Piraeus to Ikaria

Nissos Rodos ferry to Syros, Mikonos and Ikaria

When I arrive on the shuttle bus, Nissos Rodos is already loading and walk on passengers are allowed to board at 2 p.m. It's a new, luxurious ferry with greeters at the bottom and an escalator to take the passengers upstairs. I go up to 8^th deck where I find a door leading to the outside and walk to the front of the ship to face a beautiful view of the sea and the sun shining brightly and no wind. There is no one else here.

Sunny day on the ferry to Ikaria

My pack has a small foam pad inside, so I make myself comfortable on deck and sit leaning against the forward part of the cabin.

We still have over an hour to wait before departing and then three hours more of daylight – no problem, so as long as I can I sit here, enjoy the sun and knit. 

 

Heading south our of port of Piraeus

Finally, two men on the bow let go of the mooring lines. Two on the port side, two on the starboard and slowly we inch away from the quay helped by the wind. We wait until another ferry enters through the narrow gap between breakwaters and then steam straight south. (Or should I say sail? No, neither works).

View of Acropolis in the distance

I look behind and catch a glimpse of the Acropolis to the left of a tall building. Good bye Athens.

Sailboat off the port bow

Not too far away, but far enough, we pass a sailboat with the jib out, heading towards the east. It is getting late; I hope the skipper has plenty of time to reach port before dark. It is amazing how small the sailboat looks from the upper deck of a ship but only because it is so close. 
The captain of the ferry gives it one blast on the horn and we pass it to starboard. Meanwhile, I say a prayer for a friend, Paul Lim who disappeared last summer with his sailboat after leaving Hawaii headed for British Columbia.
Slowly we begin to turn towards Syros, our first stop. Just before the sun goes down, I notice a small island, Agios Georgios that is full of wind generators. It looks awful to my eyes - luckily it is uninhabited.

Wind farm on Agios Georgios Island in the Sardonic Gulf

It is getting dark and cold and a peek towards the bow convinces me that it's now too dangerous to be there any more. It's slippery and the boat is lurching on the waves – they've grown substantially since we left port. The wind is blowing force 7 to 8 - the sea is covered with white caps. However, the ship is big and is riding steadily. 
Inside, where I retreat, there is very little movement and after we stop in Syros, I settle in one of the lounge chairs. I sleep through our stop in Mikonos (my pillow collar helps immensely) and don't move until about 11:30 when we are near Ikaria.

 

Sunset in the Aegean