Santorini: the Island of Vampires and Volcanoes

Looking out over the caldera.

When you think of Greece, you probably think of Santorini. It is by far the most photographed island in the Cyclades and has millions of visitors each year. Away from the colorful villages, the landscape is rocky with scattered farms nestled in. The volcanic soil is very rich and the island boasts lots of wonderful produce, tomatoes and wine grapes being the most famous. There is an old tomato museum next to the Vlichada marina, which would be worth a visit (it was closed when we went by).

Santorini, or Thira, has quite the history. About 3,500 years ago, an immense explosion ripped the island apart, leaving behind the main island of Thira, and the smaller islands; Thirasia, Nea Kameni, and Palea Kameni. There are two hot springs off of these smaller two islets (we loved swimming in them!), as part of the volcanic activity underneath.  Another claim to faim? Plato's theory was this was home to the lost city of Atlantis.

The ancient city of Akrotiri (near Red Beach) has been partially excavated and is open for tours (we highly recommend going). Unlike Pompeii, no bodies have been found, indicating the residents had warning. There are very well preserved frescos and pottery, still with their vibrant colors.

Walking towards the entrance of the Akrotiri museum and archeological site.

Legend also claims Santorini is home to vampires. During ancient times, people who were thought to be vampires were brought to Santorini for the vampire slayers to deal with. We didn't find much in terms of this history while visiting, but it sure does peak ones curiosity.

Probably the most photographed church on Santorini.

For a sailboat, it isn’t the easiest island to visit. There is only one marina for visiting yachts, but not much space (definitely call ahead) and it is super shallow. Only a catamaran can fit inside, or a monohull with an extremely small draft. There are some mooring buoys inside the caldera, but they are mostly for fishing boats or the day charter boats. A couple of anchorages exist on the south side of the island, however, not tenable in south winds.

Sailing along the south-western coast of Thira towards Vlichada. Do you see why they named it Red Beach?

 Another option for a sailing crew is to consider leaving your boat at a neighboring island and ferrying over; but you then accrue extra costs of the ferry, hotel, and food. With five of us, it can add up quickly. We also couldn’t leave Sunny.

We decided to try our luck and headed over to Vlichada Marina, on the south side of the island. A friend of ours, who is a summer captain on Santorini, helped connect us with the harbormaster, Antonis. We called ahead to ask about staying there for a few days and he replied that there was plenty of space and depth.

Navigating the reefs off Folegandros.

We left Kythnos around 5:30 am and arrived to Vlichada (also spelled Vlikada) around 5pm. We wanted to make sure we arrived with plenty of light left, as the pilot book said the buoys marking the shallow reef areas may not always be present. With Jared at the helm, the kids and I kept watch at the bow. Fortunately, there was not a single problem entering the marina and the charts were pretty spot on. One note for those considering going: in the pilot book it says look for the blue hotel—it is now painted yellow. There is a conspicuous blue taverna nearby, though.

Our draft is 1.3 and the shallowest we saw was 1.4, near the entrance. Initially, we were placed on the outer dock right near the entrance. That was ok at first,  but with the constant coming and going of vessels, it got a bit uncomfortable. Some people really speed in and out of there! We asked to be moved further inside and liked that spot much better (it was all the way up and in the corner). It paid off, as we had one day of high SE winds, so we had much better protection.

Beautiful black sand beach with lots of pumice stone.

There isn't much in the vicinity of the marina, save for a very small market (snack foods, mostly) and a taverna. Further up the road are a few more tavernas and the bus stop. We really liked utilizing the bus, as it cost 1.80 euro per person (kids under 6 are free) and they came about every 30 minutes.

They were nice and clean charter buses, perfect for getting around the island. We used a taxi a couple of times for provisioning and when we were outside of the bus route. That was 25 euro one way! There is a nice black sand beach nearby though, so we took advantage and had a few beach excursions.

The kids loved riding the bus!

Thira is the main town and has lots to offer. We had to go there for the port authority stamp in our transit log anyway, so we wandered around the rest of the day. Once you get to the pathway next to the cliff, the views are simply out of this world! It is worth a visit, just to look down at the caldera and see the expanse of the explosion. The sailboats and cruise ships look like toys!

Isn't this bookstore amazing?! Books are one of our weaknesses...

Another cool shop to explore. Everything is hand-made by the artists in residence. We were given our Greek names here. =)

Like many other places over the world, people place locks to pledge their love. Here, is another pathway we took along the rim of the caldera.

Lots of churches with those famous blue roofs.

The following day, we went to Oia. Everyone we spoke to said to come here for the sunset.
It is very similar to Thira, but has more of those views you see in photos online. The multi-colored villas, sweeping views, and ancient castle ruins are just incredible.

The stairways were all different sizes and the villas changed colors with each step. It's like being Alice in Wonderland.

Whitewashing seems to be a never-ending process.  Octopus drying in the sun at Amouldi, Oia.

Food is part of the adventure! 

Still reading their books from the Atlatntis! Akrotiri, near Red Beach.

