Sicily to Crete…
Sicily..
New crew: Maria and Jon! Maria, our former German exchange student, is Jon’s sister. We again rented a car and made a small tour after retrieving them from the airport. Destination: the Valley of the Temples, the ancient city of Agkragas. Ancient ruins dating circa 430bc. Much was destroyed by an earth quake in the middle ages but portions of the 3 temples have been restored. An 800 year old olive tree!
We had a late lunch at the beach, Scala dei Turchi, Agrigento. Dramatic white limestone outcrop projecting into the sea. A late dinner followed by an early morning.
on to a new port, new country; Crete, Greece!
Departure 10:45 local time.
Oct. 7, 2017
The crew was quite uncomfortable for the first 2 days. Sloppy seas. Too much wind, or not enough. or on the nose… Fish tailing downwind. yuck, blah… Sails reefed. Then unreefed. Wing and wing. Varying winds. Smoother seas by days 3 at least for half way day! Spinnaker up. Then down. A large float spotted, looking like a life raft… a course change to investigate. The raft appeared to be a large piece of styrofoam with lines wadded around it and a turtle…. We circled several times making sure the turtle was not entangled. Assured the turtle was able to swim unhindered we continued back on course. Evening celebration of half way day cake and an adult beverage!
Sailing, motor sailing and motoring continued the remainder of the trip.
Oct. 10 several land masses spotted off the port side a dawn… It seemed impossible, an illusion. The nearest land in the that direction is over 60 miles away but as morning receded into full on daytime the illusion remained. Conditions so flat and calm we were able to see the mountains of several distance Greek islands through out the day! Including several manmade structures…
Our last night was very dark. Lots of bio activity in the sea. Thousands of distant stars illuminating the sky.
Crete on the horizon and a stowaway at the wheel. A small swallow found its way aboard and stayed with us for several hours. Fluttering off and returning. Resting on our hands, hats and under the dodger. Finally feeling rested it took off for the mainland but soon returned where it found lodging in our sail cover. Unfortunately, we were unable to free it from the folds of the sail before it was smothered in the slippery heavy fabric… Sadly , we set it adrift, only a few miles from shore. 
1240, arrival: Chania, Crete.
Crete!
What a lovely island this would turn out to be. Very clean. Few dogs and lots of cats… We enjoy seeing cats in the harbors and around food establishments keeping the mouse / rat population in check.
What a lovely island this would turn out to be. Very clean. Few dogs and lots of cats… We enjoy seeing cats in the harbors and around food establishments keeping the mouse / rat population in check.
Chania. We med-moored with a slime line to the harbor wall. A slime line leeds to a mooring on the sea bed which keeps the boats pointed in the right direct along with boat lines going to shore. The marina agent met us and welcomed us. The harbor is well protected from most sea events. The city boasts a lively waterfront (we had front row berthing) of dozens of restaurants and shops. Tourist parading by from late morning till the very early hours … traditional music played late into the night form the restaurant nearest us, pleasant enough and just loud enough to lull us to sleep every night. The city is large. The alleys of the old city sporting shops with leather goods, terra cotta pottery and racks of key chains with varying sizes of colorful dildo like wooden caving… Tons of olive oil soaps and sponges for purchasing as well. The food… the food was fantastic! Good prices and plentiful helpings. Meals always ending with a local sweet and raki… Raki, an alcohol made from the leftover grape pressings, sometimes flavored with anise… always a chore to swallow! Very harsh… Fire water come to mind.
Following the rules… we had to get a transit log to document the ships ports while in Crete. A quick bus ride to yet another port and the official. A very looong wait, lots of phone calls, stamp ing and copying of paperwork. The ‘official’ was misinformed as to the Schengen Law and provided us with false information (we have educated ourselves very well on this matter). But as it turned out… no one here (Crete) seems to care! No passports were stamped. No questions about how long were have stayed etc… Like many who have come and gone before us… it’s who’s behind the desk that determines your validity… not necessarily the law…
* I will finish this blog with a brief Schengen Law expose’… Inishnee’s interpretation
Maria and Jon departing soon we decided on a hiking trip to Samaria Gorge in the White Mountains. It is only open from late spring to fall, the last hike 3 days from now…. Billed as a strenuous hike for newbies, It is the longest gorge in ALL of Europe! 16 kilometers (10 miles) down hill. Altitude of 1,250 m (5,000 feet) at the north entrance terminating at the Libyan Sea (Mediterranean) at the village of Agia Roumeli. The hike consisted of 13m of those.
