The Cyclades,
out of Lavrion.

14 NM   Vourkari is a natural inlet on the north-west side of Kea, the closest Cycladic island to the Attic coast — Kea lies about 12 NM south-east of Cape Sounion. Charter boats lie stern-to along the quay or anchor in the bay; the adjacent ferry port of Korissia is the alternative, though holding there is unreliable in strong north-easterlies. The head of the bay holds the remains of the Bronze Age settlement of Agia Irini, whose temple is among the oldest known in Greece. Ashore, the quay is lined with fish tavernas that serve the Athenian motor-yacht traffic arriving at weekends. The old capital Ioulida sits inland, about twenty minutes by taxi, and the archaic Lion of Kea — carved from the bedrock in the 6th century BCE — lies a short walk beyond the village.

14 NM   Loutra is on the north-east coast of Kythnos and is described in the pilot literature as the best protection from the meltemi available on the island. A small breakwater harbour takes visiting yachts alongside and stern-to; space is limited in July and August. The name refers to the mineral hot springs that surface here and have been used since the 19th century, when a spa building was put up in the village; the outflow runs into the sea beside the beach. The Mesolithic site of Maroulas, one of the oldest known settlements in Greece, is a short walk from the harbour on the headland. Provisioning is basic — a bakery, a small market, a handful of tavernas. The island capital, Chora, is about 6 km inland and was founded after Barbarossa’s raid of 1537 destroyed the medieval Kastro Orias.

23 NM   The longest southbound leg of the week, crossing the open channel between Kythnos and Serifos — a gap where the pilot notes the wind regularly runs 10 knots stronger than in adjacent open water. Livadi is the island’s only proper harbour, on the south-east coast, with a small marina and a quay used by ferries; expect roughly one Beaufort more than the prevailing northerly inside the bay. Above the harbour stands Chora, reached by a stepped path or a short bus ride, with the ruins of a Venetian castle at the top and long views over the channel. Serifos is bare and rocky, rising to Mount Tourlos at 483 m, and lived on iron mining from antiquity until the 20th century; the abandoned loading works at Megalo Livadi on the west coast are the visible remains.

12 NM   The shortest leg of the week, a straight run south-east across the Serifos–Sifnos channel. Kamares is the ferry port of Sifnos on the west coast, set at the head of a long bay. Berthing for visiting yachts is tight — the pilot puts it at three to six boats — with overnight alongside the ferry mole permitted once ferries have finished for the day; anchoring in the bay is the usual fallback. Sifnos has a working pottery tradition and is known in Greece for its cooking, including clay-pot dishes fired in wood ovens; several workshops still operate around Kamares and Vathi. Apollonia, the inland capital, and the fortified former capital Kastro on the east coast — Mycenaean walls, later citadels, and restored 16th–17th century churches — are both reachable by local bus.

24 NM   The hardest day: the return north is upwind in any meltemi, and this leg is the one to start at first light. Merichas is the main ferry port of Kythnos, on the sheltered west coast. Yachts moor stern-to away from the ferry berth, and the pilot advises extra scope because katabatic gusts fall off the hills behind the bay. The village itself is small and functional — a beach, a row of tavernas, a supermarket and the island’s main bus connection to Chora and Dryopida. Two miles north lies Kolona, the sand bar joining the islet of Agios Loukas to Kythnos, which is a common lunch stop but an exposed overnight berth. Flampouria and Mavrianou, further along the same coast, are noted for excellent holding if the northerly turns hard.

16 NM   A shorter northbound leg back across to Kea, usually a close reach or a beat depending on how far the meltemi has backed. Korissia, also called Agios Nikolaos, is the island’s ferry port, with a quay and a beach at the head of the bay; the pilot warns that holding can be unreliable in strong north-easterlies, so a berth on the quay is worth taking early. If the harbour is full, Vourkari is a mile north and Otzias, a reliable inlet with a beach taverna, is a little further round the north coast. The site of ancient Koressia lies around the port — Kea was a tetrapolis of Ioulis, Karthaia, Koressia and Poiessa — and the terraces of Karthaia, with a partly restored Temple of Athena, are on the far south-east side of the island.

14 NM   The return crossing of the Petalion Gulf, normally a broad reach or a run with the northerly behind, and short enough to be done in the morning before the wind builds towards midday. Boats are usually required back at the base by 09:00 on Saturday, so this leg is in practice sailed on Friday evening or at dawn. Lavrion sits on the south-east coast of Attica; the town has two separate yacht facilities, the commercial main port and Olympic Marina, and it is roughly half an hour by road from Athens airport. Fuel, water and a chandlery are available at the marina. The ancient silver mines and washing tables at Thorikos, and the temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion, are both within a short drive if there is time before the flight.