Sailing Calista11 July 2023 – 15 July 2023
Just after mid-day we were finally ready to depart Porto Carras. With some assistance from one of the marina staff we untied the dock lines and eased off the pontoon, then proceeded to motor out of the marina passing the hotel as we headed out through the channel.
There were rocks on either side of the channel which we needed to be aware of, but there was plenty of depth in the centre of the channel to accommodate a draft of 5 metres so there was plenty of depth.
Bye bye Porto Carras.
As there was no wind we motored over to Kelifos Island just a few miles away to check that all was well with the engine and no more diesel spills, as we didn’t want to go too far afield in case there was a problem. I am so paranoid now and kept asking Paul to lift the floor of the engine room and check the engine. We arrived without any issues and dropped anchor at Grande anse anchorage to stop for lunch and a swim.
The island of Kelifos is uninhabited and small, just 1.5km long and 700 metres wide. Only goats and seagulls live on the island.
Kelifos is well known for the snorkeling and scuba diving as there is much marine life, the sea temperature was 28.4 degrees and water was crystal clear.
After our swims, the wind was starting to pick up abit and we left the anchorage to sail back over to Kassandra (the first finger).
We anchored just out from Pefkochari Beach in about 5 metres and it seemed very shallow.
The water was so clear that we could see the anchor well dug into the sand.
We went ashore the following morning and had a walk along the beach and around the small town. It was 31 degrees and already sweltering.
At 11.00am, the beach was packed with hundreds of people as it was peak holiday season.
At the far end of the beach there was a Beach Club – prices not cheap if you want to hire a gazebo or sunbed in the front row.
We had a pleasant night at anchor.
The following morning we left the anchorage of Pefkochari Beach and sailed over to the second finger Sithonia and anchored at Sykia Beach. It was a lovely sheltered anchorage.
Our friend’s on Tipheret arrived into the anchorage the following day and that evening we went by dingy around to the Greek Taverna, “5 Steps in the Sand” for dinner.
The taverna was founded in 1984 and is still famous for it’s Greek Cuisine.
We were reasonably early and got a table on the upper level against the railing where we had a great view looking down over the small bay and to where our dingy was tied up against the wall amongst the fishing boats nearby.
We are experiencing the heatwave currently happening in Greece mainly on the mainland. Out on the islands the temperatures are slighty less, but still around the mid to high 30’s. We are doing plenty of swimming off the back of Calista and will run the air conditioning in the evenings just before we retire for the evening.
The following morning we intend to leave and sail over to Limnos Island where hopefully the temperature is a little cooler.
