Island Hopin!

Sunny perfect weather, this is Greece! Kea Island and I am waiting. Waiting for good wind. Good wind for my kayak that will make my next crossing a pleasant one. I arrived here on the evening of the 14Th after making the crossing from the port of Lavrios. Before Lavrios which is 20-30 miles southeast of Athens which is just a nice bus ride from Athens where I spent half of last weekend enjoying the city. The week has been a good one, new changes in the right direction as far as my enjoyment is considered.

Athens-Nice place, but really big. Again the weather perfect when I arrived this last Sunday morning. A quick walk around the port with my luggage I was able to find the metro to the city center. Really easy the transport is in Athens. Knowing that the Olympics were there in 2004 I am able to understand why this is. The hostel I was easy to located and very central. Central though is not the central square where everything is nice and perfect. Central in Athens is a hodgepodge of people who live there because it works for them. I liked it. I met so many different people on the streets, mostly foreign to Greece. The Hostel was plane, kind of reminded me of a hospital. Yes it was very clean but no character.

As it was a Sunday the historical sights were free and that is a great plus as they were expensive compared to other such sights throughout the world. Amazing though, I was really impressed like anyone should be. I do find these types of places funny. Everyone taking pictures left and right with no real need to look at them I guess, maybe they do that at home I am not sure?

Enjoyable as the sights are I really like to see what is going on at the moment while in city's not just the historical. Athens is great for this. Wide range of people watching, from the markets to the tourist sights, to the parts of town you would not want to be seen at night. So overall Athens was great, I was able to see a small part of the culture but still with the motivation to get moving and start the Greek part of my Kayaking trip.

Intentionally I was going to start on the 13Th from the Port of Lavrios. I made it to Larios around 9AM or so but the fact is I wanted more time to set up. I first need to stock my water supply. A quick hop to the supermarket and then to the port and I was ready to start unpacking my boat and setting up.

The marina in Lavrios is nice I think. Mostly full of charter boats but also some private boats. I found a nice area and talked with the owner of one of the charter boat company and he said to go right ahead an put in wherever I needed. Nice and simple. Few people believe me at first when I say I have a boat in my bag. I think that it is funny too when they are surprised like I lied to them! When setting up my boat I always get a lot of lookers. I am thinking if you want attention you need million dollar boat or mine, either way I can get attention.

One to notice what I am trying to do was an older but still young Italian guy who owned a nice sailboat near here I was setting up. Interested and wondering we talked and talked. Daniel a tried and true sailor with countless years on sailboats liked my idea. In mutual respect we talked about sailing and the fact that I knew nothing about what I was doing but with Daniel in total agreement of my undertaking with the same understanding of desire for adventure. My departure was delayed yes by talking and learning so I decided to stay there in Lavrios that night enjoying the company and incite of Daniel. Slow process of setting up the boat was also delayed again when Daniel made me lunch and made me drink a glass of his special wine from his home in Italy. With the boat perfected and my nerves at easy for not having to cross that day Daniel and I basically talked all day about anything and everything. That night we ate everything Italian (besides the Swiss chocolate.) Great simple Italian food and after a nice walk into town for coffee and of course Italian. That night I had my own cabin on the boat what a pleasure really, with my boat tied to the back of the boat I slept great that night looking forward to the crossings.

14Th- The biggest sailing/ kayaking day of my life and I felt good. Calm winds, a nice cup of coffee and the encouragement of everyone on the docks I was off. Heading out of the harbor it was really calm. Putting crossings into easy terms for me when crossing: I just think of it like I am right on shore but actually miles from it. I believe the mental game for me is big. All I really have to do is paddle and sooner than later I will get to the other side. What I want to do is watch out for other boats. I am not really sure but am almost positive that the radar on other boats can not see me. My idea is that I will dodge the ships not even thinking that they see me to move out of my way. All of my thoughts are conservative with the confidence that all it is is paddling.

