1 September 2024 – 8 September 2024
From Kos and Kalymnos to Leros, Lipsi and Patmos: Beetfish’s first great Aegean test.
Route map
Day by day
After buying provisions and moving the contents of Şule and Soner’s kitchen aboard, we joined Beetfish at Yalıçiftlik. We waited for Ananda for a while, then anchored off Kumbahçe near Bodrum Castle so that we would be close to customs the following morning. The weather was unsettled, the sea choppy and the night surprisingly cool.
Read the full entry →We were at customs by 9.30 a.m. Süleyman completed the formalities quickly and we headed for Kos, resolving never again to forget our Greek residence permits. The weather was glorious and the sea glittered; Beetfish covered the ten nautical miles between Bodrum and Kos in an hour.
Read the full entry →While we slept, the captain left Kos for Pserimos. We moored stern-to near the entrance to the bay; Beetfish could not enter the shallow Blue Lagoon, so after breakfast we went by dinghy. On the return we finally caught our first fish. Soner’s saddled-seabream rig worked, and I caught three small fish with bait, one of them large enough to eat.
Read the full entry →We left Kalymnos early before the weather could worsen. As we passed the island’s wild slopes plunging into the sea, Turgutreis gradually faded off our starboard side; we sheltered at Beetfish’s stern while crossing the dark-blue waves.
Read the full entry →At 7.45 a.m. we set out on an unexpectedly calm sea. South of Lipsi we reached a rocky island group and moored stern-to at Makronisos. Arriving before the day boats, we found a little paradise of caves and an inner lagoon accessible by dinghy. Diving through from the tiny inland sea to the far side became one of the finest experiences of the trip.
Read the full entry →“Houston, we have a problem.” The windlass circuit breaker kept tripping and we could not raise the anchor. It was our first major failure, although fortunately we were in a safe bay. After a four-and-a-half-hour recovery operation, we left for Patmos at 11.30 a.m. and entered Skala harbour around 12.30.
Read the full entry →In the Book of Revelation, Patmos is described as the island where John lived in exile and received his vision of Christ; it is therefore an important Christian pilgrimage site.
Read the full entry →We rose at 6 a.m. At first light we left Şule and Soner on Patmos and set out. This was Beetfish’s first major test with us.
Read the full entry →Album
Address book
Our home and companion in the Aegean for eight days.
PublicThe pleasant surprise of our first evening on Kos.
PublicCured fish, calamari and Vasilis’s stories in Vlychadia.
PublicOur favourite stop, with its inner lagoon and caves.
PublicPatmos’s historic and spiritual centre above Chora.
PublicThe unforgettable Aegean table of our final night on Patmos.
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