More pics from beautiful Klima

A trip to Klima bay and the latest Xmas BLOG - Happy new year everyone.

Hi again ! We hope you all had a great Christmas ? Our first Christmas in Samos proved to be as lovely as we had hoped due to the amazingly warm weather and also the warm hospitality of our new friends and neighbours.  We were invited to join some of the other English people living here for a small Christmas eve gathering in a taverna on Pythagorio harbour front. All were taking a few nibbles , and our friendly pack of local dogs, who come to the boat regularly to be fed, followed us into town in the hopes of getting a xmas snack!  The sun was shining and there was not a cloud in the sky as we all sat gazing out at the glorious view . A small Greek band passed by collecting for local charities and playing Christmas carols! It felt a little weird toasting Christmas in the blazing sunshine but we are sure we will get used to it in time and we didn’t mind in the slightest that we were all feeling too hot !!  We also had  a few glasses of wine with our Dutch neighbours , Mike and Luka who sailed their Catamaran all the way from Holland to Samos despite having hardly any experience of sailing or being at sea!! Sounds as though they had an interesting journey and they had some hilarious stories to tell about their journey! ( the wine may have helped of course!) We met up with them again later that night and also Ann and Bob in the marina taverna. Needless to say it was a very merry xmas eve!! Hic!

We woke to another beautiful day on Xmas morning and opened our presents sat around our little boat xmas tree drinking bucks fiz ! Father Christmas had bought us some lovely presents… including a special gift …an engagement ring! Yep we got engaged !!   Not gonna get all mushy and stuff but it was a moment never  to be forgotten.! ( Aaaaw!) Moving swiftly on…we had been invited to the marina taverna by the manager Marcus for xmas dinner but as we already had plans to do our own on board later and were going to another English friends for xmas afternoon drinks and nibbles we decided we would just pop in for a drink! But in true Vicar of Dibley style we were invited to eat and a lavish spread of turkey with all the trimmings! We ate and drank what we were offered ( many helpings of turkey and stuffing!) so as not to offend , … then had to leave to go to our next invite! We both felt just like Dawn French on our way into town where we again ate, drank and were merry! Needless to say we accepted a lift home and never did manage to cook our own xmas dinner! The boat appeared to be very low in the water Xmas night for some reason!! We decided it was the extra xmas ballast we were carrying!

Boxing day was very quiet as we recovered from our over-indulgence, and too windy to take the boat out as planned. But the wind eased and today we were able to take the old girl out once more. It is always a great feeling untying the ropes and exiting the marina to cruise along the amazing coastline here. The views are wonderful and each time is another “pinch me” moment.  We cruised round to a little bay not far from the marina called Klima. As it is winter there is no one here at this time of year so we were able to more side-on to the rather crude and basic jetty there. Missing a few slats here and there and made from what appears to be drift wood, it is a little ramshackle to say the least! But totally in keeping with the feel of the place and adds to that “ Robinson Cruiso” feel! Perfectly fit for purpose though and sheltered from any wind. Totally alone there apart from a few local cats (who feasted on some tins of tuna we gave them!) we spent the day in the sunshine and quiet reading and fishing. Wonderful! The views from the bay are spectacular over Samos Strait to the Turkish coast just south of Kusadasi. We are here for the night and may stay tomorrow weather permitting. There is no shore power so no heaters on and despite the warmth of the sun during the day it gets pretty cold as soon as the sun goes down, so blankets are at the ready! But as you no doubt guessed, we don’t mind in the slightest!

Kilma bay- a little winter gem. 

God knows! - But a beautiful fish. 

Just the one jetty in Klima- someone had nicked most of the planking! 

The Capitan...

Klima on the south side of Samos Island is completely deserted this time of year.....It will be interesting to see the change in the summer time. 

Xmas eve 2015

Off into town for a few drinkies with the 'pack' in tow! 

Think it was the smell of the sausage rolls!! 

Different! 

More sanding!

Christina's original name board coming back to life! 

Lots and lots of sanding, but hey... 

Tara's found the perfect sun trap... Xmas is 3 days away! 

Winter maintenance 18 December 2015

Tara polishing her port holes! 

Time for some new TOMS.... 

Sanding back all the Teak..... Could take a while ! 

The original wheel .... Fiddly sanding.... 

Beer o'clock...

A month into winter 2015.