On our last day there, we sailed from Vlichada into the caldera. What an experience! One feels quite small while staring up in awe at the towering cliffs above. We picked up a mooring near one of the two hot springs and went for a little swim. The highest temp we saw near the boat was 73 degrees. We took the dinghy further into the hot springs, through a narrow channel and guessed the temperature increased into the 80s. Ash floated in the water and made it look eery.

Then, we moved over to Thirassia Bay and took a friend's mooring buoy (he skippers for a day charter company) and spent a lovely night. The views were just beautiful, especially at night. It looked as if the island's rim was on fire, or wore a sparkling jeweled crown.

For tons more photos, check out our facebook page.

We are working on editing our video for this post and will update as soon as it is ready! =)

The Island of Aegina

Temple of Apollo. Aegina, Greece

Aegina is a triangular island, about a 3 hour sail from the mainland (specifically Piraeus). The main port is the Port of Aegina on the western side of the island, and is very busy with the nearby ferry terminal and visiting yachts. Throughout the day, the musical bells ring from the church down the street (scroll down for the video, and you can hear those bells for yourself).

Our favorite gelato place in Aegina!

Aegina is known mostly for growing pistachios. There are a lot of shops near the port, where you can find just about everything you need. If not, items can be ordered and picked up from one of the ferries.

We stayed here for a couple of weeks while waiting on upholstery work and a few parts via the ferry. The port is a very short walk to the ferry terminal, which made it a convenient home base. A little ways beyond the ferry area is the Temple of Apollo and museum. We highly recommend a visit, if you are in the area. With only 1 euro admission fee, it was a great place for a field trip and to soak up some of the history.

Our little explorers.

The pathway from the museum to the temple winds through a lovely meadow. The wild flowers were in full bloom and we couldn't help but be captivated by their beauty.

We colored eggs for Easter while in the port and learned all about the Greek traditions surrounding the holiday. We celebrated Easter here and then sailed on towards Kythnos to join in on the Greek Orthodox Easter celebrations the following week.

Explore Aegina with us in our latest video:

The Island of Poros

A mermaid fountain near the port of Poros, Greece.

Exploring behind the scenes.

Poros is about a 2 hour sail from Aegina and 5 hour sail from the mainland Piraeus). It is a very quaint little town with lots to offer. From the great views up near the clock tower to the winding and meandering pathways of the back streets, you will for sure enjoy your stay here.

Wisteria covers part of a building in Poros, Greece.

We have stopped by Poros a few times and have enjoyed it. Especially since we can see how the town is outside of the crowded sailing season, where boats are often rafted 3-4 deep from the quay.

They keep us young at heart! 

View from the top near the clock tower.

In addition to docking at the quay, there are a few anchorages nearby. We have stayed at both the quay and a couple of the southern anchorages. There is great holding there in sand.

Near the marina office at the public quay is a fantastic gelato place. In the opposite direction from the marina office, beyond the school (and you will notice a wooden dock instead of concrete), you will find two large grocery stores (one is just for household goods, like cleaning products, linens, etc., while the other is all food items). Both of these stores have better prices for provisioning, than the little markets near all the little tavernas and touristy areas.

We last visited Poros at the end of March, as we were working our way back towards Aegina from Hydra. We thought we'd take a couple more days to go hiking around the island and explore the less-known parts. We met up with a nice family who was vacationing from Athens. The kids explored tidepools and a playground together, and even made up some obstacle course races! The mom was super sweet and brought ice cream and cookie straws for the kids! What a treat!

On our second day there, the wind clock around and was blowing all of the boats against the dock in quite a violent manner. We were actually on our way back to the boat from getting gelato, when we noticed quite the chop in the little bay. We hastened our pace and when we arrived, we made the quick decision to untie and get out of there. No sooner had we pulled in the lines, other boats were trying to pick up their anchors and causing quite the congestion. While Zach was helping to pull in the fenders, one dropped into the water. We couldn't stick around to rescue it, but fortunately, a cafe manager ran across the street and picked it up for us. By now, we were really bashing around with the waves. I thought I would go and pull in the rest of the fenders before we lost anymore, but it was so hard to walk on deck and Jared yelled for me to just sit where I was and hold on, lest I fall overboard.

This is where things got a bit crazy...

We drove backwards out of the fray and motored over to a southern anchorage to wait out the blow. It was actually much more comfortable here and save for one other boat who came in after us, we had the bay to ourselves. Whew, what an experience!


The following morning, we hauled anchor and set off for Aegina to meet our upholstery guy, who had finally finished all of our projects! Below is a video of some of our wanderings around the island.

Lightning and Fishing Line

Sailing through a thunderstorm with lots of lightning.

We try to avoid storms as much as possible. However, no matter how well one plans, sometimes these storms can sneak up on you. Being on a sailboat, with a tall metal pole sticking up above the water, is not the ideal place to be in this situation. Here is how we dealt with it.

We were anchored in a calm bay (Ay. Nikolaus) off the island of Hydra, Greeceon Wednesday, 3/28. We had the place to ourselves for awhile until a couple of fishing boats joined us. They set two anchors and settled in.

