Nisís Dhrenia

Sunset at Nisís Dhrenia with S/Y Encounter   

The first night anchored at Nisís Dhrenia was just so pleasant that in the morning we decided to stay put. We had enough food on board for several days and so there was no requirement to move. We shared the anchorage with Encounter which we had last seen at Órmos Sikias the night before. She is an Austrian flagged vessel and seems to be a youth training yacht.

The beach off which we were anchored is surrounded by a number of attractive small islands. With the weather settled, the water was very still and extremely clear.

On the nearest beach there was a bar with sun loungers and parasols. Throughout the day a few tripper boats dropped off passengers to visit the island and several small motor boats turned up as well so there was always some activity. In the evenings they all departed leaving the small bay to the anchored yachts and a handful of people staying in caravans ashore.

We stayed 3 nights anchored at Nisís Dhrenia. That gave us ample time to relax and tackle a few chores. Nicky did a mammoth clothes wash whilst I wrote up the blog entries for all of the sightseeing we’d been doing recently. We also swam and scrubbed BV’s bottom, a task we hadn’t done for a month. There was a little green slimy weed but it came off with a quick wipe with a sponge.

Without a bakery to get fresh bread from in the mornings we used up what we had and then made some of our own. We made a normal loaf and a focaccia; both of which worked out well.

The part of the bay just to our east was very sandy and the sea glowed turquoise. We swam over it and checked the depth. BV could have floated over it but there wouldn’t have been much under the keel so we stayed where we were. A tripperboat gulet was less cautious and ran aground there whilst we looked on. The mate ferried is passengers to the beach whilst the captain tried to get the gulet off with much engine revving. We didn’t have the horsepower to help and decided that helpful suggestions to lay an anchor and kedge off would not be well received. In the end a fishing boat took pity and towed him off to the sounds of cheering from the shore.

We also watched some drama going on with 2 large luxury motor yachts going out to the Akti Peninsula escorted by 4 Coastguard launches, a Coastguard RIB and a helicopter circling above. When we checked on the internet at our next port it turns out that Vladimir Putin had received special permission to visit the peninsula.

Nisís Dhrenia was an unexpected bonus. We knew that there were several pretty anchorages around the gulf and had picked out a couple which we planned to visit. But the anchorage we’d been in here wasn’t highlighted in either of our pilot books. With the settled and sunny weather, it was a delight. However, after 3 nights it was time to move on but just a short distance further up the gulf, to the small port of Pirgadhíkia, which is recommended by one of our pilots as worth a visit.

Nisís Dhrenia, close to  Nisís Ammouliani, Greece