August 18 – 27, 2015
After over a week in Poros we finally weighed anchor having had one last dip in the lovely hotel pool on the north side of the harbor, and one last dinner at our favorite restaurant where we got to know the proprietor, Dina, and her family. The restaurant is called “Gia Ma’s” and is right on the waterfront in the middle of town. 
The pool arrangement on the other side of the harbour was perfect; come for lunch poolside and enjoy the hotel pool and use of the fast WiFi. Back on the boat, after such a long time at anchor the anchor was well set and could have, no doubt, have held through the next meltimi. Based on the weather forecast, we would soon be weathering the next meltimi two islands over–Siros.
Poros anchorage: 37° 30.3′ N; 023° 27.1′ E, excellent holding, close to town, 40 foot + depth.
With an early morning departure we headed east in calm conditions to a lovely anchorage on the island of Kithnos, about 50 nautical miles away and half way to Siros. We anchored on the northern end of the island in Ormos Kolona. It is an unusual anchorage; two anchorages back to back with a narrow sandbar separating them. There were a lot of boats, including a fair number of power boats, but the protection was good and the beach was inviting, although we never took advantage of it.
Kithnos anchorage: 37° 24.9′ N; 024° 22.6′ E, poor holding in hard pack and weed , large area with shallow depths ranging from 15 to 25 feet.
We motor sailed on to Siros and the recommended anchorage off the town of Fikiadha on the west coast. The anchorage has good holding, clear water for swimming and making water, and a quick ride into the town dinghy dock.
Siros anchorage: 37° 23.7′ N; 024° 52.5′ E, excellent holding, close to town, 35 foot depth.
Fikiadha, Siros, is a small community with only a few basic shops and a handful of tavernas along the waterfront. The harbor was filled with little kids in Optimists learning to sail and big kids in wind surfers zipping to and fro. A few streets back from the harbor the landscape rose up to steep hills with the typical white cubed homes of the islands scattered loosely about. Going ashore we found our usual necessities within a few minutes – grocery store and boat parts. The bakery with fresh breads and cookies was a bonus.
We enjoyed the excellent bus system on the island and took a bus to Ermoupolis for the day, the capital of the island. In 1826, the city was named after Hermes, the god of commerce. It turns out that it is not only the capital of the island but also the administrative seat for the entire Cyclades island group. That keeps the city busy and active for the entire year rather than just through the tourist season as in the other islands. We were there not only to visit and explore the city, but also to find the Vodaphone store so we could get a Greece SIM card and top up our dongle which enables us to have broadband internet access when everything else fails.
The city waterfront is similar to other areas we have been to. The city quay is lined with boats tied up Med-moor style and café tables crowd the sidewalk right up to the water’s edge. With an incoming Meltimi in the forecast it was interesting to see how much the boats at the dock were already rocking with the surge. With the harbor facing east, it was clear that we did not want to be there for any significant weather from the north and east. The motion of the boats would be untenable.
After a waterfront lunch and a successful trip to the Vodaphone store it was time to explore the city. We walked the old town area around the waterfront then decided to head to Ano Syros, a community that sits on a high hilltop behind the capital. 
We started off walking and made it about one-third of the way up to the top where an old monastery sits before realizing it was just too hot to continue the uphill hike. Plan B we flagged down a taxi and rode to the top where the views over the city and harbor were magnificent. After visiting the monastery church we started our walk back down through a warren of meandering alleyways, all lined with whitewashed buildings and steps for sidewalks. We noticed that there were no street names or house numbers to provide any sense of direction to visitors. The homes were very nice and there were a dozen or so shops and restaurants. It must be incredibly difficult to move in or out of the homes there as there were no traditional streets, just steps. 
By the time we made it back to the center of the capital we estimated that we had done over 2,000 steps. It was a good workout, even though it was all downhill. Hot and tired we crashed at a café for ice cream and coffee drinks! Our tasks completed we hopped back on a bus for the ride back to the other side of the island and the boat.
After a week on Siros, the meltimi is still raging but lots of projects were completed. With 25 to 35 knots of wind in the anchorage it looked like we would be around for a few more days. Somewhere in between all the projects Bob decided to take a swim to cool off wearing his good glasses–Oops. The glasses were in 35 feet of water and we did not know exactly where because the boat was swinging so much in the high winds. The next day Bob took on the challenge of finding the glasses. He marked the extreme ends of the swing of the boat. Then, with SCUBA equipment swam a 20 foot search pattern between the two end points. After 45 minutes he resurfaced glasses in hand. Success!
On Friday we were getting anxious to move on to the next island where we were meeting friends who were coming to visit. The meltimi winds were still high but were forecast to drop down to 20 knots for the day before rebuilding to even higher levels. We had to take advantage of the break in weather and make a run for it. Not only should the winds be 10 to 15 knots lighter but the seas should be down to 2 to 3 feet. What a plan! As we left the protected harbor the winds quickly climbed and for most of the run south we were in 35 to 45 knots of wind and 6 to 7 foot seas. Oh well, the sail was exhilarating and we made great time.
We are now in Paros and the meltimi is still blowing. Our friends, John and Eileen are due to arrive on Sunday. We are sure they will be excited to see what a meltimi is all about…