June 21st Summer Solstice! It really is going to be a long day!!

Kleftiko
Sir Michael

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The forecast is calling for Beaufort 6 kind of conditions - definitely not ideal for beginner paddlers but with the Grosshandler family departing early for further adventures on a cruise ship and Dirk being forced into an earlier departure from
frequent flyer flexibility(ha ha),with the circumnavigation completed yesterday I was going to be the only guide on the water today as yesterday's kayakers decided to hike today and only David was willing to do it all again!!
So DeT, Sir Michael,Dan, David and I thought we'd hug the southern coastline hopefully in the lee of the island away from the barrage of Force 6 winds barreling down from the North...and make our way to the famous white cliffs and arches of Kleftiko for lunch
We drove back to Psathi, our original "put-in" and before launching from the beach I instructed David in a brief "how to tow in an emergency" lesson and gave him his very own towbelt as with these northerly winds a sudden capsize could easily see us being swept off shore quickly whilst performing a rescue if not held in place by the towing force of another rescuer towing us against the wind back into shore!! I must admit to a little self interest of course - not wanting to lose any of my ducklings...
We had a lovely leisurely paddle hugging the shoreline, when we reached the mining quarry near Gerontas the winds were spinning the dust around and the winds picked up and changed directions ...1.5 hours and we had arrived at Kleftiko -
Only reachable by boat, an old shelter for pirates the bayknown as Kleftiko is hidden by rocky white islands with time created archways and caves. We explored our way through cave after long cave, the water crystal clear and today we had it all to ourselves - too windy for the tour boats!
We had a terrific leisurely picnic lunch on a small island, swam through caves with arches and windows that the aquatic Flintstones would have been proud to call home.
Before heading back we paddled towards the point and entered a huge cave - out of nowhere a huge gust of wind called a" microburst"in these 'ere parts came flying by sending David outside the cave floundering for a brace stroke and some grip on the water.
Time to start our journey back...
This was quite an experience - I, the mother Duck leading my little band of ducklings following close behind - bracing ourselves for every "microburst" coming flying our way - these were winds up to 40-50kms /hr that would last for a minute or two sometimes less, fortunately we could see them coming, a ripple moving quickly across the water and prepare ourselves to brace for it. I instructed everyone on how to prepare and edge into the wind if it came from the side but chose to try to keep ourselves heads buried in to the wind - much less chance of being flipped. the winds were whipping up quite a display of flying dust and rocks and debris sometimes shooting straight down the cliffs surging into the sea...we had to cross the frontier of one to enter a cave that would lead us through a series of caves to bypass an even windier bay...it felt so adventurous! there were times when all we could do was dig in and paddle for your life hoping you would at least keep ground and not lose any...we would shelter in cave along the way to drink water, collect the team and check how we were faring...
"the most exciting day of kayaking yet!" stated David.
It took almost three hours to paddle back , Dan had sacrificed his straw hat to Poseidon as it was blown away - now it probably is a floating junk boat bird's nest for a grateful bird enroute to Libya...at one point the microburst suddenly came from behind and I was almost swept into a rock but we prevailed and arrived at Psathi10 minutes ahead of schedule and we truly celebrated our high sea adventures!! What a terrific way to end such a fantastic week!
The hikers had been almost blown off the hillside on route to the highest point on Mt Elias (751m) that they had abandoned hiking for treacherous conditions but were delighted to find I had brought all the kayakers home safely.
Our last night we dined at a fabulous restaurant in Adamas- more toasts, more wine, more raki...and 75 yr old Sir Michael recited these few words of his own:

ON ISLANDS SUCH AS THESE
ANCESTRAL STORIES SOFTLY SEEP
LIKE HEAT VOLCANIC FROM THE ROCKS
SWIRLING SWIFT THE BLUEGREEN DEEP
OF ALL THE CYCLADES
AND ANCIENT WISDOMS QUIETLY MOCK
OUR MODERN HYBRIS MINDLESS LOCK
THAT DEAFENS DELPHIC EASE
ON ISLANDS SUCH AS THESE

________
ON ISLANDS SUCH AS THESE
HALF HEARD AMONGST THE MURMURING STONES
OUR HERITAGE OF WISDOMS PAST
REMEMBERED THE NOW SILENT TONES
OF GOLDEN PERICLES
AND TELL US NOW WE MUST HOLD FAST
TO THAT WHICH IS THE FIRST AND LAST
AND EVER LASTING KNOWLEDGE VAST
THE TRUTH'S ETERNAL PLEAS
ON ISLANDS SUCH AS THESE

...Such are the gentle inspirational muses of Milos and so ended a truly wonderful week, I will be back I am sure and once again Greece has etched another Greek key on my heart for these islands and their way of life are enchanting and enticing. Anyone who has seen the movie MammaMia! can attest to that.
what a real pleasure to share this little special part of the world with the fine folks i got to paddle with this week. Thankyou for being such good sports and in the spirit of adventure thankyou for being open to everything for that is what it is to travel - to step outside our daily lives and to step out of pattern and comfort zone and discover more about ourselves and to allow the boat to turn up wind and put the paddle in the water and to go with the flow. It was an honor to share the week with you all!!
With love for and from the sea in my heart, kali nikta,
happy paddling,
Wendy