Well we've finally managed to get internet access after a month in the Marina. (Yippee!) You forget how important the internet is until its not there. Friend’s family... Blogging!! Forget trying to run any sort of business! We've rented a new type mobile device called ‘Huawei’, like a wireless router. Ideal for boats because as we move around in the summer we should be able to still use it! . Its working great so far so fingers crossed.!Weathers still great, which is a little odd as its meant to be a wet island Samos in the winter months. The winds turned around to the north, so its a bit cold out of the sun but get shelter and it’s hard to know what to wear!. Still hard to believe it’s a couple of weeks to Xmas and were still in shorts. We've bought a cabin heater for the boat as its dark early and we are bunkering down for the evenings. We've met some good friends in the marina (Anne and Bob) who have leant us a load of DVDS so we have TV again! Taras son Dec is also sending us out some more with lots of other Brtitsh goodies like gravy! Mash without gravy… the Greeks don’t know what they’re missing!! Anne and Bob also have a car, so they've been brilliant showing us all the winter hot spots around the island. Including a salt bed where the pink flamingo's over winter! Brilliant to see but not close enough without binoculars to put a proper pic of them on here yet!! We need to get a decent camera now as the one on the ipad is not good enough to capture the true beauty of the island and the amazing things we see! 

The area of the island is 27 miles long and about 8 miles wide. It is separated from Anatolia (Turkey) by the 1-mile-wide Mycale Strait. While largely mountainous, Samos has several relatively large and fertile plains. A great portion of the island is covered with vineyards, from which muscat wine is made. The most important plains except the capital, Vathy, in the northeast, are that off Karlovasi, in the northwest, Pythagoreio, in the southeast, and Marathokampos in the southwest. The island's population is 33,814, which is the 9th most populous of the Greek islands. The Samian climate is typically Mediterranean, with mild rainy winters, and warm rainless summers. Samos' relief is dominated by two large mountains, Ampelos and Kerkis (anc. Kerketeus). The Ampelos massif (colloquially referred to as "Karvounis") is the larger of the two and occupies the center of the island, rising to 1,095 metres (3,593 ft). Mt. Kerkis, though smaller in area is the taller of the two and its summit is the island's highest point, at 1,434 metres (4,705 ft). The mountains are a continuation of the Mycale range on the Anatolian mainland. According to Strabo, the name Samos is from Phoenician meaning "rise by the shore". There is so much history here, the birthplace of Pythagoras, so give it a google if you get the chance coz will take too much time for us to do it on here!!

Smallest Xmas tree ever!! 

(MUM!!)... Pink flamingoes on the salt flats in the background.... look like seagulls in this shot LOL 

Turkey in the distance and another great little anchorage for the summer...

Tara's determined to find a new puss! 

Well the Christmas tree is up and we are getting ready to celebrate Greek style!! Which probably means lots of Ouzo and Greek dancing!  Steve is very good at it now after our trip in the summer with Captain Yannis! We have got used to the cycle into town for essentials,,,ie wine!! lol and also the trip into Samos town{Vathi} on the local bus/coach. It is a great little journey along the coast high in the hills so the view is amazing and we always feel as though we are on a holiday coach trip !!

There are still many "pinch me" moments and we are loving our new life here. Once spring comes there is the promise of much more to see as we are assured by those here that the spring flowers are a wonderful sight and of course we will be looking forward to the warmer weather and setting sail to explore our islands many coves and beaches as well as those of the neighbouring islands. Meantime it is winter here too and hopefully it won't be too cold on the boat . Let's hope Father Christmas figures out how to open the hatch !! Lol 

British Yacht Surveyor in Greece and covering the Greek Islands

Press this link for a Marine Survey

A few pics....

Just a few winter shots from the Marina- the place is deserted this time of year. 

Turkey in the distance. 

Our permanent winter mooring next to the office- we finally have Wi Fi yippee! Dwarfed by a 120 footer.... 

In with the big boys! 

Insight Marine Surveys Ltd: Survey in Greece

Insight Marine Surveys Ltd: Survey in Greece: I'm off to Kos for a week to Survey this Francis Jones Motor Sailer, designed by J Francis Jones who was one of UK’s best known marine...

Samos- we made it!

Well we made it Samos only to hear the terrible news about Paris. It was quite scary to find out that a number of the terrorists involved had worked their way through Leros where we had been only a few days ago, and it made us think about a group of guys we had been nervously watching on the waterfront! Looking at us and obviously discussing the boat!! Needless to say we didn't sleep well and left very early the following morning. It is a terrible situation for all at the moment but spare a thought for the Greek people who live and work on islands like Leros who are trying to keep the tourism industry going as well as themselves while dealing with a constant stream of refugees ( and others!) . A refugee camp has been set up at the back of the town hall now which wasn't there on our previous visit and the lovely lady we had met earlier in the summer who runs one of the harbour front cafes appeared to have aged ten years and was not the happy friendly person she was then. It appears there's going to be no stopping this migration of these young guys through Greece... Scary thoughts on where this will all end up in years to come! Like a cancer... There's going to be no way of stopping it now the gates are open and the ability of those attempting to police the thousands coming through these islands is obviously limited and as has been demonstrated by recent events in Paris failing terribly at times. Unfortunately now those who are truly in need of asylum will find the actions of others will make it even more difficult for them to get the help they need. 

