Sailing past Santorini

Approaching Thira at dawn, I found myself desperately dodging all manner of shipping intent on running Eileen of Avoca down.

Matt attempted to sleep, feet wedged into the “trotter box”, in a position that would inspire any contortionist.

The distinct smell of sulfur tainted the air as we sailed by the impressive cliffs. Had we known there had been recent serious subterranean rumblings here (reaching more that 6 on the Richter scale), we might have thought twice about sailing through a volcano’s caldera. But like the other uninformed tourists, oblivious to any danger, we motored past the main anchorages on the eastern side of the crater to take photos.

Numerous cruise ships converge here disgorging boatloads of sightseers at what must be the Cyclades most popular destination. Not really my cup of tea so I’m happy to report that I’ve been there, seen that, and kept going…

On to Ios.