The third day turned out to be simple and, perhaps, the most pleasant and exciting. The goal was achieved, and the set task was accomplished. Due to a change in wind conditions, we had to leave earlier than planned. We simply lifted the anchor at Kalymnos Island and left the bay, having breakfast underway.
The plan was to reach the marina located on the eastern part of Kos Island. With the course set eastward and the wind coming from the port side, everything was perfect—full speed ahead.
But even here, there were some nuances. For immigration and legal reasons, the skipper cannot leave Greek territory. Additionally, the boat’s departure had not been officially processed, although all documents were in order. Our route lay precisely along the border. Interestingly, the demarcation line on the map is somewhat unfair, or rather, inaccurately drawn right in the middle. However, Kos Island has a sandbank extending almost to the border. It’s quite a mystery how it formed.
I’m a bit of a formalist when it comes to the law. Unless absolutely necessary, especially for safety reasons, there is no need to violate any regulations. So, we turned off the autopilot and navigated the boat just 0.2 nautical miles (about 300-400 meters) from the dividing line on the map. The depth changed from 50-60 meters to 8, but the shallow area remained safely to our starboard side.
As we approached Kos Marina, we requested a berth. They asked us to wait at anchor nearby. We dropped anchor and waited. Finally, we were accepted and maneuvered into position, docking stern-to in the Mediterranean style, rather than alongside as boats of our size are usually moored—closer to the entrance where the depth allows.
I must say, Kos Marina is a real beehive of activity. The marina staff, zipping around in their inflatable dinghies, squeezed in yacht after yacht, making it seem like the docking space was magically expandable. But they managed to fit us in.
For the first time in three days, we found ourselves in comfortable conditions. Not because we had been cutting costs—there simply hadn’t been any marinas along the way before this. We replenished our water supply, although, as it turned out, we had plenty left—Liberty Tours carries a full two tons on board!
A shower, lunch, and dinner at a restaurant. A sandy beach. All the little pleasures of life! A stroll through town. And… finally, the opportunity for the skipper to catch up on a couple of hours of sleep after a sleepless night on anchor watch.
The goal of our week-long yacht tour through the Greek islands had been achieved. We reached Kos Island, just as planned. And from here, we would begin our journey back.