Anyway on a brighter note, and after a 7 hour passage from Lipso, we made it to Samos our home port for the winter. We set off at 7 in the morning from Lipso and the forecast was meant to be reasonable. An hour in and in open water the wind-picked up and we were in a force 4 to 5! So un-predictable this Greek weather, luckily 'Christina's' bow is huge and the waves bounce off her. Smaller fibreglass yachts must get 'caught out' in some of these weird weather conditions out here. After a few hours bouncing off the waves, conditions calmed and we cruised steadily past the island of Agathonisi . We planned calling in here because it had great reviews in the Greek Water Pilot book, but forecasts were pretty bad and we wanted to get to Samos ASAP! More to follow in coming BLOGS and on settling in to Samos. All our thoughts to everyone involved in what happened in Paris. We still haven't had enough internet access to read the full story but it sounds horrific. Our thoughts our with all those affected by these events . 

Settling in!

We've been at the marina in Samos now for 2 days and we are settling in to what will be our winter life in Greece! The weathers starting to turn (16/11/2015), the wind changed round to the north this afternoon and picked up, COLD.. Brrr.. we went ashore this evening in jeans and a jacket, yep, welcome to the real world! Winters coming even here!  We are moored in a windy berth in the marina and Internet access is poor so over the next few weeks we will try to get a better spot. We also need storage for our cushions, dinghy, sails and other bits so we will see how we get on with the marina staff. It's an odd marina, we love it because it's so quiet, it should be thriving but it's almost as if it's been built just too far away from the main town of Pythagoria , it's about 15 mins walk from town down a dusty track past a sewage farm, not for everyone! The posh yachtees wouldn't be fond of it as facilities are short on supply. Selling points for us after being in a working boatyard back at home are hot showers, laundry, taverna / bar with Internet, plus it's cheap and quiet, very quiet.. With just about half a dozen live-aboards. We've already met a lovely English couple who have been here for 5 years, living on a Birchwood TS 37 motor boat. We're off to Lidl's with them tomorrow for our weekly shop... Exciting life!! Yep, they have a Lidl's just down the road! We have a limited monthly budget so it should come in very handy. 

We have lots to think about regarding the boat now we are settled - more lighting, heating, more power sockets, scraping off all the paint on everything! Portholes etc! the Turks don't do 'cutting in' ! Lots of woodwork to sand back, glue, secure and varnish. Inside we want some home comforts, she's a bit bland and Tara wats to personalise her a little with a few furnishings. The next 3 months won't be glamorous! Cold at times with some winter storms to deal with... The sun and island hopping days are about to end for a while... But hey! We don't care because we are here and know what an amazing place it is come rain or shine! The tranquility and charm of the island remains in all weathers and once the spring comes we look forward to visits from the"kids" and we will set off again to explore these wonderful waters in a great climate ,by which time Christina will be looking even more gorgeous and ready for her new adventures and admirers. 

Another vid

Samos- we made it!

Well we made it Samos only to hear the terrible news about Paris. It was quite scary to find out that a number of the terrorists involved had worked their way through Leros where we had been only a few days ago, and it made us think about a group of guys we had been nervously watching on the waterfront! Looking at us and obviously discussing the boat!! Needless to say we didn't sleep well and left very early the following morning. It is a terrible situation for all at the moment but spare a thought for the Greek people who live and work on islands like Leros who are trying to keep the tourism industry going as well as themselves while dealing with a constant stream of refugees ( and others!) . A refugee camp has been set up at the back of the town hall now which wasn't there on our previous visit and the lovely lady we had met earlier in the summer who runs one of the harbour front cafes appeared to have aged ten years and was not the happy friendly person she was then. It appears there's going to be no stopping this migration of these young guys through Greece... Scary thoughts on where this will all end up in years to come! Like a cancer... There's going to be no way of stopping it now the gates are open and the ability of those attempting to police the thousands coming through these islands is obviously limited and as has been demonstrated by recent events in Paris failing terribly at times. Unfortunately now those who are truly in need of asylum will find the actions of others will make it even more difficult for them to get the help they need. 

Met a lovely family selling home made marmalade... The fig one is amazing! Yummy

J

Lol

Anyway on a brighter note, and after a 7 hour passage from Lipso, we made it to Samos our home port for the winter. We set off at 7 in the morning from Lipso and the forecast was meant to be reasonable. An hour in and in open water the wind-picked up and we were in a force 4 to 5! So un-predictable this Greek weather, luckily 'Christina's' bow is huge and the waves bounce off her. Smaller fibreglass yachts must get 'caught out' in some of these weird weather conditions out here. After a few hours bouncing off the waves, conditions calmed and we cruised steadily past the island of Agathonisi . We planned calling in here because it had great reviews in the Greek Water Pilot book, but forecasts were pretty bad and we wanted to get to Samos ASAP! More to follow in coming BLOGS and on settling in to Samos. All our thoughts to everyone involved in what happened in Paris. We still haven't had enough internet access to read the full story but it sounds horrific. Our thoughts our with all those affected by these events .