Once to start, you are committed! The only way out is by foot, airlift or mule… the latter 2 for the injured … The trail proved to be a challenge. Wide enough but very rocky, uneven terrain. Many switch backs lead to the valley floor were you continue on traversing the gorge across the dry river bed or sketchy wooden bridges. About halfway many stop at the former village of Samaria…
In 1962 the area was declared a National Park the the remaining inhabitants were relocated… Till then the valley had been continually inhabited since prehistoric times!
A few kri-Kri goats (cretan ibex) wander the village; they are endemic to the area and highly endangered.
The only way out of town, unless you are sadist and hike UP the gorge… is by ferry. No roads in to out. The ferry runs twice a day, stopping briefly at another village with no roads. Busses, taxis for private vehicles can then transport goods and people to their next destination. Back aboard Inishnee, many of the crew felt the hike’s after effects for several days.
Maria and Jon depart and were are again “empty vessel’s “ (made up word for empty nesters…) We provisioned, did laundry, ate out and relaxed a few days before moving on.
Moving on, we made brief stops in Rethymnon, Gouves and Sitia, Crete. More good food, hospitality and raki… ugh . No one cares about the transit log we were requited to get. Everyone welcomes us to town and hopes we stay awhile. Old Venetian fortifications, ancient ruins and palaces. 
We took a bus from Gouves to Heraklion / Iraklio to tour the nearby area of Knossos, where the ancient Palace of Knossos is located. Dating to Minoan times. A huge archaeological site, excavated by Sir Arthur Evans in 1894. … his interpretations and ‘rebuilding” of some structures remains controversial. He may have taken some creative liberties in his zealous for showing the world past… Jim’s thinks he amy have been a bit archeologist with some P.T. Barnum tossed in…
Later we spent a couple hours in the antiquities museum… lots and LOTS of old pottery… jewelry, household objects and some statures.
Our final city this trip finds us in Sitia. We will depart from here for Cyprus.
Sitia has a very quaint, old and modern feel. A small village. Fishing and tourism evident at the harbor. We were helpfully greeted by fellow cruises who took our lines as we pulled starboard to on the sea wall. Jim, hailing from Belfast Ireland would be a great source on information over the next few hours. the Cretean House for dinner, a good bargain and good food. No need for work about that transit log, we've traveled in th greek isles for several years and no one cares… Oh, you need a fender board! (a board to keep the boat and fenders from rubbing on the VERY rough sea wall) I was just tossing away this old ladder, i’m sure you can make it work.. oh, and you HAVE to go to Turkey… It’s wonderful!…and so it went… lots of friendly advice flowing from the lovely voice of an Irishman! Unfortunately, he was on passage to another port and had to leave the next day… we exchanged cards and really hope to meet again…
As Kathy types away on this blog entry, the wind is screaming down on us from the east… predictions said 5-8 knots… we are seeing mid 20’s regularly. Jim is changing the oil. We received GREAT news from the states… Kathy’s bestie, Carrie, is coming for a long visit after the new year!
We are prepping for our last passage of the season… for real this time! The last time we posted it we thought it was our last long passage for a while; at least year, we were hit with the reality of traveling in EU and specifically how it effects a NON EU citizen.
*The following is Inishnee’s interpretation of …
The Law:
The Schengen Agreement is a treaty signed by some of the European Union countries. It allows EU citizens to travel between Schengen Agreement EU countries / borders without passports; free movement. Not all European countries have joined the Schengen however.
Non Eu citizens are allowed 90 days of travel in 180 days… then they must exit for at least 90 before returning. Failure to do so could result in fines ($$) or possible permanent expulsion from the EU…
Reality.
Spain is very strict. 90days. No extension.
Portugal is similar… We met an American couple who had to pay a fine in Portugal for being beyond their 90 days, they were given an expansion…
Italy less strict. They will grant a 1 year residency (only good in Italy)… but the VAT (value added tax) must be paid within 30 days of residency… But! it depends on who is behind the desk that day…
Greece (Crete)… No one seems to care! We have met many cruisers, non EU who come and go without issues…
It’s a crap shoot!
We are, for the most part, rule followers… We looked at all the NON Schengen Agreement countries within the mediterranean were we could hold up for 90 days, then eventually the winter… And only found a hand full.
Western Mediterranean: Any where along the North African coast or Gibraltar.
Middle Med…. nothing!
Eastern Med… Cyprus, Turkey, Israel, Syria, Egypt….
We opted for Cyprus… a moderate climate for the winter.
The sailing season ends early November and the temperatures begin to drop significantly… SO we had to make a lot of miles in a very short time frame. We’ll catch the countries are missed on the return trip heading west next season….
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