On Friday the 24th the wind came from the north, so instead of following the Turkish coast we ended up in Langadha on the Greek island of Khios. We found a spot on the quay and that´s where we stayed during the next 3 nights. The baker, the greengrocer, the fishmonger and other unidentified mongers drove around the village every morning, trying to sell their ware. So we didn´t have to walk far to get fresh bread or potatoes. There were also two mini markets in the village, just selling basics. For some serious shopping you had to go to Khios town, but without a car it´s almost impossible to get there. There´s only one bus a day…..
The village does have the most terrific shower on the beach though! Actually it´s just a water hose, but It has this very uneconomical, non-ecological and zero water saving shower head. In between the short swims, long showers and monger visits, we visited tavernas to get some internet, walked Eddie on the quay, explored the village and tried to stay cool.
After two Greek days it was time to go back to Turkey again. With a decent wind we made it to Karaburun, anchored in the corner of the bay with only 1 meter under the keel and then explored the new surroundings. Surprisingly, we found a big supermarket about 1.5 km away, so early next morning we went back with two trolleys and two backpacks to replenish our stock. A bit too early, as it worked out, we had to wait 10 minutes before the store opened. Back on the boat, all hot and sweaty, we first had to go for a swim to cool down. The plan was to sail to Foça on the other side of the bay (the bay that goes to Izmir), but by lack of wind we sailed/motorsailed/motored to Eksiföça, another bay more east. Of course, as soon as we dropped the anchor there, the wind picked up. We had lunch and another swim and then decided to sail to Foça after all. We started with a speed of 7 knots, so it would only take two hours at the most to get there. Unfortunately, halfway the bay the wind dropped and our speed plunged to 3 to 4 knots. Ok, so it took a bit longer, but we were in no hurry anyway. When we sailed into the bay east of Foça, it looked a bit strange with funny buildings and an observation post on the hill. We knew the next bay was a restricted military area, but according to Rod Heikell´s pilot book (only seven years old) this was an anchorage spot. And yes, we saw a beach with umbrellas and a water slide, so totally reassured we dropped the sails and got the anchor ready. When we were ready to drop the anchor, a small vessel raced towards up at full speed and using a siren. Yep, when it got closer we spotted three military persons. When they were next to us, we were informed that this was a military area and that we had to leave. The beach umbrellas and slide are apparently for military purposes only…. They escorted us all the way out of the bay before they opened the throttle and headed back to their base.
We found another anchorage spot in front of the town and had a good wander around the next morning, before heading to Candarli. Another sail with hardly any wind, which is getting pretty boring. From Candarli we motored (yep, still no wind) to Bademli Limai and anchored between two small islands. That was today, and the wind has picked up, which means we are getting a nice cool breeze!
The village does have the most terrific shower on the beach though! Actually it´s just a water hose, but It has this very uneconomical, non-ecological and zero water saving shower head. In between the short swims, long showers and monger visits, we visited tavernas to get some internet, walked Eddie on the quay, explored the village and tried to stay cool.
After two Greek days it was time to go back to Turkey again. With a decent wind we made it to Karaburun, anchored in the corner of the bay with only 1 meter under the keel and then explored the new surroundings. Surprisingly, we found a big supermarket about 1.5 km away, so early next morning we went back with two trolleys and two backpacks to replenish our stock. A bit too early, as it worked out, we had to wait 10 minutes before the store opened. Back on the boat, all hot and sweaty, we first had to go for a swim to cool down. The plan was to sail to Foça on the other side of the bay (the bay that goes to Izmir), but by lack of wind we sailed/motorsailed/motored to Eksiföça, another bay more east. Of course, as soon as we dropped the anchor there, the wind picked up. We had lunch and another swim and then decided to sail to Foça after all. We started with a speed of 7 knots, so it would only take two hours at the most to get there. Unfortunately, halfway the bay the wind dropped and our speed plunged to 3 to 4 knots. Ok, so it took a bit longer, but we were in no hurry anyway. When we sailed into the bay east of Foça, it looked a bit strange with funny buildings and an observation post on the hill. We knew the next bay was a restricted military area, but according to Rod Heikell´s pilot book (only seven years old) this was an anchorage spot. And yes, we saw a beach with umbrellas and a water slide, so totally reassured we dropped the sails and got the anchor ready. When we were ready to drop the anchor, a small vessel raced towards up at full speed and using a siren. Yep, when it got closer we spotted three military persons. When they were next to us, we were informed that this was a military area and that we had to leave. The beach umbrellas and slide are apparently for military purposes only…. They escorted us all the way out of the bay before they opened the throttle and headed back to their base.
We found another anchorage spot in front of the town and had a good wander around the next morning, before heading to Candarli. Another sail with hardly any wind, which is getting pretty boring. From Candarli we motored (yep, still no wind) to Bademli Limai and anchored between two small islands. That was today, and the wind has picked up, which means we are getting a nice cool breeze!