Envoy is currently anchored at Ay Eufemia, Cephalonia Island back in the Ionian Sea.
From Sikinos it's just five miles east to Ios, inhabited for thousands of years by Macedonians, Ionians, classical Greeks, Romans, Byzantine crusaders and Venetians – interspersed with pirates.
We anchor in a large sandy bay called Ormos Milopotamou offering near perfect shelter from the 25 knot gusting 35 knot winds forecast. Although the shelter is good it's a real tourist mecca with hordes of sun-worshipers decorating the beach, high-powered motor boats towing skiers and banana boats around the anchorage and tavernas belting out loud monotonous music - it's anything but quiet. We seem like the oldest people here and Lonely Planet describes Ios as “packaged Hedonism”.
Ios's Ormos Milopotamou beach
The sports boats travel at high speed dangerously close to swimmers and other boats as their drivers give friendly waves, but nobody seems to care – it seems here in Greece rules are made to be broken.
Often it's hard to find a place to leave our RHIB when going ashore. There's no jetty to secure to and it's not allowed to take your RHIB through the swimmers to the sandy beach.
Here Laurie has laid a stern anchor and secured the RHIB's bow to a rocky platform to get ashore.
Ashore there's plenty of places to re-stock provisions and there's a bus service to the hilltop Chora, which unlike recent ones we've visited is sizable and interesting with the usual whitewashed buildings and narrow cobbled lanes lined with shops, cafes and tavernas.
Below the Chora on the island's north-western side is the ferry port, also lined with quaint tavernas and although this harbour has great shelter, yachts are not allowed to anchor here as large ferries need the turning space.
Just one hour's cruise south is the more remote and quieter bay of Ormos Manganari and here we spend much of the next few days sitting out the Meltemi (strong northerly wind). The wind is so strong that there are sandstorms on the beach, water is lifted in sheets of spray off the sea's surface and we can't come ashore during squalls.
Photos of choppy seas often don't come out that well, but these two may give an idea of the conditions at anchor close to shore with an offshore wind, taken from Envoy
Laurie relaxing with a glass of wine on a more settled day
Envoy anchored off Ormos Manganari few days later in settled weather
Beaching our RHIB ashore for an evening drink at Ormos Manganari
Ios is noted as the island nudists come to, but we haven't seen any evidence of that so far.
From Ios it will be an easy “downhill” southerly cruise to Santorini where we meet our next visitors.
FOR FOODIES
Ios has some great local soft cheese made from goat's milk, something between feta and yoghurt and used in Greek Salads.
The wine in this Greek salad photo is cheap locally produced house wine but has a superb colour and aroma, tasting quite reasonable too
From Sikinos it's just five miles east to Ios, inhabited for thousands of years by Macedonians, Ionians, classical Greeks, Romans, Byzantine crusaders and Venetians – interspersed with pirates.
We anchor in a large sandy bay called Ormos Milopotamou offering near perfect shelter from the 25 knot gusting 35 knot winds forecast. Although the shelter is good it's a real tourist mecca with hordes of sun-worshipers decorating the beach, high-powered motor boats towing skiers and banana boats around the anchorage and tavernas belting out loud monotonous music - it's anything but quiet. We seem like the oldest people here and Lonely Planet describes Ios as “packaged Hedonism”.
Ios's Ormos Milopotamou beach
The sports boats travel at high speed dangerously close to swimmers and other boats as their drivers give friendly waves, but nobody seems to care – it seems here in Greece rules are made to be broken.
Often it's hard to find a place to leave our RHIB when going ashore. There's no jetty to secure to and it's not allowed to take your RHIB through the swimmers to the sandy beach.
Here Laurie has laid a stern anchor and secured the RHIB's bow to a rocky platform to get ashore.
Ashore there's plenty of places to re-stock provisions and there's a bus service to the hilltop Chora, which unlike recent ones we've visited is sizable and interesting with the usual whitewashed buildings and narrow cobbled lanes lined with shops, cafes and tavernas.
Below the Chora on the island's north-western side is the ferry port, also lined with quaint tavernas and although this harbour has great shelter, yachts are not allowed to anchor here as large ferries need the turning space.
Just one hour's cruise south is the more remote and quieter bay of Ormos Manganari and here we spend much of the next few days sitting out the Meltemi (strong northerly wind). The wind is so strong that there are sandstorms on the beach, water is lifted in sheets of spray off the sea's surface and we can't come ashore during squalls.
Photos of choppy seas often don't come out that well, but these two may give an idea of the conditions at anchor close to shore with an offshore wind, taken from Envoy
Laurie relaxing with a glass of wine on a more settled day
Envoy anchored off Ormos Manganari few days later in settled weather
Beaching our RHIB ashore for an evening drink at Ormos Manganari
Ios is noted as the island nudists come to, but we haven't seen any evidence of that so far.
From Ios it will be an easy “downhill” southerly cruise to Santorini where we meet our next visitors.
FOR FOODIES
Ios has some great local soft cheese made from goat's milk, something between feta and yoghurt and used in Greek Salads.
The wine in this Greek salad photo is cheap locally produced house wine but has a superb colour and aroma, tasting quite reasonable too
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