The Janssen Family World Travels: Greece Part II

Ios has been a wonderful break. By far our most mellow, leisurely time since starting our adventure. I guess life is good when you can vacation within a vacation. The island of Ios (and I think most of the Greek islands for that matter) is famous for partying amongst the traveling youth of summer, but thankfully those folks are elsewhere and we have been left with a largely uncrowded island, warm water, and mostly fabulous weather. Just missed the crowds as planned. Ios is reknowed as the alleged birthplace of Homer. Alleged because after 2500 or so years there is a lot of room for change and interpretation. With the exception of one day for a boat tour, we’ve been roadschooling each morning from about 9-1. We put together our first detailed weekly school lesson plans for each of the kids and they tackled thier work with vigor. Knowing what to expect each day has been really important. In the afternoons we enjoyed the fabulous beaches, cliff jumping, and relaxing.

Our second day here we rented a little Suzuki 4x4 miniature, convertible SUV and drove on a bunch of dirt and rock roads to some very remote beaches. I know things aren’t normal in my life when it has been 11 weeks since I last drove a car. No worries. Next to swimming pools I’m certain that my kid’s favorite activity is going over big bumps in the roads in a 4x4. The bigger the bump and the faster it is hit, the better. My only governor was trying to find a balance between fun and keeping them in the rear seat (only 2 seatbelts and last time I checked we had 3 kids).

In the middle of the week here we rented a small (about 14’) boat with a whopping 25hp engine and toured around the island. Probably about a 25 mile circuit. I assured the rental guy that I had been driving a boat for over 30 years. He showed me how to switch gas lines in case one tank ran dry (Duh!). I am very thankful to have had a youth and subsequent adulthood with ample experience at driving boats and operating various types of machinery. So we set off out of Ios’ famously protected harbor. The weather was forecast to change and there were a few clouds in the sky (those hadn’t been seen in the area since June).

Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale

A tale of a fateful trip
That started from a tropic port
Aboard this tiny ship
The mate was a might sailor man
The skipper brave and sure
5 passengers that sailed that day
For a 3 hour tour
A 3 hour tour

“A 3 Hour Tour” and what else I could remember of the Gilligan’s Island theme song (sadly, all of it) kept ringing through my head. “What was that dear?” Traci shouted over the impossibly loud whine of the little fourstroke engine at full throttle. “Nothing dear!” I kept signing to myself as we encountered some unexpectedly large swells and a decent but usual northerly wind. No worries though as I was confident that we’d be out of the wind soon. I was told to expect a rough first 1/3 of the trip then smooth sailing after that. Well the first 1/3 wasn’t too bad. The kids were hooting and hollering with each big swell. The boat we were in was deemed by the rental man to be “a copy of the American scout!” and it was super stable. It was not Christened “The Minnow” but rather“Booze Cruze I.” Great. We found a protected cove with some nice cliffs to huck from. Being such a giver I donned goggles and a mask and found a narrow and safe landing zone into which Sydney and Hayden could launch (Halle smartly stayed with Traci in the boat). I pointed out the landing zone (“Don’t land on me but don’t land too far from me!) and Hayden and Sydney then stuck the 20 footer. I smiled at yet another example of my great parenting but then I realized that they were waiting for me to do it as well. From the top it really did look like you were jumping into an area that wasn’t deep enough but alas I had to do it, closed my eyes, and cleared the underwater rocks with ease, or so I like to think.

We next motored to a lovely, deserted sand beach and enjoyed some serious rock skipping and a brief swim. The kids hunger wasn’t satisfied by our meager snacks so we headed for a restaurant about ½ way around the island. The wind was blowing much harder now and seemed to be switching directions. No worries we were close to lunch. We saw some amazing cliffs that would have been a dream to jump from but unfortunately the swells were getting larger. Much larger.

The weather started getting rough

The tiny ship was tossed
If not for the courage of the fearless crew
The minnow would be lost
The minnow would be lost

We rounded the point and into the bay where lunch awaited. The swells were huge and frothy and the wind had switched to the southwest. After double anchoring the boat we wandered into the mostly deserted restaurant and were promptly told by a couple of old timers that we should leave the boat, take the bus back, and have the rental guy get the boat later. I thought that sound advice so I called the rental guy and he said he was nearby in another bigger boat and we’d discuss shortly. After a quick lunch he pulled up and said to put the kids in his boat (in front to their delight) so as to get some weight out of our boat so we could more quickly follow him. Traci stayed with me, insisting to be my first mate. We headed out to the southwest, hitting these big waves straight on. We next turned to the north and the waves were approaching us from the side. It was a bit scary but the boat was very stable and we were following another much bigger boat. We caught some big air, the boat slammed down a time or two which really didn’t help either of our damaged vertebrae, and we stayed a couple blocks away from the cliffs and jagged rocks of shore. I wanted to take a picture but it was all I could do to hang on with one hand and steer with the other. The boat would barely plane and Traci was in the center of the boat trying to hang on yet keep enough weight forward so we could plane and keep up. I’m fairly confident driving, and always trying to anticipate what future problems could arise, but in this instance I had no idea how close I was to the limits of the boat. On the lakes at home, if ever caught in a big wind, it’s pretty simple…don’t let the nose get submerged. In a strange boat, in strangely huge waves, I had no idea of how close I was to the limits. I thought of running out of gas or the engine failing but the rental guy assured me that one tank should be enough for the circuit. I was a bit peeved that I didn’t check the fuel at lunch but that was then. Should be enough. Woulda coulda shoulda. About a minute later the engine sputtered the familiar sputter of fuel exhaustion. I really wanted to have power to put the bow into any huge waves but wanting and having weren't possible at the moment. First mate Traci thankfully had been watching me practice changing the fuel lines before we started and quickly changed the line and the slip connect to the full tank. Love that woman. Gilligan has nothing on her except a sweet hat. Onward again no harm no foul.

So thankfully no ship aground on the shore of the inhabited Greek Isle. We made it back safely to harbor and the rental guy said it was good that we got back as the waves were forecast to grow from 5 ½ -6, to 7. I don’t know if wave heights are measured in feet or meters. I looked on a marine forecast website the day after and everything was in meters so I'm sticking to that. Regardless, big waves, little boat. A 3 hour tour! Very adventurous and not a trip I’ll forget nor want to do again in the immediate future.

During a visit to a dive shop at a local beach, we met a lovely Australian couple named Kate and Jason. They are hanging in Ios for a few years and running this shop after spending 7 years sailing around the world. Kate said she could give all the kids an introduction to scuba diving and the kids all gamely gave it a go. She and Jason were just fabulous, energetic teachers and the kids are hooked. You can get certified once you are 10 years old and Sydney and Hayden received credit toward their certifications which they can hopefully complete in the spring in Thailand or Indonesia. Super cool experience for them. I still remember my first time diving and know the kid's found it magical as well. Another great family experience but one that I'm sure will dig deeply into the kid's inheritance.