E1.50 with a plate each of mouth-watering meze for 50 cents to make sure we don’t get drunk – octopus, tender fried squid, mussels and limpets for Henry and juicy meatballs with ripe red tomatoes and crunchy cucumber for me – so much that we have to cancel supper plans. 

Our new good friends Inez and Rainer who are moored next to us in their amazing wooden schooner, sweep us off to their local café where we wait for their crazy, wild and colourful fisherman friend, Paniotis, who chugs into the harbour at 10pm and gets the café to cook his catch of small fish for us all – all the time peppering his sentences with f**ck – and then telling us he wishes there was a pill he could take to stop saying the word! 



With Paniotis on his fishing boat
We were moored with the castle as a backdrop, next to the beautiful wooden schooner - took this photo as we sailed away
And then, to be sitting in a small café catching up with life on our computers, and to be tapped on the shoulder by two strange women – “are you Sally and Henry? We recognise you from the photo Aki and Gary sent us. We have just dropped off a box of veges from our garden onto your boat for you!” Our friend Gary Oberholzer from Radio 702 had read our blog that morning, saw we were heading for Limnos, knew that Aki Anastasia’s daughter Julia was visiting her grandparents in Limnos – and said to Aki – “lets weave some magic from the other side of the world “– and they sent a message for Julia and Vicky and Lucky to go and find Sally and Henry on the yacht Pegasus moored somewhere in the harbour……..


All this magic meant we stayed at Myrina on Limnos for 12 days – not because we were caught in bad weather, but because we could not drag ourselves away.




SALLY - LEARNING TO PAINT
Last year I vowed that I would learn to paint. Although I enjoy sitting with Henry while he sketches, I would like to create something as well, so when we got back last year, I started art classes. One of my greatest delights this year has been playing with painting, sometimes from the back of the boat, sometimes in a fishing harbour or in a cafe. I know I have a long way to go, but it has been fun trying!








Saturday, 2 July 2016

THE RABBIT HOP GOODBYE




 After 2 weeks on Chios, we were about to sail to Lesbos. Well, trying to, but there was a vicious wind blowing and, in another sailing first for us, we had had to frantically leave the quay at 03h30 in the morning (where we were all alone again) as we were being buffeted by waves that had built up during the night. We were in danger of being smashed against the quay and anchoring at the head of the bay was a safer option. We still felt the gusts of 40 knots out there, but at least the waves weren’t slapping against the boat so badly and we were able to swing with the wind. It was cold and scary casting off in the pitch dark and finding a place to drop our anchor, but after a cup of rooibos chai at 5 in the morning, we calmed down and went back to bed and managed to sleep for a few hours. Only to wake up to the boat being hit by a ferocious gust, which pulled the anchor out, and we were dragged 200ft. As I said in a previous post, this sailing thing is not for sissy’s!

Setting sail at dawn feeling jaded
Our last night in Chios, in his inimitable helpful way, Henry tried to help this Greek navy patrol boat tie up. The wind was starting to pick up and they seemed to need help. They had him running from one end of the boat to the other, but in the end did it themselves!
We so loved Chios and we were not saying "Antio" which means "Goodbye" in Greek, but "Yeis to epanideín" which means "Until we meet again".


It might be because there are not streams of difficult tourists to jade the islanders, but without doubt the people here are amongst the friendliest and most engaging we have met since we started our sailing adventures. The island has a long history of shipping and is well known for its very wealthy ship owners and for the sea captains who are still trained here. In every village we visit, we are asked where we are from and “South Africa” makes faces light up. Every man we speak to has sailed to Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Durban – and all have tales to tell. 


A few days ago in the village of Lithi, Steve called from across the road, asking us where we
were from. When he heard South Africa, he lit up and called us over to sit with him and his
wife Penny in the shade. He told us about the time in 1967 when he was third officer on a ship, and because the Suez Canal was closed, they had to sail to the Far East via Cape Town. They left Brindisi and, somewhere near Morocco, must have hit something which damaged the ship. A few hundred miles out of Morocco he noticed water filling the hold and called the Captain. They decided to continue, but about 2 weeks later, 500 kms from Cape Town they hit the big Atlantic rollers, and the level of the water was increasing rapidly. The mayday went out and 15 ships heeded the call, but before any arrived they had to abandon ship in the lifeboats and watch it sink. They were taken to Cape Town where a Catholic priest welcomed them, fed them, housed them and showed them the sights of Cape Town. After 2 wonderful weeks, the crew was flown back to Athens and Steve was left with a life long love of South Africa. Steve and Penny then offered us a lift back to the port, 2 kms away, and en route took us to their beautiful ancestral farm where they grow virtually everything they need. 
Steve and Henry
Steve picked a rose for me from his farm garden
Walking through the village of Oinousses with our friends Susie and Charles, we were admiring pots of flowers clustered around a small courtyard – when we were invited in for coffee and biscuits. Again we got chatting to the retired seaman who spends his days fishing or working in his small plot where he grows everything they eat. These people have so little, but they are incredibly generous, sharing what little they have. We are continually moved by this generosity in difficult times.

Drinking sweet Greek coffee in the courtyard
Oinousses
While we were getting the boat ready for launching, we, together with Susie and Charles who were with us at the time, stayed in the North of Chios in magical Spilia (an architectural gem that Henry has written about) owned by Kiriaki and Dimitri. Kiriaki soon realized we enjoy the same things, and she entertained us with stories about the island, its history, where to go and what to look out for. Dimitri could not speak any English at all, but he and Henry immediately connected, bound by their love of all things old and beautiful.




Following their advice, we explored the island, visiting the fascinating fortified mastic villages – built by the Genovese in the 14th century when the much prized mastic made them rich and earned them protection when the Ottomans massacred tens of thousands of the inhabitants of Chios; we discovered off the beaten track villages and beaches; we made sense of crazy, noisy Chios town - and everywhere we ate delicious Chioti food.

Pyrgi mastic village with it's intricately painted buildings
The painted surface of the wet plaster is scratched to make the pattern




Mesta mastic village courtyard
The Mastic villages were built out of sight from the sea and surrounded by high walls with a central tower that was the last resort in case the walls were breached by Arabic pirates. The tower was entered by ladders which were used as bridges from the rooftops and then pulled up.


The interior of the old church near Spillia was almost completely painted in white - something we have not seen before 

After church in the mastic village of Mesta
The bread baked in this traditional wood burning stove was delicious.


The day before we were due to leave Spilia to launch the boat, we discovered that all the shops would be closed for Saint John’s day and we had very few supplies. Kiriaki could give us eggs, lemons and some veges from her garden …….. and 2 rabbits – rather daunting for me, but we decided to give it a go! In the morning Dimitri helped us to the car and gave us the eggs, herbs and lemons. When I asked him for the rabbits, he did not understand. I waggled my hands above my head – he still did not understand. Susie said “Hop” – so I hopped, still waggling my hands above my head. Dimitri looked mystified but then smiled broadly and kissed me goodbye on both cheeks - clearly thinking this was some strange South African farewell custom. We were at a loss and Henry was about to go and find Kiriaki when she came running down the alley, carrying the rabbits. When he realized what I was trying to say, he buried his head in his hands and cried with laughter – as did we. He told us through Kiriaki that he thought this was a special South African goodbye! 



So now, in Kardamyilia, South Africans will always be remembered by the Rabbit Hop goodbye!