Another day when we managed to sail some of the way, in this case with easterlies in to Ermione. Here you have the choice of a small bay to the north of the village or a larger bay with a town quay (Mandraki), both exposed to easterlies. We chose to tuck in behind a headland in the shallow northern bay, anchoring in about 3m, along with several other sailing boats.
Up early on Friday to catch the 10am ferry to Hydra, 10 miles up the channel. We’d heard that Hydra was popular, but when we arrived, it’s small harbour was boiling with ferry boats, water taxis, super yachts, and lifeboats from a very large cruise ship disgorging it’s (largely overweight) passengers into the town. Despite this, Hydra is a beautiful village, made more famous by Leonard Cohen who lived here for a few years, and well worth the 30min ferry ride (€10 per journey), and a place we would have been unlikely to see in Jacana. And not long after we arrived, a Greek warship arrived with several water taxis racing round it letting off smoke flares, and the warship firing off rounds (presumably blank as the cruise ship didn’t sink!).
Speaking with fellow CA members after we arrived back in Ermione, we got wind of a festival taking place later that evening on the Mandraki side. So at 930pm we found ourselves, along with a couple of hundred villagers watching a strange pagan ceremony, involving young girls arriving on an old boat, placing jewellery in earthenware pots, chanting, smashing the pots, dancing with a couple of lucky young lads and a ring of fire. We didn’t really understand what it was about, other than the village girls selecting lads to marry. It was all a bit strange!
Onwards on Saturday morning, after a further run ashore to stock up on essentials. (chocolate croissants)
