Sherrie's Cruising Blog (Sailing Catamaran Element): Kalimnos

May 26 - 30

We left Nisyros and headed towards Kalimnos in front of some bad weather. We arrived inside the breakwater and attempted our first ever med mooring. Med mooring is when the boat reverses in while dropping the anchor off the bow. It only took two attempts. Yaresh the dock master asked for our transit log and payment. The moorage here is 7.63 euro per night plus water and electricity…… Ron hugged him after hearing the cost. In comparison to Bodrum, Turkey of 220 euro per night plus water and electricity. I have heard that many of the Greek harbours are free to moor.

Thinking that we were all tied safely, we headed into town to check the place out. Overhead the bad weather was coming in quickly. We got back to the boat and got the girls to bed. The thunder and lightening started first, followed by extremely high winds from the south. It was 11:00 PM when Shaun was in the shower and heard/felt a bang. It turns out our windlass chain gypsee (the part that pays out and brings in the chain of the anchor) was loose and paying out chain. This on top of the wind off our bow allowed the boat to be pushed into the cement wall. There we were in pelting mud rain attaching more lines, tightening the chain gypsee and getting soaked. The lightening was amazing to watch. I was so tired from the previous nights lack of sleep that I wanted to go home. The feeling passed as I talked myself through the stress.

This is a different island than the others that we have been on. More working class people. Less touristy, more garbage. More traffic, next to no side walks. Excellent shopping. The streets wind back off the main strip. There are tons of toy stores. Pretty much every second or third store is a toy store.

Thursday came around and as the day progressed the harbour waterfront where we are anchored became extremely packed. I mean sardines, we were packed in there…… I have never seen so many boats packed in along the wall. It was a Greek long weekend.

Jordan and Paige met a boy names Kai from England. They played well together. Fishing and using their nets. There was a particular crab that was eluding Paige even though she had some peanut butter out. It outwitted her. All was good until Jordan fell on the rocks. She was lucky and only came away with a scrape on her nose.

We rented a car today to explore the island. As we headed across the island we saw the surroundings start to change. Kalimnos is a destination for divers and rock climbers. The high mountain walls with their caves are amazing. We were able to stop on the side of the road and see some climbers in action. The roadside flowers and hillside bee boxes are also a great site to see. We visited Emporio. We had crépes at a beachside taverna. The girls played on the rock beach. We had seen a sign for “The Early Christian Bath” so we followed our noses to a very disappointing overgrown grass strewn rocks. Off we went to Vathi an incredible fjord of beautiful water and cliffs. The drive throughout the island spanned from desert to valley greenery. Stunning. There are a ton of goats as well roaming free. We stopped at our first automated cash gas station. There is an ATM like machine that you enter your details and cash into and then pump your gas. No attendant needed. We also passed 30-35 fish farm pens along the coast and then drove through a very industrial and empty part of the island. It felt very different. It also is Saturday today.