Uninhabited Sporades, Skyros, and southerly winds

The uninhabited islands of Pelagos and Skantzoura were idyllic. A few
yachts and fishing boats came and went, but the islands remain desolate,
windswept and uninhabited other than wild goats and a very rare monk
seal (we weren't surprised not to see any, they are critically
endangered and very shy). We tried to have walk but there were no paths
and the scrub was denser than it looked, so we returned scratched and
defeated. The old monastery on the east side of Pelagos apparently
supports one monk and a guardian! He must have been a very special monk
or a very bad monk to have been sent to this lonely outpost.
The fishermen still treat the sea as their rubbish bins though, and
snorkeling in the clear waters of Skantzoura revealed truck and car
batteries - which must have come from fishing boats.
Stu tried to catch us some meals, with a little success, as the fish
were small or nervous and swam away. When we ran out of food, and more
worryingly beer, we headed south to Skyros, out on its own in the middle
of the Aegean, hoping for a big supermarket to stock up. That was not to
be found, Skyros resembling a remote Scottish island with houses
scattered in the hills and dotted on the coast. The tiny village of
Linaria has only basic provisions, and a bus ride to Skyros town (10km)
was necessary to find a butcher.

Now we are at the turning point of the season, when we want to head
south after staying in sheltered waters behind Evvia to beat north in
the almost constant northerly meltemi winds of August. Of course, as
soon as we were ready to head south the winds have changed to come from
Africa, bringing hot sticky air, 70% humidity and interfering with our
nice little plan of cruising gently though the islands to Turkey with
the wind behind us. So we are tied up in the little ferry port of
Linaria on Skyros for a few days, and we'll do a little exploration and
cycling despite the uncomfortable heat. It has its entertainments.
Every night the ferry arrives blasting out the theme of Space Odyssey
2001 as it docks close by, and opens its hold doors. It then disgorges a
new selection of tourists and locals returning from the mainland, and an
astonishing number of immense trucks which give an idea of the amount of
new building going on in parts of the island. The little port fills up
for a few hours, and the locals of all ages surround the harbour to fish
for squid and mullet until the early hours of the morning. The church
service is broadcast to the whole village from pretty church above, no
excuse not to pay attention, even if you can't make it to the service!
The old town of Skyros, the chora, is set high on a hill on the opposite
side of the island, with strange cubist architecture more commonly found
further south in the Cyclades Islands. It is a maze of narrow steep
streets where tourist shops nestle among traditional craft shops of wood
carving and embroidery. Make sure you get there before 1.30pm, as a
deathly silence and absence of people descends after the shops close.