Ithaka - Kióni

Just around the corner from Frikes is the port of Kióni. We clocked up just 2.9 miles on the log moving here on 24 July, arriving just in time for lunch. Sadly there was little or no wind so Charlotte motored us around the headland and then we drifted into port under headsail.

Kióni

There was space at the town quay but, by the time we arrived, it was a little blustery there and the wind was coming from directly abeam. However, we had spotted an area slightly further out from the town which would be quieter, where we could swim from the boat and where it would be easier to moor. We laid our anchor, dug it in and then worked BV back towards the shore, securing her stern with 2 lines tied to the rocks. The swimming was excellent and we were pleased that we had chosen this spot and not the town quay.

Another yacht also agreed with our choice of location and tried several times to secure themselves in the same way. We got into our dinghy to help them to get their lines ashore but had to quickly retreat back on board when they hooked up BV’s anchor in a failed mooring attempt. We quickly untied BV’s stern and pulled up our anchor before repeating our mooring manoeuvre. Once BV was again secure we helped the other yacht get into position. Their skipper was very embarrassed and rowed over with a peace offering of some ice cold beer. An unexpected bonus for us and they were very nice to sip on a roasting hot afternoon. It was so hot that when left in the sun, our thermometer, which only read up to 45 degrees Celsius, went off the scale and disgorged its red liquid; a new thermometer with a higher max temperature is now on the shopping list.

Having your anchor inadvertenty picked up seemed to be a common occurance in Kióni. The same thing happened to the blue yacht on our port side though their crew had a different technique for dealing with the crisis. Rather than quickly motoring away from the rocks as we had done, they deployed crewmembers with broomsticks to fend off from the shore. It was certainly interesting to watch but with just the 2 of us on board normally, I don’t think that it is a technique Nicky and I will use!

Kióni is very pretty; another picture postcard location. The odd tripper boat or two visited, filling the village with passengers but in general it was quiet during the day and then very lively at night. The restaurants around the port edge were fun to visit in the evening and equally good for a beer in the afternoon sun. From our table we could even see shoals of fish swimming in the harbour. The local cats were similarly enthralled but got no catches.