In
the morning we headed for the island of Hydra. It was
a long sail to Hydra from Sifnos, but the 'Ancient Sea
Spirits' provided us with fortuitous winds and we made
it there in no time at all. We loved Hydra. I think we
had the most fun there. It's different from the Cyclades
in many respects, from appearance to culture. It's a more
polpular island so the harbor is more crowded than what
we found on the previous islands.
The port captain at Hydra is a colorful man and earns
his keep.
He's a short, stocky guy with a massive grey beard who
I saw jump into the harbor to unscramble the 'anchor spaghetti'
that can sometimes occur owing to close quarters of the
boats. His name is Pan and he's not to be missed shouting
orders at the boats as they navigate into 'his' realm
of Hydra magic.
We were so charmed by this place that we decided to stay
anadditional day so my daughter Sue could rent a balcony
room overlooking the harbor to paint.
While here Stefan and Soulis not only showed us the best
places to eat and shop, but they took us to a nightclub
for the 'best night' of the trip. We drank ouzo and danced
into the wee hours of the night.
After Hydra we sailed to the island of Poros, another
in the
Argo-Sargonic Gulf where once again Stefan showed us themost
incredible place to swim anchored near some ancient, elusive
island that was only large enough to house a small church.
It was here that I swam to the place from our boat and
explored timeless sands of the ancients.
After
a night on Poros we sailed back to the mainland at Cape
Sounion where we anchored in the bay and rode a small
dinghy to shore and climbed the hill to the temple of
Poseidon where we watched the most fantastic sunset. There
was a small crowd there at the temple which actually appluaded
the moment the sun went down beyond the horizon. It wasn't
like any sunset I had ever experienced.
After nightfall and dinner we returned to the boat which
was anchored in the bay and went for a night swim which
was the perfect 'last' swim of our trip.
The moon was full and you could see the temple lit from
above. It was more than perfect.
We had been met earlier by Stefan's charming wife and
handsome
little two year old son for dinner at the taverna in Sounion
so it was a real pleasure to see him in his element as
'family' man, a perfect closure to our odyssey.
The next morning they brought us ashore one more time
by dinghy for what turned out to be a sincerely tearful
and heartfelt departure. For these two turned out to be
much more than just skipper and firstmate. They had became
our friends for a lifetime.
In
the morning we headed for the island of Hydra. It was
a long sail to Hydra from Sifnos, but the 'Ancient Sea
Spirits' provided us with fortuitous winds and we made
it there in no time at all. We loved Hydra. I think we
had the most fun there. It's different from the Cyclades
in many respects, from appearance to culture. It's a more
polpular island so the harbor is more crowded than what
we found on the previous islands. 
keep.
He's a short, stocky guy with a massive grey beard who
I saw jump into the harbor to unscramble the 'anchor spaghetti'
that can sometimes occur owing to close quarters of the
boats. His name is Pan and he's not to be missed shouting
orders at the boats as they navigate into 'his' realm
of Hydra magic. 
Argo-Sargonic Gulf where once again Stefan showed us themost
incredible place to swim anchored near some ancient, elusive
island that was only large enough to house a small church.
It was here that I swam to the place from our boat and
explored timeless sands of the ancients. 
After
a night on Poros we sailed back to the mainland at Cape
Sounion where we anchored in the bay and rode a small
dinghy to shore and climbed the hill to the temple of
Poseidon where we watched the most fantastic sunset. There
was a small crowd there at the temple which actually appluaded
the moment the sun went down beyond the horizon. It wasn't
like any sunset I had ever experienced.
handsome
little two year old son for dinner at the taverna in Sounion
so it was a real pleasure to see him in his element as
'family' man, a perfect closure to our odyssey. 
