Sabbaticus Travel Log: Passage to Crete

Sally & Bata arrive

Sailing friends from the UK, Sally and Bata, were keen to join us for the passage from Turkey to Sicily and joined Sabbaticus in Fethiye. After a couple of days acclimatizing to the warmer temps, enjoying swimming at anchor and a few local meals out we departed Fethiye for Crete. The weather forecast looked promising for a three day passage but as we continue to learn the the forecasts are changeable.

Lindos Acropolis

The first 5hrs was perfect weather but the wind steadily increased to 35kts. This was time to remove the reefed genoa and put up the storm jib. John had the task of going on the foredeck and rigging the forestay for the storm jib – with waves breaking over the bow it was hard wet work but at least the water was warm! After sailing in wind of Force 7/8 (28-40kts), and the inevitable seasickness, we decided to seek refuge on Rhodes Is and anchored in Lindos the next morning. This was a fast passage of 125NM with a max speed of 9kts and average of 6kts which was impressive given most of the trip was sailed under storm jib & a heavily reefed main sail.

Waiting for customers

Downtime

With nobody keen to cook or eat any food during the previous 24hrs it was a quick breakfast and then to bed for several hours to recover. After cleaning Sabbaticus to remove the salt residue, and John going up the mast for a minor sail repair, it was time to launch the dinghy to visit the imposing acropolis of Lindos perched on a sheer cliff face above the village. Lindos was first inhabited around 3^rd century BC and is now a village comprising a maze of narrow lanes and whitewashed houses. We enjoyed seeing the many donkeys around the narrow streets but not the large tourists riding the donkeys to the acropolis.

The unexpected diversion to Rhodes meant we needed a Greek data plan for weather forecasting. This loggie task required Sally and Leanne to forego a relaxing day on the boat swimming/reading and catching a local bus into Rhodes to find the Vodafone shop. The data plan task was quickly achieved and we were then free to enjoy the sights of the Old Town of Rhodes. The Old Town is a medieval walled city contained within 4kms of walls surrounded by moats. Eleven gates access the Old Town with a mixture of different architectures from various historical periods dominated by the Order of St John and the Ottoman period. Approx 10,000 people live and work in the Old Town which was fascinating to wander around the medieval buildings, castles, narrow streets, houses, mosques, fountains and squares.

A short swim home...

After arriving back in Lindos we saw John & Bata on Sabbaticus and waved frantically from the beach. Despite a pre-planned pick up point/time the dinghy never arrived so the only option was to swim to the boat. Leanne stripped down to her underwear and swam to the boat where John promptly departed in the dinghy to pick up Sally with all the groceries. After three days in Lindos the winds were favourable for the passage along the top of Crete. Of interest, Crete is the largest Greek Is and is known as the home of Europe’s earliest civilization. Crete has a strong agriculture economy and is probably one of the only Greek Islands that could support itself without tourism.

Sitia Town Quay

Our next unplanned stop was Sitia in Crete. After leaving Lindos the first 8 hrs were relatively easy sailing until the wind increased to 30kts, resulting in the storm jib being raised at 2200hrs and the main sail reefed down further. After 36hrs sailing we decided to stop at Sitia town quay and arrived just on dusk after 200NM with a max speed of 10kts. Sitia is a small town unaffected by tourism and felt quite authentic with a pretty harbor, waterfront bars and cafes surrounded by the local fishing boats. A Venetian Castle dominated the hilltop and provided great views over the bay.

Spinalonga

After two nights we then departed Sitia to Spinalonga Lagoon which was a lovely day sail across the bay. Spinalonga Lagoon is about 2NM long and provided excellent shelter from the weather and is named after Spinalonga Island which is at the entrance to the lagoon. We anchored in the bay and took the dinghy for a trip to Spinalonga Island. The island is a barren and rocky islet with a forbidding 16^th century Venetian fortress that withstood Turkish invaders for 45 years after the mainland had fallen. From 1903-1957 the island was used as leper colony for Greece and the unfortunate inhabitants experienced the reality of living and dying in isolation. Although now deserted, the picturesque island of ruins has become synonymous with suffering and has an unnervingly sense of desolation.

Spinalonga - Venetian Fortress

While visiting Spinalonga Island Leanne heard another kiwi accent and realized it was another NZ yachting couple we had met in Turkey. This resulted in Brigitta moving across to our anchorage and joining us for sundowners onboard Sabbaticus. The next morning the forecast looked favourable so we headed out of the lagoon only to return six hours later when the forecast changed dramatically with thunder, lighting and 45kts head winds. With no safe anchorages close by we motored back to Spingalonga. After squalls, rain (first time we have experienced rain since June), thunder and lightning the weather settled down and we had a good night’s sleep. We then departed Spinalonga the next morning (finally) for Khanai at the West end of Crete to preposition ourselves for our 500nm crossing to Sicily.