Over the next two weeks I sailed solo 200 miles from Ios back to Marmaris in Turkey. This turned out to be one of the most enjoyable times I had all summer. Yes it’s nice to have crew, but it’s also nice to have the boat to yourself and the wide open sea. Fortunately no night sailing was required as whoever made the Aegean conveniently placed islands with beautiful bays and anchorages every 20-30 miles. Also having bought Acheron new I was able to have the boat equipped with all the toys that make solo sailing easy: in mast furling, bow thruster and electric winches.
The first leg was from Ios to Myrsini (Schionhousa) 22.5 NM. I spent 3 days anchored in Ormos Livadi which was a lovely bay with a very nice taverna on the beach here I took my evening meals. Apart from swimming, relaxing and generally chilling out I also tried out my new anchor buoy made from a small fender, block and 10 metres of line with a weight.
Just after leaving Ios I had the experience of two high speed ferries passing me fairly close by, both doing 35 knots in opposite directions. In these situations I reckon AIS is a very handy tool as you can see the course they are taking a long time before they reach you and make sure you are well out of the way before they pass you.
I had a pleasant sail from Myrsini to Amorgos and just spent one night anchored in Kalotyri before heading off to Levitha.
