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.
After breakfast aboard, we took a taxi to Petra Beach. A tiny island sheltered the southern bay from the wind, while tamarisk trees made pockets of shade along the shore. Unable to resist the glasswort growing everywhere, we picked two small plants. Later we returned to Skala, completed the customs formalities, ate ice cream at Stelios and bought gifts.
For our final evening we sat down to an extraordinary meal at To Tsipouradiko Mas: fava, octopus, saganaki, stuffed vine leaves, Greek salad and taramasalata. Two bottles of ouzo, warm air and wonderful conversation closed the last night of the holiday. Beetfish remained safely moored, her windlass still out of action.