We gathered up our crew and returned from the beach, letting Sunny get in a swim back to the boat (she sure does love being in the water). We hauled anchor and sailed back towards the port to check out. Greek law is that we have to check into and out of each and every island we visit. A fine of $25,000 is charged if you don't follow this rule.

Bad weather was predicted for the weekend near Hydra and Poros (winds up to 50 knots), so we figured we would head further north and find shelter off of Methana or Epidhavros.

Lighting struck the bay we had just left!

We had just rounded the SW corner of Hydra when the rain began. It was a light sprinkling, but nothing to worry about. A few minutes later though, we heard thunder and saw lightning. The strikes were all around us and the storm was closing in. Our weather app had predicted light showers, but not a thunderstorm, so we decided to sail away from the storm and wait for it to pass. We really did not want to risk getting struck by lightning. Another hazard of sailing this area are water spouts. These can heavily damage or even sink a yacht. Our kids put our important devices in the oven and microwave. These would act as faraday cages in case of a strike. We didn't even have to tell them to do this, as we had gone through lightning storms before, only we were tied up in a marina. They know not to be near any metal and to just get a book and try to distract themselves from the storm. It can be quite scary, so a book is a good way to help them not think about it so much.

We sailed towards one of the large barren islands next to Hydra for a couple of reasons. First, being that we'd obtain some shelter from the building wind and waves, but also that it was much taller than us (hoping lightning would strike it instead of our boat). The storm seemed to be moving slowly south, so we skirted around the western side of it and zoomed towards the port.

Some of the fishing line we had caught.

Once we had entered the port, we got ready with our fenders and dock lines. It was then that Zach noticed we had a long yellow line (sort of like a thin rope or twine, the kind fishermen use to make their nets) trailing us in the water. I called to Jared at the helm and he immediately put the engines in neutral. Zach went to grab a knife, as I pulled in the line. We cut it and pulled the rest free. Thankfully, it was only caught around our port rudder. Relieved that we didn't have any of it caught in the prop, we finished docking and got settled in for the night. The storm had passed by this time, leaving only a light sprinkling.

The following day, we untied the lines and spent our last night at anchor near Hydra. 

We woke up early after a lovely night at anchor and headed north. The wind prediction had lessened, so we figured we would make another stop at Poros before heading to Aegina. Once we were tied up at the quay in Poros, we didn’t really see any large winds until the following day. We decided to anchor out, as the winds created quite the chop and boats were bashing into the concrete. We anchored out and settled in for the ride. It really wasn’t too bad in the anchorage and we enjoyed some additional beach time.

Monday morning we left for Aegina, to retrieve a thermostat for the fridge and freezer, as well as the remainder of our cockpit cushions. 

Our favorite kind of sailing!

We spent a couple of nights in the port waiting for a good weather window, which arrived around mid-afternoon on Wednesday 4/4. The Greek Easter holiday was approaching, and so we wanted to spend the holiday in a different part of Greece. We are currently en route to Voula (it is close to Athens, where we need to pick up some additional supplies) and will spend the night there before moving on over to Kythnos. Our goal is to continue to work our way south to hopefully make it to Santorini for Easter.

The Island of Hydra

Donkeys are the main source of transport on Hydra.

Hydra is about a 2 hour sail south from Poros and 5 hours from the mainland (Piraeus). It is VERY popular with tourists. Ferries and cruise ships arrive at all times throughout the day and evening.

Wandering the streets.

It is advisable to arrive to the port before noon, if you want a spot inside. Otherwise, there are many nice anchorages nearby. We stayed in port for a couple of days and anchored out the remainder of the time. Exploring the quite streets brought neat discoveries. We were glad we could visit before the busy summer season.

Tied up at the port.

Once you go a street or two behind the waterfront shops and tavernas, there are many more places to explore. You will also find where the locals shop and eat, which are much better priced than those closer to the tourist areas.

An anchorage off the SW tip of Hydra.

The island of Hydra was settled in the 16th century by Orthodox Albanians. The main town was built in the late 18th century and was one of the first islands to fight for independence from Turkish rule.

Hydra is also unique, in that there are no vehicles on the island (with the exception of a couple of work trucks for construction). Donkeys and horses are the methods of transportation or people go by foot. The roads are story-book like, weaving all around the buildings and stairways. We enjoyed simply wandering these streets and taking in the 1820s atmosphere.

No photos are allowed once inside the museum.

Next to the port is the Historic Archives and Museum of Hydra. Kids receive free admission and adults are only 5 euros. It was a nice afternoon exploring the history of this interesting island.

Hydra boasts an excellent school of fine arts, as well as the monastic church of the Panagia. This church was built between 1760-1770 using the masonry from Poros' Temple of Poseidon.

Wildflowers of Hydra.

Wildflowers are in full bloom and we thoroughly enjoyed our hikes in the countryside. To the west of the main port are more homes with gardens overflowing. East of the port is composed of cliffs overlooking the sea, fields of wildflowers, and the occasional donkey caravan.

Come along with us as we explore this beautiful island!