Sounion, Kea and Porto Rafti – Revisited with Friends

We made a point to suss out the places we were going to sail to with our friends Colin and Wendy prior to their arrival so we were familiar with the harbours and there would be no surprises.  So the next few destinations were happy revisits for us.  

After a great day in Hydra, the next morning was an early start as we weighed anchor in Poros and motored out the bay.  There was a good wind as we rounded the headland so we put up the Genoa and mizzen having a smooth sail across the Saronic Gulf.  Sadly after about an hour the winds died and we had to resort to the iron spinnaker (motor for you landlubbers).  Still we enjoyed the passage, having baklava for Elevens and lunch while under way.  

Morning tea while under way

This was the first and longest passage at sea on Songster for Colin and Wendy and all went smoothly.  We anchored at Sounion mid-afternoon in time to have a refreshing swim in crystal clear waters under the shadow of the Temple of Poseidon.  Then ashore to visit the Temple and have a great dinner of Greek specialties at Ο Ηιλιος while sipping Ouzo and watching the sunset.

The anchorage at Sounion

The Temple of Poseidon late afternoon

The next day we headed off for Kea after Colin and Wendy had their early morning swim.  Past the heads we had perfect winds for a direct rhum line course to Vourkari, Kea.  We had one of those rare, in the Mediterranean, near perfect sails.  On arrival another swim off the boat, Spritz sundowners and then entertained all evening by two weddings onshore.  It was lovely to watch the Greek tradition of family and friends accompanying the bride through the village to the church, clapping in a rhythmic beat – ta-ta-ta, taaa, but with a modern touch of a drone recording the whole procession.  Afterwards there were fireworks and music into the wee hours.

Enjoying Spritz sundowners

Another brilliant sunset

 The next morning we caught a taxi to the Chora for an explore, lunch and a visit to the Lion of Kea.

The Lion of Kea

Colin being adventurous

The beautiful blue and white of Greece

One of the residents of the Chora

That evening Louise and Gary from LuLu came to Songster for sundowners.  We had just met this nice American couple a few days previously, although we had been talking with them over the HF radio for months as part of the Med Net.  I was glad Colin and Wendy could meet other cruisers and hear their stories.  It was a very pleasant evening chatting amongst the six of us.

The next day we thought we would go to another anchorage in Kea about 8 nm south of Vourkari.  Rod the God (Rod Heikell, Greek Pilot Guide author and the bible for all cruisers in these waters) said Koundouros was a nice quiet bay.  When we arrived late morning we found a rather rolly anchorage with very poor holding – lots of rock shelves and scanty sand and drab, half-finished buildings onshore.  We finally managed to set the anchor but the holding was not good enough for an overnight stay.  So we had a lovely swim and lunch before making our way back to Vourkari and a great dinner on shore – Thank you Wendy.

Sadly the last full day on Songster for Colin and Wendy came and we had to head back to the mainland so they could go back to Athens and catch the long flight back to Australia.  The passage back across the Kea Channel into the Evia Channel started with a bit of wind and rocky-rolly seas but calmed down to a very nice sail.  We arrived at Porto Rafti early afternoon and after a swim, nap and game of Mexican Trains Dominos we went ashore of our last dinner.

Our last dinner together in Porto Rafti

The next morning Colin and Wendy caught a bus to Athens.  We had a great visit with them.  They slotted into the boat live wonderfully.  The morning after they left I woke up fully expecting them to still be there for another day of companionship.  It was very sad to realise they were on their way back to Australia.  

So to summarise a few statistics from those logs Colin and Wendy saw me scribbling in:  Colin and Wendy were with us for 8 days.  We did 4 passages on Songster and one ferry to Hydra visiting two Saronic Islands (Poros and Hydra), one Cycladic Island (Kea) and two anchorages on the Attica Peninsula (Sounion and Porto Rafti).  We sailed 84.2 nautical miles and had nearly 19 hours at sea.  So Colin and Wendy – you are on your way to being old salts now!