Author: Gisela Wuerfel

Yesterday was not only the 1st of May, it was also the first day of the year when the Samariá Gorge was open to hikers. We actually didn't have it on the plan at all, because we thought, so early in the year it is not yet possible to hike through it.

Furthermore we are moored with Aglaya in the harbour of Kolimbari, quiet and safe. So we decide to join a tour organized by Mystical Crete. Fits well: Out for the first of May!

This impressive gorge is 14.3 kilometers long. You climb down 1100 meters of altitude and then it's another 2 kilometers to the small harbor of Agia Roumeli. Early in the morning at 6:20 a.m. the bus picks us up. It first drives towards Chania to collect more gorge hikers. Already the drive up to the plain of Omalos is impressive. But when we reach the entrance to the gorge, it is raining heavily. We wait a bit and then we start walking in the drizzle. About three kilometers we go down very steeply. The stones are slippery from the rain. Despite our good walking shoes we have to concentrate very hard not to slip. 

Again and again we stop to enjoy the magnificent view: into the high mountains of the Lefka Ori (the White Mountains), eleven peaks in this mountain range are over 2000m high. Particularly imposing is the rugged Gíngios. We look down into the gorge and admire the many different large old trees.  Our group disperses, each hiking at their own pace. Our guide Alice follows one hour later to make sure no one is left behind alone.

Gisela has already hiked through the gorge with Greek friends 46 years ago in summer. At that time we spent the night in the deserted village of Samariá, when it was still exceptionally allowed. At that time we were the only hikers. Today, already on the first day of the season, there are more than a hundred people with us. Unimaginable how it will be in summer.

The gorge used to be inhabited by woodcutters and fishermen (probably descendants of the Dorians) who lived here according to their own laws. In 1962 the gorge became a national park. Since then it has been uninhabited. Only a few resting places with toilets are located along the trail.

The tree population changes the deeper we descend. First cypresses and pines, then more and more deciduous trees, almost at the bottom then a lot of oleander. Everything is green and colourful. Beautiful! And also the rocks change, first gray, then more and more red.

On a part of the track the water has disappeared, seeping into the calcareous rock. It's easy to walk there. But then we hear it rushing again. The many crossings of the stream are a challenge for our sense of balance.

At the narrowest point, the gorge is only three meters wide. This, of course, is a photo spot for everyone. 

After five and a half hours we arrived at the end of the gorge. Our feet and legs are tired and we are thirsty for beer. In Agia Roumeli (which can only be reached by boat) we have a great Mythos on tap while we look out over the Libyan Sea and wait for the boat that will take us to Sougia. Here our bus is waiting. Our group is together again. Our guide praises us ("Whoever has walked the Samariá Gorge is a Cretan."). We enjoy the return trip through the impressive mountain landscape. Tired and satisfied, we get on our boat after a long, exhausting and very impressive day.

In Kolymbari in the very west of the bay of Chania nearly in front of Gonia Monastery we found a good place at the pier. A marina is to be built here, but hardly anything is noticeable of it yet. A well protected place, but no electricity and water at the pier. For us a good place to explore the west of Crete a bit. Nobody asks how long we want to stay here with our boat. The locals we get into conversation with think it's good that we live on our boat. "You guys are doing it just right. Enjoy!" This warm friendliness is so nice!

Pictures of Gonia Monastery:

After all, there is so much to see here: the mountains, the green hills with the many olive trees and the avocado plantations, gorges, spectacular coastline, impressive monasteries and Chania with the beautiful Venetian harbour and the touristy alleys of the old town. We could have moored here as well. But at the harbour in Chania it is noisy, during the day masses of tourists, at night the soldiers of the Greek Navy and the southernmost NATO base in Europe and the students of the University of Chania celebrate here. We visit Chania quite relaxed by bus and notice that even in April there are quite a few tourists, mainly package tourists from the hotels on the north coast. 

Pictures of Chania:

And in the evening we are back on our boat. Everything is quiet, we look into the stars and over to the monastery of Gonia. 

We hike up the mountainous peninsula of Rodopou in fierce gusts of wind. With a rented car we explore the west coast of Crete: the bay of Kissamos, Falassarna with a view of Gramvousa, the monastery of Chrisoskalitissa and the Caribbean beach of Elafonisos. Gisela was here 46 years ago - by bus and on foot. At that time there was nothing here. It is interesting to see what kind of tourist infrastructure has been built in the meantime, fortunately no multi-story hotel buildings so far. But at the moment it is still the pre-season. And nevertheless, although it is not yet bathing weather, there are already quite a few tourists here. In the high season, there are supposed to be 4-5 thousand tourists a day. Unimaginable for us. The infrastructure is far from sufficient. On the washed up flatland in front of the steep rugged coast, vegetables are grown on a large scale, including bananas.

