Day 21 – The perfect last stop – Kolona

Our reward for making such good progress north from Sifnos to Kithnos was a last stop at Kolona on the North West side of Kithnos.

Literally a couple of miles from Merikha, we made sure we arrived early enough to get a good spot and enjoy the day. And that we surely did. Skinny dipping (again), relaxing in the sun followed by dinner on Daidalos, a combined effort of a kind of Greek meze (all the left overs on the boats).

Even though there were quite a few boats there I cannot over estimate how much of a paradise Kolona is. Just a couple of piccies which day it all.

So that’s it, back to the home port, who’s name will not be kimentioned, and that’s 3 weeks done.

If anything this year has been even better than last. In total now we think we’ve visited 15 of the white islands (what the Cyclades are often referred as) and there aren’t many left that would be an option for a yacht. The only notable exception is Thira, Santorini, which perhaps one day we’ll visit by ferry.

As well as the islands we’ve come to know the Greek ferries well, without which the Cyclades would struggle to exist as inhabited islands, let alone tourist hotspots. We know them all from a distance at sea, the slow chuggers like the Small Cyclades the massive Blue Star, Hellenic Seaways and Zante ferries, the zippy Speedjet champion 1 and 2, the fast, huge and very impressive looking Cosmote. Of course we always keep a watchful eye for them all, at sea not only to make sure we don’t get run down but also to make sure we don’t get to close to the massive wake they leave behind. But also in harbour you sometimes get 3 in quick succession, so best not to get in their way or anchor anywhere near where they turn.

You might ask what our favourite island has been this year and that’s just too difficult to answer. We love every place on Kithnos and Sifnos, Kolona and Vathi are so special, but so is our new find Platis Yialos. The beach at Kimolos was pretty perfect and the chora on Folegandros, a mini Santorini without the crowds, was spectacular.

You’d struggle to find anywhere better to unwind than the sleepy Schinoussa or swimming in the turquoise sea at Pano Koufonisi. Amorgos gave us 3 days of pleasure with the 3 villages around the harbour at Katapola, the hilltop chora and the jaw dropping Hozoviotissa monastery. And of course we couldn’t discount Paros and Parikia, with a water front that was as mad as cheese with ferries in and out almost every few minutes disgorging and picking up hoards of people, cars, trucks, buses and random stuff. But behind that Parikia is a maze of streets and alleys just as charming as a hilltop chora.

We’ve loved the people too as well as some of the random things that you wouldn’t see at home, like the sheep being loaded onto a fishing boat and the a pony led by two blokes on a moped.

We’ve loved sailing with our chums on Diadalos and Orion and loved having Nancy to stay, although it wasn’t for long enough. It was her first time in the Cyclades and I suspect won’t be her last.

But of course the thing we’ve enjoyed the most is being on the sea. The sailing wasn’t always the best but we didn’t care. Baby has been a great boat and we were close, once again, to cable tying ourselves to Baby and refusing to leave.

For sailing chums the Cyclades is busier, there are more catamarans, so if you want a spot on the quay you will have to get in early or risk anchoring off. And always have a plan B in mind which we’ve had to use a couple of times because plan A is full.

Goodness knows where we’re going next year or how we can ever top this, but we will be back to the Cyclades one day for sure.

We’re depressed to be going home but the holiday count down clock days says 74 days until a week sailing in Turkey, so that should keep us going.

Yammas!