We had long known that it would be an overnight passage between Crete and the nearest island north in the Cyclades. I had been nervous at the prospect: there is something scary about seeing the sun sink, knowing you have the whole night of inky black sea and everything the weather can throw at you.
We were lucky (or maybe you could call it good planning). It was a beautiful calm crossing, with just 5 knots of wind on the nose, and the sea state was as calm as a millpond. What’s more, it was almost a full moon, so visibility was good throughout. We left Souda Bay at 2.30pm and arrived in the southern bay of Milos at just after 8am.
We organised our watches in two hour stints which worked well. While one kept watch for changes in weather or other vessels crossing our path, the other could rest on the salon couch. Scott had planned well ahead with his tech: he had installed AIS at the end of last year, and that came into its own on this passage, as we could see exactly what other vessels were around us, and had stats to tell us their heading, closest point of approach and time to closest point to approach.
Despite all this, I still managed to miss one cargo ship that passed less than a mile behind us. The first I knew was when the alarm went off and I looked behind me to see him bearing down on us. It was not dangerous, but just goes to show that you always need to keep alert.
We have now arrived in a beautiful bay to the south of Milos with stunning rock colour on the cliffs and crystal clear water. Heavenly!
