Mediterranean Sea, Sailing
#15 – Sailing against all winds
Racing Against Time with Strong Winds Bureaucratic Hurdles and the Journey North
"The pessimist complains about the wind, the optimist expects it to change, the realist adjusts the sails." – William Arthur Ward
On the way back from Fethiye, we stopped in Datça, where Funda’s cousins visited us, excited to finally see Lumos. It was a joyful reunion filled with laughter and long evenings together. Of all the places we visited in Turkey, Datça remained closest to our hearts, especially the old town, perched on a hill with its narrow alleys, historic buildings, and cozy cafés.
Time was pressing, and the journey north was no easy feat. The Meltemi, a treacherous north wind that blows almost daily in summer, was relentlessly against us.
Sailing against this constant wind felt like an endless battle, and we often had to use the engine to make progress.
In Çeşme, we unexpectedly ran into friends from Switzerland. A few days later, we reached Burhaniye just in time for the wedding. The celebration was spectacular! Nearly 300 guests danced, laughed, and enjoyed an unforgettable night. After the wedding, we spent a few days with Burim’s brother and his son in Ayvalik and Cunda, a region full of culinary delights and picturesque islands. We wandered through the narrow streets and soaked in the relaxed atmosphere. But our time in Turkey was slowly coming to an end.
We checked out and set sail for Lesbos, back to Greece, where we left Lumos in the harbor for ten days. This time, we returned to Switzerland to attend another wedding, Funda’s brother’s Swiss-style celebration. It was a lovely event full of music, dance, and joy, set in the fairytale-like Schloss Spiez on Lake Thun.
Burim and his brother enjoying a peaceful moment on deck in Ayvalık, Turkey
Burim waiting for the agent during the check-out process in Ayvalık, passing the time by playing with the friendly police dog. The relaxed atmosphere is a striking contrast to the often rigid and bureaucratic procedures on the Greek side
After the magical wedding in Switzerland and a short farewell to family and friends, we eagerly returned to Greece. Our next goal, the Corinth Canal. However, our excitement was quickly overshadowed by an unexpected bureaucratic nightmare.
A small paperwork mistake, a missing stamp in the transit log, landed us in trouble. What initially seemed like a minor issue escalated into a bureaucratic disaster. On an island south of Lesbos, in a rundown office, five or six Greek officials sat around, each ruder than the other. Burim was treated with blatant disrespect, mainly because he had interrupted their daily social media scrolling. While they barked at him, a few refugees entered, requesting permission to travel to Athens. The officials condescending and cold treatment of them was infuriating.
After nearly two hours of pointless discussions, one officer, claiming to be in charge, pulled Burim aside and whispered: “If you pay me 500 euros, you’ll get the stamp.” Otherwise, he threatened us with an official fine of 1,000 euros. Or the other option was to sail two days back where we forgot the stamp. Furious, we refused and retrieved the missing stamp from the departure island instead.
Leaving behind the bureaucratic ordeal and outrageous demands of the Greek officials, we continued through the Cyclades, battling fierce Meltemi winds and encountering for the first time massive schools of tuna.
But then, in the middle of the night on open water, we faced a critical situation, at 30 knots of wind and high waves, a hull window, recently resealed by Burim in Leros, threatened to come loose. A lot of water was leaking in! We quickly reefed the sails further to reduce heeling and improvised a temporary fix. We spent a sleepless night sailing at reduced speed until we reached a sheltered bay at dawn. There, in calmer conditions, we repaired the window and moved on.
Finally, we reached the Corinth Canal, where our friend Markus was already waiting with his sailboat. Together, we navigated the spectacular passage and pushed onward against the wind to Mesolongi, where we also reunited with our sailing friends, Andy and Nina. The trio Lumos, Nordre Rose & Eilean was reunited once again, ready to share new adventures on the open sea.
We sailed through the Ionian Sea, discovering idyllic bays and enjoying time with our sailing friends, who showed us their favorite anchor spots and hidden gems. In one of these bays, we met Paul and Evelin, an inspiring Swiss-Dutch couple who had been sailing through Greece for over 30 years on their green concrete boat. Their sea stories fascinated us, and we spent many evenings captivated by their adventures.
As autumn arrived, the first severe storms hit. One night, a storm cell with winds of 60–70 knots tore through our anchorage, putting all boats in danger.
We barely managed to save Lumos, a clear sign that the season was coming to an end.
It was time for our last big passage: the journey to Sicily. And it turned out to be legendary! Perfect conditions 6 to 8 knots of speed and almost no waves, made for a dream sail. In Syracuse, we enjoyed the last days of summer before sailing to Marina di Ragusa, where we planned to spend another winter.
A year full of adventures, challenges, and unforgettable moments lay behind us. But one thing was certain, the next sea adventures were already waiting on the horizon.
At this point, Burim was very confident that the newly glued window would hold.
This peaceful anchorage, one of Andy and Nina’s favorites in Greece, quickly became ours as well.