Pictures of Chrissoskalitissa:

Pictures of Elafonisos:

A second trip by car takes us first to Souda, the ferry port of Chania. Here we find in the marine supplies store Drakos what we currently need for our boat. Then we go to the peninsula Agrotiri - densely populated at the beginning. Here is also the airport and the NATO base. But then it becomes wild and rugged. We visit the beautiful monastery Agia Triada and drive on a narrow bumpy road to the monastery Gouverneto. From here there is a path to a cave where a hermit is said to have lived. A farmer shot him because he mistook him for a bear. Steeply the path then goes down through a gorge to the abandoned monastery of Agia Katholiko. We do not walk all the way down, since we are already a little late. A problem with the cooling of our rental car had delayed us a bit. But: spectacular the wild gorge and the view to the sea. And impressive the monument to the Greek partisans killed against the German occupation of Crete in 1941. A large stone made of quartz. What the German Wehrmacht did here and in many other places on Crete: Here we can only bow our heads, linger in silence and rejoice that the people here are always so friendly and helpful to us.

Pictures of Akrotiri:

In the harbour of Kolymbari we observe the preparations for the beginning of the season. The excursion boats are being made fit. The cats, some of which starved to death during the winter, are eagerly waiting for the guests in the tavernas to drop something from their plates under the table. And talking to the man from the diving center, we hear once again that the weather conditions are changing, becoming more unpredictable. He has already thought about selling his boat.

Arrive, stay and get to know - good that we have time!

More pictures of Western Crete:

We had been thinking back and forth about sailing to Crete. It is a very interesting island and we have friends who live there. From the Peleponnes it is two long trips. The wind conditions in Crete are demanding and the safe harbours and anchorages are rare. To Crete you usually get quite well, but back you often have to cross against the prevailing north wind, which blows quite strongly as Meltemi on the north side of Crete. "Crete is a wind hole, I don't go there with my boat, but with the ferry", told us a boat neighbour in Astros, who is sailing with his catamaran all year round. We did it now anyway, looking out for a weather window.

Three days ago we cast off our ropes in Monemvasia and set course for Cape Maleas, which is well known for its chaotic strong winds. There it was rather calm, as also in the passage between the Peloponnese and the island of Kythira. Here it is important to watch out for commercial shipping. Our depth gauge did not tolerate the proximity to a freighter very well and did not give a correct depth anymore. With the attempt of a reset it has said goodbye then completely. So further without depth gauge and tightened navigating with Navionics. There a slight restlessness, especially when entering the anchorage Avlemonas on the island of Kythira and when anchoring could not stay away. But it worked out well and we had a relatively quiet night in the beautiful large bay in front of the long sandy beach all alone. And a nice morning red with the coffee before leaving.

On the next island on the way to Crete, on Antikythira, there are no sheltered bays to spend the night and the only port is very small. When the 96 meter long ferry turns, there is a lot of swell. It does not have to be. So we decided to take the long way of 56 nautical miles directly to Crete into the bay of Chania. After the beautiful morning red then cloudy sky, cold wind sometimes from the east, then from the west, then too little to sail. And on the sea around us no other ship or boat in sight. A feeling like at the end of the world, if we had not seen the snow-covered high mountains of Crete soon and would know: There we want to go.

We reached our destination Port Kolimvari (in the very west in the bay of Chania) quite relaxed even without our depth gauge. Originally a pure fishing port, there are works going on - also with EU funds. A marina is to be built. There is not much to see yet. No water and electricity, but plenty of space. We are the only guest boat. So ropes out and moored. Crete welcomes us with clouds and rain. Kalispera Kriti!

Astros has pleased us again, but then we cast off on April 11, although the wind continues to blow from southern directions. We want to sail along the coast 30 nautical miles into the bay of Kiparissi. One third of the distance we can actually sail nicely. Then again the engine. This time we anchor on the north side of the bay surrounded by high mountains. At the small pier in the village, where we had already moored twice in the last years, we suspect swell. Good choice! We spent a nice evening and a quiet night in this beautiful scenery.

The next day we continue 13 nautical miles, into the Gulf of Gerakas, which we can see much better coming from the north than during our visit last year, when we approached from the south. With two other boats we are anchored in front of bow anchor with the stern to the pier. All nice and calm. But in the afternoon the wind suddenly blows with gusts of almost 40 knots from the valley onto our boats. The anchor of the neighboring boat slips. We are moored, but all bring out long springs to secure their boats. In the evening the gusts are over.

The next morning we continue. Destination Monemvasia. But first we have some stress, because our anchor winch does not work. 60 meters of chain to haul in by hand. Oh dear! But fortunately it works electrically. The next day we clean the contacts in the archaic system our boat has and dream of a remote control operated via Bluetooth. But: all is well again after we crawl into the anchor locker in Monemvasia.