The first crossing is about 2.5 miles and the secound is almost 10 miles, 9.89 to be exact. All I can really do is start and start I do. Four to 6 hours it should me. Again all I can really do is paddle. Just a mental game to keep going. There is a little wind so I am able to sail which gives me a little push. The sail does a great job and I feel confident of the stability of the boat and the sail.

Time goes on throughout the crossing and so do I. In my head I think of this as a big ordeal, it maybe or it may not, but I make it one. Winds pick up a little near the island. Eyes are set on a small beach that has a nice campground I have heard. It is a little rough getting in the bay as the winds coming off the cliffs. Still I am able to sail into the bay landing the Kayak on a nice pebble beach. Empty as it looks there are people around. Being my first stop I have nothing to work off of in perspective. There is a small restaurant with some people working in it. I ask about camping only to find out I need to wait tell 5PM. No problem, the wait on a nice beach with a slight breeze and a warm sun goes fast as I fall asleep shortly after sitting down.

Campground is not open and I really do not want to camp out alone as I have done enough of that for right now. I enjoy human contact believe it or not. The town of Korissa is a nice 5 or so miles away with another 3 hours I should reach it in not time. The water is still nice just a little wind but nothing to be worried about. Time goes by fast me singing to myself and watching the coastline go by. Arriving at Korissa it has a nice pleasant port with everything I need. Paddling in to the port people greet me with wonder of where I have came from. It is a nice evening. John a local whose family owns a gyro shop tell me to come by after my boat is taken care of. I end my day with a gyros and a beer and sleep on my boat tied up along side the rest of the harbors boats, falling asleep to an old man who talks to himself and he seems to enjoy it!

Same old man I fell asleep listening to still at it when I awake from my boat. I was able to sleep 11 hours laying on my boat with people passing as it was tied up right along a sidewalk. This is a skill I think I could use in the future. The night before I did not really even look at the small town. I want to stay at least a day and get a feel for the place. Organizing and waking up just the normal routine I have in the morning I meet Phil. Phil and his wife Daniele an Australian, French couple have a 46 foot Sailboat 50 meters or so down the way with a couple fishing boats between us. We talk just about well sailing I guess and the norm of what and why we are in Greece. Phil offers me if I want to tied my boat off to his to keep my valuables safe and a little more protection from the wake the ferry gives off. Great and again I am amazed by how wonderful people in this world are. Phil and Daniele's boat is amazing a great early retirement home! There plan is to sail the next 5 years with the destination of Australia. Coffee is nice and welcoming as is visiting like always with good people. There plan for the day was to walk up to the small village of Loulis/Chora. Me being my rude self pretty much ask myself to be invited with a nice for sure from Phil and Daniele. 5.5Km a nice walk into the hills of Kea. The place was really nice, small streets with beautiful colors and wildflowers all the way there. The big attraction though was this stone lion dating back to 600 BC I think. Yep we saw it and it looked like a lion. The nice part of the walk though was the good company and the perfect spring weather. Nice Greek salad at a restaurant and walked back to the port. The rest of the day I took some notes from sailing books of the area and enjoyed the heat of the afternoon. So nice of them Phil and Daniele invited me for dinner on there boat which I could not refuse. Dinner was perfect, a fresh lentil vegetable soup, wine, bread, cheese along with a coffee. Again a perfect night of visiting with great people into the night over dinner. I am so grateful for the amazing people I have met and thank you all!

I slept on the deck of Phil and Daniele's boat. Today though the weather is not what I am wanting for sailing my boat. Phil and Daniele offered to take me around the top of this island on there boat. That would have cut off a good 6 or so miles. But with the forecast and the way it was looking my plan now is to hold up here tonight again so I am able to get the best forecast I can for tomorrow even though a longer day. Somewhere around 20-5 miles which is not that bad. 8 mile crossing but so far the forecast looks great for tomorrow. I am just taking this one day at a time learning a little more patients everyday. I can't complain though, life is good.