Return to Previous Page  Continue to next page  

(Page 5)

17.05.2001
Anchored plus tied to a tree!
40.12599N 23.46.448 East
17.00 hrs
Temp 23.0C
Baro 1021
Wind SE4

Today I awoke at 05.30 to watch the dawn over the Holy mountain of Athos. It was a beautiful sight and well worth the effort of struggling out of bed!



It had an ethereal feeling and it's easy to see how people come to think the mountain has a special aura.

We left the Bay of O.Sykias at 10.35 am under one engine as there was no wind. With 20 miles to go I wanted to push on. The coastal scenery is spectacular and I mean it! The deep green wooded hills run down to the shore, golden slashes of sand in the many, many coves, much of which can only be reached from the sea. We shared the sea with only four fishing boats. 

Our Greek pilot book had been written before the US President announced that the Global Positioning System that the USA runs, and we all use, was to be made accurate to 10 meters for the world at large. Previously it had a built in error only the US military could decode. So the Lat and Long given as a guide in pilot books is something one uses with care. Approaching our next anchorage required us to go through a small rocky approach where there are four entrances. Three of them end in rocks below the surface! It was a calm day so we decided to follow the pilot book and go in.