Monemvasia! Here we were last year also in April, experienced a storm with dangerous breakers in port. And last year in October it was the first port in the Peloponnese that we called at on our way back from the Aegean.

The crane is still in the harbor, they poured concrete for the new marina. But it will probably take another two years until everything is finished. The floodlights on the pier are already in place. We wouldn't have needed them. We prefer to look at the stars. Only a few sailboats are moored here these days. But there are many motor homes. How will it be in summer? There is no infrastructure for this kind of mass tourism. But it would be a good source of income for the municipality.

We experienced the Greek Easter (one week later than at home) here. Greek Orthodox, the highest festival in the annual calendar.  Above all, a festival of families celebrating with friends and neighbours. Church service, procession, at midnight on Easter Sunday the churches open, everyone lights their Easter candle, greets each other and wishes each other a happy Easter. Large balloons with candles inside rise into the air and are driven out to sea by the wind. And then everybody celebrates and eats, because before that it was Lent: at night the ragout from the lamb, red colored Easter eggs are diced, Easter cakes, and on Easter Sunday there's lamb on the spit. That's how we experienced it in Monemvasia. Beautiful and impressive, especially the social gathering of families and friends. 

Now Easter is over. We walked here again beautifully through the sea of flowers and rocks. Now we look south to Cape Maleas. Past it we want to sail with favourable wind along Kythira and Anti-Kythira to Crete.

We are not yet on our way south. The weather continues to be quite unsettled and cold with rain. And the wind often blows from the south. So we have not yet made our way south. But almost a week ago we left our anchorage in the bay of Kilada. Our water tanks were empty. We didn't want to fill them with the murky, somewhat salty water of Kilada. So we sailed across the Argolic Gulf to the west and moored in the harbor of Paralio Astros. This is also where we were last year on our way to winter break. And here we have good fresh water from the mountains.

Paralio Astros is a nice little place with the ruins of a castle towering over it. At this time of the year the town has a few hundred inhabitants, in summer it becomes over 10,000. Many Greeks come here for a seaside vacation. And there are people who spend a longer time here every year. So we made a nice acquaintance with Ulrike and Jörg from Berlin. They have an apartment here for years, also work from here at times and know many of their Greek neighbours. They know the town an the environment and could also tell us, where to find good wine, the best olive oil and the most delicious eggs.

From our boat we can look at the Parnon mountains. The highest peak is over 1900m. Last small snow fields we could already make out up there when we arrived. But a few days ago everything was really white there again in the morning. Fresh snow!

The mountains always attract us and we like to hike. So on a dry day we drove 25km into the mountains to the village Platanos. There are waterfalls, caves and chestnut trees. You can hike from here along a creek bed 15km to the sea. However, in the creek there is currently still so much water that the path was not possible. So we hiked back over the mountains - a long tour with great views into the mountains and wide views over the Argolic Gulf.

We also celebrated a bit of Easter here - with delicious strawberries, which are just ripe, and of course with breakfast eggs, which we have not had on board before. Easter decorations are also provided. Karli and Annie (just under four and two years old) blew out eggs at home in Heidelberg with their dad and painted them for our boat. They survived the journey to the boat in one piece. The Greek Easter is coming next weekend.

Now we have been here in the harbour for almost a week and continue to wait for favourable wind and dry weather. Right now it is raining again, but tomorrow it should stay dry and the wind should turn to north.

On March 22nd we found our boat in good condition at the boatyard of Kilada (at the southeast corner of the Peloponnese, a bit north of Porto Heli). Together with about 600 other boats it had spent the winter there. Some minor repairs to the deck and some minor woodwork had been done in our absence. 

Before the 2023 sailing season can begin, we spent a good week doing care, maintenance and preparation work. We had some assistance with the engine from Ermioni Marine Service. A cheerful, fit female mechanic came aboard ("I love my job!"). Today, March 31, the professional staff of Basimakopouloi got us into the water in no time.

Now we are anchored in the beautiful sheltered bay of Kilada, getting used to the fact that it is rocking again, repairing a few more small things and checking the weather before heading west across the Argolic Gulf. The last few days it was nice and warm during the day, but overnight it got quite cold. Unfortunately, more unsettled, colder weather is announced for the next week.

Our plan for the next weeks: along the west side of the Argolic Gulf to the south and then further to Crete. Here we plan to visit friends. The anticipation of sailing is rising.

Well, we have finally managed to sift through our many photos and videos of our life on Aglaya over the past year. We have selected a few and compiled six videos from them. In doing so, we re-did our trip from the Peloponnese around the Aegean Sea. We have seen and experienced a lot. And we can say: All in all it was a windy season.

Here you can watch the videos: Sailing 2022

We are already looking forward to the next season. Towards the end of March we will go on board again.