Icarius's Ikaria, Sunday, 11th September

A quick postscript to the last entry from July. The morning before we left Myrica in Leros boatyard, we heard a loud bang or crack and suddenly the hillside behind out boat was ablaze. Strong winds fanned the flames and soon the whole area was a furnace of burning heather, eucalyptus and scrub, threatening a few houses and billowing smoke over the little airport and the boatyard. The yard staff did what they could to create barrier strips, but it was not until a helicopter arrived to scoop and dump sea-water that it started to come under control. Frightening how quickly it spread and how helpless one is - thankfully no casualties or significant damage to property.

And now back after a lovely 6 weeks at home to an entertaining start. We landed in Kos for a change and stayed overnight in a little hotel near the harbour. A real Fawlty Towers experience; the owners spoke good English and before we had even taken delivery of our keys, we had spirited lectures from them (and arguments between them) on everything from Greek taxes, the Queen robbing the British nation, to Brexit, the Americans and Trump (he will get in according to them), Princess Diana conspiracy theories and more. Having got that off their chests, they smiled, said 'welcome' and showed us to our room. Kale mera to you too!

We took the ferry the next morning to Leros, arriving in good time to start sorting the boat out. We picked up our new anchor and Richard was quite chuffed at how his bow roller extension fit and enabled the new anchor to sit perfectly and clear everything.

We met up with friend Colin on Silent Wings who was out on his own - Shirley was following on in a fortnight's time. We had dinner together and caught up, played anchors on his Malo 37, and had a tour of a beautiful Italian square-rigged training vessel moored in the harbour. Colin does stints with the Jubilee Sailing Trust so was well placed to give us the low-down on the finer points of her rigging and sails. Sunday was the name day of St. Zachariah, a feast day for the island. That evening trestle tables were set up and, after a blessing by the local priest, there was dancing and music and free food (a sort of beef stifado or stew) for all. This carried on long past our bedtimes, great atmosphere, but cycling back to our respective boats in the pitch dark was a bit of a challenge.

Time to move on - it is surprisingly hot still - 28-30 deg C, but water a coolish 24-26 deg. We headed first to a favourite spot on little Lipsi followed by another couple of nights on Patmos - days of acclimatising and getting back into the arduous business of swimming and sunshine and sailing. An early aim was to go to Ikaria as we had never been there before - it has usually been blowing a gale whenever we have previously been anywhere near. Short hops, a quick overnighter in Fournoi (really rocky outcrop) and on to Ayios Kirikos on the south side of Ikaria.

This is a great long slab of rock sitting in a very windy part of the sea with a high spine running along its length. The south coast in precipitous, the pass through the central ridge is high and steep, the northern side greener and more sloping, with beaches, some woodland, vineyards and the odd gorge. It was here that Icarus supposedly fell into the sea. He and Daedalus were escaping the wrath of Minos; Daedalus fashioned wings of feathers held with wax. Young Icarus soared too close to the sun and melted his wings, plummeting into the sea - and that was him as a 'goner'. So they say.

The Icarians are a sociable lot and seem laid back as to timings of things. One village, Christos Rache, perched high on the central ridge, stays up and open - shops, cafenions, music, craftworks, etc - virtually all night; apparently a legacy of the days of piracy when they needed to defend their position. We hired a car for the day and set off exploring on some of the most difficult and "unimproved" roads we have yet encountered. Steep, hairpin bends, not for the faint-hearted - fun.

A word about our mooring here in Ay. Kirikos. They have built a new "marina" here with €90million EU funding, planned by someone who has never been near water (if that is possible in Greece!). The Greeks could make you cry sometimes. This marina is supposedly for 70 boats. The size, design and layout will only support half that on a good day with the boats lying alongside rather than the planned, usual Med mooring of stern to (not enough space). It is free at the moment as it is unfinished and will remain so for another year or thereabouts. The shower block is done but locked. There are numerous power outlets but the incoming cabling was not man enough for the job and they need to spend more money and re-do it. They have put in dozens of huge 3-phase units, fit only for mega-yachts / power boats of 100'+ that don't fit in here anyway. They will never be used and will fall into disrepair rapidly. The place will fill up with little local boats which will use the available mains water, but nothing else. Things will break and never get fixed and the €90m will be wasted - again. Meanwhile, it provides a free, sheltered spot for the rest of us. Errrgh - you want to knock their otherwise lovely heads together!

I think Icarus bailed out in despair.

Hot, sunny but windy in the west - we'll head east then.