Looking back at Springtime in Greece | Part 3

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Crete – May 4th – May 17th

We had a fantastic sail from the island of Kythera to Crete.  We got to use all of our sails in different configurations which kept us busy during the almost 9 hour passage.  

We arrived on Crete at dramatic Balos Bay just as the day boats were all leaving and we had the place to ourselves. With the rugged mountain scenery as our backdrop, we thought it was heaven but unfortunately it turned out to be hell.  The swell built in the evening and continued through the night, rocking and rolling us so much we started to feel sea sick.  We quickly moved on early the following morning.

We were looking forward to meeting up with our friend Lisa who was on holiday on the island.  With military precision Mike and I anchored directly outside her hotel and texted excitedly “look out of your window, we’re here”.  “Where is that?” came her reply.  Lisa in her scattiness had given us the wrong hotel information and she was actually 20 miles further along the coast near Chania. Our meet up would have to wait another day. 

Chania was a lovely town to base ourselves for a few days.  It was a novelty to be on a town quay and have the freedom and convenience to step on and off the boat. Not only were we able to meet up with Lisa, we also took care of a critical boat job, Mike had some emergency dental work done and we ate some great Cretian food. 

Yucky Boat Job

Earlier this week we discovered that our water tanks had not stayed clean over the winter. There are lots of schools of thought on how to store your tanks and whether you should use chemicals or not.  We had chosen to empty the tanks and add a small amount of white vinegar.  That hadn’t worked, as we discovered when our water pump started screeching at us and on inspection we found a layer of green slime. Yuck!  

Access to the water tanks requires circus performer levels of contortion.  Apparently all the stretch and flexibility classes Mike did at the gym over the winter paid off because I watched with a mixture of concern and awe as he wedged himself into the tight space for hours on end in 90 degree heat while he drained and cleaned the tanks.  I offered to take a turn but can’t deny, I was very relieved when he insisted it was a job for him. Good man!

Cleaning the tanks ended up being a two day job but I am happy to say that 2 months on and the tanks have stayed clean.  Needless to say, we will be using bleach and not vinegar this coming winter!

Dental Work

Mike had something going on with a tooth and wasn’t sure if it was a broken crown or filling but it didn’t seem sensible to wait until October to see our Dentist in the UK.  

After a deep dive into Google reviews I found a dentist close by with excellent reviews and conveniently accepted walk ins.  

The dental office was a little tricky to locate.  We wandered around the 1st floor of an office building unable to make sense of any of the Greek door signs.  In the end, I followed my nose, quite literally and we arrived at a door I proclaimed “smelt like a dental surgery”.  Found it!

The dentist spoke excellent English and quickly ushered Mike into the dental chair for a full examination. Twenty minutes later he walked out with a new filling and a bill for 50€.  Our first time seeking medical attention whilst on the boat couldn’t have gone better.

Spinalonga Leper Colony

By sheer coincidence I’d recently read and enjoyed Victoria Hislops historical fiction book “The Island” based on life at Spinalonga Leper Colony between 1939 – 1958.  

Since we were sailing past the island we decided to drop the anchor and go ashore. The benefit of having our own boat meant that we got there before the tour boats so we had the historic site all to ourselves.  

I got a lot out of the visit to Spinalonga having just read the book.  It was quite something to walk through the tunneled entrance “Dante”s Gate” into the heart of the colony knowing that not that long ago, Greek Lepers also walked this path having been forcibly removed from their homes and families and brought to this point of no return.  Very sobering. The book is an excellent read, I recommend it. 

Crete is the largest of the Greek islands and we sailed the north coast because that was the safest route for the conditions at the time.  Given more time I would have liked to have rented a car and explored more of this mountainous island.  In particular to hike Samaria Gorge, the longest trekking gorge in Europe.  But I learned last year that when you are traveling on a sailboat, you have to be OK missing things out as schedules and weather dictates.  

Rhodes was waiting…