We grew some balls and left Tinos in the Meltemi

We decided that this wind was simply not going to quit, we have a great boat and if we prepared properly that we should git. At 4:30am when the wind should have backed off a little I got up to another howler. Al and Sal joined me at 5:00 and we battened down the hatches, prepared the life jackets, grabbed a bite and at 6:30 on the 6th July we cast off and headed out...

The plan was to stick to the SW coast of Tinos where we felt there would be wind but not waves before heading out into the big seas toward Kea once more. The aim is to get back to Lavrio to sort a few things before finally going west and toward Croatia.

Sails up on the second reef, ie; about half the full size, we headed in growing winds along the coast but the closer we got to the land, the stronger the wind? Why? Well because the sloping land down to the sea acts like the back edge of an airplane wing. As the air moves from the north over the heights of the island, in order for there not to be a vacuum, it gets 'sucked' down the descending slope picking up speed as it goes. By the time it reaches the sea it is moving much faster than at the top of the slope.

We soon found ourselves sailing in wind speeds of over 45 knots. That's 85 km/hour, and even though we were close to the coast, it was rough... We tried heading away from the land and within 500 meters we were sailing in 25 knots and surfing at around 10 knots and loving it.

Sal went back to bed.

The Med then did what the Med does.. Here is the sail log for the day, talk about inconsistent..

6:40am Sails up at Reef 2 in 45 kts wind
8:00am Sails all the way up in fading wind
8:30am Headsail furled in 7 kts wind
8:40am Mainsail down in nil wind, engines on
8:50am Fishing rod out
9:00am Headsail out in rising 15 kts wind
9:45am Mainsail up to reef 1 - engines off
10:50am Mainsail failure in 25kts wind, all sails down to assess the problem
12:55pm Anchored in Kavia Bay on Kea Island.

The Mainsail is brand new, has special ceramic rings for the reefing lines to slide through and these somehow detached.

I called Nikos, he blames his boys for not connecting them properly but assures me it is a minor problem. Just one more to deal with on arrival in Lavrio which is planned for Saturday afternoon when the charter boats vacate the harbour. None left this week due to the winds so no room at the Inn, hence our stop on Kea.

We stopped in Kavia Bay on Kea on the way to Syros but I didn't really get any shots of the little paradise, So here you go...

Although this particular spot is every bit as relaxing as it looks, it is a little expensive. 











There are two beach venues in Koundouros Bay but on the previous occasion, the second looked to be closed. 

I popped over in the dingy to take a look and was greeted by Fotis who bellowed the available facilities as I circled offshore and pointed out where I could safely moor the dingy. "I'll be back" I said and returned to the boat to collect the hoards.

This was more our speed. Laid back, rustic, very friendly and way cheaper. We were offered front row beach beds and brollies, each with a fresh towel, all free of charge.

Nice snorkeling with a decent cave to explore. The kids are now competent snorkelers and spend hours at it.

The money we saved on imbibables was spent on entertainment for the kids... that includes Al!

We were going to stay just the one night, but Fotis offered to drive us to the nearest TV to watch the France v Germany match. 

So the girls had a night in while Al, Will and I were driven to a teverna a few k's down the coast where it took two men to carry the old school TV out and connect it up so we could watch the game. 

We were fed while we watched and when the match ended well after midnight, we were driven home...

The Greeks never fail to amaze.