We knew our crew was finally getting their sea legs when breakfast included scrambled eggs and toast again. No Dramamine cocktails. No strategic sleeping positions. And, most importantly, nobody donating breakfast back to the Aegean. Progress!
Our final passage together was a relatively short 20 nautical miles from Antiparos to Naxos, an island Doug and I had fallen in love with earlier in the summer. The first part of the trip was still a little lumpy, but by the final five miles we were able to unfurl our reefed jib and enjoy a little sailing before slipping safely into Naxos Marina. And just like that, our final guest stop of the season had begun.
Naxos is the largest of the Cyclades and somehow seems to offer a little of everything – beautiful beaches, mountain villages, ancient ruins, fantastic local produce, and a wonderfully lively Chora packed with restaurants, boutiques and winding whitewashed lanes.
After lunch aboard KORA (including a Greek salad we’re becoming increasingly confident could pass local inspection), we headed out to explore. Doug stayed behind for a brief refuel before joining us. Naturally, gelato appeared almost immediately. What would this blog even be without one more gelato photo?
From there we climbed through the maze of Old Town to Avaton 1739, the rooftop bar we’d discovered on our previous visit. A round of appropriately named Lost in Naxos beers arrived as we looked out across the harbour below.
Then we did exactly that – got happily lost in Naxos. We wandered through the old stone passageways of the Kastro and browsed shops tucked into centuries-old buildings.
Eventually made our way down toward the waterfront and across to the island’s most famous landmark, the Temple of Apollo (Portara).This enormous marble doorway is all that remains of an unfinished Temple of Apollo begun more than 2,500 years ago. Sitting alone on its little islet above the harbour, it has become one of the symbols of Naxos – and one of the best places on the island to watch the sun disappear into the Aegean. Steve and Catherine had told us we’d missed something special by leaving before sunset last time. They were right. Wow!
Dinner followed back along the waterfront, where I somehow discovered an entire collection of shops and restaurants I’d completely missed during our previous stay. Proof that even when we return somewhere, Greece always seems to have another little surprise waiting. Doug’s whiskey sour was perhaps less successful. Let’s just say “medicinal notes” featured rather prominently in the tasting profile. Fortunately, the meal itself offered a redeeming feature.
The following morning we headed inland to Perivoli Farm for another taste of Naxian farm life – and within minutes five perfectly respectable adults were enthusiastically hunting for eggs in the chicken coop. Apparently Easter egg hunt instincts never disappear.
We wandered through vegetable gardens and orchards, sampled figs straight from the trees, met the sheep and Margarita the donkey, and learned why Naxos takes its potatoes so seriously. The island’s fertile soil and climate have made potatoes one of its signature agricultural products, celebrated locally with their own annual festival.
Then came the important part. Cooking! Our freshly collected eggs became a Naxian omelette, while the rest of our feast gradually took shape: tzatziki, zucchini balls, crispy potatoes, vegetables roasted in the wood-fired oven, local cheeses and delicious parcels of Naxian graviera wrapped in phyllo, fried and finished with honey and sesame.
Everything was prepared together, everything seemed to involve another glass of local wine or homemade lemonade, and almost everything gave Lori and Dale another idea for that new wood-fired oven waiting for them back in Texas. Eventually we sat down to feast on the results.
And just when we thought we couldn’t possibly fit anything else in… The music started Greek dancing followed. Then came the plate smashing. OPA!!!
By the time we returned to KORA, a serious food coma had taken hold. Several hours of recovery were required before we somehow managed to rally ourselves… for dinner. Because apparently that’s how Greece works.
For our final night together we switched things up with sushi beside the water, followed by one last wander through the streets of Naxos and – yes – one last gelato (missed the photo this time).
Along the way we even bumped into Nikos, one of our wonderful hosts from the farm earlier that day. On an island the size of Naxos, it somehow made the evening feel even more special.
Then suddenly it was morning. And our final guests of the summer were packing their bags. Kelley, Lori and Dale arrived aboard KORA at exactly the moment we needed them. A cracked wall, a grounded mainsail and some truly questionable Aegean weather could easily have changed the mood of our final guest week…
Instead, we laughed. We got soaked. We survived some rather impressive seas. We revisited old favorites and discovered them all over again. We ate, drank, danced, smashed plates, consumed an unreasonable quantity of gelato and made memories we’ll be laughing about long after KORA’s lines are tied for the season.
Thank you, friends, for helping us finish our summer of guests on such an incredible high!
As we waved goodbye from KORA, the boat suddenly felt very quiet again. Just Doug and me now. One final passage remains – maybe with a few brief stops for sleep along the way. We’re bound for Leros. Kora’s resting spot for the winter – and where she’ll be getting some repair work done in preparation for summer 2028.
