On Saturday morning, we will be sailing from Bodrum to Kos, arriving around 10.30am. For anyone joining us here, it is important to be there on time with passports in hand, as the skippers need to clear customs quickly (before the Turkish daytrip boats arrive!) It will take a couple of hours to deal with paperwork - enough time to go check out the castle/ruins for those who are culturally inclined / sit and drink milkshakes and take in the passing harbourfront parade for others ! Kos is very much a "package tour town", so we usually choose not to spend too much time here; but head onwards that afternoon for a taste of the "real" Greek islands - our dramatic little port of Vathi, on the island of Kalymnos.

Vathi is a well-hidden and very narrow fjord-like bay, opening up into a tiny fishing village at the head of the bay. It boasts one main street and a collection of houses scattered into the valley; an unexpected patch of lush vegetation on an otherwise very dry and arid-looking island. Vathi is the only place on the entire island that is lucky enough to have it's own spring water supply, and they use it carefully to cultivate citrus fruits, figs, grapes and anything else that can be persuaded to grow! It's also the home of Poppy's - one of our "adopted families" around here, where momma makes the best homemade dolmades (stuffed grapeleaves) you'll ever taste in your life, and the swordfish steaks are out of this world !!

Day One
A short sail, just a couple of hours north of Vathi - to our little-known secret anchorage of Paleonissos! Another dramatic and mountainous bay, tucked well away in the north of the island; anchorages like this are what make landlubbers fall totally in love with the cruising lifestyle ! There is little here apart from herds of goats; at dusk and dawn, the sound of their bells echoes around the hillside - not a bad alarm call ! With no distracting light around, the night sky is a dramatic sight; many an hour has been spent sitting on deck / on the beach simply star-gazing. Our unlikely-seeming dinner spot is a hike-and-scramble 5mins inland,through bushes of sweet-smelling sage - to the backyard of our local buddy Nicolas, an eccentric character who delights in telling stories of the old Kalymnian sponge fishers, and inviting his music-loving companions from nearby villages to serenade us!

Day Two
Time for a more lively spot ! - next morning, we set sail for Pandeli Bay, a very pretty and active little village. Traditional blue-and-white houses lie scattered down the hillside, around the little horseshoe-shaped bay. Our favourite beach tavernas are conveniently just a 2 min swim from where we anchor the boats in the middle of the bay - a real picture-postcard scene! For those with plenty of night-owl energy, there is the infamous Savana Bar - a very idiosyncratic little local hangout, where we often end up dancing the night away! Leros is also a great island to rent little 50cc scooters or a jeep, and go explore the dozens of bays & backroads, other little villages - and most of all, the 11th century fortress which towers over the bay (both sunrise and sunset are totally spectacular from up here).

Day Three
Sail to Agathonissi - a leisurely departure time of "some time after lunch". Arrive in Agathonissi to be greeted by our host Giorgos - a.k.a. Unofficial Harbour Master and Ouzo King of Agathonissi ! A colourful evening at George's is usually on the menu; he loves to see our yachts sailing in - it's a great excuse for a party on an otherwise quiet and isolated island. 3-4 hrs sail time.

Day Four
Early am sail for Marathi; a truly tiny little island which is home to just two families; a real sandy beach, beautiful water to swim and snorkel in. If you could paint a picture of the perfect, idyllic island retreat, Marathi would be it. Our adopted family here are wonderfully hospitable - and the food incredible!! This tiny spot has hit top of the Favourite Spot list with our groups for several years now - it's sometimes been hard to persuade people that, really, we should leave, there are other islands to visit !

Day Five
Sail to Patmos—a short hop of only a couple of hours. This is the famous monastry island—in fact is supposedly the second most important religious centre for Greek Orthodoxy in the world! This is where St John (as of Apostle fame) was inspired by visions to write the Book of Revelations; where the 10th century monastry (built by Crusader Knights) reigns over the island, still an active training centre for novice monks. The village that lies at the foot of the monastry is everyone's romantic image of what a Greek village should be like; incredibly narrow, winding alleyways, cats sunning themselves on whitewashed streets, old ladies in black collecting fresh bread from the bakery in the morning. Despite all the visitors they now get, these villagers have remained wonderfullly friendly; particularly if you go up there in the early morning hours; the old ladies will look at you in faint amazement that a foreigner should find their way up there at such an hour; if you can remember enough of our Greek lessons to say "kalimera!" (good morning), they'll give you a huge smile and a "kalimera-sas" back (good morning to you too)!

Day Six
Set sail southwards again - a lovely downwind leg of around 3-4 hours. Wind permitting, we may be able to stop for lunch at Archangelos, a tiny island whose turquoise-coloured waters make wonderful "make-'em-totally-jealous-back-home" shots ! We'll end in the main port of Lakki (on Leros) late afternoon.

Day Seven
Disembarkation 9am in Lakki.