Amorgos



Skyelark anchored in the bay

By the time I got up people were already starting to arrive at the small beach in the bay, the sun was shining and it looked to be another beautiful day. A few of us took the dingy to shore and walked along the rocky terrain towards the town; we went past a small chapel, the guide book calls it the smallest church in Greece, where we took some photos before continuing on.



We passed a couple more small beaches, just short narrow stretches of sand; each had a handful of people enjoying the sun and water.
The town itself isn’t very big, probably no more than two or three streets deep from the waterfront; we had passed a few buildings with signs advertising “rooms to let”, but no real hotels it seemed. Surprisingly there were quite a few cafes around the harbor and each one had a couple people sipping coffee or maybe wine and beer. I could tell by the different languages that a lot of the people we passed were tourist and it gave me the feeling that this might be one of those places you find by accident, and then becomes a hidden gem you return to time and again; or as in the case of the couple that owned the little café above the bay we were anchored at, maybe a place you retire to and open a small business.



A seaside cemetery

The buildings here were mainly painted white with blue trim, the colors of the Greek flag; it gave the town a quaint feeling and really made us glad that fate had guided us here, rather than our original destination of Mykos. As we wandered we stopped at a small family run organic farm and talked to the young woman who owned it as we looked at the different products they had for sale at their stand.



Buildings typical of those throughout the town



The main church in town



Seeing that someone had rode their donkey into town indicated the slow pace that life has here

There are some old ruins over the hill behind the town, the remains of the ancient capital; Dan, Em and Jim decided to make the trek to see them, while Marita and I thought having a coffee at one of the cafes along the water was more tour liking. I stopped in a shop where they had local products for sale, mainly liquors; and found, of all things, tequila produced on the island from prickly pear cactus; who would have known there was such a thing as Greek tequila.



A shop advertising hand made goods

A fisherman arrived on the boardwalk and started selling his catch; red snapper, scorpion fish and a huge grouper; it wasn’t long before the restaurant owners and passersby had bought it all up.



The trekkers joined us at the café once they had completed their hike and had some coffee; then we all decided to grab a bite to go from one of the grill houses nearby. The prices were very reasonable, gyro meat, salad and fries all wrapped in a pita with a yogurt sauce for 2 Euros.
Once back on board we all had a swim in the clear, though chilly blue water; it was very refreshing after our walk in the hot sun. We got the boat ready and started off for a 24 hour sail to Athens, the highlight of this leg of the charter. We split into teams of two for the longer sails; the couples together and Pete and I sharing duties; the watch schedule is 3 on and 6 off, with Dan and Em taking turns coming up for direction changes at the waypoints, sail adjustments and questions about lights in the distance. Once again it was mainly a job for the diesel engine as the winds are either too light or from the wrong direction to allow us to make timely progress. I love the nighttime portions of the passages, especially with the clear skies we have been fortunate enough to have; but I don’t think I’ll ever get used to being so close to land in the dark.