Nisos Ayios Evstratios

21 miles to the south of Lemnos is a small island called Evstratios.

While we were anchored in Myrina we met up with Christina & Stellios. Stellios is the general secretary of the Thessaloniki Yacht Club and Christina a teacher. We invited them onto Camira for a coffee and it turned out they knew the people we met in Nea Marmaris who also come from Thessaloniki.

We became quite friendly and we were going to sail in company to Evstratios.

Stellios knows the harbour well and was sure he could get both our boats in, but with ferry time vagaries Stellios was going to leave at a time that would get us in after dark but would be in time to meet his wife off the ferry. I didn’t fancy arriving in the small harbour at night so said we would catch him up the next day. But the weather was having none of that – it blew up more than forecast and all boats were stranded in Myrini and Evstratios for the next 5 days.

We eventually did make the passage on the 8^th September and when we arrived all the boats that had been stuck there had also left for their respective destinations. We still keep in touch and perhaps we will meet up somewhere again. This sailing lark is a small world.

We picked up an anchor leaving Myrina , hopefully not Steve’s. It was a downwind sail with the whisker pole and a big swell as a result of the previous 5 days winds. We passed Freya of Wight motor sailing to windward bashing towards Myrina presumably.

We tied up alongside in Evstratios at 16:00 , the only boat there. A fisherman asked us to move down the quay for a returning fishing boat a bit which we gladly did; then another visitng Greek dive boat moved into the space we had vacated. We went off for a beer and on our return the fisherman was rafted against the dive boat but ranted away at us!  We warped Camira back yet again so he could get in, Grumpy old B, lol.

Since the 1968 earthquake which destroyed many of the buildings the population has dwindled to about 300, almost all of whom live in the one fishing village.

Until recently political offenders were deported to the island.

Goosewinging with the whisker pole

The harbour & 1st night in Evstratios