Marmari to Lavrion. The final beautiful sail, spinnaker, blue skies a great way to end the season

At 11:30 on September the 20th in nil wind, we cast off, weighed anchor and made a smooth getaway for what promised to be a sedate trip to Lavrion on the Greek mainland about 20 minutes drive from Athens.

After getting through a narrow passage between two islands the sails went up all the way to the top in a light south easterly and the beginnings of what was to come the following day. At 2:00pm we put the Spinnaker up for only the third time this season. A truly wonderful sight against a blue sky.





















A perfect way on a perfect day. We fully expected to see dolphins just to top it all off.

I guess that was asking too much.




Feeling very relaxed, we reached Lavrion at 4:00pm, Filled the fuel tanks to avoid any condensation build up during the winter and got directed to go alongside the inner part of the outer harbour wall, miles from anywhere and we were not happy...

While they were frigging around trying to get these ancient power boxes to work, Sal laid it on thick. She sat hunched on the poop seat right at the front and just glared at them until they finally relented and moved us to a much nicer spot on an inner pontoon which somehow materialised. Onya Sal!

This is not a Marina like Kos where you are close to town and there is at least life at the marina. This is a huge, sprawling, desolate place, miles from town and with three days before her and the kids flew home was a great incentive for Sal to get Googling.

She found this very nice (read expensive) hotel down the Sounion Peninsular with views across the bay to the Temple or Poseidon

Just to underline the need to get somewhere a little more pleasant and the reason we arrived a day earlier than planned.... This is what a big Southerly looks like!

Its a case of... 'We'd rather be in here wishing we were out there, than out there wishing we were in here.'

Miserable! Imagine sailing in this? Trying to refuel, dock and deal with the administration about 300 meters away!

Arriving a day early was one of our better decisions and it shows just how accurate 'Predict Wind' our weather app is.

So, Sal booked two nights at the Grecotel ,we hired a car, packed the best clothes we have... secured the boat and headed south down the peninsular

Nice choice Sal. A really beautiful property, our accommodation a longish but pleasant walk, from these buildings. The weather was no better here, but there was an indoor heated pool with all manner of water massages. Reasonable wifi in the main building so the kids could 'device' while Mum and Dad kicked back..(read, test some interesting Greek cocktails) The Athenian being my favourite.

The food was brilliant, even an Asian restaurant which our systems have craved for months.

We did need to stop and think though that we were looking at a really famous monument over 2000 years old.

Poseidon's Temple built in honour of the God of the Sea served as the last sight of 'civilisation' on the way out and the first sight of 'home' to seafarers back then, but it is the place in Greek Mythology where the Aegean Sea got its name..

By chance we got the other end of this story when we were in Crete last year... A sad tale indeed.

King Aegeus had arranged that his son Theseus drop his black sail and hoist a white one on his return from Crete to show he had survived the terrors of the Labyrinth. 

Theseus did survive but forgot to hoist the white sail, his mind having been otherwise occupied by a young maiden aboard. When King Aegeus saw the fleet returning and noted the black sail, grief stricken he hurled himself off the cliff just below the temple into the sea....

And so the Aegean Sea was named after the sad King Aegeus.