Memories of The Cyclades
13th - 20th Sepember 2025
We join Ents Officer, Ben Peak, and the rest of the crew to share memories of a blustery week spent in The Cyclades.
The Cyclades have a reputation for high winds when the northerly Meltemi kicks in, yet during all my years sailing in the region I have never truly experienced what makes these winds so fearsome… little did I, and the other 14 members of our end of season trip to the sun, know what was in store for us!
Skippers and Mates had been studying the rising wind predictions for several weeks before the trip and concluded that our original plan to head west in a clockwise direction from Paros taking in Serifos, Kithnos, Siros, Mikonos and Naxos, was going to require some rethinking – such is sailing! And so we took our weather window and headed out from Paros on a rolling sea and fast reach in Force 5-6, to arrive in Serifos, where we planned to hunker down for a day before the next lull in the winds were due.
Livadi Bay in Serifos was a well appointed spot, full of wonderful restaurants and convenient buses taking tourists around the island and a wide sweeping beach. We made the most of our time there, with some of the party hiking up to the idyllic Chora (the old town) in the hills and others heading for the stunning Paralia Psili Ammos beach whilst we waited out the weather.
After two highly enjoyable days on the shore a one day calm in the weather arrived, but which was to be followed by Force 8 and above winds arriving for the remaining duration of our time with the boats, and so with heavy hearts we made the decision to return back to our home port whilst we were able to. At least our return journey did bring fine sailing winds and sightings of both dolphins playing at the bow of our boat soon followed by a large turtle lifting his head as we cruised by.
One great thing about the club however is the camaraderie of the crews and our interest in adventure not just by sea, and it was this spirit that saw us spending the remaining days exploring the island of Paros in greater depth – hiking across the interior, visiting its old town, taking in quaint fishing villages and enjoying a trip to neighbouring Antiparos via a local car ferry (highly recommended!)
