On our final morning in Astakos, Ken noticed an older gentleman standing on the rocks, busily bashing a couple of unfortunate octopi to death by whacking the heck out of them on the rocks. Although brutal to watch, we'd seen this before, and it appears to be the standard Greek method of dispatching these creatures. What happened next was new, though. A sea lion swam up to the man, who tossed the octopi to him, as if he were feeding a pet. The sea lion eagerly gobbled this breakfast, then turned and swam back out to the bay. Figuring that it was doubtful that we'd see anything to top that, we weighed anchor and set sail for tiny One House Bay on the eastern shore of Atoko Island.
At the end of a sunny 13-mile motor-sail, we anchored in crystal-clear turquoise water, so pristine that it reminded us of stunning Phi Phi Le in Thailand. We dropped our new anchor in white sand among patches of weed, and had the bonus of being able to check its set simply by looking down.
One House Bay has (you guessed it) one house, but also one small chapel. Both were empty, but icons still hung in the chapel, and the spicy fragrance of long-gone incense still lingered in the air. The path to the house was overgrown, but Ken pushed through the bushes to check it out anyway, while arachnophobic Katie waited on the beach, unwilling to bushwhack past the numerous webs. There was nothing much else to see here, so after briefly sunning ourselves on the warm pebbly beach, we returned to SD, with Ken braving the chilly water to swim both ways. (Katie wimped out and rowed the dinghy.)
The following morning we sailed for the island of Kastos, a mere seven miles to the north. Motor-sailing at first, we were actually able to kill the engine after a bit and sail on a nice beam reach. We entered Port Kastos' tiny harbor and tied up bow-on to the quay among a half-dozen other yachts. Med-mooring, as this type of docking is called, can be a pretty tricky maneuver. However, SD's captain coaxed her in with a skilled and tender touch to within 18 inches of the quay, so "spot-on" that the crew, standing on the bow roller, was able to simply step ashore and tie her up.
This tiny place is a popular charter boat stop, with a handful of tavernas in a quiet idyllic setting. We got a couple of cold beers, did a bit of WiFi, and in the evening spent a leisurely visit over a glass of wine with our "next-door" neighbor, Serge, a French Canadian single-hander. We set out the following sunny morning for a hike in the hills above the harbor. The island is charmingly pastoral, with a small herd of sheep and goats grazing in a field near the waterfront. Our walk took us past a ruined windmill, and along groves of gnarly old trees, with the only sounds being the hum of summer insects and a bit of occasional bird-song. Scents of sage, thyme, and eucalyptus drifted on the warm air. We saw a couple of guys working on a house, and waved to one old farmer watering something, but otherwise our walk was solitary, with gorgeous views of the Ionian Sea far below, and of Nisos Kalamos (tomorrow's destination) across the channel.
Cheers! K&K
SandDollar_N4KS@yahoo.com
To track us, click on the YOTREPS gadget or go to: www.shiptrak.org - call sign N4KS
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