The night was pitch-black and the stars magnificent; sleeping beneath them was wonderful. At 10.30 pm, we fell asleep rocking with the swell.
We woke to the sound of goats. Breakfast, swimming, pufferfish hunting, then departure at noon. We also had a small adventure. We thought we had lost Derin on the boat and began searching for her. This is what happens when Gökhan watches too many horror films. He made me panic as well. It turned out that dear Derin had told us she was swimming towards the beach.
Nanou was one bay away, but the plan was to continue south as far as Seskli Island, looking at each bay from a distance along the way. We moved through the deep navy sea in a light breeze.
The wind was unsuitable around Seskli and Nimos, and there was nowhere to tie up. We continued, rounded the south of the island and headed north towards Datça, with Rhodes visible in the distance. For many years, Symi was administered as part of the Rhodes province.
We entered the monastery bay at Panormitis. Its entrance is narrow, and a windmill greeted us by the quay. It resembles Serçe Limanı: a tight entrance opening into a broad harbour. At the head of the bay, an enormous bell tower and church welcomed us. This may be the most wooded part of the island. A pleasant walking path, lined by electricity poles, circles the calm turquoise bay, where the depth was six metres.
After enjoying the sea, we walked around the bay, visited the Monastery of Archangel Michael Panormitis and ate dinner at the island’s only restaurant. I supplied the evening’s blunder. Thinking that my magnificent Greek was asking for watermelon, I instead asked the man, “Are you a watermelon?” He replied, “I am Greek.”
We slept outside again, although it was very windy. The warm wind howled throughout the night, but the stars were magnificent in the darkness. We wondered how the air traffic could be so busy.