Kythnos, Greece
In the early hours of the morning the Panorama pulled away from the pier on Sifnos Island and started heading north. Just before sunrise the Captain turned the ship into a small anchorage at the northwest end of Kythnos Island. The Greeks would have said that the water was, “like oil,” it was mirror calm. Our only company was a few small sailboats in the bay and a few goats on the islet to the south of us. The anchor went down not long before the sun rose over the ridge to the east.
Kythnos is not an island known to many people that are not from Greece, that is, unless you are a sailor. Our anchorage is well known for having great protection and the ability to hold many boats. The quality of the sand on the beach that joins the islet of Agios Loukas to Kythnos is also a big draw. Greeks, specifically Athenians tend to come to Kythnos for vacation. It is known locally as Thermia because of the many hot springs that can be found on the island. The islanders made their living off of the iron mines until they closed in the 1940’s but since then they have sustained themselves on farming, fishing and basket-weaving.
Today was meant to have an easy pace and everyone adapted to the tempo without hesitation. The deck crew had our Zodiacs ready and the kayaks in the water well ahead of our time table to head ashore. All of the guests came and went from the beach at their leisure. Kayaks were out on the bay all through the morning and the conditions could not have been more ideal for any and all activities. Some guests chose to swim, others explored via mask, snorkel and fins while many just enjoyed the warmth of the sun on a very sandy beach. Kayakers paddled along the shore, hikers departed to explore a small church at the top of the islet and visit the goats that had been observing us from there but the time went way too fast for all of us. Before we knew it lunch time was upon us and we had to wrap our beach operations and head home. We really did not want to leave.
Just after lunch we were underway to the north once again and had just enough breeze to get the sails up. Tzemma and Laura, our Greek guides did a presentation on modern Greece and took the time to answer everyone’s questions. Later in the afternoon Sharon Grainger did a talk on olive oil complete with some fabulous images. At the end of this Sharon shared with us olive oils from different countries of the region for us to taste, compare and offer our opinion on which we thought was best.
To finish up the day and our voyage there was a farewell cocktail party in the Lounge as we approached the outer suburbs of Athens. It was obvious that there was a change in the weather and that we had been very fortunate for the week. During dinner the Panorama came alongside at Marina Zea and her home berth. We finished the evening with some comments about the fine voyage that we had shared together this week. It was a very enjoyable last day aboard the Panorama.
