Skíathos

Leaving Loutráki

We left Loutráki on 23 June with the plan for the day being to anchor at a nice beach for lunch on our way to Skíathos.

Beach on Nisis Tsoungria

We managed this very successfully finding an empty beach on the west side of the island of Nisis Tsoungria.

Beach on Nisis Tsoungria

When we eventually arrived in Skíathos we found lots of tripper boats offering excursions to Nisis Tsoungria so we were doubly surprised that we had had the beach to ourselves. When we came to leave the beach we saw that the bay to our north was crammed with anchored boats. We couldn’t see much between that one and the one we had stopped at except that the northern beach had a functioning café whereas the café on ‘ours’ was still being prepared for the season; we felt we got the better deal on a scenic lunch and swimming stop location.

Approaching Skíathos with the runway visible to the right    

With lunch and a swim sorted we moved on the short distance into the main harbour at Skíathos. As we approached we could clearly see the runway to the northeast of the town. To avoid masts conflicting with the landing aircraft there is an anchoring restricted zone on the approach path. Skíathos looked to be busy, particularly the pontoon used by the charter companies. There were a couple of gaps we could have reversed into on the quay but we knew that it was set to blow so we elected to anchor between the restricted zone and the town.

It turned out to be a very good anchorage; settled, quieter than the quay and with less roll plus we got our own airshow 3 or 4 times a day as the aircraft came in to land. Getting ashore meant a short dinghy ride but that is little hardship.

Ashore, Skíathos town very quickly provided for our immediate needs. We found a good-sized supermarket and, opposite, a garage which sold gas so we could exchange our empty Camping Gaz bottle for a full one. The supermarket enabled a restock of food, wine, beer and a 5 litre container of vinegar. Taking a tip from some experienced cruisers we are using vinegar to try to keep the heads pipework free from scale by periodically leaving some in the pipes overnight diluted with a little boiling water.

The first night brought very unsettled weather and winds of 20 knots and gusts of up to 30 knots, with the strong winds (though happily not the rain) lasting until late into the following day. [Ed: perfect for ensuring that the anchor was well dug in!] Sadly, that also set the trend for the next few days and nights although on Saturday 27 June it rained nearly all day long. It was rather frustrating, particularly when we heard via the routine HF radio net that people cruising other areas of the Aegean were experiencing excellent weather.

Sanded and ready for varishing

‘Chief Varnisher’ at work

However, hunkering down waiting for better weather enabled us to tackle a few jobs on Blue Velvet which we had been putting off for some time. We replaced the staysail furling line and polished the stainless steel pushpit, pulpit and stanchions. More significantly, down below, Nicky removed the soft furnishings to sand and varnish the forward bulkhead, some drawer fronts and several other areas which needed attention. Sadly having a yacht with so much woodwork does mean that there is a continual requirement to revarnish. However, it does look nice when it is all done.

In between doing the maintenance chores Nicky got her hair cut and we enjoyed walking around Skíathos town.

Typically for this region, it is a rabbit warren of narrow streets but here there also seem to be restaurants crammed into every corner. We don’t think we have ever seen so many restaurants in one place before.

In proper tourist mode, we also spotted the quay in the old port which was used as a location in the film ‘Mamma Mia’ [Ed: but unfortunately we didn’t spot Pierce Brosnan or Colin Firth running along it].

Skíathos is unashamedly a tourist location but it has a nice feel to it, even if it is still relatively early in the season. Doubtless in a few weeks all the restaurants will be full and the streets crowded and it may be rather more hectic then. However, it has been a nice place to spend a few days, with the added bonus that we managed to get several jobs completed, and even some of those we had been procrastinating over! With the feel-good factor of some awkward jobs tackled, and a couple of weeks to go before Charlotte and Sophie arrive, the plan now is to explore some of the Gulf of Volos and parts of Evia and perhaps, if the winds look suitable, Skyros too.

Skíathos , Greece