Alacati to Oinousses via Bad Choice

We liked Alicati but was time to go. We felt it was time for a taste of Greece and chose 'a sleepy little gem of a place' as Rod Heikell (Author of the Greek and Turkich Pilot Book no sailor would be without) described it and with the wind from the north it looked like it would be an exhilarating sail...

The wind speed steadily climbed as we headed west and there is a warning that it can become treacherous as you pass the peninsular you see looking a little like the pigs nose. By the time we reached there, it was Meltimi time and for the first time, we got the whole reefing thing right. Turned into the wind we reduced the size of the mainsail to the second reef. Basically halving the sail area and furled the headsail to about half its normal size too. Yet with half the normal sail size we were still making eight knots...

When we reached Kataraktis we could not for the life us understand why it was described as 'a gem of a place...' armpit would have been more apt!

With little of interest on the west coast of Chios, no real choice but to beat our way north on a very uncomfortable sea for three hours to the haven that is Oinousses. A beautiful natural harbour protected from all wind directions and a huge relief after such a tedious voyage.


So much room, we went alongside, plugged ourselves into a waiting power source and kicked back. .

The town's claim to fame is that it was the birth place of Greece's wealthiest ship owner, and no, for your final question for one million dollars, it wasn't Aristotle Onassis, it was in fact Costa Lemos. For a place with not much going for it, the facilities here are amazing and the statues of the rich guys dotted about the place are testament as to why.


The local school had a full size basketball court which doubled as a futsal field. This Astro Turfed soccer stadium and athletics facility complete with Olympic style winner's podium would not have been out of place in Athens.

The grave yard, a place I always find fascinating housed the most elaborate mausoleums big enough for a game of squash.






But the place was dead (no pun intended) until the sun went down and out came the kids. Loads of them.

This is Will's prompt to bring out the soccer ball...

Within minutes it was game on and a very intense game at that. You'd have thought Will was a local with the high fives and team hugs whenever a goal was scored.

At one point the ball ended up on a high balcony, Will discovered the ladder and the team effort was inspiring to watch.

For the adults, there was the yacht club...

Apparently, August is when all the rich and famous families congregate. The harbour is full of motor yachts you'd expect the richest of shipping magnets to own.

There are some splendid looking homes which look as if they are used infrequently and unfortunately all locked up, we'd love to have had sticky beak.

Soccer for the kids, Yacht Club for the adults..

Now remember I was telling you about the cost of berthing in a marina in Turkey. I'll remind you that Alacati Marina was 130 Euro per night plus power and water. Oinousses, Greece where you go alongside, plug in without  having to ask or acquire a special fobb and had to find someone to pay. When I said we'd been there for one night and would be staying another, he said "Look, because you are a catamaran I'll say you just arrived and charge you only for the one night." How much??

7.35 Euro! Whilst I'm not complaining, it may have something to do with the comparison between Turkish and Greek economies...