Lightning in Leros, Tuesday 22nd September

We monitor the forecasts, as sailors do, in our bid to head south. They have been consistent: the GRIBS, Greek Meteo, Poseidon, Hellenic, etc: they have also been consistent rubbish lately. We had been expecting a nice steady NW3/4 poss gusts of 5 for days for the passage from Chios to Samos. As with our trip to Chios, we started with little wind from the east. It built to a steady F6/7 later during the day, from the N. Going through the gaps between the islands of Ikaria, Fournoi and Samos, it was gusty (not unexpected). On the south (lee) side of Samos the katabatic effect turned the wind into a gale F8 just as we wanted to take the sails down. After almost 50nm, we were a little tired and apprehensive - we were headed for a bay recommended by a fellow Cruising Association member - any port shelter was still one to two hours away. We did a hasty "dump" of mainsail and headed in. The seas calmed and the wind dropped and we had a remarkable easy night. Somehow the katabatic effect was lost here. Nice sand, a swim, barbecue & sunset….

We carried on next day to the little port of Marathakambo - nice little place that unfortunately did suffer the katabatic effect big time. We were secure however, so hired a car to explore Samos. It is mountainous and varied. We trekked to a major waterfall (sadly needed to swim the last part - hadn't brought costumes - so missed the drop itself), had a picnic en-route to a vertiginous, flower-bedecked mountain village of repute and then visited the "Heraion" - an ancient Greek settlement and temple to Hera. Back "home", change, and out to the local taverna for probably one of the worst meals out we have had in years. Nice setting, shame about the food!

Working south again (after a stop on windswept Fournoi) to the small islands of Arki and Lipso. They are part of a nature reserve archipelago famed for its rare seals, other mammals, birds and flora. In Arki we met up and had dinner with the Cox's (S/Y Straitshooter). It was Vyv's recommendation we had appreciated earlier. He is a good and regular contributor to the CA's bank of cruising information (as well as general yachting press and public talks). Having got through my stock, it was also a good chance to have an exchange of books. A tip from Vyv sent us for a lunch time stop, swim and explore to the islets of Vrak Aspro, still part of the nature reserve. Remote rocklets stuck out in the middle of the water; here we saw two pairs of Eleanora Falcons. A real treat - we tried to photograph them, but difficult on a bobbing boat with a lens on full zoom.

Forecasts have been showing high winds and thunderstorms for after the weekend. Given our last three trips have seen unforecast 35-38kn of wind; we don't know what to believe. But we are running out of food and water, so decide we need to put ourselves somewhere sheltered and with facilities. We leave the wilds behind - after a one night stop off the nicely named Arkangelos, we are now back on Leros in the main harbour of Lakki. We were lucky, it seems the entire cruising world is congregating here and it was a scrum for the quay. One large yacht was leaving as we arrived and we and a French boat squeezed nicely into this last, vacated space. An advantage of not being too big a boat. This time, the forecasts were not wrong and the thunder, lightning and rain have come with a vengeance. Friends Colin & Shirley on Silent Wings are here somewhere. They have made contact and it is dinner together tonight (rain willing). Just waiting for the right gap in the storm now to go and do a shop….. Happy to be here to sit this out.