Gavdos – my destination today, the southernmost point of Europe!

The conditions on the south side of Crete are excellent (while the waves are raging in the north) and I soon arrive in Karave, the tranquil harbour in the east of the island, after driving along the rugged, mountainous coast of Crete. Around three hundred […]

It happened just as Georges predicted! – I don’t choose a direct route, but head slightly north, straight toward the waves. Just like I did in the Baltic Sea. But the interval between waves is now a little longer, three to four seconds, and they’re probably a little higher too … I have to slow […]

I zigzag my way around Turkish peninsulas to Rhodes, an island I once cycled around and got to know very well. And I imagined what it would be like to sail into this harbour, passing under the Colossus (a huge statue of the sun god Helios) that once towered over the entrance and shone far […]

Still a little sleepy, I set off for Kalymnos, sail to the best spot in the harbour, stop there for a while (no more than an hour, warns the harbour master), stroll through the old town and enjoy an ice cream. This is where the famous sponges sold at all the tourist hotspots in Greece […]

Lipsi is just across the way, a stone’s throw from Patmos (and also from Akri): 250 inhabitants, many times that number of tourists in summer, quiet but not sleepy, authentic but not folkloric, no “good” beaches but inviting bathing bays, space for 80 boats in the harbour and huge sailing and motor yachts anchoring in […]

The next morning, as I leave Akri Bay, I notice that countless other yachts (with everything and everyone you could possibly want on board) are anchored in the countless bays along the coast and near small, uninhabited islands – yes, it’s a fantastic area here, especially the clear water, which is literally calling out to […]

Following Manos’ recommendation, I take a short trip to Akri, the smallest permanently inhabited island in Greece: around 40 inhabitants, no school, but two restaurants (for day trippers and owners of small yachts). And Manos was right: crystal clear water, an underwater world at its finest, seemingly untouched. FANTASTIC!

I arrive early. I can look around […]

I set off for Chios, an island west of Izmir. It’s funny how a small stretch of sea separates Greece (the EU) from Turkey (Asia) – different languages, different mentality, different culture and politics today; it was different two to three thousand years ago … Things change. Just as the sea is constantly changing here: […]

Launching the boat in the nearby harbour off Dimitris’ workshop is tricky, as it is shallow and littered with rocks, and I actually have to get used to the moving “ground” again. After a few manoeuvres, I gain confidence in the engines, in the ArgoFram (and in myself). And I speed off. But only as […]

The sea may seem so lovely, but one short, violent wave while sailing fast and the whole project is in trouble! – I have thought about what my goal is for this trip.
In addition to getting to know the country and its people on the periphery of Europe, my goal is to arrive safely in […]