Facing down the wind

Paloi Harbour, Nisyros - 21st August

Makarma is the kind of boat that likes a bit of wind - especially when we're going downwind. The trouble is, if you want wind around here there's usually too much of it. Take Friday when we left Pothia on Kalimnos for instance. After a gusty night on anchor watch, we set off to head round the west of Kos bound for Nisyros. The meltemi was blowing 20-25 knots, but the gusts off the hills as we left Pothia had the wind instruments leaping to 40 knots. It actually never occurred to us to turn back as with our stern to the wind and a bit of jib out the boat wasn't overpressed, especially once we got beyond range of the gusts. Later we had a 3 metre high following swell and below decks got to look a bit like a car crash with books, tools and papers flying about. Thankfully our trusty Aries did all the steering for us, or we wouldn't have coped. We were pretty tired by the time we surfed round the newly extended breakwater into Paloi harbour on Nisyros 32 miles later. We tied up beside a Russian boat whose skipper clearly thought we were either very brave or very stupid to have been out. We were lucky to find a space as the harbour was packed with boats that had opted to sit out the wind in harbour - I wonder why? 

 

Our Italian friends Neil and Erica had told us we must go to Nisyros. They used Paloi as their cruising base last summer. On their advice, we sought out Mike at Eagle's Nest who hired us a scooter for the day to go and see the island's dormant volcano. 

 

When the crater attendant saw we had one of Mike's bikes, he said, "I am Mike's second cousin, so you are family. If you want anything just ask me!"  It's a short but smelly climb down from the crater rim to the floor.  We could have done with gas masks.

 

Fiumeroles belch out sulphurous steam and superheated mud bubbles in the cracks. Everywhere we heard the disturbing sound of liquid boiling below the surface. 

Leighton's postcard to his nephew Alex and the real deal

Besides attracting loads of daytrippers from Kos, the volcano has produced a bonanza for the island in the form of Yiali, an offshore outcrop of pumice which is quarried to fill the municipal coffers. Later we had an bird's eye view of the crater from the St John the Evangelist monastery and the hilltop village of Nikia, which regularly features as one of Greece's loveliest villages. 

The hilltop village of Nikia overlooking the crater

We ate tender roast goat for lunch there on a terrace overlooking the sea, swam among black basalt rocks at Avlaki afterwards, and finally ended our tour of the island at the Palaiokastro, a massive 8th century BC fortress made of giant polygonal stones.

Palaiocastro, Nisyros

We can see what Neil and Erica liked about Paloi. The harbour is small with a handful of the usual pretty whitewashed houses along the waterfront. We are bows-to the quay facing the Aphrodite and Ellinis tavernas. There's a baker and minimarket and we have electricity and wifi. 

Paloi Harbour

For the moment it's quiet without anchor dramas, although that could change when the charter boats arrive later from Kos. From here we're heading east which will take us off the main track of the meltemi. There's not a breath of wind out there today, and it's not looking like there'll be enough for us to sail tomorrow either. It may be some time before we get a good day of downwind sailing again.