Thursday, 29th May 2014 Top of Leros

We did most of the 38nm to Kalymnos using the cruising chute - a lovely sail across. We stayed in a couple of places on Kalymnos, meeting up with Colin and Shirley, our friends with the Malo 37 Silent Wings. First to a little bay called Khikladia that boasted no more than a little beach, a few cafes and tavernas, mobile bread vans and fruit & veg vans, and a rather magnificent dive museum. This was created by a local diver who had dived all over the world and decided to share his extensive collection of shells, artefacts, treasure trove, and flora and fauna.

We also went to the capital and main port - a thriving place where fishing boats compete with clipper-like tripper boats. There were lots of fishmongers, butchers and bakers, and ironmongers. To R's delight there were also hardware shops and chandlers and "proper" workshops, where he got a special (American thread from our Magma BBQ) bolt and some welding done for free - small job, the gentleman just waved him away when R asked "how much?" Lovely, kind people, despite the tourism.

Kalymnos is famed for two things - sponges and climbing. There is a sponge warehouse-come-museum with sponges of all shapes, sizes and types. This island was the home of the sponge divers, a dangerous profession reflected in the sponge prices. The deeper the water, the better and slower growing the sponges (a bit like close-together tree rings in slow growth years). Divers would risk going 50-70m down for the best ones. Sadly most sponges now come from N Africa, but there is still a very small amount of activity here. The other key activity is mountain climbing - we were told that this island ranks 3rd in the world for whatever type of climbing they do here! Whether that is true or not I do not know - it is certainly craggy… They climb in the spring and the autumn - the summer, with temperatures reaching 40deg C is too hot - not just for climbing, it is that the rocks themselves are too hot to touch. So Kalymnos prospers more than many islands as it attracts hordes of visitors almost all year round, with only a couple of winter months to recover.

A good meal and catch up with Silent Wings - fish and mussels - and on to the tiny island of Pserimos to get a fix of quiet, solitude and wild goats.

This morning on to Leros, heading north before any meltemi sets in. Apart from its reputation as a lovely place, we want to investigate the possibility of using it as a base on this side of the Aegean to overwinter the boat this year. There are 2 boatyards, one in the south (headed now) and one in the north - each have been recommended by fellow travellers. From there the plan is to go further north and east to Arki and Samos. From Samos we'll go to Kusadasi to enter Turkey, pay our dues, go through all the formalities and start the clock ticking. From entry, we have 90 days (really 88) in a rolling 180 to stay. The choice of Kusadasi is that it is close to Ephesus, one of the "wonders of the world" with a Parthenon I think 3 times the size of the one in Athens.
And Margaret, this is for you. It has suddenly got hot on this side. Water is now 22 deg and warming, air is in the high 20's to mid-30's. R is lapping it up, as would you! I need to acclimatise a bit more - and go swimming…. Probably all for now until Turkey as Greek Sim card is about to finish and no point renewing.

A little postscript. Forget the bottom of Leros for now. A Navtex warning of a SW Gale with thunderstorm came through and we scurried up to the north Leros for shelter. Safely at anchor here (as is Free Spirit), it's 7.30pm and the wind is howling - currently F8.